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Arsenal F.C.

The Royal Arsenal at Woolwich was a major munitions works. In 1886 David Danskin (1863-1948) and a group workers there formed a football side that they called Dial Square F.C.. The name was derived from a particular workshop in the complex. Initially, the side played on Plumstead Common. The following year it was named Royal Arsenal; the Royal was derived from The Royal Oak, a local pub. The same year the club played against Spurs for the first time. The fixture soon evolved into North London s most keenly fought Derby. The following year the club started playing at Manor Field, which it developed into the Manor Ground.

In 1891 Royal Arsenal was the first football club in London to turn professional. Two years later Royal Arsenal became the first South London club to join the Football League. It changed its name to Woolwich Arsenal.

Woolwich Arsenal was promoted to the First Division in 1904. However, its finances soon came under stress because of declining attendances. This was because other football teams had developed into interesting alternatives and the munitions workers were no longer as much of a source of income as they had been. The businessmen William Hall and Henry Norris concluded that relocation would probably be the most effective way to address the club's predicament.

In 1913 Arsenal was demoted. The same year it moved to the Arsenal Stadium in Highbury, which had been designed by Archibald Leitch (1865-1939). The club soon formed a rivalry with its North London neighbour Tottenham Hotspurs. Following the end of the First War in 1914, the Football League decided to expand the First Division. Controversially, it opted to promote Woolwich Arsenal rather than Spurs. This was despite the fact that the former had finished only fifth at the end of the last full season in 1914-5. The promotion and the move led to gate receipts that far exceeded those that had been generated in Plumstead. Since the club's return to the division the club has remained in the top flight of English football. As the 1920s progressed it increasingly branded itself as Arsenal.

In 1925 Arsenal was able to induce Herbert Chapman (1878-1934), Huddersfield Town s highly-successful manager, to take its helm. With the help of the new trainer Tom Whittaker (1898-1956), he rebuilt the team into a formidable game-winning entity. In 1930 it won the F.A. Cup for the first time. Thereafter, the club enjoyed a long run as the dominant First Division side. Arsenal was able to upgrade the stands at Highbury. The East (1932) and West Stands (1936) were remodelled in the Art Deco style. However, in 1934 the manager died unexpectedly of pneumonia. As manager, first George Allison proved to be able to continue Chapman's work.

The Second World War meant that there was no professional soccer for seven years. In 1947 play resumed. By then Whittaker had been appointed manager. He proved to sustain his late colleague s legacy. In 1953 the club won the championship for a record-breaking seventh time. However, thereafter the club slipped into middle-table mediocrity, winning nothing for almost two decades.

The renowned former England captain Billy Wright managed Arsenal from 1962 to 1966 without inducing any improvement in performance. Following his dismissal, the directors opted for a known quantity, appointing the club physiotherapist Bertie Mee (1918-2001) as acting manager. The decision proved to be a good choice. With his assistants Don Howe (1935-2014) and Dave Sexton (1930-2012), he proved able to improve the team. His work peaked in 1971 when achieved its first League and F.A. Cup double. Subsequently, the side continued to be a contender. This state of affairs continued following the 1976 of Terry Neill (1942-2022), a former centre-back with club, as Mee successor. Over 1978-80 the club played in three successive F.A. Cup Finals.

In 1986 George Graham, whom Mee had signed as a centre forward, succeeded O Neill. Traditionally, Arsenal had been a club had played with opted. He appreciated the talent of the centre-back Tony Adams and opted rebuild the team's game. It became highly defensive. The approach proved to work. However, in 1995 it emerged that the manager had taken a number of illegal payments from the football Rune Hauge in return for having the club buy a number of players whom he had very little intention of fielding.

In 1992 the Premier League had signed a major television rights deal with Sky. The enriched clubs appreciated that an effective means of raising the quality of what was screened was to become more cosmopolitan in their search for talent. Arsenal adapted the new approach to management. In 1996 it appointed Ars ne Wenger, a Frenchman. He raised professional standards with the club, requiring higher levels of fitness and closely managing issues such as diet. He also made some excellent signings of French players, notably Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera. His methods proved to be highly effective, peaking in the 2003-4 season when the club went beaten. The side was dubbed The Invincibles . In 2006 Arsenal moved 0.8 km from Highbury to the purpose-built Emirates Stadium. By the late 2010s it was apparent that Arsenal weas no longer quite the force it had been. In 2018 he stood down.

¹. The move was prompted in part by the fact that there were limitations on how far Highbury could be remodelled to increase its capacity. The East Stand had had a Grade II listing conferred upon it.

Website: https://www.arsenal.com

Barnet F.C.

In 1882 a group of former pupils of Cowley College and Lyonsdown Collegiate School formed Woodville F.C.. Three years later the team was renamed New Barnet F.C.. Three years after that the New was dropped. The team were known as The Hillmen . In 1892 the club was a founder-member of the North London League. A decade later it ceased to exist.

Alston Works was a dental manufacturing business's works team that was formed in 1901. The team was promptly nicknamed The Dentals . Its players wore a black and amber strip that was to become the basis of the present-day Barnet kit. In 1907 Underhill Stadium on Barnet Lane became its home.¹

Barnet Avenue was formed in 1890. In 1904 the club changed its name to Barnet F.C.. Initially, it played its games at Hadley Green. It moved to Queens Road, where the previous Barnet had played.

In 1912 Barnet F.C. and Alston Works merged to create Barnet & Alston. The new club's home ground was Underhill. Seven years later it changed its name to Barnet F.C.. The side was an inaugural member of the Athenian League. It spent over half a century playing in it. In 1965 the club joined the Southern League. Fourteen years later it was a founder member of the Alliance Premier League (later renamed the Conference).

