Paradoxically, as the Premier League has grown more fiercely contested overall, the very bottom has become less competitive.
Where it was once common for a single team to be stranded well before the run-in, these days two clubs are often left behind.
In a 38-match campaign, the average points total for the side in 19th is 31, indicating they typically battle relegation for most of the season before ultimately coming up short.
Since the league was reduced to 20 teams in 1995–96, only two 19th-placed finishers failed to reach 30 points in the first 21 seasons. Over the past decade, however, seven of the 10 teams in that position have not hit that mark.
In fact, in the last two seasons, newly promoted Ipswich and Burnley both ended 19th with just 22 points—the lowest tally ever recorded by a second-bottom side.