We’ve known about “Fallen Giants”, clubs that were once big but have now fallen back, such as Saint Etienne in Spain, Buraspor in Turkey, Parma in Italy, Coruna in Spain, but what about those clubs who spent a long time climbing their way to the top, only to stay for a couple of seasons or less before crashing back down. Or what about those clubs that have always come close, but have never managed to get promoted to the top flight?
I’ve never seen posts about them before, but the word that comes to mind is in the title: “Icarus”. Given a pair of wings made by Daedalus, Icarus was warned first of complacency, then hubris. Instructed to fly not to high or too low, Icarus ignored Daedalus. He flew too close to the Sun, the wax holding his wings together melted, and he plunged to his death in the sea below.
Icarus flew “Too close to the Sun”, which I believe is an apt metaphor for these teams. All these teams can be found in the base version of the game, but the list of Icarus Clubs across all countries is quite large. This post is going to focus on European Clubs.
GERMAN CLUBS
Fortuna Düsseldorf won the Bundesliga in 1933, then fell all the way to the RegionalLiga levels. The made the Bundesliga in the 2012/13 season, and again in the 18/19 and 19/20 seasons, before being relegated back down to the 2. Bundesliga. They are probably the easiest Icarus team to take to the top.
SSV Ulm 1846 won the RegionalLiga Sudwest in 1998, and then finished 3rd in the 2. Bundesliga in 1999 and promotion to the Bundesliga. Despite a scrappy fight, they could not avoid relegation on the last day, and were relegated back to 2. Bundesliga. Their 2000-01 campaign was a disaster, they finished in 16th place and were relegated to the Regionalliga Sud, but the chaotic state of their finances led to the DFB denying them a license, which sent them all the way down to the 5th Tier Verbandsliga Württermberg. In the two decades since the club has weathered a betting scandal, insolvency issues, administration, but finally clawed their way back to the 3. Liga in the 2023 season.
SC Preußen Münster was a founding member of the Bundesliga, but were relegated after the inaugural season. In the mid 70’s the club’s board took a lot of chances to try and get the club promoted back to the top flight, that effort ended up with most of the board resigning because of the financial difficulties and tax fraud accusations. In 2006 the club again invested significant financial resources to try and climb the German pyramid, but again fell short. They finally made it to the 3.Liga in 2011, and finished 4th the following season, but ensuing seasons saw a variety of changes at the top for no return, and the club crashed back into the RegionalLiga. They earned promotion back to the 3. Liga in the 2021-22 season.
ENGLISH CLUBS
Yeovil Town F.C. is one of the true “Icarus Clubs” on this list, in that they have never played in the EPL or First Division. After spending most of it’s existence in the lower leagues of the English Pyramid, they finally reached the League in 2001. Two seasons later they were promoted to League 2, and in 2007 were promoted to League 1 via the playoffs after a 5th Place finish. The next few seasons despite lacking the financial muscle of other teams in the league, judicious scouting and loan signings helped the team get promoted to the Championship, but despite wins over Forest, Watford and Sheffield Wednesday, they were relegated. Their finances did not get any better, and they were relegated again the next season back down to League 2. In the 18-19 season the club dropped out of the EFL, and since then a variety of management changes have occurred, while the team has fallen down to the National League South.
I will admit this is a sentimental choice for me, I saw a video on YouTube (Probably by HITC Sevens) about the club, and the story resonated with me. A Small club, lacking financial stability, thru good coaching, good scouting, and overachieving players manages to get to the 2nd highest level of competition in the EPL, only to fall short. If that’s not an Icarus Club, what is?
Swindon Town F.C. made it to the Premier League in 1993-94 season, but were relegated after just a year. Their time in the Premier League was notable for two things:
- One of their 5 wins was against League Champions Manchester City
- They conceded 100 goals during the season, a record that still stands.
The club also earned the dubious distinction of being the first team in the Premier League to have been relegated to League Two in 2006, but a couple of years later missed out on promotion back to the Championship by losing in the playoffs to Millwall on penalties. After that the club made several appearances in the tile game, losing each time, but again were releagted to League 2 in 2021. Since then financial issue have plagued the team, to the point where the EFL deducted 3 points from them in 2021. Since then a variety of head coaching changes, and CEO changes, have led to the current instability at the club, with the club falling back down into League 2. Can you get the back to the promised land?
Barnsley F.C. finished 2nd in the First Division in 1997, which led to their only appearance in the Premier League in the 97-98 season. In 2002 The fell to League 1, and won promotion back to the ECL, where they stayed for 8 seasons. Relegation and Promotion followed, and again the club was promoted to the ECL in 2019, but relegated again in 2022. Barnsley holds the distinction of having played more games and spent more seasons in the second division of English Football than any other team. Are you the coach to get them back to the top flight and beyond?