It was from Underhill that in 1946 the B.B.C. broadcast the first-ever football game to be televised. It featured Barnet F.C. and Wealdstone. The final ten minutes of the game was not included. This was because it had become too dark for the cameras to film any identifiable image.

Barnet turned semi-professional in 1965. The following year the club was promoted to the Southern League Premier. In 1975 it was relegated to the Southern League Division One North. Barnet switched to the Southern League Division South the following year. In 1977 Barnet was promoted to Southern League Premier. A number of retired professionals, such as Jimmy Greaves (1940-2021), played for the team. In the 1977-8 season, despite playing in midfield, he proved able to score 25 goals.

In 1979 Barnet was a founder member of the Alliance Premier League (later renamed the Conference). In 1985 the ticket tout Stan Flashman (1936-1999) paid 50,000 for the club. It was promoted to the Fourth Division of the Football League in 1991. Two years later the team was promoted from the Third Division. Flashman resigned as chairman. In 1994 Barnet was relegated back to the Third Division. In 2001 the club was relegated back to the Conference.

In 2013 Barnet moved to the Hive Stadium.

¹. The pitch had a north-to-south slope.

Website: https://www.barnetfc.com

Brentford

In 1889 it was the case that Brentford had neither a football team nor a rugby club. That year a recreation ground opened. The members of both the Brentford Rowing Club and the Boston Park Cricket Club met at The Oxford & Cambridge pub to see whether collectively could determine how it might be used. No conclusion was reached. Six days later the oarsmen reconvened at the pub. A resolution was agreed that a football club should be established

Brentford was founded in 1889 as an amateur side. Seven years later the club was admitted to the Second Division of London League. In 1898 it was elected to the Second Division of Southern League. The following year the team went professional. In 1904 Griffin Park became its home. This had been constructed on the site of an orchard that owned by the brewery Fuller, Smith & Turner. The company's logo was a griffin. The ground had the distinction of being the only one in the country that had on the external side of each of its four corners.

In 1920 Brentford joined the Football League. Six years later Harry Guv nor Curtis (1890-1966), Gillingham's former manager, took over the helm at Brentford. Under his leadership, the club rose steadily. After the first fifteen games of the 1935-6 season, it looked as though it was heading for relegation from the First Division. However, a remarkable change occurred. It won all but two of its final 23 games, finishing fifth. It stayed in the division for the rest decade. The Second World caused English football to be suspended from 1940 to 1946. Following the return of play, it became apparent that Curtis was no longer as effective as he had been. In 1949 he resigned. Thereafter, club spent several decades in the lower divisions.

Matthew Benham was Brentford fan who had become wealthy through applying advanced statistical techniques to the betting industry. In 2007 he aided the club financially, buying it five years later. In 2014 Brentford was promoted to the Championship

In 2020 Brentford moved from Griffin Park to the Gtech Community Stadium. The following year it entered the Premiership.

Brentford are nicknamed The Bees.

Website: https://www.brentfordfc.com

Charlton Athletic F.C.

Charlton Athletic was founded in 1905 by a group of fourteen- and fifteen-year-old boys who were associated in East Street in Charlton. In the late 1900s the local press took to sometimes referring to the team as The Addicks. The name derived from Arthur Ikey Bryan, a local fishmonger who rewarded the team members with meals of haddock and chips.

In 1919 The Valley became Charlton's home ground. The following year the club turned professional. Walter Rayner was appointed to the its inaugural manager. Having played single seasons in both the Kent League and the Southern League, the team joined the newly-established Football League Third Division South in 1921. Rayner was sacked in 1924 for financial irregularities. Charlton was promoted in1929. Two years later the club started encouraging the use The Robins as an alternative nickname. In 1933 Charlton was relegated.

In 1933 Jimmy Seed (1895-1966) was appointed to be Charlton's manager. He was a former miner who, despite having been gassed during the First World War, had been able to be a professional footballer with Spurs and Sheffield Wednesday. Tactically, he more sophisticated than most of his contemporaries when it came to thinking about tactics.

Charlton was promoted in 1935. The same happened the following year. In 1937 Charlton finished the season second in the First Division. During the 1930s and 1940s a series of improvement were made to The Valley. In 1938 over 75,000 attended an F.A. Cup game that played against Aston Villa.

Charlton won the F.A. Cup in 1947. Its board did not see the need to re-invest its gate money in the team and the ground. Seed discovered Stanley Matthews (2015-2000) but was not allowed to sign him. The directors took to undermining Seed and finally in 1956 asked him to resign. He had been with the club for 23 years.

In 1957 Charlton played a remarkable game against Huddersfield Town at The Valley. The side had only ten men and was losing 5-1 with 27 minutes to go when Johnny Summers (1927-1962) started a remarkable performance. He scored five goals and assisted with two others. Charlton won 7-6. Huddersfield became the only team to score six goals in a League match and lose. The forward stated that he had changed his boots at half because the pair he had been wearing were falling apart.

Charlton was relegated in 1959. Two years later Frank Hill (1906-1993) was appointed Charlton's manager. Despite their being at the bottom of the table at the time of appointment, he saved them from relegation. They finished the 1963-4 season in fourth place.

In the 1960s the club decided to acquire a new nickname. A competition for the fans was organised. The Valiants.

In 1967 Charlton appointed Eddie Firmani to be its manager. He was the first Italian international to manage an English side. He had played as a striker for club from 1950 to 1955.

Charlton relegated to the Third Division in 1972. Three years later the club was promoted. In 1980 the side was relegated. It was promoted in 1981. The following Lennie Lawrence was appointed to be its manager. In 1984 Charlton was placed in administration.

