The phrase "a poor ranking" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing the position or status of something, typically in a competitive context, where it is rated or evaluated unfavorably.
Example: "The team's performance this season resulted in a poor ranking in the league standings."
Alternatives: "a low ranking" or "an unfavorable ranking."
But UCL dropped a place in the overall table to sixth due to a poor ranking in mechanical engineering and a few other subjects.
Major research organizations around the world — including at least half a dozen in the United States like the Washington-based Stimson Center, which focuses on foreign policy, and the Center for Global Development, which combats poverty worldwide — have taken steps in recent months to avoid a poor ranking by disclosing more information about their funding sources on their websites.
Helping drag it down: a poor ranking on the cost of terrorism to business.
Six new car models have been given a "poor" ranking in a theft-risk report on keyless entry vehicles.
(This is why a "fishing trip" for a new factor or gene at the beginning of a project typically leads to a poor ranking; if the factor isn't identified, the grant can't be completed successfully).
This was largely due to a poor rank effect on food site residence times for fruits, flowers, and leaves.
The sexual function was adversely affected by the failure of nerve-preserving surgery, with a "fair" rank of FSFI in one patient and a "poor" rank in the remaining two patients.
A Web search would typically return, say, 5,000,000 results with a very poor ranking of the documents.
The poor ranking is a rare blemish for Ford, whose sales and profits have been surging amid a product renaissance that has greatly improved its reputation.
(Tunisia's poor ranking, at 62nd, was due to the introduction of a new share-trading system that corrected past overpricing).
