[Albion] 92nd to 1st in just 9,246 days

[Kosh]

Astonishing and I’ve been lucky enough to witness it all ! From Minton to Ferguson, from Baird to Cabernet… from Jeff Wood to errrrrmmm good and from Ormerod to footballing Gods…

Oh yes indeedy.

 

[Jim in the West]

Astonishing and I’ve been lucky enough to witness it all ! From Minton to Ferguson, from Baird to Cabernet… from Jeff Wood to errrrrmmm good and from Ormerod to footballing Gods…

Oh yes indeedy.

Hey - don't diss Jeff Minton - I was his kit sponsor, back in the day!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Luton’s story much more impressive in my opinion. Without a Tony Bloom figure either

Blimey! All the worship of Tony Bloom on this thread. And not a peep about Dick Knight and Martin Perry (and the Albion fanbase) who did the hard miles so that Tony Bloom could swoop in with his cheque book when the hard graft battle was won. Little wonder there's no love lost between DK and TB

 

[Kosh]

Hey - don't diss Jeff Minton - I was his kit sponsor, back in the day!

I’d never diss Minton - loved him… he was one of our best whilst we were at our worst…

 

[Altered State]

Blimey! All the worship of Tony Bloom on this thread. And not a peep about Dick Knight and Martin Perry (and the Albion fanbase) who did the hard miles so that Tony Bloom could swoop in with his cheque book when the hard graft battle was won. Little wonder there's no love lost between DK and TB

It's true, without Dick Knight I'm not sure we would have a football club now. We must never forget Knight's role in rescuing us. We must never forget the work Martin Perry did in getting planning permission for Falmer.

But remember other significant events too. Dick Knight's pockets weren't deep enough to get us where we are now. Even then, Tony Bloom was funding some player purchases.

Planning permission for Falmer was achieved around the time of the banking crash. Loans and overdrafts were being called in, not issued to precarious football clubs. It was probable we would have permission and be unable to build. This was Bloom's moment to fully step up. I think it's fair to say we couldn't have a better owner now.

We praise Bloom's abilities as a strategist, a negotiator, and an 'operator'. It's not surprising he was ruthless about choosing his moment carefully, and only going all in with hundreds of millions of pounds of investment when it was clear we had a future worth investing in.

At the time, it did leave a nasty taste. I rarely defend the actions of billionaires and big business - quite the opposite. We have to play with the rules as they are, though, not as we would like them to be.

 

[Brovion]

Yea, we do tend to wallow in it a bit, don’t we? Lots of clubs have played at all 4 levels in a similar, or shorter, timescale than we did. Just look at the 4th division table from 96-97 - Hull, Wigan, Cardiff, Fulham and Swansea all reached the PL before we did.

Yeah, in pure timescales and 'length of rise' (starting theirs from a division below ours) Luton's achievement is greater. On the other hand they never had to contend with toxic ownership and exile, the result of having their ground sold from underneath them. And of course we've done more than just reach the PL, we've, I don't want to say 'become established', but we are undoubtedly currently a top team rather than a bottom one concerned solely with staying up. That in itself is, imo, as big an achievement as stringing some promotions together. After all several small clubs have reached the PL (Swindon, Bradford City and Barnsley being three that spring to mind) only to sink back without ever remotely threatening to return.

I don't want to disparage Luton's achievements, which are impressive, but I'd still say on balance ours is the more remarkable, given where we are and our current targets and ambitions.

 

[AK74]

Good old Timmy! I wonder what the weather was like 9,246 days ago...

Foggy?

 

[herecomesaregular]

Astonishing and I’ve been lucky enough to witness it all ! From Minton to Ferguson, from Baird to Cabernet… from Jeff Wood to errrrrmmm good and from Ormerod to footballing Gods…

Oh yes indeedy.

Having witnessed all of it, aswell, I'm struggling to recognise Cabernet? Haven't googled him, what position did he play in?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

This isn't the first time we've been in the number one slot in the last 7 years. I'm fairly sure a couple of years ago, we went top for a couple of days.

 

[Kosh]

Having witnessed all of it, aswell, I'm struggling to recognise Cabernet? Haven't googled him, what position did he play in?

I must have confused him with Robbie Pethick…

 

[Greg Bobkin]

This isn't the first time we've been in the number one slot in the last 7 years. I'm fairly sure a couple of years ago, we went top for a couple of days.

Not sure about that. I think it was an early kick-off/Friday night game and we went top, but once the rest of the 'Gameweek' fixtures were completed, we'd slipped back down again.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Not sure about that. I think it was an early kick-off/Friday night game and we went top, but once the rest of the 'Gameweek' fixtures were completed, we'd slipped back down again.

I just remember taking a screen shot but can't find it now.

 

[smillie's garden]

But were they ever bottom of the 4th and top of the PL?

Well we're top after two matches, so....
IIRC, in the good olds, they didn't even publish tables until after three matches.
Absolutely brilliant what has happened to this club though, and I'm relishing a nice wallow as much as the next fan.

 

[Uter]

Thought about this earlier. Any statto got the answer?

Would have thought if it were the case it would have been in the media somewhere

Swansea City. Bottom of the heap in February 2003 and joint top of the PL after one game in August 2012.

So it only took them around 3500 days.

 

[Bodian]

Has any club gone from the bottom of Div 3 / League 2 to the top of Div 1 / Premier League in the history of English Football

Carlisle were second to bottom of D4 for quite a number of weeks in the early 1960s (they may have slipped into last place for a week or so, can't quite find it out). Then top after three games in D1 in 1974. Then bottom of D4 in 1992. They were relegated in 2004 and became the first team to compete in all of the five top tiers of English football.

 

[nwgull]

I remember Wigan at home towards the end of that season (?) and thinking we're going to get tonked! I think we drew or even won it.

We won. They'd won promotion a couple of days earlier and had been on the lash. Lucky for us!

 

[Whitley Bayster]

Now is the time for wallowing my friend

......Now let your hearts be gay,
Hark to the merry bugles Sounding along our way.

 

[mothy]

One day I'll be able to look back & talk about the season that we were in Europe & top of the league. Enjoy it while it lasts

 

[AlbionBro]

It was fun when we were rock bottom,and buying players with shirt currency. If only all our fans now could replicate the same passion of the stalwart fans from those days. Mental times.

 

[Jam The Man]

This is the snapshot in our history that I always refer to.
Dec 3rd 1996, having just lost 2-3 at home to Darlington. We were so, so far adrift. I think Case got sacked that night.
For me, this was the point of doom, when I was clinging on to the last ounce of hope I had. I might have even had a tear in my eye.

And we’re now top of the lot…