In 1985 56 died Bradford City Stadium fire. Every professional football ground was inspected to see whether they were safe. The Valley was found to be potentially dangerous. The club did not have the funds to make the changes to make it safe. Therefore, it started playing its home games at Selhurst Park. Following the start of the exile, The Addicks nickname, which had fallen out of use, was revived by the fans. The club embraced it.

Charlton returned to the First Division in 1986. The following year the club won the play-offs and so stayed in the top tier. In 1990 it was relegated. That Lawrence had succeeded in gaining admission top tier football and keeping the team there for four seasons was a remarkable achievement. In 1991 he chose to move to Middlesbrough. He was replaced by the midfielders Alan Curbishley and Steve Gritt as joint player-managers.

The newly-formed Valley Party contested the 1990 Greenwich Borough Council elections. Its purpose was to try to get Charlton back to the ground. The party secured 11% of the vote. The following year Wimbledon started to use Selhurst. Therefore, Charlton transferred its home games to the Boleyn Ground. Charlton returned to The Valley in 1992.

Richard Murray founded Avesco, a company provides giant-screen display. He joined the club's board in the early 1990s and became its chairman in 1995. He appointed Curbishley to be sole manager. In 1998 Charlton was promoted to the Premier League. The following year the club was relegated. Charlton returned to the Premiership in 2000. Four years later it finished the season in seventh place. It was its best performance since the 1950s. In 2006 Curbishley left the club, having not extended his contract.

Charlton were relegated twice in three years.

In 2010 Charlton was bought a Swiss company that was controlled by Tony Jimenez and Michael Slater. Jimenez assumed the chairmanship. Murray stayed on the board.

Charlton won League One with 101 points 2012. In 2014 Roland Duch telet, a Belgian, acquired Charlton in a 14m deal.

In 2016 Charlton were relegated. The club was promoted in 2019. The following year it was relegated.

East Street Investment, a company controlled by a consortium that was led by Paul Elliott, bought Charlton from Duch telet in 2020. It sold the club onto Thomas Sandgaard, a Danish businessman who was based in the United States.

In 2023 Charlton was acquired by SE7 Partners. This was controlled by a public relations consultant Charlie Methven, who was a former director of Sunderland, and Edward Warrick.

Website: https://www.charltonafc.com

Chelsea F.C.

Gus Mears (1873-1912) and his brother Joseph (1871-1935) were born into a West London family that was involved in the building trade. The sibs appreciated that the popularity of football was growing. In 1905 Gus acquired the Stamford Bridge athletics stadium in Fulham. He offered a lease on it to Fulham F.C.. The club declined his proposal. Therefore, he decided to set up a club of his own.¹ It was formally instituted at a meeting that took place in The Rising Sun pub (now The Butcher's Hook) on the Fulham Road.

The architect Archibald Leitch (1865-1939) designed a ground that had a capacity to accommodate 100,000 people, making it the second-largest in England after Crystal Palace. It hosted a wide variety of events. These included baseball and boxing. The athletes had been furnished with a running track that lay between the pitch and the stands. In 1933 they were ousted and the track was given over to greyhound, which was then enjoying immense popularity. The mutts enjoyed a 35-year-long run.

Chelsea signed high-profile players and proved able to attract large crowds. However, while the club secured a place in top tier of English club it failed to make itself into one of the leading clubs. In 1952 Ted Drake (1912-1995) was appointed Chelsea's manager. He instituted a number of changes, one of which was to remove the Chelsea pensioner's cap from the club crest. He proved to be highly astute when buying players. Three years later Chelsea won the League championship. However, further successes were not achieved and in 1961 he was sacked.

Drake s successor was Tommy Docherty (1928-2020). He built a team around the young talent that was emerging from the club youth scheme that his predecessor had set up. In 1967 he resigned. Dave Sexton (1930-2012) succeeded him and was able to repeat the benefits of what his two predecessors had built up. In 1970 Chelsea won the F.A. Cup for the first time. That it defeated Leeds in doing so stoked the rivalry between the clubs. The following year Chelsea won the U.E.F.A. Cup Winners Cup for the first time.

These successes may have encouraged Chelsea to embark upon an ambitious rebuilding programme to create an all-seater stadium. In retrospect this choice was to prove to have been ill-judged in view of the state of the economy and the strained nature. The construction work started in 1972. As the decade progressed, the club s financial situation deteriorated. It even sold its freehold to Marler Estates, a property development business that was chaired by David Bulstrode, who was the chairman of Fulham. In parallel, its reputation was badly affected by the fact that there was a large hooligan element upon those fans who stood in the ground's Shed End. In 1981 Viscount Chelsea, a member of the Cadogan family, ousted Brian Mears (1931-2009), a great-nephew of Gus,² from the club chairmanship. Mears responded to the situation by selling the team to Ken Bates, a West London-born businessman who had made his initial fortune in the haulage industry, for a nominal 1.

The incomer found himself locked into several years of litigation against the developers. Ultimately, time worked in his favour. In 1989 the property market started to gently decline. John Duggan s Cabra Estates bought Marler Estates in 1992. Later that year the market crashed and Cabra, which had largely been working with borrowed money, went under. Its principal creditor, the Royal Bank of Scotland, sold Chelsea s freehold back to the club. Of the rebuilding project that had started twenty years earlier only the East Stand had been completed. Construction work resumed. It finished in 2001. In 1993 the insurance industry tycoon Matthew Harding (1953-1996) provided the club with a loan that furnished it with much needed financial liquidity and the ability to pay for the freehold's purchase.³ He acquired a significant minority holding in the club.

