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The reputation of the Premier League today means riches unparalleled flowing into clubs. A season or two in the English top flight is, therefore, a prized means of getting the extra boost to the finances of clubs, as well as the reputation increase that comes with the increased media coverage.
It is, perhaps, for this reason alone, that most clubs, regardless of size in terms of their current financial health or fan following invest so much in getting to the 'Top Division'. Some clubs, however, have spent large portions of their history in the top division and are automatically recognised throughout the world and have large fan bases in both England and abroad.
It is only natural the these 'bigger' sides with big fan bases win Premier League titles. The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Everton and Liverpool have almost exclusively been top division sides and have racked up league titles and major honours in the last century or so.
But some other clubs have faced the ignominy of relegation and have had their past glories seem irrelevant as they toiled in the lower reaches of professional football before making their way up as 'plucky little clubs' punching above their weight.
Some clubs have gone back down to the lower divisions. These include the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have spent a long time out of the Premier League.
Some historically successful clubs, with their history glorious but present modest, have come and graced the top flight in recent years without most fans ever realising the impact these clubs have had on the British footballing legacy.
We take a look at 5 clubs who you probably did not know had been top-flight champions at some point in their existence:
#5 Sunderland
Sunderland have always had a very large fanbase to draw from with the city being a one-club area, with no rivals anywhere close to the top flight from the city. Their closest rivals, Newcastle United and Middlesbrough are themselves one-club areas and the trio form a major footballing fanbase in North-East England.
But if anyone were to consider the more recent history of Sunderland, it is very difficult to imagine that they have been anything but strugglers on the fringes of the top division. Their history, however, tells a very different story.
Sunderland's early history is glorious. They were founded in 1879 and joined the Football League in 1890/91, becoming the first non-founding team to be elected to the two-year-old competition. They replaced Stoke City on the charts and by 1891/92 had already won their first league title.
Sunderland were actually the first team to score 100 goals in a league season, achieving it in 1892/93 as they defended their title. This was significant because the Football League at that point was only five years old and a team managing to be that dominating with similar levels of talent across the league was marvellous They remained alone in the 100-goals-a-season club until till 1919/20.
They won more league titles in 1895-96 and 1901/02. Despite being unable to win another title for ten years, Sunderland were considered a top side in England. The League was suspended soon after as World War I broke out, destroying their hopes for another spell of dominance.
They tried hard to regain their massive presence for a long time but could only win the league once more in 1935-36 and were interestingly the last team to win a league title wearing a striped jersey, which is mind-boggling when you consider that eighty-two years have gone by since then.
Their only major honour since that glorious year, however, are two FA Cups in 1937 and 1973. The current Championship strugglers seem a far cry from their sides in the last two centuries!
#4 Newcastle United
For a club that talks so much about the size of the fan base and the success that it deserves- Newcastle United have a rather bleak history in terms of success. But they were successful at one point nonetheless! The last ten years, at least, have been massively disappointing after the side has suffered relegation twice from the Premier League in the period.
But Newcastle's fortunes have always not been so dull. Despite the exciting football they played from the mid-nineties to the mid-2000s, there were no trophies to show for it, which is unfortunate because that team boasted the likes of Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand, David Ginola and Dave Watson, all brilliant players.
Kevin Keegan was very close to having the Magpies touch their first piece of silverware in decades and Sir Bobby Robson managed to extend their great football for the first few years of the 21st century.
It was, however, in the early part of the last century that Newcastle United were a powerhouse of English football. The first decade of the twentieth century saw them notch up three league titles - in 1904-05, 1906-07, 1908-09 - winning three leagues in five years.
The First World War interrupted their progress and the Magpies continued to hover close to the top of the table and they were finally rewarded with success in 1926/27, which, unfortunately, remains their last top-flight success.
They have since won 4 second division, titles but nobody cares about those after the season ends and promotion is achieved. Newcastle have lived with the tag of chokers and have generally featured talented sides, which often failed to live up to their potential.
On the whole, the Tyneside club have six FA Cups, the last of which was in 1955. Their last trophy was the Intertoto Cup in 2006, which was a minor third tier European Cup usually held in pre-season and not considered a great achievement by anyone.
