Mind the gap: Title droughts ranked as Newcastle eye a new record

coming season will mark 30 years since Blackburn Rovers ousted Manchester United to become Premier League champions, ending an 81-year wait for top-flight glory at Ewood Park.

It remains the longest gap between two title wins, but there are currently seven clubs that could break that record if they ever finish first again, including one mighty rich Premier League side.

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We take a look at all the English champions and their waits between titles…starting with the very latest.

 

Leicester City (Current gap: 8+ years)
Leicester City’s remarkable Premier League triumph in 2016 makes them the newest name on the list of English champions and to match Blackburn’s drought, the Foxes would have go without a second title until 2097: a year that will also mark a century since their second League Cup win.

 

Arsenal (Current gap: 20+ years; previous longest gap: 18 years)
Arsenal’s current barren spell of 20 years is the longest in their history, having last had their name on the trophy in 2004. The First Division win of 1971 came in the middle of two 18-year droughts, but otherwise the Gunners have remained regular champions ever since Herbert Chapman first led them to glory in the early thirties.

 

Liverpool (Longest gap: 30 years)
Although dominant in the seventies and eighties, Liverpool still picked up titles in the early part of the 20th century. A gap of 24 years proved to be the longest of the 1900s and even that period included the break from competitive football during the Second World War. However, after their golden era was over come the dawn of the Premier League, the Reds went three decades without top-flight glory until Jurgen Klopp immortalised himself on Merseyside.

READ: Top 10 Premier League teams of all time

 

Leeds United (Current gap: 32+ years; previous longest gap: 18 years)
Speaking of the birth of the Premier League, Leeds United became the last ever winners of the First Division back in 1992, ending an 18-year wait after the raucous Revie years were over. Unless a miracle happens, the Elland Road faithful will be waiting at least double that before they witness another title win.

 

Everton (Current gap: 37+ years; previous longest gap: 24 years)
Manchester City’s latest Premier League triumph pushed Everton down to fifth in the list of most successful top-flight clubs, with the Toffees stuck on title number nine since 1987. Droughts from their first win in 1891 to their second in 1915 and from 1939 to 1963 proved to be the club’s previous longest barren spells before the modern-day malaise.

 

Manchester United (Longest gap: 41 years)
The current spell of 11 title-less years at Old Trafford is nothing compared to the 41-year gap between the Billy Meredith era of 1911 and the brilliance of the Busby Babes in 1952. The tragedy of Munich prevented a potential domination of the top tier akin to the one Alex Ferguson achieved with the Red Devils in the nineties and noughties, but Matt Busby built another great team to win titles in the sixties.

 

Manchester City (Longest gap: 44 years)
Manchester City fans were constantly reminded of the club’s long period without a major trophy thanks to a banner at Old Trafford celebrating their rivals’ misery, but the influx of Sheikh Mansour’s money in 2008 meant those days of ridicule would soon be over. First came the FA Cup triumph of 2011 before the following season ended in dramatic AGUEROOOO fashion with a first title win since 1968.

 

Nottingham Forest (Current gap: 46+ years)
A club with an extraordinary record of more European Cup triumphs than league title wins, Nottingham Forest’s first and only top-flight success came in 1978. Despite numerous finishes in the top three, Brian Clough couldn’t repeat the trick and Forest remain on course to go half a century without reaching the summit again before the decade is out.

Derby County (Current gap: 49+ years; previous longest gap: 3 years)
Clough also led Derby County to their first ever title back in 1972, but unlike Forest the Rams managed to top the First Division again after the iconic boss departed. Former player Dave Mackay was in charge for the 1975 triumph at the Baseball Ground and finished in a respectable fourth place the following year, but by 1980 the club had suffered relegation. Despite coming fifth in 1989 and a memorable Premier League spell in the late nineties, Derby haven’t looked like coming close again since.

 

Chelsea (Longest gap: 50 years)
Currently tied with Sunderland in seventh place in the rankings of most top-flight titles, all of Chelsea’s six triumphs came after the Wearside club’s victories. Indeed, until the advent of Roman Abramovich’s wealth at Stamford Bridge, the Blues had only finished top once. The Russian oligarch spent a fortune turning Chelsea into contenders, winning the Premier League five times during his controversial tenure.

READ: The best Premier League managers ever

 

Ipswich Town (Current Gap: 62+ years)
Last time Ipswich Town won promotion to the Premier League, their first season back in the big time ended in a fantastic fifth-place finish. It would be quite something for Kieran McKenna’s men to echo the class of 2001, let alone win a second league title for the club. The Tractor Boys’ first came in 1962, incredibly their maiden season in the top flight. Future World Cup winning manager Alf Ramsey was the man in the dugout.

 

Tottenham Hotspur (Current gap: 63+ years; previous longest gap: 10 years)
Yep, big boys Tottenham have been waiting for top spot longer than Ipswich Town. Legendary boss Bill Nicholson led the club to their second league title in 1961 and won a domestic double after a 2-0 win over Leicester City in the FA Cup final. It came 10 years after their first league triumph, but it has now been 10 top-three finishes since ’61 without getting their hands on the trophy.