Millwall F.C. spent two seasons in the top flight of English football, from 1988 to 1990. The club has been in existence for 97 years, in that time 90 of those years have been spent yo-yoing between the 2nd and 3rd Tiers of the EFL. The FA Cup Giant Killers made it back to the Championship in the 2017-2018 season, and have come close to making the playoffs several times. What separates a club like Millwall from Swindon in this case is good ownership. Under the stewardship of Chairman John Berylson, the club remained financially sound, and the money the won in their various FA Cup upsets certainly helped as well. However, in the summer of 2023, Berylson was killed in a car accident, with his son taking over as chairman. Since then the clubs performance on the field has been less than stellar, and they currently sit in the bottom half of the table. As head coach, can you bring stability to the squad, get them promoted, and help fulfill the previous chairman’s dreams?
Northampton Town F.C. were promoted three times in five years once. Starting in 1960 in the then Fourth Division, they made it all the way to the First Division, where they relegated after just one season. They then had the dubious distinction of being relegated back to the Fourth Division over the next five years, and since 1967 have bounced back and forth between the 3rd and 4th Tiers of the EFL. The last day of the 2023 season, they defeated Tranmere to get promoted to League One. Its quite possible that very few people outside of Northampton remember they played in the top flight once. Can you get them there again?
Leyton Orient F.C. is the second oldest club in London to play in the EFL. Like Northampton they spent just one year in the First Division, 1963-1964, and since then have bounced back and forth between the various EFL tiers. The new century has not been kind to the club, new ownership in 2006 saw two relegation’s and eleven managers over the next three years, ending the 112 years the club had spent in the EFL as they dropped to non conference for the first time in their history. Nigel Travis took over the running of the club in 2017, and since then there has been slow but steady improvement, the O’s won the National League in 2019, then promotion to League One in 2023 after finishing 1st. Slow and Steady may win the race, but fast climbs to dizzying heights make Headlines, can you put Leyton Orient on the front page again?
Carlisle United F.C. spent one year in the First Division, the 1974-1975 season, but then suffered thru back to back relegation’s, starting a journey that saw them go as high as the 2nd Division in 1982, then out of the EFL altogether in 2004 when relegated from League 2. They returned the following year, winning the League two title in 2006, relegated back down in 2014, then back up in 2023. To be honest, they might be more well known to casual fans because they’ve played in the League Trophy final Six times, winning it twice. The club was just purchased by new ownership, can they provide the financial muscle to not only help the club get promoted, but maybe rebuild a stadium that 114 years old and needs some flood barriers, at a minimum?
FRENCH CLUBS
Chamois Niortais FC was a regional club for most of it’s existence, until the mid 80’s when it achieved promotion to Ligue 2. This allowed the club to become professional, and they finished a respectable 10th place in their first season. The next season saw them go on a 17 game unbeaten streak all the way to 1st place, and promotion to Ligue 1. Despite a promising start, the team just did not have the caliber of players required to compete in the top flight, and were relegated after just one year. The club remained a Ligue 2 mainstay for most of the following years, with short stays in the 3rd Division. In 2008 the wheels fell off, with the club going winless in three months of football, and relegation to the Amateur Levels. This also meant they lost their professional status, owing to DNCG rules on the issue. Despite this, the club returned to the 4th tier the following year, and then back to the 3rd tier in 2011. In 20013, after again winning promotion to Ligue 2, they became a professional club again, however they were relegated back to the 3rd tier at the end of the 2023 season. The club has always had a small, regional fan base, but the right coach can lead them to bigger and better things, possibly even unseating PSG at the top of Ligue 1. Are you that coach?
LB Châteauroux, or La Berrichonne de Châteauroux, played one season in Ligue 1, the 1997-1998 season, but they are probably more well known for reaching the 2004 Coupe de France and losing to PSG 1-0. However, because PSG finished 2nd that season, Châteauroux played in the UEFA Cup the following year. The club spent the next few seasons between the 2nd and 3rd Divisions, and has spent the last 10 years in Ligue 2, avoiding relegation the past few seasons.Financially stable, the team doesn’t play in the most populous reason of France, but a good coach taking the team to the top of Ligue 1 and beyond would certainly bring himself, the club and the region quite a lot of honor and attention.
ITALIAN CLUBS
Ternana Calcio reached Serie A twice in the 70’s, staying in the top flight for just one season each time. The first go they only won 3 games out of 30, and the second time was not that much better. Despite a brilliant semi final run to the Coppa Italia in 1980, the club was relegated back to Serie B, then began bouncing between the C1 and C2 divisions of Serie C. Winning Serie C and returning to Serie B in 1993 proved costly, as the team was forced into bankruptcy. After re-entering the Italian pyramid in Serie D, the club again won promotions to Serie B, staying there until 2006. The closest they came to promotion again was in 2004, when they missed promotion by 4 points. A series of relegation’s back down to Serie D, and then Promotions back up to Serie B again in 2021 sees them in the second tier again, trying to break thru back into Serie A. Their fierce rivalry with Perugia is somewhat hampered by the fact that I Grifoni have spent 13 seasons in Serie A at various points in their history, can you take over at Ternana, dethrone the King’s of Umbria, then Italy, and then the world?
