From Rags to Riches: EFL Stories
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - In a jubilant display of triumph, Wes Morgan, along with Leicester City's charismatic Manager Claudio Ranieri, hoist the coveted Premier League Trophy skyward. This pinnacle moment marks Leicester City's first-ever ascension to Premier League Champions, etching their names in the annals of football history during the unforgettable 2015/2016 season.
English football has seen some of the most iconic fairytale stories through the years of clubs going from the depths of EFL mediocrity to the glitz of the Premier League. Every club that has made it big has their own stories to tell.
Let’s look at some of these rags-to-riches stories from English football.
Leicester City
Come on, it was the most obvious choice right off the bat. While Leicester weren’t in a sorry state at any given time, they did spend quite a considerable amount of time in the lower divisions after getting relegated from the Premier League in 2004.
Leicester were playing in League One in 2008. Their rise started gradually and after getting taken over by Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, chairman of the King Power group, Leicester’s star was on the rise.
Leicester gained promotion to the Premier League in 2014 and under Nigel Pearson, they survived the drop that season. What happened in the 2015/16 season is the greatest miracle in English football history.
Under new boss Claudio Ranieri, Leicester City defied all odds and won the Premier League title. That title winning team consisted mostly of the players that were bought in the Championship. Leicester then played Champions League football and also managed to win the FA Cup under Brendan Rodgers.
Unfortunately, Leicester City went down to the Championship last season but not before achieving the impossible and also being the greatest rags-to-riches story in English football.
AFC Bournemouth
What a story this is. A proper rags-to-riches story. Cherries were doomed not once but twice, still, they fought back and lived to tell their story. A heroic story of a heroic club.
Bournemouth went into administration in 1997 and then got relegated to League Two. They managed to fight back and gain promotion from League Two in 2003. Fast forward five years and disaster strikes again as Bournemouth go into administration for the second time within a decade and then find themselves back into League Two.
Enter Eddie Howe. Howe is an iconic figure in Bournemouth’s history. He achieved 3 promotions within 6 years to get Bournemouth to the Premier League. From the depths of League Two to the glamour of the Premier League in just 6 years.
Howe didn’t just get Bournemouth promoted to the Premier League but kept them in the highest tier of English football for 5 seasons. Not to mention playing some of the best football the league had seen from a promoted team.
Bournemouth got relegated to the Championship in 2020 but won back promotion in 2022. A club with a lot of heart and fight, Bournemouth’s story will remain timeless.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
A story of grit. Wolves were one of the finest and most successful teams in the 1950s. They won 3 League titles in the 1950s. But suffered a financial crisis after the 1980s recession. That crisis led to four relegations and Wolves found themselves in League Two.
Wolves fought back after finding themselves in League Two, the lowest position the club had ever seen. After getting promoted twice in a few years, Wolves found themselves in the Championship in 1989 and that is where things stagnated for them.
Wolves spent 14 years in the second division of English football before finally winning the promotion to the Premier League in 2003. But they went down the very same year. Wolves came back up in 2009 and spent a couple of years in the Premier League before going down again.
Wolves surprisingly got relegated again the very next year to League One. However, showing their grit they fought back again to win the League One title and then followed it up by winning the Championship title in the 2017/18 season. The club is currently in its 6th Premier League season and has established itself as a solid midtable side.
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club’s recent promotion to the Premier League is the latest chapter in a story that is as gripping as it is inspiring. Known affectionately as the “Hatters,” the club has been a fixture in English football since its founding in 1885, making it one of the UK’s oldest clubs. Their intimate home ground, Kenilworth Road, has been in use since 1905 and would have held the unique record as the smallest stadium to host a Premier League match. However with the renovations, they will “increase seating beyond Bournemouth’s 11,307 Vitality Stadium.”
The club’s history is a rollercoaster of highs and lows. After enjoying a golden era in the top flight during the 1980s and early ’90s, including a League Cup win in 1988, Luton experienced a cataclysmic financial crisis. By 2009, the team had plummeted to the fifth tier of English football. Yet, demonstrating remarkable resilience, they clawed their way back to the EFL Championship and have now achieved the unthinkable—promotion to the Premier League for the first time since 1992.
Luton Town is more than just a club; it’s a symbol of community and resilience. Its fan base, the “Hatter Faithful,” remains one of the most passionate and loyal in the country. The club has also been a beacon for developing young talent through its productive youth academy. As Luton steps into this new, exhilarating phase, it carries with it not just the hope for sporting glory, but the weight of a community’s dreams and a history of remarkable perseverance.
Honourable Mention
- Blackpool FC
