6 of the Best Premier League Teams to Be Relegated -

There can be no denying that this season has witnessed a marked improvement in standard of the teams involved in the Premier League relegation battle.

Then again, it doesn't really get any worse than Fulham and Huddersfield last campaign.

West Ham are bursting at the seams with talent despite literally being West Ham, Watford are staggeringly difficult to beat, Aston Villa have Jack Grealish and Bournemouth have got a £19m Dominic Solanke sat on the bench.

Even Norwich are capable of playing some scintillating football at times, making it incredible that three of these teams will be playing in the Championship next season.

It got us thinking about some of the best Premier League teams to ever taste relegation. Then we got thinking about how much we love lists. Then we made a list that ranks the best Premier League teams to get relegated. Enjoy.

6. Blackpool 2010/11

Could they defend? Absolutely not, but who cares? This Blackpool team were an absolute joy to watch.

In terms of individual talent, this team is by far the weakest on the list. Many of these players were having their first and only taste of top flight football, but what made the Tangerines special was their gung-ho attacking style.

Manager Ian Holloway was not known for attractive football prior to taking over at Bloomfield Road in 2009, but watching Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side made the mad Bristolian see the light.

With a youthful looking Charlie Adam pulling the strings in midfield and DJ Campbell banging in the goals with help from Gary Taylor-Fletcher, the Seasiders came so close to avoiding the drop, earning 39 points - one shy of safety.

5. Newcastle 2008/09

By the end of the 2008/09 season Newcastle had registered just seven wins, had four managers and lost their Premier League status for the first time ever.

Off the pitch, the Magpies were an omnishambles. Kevin Keegan resigned in September in protest over a lack of control over the club's transfer policy and was replaced by Joe Kinnear. Kinnear's highlight was either an obscenity-ridden rant at a local journalist or mistaking Charles N'Zogbia's surname for 'Insomnia'.

He was then replaced by Chris Hughton in February before club legend Alan Shearer stepped into the hot-seat in April - promising to keep his beloved Magpies up. Much to Shearer's surprise, being 'Newcastle til I die,' is not the only skill set that you need to be a football manager (see: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United) and the Magpies were relegated.

The failure was remarkable when you look at the wealth of talent that the club had at its disposal, including Michael Owen, Damien Duff and Nicky Butt to name a very select few.

4. Blackburn Rovers 1998/99

Just four years removed from lifting the Premier League title, Blackburn Rovers were relegated - garnering just 35 points during the 1998/99 season.

How could this have happened? Just one year prior, Rovers had finished sixth with many backing them for another outside title challenge this time around. A host of players from the title winning squad, including Chris Sutton, Jason Wilcox and Tim Flowers were still at the club and talented younger players such as Damien Duff were also breaking through.

In the end though, principally due to the absence of a reliable striker - Rovers' Golden Boot was shared by Kevin Gallacher and Ashley Ward who both hit just five goals - Blackburn registered just five wins and were relegated.

3. Middlesbrough 1996/97

Juninho was a bonafide footballing genius, but even the little Brazilian magician could not do enough to keep Middlesbrough in the league during the 1996/1997 campaign.

Backed up by the talents of the fiery Fabrizio Ravanelli - who managed an incredible 31 goals in all competitions - Juninho and co registered 39 points, two short of safety.

Boro could take some solace in managing to reach both the FA Cup and League Cup finals, though the fact that they were docked three points for not fulfilling a fixture still wrangles with supporters at the Riverside today.

2. Leeds United 2003/04

Some football clubs are perceived as simply 'too big' to not be in the Premier League. Leeds United must have considered themselves to be part of this elite group... until May 2 2004.

Leeds ended the season six points adrift of safety, also conceding a league high 79 goals.

A financial crisis off the pitch led to uninspiring performances on it, with a string of top players being sold in order to make a dent into the club's £100m debt. Still, they should have had more than enough to stay up with the likes of Mark Viduka, Alan Smith and David Batty remaining at Elland Road.

1. West Ham 2002/2003

During the 2017/18 Premier League season, West Ham registered 42 points and finished 13th. During the 2002/03 season, West Ham registered 42 points and were relegated.

It is the highest number of points that a relegated team has registered in Premier League history and that Hammers team was pretty good. Certainly too good to be relegated.

The squad list from that season features a string reputable names. Jermain Defoe, David James, Michael Carrick, Paolo Di Canio - the list goes on.

The relegation would prove disastrous for the Hammers, with many of their star names departing in the summer.

Joe Cole and Glen Johnson would move before the start of the season while, James and Defoe would make their exits in the winter transfer window.

Source : 90min