Leeds, N Forest, Norwich and QPR Eye Top Flight Return

Hull, Burnley and Blackpool have all enjoyed unexpected promotions to the Premier League over the past five years. And the league has benefited from seeing some new teams sampling the top flight, with Blackpool threatening to be the feel-good story of this season.

But one glance at England’s second tier, the Championship, shows that some Premier League old boys are on course to make a long overdue return, and that too would give the league a boost.

Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Norwich and, to a lesser extent, QPR have rich histories in the English game – and all four are in the hunt for promotion. These clubs have showcased some of the finest post-war talents and have the trophies to prove it. All four teams can boast a top six season in the Premier League era, with Leeds, Forest and Norwich all earning a third place finish.

However, these glory days have begun to feel like distant memories for the clubs’ supporters, given the disappointments of recent years – but there is light at the end of the tunnel. With four months of the Championship campaign to go, QPR lead the way, however there is little to separate the rest of the chasing pack.

And so, with redemption within touching distance, it is worth recapping the routes these teams have taken to climb back into the race for the Promised Land.

Leeds stand out as a club which has earned three top division titles, with the most recent coming in 1992, and a spot in the 2001 Champions League semi-final. Going further back to the days of Don Revie and Billy Bremner, United were among the most feared sides in Europe.

But well-documented financial problems kickstarted a staggering slump that dropped Leeds into the Championship in 2004. After narrowly missing promotion back to the Premier League in 2006, the team plummeted into the relegation zone before entering administration and dropping to League One. It has been a long trek back from despair but, inspired by boss Simon Grayson, Leeds jumped back into the Championship last season and have prospered in their bid for a second straight promotion.

Of the four teams in question, Leeds look the shakiest promotion contenders, with key men like Luciano Becchio and Robert Snodgrass though, could hover around the playoff spots.

Forest’s history is no secret either. From back-to-back European Cup successes in 1979 and 1980 under Brian Clough to the electrifying Premier League strikeforce of Stan Collymore and Bryan Roy, the club have relished the spotlight. But past glories can only be relived for so long – and the fans have had far less to cheer about since relegation from the top flight in 1999.

Like Leeds, Forest’s journey has involved some major lowpoints. Apart from a strong promotion push in 2003 that ended in playoff semi-final heartbreak, it is a tale of too many different managers and a string of half-hearted campaigns. Forest slipped into the third tier of English football in 2005 and took time to recover from the shock. But then Colin Calderwood led the club back into the Championship in 2008 and, for the past two years, the City Ground club have been eyeing up the Premier League.

Another semi-final setback – against Ian Holloway’s Blackpool – was Forest’s undoing last season, current boss Billy Davies continues to impress though. Once again, they are in the mix for promotion this campaign, sitting in the top six with the chance to climb higher with their games in hand. With the City Ground still carrying a charm and the supporters remaining passionate, it is hard to begrudge Forest a return to the big time.

Norwich only returned to the Championship this season – pipping Leeds to the League One title – but have made an immediate impact with consistent form at home and on their travels. They are just inside the automatic promotion spots and, in Grant Holt, possess one of the division most dangerous strikers.

Their current predicament is far cheerier than the past decade has been. A third place finish in the first ever Premier League season – a campaign when they might have lifted the trophy – and some heroic European displays never hinted at the tough times ahead. Norwich were relegated in 1995 but, after some mediocre years in the second tier, finally clambered back into the top flight in 2004. A year later, they were relegated again.

This time, the effect was harsher. Norwich were no longer promotion contenders and quickly became basement dwellers. In 2009, the Canaries slipped into League One and needed new boss Paul Lambert to halt any further decline by winning promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt. At this rate, another promotion could follow.

Last but not least, QPR could soon be back on the Premier League map. Their back story follows the trend suffered by Leeds, Forest and Norwich. The Londoners were relegated from the top flight in 1996 then fell into the third tier in 2001. But, back in the Championship and armed with multi-million pound backing, QPR began to re-strengthen. This season, under manager Neil Warnock, they have opened up a five-point lead at the top. Adel Taarabt has been prolific in the final third while swoops for Wayne Routledge and Pascal Chimbonda only improve their chances of returning to the Premier League.

Of course, although a lot can happen over the coming weeks, there is something romantic about former top flight success stories returning to the Premier League. However, it is currently too tight to call which top flight old boys might make it.

For supporters of these teams, the past five years have largely been bleak – but all that could be about to change.