What price Wolves to win the Premier League? How about Cardiff or Fulham? As unthinkable as it may seem a number of sides down the years have been crowned champions just 12 months after arriving on the biggest stage in English football.
Of course now we’re used to newly promoted clubs immediately being installed as favourites to go down, but before anyone tells you it can’t be done here are five sides who overcame every obstacle in their way to take the title against all the odds.
Liverpool 1904/05
Some 70 years before going on to dominate English and European football Liverpool suffered a number of relegations as well as title successes and at the turn of the 20th century they did both in quick succession. Having won their first ever English title in 1901 Liverpool were relegated just three seasons later only to bounce back in the best way possible by winning the league 12 months later. Despite losing their first three games of the season Tom Watson’s men rallied to win the league by four points from Preston North End thanks to 24 goals from star striker Joe Hewitt.
Everton 1931/32
Just 12 months after suffering the humiliation of relegation, Everton were crowned champions for the second time in five years thanks to a side who simply tore the opposition apart with their unfailing ability to find the back of the net; not least Dixie Dean who chipped in with 45 goals to follow his 60 in 1927/28. In total the Toffees scored 116 goals that season with 84 coming at Goodison Park as a team boasting greats such as Tommy Johnson, Jimmy Stein, Tommy White and Jimmy Dunn overcame late challenges from West Brom to win the league by two points.
1930 Relegated from Div 1
1931 Won FA Cup and promotion ( only side to do this)
1932 Won League Championship
Tottenham 1950/51
Having secured promotion the previous season, Tottenham’s famous ‘Push and Run’ team didn’t get off to the best of starts in their first year in the top-flight yet still went on to lift the title for the first time in their history after an astonishing turnaround. Arthur Rowe’s men, including a certain Alf Ramsey, eventually topped the table at Christmas and there they would stay until they achieved the unthinkable by beating Sheffield Wednesday at White Hart Lane that April to confirm the Championship as well as securing their status as club legends for decades to come.
Ipswich Town 1961/62
Alf Ramsey will probably always be remembered for his achievements with England during the 1966 World Cup but what he did as manager of Ipswich town was equally extraordinary. The Tractor Boys were in Division Three South when England’s future World Cup-winning manager took charge in 1955 and so began an incredible climb up the leagues. They gained promotion to the second tier in 1957 before winning the Division Two title in 1961 and if that wasn’t enough, in their first season in the top division, they won the league Championship at the first attempt, just as their manager had as a player with Spurs back in 1951.
Nottingham Forest 1977/78
Nottingham Forest romped to the old First Division title just one season after reaching the top-flight having secured automatic promotion from the old Division Two the previous May in one of football’s greatest fairy tales. Brian Clough’s men surged into top spot early on and while pundits were busy writing them off they remained top of the league for much of the campaign; eventually winning the title ahead of Liverpool by some seven points having lost only three games all season.
