The below is a list of teams who have been relegated from the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Premiership since the introduction and expansion of the Scottish football system from two divisions to three. The fourth tier was added in 1994/95. It shows the fortunes of the clubs who have been relegated.
The statistics show that it's got more difficult to bounce back as from 1975-80 40% of teams got back at the first attempt which then decreases to 1980 to 1990 (29.41%), 1990 to 2000 (38.46%), 2000 to 2010 (11.11%) and 2010 to 2019 (27.27%). This numbers are probably down due to the introduction of a play off between the second bottom team and runner's up in Division One/Championship in 94/95. This developed into 3rd v 4th in the Championship who then play the runner's up with the winners of this match playing the second bottom team to see who plays Premiership football for the next season - this has been in place since the Scottish Professional Football League was formed in 2013.
Dundee hold the record of most number of relegations currently on seven, Heart of Midlothian come next on five followed by a clutch of clubs on four being St Johnstone, Partick Thistle, Falkirk and Dunfermline Athletic.
Ayr United were relegated at the end of the 1977/78 and haven't been back since. The closest they have been to getting back was in 2000/01 when they finished as runner's up in the second tier to Livingston. Since promotion from League One in 17/18 they have finished in 4th (lost to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in play-off QF) and in 4th place last season where there was no play-offs due to the season ending early. This season they are currently in 6th place.
They join Dumbarton, Clydebank, Greenock Morton, Airdrieonians, Raith Rovers, Gretna, Falkirk and Dunfermline Athletic to be relegated prior to 2013 and never to return to the top tier of football.
Key
Red denotes promoted back at the first attempt
denotes not returned to the top division as yet
1975/76
DUNDEE & ST JOHNSTONE. Dundee re-joined the Premier League in 1979/80. St Johnstone had to wait until 1983/84 to return where they stayed for one season
1976/77
HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN & KILMARNOCK. Hearts returned at the first attempt but went back down again. They were a real yo-yo team in the late 70s and early 80s being relegated in 76/77, 78/79 and 80/81. Killie came back in 79/80.
1977/78
AYR UNITED & CLYDEBANK. The Honest Men haven't played in top division since they were relegated. Clydebank returned in 85/86 for two seasons.
1978/79
HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN & MOTHERWELL. Hearts were promoted back up at the first attempt with Motherwell returning in 82/83 as Division One champions in 81/82.
1979/80
DUNDEE & HIBERNIAN were promoted straight back up from Division One with Hibs as Champions and Dundee were second.
1980/81
KILMARNOCK & HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN. Kilmarnock were promoted back at the first time of asking with a second placed finish to Motherwell. Hearts were promoted back at the end of the 1982/83 season finishing in second place.
1981/82
PARTICK THISTLE & AIRDRIEONIANS. Airdrieonians spent two more seasons in Premier between 1991 to 1993. The newly formed Airdrie United later renamed Airdrieonians have never played in the Premier. It took until 1992 for Partick to get back to the top division and they can well be described as a yo-yo team going down to the third tier in 2001 and then back to the Premier in 2002. They dropped to the third tier once again in 2005 and got back to the Premier in 2013 - Thistle were demoted to League One last season on a PPG basis following the season ending due to the pandemic.
1982/83
MORTON & KILMARNOCK. Morton were promoted as champions of Division One at the first time of asking with Kilmarnock next appearing in the Premier in the 93/94 season where they have played since.
1983/84
ST JOHNSTONE & MOTHERWELL. Motherwell came back up as champions - St Johnstone were relegated again in 1984/85 and spent three seasons in the third tier. They next appeared in the Premier in 1990/91.
1984/85
MORTON & DUMBARTON. Since relegation in 1983 Dumbarton have not played in the top division in Scotland. Morton spent the 87/88 season in the top division but have not returned since then.
1985/86
NO RELEGATION DUE TO LEAGUE RE-ORGANISATION
1986/87
CLYDEBANK & HAMILTON ACADEMICAL. The Accies were promoted back as champions. This was Clydebank's last season in the top division. Since they re-formed in 2003 they have played in the Scottish Junior Football system but now play in the newly formed West of Scotland League Premier Division which is at Step 6 of the Scottish league ladder.
1987/88
MORTON, DUNFERMLINE ATHELTIC & FALKIRK. Dunfermline Athletic were champions of the second tier in 1989 with Falkirk (2nd) and Morton (5th). Falkirk had to wait until 1990/91 to get back when they won the Division One title.
1988/89
HAMILTON ACADEMICAL. The Accies had to wait until 2008/09 for a return to the top tier - they even went down to fourth tier playing in Division Three in the 2000/01 season. They had been deducted 15 points in the 99/00 Division Two season due to financial problems causing them to be unable to play one fixture in that season. At the time the club had been ground sharing having sold their Douglas Park home in 1994 - they timed their move to New Douglas Park in 2001 with their Division Three title win.
1989/90
DUNDEE. It took Dundee two season to get back up again with a 3rd place finish in 90/91 and a Division One title in 91/92.
1990/91
NO RELEGATION DUE TO LEAGUE EXPANSION FROM TEN TO TWELVE CLUBS.
