Countries over the last decade - Part I

Many things have happened in the last ten years:

• A semi final was introduced replacing the 'in and out', 5 year adherence and other crazy rules.
• A second semi final was introduced when the number of countries escalated to 40+
• Juries, while departed, came back in various forms
• Orchestra still missing

Anyway, today I will begin the ranking of the countries in accordance to number of votes scored in the ESC finals from 2002 through to 2011. Some are surprising - others are obvious.
41 seperate countries have contested the finals in these 10 years; three of these have appeared once and I've removed them from the deliberations:

• BULGARIA - 2005 - Water
• ITALY - 2011 - Follia d'amore
• MONTENEGRO - 2005 - Zauvijek moja (Montenegrin song as part of Serbia-Montenegro

Everyone else is fair game...


# 38 - The Netherlands 
[Averaged points: 38 points]

If this was a review of all 54 ESC, the Netherlands would not be languishing in last place. The Dutch have 4 ESC wins to their name. The closest they have come to an ESC win since 1975 is fourth in 1998, fifth in 1980 and 1987 and sixth in 1993.

There have been only two entries in the ten years in 2003 (13th) and 2004 (20th).



# 37 - The United Kingdom
[Averaged points: 43.11 points]

This may surprising to some, but here we have a top 5 country in the bottom five performers of the last decade. A country that has appeared in all ten of the last ten ESC and has such a poor showing.
The high point for the United Kingdom is 5th in 2009 and 11th this year. That's it. The remainder:

• last in 2003 with no points (the one and only of the decade),
• equal last in 2008,
• dead last in 2010,
• 16th in 2004,
• 19th in 2006
• 2005 and 2006 in the twenties.

Remember the good old days of 16 second place entries? Hmmm.



# 36 - Poland
[Averaged points: 43.67 points]

They started so well in 1994 but never came close again. The best result since a monumental 2nd was in 2003 where they came 7th.

We have seen Poland only three times in the final; the above mentioned 2003, 2004 (17th) and 24th/last place in 2008.



# 35 - Portugal
[Averaged points: 45.5 points]

It is often said that the Portuguese have no friends in Eurovision. This could be the truth. Four visits to the final, 2003 (22nd), 2008 (13th), 2009 (15th) and 2010 (18th).



# 34 - Switzerland 
[Averaged points: 48 points]

Poor Switzerland - always left behind. This is a country that won the very first ESC and one of the founding countries. Four entries have been in the final; a Swiss Estonian entry in 2005 was the best placed one (8th). Others are 22nd in 2002, 16th 2006 and last in 2011.