Considering the success that Manchester City have had over the last two decades, younger fans may find it hard to believe that the club has been relegated on many occasions.
Even in its recent history, since the formation of the Premier League, the Sky Blues have lost their top-flight status, unlike some of their rivals such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton.
A lot has changed since the takeover of the club by Sheikh Mansour in 2008 so dropping down a division is very unlikely to happen again in the future.
Be that as it may, it is important to remember how the Cityzens came to be where they are today. Let’s look at City’s ups and downs across its 144-year history.
How many times have Man City been relegated?
The club actually started out life in Division Two before being promoted at the end of the 1898-99 season. They lasted three years in Division 1 before their first relegation in 1902.
It wasn’t long before City were back in the top flight, returning for the 1903/04 season. 1904 was the year they finished in the highest-ever position (2nd) in their history up until that point, as well as lifting their first FA Cup.
The Manchester club would suffer relegation again in 1909, 1926 and 1938; the year after they won their first-ever Division 1 title.
After returning to the top tier following the Second World War, they fell back down a division in 1950, but only for one season before being promoted back up again. Subsequent relegations occurred in 1963, 1983 and 1987.
In the Premier League era, City have been demoted no less than 3 teams; one of which led them to drop down to the third tier for the first time in 1998. The period between 1995 and 2002 was pretty traumatic for the club, regularly being promoted and relegated before establishing themselves definitively in the top division. In total, City have suffered 11 relegations.
What are the odds of Man City being relegated again?
With the club currently fighting to win their sixth Premier League title in seven seasons, the bookies are currently not carrying odds for City’s relegation as they cannot mathematically lose their top-flight status during the 2023/24 campaign.
However, with the Premier League having charged the Cityzens with 115 separate breaches of the League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, there is a lingering threat of being demoted if they are found guilty. Whether that will in fact happen, though, remains in the purview of the lawyers.