In 1996 the Dutch all-rounder Ruud Gullit rejoined the club as a player-manager. He made some astute purchases on the international transfer market that made Chelsea the most cosmopolitan of the big English teams. Success on the pitch followed. In 1997 the club won the F.A. Cup, its first major success since the start of early 1970s. However, Bates had never taken to him and sacked him the following year. The former striker Gianluca Vialli, an Italian, was appointed manager. He added to his predecessor s achievements. His highpoint was 1998 when the club won the League Cup, the U.E.F.A. Cup Winners Cup, and the U.E.F.A. Super Cup. He and a number of the club's leading players came into conflict. Bates sided with the latter and dismissed him. His successor, Claudio Ranieri, proved to be unable to replicate his successes.

Chelsea s cosmopolitanism meant that those British-born players who succeeded in establishing themselves as fixtures of the first team were of a very high calibre. Among them were the defender John Terry and the midfielder Frank Lampard jr..

Chelsea Pitch Owners was set up as a non-profit organisation. Chelsea's naming rights and the freehold of Stamford Bridge were sold to it in 1997. This development was intended to hardwire the club to the ground, while ensuring that the latter never again fell into the control of an outside party that might prioritise its own interests over those of the club.

Chelsea was having success on the pitch by buying increasingly expensive players. As a result, it was accumulating debt on a large scale. In 2003, without there being any signs that it was about to happen, he sold his interest club to Roman Abramovich. This enabled the Russian billionaire to acquire a majority holding in it. He took it into full ownership at an overall cost of 140m. Under his ownership, the debt continued to grow, however, his vast wealth meant that it no longer posed an existential threat to the club. His demeanour was to earn him the affection of many Chelsea fans in a way that Bates had never enoyed.

The club's redevelopment plan had included the creation of Chelsea Village. This had involved the creation of a hotel, apartments, and a visitor attraction. They were intended to provide the club with additional revenue streams. However, they had not performed as hoped and had compounded Chelsea's financial problems. Under the new ownership, the club s management focused on football and developing the Chelsea brand globally. In 2004 Chelsea started using a new training facility at Cobham in Surrey.

The Russian sacked at Ranieri and replaced him with Jos Mourinho, a Portugeezer whose playing career had been very modest. However, he had gone on earn himself a fine reputation as a manager. This had been aided by his appreciation of the usefulness of showmanship. The British media referred to him as The Special One . The club began to win things again. However, it stalled during the 2007-8 season and Mourinho. The calibre of the squad meant that the club soon reverted to winning things but not with a frequency that satisfied its owners. Mourinho s successors had only brief periods as a manager before finding themselves replaced.¹

In 2010 Chelsea scored 100 goals in a season. This was the first time that a top-flight English side had done so since 1963. In 2012 it won the U.E.F.A. Europa League. By doing so, it became only the fifth club to won the three principal U.E.F.A. trophies. This achievement enabled it to announce its first profit under Abramovich's ownership. The amount was 1.4. Six years later it was 62m before taxes.

In 2022 the Putin regime in Russia upped its eight-year-long with Ukraine by launching a major invasion that sought to take Kiev, the country's capital. Abramovich's history of compliance to the dictator's wishes meant that the British government found itself having to place him under sanctions. The club was sold to the BlueCo consortium for 4.25bn.. Within this, the American investor - and former London resident - Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, an American private equity firm, were the leading entities. In 2023 Chelsea finished in the bottom half of the Premiership table for the first time since 1996.

¹. Most football clubs start as a side that, once it achieves a degree of success, seeks to acquire a stadium, whereas Chelsea F.C. was created in order to provide an occupant for one.

². A grandchild of Joseph.

3. In 1996 Harding died in a helicopter crash. In gratitude for what he had done for the club, the North Stand was renamed after him.

³. Mourinho became one of these successors in 2013. He was sacked two years later.

Location: Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, SW6 1HS (blue, red)

Website: https://www.chelseafc.com

Crystal Palace F.C.

In the early 1860s there was a Crystal Palace amateur football team that played that played on the South London leisure complex's cricket pitch, many of its members coming from a cricket club that had been set up in 1857. In 1863 it had participated in the foundation of the Football Association. However, it appears to have ceased into to exist at some point in the mid-1870s.

The Crystal Palace company commissioned the construction of a football stadium. This was completed in 1895 in time to host that year's F.A. Cup final.¹ It continued to be venue for nearly all of them up until the start of the First World War. The company decided that there was potential for the stadium to be the home ground of a professional football team. It asked Aston Villa to help it do so. The club responded by sending its assistant-secretary Edmund Goodman (1873-1960), a one-legged ex-player. He was considerably aided by Sydney Bourne (c.1857-1930), a local football enthusiast who was elected Palace's inaugural chairman at his suggestion. Bourne held the post until his death. In 1905 it was admitted to the Second Division of the Southern League. The same year it started playing its home games in Crystal Palace Stadium.

During the First World War the Admiralty requisitioned stadium. Palace found a new base in Herne Hill Velodrome. In 1918 the club moved to Croydon Common Athletic (a.k.a. The Nest), which has been the home of Croydon Common F.C., which had been wound up the previous year. In 1920 Palace joined the Football League s new Third Division. It finished first and was promoted into the Second. Since then, the club spent nearly all of its time in the two top tiers of English soccer. Four years later, it moved into Selhurst Park, a stadium that had been designed Archibald Leitch (1865-1939). Goodman resigned as manager in 1925.

