Lead historic lower league clubs to a Premier League debut in FM24. Start your journey and unlock true potential in Football Manager 2024.
Lead Historic Clubs to Premier League Debut in Football Manager 2024
The Premier League isn’t just the top level of football in England, it’s arguably the best league in Europe and one of the most-watched leagues in the world. Clubs have fans all over the world, and attract visitors to their cities all year round. While every club in England wants to reach the peak of their country’s league system, only some can manage to reach those heights. This article lists some of the biggest clubs in the lower leagues who have never reached the Premier League before, and why you should be excited to lead them to the promised land for the first time in Football Manager 2024 (FM24).
Plymouth Argyle
Famously, Plymouth is the biggest city in England to have never been home to a top-flight side. A fourth place finish in the second division in 1954 was the closest Argyle have ever been to tasting top-division life. Starting FM24 with the tricky job of avoiding relegation from the Championship, you’ll need to build the club into a healthy Championship side before you can begin to think about promotion to the Premier League. With a potent goalscorer like Ryan Hardie at your disposal, you’ll be well-equipped to overperform in your first season and inspire the confidence of your fans that you’re the person to finally bring top-flight football to Home Park.
Preston North End
The first true powerhouse of English football, Preston North End hold the dubious honour of being the only club to have ever been champions of England and never played in the Premier League. Their history in the early days of English football is unmatched: not only were they the first champions of The Football League, and the first club to win the league and cup double, they did both without losing a single game all season. The Invincibles were one of the most dominant club sides in the history of English football, and the club’s absence from the top flight for so long is a sad indictment of what’s happened to Preston North End since those early days. With a talented squad that includes Will Keane, Ali McCann, and Mads Frøkjær-Jensen, you have a great opportunity to hit the ground running and end PNE’s long absence from the top-flight, and return them to the top division for the first time in the Premier League era.
Notts County
Speaking of history, it’s impossible to tell the story of English football’s early days without mentioning Notts County. Formed in 1864 before the FA came to be, Notts County claims to be the world’s oldest professional football club, and is one of the 12 founder clubs who made up the first season of the Football League. Along with Luton Town and West Ham, Notts County was relegated from the First Division in its final season before becoming the Premier League. Since Luton Town’s promotion, they are now the only club to have played in the First Division in 1992 to have never played in the Premier League. Things went from bad to worse in 2019 when the club was relegated from the Football League for the first time in their long history. Thanks to their new ownership group and the goalscoring talents of Macauley Langstaff, County were returned to League 2 at the end of the 22/23 season and begin FM24 as a favorite to reach the playoffs of League 2 in 23/24. Your task is to continue this rise up the leagues and to find your way into the Premier League.
Historically regarded as one of the best-supported clubs outside the top flight, Tranmere Rovers have never reached the top flight. What makes this club so interesting is the geographical considerations of a third Merseyside club reaching the Premier League. Having spent most of their existence in the lower leagues, Tranmere have never played Liverpool or Everton in a league match, and as such have never been able to develop a rivalry with their two geographically closest rivals. Not only would promoting Tranmere be a fairytale for a remarkably well-supported club, but it would also bring a new dimension to a city steeped in football history.
Port Vale has two of the most unique records in English football: they’re the only club in the top four divisions of English football to have beaten the other 91 clubs in a competitive fixture; and they’ve spent more seasons in the Football League than anyone else without reaching the top flight. Despite never being relegated to the national league, the club hasn’t had to look for its troubles and has battled many financial difficulties over its history. Promoting Port Vale and their storied history to the Premier League would undoubtedly be one of the most fascinating stories in English football.
READ ALSO: FM24 - Clubs With Biggest Transfer Budgets
Conclusion
There are plenty of clubs who have never tasted life in the Premier League since its inception in 1992. The clubs listed above are - in my opinion - the most interesting options for a long-term save to bring stability and excitement to these clubs, who have so far fallen short in their attempts to reach the summit of English football in FM24.
