Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham … but are you sure you know them all, the London football teams?
The English capital is a magnificent city in many ways. Museums, clubs, monuments, folklore, modernity. And of course, there is also room for sport, always played at the highest levels.
Those who are first interested in English football, however, are often amazed that a team named after the British capital is missing. There is no London FC, while there is a Real and an Atlético Madrid, a Rome, a Paris (albeit Saint-Germain), a Hertha Berlin and so on.
This does not mean, however, that there are no football clubs in London. Quite the opposite: there are many. Indeed, it is perhaps precisely for this reason that no one has ever taken on a name to represent the entire metropolis. In fact, the teams in the English capital take their name from the neighborhood they come from, with some exceptions that we will try to present in this article too.
However, the teams in the largest European city are many and often important. So how important is the derby that plays? which are sometimes also decisive for the fate of the championship or the FA Cup, the famous English Cup.
1. Arsenal
The Gunners of North London
Looking at the Arsenal Palmares, the only important goal that is missing is that of the Champions League. The boys who until recently were trained by Arsène Wenger, in fact, have trophies of all types on the bulletin board, more than any other London team.
The championships are 13, scattered between the first title of 1931 and the one that is currently the last, of 2004 (with the team of the “invincibles” of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, and Dennis Bergkamp).
The England Cups are 12, a record shared with Manchester United. The League Cups, finally, 2, while in the international arena there is a Cup of Cups and a Fairs Cup.
The company was founded in 1886 and since the 1919/20 season it has always played in the British top division. For this reason, it is the team that has played for the longest time in the first category, but by no means the most titled: at a national level, in fact, there are two teams that can boast more trophies, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Among these two teams, among other things, there is a heated and historic rivalry, given that the clubs have often faced each other to secure the championship.
The origin of the name
The name (and the emblem with the cannon, from which the nickname Gunners derives) derives from the Royal Arsenal. it was the workers of these munitions and explosives factory that formed the initial core of the team.
The first district was, consequently, that of Woolwich, where the arsenal stood, in south-east London. Subsequently, however, the team moved north, starting to play from 1913 in Highbury, home to the team’s historic stadium, which was demolished in 2006. Since then Arsenal has played in the brand new Emirates Stadium.
From the point of view of city rivalries, the historical enemies are certainly the fans of Tottenham, against whom the so-called North London Derby is played. A duel that, however, sees Arsenal excel not only in trophies. but also in revenues, given that Forbes estimates that the club is the second richest in the country after Manchester United.
The great champions
Among the great champions who have worn the red and white jersey. we must remember the historic defender’s Lee Dixon and Tony Adams, as well as the goalkeeper David Seaman.
Among the French, the aforementioned Vieira and Henry stand out, while going further back in time the most loved player was for a long time Liam Brady, also briefly seen in Italy in the early 80s.
Among the coaches, the record of benches belongs to the Frenchman Wenger, in charge continuously from 1996 to 2018. Behind him Bertie Mee, who led the team from 1966 to 1976, and George Graham.
Finally, some notes of color. Being the most titled team in London, Arsenal has often been mentioned in fiction, films, and songs. Surely whoever sang the story in an unforgettable way was Nick Hornby, who told the story (in a very personal key) in the book Fever at 90 °, then turned into a film.
It should be remembered, however, that Arsenal is also mentioned in Baba O’Riley by Who and, ironically on his defense, in the film Full Monty.
2. Chelsea
The strongest London team in recent years
Arsenal is still fighting for the top positions in the English rankings, but it has not been awarded a league title for more than 10 years. Chelsea, on the contrary, can boast a less glorious history than that of its cousins, but in the last decade, it has certainly dominated the scenes.
In his Palmares, there are in fact 5 badges, 4 of which won from 2005 onwards. The England Cups are 7, however, only one achieved before 1996. In addition, there is a Champions League and a Europa League on the bulletin board, while between the 70s and 90s two Cup Winners’ Cups arrived.