1991/92
ST MIRRREN & DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC. Dunfermline returned to the top division as champions of Division One in 1995/96. St Mirren returned in 00/01 but were relegated down after just one season.
1992/93
FALKIRK & AIRDRIEONIANS. Airdrieonains and the newly formed Airdie United/Airdrieonians have not been back to the top division. Falkirk were promoted back as champions of Division One.
1993/94
ST JOHNSTONE, RAITH ROVERS & DUNDEE. Rovers were Division One champions in 1995 and promoted straight back up. Dundee finished 3rd, 5th and 3rd before a title win in 97/98 got them back up. The Saints were champions in 96/97 gaining back their place in the top division.
1994/95
DUNDEE UNITED. The Tangerines were promoted straight back up when they finished 2nd and beat Partick Thistle in the relegation/promotion play-off.
1995/96
PARTICK THISTLE & FALKIRK
1996/97
RAITH ROVERS. The fans at Starks Park are yet to see top division football again after relegation in the 96/97 season.
1997/98
HIBERNIAN. Hibs were Division One champions in 1998/99 by 23 points losing only 3 games in 36 played,
1998/99
DUNFERMLINE ATHELTIC. The Pars finished second in the 99/00 Division One and were promoted back to the top division.
1999/00
NO RELEGATION AS FALKIRK'S BROCKVILLE STADIUM DIDN'T MEET SPFL REQUIREMENTS. ABDEREEN FINISHED BOTTOM.
2000/01
ST MIRREN. Returned as second tier champions in 05/06.
2001/02
ST JOHNSTONE. Returned to the top division in 09/10 as 08/09 Division One title winners. They have been members of the top division since.
2002/03
NO RELEGATION AS FALKIRK'S BROCKVILLE STADIUM DIDN'T MEET SPFL REQUIREMENTS. MOTHERWELL FINISHED BOTTOM.
2003/04
PARTICK THISTLE. Returned in 13/14 as Division One champions. Spent one season in the third tier in 05/06.
2004/05
DUNDEE. Returned for the 12/13 season but were relegated again after just one season.
2005/06
LIVINGSTON. Returned to the Premiership in 2018/19. Due to financial problems they were relegated to the fourth tier of the Scottish game for the start of the 09/10 season.
2006/07
DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC. Returned for the 11/12 top division campaign as Division One champions in 10/11. The Parts were relegated after just one season.
2007/08
GRETNA. Gretna joined the Scottish League in 20002 and under the ownership of Brookes Mileson went from Division Three in 04/05 to the Premier League in 07/08 with a Cup Final appearance in 05/06. They resigned from the Scottish League in June 2008 and were formally liquidated in August 2008. A new club Gretna FC 2008 were re-formed and are currently members of the Lowland League playing at Raydale Park.
2008/09
INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE came back at the first time of asking as champions of the then Scottish Division One in 09/10.
2009/10
FALKRIK finished in third place of Division One in 10/11 - they were twelve points below champions Dunfermline Athletic. The Bairns are yet to return to the top division. They are currently in the third tier now called Scottish League One.
2010/11
HAMILTON ACADEMICAL finished in 4th (11/12) and 5th (12/13). In 13/14 after a 2nd placed finish they were promoted back to the top tier after winning the promotion play-off against Hibernian in a dramatic two legged tie. The Accies went to Easter Road 0-2 after the first leg as underdogs but two goals from Jason Scotlan and Tony Andreu in the 93rd minute silenced most of the 18,031 inside the ground. Hamilton, then managed by Alex Neil, went on to win on penalty kicks.
2011/12
DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC. The Pars were relegated twice in row when finishing second from bottom in the 12/13 Division One losing to Alloa Athletic.
2012/13
DUNDEE. The Dark Blue returned at the first time of asking winning the newly renamed Scottish Championship in 2013/14.
2013/14
HIBERNIAN & HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN. Hearts won the 14/15 championship by 21 points from Hib who joined Rangers and Queen of the South along with Motherwell (2nd bottom in Premier) in the play-offs. Hibs had to wait until the 2017/18 season to return to the top division when they were Championship title winners.
2014/15
ST MIRREN. Returned after three seasons when they were Championship title winners in 17/18.
2015/16
DUNDEE UNITED. The Tangerines returned to the Premiership this season after 3rd, 3rd and 2nd placed finishes and a 1st place finish by PPG in the 19/20 season.
2016/17
INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE. Caley have since finished 5th, 3rd and 2nd places in their quest to gain entry back to the top division in Scotland. Currently in 7th place of the Championship table.
2017/18
PARTICK THISTLE & ROSS COUNTY. County returned after just one season winning the 18/19 championship title. For Thistle they are now in the third tier having been controversially demoted on a PPG basis after football was halted last season.
2018/19
DUNDEE. Finished 3rd last season and are currently in 3rd place.
2019/20
HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN. Hearts are currently top of the Championship table and looking good for a shot at promotion back to the Premiership. They are closely followed by Dunfermline Athletic (last in Premier 2011/12), Dundee (2018/19), Raith Rovers (96/97).
No comments:
Post a Comment