#3 West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion is today associated with Tony Pulis, who got sacked earlier today! Tony Pulis is usually associated with negative football. Negative football is boring. West Bromwich Albion have been boring.
The club is so dull that their fans have begun calling for a relegation just so that there is some drama at the Hawthorns! Many believe that watching paint dry is more exciting than the football served up by last season's top-half finishing Albion.
So it comes as a shock to most people that West Brom were the second club in history to score a hundred goals in a league season! They did this in 1919-20, (joining Sunderland in the hundred goals a season club) on the way to their first and till date only league title in history.
West Bromwich Albion had a reputation of being a very attacking and fluid side in the 1950s and were close to winning a league and cup double for the first time in England for any club in 1953-54, but ended up losing the league title to Wolverhampton Wanderers, with some key players suffering injuries.
They still won the FA Cup though, a feat which they repeated in 1958 to add to three FA Cups won earlier.
A League Cup win in 1966 remains their last trophy and the success is now long forgotten. It is unfortunate to see such a great club in the doldrums right now. The Hawthorns deserve a bit of entertainment and with Baggies ex-boss Tony Pulis being shown the door, with the club currently in 17th, attacking football can't be too far away
#2 Burnley
Burnley's 30-game unbeaten streak in 1920-21 ensured that they won their first title in English football. The streak was the record for most games unbeaten in a season, before Arsenal managed their invincible season in the 20th century.
Burnley's recent good form aside, there has been little to cheer about for the Clarets in the more recent past, with a few promotion campaigns being the height of their achievements.
But the endurance of that 30-game unbeaten run from 1920-21 shows what an amazing side Burnley had with the record lasting an upwards of eighty years! That alone deserves a lot of recognition.
Burnley had some consistently high finishes in the periods between 1910-1923 with their side putting out some entertaining performances, but World War I probably robbed them of a consolidation process after winning their first FA Cup in 1914 and halting the flow of the side.
A forty year shallow period after the title success followed as the club were relegated in 1930 and in 1947 won promotion back to the top flight after the end of World War II. A youth-based team building policy with a progressive attitude resulted in Burnley winning their second league title in 1959-60.
Their manager Harry Potts was given a great deal of freedom to operate and this was the first time in history that a club gave absolute control over transfers and scouting to a manager.
Potts guided them to a European Cup quarter-final in 1961-62 and took Burnley into the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (UEFA Cup/Europa League) in 1967 and had a long stint at the club.
Despite earning rave reviews for the way the club was run and their more-than-commendable consistent cup-runs, Burnley failed to win a trophy until they were relegated in the 1970s and they have never quite been the same club since.
Their recent Premier League form, therefore, is a deserved reawakening for the long-suffering Clarets supporters.
Which English Club was the first to win three successive league titles? I'll give you a clue - it is not Manchester United, Liverpool or Arsenal. It is, in fact, the club now managed by a German maverick who are playing their first top-flight season in thirty-five years!
#1 Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town AFC are now considered to be punching above their weight and the club is one of the 'smallest' in the Premier League in terms of it's infrastructure and budget. But, in terms of history, Huddersfield had been very successful much before David Wagner and long before Arsenal had won their first league title and Chelsea had even won their first trophy!
Between 1923-24 and 1926-27 under Herbert Chapman and Cecil Potter, Huddersfield Town AFC won three first division titles consecutively, along with an FA Cup in 1922.
The Yorkshire club have not won a single trophy since that glorious period. They did, however, steadily perform in the league and cup but did not win any of the trophies that they competed in.
The Second World War broke their progress and when the league resumed, the club failed to recreate their success and eventually dropped down divisions and came back up to the top flight only to go down again in the 1960s.
They won the second division in 1970 and spent the two following seasons in the top-flight and have since been on a terminal decline, in terms of becoming relevant to the trophy chasers again until last season - when David Wagner sparked a resurgence of the club.
Huddersfield Town have started their Premier League season positively, and there's plenty of time left before this season ends, but so far, the future looks bright again.