The turning point in the history of the blues is in fact linked to two owners. The first that deserves a mention – for better or for worse – is Ken Bates, who bought the team in the early 1980s.
After long legal battles and substantial investments, he managed to restore its finances and relaunch it, bringing in champions such as Ruud Gullit, Gianfranco Zola, Marcel Desailly and Gianluca Vialli. His excessive behavior, however, alienated the sympathies of the fans, who actually ended up contesting him on several occasions.
From Bates to Abramovich
The second tycoon to remember is Bates’ successor, the Russian Roman Abramovich, who bought the club in 2003. He immediately invested a lot of money, bringing José Mourinho to the bench and fielding champions such as Petr Čech, Arjen Robben and Didier Drogba already in the first season.
Mourinho won two consecutive titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup, but left in his fourth year. He was replaced by coaches such as Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti, and Roberto Di Matteo, all three capable of conquering the FA Cup, even if the two Italians also took home a championship and a Champions League.
In more recent times we have seen the return of Mourinho, capable of bringing Chelsea back to the league title, but then on the bench, there were our Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri, who closed a long list of Italian coaches that also counted the aforementioned Gianluca Vialli and Claudio Ranieri.
On the player side, however, the flags of the past are certainly Roy Bentley, Peter Bonetti, and Dennis Wise, while in more recent times Gianfranco Zola, Frank Lampard, and John Terry have been much loved.
The stadium in Fulham
As for the history of London football, it must first be borne in mind that the Chelsea stadium is not located in the district of the same name, but in the nearby district of Fulham.
This led above all in the past to a heated rivalry with the team that bears that name, which is no longer felt today because Fulham does not often compete for top positions.
Nonetheless, until the 1990s Chelsea fans were famous for being one of the most dangerous in England, strongly characterized by the phenomenon of hooligans and close to the positions of the far right.
3. Tottenham Hotspur
The Jewish FA Cup specialist team
Arsenal and Chelsea are two clubs that constitute international realities. In addition to appearing well in every English league, they almost always reach the final stages of the various European cups and have fans scattered all over the world.
The three London teams that we will see now, however, are less famous, but no less fascinating. Indeed, precisely because they have won less and that they play, often, in smaller stadiums, they have attracted unexpected sympathies of true fans of English football, who follow them with greater passion than is usually done with mainstream teams.
The history of the club
Founded in 1882, the team we are talking about now represents the Tottenham neighborhood and plays at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has recently replaced the historic White Hart Lane, a stadium inaugurated even in 1899. The facility can hold about 62 thousand spectators, against the 36 thousand of the previous one.
The team’s distant past was marked by the presidency of Charles Roberts, who led the club for almost half a century, leading Tottenham to conquer 2 FA Cups and a Charity Shield. Another golden period then came in the 1960s, with three English Cups and the Cup Winners’ Cup. Today there are also two UEFA Cups and three other FA Cups on the bulletin board.
At the league level, Tottenham has won twice, the first in 1951 and the second, in 1961. Among the most memorable players we must remember the legendary Jimmy Dimmock and Arthur Grimsdell who played in the 1920s and, after the war , defenders Phil Beal and Maurice Norman and midfielder Alan Mullery and Steve Perryman.
Among the attackers, however, deserve a mention Jimmy Greaves, Gary Lineker and Teddy Sheringham.
Bill Nicholson’s achievements
For the bench, the name to remember is that of Bill Nicholson, in charge as coach from 1958 to 1974.
A former midfielder, he had spent his entire playing career (from 1938 to 1955) in the Spurs’ ranks, collecting 314 games and winning the ’51 championship. In the role of trainer he led the team to the second title and to the conquest of 12 international trophies.
Read also: NBA Teams: Names, Logos, List, Ranking
As we said, the most heated rivalry is that with Arsenal, whose headquarters are located, like that of Tottenham, right in North London. To characterize the Spurs fans. In particular, the team has its base in the Jewish quarter of London.
This has meant that the fans (now also made up of Christians and members of other religious faiths) have often sided against the anti-Semitic choirs which are quite frequent even in the English championship.
