Finishing a respectable 6th during the 22/23 season, Brighton & Hove Albion had the best season according to a new poll of 2,000 Brits.
With Mitoma arguably one of the highlight signings of the season and memories of a sensational away win against Arsenal still fresh in mind, the Seagulls (0.4 percent) were followed closely by Bournemouth (0.7 precent), who came close to relegation, secured vital wins towards the end of the season to remain in the topflight.
At the other end of the table, Chelsea (23 percent) was voted the worst performing team in the league by football fans, followed by Merseyside club Everton (11 percent), who also narrowly avoided relegation.
The poll by Specsavers explored the UK’s attitudes towards sporting underdogs and asked football fans to vote for the team which they think had the worst 22/23 season.
The research comes as Specsavers continues its mission to turn the worst grassroots football team in the country into one of the best.
The community opticians and audiologists is giving one local club a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to turn its fortunes around, with face-to-face training from a world class footballing legend and money-can’t-buy experiences, usually only reserved for elite clubs.
More than 1,400 teams have already applied for the opportunity, while many others have taken to Specsavers’ social channels to have some football banter and call out top tier teams who they feel should apply, including Chelsea, Spurs and Man U.
Once Specsavers’ Best Worst Team has been selected, the healthcare retailer, which also offers a Home Visits service for those unable to visit one of its 1,000 locally-owned stores, will be following and documenting the club’s journey throughout the 2023/24 footballing season.
Polling 2,000 Brits, the research also shows that when it comes to supporting our favourite sport, football (41 percent), us Brits can be fiercely loyal. With 64 percent harbouring a dislike for glory hunters and 68 percent of British footy fans remain faithful to just one team.
Interestingly, jumping on the bandwagon and supporting successful teams is still a huge trend in the UK, with one in seven (13 percent) still partial to supporting teams just because they’re doing well.
Strong ties can also be swayed to support a local underdog, as 57 percent admit that they love to support an outsider. Over half (52 percent) agree that they would ditch a major club for a smaller local team, with 57 percent citing the strong community spirit as the reason.
At times, the beautiful game can seem more like an emotional roller-coaster, as 52 percent said they would be in a bad mood if their team were on the losing side, while 29 percent said they wouldn’t want to talk to anyone.
On the other hand, 65 percent agreed that if their team won the treble, like Manchester City last did last year, it would be the best day of their lives, and an incredible 39 percent said it would even trump their wedding day!
The 10 Teams With The Best 22/23 Season:
- Brighton & Hove Albion
- Bournemouth
- Newcastle United
- Crystal Palace
- Brentford
- Fulham
- Burnley
- Aston Villa
- Nottingham Forest
- Wolverhampton Wanderers
The 10 Teams With The Worst 22/23 Season:
- Chelsea
- Everton
- Liverpool
- Manchester United
- Arsenal
- Tottenham Hotspur
- West Ham United
- Sheffield United
- Manchester City
- Wolverhampton Wanderers
To apply or nominate a team to become Specsavers’ Best Worst Team visit https://www.specsavers.co.uk/best-worst-team.
