Over the course of the last decade, only two London-based clubs have secured promotion into the Premier League. They are Fulham and Brentford.
The Cottagers have achieved said feat on a couple of occasions, while the Bees have been top-flight mainstays since winning the play-off lottery in 2021.
The last side outside of west London to bounce up into the big time were Queens Park Rangers in 2013-14, with their ascent marking the end of a run that saw capital sides promoted in four successive campaigns.
Securing a Place Among the Elites
#OnThisDay in 2014, Bobby Zamora's @wembleystadium winner secured promotion to the @premierleague #OhBobbyZamora pic.twitter.com/bkuAG5mha9
— QPR FC (@QPR) May 24, 2015
QPR lasted just one season among the elite before sliding back down. Their chances of making the crucial top six are currently priced at 18/1 in the Championship betting odds, and they’ll certainly be hoping to make a late surge for the play-offs.
Their London rivals Millwall sit even deeper in the Championship promotion odds outsiders category at 100/1. The Lions last took a step-up the EFL ladder in 2010, showing the realities of the League One promotion picture.
Since Millwall’s rise into the Championship, only Brentford – as part of their meteoric rise – and Charlton have played host to third tier promotion parties in the capital.
Success has been just as hard to come by in League Two, with capital gains only being enjoyed on three occasions in the last 20 years. Once again, Brentford form part of that pack.
Leyton Orient tick the other two boxes, proving just how hard teams from London have been finding it to build the kind of consistency that allows for forward momentum to be established.
The English capital is, of course, loaded with elite talent in professional football circles – making up half of the Premier League’s so-called ‘big six’. Though, Arsenal have gone over 20 years without landing the top-flight title, Tottenham have failed to win a trophy of any kind since 2008, and Chelsea’s big spending is yet to deliver tangible reward under the Todd Boehly led ownership team at Stamford Bridge.
Brentford – then again – are happy to keep making up the numbers for now, while piecing together ambitious plans for the longer-term future, while Crystal Palace have become poster boys for mid-table mediocrity. They are, however, able to consoles themselves with the fact that Premier League riches continue to line the coffers at Selhurst Park on an annual basis.
For those sitting outside of the top tier bubble, such rewards appear to remain a distant dream.
History Proves Anything Is Possible
🎶 We are going up 🎶#BrentfordFC #BeeTogether 🐝 pic.twitter.com/rrAV4Aow8G
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) May 29, 2021
Part of the Football League’s enduring appeal is that anything, quite literally at times, can happen in any given campaign, and teams from London may still be able to surge to the front of the pack.
The likes of QPR, Millwall and Charlton may be cursing their luck more frequently than anybody on their respective books would consider ideal, but Brentford have shown what is possible.
Fulham are also punching above their weight again after yo-yoing for a while, proving that one positive step in the right direction can be the difference between capital punishment and its gain’s equivalent.
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