Scunthorpe United currently find themselves in League Two, the fourth tier of English football, with three promotions needed to be in the Premier League and against the big boys.
But how difficult is it to make those steps, and is this something that can be done during a period of time where just one or two people are in charge of the team, or is this a longer process? The way in which each football league is set up is different, though they do have the similarity of having a big gap between top and bottom, making multiple promotions difficult.
How Long Does It Take to Reach the Premier League from League Two?
The Premier League is where everyone wants to play, and it seems a long way off from where Scunthorpe are right now. The biggest and best teams compete in the top flight, and looking at how this season is shaping up so far, it looks set to be another great battle.
Manchester City are trying to retain their title and are currently favourites to lift the title again at 8/11, in what looks to be a three-horse race. The latest Premier League betting makes Chelsea second favourites at 9/4 while Liverpool are priced up at 5/1 as they look to win back the title they won during the 2019/20 season.
If Scunthorpe want to be in the Premier League, never mind in the title race, then they need to be promoted a total of three times. Each time, they will find themselves towards the bottom of the next league, with a big gap up to the teams at the top.
Working their way through leagues is not as simple as three successive promotions, most teams require a couple of seasons to adjust, and then another two or three to become a regular top half team. They may challenge in this period but could also use it to slowly climb the table further.
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United exit the Emirates FA Cup at the first round stage, although almost levelled in stoppage time through Jarvis.
(IRON 0-1 DONCASTER) pic.twitter.com/29npiYcWa0
— Scunthorpe United FC (@SUFCOfficial) November 6, 2021
This all points to a decade needed from starting in League One to making the Premier League, and this is only if things go well. Add onto this the time needed to actually escape from their current League Two position into League One, and that makes the move even longer.
Has Anyone Done This Before?
Teams have done this before, but as football changes, this is becoming a lot harder to do. Brentford have defied the odds and done it recently, starting in League Two in 2009, before making the Premier League this season, and looking to stay there.
The Brentford model has been spoken about a lot, with players coming in as cheap as possible, to be sold on for profit, which was then reinvested in the squad on more players, to try and keep improving.
It is clever management like this that will help, if a team does go from League Two to the Premier League, though even with this, it may still not be enough. If Scunthorpe want to do it, something special like this will need to be put together.