BBC - Premier League's Greatest Escapes

[StanSP]

Match of the Day Top 10 podcast: Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer & Micah Richards rank Premier League great escapes - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57089915

 

 

 

Leicester, 2015 (Richards: 1st, Shearer: 5th)

Twelve months after Leicester's survival they had something bigger to celebrate

This was Leicester's first season back in the Premier League after 10 years, and were stuck on the bottom of the table for four and a half months. But seven wins from their last nine games led to ultimately comfortable survival - they finished 14th.

 

Lineker: They were almost certain to go down... and then the following season won a title. It's impossible! They were useless, and suddenly brilliant, and it's hard to explain why.

 

Richards: They were bottom with 10 games to go, won seven of the last nine and finished 14th. Unheard of - magical. The team spirit must have been pumping. You fully deserve to stay up if you go on that sort of run.

 

 

Richards giving us 1st. Shearer in 5th.

Shearer opted for Everton's escape in 1994 as his top choice, and then Villa last season in 2nd?!

 

[Tuna]

Ours was THE great escape,  anything other than first place is just plain daft.

[HighPeakFox]

9 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Match of the Day Top 10 podcast: Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer & Micah Richards rank Premier League great escapes - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57089915

I suspect they're under orders to differ.

[Jakemoore]

I’m not even being bias, but how can anyone not pick us as no.1 for this. What the class of 2014-2015 did was unheard of. Winning 7 out of 9 games?! Are you mad? What team spirit, what courage!!! And the KP was bloody electric for those last few home games too. 

[Guest ttfn]

The Sunderland one where they won at Stamford Bridge and the Etihad was the best one. Either that or the Fulham one where they were 2-0 down at half time at Man City and set to be mathematically relegated with about 3 games to go, came back and stayed up.

 

Ours was amazing but 3rd behind those two imo.

[Guest bennytwohats]

There have been some other great ones. Viewed in isolation then ours would be up there but not a clear winner imo.

 

However the context for what we went on to achieve the following season shouldn’t be ignored. For me that’s what puts ours over and above the rest. 

What a ****ing journey eh. Still remember how dead and buried I felt before the start of that run. How far we’ve come!

[Mickyblueeyes]

Ours was the greatest escape. I still remember that season. I still remember my feeling just before the WBA (that’s after the West Ham win) thinking what our side should be in the championship the next season. We were very nearly down. No one expected us to do what we did. No one expected us to climb from bottom to MID TABLE. 
 

Amazing run.

[Les-TA-Jon]

6 minutes ago, ttfn said:

The Sunderland one where they won at Stamford Bridge and the Etihad was the best one. Either that or the Fulham one where they were 2-0 down at half time at Man City and set to be mathematically relegated with about 3 games to go, came back and stayed up.

 

Ours was amazing but 3rd behind those two imo.

Or what about West Brom in 2005? Bottom on the last day and stayed up. 

 

I think they're all a bit different though aren't they, so it's hard to compare. West Brom's is obviously special for that reason, and Sunderland's given the opposition beaten. 

 

But for me, ours is up there because of the length of it, the huge winning run required and the fact that it was the start of the most stark change of form any singular team has ever seen in the PL era. 

[StanSP]

1 minute ago, bennytwohats said:

There have been some other great ones. Viewed in isolation then ours would be up there but not a clear winner imo.

 

However the context for what we went on to achieve the following season shouldn’t be ignored. For me that’s what puts ours over and above the rest. 

What a ****ing journey eh. Still remember how dead and buried I felt before the start of that run. How far we’ve come!

I remember the West Ham game so vividly. 

KP erupting as King scored 

[foxes_rule1978]

12 minutes ago, bennytwohats said:

There have been some other great ones. Viewed in isolation then ours would be up there but not a clear winner imo.

 

However the context for what we went on to achieve the following season shouldn’t be ignored. For me that’s what puts ours over and above the rest. 

What a ****ing journey eh. Still remember how dead and buried I felt before the start of that run. How far we’ve come!

Exactly we have seen great escapes, but they usually end up getting relegated the following season. Not win it

[Tuna]

1 hour ago, HighPeakFox said:

I suspect they're under orders to differ.

I suspect you are 100% correct.

[trabuch]

I disagree with Gary. We were never useless in that season. We weren't great but we had some truly dreadful luck that season, until the end.

[messerschmitt]

59 minutes ago, StanSP said:

I remember the West Ham game so vividly. 

KP erupting as King scored 

Me too was that the first day of the clappers?

[messerschmitt]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

I remember the West Ham game so vividly. 

KP erupting as King scored 

And Cambiasso scoring and going nuts, you could see what it meant to him, he was right in front of us

[Out Foxed]

18 minutes ago, trabuch said:

I disagree with Gary. We were never useless in that season. We weren't great but we had some truly dreadful luck that season, until the end.

yeah he's talking tosh 

[Blue ROI]

West Brom in 2005 was about the best memory of survival for me until 2015. Although Fulham worked a miracle in 2008 IIRC. 2-0 down to Man City and needed to win their last 3 games or something??

