London derbies

The term London Derbies refers to the various football local derbies between the teams in London, England. It specifically refers to individual matches between the teams, but can also be used to describe the general ongoing rivalry between the clubs and fans.

Teams in London

Crystal Palace take on Millwall at Selhurst Park in the South London derby.

As of 2010-11, there are thirteen clubs in the FA Premier League and Football League that play in the Greater London area, as follows:

Division	Team(s)
Premier League	Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United
Football League Championship	Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers, Millwall
Football League One	Brentford, Charlton Athletic, Dagenham & Redbridge, Leyton Orient
Football League Two	Barnet

Former Football League clubs based in London include Thames and Wimbledon.

Major London derbies

Some of the most heated rivalries are between clubs that are geographically close together, including:

• East End Derby – between Millwall and West Ham United; there have been relatively few encounters in recent years, as West Ham has remained in a higher division than Millwall for much of its history. The two however have a history of extreme violence between them due to the fact both teams played near each other. The rivalry is perhaps the bitterest of the London teams and there has even been films portraying it. The last meeting between the two teams was in August 2009, with West Ham winning 3-1 at Upton Park in the Carling Cup, a match that resulted in considerable violence between fans of the clubs.

• North London derby – between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. A rivalry has existed since Arsenal's move to the Highbury area of North London in 1913, and especially since Arsenal's promotion to the First Division in 1919. It is perhaps the most hotly contested of all London derbies but many Arsenal fans also consider cross-town club Chelsea their major rival.

• South London derby – between Charlton Athletic, Millwall and Crystal Palace, despite Millwall's fiercest rivalry being with West Ham United they also have a rivalry with their nearest neighbours Charlton Athletic as well as Crystal Palace, in addition there is also a rivalry between Charlton and Crystal Palace the rivalry between the two clubs has become particularly heated since the mid 1980's.

• West London derby – between Brentford, Chelsea, Fulham and QPR. Since the 1960s QPR developed a heated rivalry with Chelsea but one not reciprocated by Chelsea fans. However, following relegation from the top flight in 1996, QPR have not been able to rekindle to the rivalry. Although Fulham and Chelsea have not often played head-to-head due to Fulham's lower division status in the 1970s and 1980s, since Fulham's promotion to the Premier League in 2001 a rivalry between the two has resumed.

Other London derbies

More generally, any match between two London sides - particularly those that have regularly competed in the same division of football together for any length of time - can be described as a "London derby". An example is the Arsenal and Chelsea footballing rivalry, which has been focusing on Premier League and European achievements. Other rivalries focus on promotion, such as Queens Park Rangers vs. Millwall in The Championship.

Trivia

• Arsenal's David O'Leary has played in more North London derbies than any other player.
• Tottenham did not beat Arsenal between 7 November 1999, when Spurs won 2-1 at White Hart Lane, and 22 January 2008, when Spurs won 5-1 at White Hart Lane in the League Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg.
• Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 9 Premier League meetings against Fulham - since their last West London derby defeat in March 2006.
• Chelsea held a 16-year unbeaten streak against Tottenham in 32 league matches from 2 October 1990 until 5 November 2006, first time since the Premier League began in 1992. However, Spurs beat Chelsea 5-1 in the second leg of the League Cup semi final on 23 January 2002 at White Hart Lane after losing the first leg 2-1 at Stamford Bridge two weeks earlier.
• Arsenal were unbeaten in 19 Premier League games against Chelsea from 16 December 1995 until 21 August 2005.
• Chelsea were unbeaten in their last 10 meetings against their London rivals Arsenal from April 2004 until December 2007.
• Tottenham are unbeaten in their last seven games against West Ham at White Hart Lane
• William Gallas, Teddy Sheringham and Ian Wright have played for three London Teams. Gallas for Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur; Sheringham for Millwall, Tottenham, and West Ham; and Ian Wright previously played for Crystal Palace, Arsenal and West Ham.
• Paul Konchesky has played for a total of four different London sides - Charlton Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Fulham.
• Neil 'Razor' Ruddock has played for a total of five different London sides - Millwall, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace.
• Clive Allen has played for a total of seven different London sides - Queens Park Rangers, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, West Ham and Millwall

External links

• All-time Premiership London derby league table from Sky Sports