My boss dumps a crazy idea on my desk this morning – dig into the 2012/2013 Premier League table and hunt down the truly weird finishes everyone kinda forgot. Honestly? Sounded like a bunch of boring number stuff at first. But okay, fine, I’ll bite.
First Steps: Dusting Off Old Memories
Grabbed my laptop, fired up the browser – no fancy tools needed just yet. Started by typing “Premier League 2013 final table” into the search bar. Yeah, the big names were right where you’d expect: Man United top, Man City second. Solid. Chelsea squeezed into third, Arsenal got fourth by a single point. Routine, right?
My brain started ticking. “Biggest Surprises”… What really shocked people back then? I scrolled down past the usual suspects. And bam – there it was. Chelsea finishing third? That felt wrong. For some reason, I had this stubborn memory of them winning it! Had to be 2010 maybe? My mind started wandering. Needed hard facts, not foggy memories.
Getting Down to Brass Tacks
Cracked open a simple spreadsheet. Copied in every single team, their points, wins, draws, losses – the whole nine yards. Spent an hour just cleaning it up, making sure I didn’t mess up the data entry. Made my fingers hurt.
Okay, look here: Tottenham finished FIFTH with 72 points. Strong. Everton got sixth with 63. Then… hold up. Liverpool? SEVENTH?! Only 61 points? That stopped me cold. My mind pictured Gerrard, Suarez… how did they end up that low? It looked… kinda embarrassing for them. Definitely an “Unexpected Finisher“.
Scrolling further down, the real gut punches started landing. I remembered Wigan won the FA Cup that same season! Amazing! But guess what? The spreadsheet screamed back at me: Wigan got relegated. Finished eighteenth. Bottom three. Dropped down right after lifting a major trophy. My brain couldn’t process it. “Relegated… after winning the FA Cup?” Absolute madness.
Then there was Villa. Aston Villa. Finished way down in 15th with just 41 points. Only 10 wins all season? That felt… dangerously low. Practically holding onto Premier League status with their fingernails. Not what you expect from a club that size.
Putting the Pieces Together
Stared at the finished spreadsheet. The big picture was wild:
- Title Winners: Man United (89 pts), City (78 pts) – United pulled away clean.
- Euro Spots: Chelsea (75), Arsenal (73), Spurs (72), Everton (63). Pretty tight up here.
- The Big Slip: Liverpool floundering in 7th (61). Just… why?
- Relegation Madness: Wigan 18th (36 pts) with an FA Cup. QPR and Reading below them.
- Survival Scrap: Villa clinging on at 15th (41), Sunderland only hit 39 points in 17th!
My mind was blown. This wasn’t just numbers; it was drama! Champions falling hard the next year? Giant clubs sinking into mid-table obscurity? FA Cup winners getting dumped out of the league? Pure, unscripted chaos. Made this morning’s grumpy coffee mood totally worth it. The Premier League table doesn’t lie, but man, it sure tells some surprising stories when you look closely.
