Three clubs from three major European leagues with long histories in their top flights that have never won a major trophy ever in their histories, can you change their fortunes by managing them in FM20?
We all love to take charge of clubs with great history, fantastic support and huge trophy rooms in Football Manager. Even if they are current powerhouses, or sleeping giants, there’s an unquestionable appeal for clubs with great pedigrees. But, how about the reverse? How about being the manager who brings the first ever trophy to a club in FM20, becoming a legend for the supporters, this could just be the FM20 challenge you were looking for.
In this article we will list 3 clubs with a long-standing tradition in their national top-flights, that haven’t won a single major trophy in their entire history.
1. Udinese (Italian Serie A)
With 47 seasons in the Italian topflight, Udinese ranks as the 12 club in this category, and 13th in an all-time table with 1614 matches played (525 won, 469 drawn and 620 lost). Despite this, The Friulian have never won a major trophy, coming very close though, on two occasions: Seria A runners-up in 1954-1955 and Coppa Italia finalists in the very first edition of the competition, way back in 1922. The only trophies in Udinese’s cabinet are the UEFA Intertoto Cup (2000), Mitropa Cup (1980) and the Anglo-Italian Cup (1978).
A constant Serie A club since the 1995-1996 season, Udinese had a good spell at the start of the 2010s with 3 consecutive rankings in the top 5 (4th in 2011, 3rd in 2012 and 5th in 2013), but since then they haven’t been able to break into the top half. Last season, Udinese finished 12th, just 5 points above relegation. Will you take the reins and bring the first trophy to Stadio Friuli?
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2. Celta Vigo (Spanish La Liga)
While the 2019-2020 La Liga has several traditional clubs that haven’t won a major trophy (Valladolid, Osasuna, Villareal), I’ve chosen to highlight Celta Vigo for this article. Celta is ranked 11th for both number of seasons in La Liga (53 – tied with Real Betis), and the all-time table. Their best performance in the Spanish topflight is the 4th place (1947-1948 and 2002-2003), while in the Copa del Rey they were finalists on three occasions (1947–48, 1993–94, 2000–01).
Last season, Celta barely escaped relegation, being the first above the line, only 4 points clear of the first relegated club, Girona. It was their worst ranking since their first season back in La Liga in 2012-2013, when they also finished 17th. It will be an uphill battle to make the Galicians compete for La Liga right away, so you should turn your attention on the Copa del Rey, while building for the future in order to challenge Real, Barcelona and Atletico in a few years.
3. Crystal Palace (English Premier League)
Out of 65 clubs that have competed at least once in the top English division, The Glaziers rank 40th in an all-time table, with 20 seasons spent on the first scene of English football. Yet, Crystal Palace hasn’t won a single major trophy in their 114 year history. The 2019-2020 season will be their 7 consecutive season in the Premier League, during which their best performance was a 10th spot in 2014-2015.
Historically, Palace’s best performance is a 3rd place in 1990-1991, while in cup competitions they reached the final of the FA Cup twice, in 1990 and 2016, where they were beaten by Manchester United on both occasions. As with Celta Vigo, if you take on the mission of bringing the first trophy to Selhurst Park, focus on the FA Cup or even the League Cup, and patiently build Palace into a team that could challenge the Big 6.