Many English football club's have suffered as a result of builders and property developers becoming involved in their business affairs. Arthur Wait, a builder, was one of those who ran against this proclivity. He was a lifelong and in 1949 was a member of a seven-member consortium that bought the club. He served as the club's chairman from 1958 to 1972. Under his watch, it acquired a set of floodlights. A decision was made that some event should be arrange to publicise this new state of affairs. It was agreed that a match should be played against one of the big Northern clubs. However, their proposed fees proved to eye-wateringly high. Spontaneously, Wait exclaimed they might as well ask Real Madrid. The 10,000 payment was judged to be reasonable. In 1962 the Spanish Ambassador formally switched on the lights. The two teams proceeded to play. Real won 4-3.

Wait stepped down in 1972. He was succeeded by Raymond Bloye, an accountant who was involved in the meat trade. The following year Malcolm Allison (1927-2010), who had spent all his playing career in London, was appointed manager. He engaged in some rebranding. He tweaked the colours of the club's kit, changing them from claret and light blue² to red and blue. The club's nickname was the Glaziers. He declared that it should be the more dynamic the Eagles. This was taken up although the old one continued to be used. Bloye sold Palace to Ron Noades (1937-2013) in 1981. There was a body of opinion among the fans that disliked him intensely. There were dark mutterings about what had happened to the proceeds of the sale of land at Selhurst Park's Whitehorse Lane end to Sainsburys and claims that he was a Chelsea fan.

Noades appears to have had some involvement in the construction industry. From 1977 to 1981 he had been the chairman of Wimbledon F.C.. There he had championed the signing of David Bassett as the club's manager.

Steve Coppell, an ex-winger, was appointed to be manager in 1984.³ He proved very adept at signing players on a very limited budget. His most significant hiring was the forward Ian Wright, who at the time was playing non-league football. In 1990 Palace played Manchester United in the F.A. Cup final. They drew 3-3, the South Londoners losing the replay by a single goal. The following year the club achieved its highpoint - so far - when it finished third in the First Division (now the Premier). However, despite this placing, it was unable to play in Europe because of decisions that U.E.F.A. had made with regard to English clubs in the wake of the Heysel Stadium disaster six years earlier.

In 1998 Noades sold Palace to Mark Goldberg, who had had success in the recruitment industry, for 22m.⁴ It was not a good sign that the seller had to lend the purchaser 5m for the sale to go through. Noades retained the ground, leasing it to the club. Within a year, palace had been placed in administration. In 2000 it was bought by Simon Jordan, a fan who had made a lot of through the Pocket Phone Shop mobile phone retail business. Coppell opted to leave the club. Initially, Jordan acquired a reputation for being too quick to fire managers although this tempered with time. In 2006 the ground was purchased by Selhurst Park Ltd., a company that was majority-owned by Paul Kemsley.⁵ By the late 2000s he appeared to be deeply jaded. In 2010 the club was placed in administration. The same year Selhurst Park Ltd. did likewise; its finances had been undermined by Global Financial Crisis. Both the club and the ground were bought by a consortium of wealthy businessmen

¹. From 1872 until 1895 Kennington Oval had been the venue for most of the finals.

². These colours had been chosen as an acknowledgement of Aston Villa s help in creating the club.

³. At that time, Coppell was unusual in football in being a graduate. He had studied economic history. (A Scouser, he had been a pupil at Quarry Bank High School, which had a strong sporting tradition as well as an arts one.)

⁴. It has been claimed that the previous year, he had been willing to sell it to a consortium for 9m.

⁵. By happenstance Kemsley had come to know Mike Asley while a youth and worked with him at Sports Direct. He had also been involved in property trading with Daniel Levy. The former came to own Newcastle United and the latter Tottenham Hotspurs. Kemsley was to acquire a degree of collateral celebrity through his wife Dorit appearing in the television series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Website: https://www.cpfc.co.uk

Fulham F.C.

St Andrews was a church on Star Road in West Kensington. In 1879 members of the congregation set up Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School F.C.. The side did not have a home ground for almost two decades. In 1896 it acquired Craven Cottage. The site's name derived from a country house that burned down eight years earlier. The first stand to be built there was a wooden structure that was soon dubbed the rabbit hutch . In 1898 the club joined the Southern League. Nine years afterwards it was elected to the Football League's Second Division. London County Council became concerned about safety. It brought a court case against Fulham about the matter in 1905. As a result, the club commissioned the architect Archibald Leitch (1865-1939) to design the Stevenage Road Stand (now the Johnny Haynes Stand) for it.

The forward Johnny The Maestro Haynes (1934-2005) signed for Fulham in 1950. He made his debut for the club the following year. In 1961, following the abolition of the 20 per week maximum wage for footballers, he became the first Fulham player to be paid 100. Haynes first played for England in 1954. He became captain six years later. In 1962 he was involved in a car accident. He was to concluded that subsequently he had never the fitness and form that he had had before it. He never played for England, having won 56, 22 of them as captain. In 1970 Haynes played his final game for Fulham. He had made 657 appearances for the club.

In 1972 Alec Stock (1917-2001) was appointed manager.¹ In 1974 he persuaded the renowned defender Bobby Moore (1941-1993) to sign for Fulham. In 1976 Stock was sacked. He was succeeded by Bobby Campbell (1937-2015). Moore's presence induced both the midfielder George Best (1946-2005) and Rodney Marsh to play for Fulham during the 1976-7 season, Best making 47 appearances. The last's self-assuredness was such that during an F.A. Cup game against Hereford United Best tackled Marsh in order to gain possession of the ball. The forward Gordon Ivor Davies signed for Fulham in 1978. During his two spells with the club - 1978-1984 and 1986-1991 - he became its leading goal scorer, achieving a total of 178.

