Tim Springett wonders why Kevin Davies has gone downhill after a promising start to his career, and if it is already too late to do something about it

All the talk in Southampton concerns James Beat­tie’s prospects of earning an England call-up. Yet five years ago Kevin Davies was seen not only as Saints’ brightest hope but one of England’s. Now, however, he languishes in the reserves, his copious ability dimmed by a seemingly insurmountable crisis of confidence. He has gone from being an international star in the making to the scrapheap by the age of 26. How – and why – has this happened?

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Having a bad season? Worried that things couldn't be much worse? Cheer yourself up with some schadenfreude as Graham Lightfoot looks back on Sheffield Wednesday's darkest hour

Sheffield Wednesday’s fall from grace over the last few years has been more plummet than decline. Ask any supporter under the age of 30 to name their worst ever season and our most recent campaigns in the Na­­t­ionwide League would undoubtedly figure. Wed­nes­day­ites with the odd silver hair curling out from under their blue and white bobble hat will have mem­ories of darker days. In the 1970s, for the first time that most of us could remember, we would have to grudgingly admit that Sheffield United were actually a better side than us.

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Having a bad season? Worried that things couldn't be much worse? Cheer yourself up with som schadenfreude as Roberto Gotta looks back on AC Milan's darkest hour

AC Milan had to wait a long time for their tenth title, and with it the gold star that permanently adorns the red and black shirts. But it all came good in 1978-79 – three points ahead of the surprise challengers, un­beaten Per­ugia, and seven in front of the hated Juventus. The fol­lowing year they finished third, but were then relegated in the fall-out from the Totonero betting scandal, some Mi­lan players (led by goalkeeper and notorious racing enthusiast Enrico Albertosi) having conspired with others to fix results. But, as a teen­age Milan fan, I felt strangely unconcerned. Iconic mid­fielder Gianni Rivera had retired so this was a chance to rebuild and come back much stronger. Going down for the first time in the club’s history was not going to be a disaster – but it turned out to be even worse.

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Duncan Young looks back on Leeds' darkest hour

Keith Mincher. Carlisle United fans know who I’m talking about, but most Leeds supporters have never heard of the former youth-team coach who very nearly became manager when Eddie Gray was sacked during 1985-86, which saw the club’s lowest league finish since Don Re­vie’s first full season in 1961-62.

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Having a bad season? Worried that things couldn't be much worse? Cheer yourself up with some schadenfreude as Chris Lynham looks back on Gillingham's darkest hour

In 1993, Gillingham celebrated 100 years of chronic underachievement with a cam­paign so inept it even failed to meet the very limited expectations of our band of world-weary supporters. Having put up with five years of steady decline, we could all cope with the boredom of inoffensively squatting in the lower half of the old Fourth Division, but the et­ernal agony of the 1992-93 season was a step too far.

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