10 clubs we want to see return to the EPL

Sam McKeown 17:15 12/12/2016
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  • Which team would you most like to see return to the Premier League?

    Relegation from the Premier League has been catastrophic for some clubs over the years, with some plummeting down the divisions with no return in sight.

    Bouncing back from demotion is not so easy – with only 15 clubs coming straight back at the first time of asking since the Premier League began in 1992-93.

    The leagues below the top flight are scattered with clubs we miss dearly and here we list 10 clubs that we’d like to see back in the Premier League.

    10) CARDIFF CITY

    Cardiff spent a solitary season rubbing shoulders with the Premier League big boys in 2013-14.

    After winning the first ever Premier League South Wales derby against Swansea City, the Bluebirds went on a poor run of form and eventually sacked manager Malky Mackay.

    Cardiff brought in inexperienced Manchester United cult-hero Ole Gunnar Solskjær – a bold move that didn’t pay off as the club suffered a rock-bottom finish and relegation.

    Now, with the ever-controversial Neil Warnock at the helm, Cardiff are trying to build for the future having hovered dangerously close to relegation to the third tier since falling from the EPL in 2014.

    9) BRADFORD CITY

    After being relegated from the EPL in 2000-01, the only way was down domestically for poor old Bradford.

    After famously surviving their first season – resulting in Sky Sports pundit Rodney Marsh having his head shaved – a second successive survival was beyond the Bantams, who only mustered five wins with a team that contained the likes of Stan Collymore, Benito Carbone, Dean Saunders, and Dean Windass.

    Bradford have since spent much of their time yo-yoing between League One and Two, though they did send shockwaves through English football during the 2012-13 League Cup – taking the scalps of Premier League clubs Wigan Athletic, Arsenal and Aston Villa to reach the final at Wembley Stadium, before losing to Swansea.

    They have since been on the up and finished 5th in League One in 2015-16. Perhaps that elusive Premier League return may not be too far away!

    8) AFC WIMBLEDON

    Officially, AFC Wimbledon set up have never been in the EPL, but they represent the team that rose from obscurity in the 1980s and played in the first eight Premier League seasons before being relegated in 1999-00.

    That club – Wimbledon FC – was dissolved in 2004 and infamously re-branded as Milton Keynes Dons, with AFC Wimbledon then created as a protest club and moving up through the football pyramid.

    As 2016 is ending, AFC Wimbledon – who first competed in the Combined Counties League Premier Division in the 2002-03 season – are currently positioned higher than MK Dons in League One.

    Recent plans have been approved to allow a redevelopment on the Wimbledon Greyhound track, which resides 200 yards from the site of Plough Lane Stadium, Wimbledon FC’s home for 80 years. Next stop, The Championship.

    7) COVENTRY CITY

    Coventry were a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, with the 1987 FA Cup winners enjoying nine successive seasons in the top flight and a highest finish of 11th.

    But the Sky Blues have suffered their fair share of bad luck since being relegated in 2000-01.

    They left Highfield Road in 2005, their home for 106 years, and things began to spiral out of control when the club were facing administration in 2007 until hedge fund managers SISU stepped in 20 minutes before a deadline that could have seen the club dissolved.

    Coventry had spent recent seasons ground-sharing at Northampton’s Sixfields Stadium after mass financial difficulties but are thankfully back playing football in their Ricoh Arena in League One.

    Given recent history it seems unlikely that Premier League football will be back in the city any time soon, but we hope to see them return one day.

    6) NOTTINGHAM FOREST

    The two-time European Cup winners have been perennial promotion chasers in recent years but have not played in the top flight since their relegation in 1998-99.

    Forest finished third in the Premier League in 1994-95 but things deteriorated in the following years and after a Championship play-off semi-final appearance in 2002-03, financial difficulties crippled the club as it descended into League One, where they remained for several years.

    Things have looked rosier since their return to the Championship and Forest are widely considered one of football’s many sleeping giants scratching at the Premier League door.