In 1987 there was an attempt by the property company to merge Fulham with Q.P.R.. There was considerable supporter opposition to the proposal. The t.v. pundit and former Fulham forward Jimmy Hill (1928-2015) responded to this by setting up a company that acquired the club. The financial wherewithal was furnished by Bill Muddyman (1937-2020). The team's performance in the years that followed was not good.

In 1997 Mohamed al-Fayed (n Fayed) (1929-2023), the Egyptian owner of Harrods, paid 6.25m for Fulham. Within three seasons it had risen through two divisions and entered the Premiership in 2001. Al-Fayed sold Fulham to Shahid Khan in 2013. The Pakistani-born American had made his fortune manufacturing car bumpers. His other business interests included All Elite Wrestling.

¹. Paul Whitehouse based The Fast Show character Ron Manager on Stock.

Leyton Orient F.C.

Glyn Cricket Club was founded in 1881. Seven years late some of its members started playing. The name chose was Orient Football. The choice probably stemmed from the player Jack R. Dearing being an employee of the Orient Steam Navigation Company. In 1896 the club started participating in the London League. Two years later its name was changed to Clapton Orient. In 1904 the team in the Southern League's Second Division. The following year the side was elected into the Football League.

Originally, Clapton Stadium had been a whippet racing track called Whittle's Athletic Ground. It hosted a wide range of sports, of which football was not even the most popular. The club were always tenants. In 1921 the Prince of Wales went to Millfields Road to watch a match between Clapton Orient and Notts County. This was the first time that a member of the royal family had been to a Football League game. It was to mark their appreciation of the patriotism that the club's members had shown during the recent conflict.

In 1929 Clapton Orient was relegated out of the Second Division into the Third Division South. The following year the club moved to Lea Bridge Stadium, a former speedway stadium. The team moved to Brisbane Road in Leyton in 1937.¹ Immediately after the Second World War the club changed its name to Leyton Orient. In 1956 the team was promoted to the Second Division. It entered the First in 1962 but was relegated the following season. Four years later it was demoted to the Third. The club changed its name to Orient. This was a response to the fact that the Borough of Leyton had become part of the larger Borough of Waltham Forest. The club returned to the Second four years later.

Orient was relegated to the Third Division in 1982. Three years later the side sank to the Fourth. In 1987 Tony Wood (d.2002) became chairman. His wealth came from a trading business that was based in Rwanda. The club reverted to calling itself Leyton Orient. This was done in response to the wishes of many of the fans. Two years later the team was promoted to the Third Division. In 1994 the Rwandan Genocide occurred. Wood lost his business. In turn, this threw Leyton Orient into financial difficulties. Fir several months the Professional Footballers Association paid the players wages. The following year the club was relegated to the Fourth. The chairman sold it to the sports promoter Barry Hearn for 5.

Prior to the club's financial meltdown there had been plans to redevelopment Brisbane Road into an all-seater. These had been to ambitious, a more realistic approach was adopted. Much of the necessary finance for the work was raised by selling off plots of land. Residential blocks of flats were built at all four corners of the stadium. Construction started in the late 1990s with the demolition of the South Terrace.

Leyton Orient was promoted to League One (formerly the Third Division) in 2006. Hearn sold the club Francesco Becchetti, an Italian businessman. It was relegated twice in three years and fell out of the League.

In 2010 Leyton Orient played non-League Droylsden in the second round of the F.A. Cup competition. For most of the game the O's trailed their opponents 2-0. However, six goals in extra time.

Nigel Travis, the chairman of the franchise food business Dunkin Brands, bought Leyton Orient in 2017. Justin Edinburgh (1969-2019) was appointed to be the club's manager. Two years the club re-entered the League

The club's nickname is The O s.

¹. Previously, Brisbane Road had been the home of Leyton F.C..

Website: https://www.leytonorient.com

Millwall F.C.

J.T. Morton was a business that had been founded in Aberdeen to supply ships with food. In 1872 it had opened a canning and preserves in Millwall Dock on the Isle of Dogs. In 1885 Millwall Rovers was set up as a work team. Club meetings were held in The Islander pub on Tooke Street. The first home game took place on some waste ground that was adjacent to Glengall Road. The following year the team moved to some behind The Lord Nelson pub. This became known as the Lord Nelson Ground. In 1889 it moved to The Athletics Grounds and changed its name to Millwall Athletic.

In 1894 Millwall was one of the clubs that launched the Southern League. The club developed a particular rivalry with West Ham.

Dockers formed a large element of Millwall's supporters. The club became known as The Dockers. However, the club was uncomfortable with being associated with a social group that notorious for engaging in the petty theft of the goods that they handled. The club knocked Aston Villa out of the 1899-1900 F.A. Cup. The press referred to its players as the Lion of The South . The Lions became the officially endorsed nickname.

In 1901 Millwall moved to a ground in North Greenwich.

In 1910 Millwall crossed the River Thames to a ground in Cold Blow Lane, New Cross. This had been designed by the architect Archibald Leitch (1865-1939). It became known as The Den.

In 1920 Millwall joined the Football League's new Third Division South.

In the late 1920s and through the 1930s Millwall had a good run. In 1928 the club was promoted to the Second. In 1939 it was able to attract the eleventh. The momentum was broken by the outbreak of the Second World War.

In 1943 The Den suffered from bomb damage. A week later, a discarded cigarette caused a fire that burned down one of the surviving stands. Other clubs, including West Ham, allowed the club to play its home games in their grounds. Meanwhile, The Den was rebuilt by fans volunteering their time and effort. In under a year, The Den was usable.

Following the return of peace, Millwall proved unable to attract the same level of support that they had had prior to the conflict. In 1948 the club was relegated to the Third Division South. Two years later it finished in the bottom and had to apply for re-election. This was granted. In 1958 the two Third Divisions were de-regionalised into the Third and Fourth Divisions. Millwall was placed in the latter. Four years later the club was promoted to the former.

