Queens Park Rangers: The 15 Worst Starts to a Premier League Season

With Queens Park Rangers languishing at the bottom of the table, and Tony Fernandes' dreams of world domination currently at a stand still, the question that has been posed is: "Is this the worst start to a Premier League season, ever?"

Judging by the plethora of talent in the R's squad earning just four points, with no wins, and only a splattering of draws, the obvious answer is yes. Rangers really are up a certain creek, and Mark Hughes seems to have lost his paddle.

Already a third of a way through the season, Rangers could well be in trouble if things don't turn around, and fast. But what other poor EPL starts to a season have there been since the league's inception in 1992?

And do any of them compare to the not-so-Super Hoops?

Here are 15 that could well challenge QPR for that unwanted record. And some of their final league positions could even help Mark Hughes sleep a little easier in his bed.

15. Southampton 2001-02

Games: 12

Points: 7

Wins: 2

Final Position: 11th

Southampton haven't had the easiest life in top flight football, but their worst performance in the first third of the season to date came in 2001.

Just two wins and one draw earned them a measly seven points—leaving them rooted at the bottom of the table.

However there were happier times on the horizon. And with a little help from Gordon Strachan (via The Daily Telegraph), they pulled themselves from the mire to finish in a respectable 11th position.

14. Ipswich Town 1994-95

Games: 12

Points: 7

Wins: 2

Final Position: 22nd (Relegated)

Back in the days when there were 22 teams in the top flight of English football, Ipswich Town didn't give themselves much of a chance of staying as one of them.

After an appalling start, the aging side—but with a youthful Richard Wright (yes, it was that long ago)—went from bad to worse. They conceded 92 goals and recorded just seven wins all season.

13. Bolton Wanderers 2007-08

Games: 12

Points: 7

Wins: 1

Final Position: 16th

With a strike-force containing Nicolas Anelka and El Hadji Diouf, the battle that Bolton Wanderers were in during the 2007-08 season was shocking to most. Especially as they had qualified for the UEFA Cup the season before.

However new manager Sammy Lee could not replicate the form that Sam Allardyce had created a few months before, and they stuttered through their first 12 games—only beating Reading on their way to seven points.

12. Bradford City 2000-01

Games: 12

Points: 7

Wins: 1

Final Position: 20th (Relegated)

Chris Hutchings had a baptism of fire into football management when he was given the task of leading Bradford in their second year in the Premier League.

He lasted 12 games (via BBC), in which they won just one. However the Bantam strikers should shoulder some of the blame for their poor start, as they scored just five in the first third of the season. And that lack of goals continued until May when they were duly relegated.

11. Blackburn Rovers 1996-97

Games: 12

Points: 7

Wins: 1

Final Position: 13th

The first installment of the Blackburn Rovers slow starts in this list focuses on the 1996-97 season.

Their measly seven points in twelve games was a far cry from their title winning days. And a lot of that can be accredited to the loss of Alan Shearer when he was sold to Newcastle that summer (via The Independent).

Chris Sutton looked off the pace in the early months, and was obviously missing his strike partner. Once fronting the SAS (Shearer and Sutton), Blackburn sent out an SOS. This was answered by Scotsman Kevin Gallacher, as he notched eight to help lift Rovers to safety.

10. Blackburn Rovers 2011-12

Games: 12

Points: 7

Wins: 1

Final Position: 19th (Relegated)

We stay in Blackburn for the next bad start, and this one only goes as far back as last season.

A mixture of Steve Kean and chickens left a sour taste in the mouth of the Rovers' faithful as they saw their team spiral down towards the Championship.

A fine example of when an owner should let go of their pride, and face facts: The manager simply wasn't good enough—and it showed in their first 12 games.

Tony Fernandes, take note.

9. Portsmouth 2009-10

Games: 12

Points: 7

Wins: 2

Final Position: 20th (Relegated)

Alexandre Gaydamak sold Portsmouth to Abu-Dhabi businessman Sulaiman Al-Fahim in the summer, and he promised better times for Pompey. However instead, he simply heaped more misery onto the South Coast side (via The Guardian).

His 40-day reign coincided with Portsmouth's poor start. And the woes did not end there. Administration, a nine-point penalty, and an even more disastrous owner: Ali Al-Faraj (via Mirror Football) followed—and soon Pompey's nightmare start, turned into a nightmare season.

8. Wigan Athletic 2011-12

Games: 12

Points: 6

Wins: 1

Final Position: 15th

Wigan Athletic seem to have a non-relegation force field which pulls them back into safety if they are in danger of dropping dangerously close to the Championship.

This was demonstrated recently—in the 2011-12 season—when they started off incredibly badly. Earning just six points out of a possible 36, they were yet again touted as relegation favorites by the bookmakers.

However Roberto Martinez managed a run of results in the business end of the season to keep their Premier League status in tact once again.

