THE 2021-22 RISE FROM BOTTOM TO THE PLAYOFFS
In the 2021-22 season we went from being bottom of the Championship after 8 games to the playoffs by the end of the season. So, is this a record? Well it kind of depends on how you look it, but of course it is.Championship Revivals
If we just look at the Championship then the highest any team has finished after being bottom after 7 games was:
| Season | Division | Pos After 7 Games | Club | Final Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Championship | 24 | Nottingham Forest | 4 |
| 2022-23 | Championship | 24 | Coventry City | 5 |
| 2023-24 | Championship | 24 | Middlesbrough | 8 |
| 2007-08 | Championship | 24 | Queens Park Rangers | 14 |
| 2013-14 | Championship | 24 | Bolton Wanderers | 14 |
| 2019-20 | Championship | 24 | Stoke City | 15 |
The highest any team has finished after being bottom after 8 games was:
| Season | Division | Pos After 8 Games | Club | Final Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Championship | 24 | Nottingham Forest | 4 |
| 2022-23 | Championship | 24 | Coventry City | 5 |
| 2010-11 | Championship | 24 | Leicester City | 10 |
| 2016-17 | Championship | 24 | Cardiff City | 12 |
| 2007-08 | Championship | 24 | Queens Park Rangers | 14 |
OTHER DIVISIONS
Looking at things from a slightly different angle, I pulled a list of teams who got promoted each season and looked at when they were last in the bottom place and you can see that Barnsley easily beat Forest hands down. They were bottom of the third division after a whopping 20 games, but still managed to finish 6th and get promoted!
| Season | Division | Club | Final Position | Promoted? | Num Games Played When Last Bottom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 3 | Barnsley | 6 | Y | 20 |
| 1956-57 | 3S | Ipswich Town | 1 | Y | 7 |
| 1995-96 | 4 | Plymouth Argyle | 4 | Y | 5 |
| 1909-10 | 2 | Oldham Athletic | 2 | Y | 5 |
| 2006-07 | 3 | Scunthorpe United | 1 | Y | 5 |
| 2000-01 | 4 | Chesterfield | 3 | Y | 5 |
| 2011-12 | 4 | Crewe Alexandra | 7 | Y | 4 |
| 2006-07 | 3 | Bristol City | 2 | Y | 4 |
| 1965-66 | 4 | Darlington | 2 | Y | 4 |
| 1926-27 | 2 | Middlesbrough | 1 | Y | 4 |
| 2006-07 | 2 | Sunderland | 1 | Y | 4 |
| 1993-94 | 4 | Shrewsbury Town | 1 | Y | 3 |
| 2006-07 | 3 | Blackpool | 3 | Y | 3 |
| 1906-07 | 2 | Nottingham Forest | 1 | Y | 3 |
| 1928-29 | 3S | Charlton Athletic | 1 | Y | 3 |
| 1967-68 | 3 | Bury | 2 | Y | 3 |
| 2012-13 | 2 | Crystal Palace | 5 | Y | 3 |
| 1977-78 | 3 | Cambridge United | 2 | Y | 3 |