London Football Clubs: An Overview

Perhaps the most globally recognised London club at present is Chelsea. With the multi-billionaire Roman Abramovich’s bankrolling of the club, it has been able to attract big-name stars over the past eight years. Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres and a host of others have stepped in alongside London-born stars such as John Terry, and have made Chelsea a dominant force. During the same time, fellow Londoners Arsenal have had an up-and-down time, in 2004 becoming the only team ever to go through a full English league season without defeat. Since that time, however, Arsene Wenger’s men have found trophies hard to come by despite playing some of the neatest football anywhere outside Barcelona.

If Chelsea and Arsenal are the big two, then Tottenham Hotspur are their closest challengers for a slice of glory. Under Harry Redknapp’s management they have gone from perennial under-achievers to Champions’ League contenders with the recruitment of players with pace and potential. Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and others have turned them into a team that can take on – and beat – European football’s biggest names, and there’s no sign of them stopping there.

These are the trophy-hunting London clubs, but two other London clubs play in the Premiership too, and have had mixed fortunes in recent years. Fulham FC – Hugh Grant’s favorite team – made it all the way to the Final of the Europa League last year only to lose to Atletico Madrid, and ลิ้งค์ทางเข้า ufabet have been in the Premiership for a decade now. West Ham – the East End’s team of choice – are a team who embody the word “temperamental”. Capable of graceful, exciting football – but also prone to self-destruction at a moment’s notice – the one thing you are guaranteed with West Ham is that following them is never going to be dull.

Among these clubs, there is an element of “London” rivalry, but there is more localised rivalry between those who draw their fan-base from neighboring areas. Tottenham fans would perceive Arsenal as their main rivals (and vice versa), while some Chelsea fans would say their biggest “derbies” are against West Ham while others would say that Fulham are their nearest rivals. For West Ham, there is also a rivalry with Millwall, no less spicy for the fact that Millwall currently play in the second-tier Championship.