7. Birmingham City 2005-06

Games: 12

Points: 6

Wins: 1

Final Position: 18th (Relegated)

Just a single victory over their Midlands rivals—West Bromwich Albion—left Birmingham City in dire straits12 games in during the 2005-06 season.

Steve Bruce managed to hold onto his job that campaign, however despite all his efforts, the Blues finished four points from safety.

The only positive was that they brought West Brom down with them.

6. Sunderland 2005-06

Games: 12

Points: 5

Wins: 1

Final Position: 20th (Relegated)

That same season saw Sunderland's worst performance ever—and the Black Cats created a new record of the lowest points scored in a Premier League season: 15.

This was not helped by their exceptionally bad start, where they managed just five points, and only one win in the first third of matches.

The next 12 games saw the exact same outcome, as did the last. So at least they were consistent throughout.

5. Derby County 2007-08

Games: 12

Points: 6

Wins: 1

Final Position: 20th (Relegated)

Smashing Sunderland's lowest point tally record with a low of 11, Derby didn't stop there. They took the accolade of fewest wins in the Premier League with just one, and the longest run of games without a victory: 32 (via BBC).

Surprisingly, the first 12 games of the season actually accumulated more than half of Derby County's total points. But this does not mean that it was a good start, more so that it was an even poorer season.

4. Sheffield Wednesday 1999-2000

Games: 12

Points: 5

Wins: 1

Final Position: 19th (Relegated)

Sheffield Wednesday failed to register a single victory in their first nine games, and only managed to squeeze a point out of Bradford City in that time.

Despite winning one match in their first 12, they only managed one more victory in the next eight.

Danny Wilson struggled to keep Wednesday on track, and he was fired in March (via SportsIllustrated). A decision which the majority would say came too late in the day to save the Owls.

3. Manchester City 1995-96

Games: 12

Points: 5

Wins: 1

Final Position: 18th (Relegated)

Manchester City were a shadow of the team they are today in 1995-96.

They failed to win any of the first 11 games, and would have been No. 1 in this list had they not beaten Bolton is November 1995.

They did turn their season around after Christmas, climbing steadily towards safety. However despite what looked like a season saving 2-2 draw on the last day, both Coventry and Southampton had a better goal difference, and City were relegated.

2. Swindon Town 1993-94

Games: 12

Points: 5

Wins: 0

Final Position: 22nd (Relegated)

Swindon Town are the first club on this list to record zero victories in their first 12 games.

In fact, they did not win a game until the 17th week, when they beat QPR 1-0. Although Swindon didn't have issues with scoring goals, they most definitely struggled to keep them out.

100 goals were let in by Town that season, a record which is still held today (via talkSPORT).

One point better off than QPR right now, and still finishing bottom at the end of the season, the future doesn't look bright for Rangers.

Or does it?

1. Everton 1994-95

Games: 12

Points: 4

Wins: 0

Final Position: 15th

And it's the Toffees to the rescue. Everton are currently joint top of the worst ever starts list, with the exact same points tally after the exact same number of games as QPR this season.

And they survived!

The Toffee's tale is similar to QPR's. After escaping what seemed like certain relegation the previous season, Everton were expected to go on to great things the next season.

However this didn't happen and manager Mike Walker was winless—and ultimately jobless—after 12 games (via The Independent).

Joe Royle was appointed Walker's successor (via EvertonFC.com) and he took them from bottom to 15th—preserving Everton's top flight status.

The end of Rangers' story has not been written yet, but there is one key difference in their season, and Everton's so far.

Everton changed their manager.

Honourable Mention: Southampton (x4)

Southampton crop up again and again when discussing poor Premier League starts, and they have continued that trend this season.

With just eight points, and one win—which came against QPR—they are only held off the bottom by the side from West London.

However Nigel Adkins isn't feeling the same pressure as Mark Hughes.

They seem to be replicating their early season form from 1993-94, and 1998-99, and 2004-05: All of which saw them only eight points to the good after 12 games.

Scraping through in the past, their luck finally ran out when in 2005, when their poor start led to them being relegated after 27 years in the top flight (via BBC). Adkins will be hoping this season will not be a replica of that one.

Honourable Mention: Blackburn Rovers (again)

And finally, look who it is. Blackburn Rovers, the slowest starters in the west (of England) get themselves on this list yet again.

In 2004-05, they too only managed eight points out of a possible 36th, fighting it out with the Saints for last place. However, some may be surprised to hear who it was that rescued the floundering side and lifted them to 15th place.

That's right, a certain Mr Mark Hughes.

Worst start to the season? Arguably QPR have taken that title—considering the depth and quality in their squad. But if Rangers pull through, August through November will be long forgotten.

Probably.

All results from soccerbase.com. All table positions from soccerassociation.com.