Has a club with a points deduction ever stayed up?

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Derby County are battling against all odds to remain in the Championship – and there's precedent for clubs surviving after points deductions in the past

Derby County manager Wayne Rooney | Derby v Nottingham Forest live stream
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Derby County began the 2021/22 season with a points deduction. From there, it was always going to be an uphill battle.

Over the years in English football, points deductions have not been uncommon, with many teams facing such punishments for financial mismanagement. Wigan Athletic, for example, were slapped with a 12-point deduction for entering administration in July 2019 before being relegated by on-field results in 2020.

Sheffield Wednesday also received a 12-point deduction for breaching EFL profitability and sustainability regulations in November 2019 after the league concluded that the club had breached the £39m permitted losses. This was halved later on, however, when an appeal panel disagreed with the original panel’s finding that the sale of Hillsborough stadium taking place after July 31 2019 was irrelevant to the case.

In 2008, however, Bournemouth managed to beat the dreaded deduction. After failing to exit administration via a Company Voluntary Agreement, the Cherries were slapped with a whopping 17-point deduction from the league and facing the real possibility of slipping out of the Football League altogether – potentially folding, too.

The club entrusted the survival plans with rookie boss Eddie Howe, who had only recently completed his coaching badges and somehow, the south coast side managed to put together the form to survive on the penultimate day of the season, thanks to a Steve Fletcher goal against Grimsby.

In 2010, meanwhile, Crystal Palace dropped from ninth in the Championship to 21st – three points off the relegation zone – after being winded with a 10-point deduction. On the final day of the season, away to Sheffield Wednesday, the Eagles managed to hold on for an invaluable draw to steer clear of relegation.

There's hope out there for other clubs with points deductions…

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Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.