Harry Redknapp, Roy Hodgson, Tony Pulis… Bosses to pull off the most incredible relegation escapes in football history
Football Whispers run down six of the greatest bottom-of-the-table battles from West Brom to Tottenham Hotspur
WHEN Leicester took the decision in February to sack Claudio Ranieri, the man who guided the club to the most unlikeliest of Premier League titles, it stunned fans and pundits alike.
To many it was a callous decision but there’s no doubt Leicester were in freefall.
The champions had lost their last five league games and were one point above the drop zone... relegation had almost began to feel inevitable.
Enter Craig Shakespeare... when Ranieri was sacked his assistant manager stepped up.
He has since guided the Foxes to five straight league wins, taken them to tenth in the table and into the Champions League quarter finals.
Shakespeare has transformed Leicester’s fortunes, but it’s by far the first time a manager has dramatically turned a club around.
Our friends at take a look back at other unlikely escapes.
Bryan Robson: West Brom - 2004/05
It’s remembered as the Premier League’s first great escape.
On Christmas Day 2004 West Brom sat bottom of the table with just one win in 18 games, no team in history has survived from such a position.
Yet under Bryan Robson, who had taken charge at the club in November, the Baggies' results slowly improved.
However, at the start of March they remained bottom and were seven points adrift with eleven games to play.
The Baggies gave themselves a chance with a 2-0 win over Midlands rivals Birmingham City.
They would lose just three of their next nine matches to arrive on the final day of the campaign with a slight chance of staying up.
They began the day in 20th - results had to go their way and West Brom had to defeat Portsmouth. Robson’s side did their bit, beating Portsmouth 2-0, and news then filtered through that Crystal Palace had drawn 2-2 with Charlton.
Cue wild celebrations on the Hawthorns pitch as Baggies fans celebrated their great escape.
Harry Redknapp: Portsmouth - 2005/06
With ten games of the Premier League season remaining Portsmouth looked down.
They were eight points adrift of 17th place West Brom and had lost five of their previous six top flight games.
But what followed would lead to Redknapp, who returned to Portsmouth in December, earning his "Houdini" nickname.
Portsmouth finished the campaign spectacularly after they claimed 20 points from nine matches and secured their place in the top flight with a game to spare.
After the 2-1 win at Wigan Athletic that ensured survival, Redknapp said: "People talk about great escapes but this has got to be one of the all-time great ones.”
It is certainly one of the most memorable and exciting the Premier League has seen.
Walter Mazzarri: Reggina - 2006/07
Long before he arrived in the Premier League to guide Watford to what is sure to be a mid-table finish, the Italian coach masterminded an unlikely Serie A survival.
In the summer of 2006, Reggina Fiorentina, Milan, Lazio, Siena and Juventus, were all punished to varying degrees for their involvement in Calciopoli, the Italian football scandal.
Reggina were hit with an 11 point deduction.
It was a penalty many expected would result in the club’s relegation given they’d only survived in Serie A by ten and two points respectively in the previous two campaigns.
An opening day defeat to Palermo did little to sway opinion but Mazzarri’s side would go the next five games unbeaten.
Eight matches into the campaign and their points deduction had been wiped out.
Powered by the goals of Rolando Bianchi and Nicola Amoruso, who would score 35 between them during the campaign, Reggina remained outside the relegation zone for much of the campaign.
But they needed a final day victory over Carlo Ancelotti’s Milan, who had beaten Liverpool in the Champions League final, to guarantee safety.
Mazzarri’s side produced yet another impressive display to clinch a 2-0 win and secure their Serie A status.
Roy Hodgson: Fulham - 2007/08
The future England manager was parachuted in by Fulham in December 2007 after a dismal start to the campaign under Lawrie Sanchez.
Performances improved under Hodgson but results remained inconsistent.
A 3-1 defeat to Sunderland on April 5 left Fulham six points adrift of safety with just five matches remaining.
A surprise win over Reading a week later gave the west London club hope but defeat to Liverpool quickly dented that optimism. It appeared their fate had been sealed.
Manchester City away followed and Fulham were 2-0 down at half time. At that moment, with relegation rivals Birmingham and Reading avoiding defeat, Fulham were down.
But Hodgson’s side then produced an extraordinary 45 minutes of football.
Well travelled striker Diomansy Kamara pulled a goal back before Danny Murphy equalised. In the dying seconds Kamara scored a winner.
The following week Fulham beat Birmingham 2-0 at Craven Cottage. A great escape was on.
They went into the final day knowing a win over Portsmouth would keep them up.
Yet during that game the Whites slipped back into the relegation zone as Reading led an awful Derby County side who were bottom.
However, in the 76th minute at Fratton Park, Murphy headed home a cross.
Fulham were able to see out the final minutes to complete one of the unlikeliest survival missions.
Harry Redknapp: Tottenham Hotspur - 2008/09
Tottenham had started the campaign horribly under Juande Ramos... after eight Premier League matches they were rock bottom of the table with just two points.
Daniel Levy decided to act and Spurs paid Portsmouth £5million in compensation to bring Redknapp to White Hart Lane.
His impact was immediate as a talented Tottenham team defeated Bolton Wanderers 2-0, claimed a memorable 4-4 draw at Arsenal and then overcame Liverpool 2-1.
Tottenham would continue to rise up the Premier League through the remainder of the campaign.
They averaged 1.63 points per game under Redknapp compared to a paltry 0.25 under Ramos.
It may not be Redknapp’s most dramatic rescue mission but, considering Spurs would secure Champions League football the following campaign, it’s one of his most successful.
Tony Pulis: Crystal Palace - 2013/14
Much like the appointment of Sam Allardyce this season, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish knew he was taking a big stride to securing safety with the appointment of Tony Pulis in November 2013.
After 11 matches Palace looked every inch a relegation candidate.
They had managed to score just seven goals, had conceded 21 and were averaging just 0.58 points per game.
But Pulis had never been relegated as a manager and quickly shaped the Eagles into a side that was tough to beat and effective from set-pieces.
Just over two months after his appointment Palace had moved up to 15th in the table
They would end the campaign in 11th having averaged 1.46 points per game under the Welshman.
By comparison, Man United claimed just 1.65 points per game in the same period.
