The 10 unlikeliest top division clubs

Barring an incredible series of events at either The Riverside or The Valley in a few hours’ time, AFC Bournemouth will become the newest and most unlikely members of the Premier League next season. The Dorset club have defied the odds to do it, but here are ten other clubs from around Europe, who did exactly the same.

AUXERRE (1980):

THE sleepy French town of Auxerre in Burgundy country had no real affinity with football, until one man changed all that. Guy Roux would spend 44 years managing this former amateur club from 1961 until 2005 and he eventually led them to the French First Division in 1980. They would stay there for 31 years before relegation, but the impact on French football was profound. Not only did they win the league once and four French Cups, but Roux was a genius at unearthing players, including Basile Boli, Djibril Cisse and a certain Eric Cantona.

SWANSEA CITY (1981):

AGED just 28 at the time, John Toshack dropped down from Liverpool to become the player-manager at Fourth Division Swansea in 1978. It was an inspired decision as Toshack led the club to three promotions in four seasons. They began their first ever season in the top-flight with a 5-1 win over Leeds at the Vetch Field and the fun continued with wins against Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham as they finished sixth. But the magic stopped and they suffered three relegations in four years. By 1986, they had gone full circle and returned to the Fourth Division. Look at them now in the top half of the Premier League, and they’ve become a model to which all smaller clubs aspire.

WIMBLEDON (1986):

https://youtube.com/watch?v=BkBTu4fy74c

THE elite of English football were in for a rude awakening in 1986 because the Crazy Gang were coming. Wimbledon had been a Football League club for nine years and had slowly worked their way up the leagues, but they were a shock to the system for the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. The Dons were nasty, tough, and loved upsetting the big boys, especially at their run-down Plough Lane ground, with fights in and around the tunnel are a common sight. Led by John Fashanu, Dennis Wise and Vinnie Jones, they did the unthinkable when Lawrie Sanchez’s goal beat Liverpool to win the FA Cup Final in 1988 and they remained the ultimate party-poopers until they were eventually relegated in 2000.

BARNSLEY (1997):

HERE was a true underdog story as the plucky South Yorkshire club made it to the Premier League for a one-year joyride. Their eclectic mix of local lads, veterans and obscure foreigners charmed everybody with their attacking football, in their throw-back Oakwell ground. They conceded at least three goals in 12 matches but they always came back for more. They won away at Liverpool and knocked Tottenham and Manchester United out of the FA Cup. Even if they were only there for a season, Danny Wilson’s team left the Premier League with plenty of good memories.

VILLARREAL (2000):

WHEN Villarreal were relegated from La Liga in 1999 after a solitary season, nobody thought anything of it. This was a small town Spanish club who had punched above their weight in even reaching the top division. But they returned in 2000 and have since become one of the success stories of European football. Despite a population of just 45,000, their football team has finished as high as second in Spain and was within a penalty of taking Arsenal to extra-time in their Champions League semi-final in 2006 under now Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini with a side including star players Diego Forlan and Juan Roman Riquelme. It is now taken for granted that Villarreal are regulars in European competition.

FIORENTINA (2004):

FIORENTINA are one of the great names in Italian football but the Viola had fallen upon very hard times in 2002. They had been relegated from Serie A and were declared bankrupt. A new club was effectively formed but they had to start in Serie C2, the fourth tier. Helped by Angelo Di Livio, the only player to remain and a bona fide club legend, they were promoted from that division at the first attempt. Yet, in Italy, nothing is ever straightforward. A scandal involving an ineligible player in a Serie B match that season between Catania and Siena caused chaos. Catania had been relegated, but the award of points from Siena having broken the rules would have kept them up. The Italian authorities allowed the Sicilians to remain in Serie B but extended the league from 20 to 24 teams, with two of the other relegated sides given a stay of execution. Amazingly, to make up the numbers, Fiorentina were fast-tracked up another division without kicking a ball! They scraped back into Serie A at the first time of asking as well and had literally done the impossible they achieved three promotions in two seasons!

GRETNA (2007):

GRETNA GREEN is famous as being a place where you run off to get married. For a short period in the 2000s, businessman Brooks Mileson put it on the football map. He embarked upon the decision to remove them from the non-league football in the North of England and join the Scottish league. Mileson bankrolled the club through the divisions in Scotland as they won three successive promotions to take their place in the SPL in 2007. That proved a big step too far and they were forced to play home matches at Motherwell’s Fir Park, some 75 miles away. In November of that year, Mileson fell ill and withdrew his financial support with the club having debts of £4 million. A few months later, they went into administration, were relegated and resigned from the Scottish league. A new club was formed, Gretna 2008, by the supporters trust, and they can now be found in the amateur Lowland League, as a cautionary tale of a club who went way beyond their means.

HOFFENHEIM (2008):

MIRACLES do happen in football, but they often happen faster when big money is involved. So is the case at Hoffenheim in Germany. When billionaire software entrepreneur Dietmar Hopp (of SAG AP) got involved in 2000, his local club was playing regional football in the fifth tier. Eight years later, thanks to Hopp’s investment, they had made it to the Bundlesliga and they were crowned Winter Champions in their debut season after leading the title at the winter break with goals from future Premier League striker Demba Ba. Their reign at the top was brief and they finished that season in seventh. But they remain a solid Bundesliga club to this day. The village itself has just over 3,000 residents but their new ground, built by Hopp of course, regularly attracts crowds of more than 30,000.

BLACKPOOL (2010):

LIKE the resort town itself, the football club looked like its best days were behind it. Memories of the 1955 FA Cup final and Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen prevailed. That was until the arrival of Ian Holloway as manager. His team played cavalier football and sneaked into the play-offs on the final day of the season. Their approach took them all the way to the Premier League after beating Cardiff 3-2 at Wembley. They graced the top division with a sense of adventure, lots of goals and exciting matches. Sadly, the journey ended with a 4-2 defeat at Manchester United on the final day that resulted in relegation. Four years on, they have just been relegated from the Championship and the club is a total mess.

EIBAR (2014):

EIBAR is a commuter town in the middle of Spain’s Basque Country halfway between Bilbao and San Sebastian. Visitors would simply pass through on the road from one city to the other, but this season Eibar has forced the very best in Spanish football to make a stop. In football terms, it used to be a place to toughen players up, as current stars Xabi Alonso and Davis Silva both did loan spells there as youngsters. It is the smallest town to ever have a team in La Liga, and the stadium only holds 5,250 people below the minimum requirement of 6,000 needed in Spain’s Second Division. But Eibar will do it their way, within their means and with a few matches remaining, the tiny Basque outfit are on course to secure a second year at the top table.