4. West Ham United
Hooligan and talents
West Ham United have never won any league titles and are certainly a less famous team outside of England than Chelsea or Arsenal are. Since his, however, the team that has played for more than 100 years in Upton Park has a loyal fan base and a strong following among international fans.
The reasons for this estimate are many. On the one hand, the Hammers’ youth sector is one of the most prosperous in England, so much so that one of the nicknames with which the team is identified is The Academy of Football .
On the other hand, West Ham provided the most important nucleus of the English national team that won the 1966 football World Cup.
The history of West Ham, however, is not only marked by amiable fans who value burgundy and blue colors. Until the 1980s, in fact, the Hammers fans were perhaps the wildest in England, dominated by the hooligans of the Inter City Firm group.
Their story has been told in documentaries, books, and films, among which the best known is the 2005 Hooligans film, with Elijah Wood. This group was famous for how it accompanied the away team and especially for the rivalry with Millwall, another London team that we will talk about later in our five.
The origin of the rivalry with Millwall
The rivalry with Millwall, however, allows us to also explain the origin of West Ham. The team was in fact founded in 1895 as a job after the workers of a shipyard on the Thames. For this reason, two hammers still appear in the symbol and the nicknames often refer to iron or, precisely, to the tools of blacksmiths.
The team then evolved to professionalism, but remained tied to the port environment. In 1926, after a long tug-of-war between workers and builders, a general strike came, a strike that was carried out by the workers of North London (area, in fact, West Ham) but boycotted by those of Millwall.
So the hatred for the strikebreakers automatically turned into hatred for the opposing team, giving rise to one of the toughest and bloodiest English rivalries.
Today the situation in the stands of West Ham is very different, also because the historic Upton Park no longer exists. Since 2016, in fact, the London team has been competing in its internal competitions at the Olympic Stadium, built for the London 2012 Olympics.
The enduring coach
Until the 2000s, the club was famous for never firing its coaches: between 1902 and 2001, just 8 managers sat on the bench, on average once every 12 years.
One of the most loved coaches was Ron Greenwood, then also the coach of the National team, while the players cannot forget the legends Billy Bonds, Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, and Martin Peters.
A place of honor in the history of the club, however, also belongs to the Italian Paolo Di Canio, author of some memorable goals during his stay in the Hammers jersey, between 1999 and 2003.
5. Fulham
Let’s move on to Fulham, a team that we have so far evoked on several occasions but which we have not yet talked about widely. We chose it in front of other London formations because its history, however poor in titles, saw it arrive on more than one occasion one step away from victory.
And most importantly, because Fulham is London’s oldest football club still in operation, having been founded in 1879. With white and black social colors, it is based in the Hammersmith & Fulham district, where its stadium, the Craven Cottage, opened in 1896.
The team has often vivaciated, spending little time in the top division and fighting mostly not to retreat. The highest moment on the English field however came in 1975, when, following some prestigious purchases, he managed to reach the FA Cup final.
At the end of his career there were champions at the Fulham jersey such as Alan Mullery and Bobby Moore (to which George Best would be added the following year), but the final was still lost against the cousins of West Ham.
The arrival of Mohamed Al-Fayed
The real turning point came in 1997 when the team was bought by Mohamed Al-Fayed, the owner of the Harrods department store and father of Dodi who died in the same year with Lady Diana. The Egyptian entrepreneur invested a lot of money into the team, allowing it to become a stable presence in the Premier.
In 2009, after years of work and growth, the Europa League qualification also arrived a competition in which the team then eliminated Juventus, Wolfsburg (new German champion) and Hamburg, entering the final. Here, however, Fulham was defeated at the extra time by Atlético Madrid, a defeat that kicked off an unfortunate period for the club.
Today the team, in fact, plays in the Championship, the English Serie B. The ownership has also changed, as the club is in the hands of Pakistani Shahid Khan, also the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL.
Haynes and Robson
Among the most representative players in the history of Fulham we must remember the midfielder Johnny Haynes, loved by the fans also for having always wanted to play Craven Cottage by refusing the offers of much more famous teams.