 

Burnley (Current gap: 64+ years; previous longest gap: 39 years)
The season before Tottenham picked up their second, Burnley won theirs, with the Clarets finishing two points clear of Spurs and one ahead of Wolves, stopping the Molineux-based club from winning the double one year before it was achieved in north London. Burnley’s maiden title came back in 1921, leaving a gap of 39 years between the two victories. Their current drought stands at over six decades and without a top-three finish since England won the World Cup.

Wolves (Current gap: 65+ years; previous longest gap: 4 years)
Burnley’s one-point lead over Wolves in 1960 proved to be the end of the Old Gold’s golden era, with the sixties bringing relegation to Molineux. Billy Wright and co battled with Manchester United to be the dominant side of the fifties, picking up all three of the club’s title wins during the decade. Despite brief spells back in the top half in the seventies and eighties, and two seventh-place finishes in the Premier League era, Wolves haven’t come close to replicating their past glories.

 

Aston Villa (Longest gap: 71 years)
The most successful side of the Victorian era, Aston Villa won five of the first 12 league titles. The Villans had to wait a decade for their sixth and then came an almighty gap of 71 years that ended with the triumphant table-topping side of 1981. The following season saw European Cup success but a decline in domestic form ended with relegation in ’87. A second-place finish in the competition’s maiden season remains Villa’s highest Premier League finish, but they’d have to go without a title until 2052 to match their previous drought.

Portsmouth (Current gap: 74+ years; previous longest gap: 1 year)
Back-to-back titles in the early post-war period saw Portsmouth join the list of English champions but despite a third-place finish in ’55, the fifties saw a gradual decline and eventual relegation before the decade was out. Pompey didn’t return to the top flight for another 30 years and even that stay was a brief one. A Premier League debut in 2003 proved to be more successful with two top-half finishes, but financial mismanagement crippled the south coast club and next year will mark three-quarters of a century without a title win.

 

Blackburn Rovers (Longest gap: 81 years)
One of the 12 founder members of the Football League, Blackburn Rovers were ever present in the First Division from its origins in 1888 until shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. Two league titles arrived at Ewood Park in that period, but Rovers only spent 10 seasons in the top flight from 1946 up until the dawn of the Premier League. Jack Walker’s wealth took them back to the promised land and with star striker Alan Shearer joining the ranks, they topped the pile once again in 1995, 81 years after their last title.

 

Sunderland (Current gap: 88+ years; previous longest gap: 23 years)
Sunderland were the only club close to matching Aston Villa’s achievements in the pre-World War One years, winning five of their six titles in that era. After a 23-year wait, Roker Park once again witnessed top-flight glory after clinching the 1935/36 championship. The late forties and fifties saw Sunderland become the ‘Bank of England’ club, as big-money signings came in to try and recapture the ultimate prize, but the best they could do was third place in 1950. It remains their highest finish since their last title win.

 

Sheffield Wednesday (Current gap: 94+ years; previous longest gap: 25 years)
Two lots of back-to-back titles for Sheffield Wednesday in the early 20th century meant only Aston Villa and Sunderland had topped the First Division more often that the Owls at the start of the 1930s. A third-place spot in the last season before the Premier League commenced and three top-half finishes in the competition’s nascent years, as well as a League Cup victory, meant the nineties brought back some memories of the glory days, but relegation at the start of the millennium was the beginning of a long absence from the top flight that has yet to end.

 

Newcastle United (Current gap: 97+ years; previous longest gap: 18 years)
Newcastle United need to win the Premier League in the next two seasons to avoid a century without a league title, with the Magpies stuck on four top-flight wins since they ended their 18-year drought back in 1927. This coming season will also mark the 70th anniversary of their last FA Cup win, although the six-time champions are still the eighth most successful club in the competition’s history, having only been surpassed by Manchester City last year.

 

Huddersfield Town (Current gap: 99+ years; previous longest gap: 1 year)
Speaking of Manchester City, up until their 2012 Premier League triumph, the Cityzens had fewer league titles to their name than Huddersfield Town. The Terriers became the first English club to win three league titles in a row, with the first two coming under legendary boss Herbert Chapman before his departure to Arsenal. Cecil Potter went on to lead the club to an unprecedented hat-trick. Almost a century before City accomplished it, Huddersfield came close to achieving four-in-a-row, finishing in second the season after their third title.

 

West Brom (Current gap: 104+ years)
West Brom’s only league title came in 1920, the first season back for league football following the end of the First World War. The Baggies have twice finished second since, with the last runners-up spot coming in 1954, a year when they lifted the FA Cup. The team that stopped them from winning a domestic double? Local rivals Wolves.

 

Sheffield United (Current gap: 126+ years)
Two FA Cup triumphs and three top-two finishes in the space of six seasons at the turn of the 20th century, including the 1897/98 title win, remains Sheffield United’s golden era. The last century hasn’t been so kind for the Blades but there is one club that has waited even longer for another top spot.

 

Preston North End (Current gap: 134+ years; previous longest gap: 1 year)
The original ‘Invincibles’, Preston North End won the very first league title, going undefeated and picking up the FA Cup to complete a double in 1889. The Lilywhites retained the title the following season but have remained on two ever since, finishing as runners-up twice in the Tom Finney golden era of the fifties. Even if Preston gained promotion to the Premier League in 2025 and went on to win it in their first season back in the top flight, the gap between titles would be an incredible 136 years.