Burnley could become the third team in three years to suffer consecutive relegations down to the third tier of English football. The club is currently in the Championship relegation zone and is desperately seeking a way out of the crisis.
Last weekend, 1,450 Burnley fans travelled to a away game at Lincoln City. The team was then managed by Nicky Hayen, and a 4-1 defeat further deepened the problems. Lincoln is a club that played in non-league football ten years ago. In the meantime, new people have been appointed at the helm of Burnley – Diego Lopez was named chief football officer, and Fabio Celestini took over as manager.
History shows that consecutive relegations are becoming more frequent. In the first 20 seasons of the Premier League, a club being relegated from the top flight in two consecutive seasons happened only once. Swindon Town finished fourth from the bottom of the second tier in 1994-95, but were relegated due to league restructuring to reduce the Premier League to 20 teams. Wolves were relegated in 2011-12. Since then, a double drop has occurred four times in 14 seasons. Sunderland were relegated in 2016-18, and after that, a double drop occurred three times in nine seasons. Wigan and Portsmouth were relegated to League One after their second season in the Championship, while Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday were relegated to League One after their third season in the second tier. Wolves suffered a triple drop to the lowest tier in the 1980s.
During their double drop, Wolves changed four managers and made a series of poor transfers. Sunderland were the only club to finish at the bottom of both leagues. In 84 league matches, they recorded only 13 wins. Before that, they had spent 10 seasons in the top flight, and only three times crossed the 40-point threshold. Leicester's drop to League One was a direct consequence of poor decisions in the boardroom. The club received a six-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules, finished 23rd in the Championship, five points from safety. Sunderland needed four years to return to the Championship. Leicester's team, managed by Russell Martin, is currently 11th in League One, and the club is for sale.
Former Watford and Reading midfielder, now EFL expert, Jobi McAnuff told BBC Sport that he does not see consecutive relegations as a trend that will continue. Luton had several players who perhaps felt they deserved a place in the Premier League, but did not adapt to the return to the Championship. Leicester retained too many players who actually did not want to be there. Luton's new 25,000-capacity stadium at Power Court is due to be completed by the start of the 2028-29 season. Luton were relegated from the Championship in the 2024-25 season due to a worse goal difference than Hull City, who were promoted to the Premier League the following season.
Burnley has gained a reputation as a typical yo-yo club. In the last five seasons, the club has either been relegated or promoted to the top flight. According to the 2024-25 accounts, Burnley carries £142 million in debt following the leveraged buyout carried out by Alan Pace and ALK Capital in 2020. This is the highest debt in the Championship. The club set a new English league record for the longest home winless run. When they host Portsmouth on Saturday, it will have been 378 days since their last home win. Burnley's total revenue for 2024-25 was £71.7 million, while Lincoln's revenue was £7.81 million. Burnley received £48 million in parachute payments, while Lincoln can expect around £5.5 million in solidarity funding. The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) published its state of the game report earlier this month.