Also from the youth sector emerged in the 50s Bobby Robson, then also destined to a majestic career as a coach. Finally, from the fans’ point of view, the most intense rivalry is that with Chelsea, which plays literally two steps away and with which Fulham gives life to the West London Derby.
7 other London football teams, in addition to the 5 already reported
The five teams we have talked about so far are certainly the ones that have achieved the greatest international success, and therefore inevitably the best known in Italy. In the British capital, however, other companies are based, some also with a long history. Here are the other 7 that play in professional leagues.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace now plays in the Premier League but has long been one of the capital’s Cinderellas. Founded in 1905, the club was created to give workers of the homonymous structure a pastime that was built in the mid-nineteenth century for the Universal Exposition.
He played for a long time in the minor leagues and arrived for the first time in the top flight only in the late 1960s. His moment of glory was, however, in the early 90s, when, dragged by Ian Wright, he reached the FA Cup final and a third place in the championship.
Charlton Athletic
Charlton currently plays in the Championship, the English Serie B, and plays home games in The Valley. Also founded in 1905, it experienced its heyday between the 1930s and 1940s when he came second in the championship and won an FA Cup.
Since then he has been living between the first and third series, with frequent promotions and relegations. Among his most significant coaches is Alan Curbishley, who has been on the bench for more than 10 years. Col Crystal Palace, a team with which there is a strong rivalry, is finally the protagonist of the South London Derby.
Millwall
Millwall also plays in the Championship and, although originally – as we said – was made up of workers from the Port of London, it has a rampant lion as its emblem. He has never achieved great results in the league, playing only a couple of seasons in the Premier League, seasons in which he also launched a young Teddy Sheringham.
The most memorable success in the history of this company founded in 1885 was the FA Cup final won in 2004. In that match there was a clear defeat with Manchester United, but, since Alex Ferguson’s team then went to the Champions League, Millwall achieved a historic UEFA Cup qualification there.
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers, or QPR, is one of the teams in central London. It stands in the Hammersmith and Fulham district and boasts a historical rivalry with other clubs in the center such as Fulham and Chelsea. Its headquarters are in Loftus Road and was founded between 1882 and 1886 (although the exact date is unclear).
She arrived in the top flight only between the 60s and 70s, also earning a second place in the rankings in 1976. She then got some good positions even between the 80s and 90s. but ended up relegated to the lower series. In the 2000s, among other things, Flavio Briatore also entered the company, with meager results.
Brentford
Brentford is certainly one of the lesser-known teams in London because in recent decades it has often played in lower leagues (even if it is currently in the Championship). In any case, his story is not bad at all.
Founded in 1889, the company has in fact achieved excellent positions in the top division throughout the 1930s, ending up condemned to the third or fourth series for a long time. Since 1904 its stadium has been Griffin Park, in west London; historically it has strong rivalries with QPR and Fulham.
AFC Wimbledon
In the London Wimbledon district, where the famous tennis tournament is played, a historic club, Wimbledon FC, existed for a long time, founded in 1889. It won an FA Cup in 1988 and played, in those years, several seasons in the top flight.
For a long time forced to play in the rival stadium of Crystal Palace, Wimbledon FC, however, decided in 2003 to move to Milton Keynes, a city 100 kilometers north of the neighborhood. This was received very badly by the fans who re-founded the team with the name of AFC Wimbledon (while the original one changed its name). Now they play in the third series.
Leyton Orient
The Leyton Orient is the last professional team to be based in London, more precisely on Brisbane Road, in the district of Leyton, in the eastern part of the capital. Very few are the successes of the company, which played in the top flight for one championship, in 1962/63.
In 2014 the team also ended up in the hands of the Italians. It was in fact purchased by the entrepreneur Francesco Becchetti, who brought Mauro Milanese and then Fabio Liverani into the club as sports director and coach respectively. Becchetti also created a talent to find new players for the team, but the sporting results were somewhat disastrous.
Leave a Reply