Ten Years Back: When Leicester Led the Prem, Villa Were Sunk, and Payet Was King
A decade ago in March 2016, the Premier League table was electric: Leicester led by five points, Aston Villa faced relegation, and surprises like West Ham and Spurs thrilled fans. Big clubs like Chelsea and United floundered, paving the way for the Foxes' fairy-tale title. Today, many of those heroes are battling survival, proving football's brutal impermanence.
Ten Years Back: When Leicester Led the Prem, Villa Were Sunk, and Payet Was King
Blimey, doesn't time fly? It's been a full decade since that mad March 2016 Premier League snapshot, back when Roy Hodgson was still barking orders for England, away goals were king in the Champions League, and VAR was just a bad dream nobody had yet. As the current top flight hits its international breather, let's crack open the history books – or rather, Planet Football's nostalgic dive on OneFootball – and relive how bonkers things were.
The table was a right old thriller, mate. Leicester City perched top with a five-point cushion, while the bottom was a proper dogfight. Three fan favourites were dangling over the trapdoor, and it made for edge-of-your-seat telly.
Relegation Roulette: Villa Down, North East Drama
Aston Villa were toast after years of dodgy ownership gutting the place – their first top-flight drop since 1987. Ouch. Up north, Sunderland and Newcastle United were scrapping like mad. Sam Allardyce worked his survival magic at the Stadium of Light, nicking just enough to leapfrog Norwich City and doom the Magpies despite Rafa Benitez replacing Steve McClaren mid-season.
Big Sam celebrated with his infamous wine glass and bagged the England gig. Fast forward, and clubs like Swansea, Stoke, West Brom, and Watford would kill for that scrap now – mid-table security feels like a pipe dream.
Big Clubs in Snooze Mode
The giants? They were having a collective off-day, like a gap year gone wrong. Chelsea imploded under Jose Mourinho, limping to 10th with Guus Hiddink steadying the ship but no fireworks. Liverpool waved bye to Brendan Rodgers, ushered in Jurgen Klopp, and settled for Europa League adventures and a comfy mid-table spot.
Manchester United? Louis van Gaal's lot managed a measly 38 goals in 30 games, tortured fans rigid, though teen sensation Marcus Rashford lit it up. They nabbed 5th and the FA Cup, but LVG got the boot. City mates twiddled thumbs through Manuel Pellegrini's farewell, eyeing Pep Guardiola's arrival. And Arsenal? Well, they Arsed about as usual.
The Fairy Tale Foxes and Swashbuckling Surprises
Enter the plot twists. West Ham milked the Upton Park goodbye, with Slaven Bilic's Hammers on a high. Dimitri Payet was untouchable, curling free-kicks like a wizard – the first Irons man sniffing Ballon d'Or vibes since forever. Dodgy refs and a leaky backline scuppered top-four dreams, but 7th was sweet.
Tottenham Hotspur, under Mauricio Pochettino's tough love, had title pretensions. Harry Kane proved no flash in the pan, Christian Eriksen threaded assists galore, and Dele Alli burst through with silk and sniper shots. That wiry lad wouldn't hack today's muscle fest, mind.
But the real yarn? Leicester's miracle. 5000-1 no-hopers turned heads worldwide, with Claudio Ranieri ditching his 'Tinkerman' tag. Riyad Mahrez, N'Golo Kante, and Jamie Vardy became legends, grinding narrow wins while Spurs bottled it at Chelsea. The Foxes lifted the lot, prompting the elite to splash cash and tweak rules to block repeats.
Ten years later? Leicester are skint and eyeing League One. Spurs and West Ham sniff relegation. New kids like Brentford, Brighton, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds are punching up. Nothing's forever in this game – but here's hoping the Prem's chaos keeps delivering.
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