In 1963 Bill Gray (1927-2011) was appointed player-manager. The following year Millwall started a run 59 home games in which it was undefeated. This ended in 1967.¹ Gray had left the club the previous. He was succeeded by Benny Fenton (1918-2000), who had played for it as a wing half in the 1940s. He was to remain in place for eight years.

In 1971 Millwall missed out on promotion by a single goal. The squard became known as The Class of 71. The following season the club was unbeaten. This made it the only team to have such a season in all four divisions.

In 1983 George Graham was appointed to be Millwall's manager. The striker Teddy Sheringham established himself in the first team. In 1986 Graham moved to Arsenal. He was succeeded by John Docherty. The following year the striker Tony Cascarino joined the team. In 1988 Millwall was promoted to the First Division. Two years later it was relegated from it. Just before that happened Docherty was sacked. He was replaced by Bruce Ricoh. At the end of the 1990-1 season Sheringham was the League's highest-scoring player. He was sold to Nottingham Forest for 2m. In 1992 Ricoh left Millwall. He was replaced by the defender Mick McCarthy, who joined as a player-manager.

Reg Burr and property developer Jeff Burnige had acquired Millwall in 1986. Three years later Millwall Holdings became the second soccer club to float on the London Stock Exchange. In 1993 Millwall left The Den, which became known as The Old Den, and moved to a ground in Bermondsey, which was dubbed The Den. This was the first all-seater stadium to have been constructed after the publication of the Taylor Report on 1989's Hillsborough Disaster.

In 1996 McCarthy was appointed to manage the Republic of Ireland team. He was succeeded by Jimmy Nicholl. Millwall was relegated. The club fell into financial difficulty. For a brief period, it was placed.

Theo Paphitis became chairman in 1997. He appointed Billy Bonds to be the manager. The former West Ham player's tenure was sacked the following year. His successor was a club stalwart, the defender Keith Rhino Stevens. The player-manager appointed his fellow defender Alan McLeary as his assistant. Subsequently, the latter was promoted to be co-manager. The pair were sacked in 2000. Mark McGhee was appointed to be manager. He was able upon his predecessors work. The following year Millwall promoted to Division Two.

McGhee left in 2003. Dennis Wise was appointed to Millwall's player-manager. The following year Millwall became the first non-top-tier club to play in an F.A. Cup final since 1982. Manchester United beat them. However, because United had qualified for the U.E.F.A. Champions League, Millwall were able to play in the U.E.F.A. Cup. In 2005 Paphitis announced that Burnige was going to succeed him as chairman. Subsequently, Wise announced that he would be stepping down because he was unable to work with the incomer. In the event, it was the businessman Peter de Savary (1944-2022), who succeeded Paphitis

In 2007, with Burnige's encouragement, John Berylson's (1953-2023) Chestnut Hill Ventures invested 5m in Millwall. The same year, he became its chairman. Keith Jackett was appointed to be manager. Two years later the club was promoted to the Championship.

By the 2000s the goods that had passed through London's docks were being handled in containers in Tilbury and Felixstowe. As a result, there were almost no longer any actual dockers who watched Millwall. The club felt able to be more relaxed about this aspect of its heritage. In 2011 the East Stand was renamed the Dockers Stand.

In 2013 Millwall gave space shirt to Prostate Cancer U.K. for free.

Millwall had a bad 2012-3 season. Jackett resigned at its close. Steve Lomas, a former West Ham captain, was appointed to succeeded. After a set of poor results, he was sacked. The striker Neil Harris and the defender Scott Fitzgerald became joint caretaker managers. In 2014 Ian Holloway was appointed to be the manager of Millwall. He was sacked the following year. Harris became caretaker manager. Subsequently, he was appointed manager. Three years later Millwall was promoted to Championship. The club enjoyed a run of seventeen games unbeaten in the subsequent season. In 2019 Harris resigned. He was succeeded by Gary Rowett.

Berylson died in a car accident in 2023. The fans had appreciated what he did for the club.

In 2023 Rowett left by mutual agreement. Adam Barrett was appointed as an interim manager.

Millwall s fans have a reputation for hooliganism.

¹. Liverpool broke the record with a run of 63 over 1978-81.

Website: https://www.millwallfc.co.uk

Queens Park Rangers F.C.

Christchurch Rangers was founded in 1882. St Jude s Institute was set up two years. The teams merged in 1886. The resulting body took the name Queens Park Rangers because it was the district of North-West London where most of the current players lived. In 1889 Rangers went professional. The next couple of decades were to prove to be highly peripatetic in terms of having a home ground. In 1899 the club joined the Southern League. During the 1899-1900 F.A. Cup competition, Rangers beat Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molyneux Park. This gave them a far higher public profile than they had ever had before.

In 1917 Rangers found a permanent mooring at Loftus Road. Three years later the club joined the Football League's Third Division. For the following season, the League was split into northern and southern divisions.

The centre-forward Dave Magnall (1905-1962) was appointed player-manager in 1944. Four years later the club were promoted to the Second Division. In 1952 it was relegated. Magnall resigned. He was succeeded by Jack Taylor (1914-1978). Taylor left Q.P.R. to manage Leeds United in 1959. Alec Stock (1917-2001) was appointed to be manager.

During the 1960-1 season Rangers trounced Tranmere Rovers 9-2.

Jim Gregory (1928-1998) was a Hammersmith-born business, much of whose wealth came from selling second-hand cars. He was an ardent Fulham fan. He tried to buy the club but was rebuffed by its chairman the comedian Tommy Trinder. Therefore, he turned his attention to Q.P.R.. In 1965 he was appointed the club's chairman. He ploughed millions in it.