AC Trento 1921 is a phoenix club of Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Trento Calcio 1921 S.r.l, which went bankrupt in 2014. The club title was transferred to the current entity, which has been on both sides of the regional leagues and lower tiers of the Italian pyramid. The days of playing in Serie B are long past, as the club has bounced back and forth between Serie D and Eccellenz leagues. Recently though, the club has been on an upward tick, winning the Girone C title, resuming its Professional status, and staying midtable in its Serie C Division since 2021. North of the Trento Autonomous Region is South Tyrol, where FC Südtirol has been climbing the pyramid to the top of Serie B. A Fierce rivalry between the two teams has developed, can you put it to rest by reaching and winning Serie A before they can?
Potenza Calcio is another phoenix club, formed by two amateur squads who claimed the name after reaching professional status in 2018. The original club, Potenza FC, had been founded in 1920 before being de-registered by the Italian Football Federation in 2012. The clubs best years were from 1963 to 1968, when it spent 5 seasons in Serie B. A long decline soon followed, culminating in the 2010 match fixing scandal. Financial problems followed, leading to the clubs de-listing in 2012. The 2018 promotion to Serie C has helped it stabilize, and becoming professional has certainly helped as well. The club and it’s fanbase are looking to reclaim the glories of days gone by. Can you lead them to that glory, while kicking their Campanian rivals (Benevento and Salernitana) along the way?
SPANISH CLUBS
SD Huesca has had some recent success lately, but I am including them in this because the team that should have been here had I done this post two years ago is currently 7 points out of first place in La Liga. Huesca started the century in the Tercera Division, and since then has been gradually climbing it’s way to the top of the Spanish pyramid. 1 year stints in La Liga in 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 have given it a taste of what top flight football is like, and after Fortuna Dusseldorf they would probably be the easiest team to take over. Until recently, they’ve always been second in the region to Real Zaragoza, but that club has not seen top flight football since 2013. Climbing to the top of La Liga won’t be easy (Despite what Girona is doing in real life), but taking over this Huesca squad will certainly help.
Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa has a long history and an interesting future. They reached the top flight once, in 1955, but were relegated after that season, and spent most of the decades following in the Segunda Division, with periodic stints in the 3rd and 4th divisions. In 2011 the club was relegated due to financial issues, but since then it has worked it’s way back up to the Segunda until relegation back to the third division in 2021. What makes this club interesting is that it’s almost entirely owned by the ASPIRE group, a Qatari company that also owns Eupen in Belgium, a partnership with Leeds, and an Academy in Senegal. This gives the club an interesting network to work with, in particular the Senegal link IMO. A deft hand is going to be required to pull everything together and get this club back to La Liga, are you the coach who can do that?
AD Ceuta FC is on the list because it was founded as a merger between Sociedad Deportiva Ceuta and Atlético Tetuán. Tetuán played in la Liga for one season, 1951-52, and was relegated, then the merger occurred in 1956. The current club came into being when the original AD Ceuta club was dissolved in 2012 due to high debts. Since then the club has slowly climbed its way back up to the 3rd tier, with a Round of 16 appearance in the Copa del Rey. To make this save even more interesting, the club itself is not in Europe. Ceuta is an Autonomous city on the North Coast of Morocco, and its membership in the RFEF means that not only can you win La Liga, but the Conference, Europa, and Champions Leagues if you desire.
PORTUGUESE CLUBS
AD Fafe had a 30th anniversary to remember, as they won promotion to the First Division. That they were promptly relegated the next season is probably not as well remembered, especially as only a few years after that they were back down in the 4th Division. Since then it has bounced back and forth between the 3rd and 4th Divisions. Getting back to Liga NOS and breaking the stranglehold the Top Three have on the that league will be tough, but doing so with Fafe would be very rewarding.
C.D. Trofense climb to the First Division was one for the ages. After winning their group in 2006, they advanced to the playoff to determine who would be promoted to the Second Division. Regular time, Extra time, and 20(!) Penalty Kicks later, Trofense achieved promotion. After a solid midtable finish the following year, the finished top of the league and won promotion to Liga NOS. Despite some very good games, beating Benfica and drawing against Porto as an example, they could not avoid the drop, and in the years since have fallen back down to the Third Tier. Only 18km away from Porto, can you be the manager that takes them out of the Portuguese giants shadow and to the top?
UD Oliveirense last visit to the First Division was the 1946-46 season, but I am including the in this list because since 2001 they have spent of their time in the 3rd Tier, but in 2008 gained promotion to the Second Tier, and since then they have been trying unsuccessfully to gain promotion to the First Tier. The closest they came was a 4th place finish in 2000-2011, and since then they have avoided a relegation battle. The club is owned by the same group that owns Yokohama FC, and while at the moment the affiliate agreement does not include players, dipping into the talent pool that is Japan could help push the club back into the 1st Tier, and this time keep them there for longer than a year.
OTHER CLUBS IN EUROPE
HOLLAND: Emmen, Helmond Sport
DENMARK: BK Fremand Amager, B93, FC Helsingor, Koge BK, Vendyssel FF
SERBIA: Mladost Novi Sad
CROATIA: NK Dubrava, HNK Orijent
GREECE: Makedonikos FC
POLAND: Miedź Legnica
All of the teams listed in this article should be playable without any downloads. Any errors in the details are mine.
I hope those of you reading can find a team/save you like. I will try an do a South American one in the future as well.
Thanks for reading!
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