    5) IPSWICH TOWN

    Since Ipswich were relegated from the EPL in 2001-02 season, they’ve spent every season in the Championship.

    During that time, their rivals Norwich City have achieved three promotions to the Premier League, endured a relegation to League One and a promotion back to the Championship. Not so exciting for those poor Ipswich fans!

    Back in 2000-01, Ipswich finished fifth – qualifying for the UEFA Cup thanks to the goals of prolific striker Marcus Stewart.

    But playing European football the following season strained their small squad and they ended up going down, having been knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Inter Milan.

    In recent Championship seasons, Ipswich have come from finishing lower-mid-table to just outside the play offs. So, with more consistency and perhaps an injection of substantial investment, the Suffolk club might finally leave England’s second-tier after being the league’s current longest-serving member.

    4) DERBY COUNTY

    Derby enjoyed life in the Premier League between 1996 and 2002, with their highest finish a respectable eighth place during the 1998-99 season. However, the club’s most recent campaign in the Premier League is one that all Rams fans would like to forget.

    In 2006-07, Billy Davies eared a surprise promotion but Derby went straight back down, picking up some unwanted Premier League records along the way, including the lowest points total [11] in the Premier League era – claiming just one win and eight draws, and suffering 29 losses.

    However, The Rams have moved on since then and are now one of the best-run clubs in the Championship. The East Midlands club is also one of the wealthiest outside of the Premier League after Candy Crush businessman Mel Morris [a Derby fan himself] took over in 2015.

    With a passionate owner, plenty of squad depth and an experienced manager in Steve McClaren, Derby are now better equipped than ever for the transition from Championship to Premier League.

    3) PORTSMOUTH

    Portsmouth’s shocking fall from grace between 2008 to 2013 is one of the most dramatic declines in modern football history.

    The South Coast club had enjoyed seven back-to-back seasons in the top-flight and even won the FA Cup in 2008 under Harry Redknapp. But Pompey suffered from serious financial mismanagement – going into administration and enduring three relegations.

    The club went from almost beating European giant AC Milan in the UEFA Cup – but for a last-minute equaliser by Filippo Inzaghi – to catastrophic debts and relegation to League Two. Only recently have Pompey steadied the ship and fans are now looking forward to better days ahead.

    Here’s hoping for another south coast derby with Southampton in the future.

    2) LEEDS UNITED

    The marmite of English football – forget Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea or Millwall, Leeds United are one of the country’s most hated clubs. But despite being loathed by many – they have a rich football history and some some of the most passionate fans in England.

    Pre-2004, the West Yorkshire Whites were a Premier League force to be reckoned with.

    A founding member of the Premier League and the last ever champions of the old First Division, Leeds were among the title contenders in the late 1990s and even made it all the way to the 2000-01 Champions League semi-finals before losing to Valencia.

    Post-2004, however, the tide turned and like, Portsmouth, financial crises enveloped the club and pulled them down the divisions, with the era of the likes of Mark Viduka, Alan Smith, Rio Ferdinand, Olivier Dacourt and Robbie Keane long behind then,

    But as 2016 ends, they are riding high in the Championship’s top eight and have hopes of returning to the Premier League for the first time in more than a decade.

    1) SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY

    The Owls last played Premier League football during the 1999-00 season when they dropped out of England’s top-tier along with Wimbledon (18th) and Watford [20th].

    Wednesday have yo-yoed between the Championship and League One since but have still generally managed to pack out their Hillsborough Stadium – one deserving of Premier League football.

    In January 2015, the club finally found stability and a new lease of life in the form of their current owner, Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri and head coach Carlos Carvalhal.

    The 2015-16 Championship season saw them sneak into the play offs and reach the final where Hull City narrowly defeated them 1-0.

    With Wednesday finally receiving some much-needed investment, the South Yorkshire club may well be fashioning the new Premier League sleeve badge quicker than expected.

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