Ben Bloom reveals which clubs have successfully avoided relegation after failing to win any of their first 10 Premier League matches.
It has been a joyless start to the Premier League season for Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are now the only winless teams after Crystal Palace and Southampton recently ended their barren runs.
Bottom club Wolves face 19th-placed Southampton next in a key head-to-head in the final round of fixtures before November's international break.
Meanwhile, Ipswich, in 18th, face the tricky task of a trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
But how bleak are the prospects for the two winless sides?
History shows that 18 teams have previously failed to win any of their first 10 Premier League matches, and five of them have fought back to retain their top-flight status.
Here are the comeback clubs who can give Ipswich and Wolves hope.
Everton 1994/95 - finished 15th
The 1994/95 season began in a dismal manner for Everton, who only avoided relegation on the final day of the previous campaign by coming back from 2-0 down against Wimbledon to secure an unlikely 3-2 victory.
Failing to win any of the opening 12 matches cost manager Mike Walker his job and he was replaced by Joe Royle, who immediately led the club to successive wins over Liverpool, Chelsea and Leeds United.
Buoyed by the permanent signing of Duncan Ferguson, Everton were out of the bottom three by late January, and they eventually guaranteed safety by winning their penultimate match, 1-0 at already-relegated Ipswich.
In fact, not only did the Toffees maintain their Premier League status under Royle, they also won the FA Cup, beating Premier League runners-up Manchester United 1-0 in the final. It remains their most recent major trophy.
Blackburn Rovers 1996/97 - finished 13th
Less than 18 months after they had been crowned Premier League champions, Blackburn’s top-flight status was in major jeopardy when they failed to win any of their first 11 matches. They also suffered the ignominy of being knocked out of the EFL Cup by Division Two side Stockport County.
Struggling with the loss of their star striker Alan Shearer, who had been sold to Newcastle United during the summer, manager Ray Harford resigned in late October and was replaced by Tony Parkes in a caretaker capacity until the end of the season.
In 18 matches from the start of November to the middle of March, Rovers lost just twice, with forwards Chris Sutton and Kevin Gallacher leading the charge up the table.
By mid-March, Rovers had climbed to 12th place and a lacklustre end to the campaign was not enough to drag them back into the relegation zone at any point after the turn of the year. They were never lower than seventh in the table for the entirety of the following season.
Derby County 2000/01 - finished 17th
After consecutive top-10 finishes, Derby had narrowly avoided relegation in 1999/2000 before beginning the following campaign with an extraordinary series of high-scoring encounters.
Three of their opening five games ended 2-2, while the other two resulted in a 3-3 draw and a 3-2 defeat. The goals soon dried up though and they went 14 games before finally registering their first win, against Bradford City in mid-November.
An upturn in form coincided with the loan signing of Nigeria defender Taribo West from AC Milan; 31 of Derby’s eventual total of 42 points were earned in his 18 appearances.
The Rams climbed out of the relegation zone in early December and, guided through the entire 2000/01 campaign by manager Jim Smith, they finished one place above Manchester City, who were relegated instead.
However, Derby would follow City in dropping to the second tier at the end of the following season.
Newcastle United 2018/19 - finished 13th
In their second season after being promoted back to the Premier League under Rafa Benitez, Newcastle brought in Salomon Rondon on loan from West Brom to lead the line, but after 10 league games they had drawn three and lost the other seven.
Three consecutive wins in November saw them quickly climb the table and, despite continued poor results on the road, five successive home victories between January and March put them on track for safety.
The club had looked like being dragged back into the relegation fight before breaking their transfer record to bring in Miguel Almiron, whose arrival prompted Benitez to shift formation and brought about an upturn in fortunes.
Their Premier League status was assured long before they beat relegated Fulham 4-0 on the final day of the season.
Newcastle United 2021/22 - finished 11th
Few teams have ever experienced such a stark contrast in fortunes as Newcastle did in their extraordinary 2021/22 campaign, which can be divided neatly in two.
The Magpies began the season under a cloud, with owner Mike Ashley looking to sell the club and Steve Bruce struggling as manager.
Results reflected the general gloom as Newcastle won just one game before the turn of the year.
However, by that point they had been taken over by wealthy new owners from Saudi Arabia, they had replaced Bruce with new boss Eddie Howe, and were preparing to splash the cash in the January transfer window.
The upturn was marked. From mid-January until the end of the season, Newcastle won 12 of their 18 Premier League matches, inspired by the brilliant new signing Joelinton.
They ended the campaign just two points off a remarkable top-half finish.