 

I'd say our one by itself would make a strong argument for Number 1. It's strengthened even further by the 12 months after.

Edited 18 May 2021 by Blue ROI

[Captain...]

In terms of drama, it was actually all decided before the final day, so not that dramatic. In terms of how long we had been bottom for, where we were with 9 games to go and the inexperience of the squad it was pretty incredible.

[AmyLGK]

34 minutes ago, trabuch said:

I disagree with Gary. We were never useless in that season. We weren't great but we had some truly dreadful luck that season, until the end.

I completely agree (with trabuch....not Gary ) - that's why the KP was always so loud and supportive that season (not like at some grounds when their team is rock bottom) - we were playing well, definitely with heart and desire, and that was what was so pleasing to see as a fan. Then suddenly we realised how to close out a game and get results...! 

Edited 18 May 2021 by AmyLGK

[kushiro]

Here we go again with the 'Football started in 1992' nonsense.

 

The best story before our great escape was Sheffield Wednesday in 1927/28. Here's the bottom of the table approaching the end of the season:

 

Man U                    29       26

Portsmouth            30       26

Sheff Utd                29       25

Sheff W                  30       20

 

Just two points for a win then, of course. Wednesday then appointed the legendary Jimmy Seed captain and they turned it around, surviving on the final day, and sending down Spurs, who at the time of the table above were in the top half, but then lion-kinged rapidly downwards. 

 

Wednesday kept the momentum going, just like us in 2015, and won the League the following year, finishing just a point ahead of who else but Leicester City.

[Nalis]

2 hours ago, ttfn said:

The Sunderland one where they won at Stamford Bridge and the Etihad was the best one. Either that or the Fulham one where they were 2-0 down at half time at Man City and set to be mathematically relegated with about 3 games to go, came back and stayed up.

 

Ours was amazing but 3rd behind those two imo.

Agree with this. 

 

Ours was great but objectively not the best. Other teams on that list won 7 in 9 too. Think a lot of people are combining it with what happened next rather than a standalone.

Edited 18 May 2021 by Nalis

[Finnegan]

2 hours ago, Tuna said:

Ours was THE great escape,  anything other than first place is just plain daft.

 

I actually don't agree with this to be honest. 

 

We were always too good to go down, we'd started the season with impressive performances against Everton and United before wobbling. 

 

Yes we were bottom at Christmas but we were never out of games, never looked lost at this level, turned it around with a fair bit of time to go, ended the season in near title winning form and were nowhere near relegation by the final day. 

 

It wasn't even an escape, let alone a "great" escape. It was just a classic case of the table not really being accurate until all the games were played. 

 

Comparatively, other clubs on that list were going down until they did something dramatic to pull out wins on the final day. West Brom is the one that always stands out for me, they were awful, they were destined to go, also bottom at Christmas, needed to win on the final day as one of a load of teams that could still go down, got all the results to go their way and got away with murder.

 

That's an escape. 

[bovril]

2 hours ago, trabuch said:

I disagree with Gary. We were never useless in that season. We weren't great but we had some truly dreadful luck that season, until the end.

 

41 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

I actually don't agree with this to be honest. 

 

We were always too good to go down, we'd started the season with impressive performances against Everton and United before wobbling. 

 

Yes we were bottom at Christmas but we were never out of games, never looked lost at this level, turned it around with a fair bit of time to go, ended the season in near title winning form and were nowhere near relegation by the final day. 

 

 

We were pretty awful from the Burnley 2-2 game until the Spurs game just before Christmas.

 

We improved significantly from Christmas but we were gone. It was a remarkable turnaround. 

[Hollyfox]

3 hours ago, trabuch said:

I disagree with Gary. We were never useless in that season. We weren't great but we had some truly dreadful luck that season, until the end.

I remember the Spurs game on boxing day(?) 

We battered them but lost 2-1

 

 

I think ours is right up there  but maybe because it didn't go down to the last day, goes against us a bit

[Lambert09]

Ours can’t even be compared. 
 

if you escape from prison but chose to sit in a muddy lake outside until you get caught again.. that’s not much of an escape.

 

We escaped married a princess, cured cancer taking away all the money from the corrupt pharmaceutical company’s and made fox hunters face the death penalty 

Edited 18 May 2021 by Lambert09

[fuchsntf]

4 minutes ago, Lambert09 said:

Ours can’t even be compared. 
 

if you escape from prison but chose to sit in a muddy lake outside until you get caught again.. that’s not much of an escape.

 

We escaped married a princess, cured cancer taking away all the money from the corrupt pharmaceutical company’s and made fox hunters face the death penalty 

You are mad..mad..totally mad...

But I like it..