9 Biggest Downward Spirals By Former Premier League Clubs

5. Blackpool

'Plucky little Blackpool' were everyone's second favourite team in the 2010-11 season - though their stay in the top division may have only been brief, the Seasiders have fallen far since then. Blackpool won promotion to the Premier League through the playoffs, beating Cardiff City to secure their first top flight season in 39 years. They competed admirably, with away wins at Stoke and Sunderland, a home victory over Tottenham Hotspur and a league double over Liverpool. In the last match of the season, the Seasiders led champions Manchester United 2-1 after nearly an hour of play, but United took control and consigned Blackpool to relegation along with Birmingham City and West Ham United. Their first season in the Championship went well enough, fighting their way to the play-off final before losing to losing to West Ham through a last-gap goal by Ricardo Vaz Te. A lack of investment from owners Karl (pictured above) and Owen Oyston led to the club's decline, with a calamitous start to the 2014-15 season. Just a fortnight before their first match, 27 players left the club, leaving Blackpool with only eight outfield players and no goalkeeper. Manager Jose Riga quickly assembled a squad for their first match but the club has been on a downward slide ever since. They were inevitably relegated to League One in April 2015. The final match of the Championship season was abandoned in the 48th minute as hundreds of Blackpool supporters protested the actions of the club's owners with a pitch invasion. Their season in League One has shown little signs of improvement, with the side languishing perilously close to the relegation zone. Fans should cling on tight to the memories of the league double over Liverpool €” it's unlikely to happen again any time soon.