In 1967 Rangers were promoted to the Second Division and won the League. They were first Third Division to have done so. They beat West Bromwich Albion to win the League Cup. The following year the club was promoted to the First Division.

Stock suffered from asthma. This caused him to be absent from the club. Gregory sacked him 1968. Gordon Jago was appointed to Q.P.R.'s manager in 1971. He signed Stan Bowles the following year. The maverick forward was to be central to the team's success during the decade. In 1973 it was promoted to the First Division. The following year Dave Sexton (1930-2012) was appointed to be manager. In 1976 Rangers missed out on being the champions of First Division by a single point. At the time, the club had seven internationals who played for the four home countries. The following left to become the manager of Manchester United.

Rangers were relegated to the Second Division in 1979. The following year Terry Venables became the manager of Rangers. The following year the club installed artificial turf as its playing surface. In 1983 the club was promoted to the First Division. Venables left in 1984 to go manage Barcelona. The following year Jim Smith (1940-2019) became Q.P.R.'s manager.

Gregory developed health issues. In 1987 he sold Q.P.R. to Marler Estates, a property company that headed David Bulstrode who was Fulham's chairman. The latter announced his intention of merging the two teams and selling off Craven Cottage. The clubs supporters made it clear that the proposal. Marler then sold Fulham. The following year Bulstrode died. Richard Thompson was appointed to be the club's chairman; his father had a lathe minority holding in Marler. At the time, he was 24-years-old. In 1989 the Thompson family bought Q.P.R. outright.

Smith moved to Newcastle in 1988. The forward Travor Francis (1954-2023) became a player-manager. The following year he was replaced by Don Howe (1935-2015). In 1991 Gerry Francis, a former midfielder with the club, was appointed to be its manager. Under his guidance, the striker Les Ferdinand became a fixture in the team. In 1994 Francis resigned in order to manage Spurs. He was replaced by Ray Wilkins (1956-2018) as player-manager.

Rangers were relegated to the Second Division in 1996. Chris Wright bought the club. His wealth was derived from industry. He had co-founded Chrysalis. In 1998 Gerry Francis was reappointed as manager. He resigned in 2001. Later that the club was relegated to the Third Division. The club was placed in administration.

In 2003 Moorbound, a company controlled by the football agent Gianni Paladini, bought a 22% holding in Q.P.R.. A boardroom coup followed in which he ousted the chairman Bill Power, assuming the office. A few weeks later he claimed that there had been an incident in which he had been held at gunpoint by a gang. The matter went to trial. Two shareholders were cleared on the charges that had been brought against them.

Rangers were promoted to the Championship in 2004.

In 2004 Chelsea started using a new training facility at Cobham in Surrey. The following year Q.P.R. took over the club's previous one at Harlington.

In 2007 the motor sport figures Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone, bought holdings in Rangers. Later in the year the steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal acquired a 20% stake. In 2010 Briatore sold his shares to Ecclestone, who thereby had a 62% holding.

In 2011 Rangers were promoted to the Premiership. Ecclestone sold his 66% holding in Tony Fernandes, a Malaysian airline owner. Paladini was removed from the chairmanship. In 2012, after a poor run of form, Warnock was sacked. The manager was succeeded first by Mark Hughes and Harry Redknapp.

Rangers were relegated to the Championship in 2013. They year the team was promoted to the Premiership. In 2015 Rangers it was demoted.

In 2015 Ruben Gnanalingam, a Malaysian businessman, became co-chairman of the club. Three years later he and Fernandes stepped down as co-chairmen. Amit Bhatia, Mittal's son-in-law, became chairman.

In 2023 it was reported that Fernandes no longer any shares in Q.P.R..

Website: https://www.qpr.co.uk

Sutton United F.C.

Sutton United was founded in 1898 at a meeting that was held in The Robin Hood Hotel. Representatives of Sutton Association F.C. and Sutton Guild Rovers F.C. agreed to merge their respective teams

Following the First World War secured a permanent home ground. The club started playing in Athenian League in 1921. In the mid-1960s it joined the Isthmian League. It moved to the Conference in 1986. In 1991 Sutton was relegated back to Isthmian. The club was a founder-member of the Conference South in 2004. Four years later it was again demoted to the Isthmian, joining the National League South (the rebranded Conference South) in 2011. Six years later it topped the League for the first time. In 2021 Sutton played its first League Two fixture.

Website: https://www.suttonunited.net

Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Hotspur¹ was founded in 1882 by Bobby Buckle (1868-1959) and other members of the Hotspur Cricket Club. They were encouraged in this by E.L. Sprylions, who was a member of All Hallows Church s congregation. The following year John Ripsher (1907), who was active in the church, became the side's inaugural president and treasurer. In 1884 Tottenham was added to the team's name in order to avoid confusion with football club that was called Hotspur. The club's early matches were played on Tottenham Marshes. As this public land, it was unable to charge admission.

In 1888 Spurs acquired use of land in Northumberland Park. As it was privately-owned, they were able to charge admission. The number of supporters that they were able to attract led them in 1899 to move a former nursery that became known as White Hart Lane because it was neighboured by The White Hart pub. The land was leased to the club by Charrington Brewery.

Spurs became members of the Southern League's Division One in 1895. Three years later the club became a limited company. Buckle was one of the inaugural directors. The chairmanship was to largely rotate between members of the Bearman, Richardson, and Wale families who had substantial shareholdings in the club.

In 1898 the forward John Cameron (1872-1935) signed with Spurs. The following year he also became the club s manager, remaining until 1907. Three years later the club became the only non-League side to win the F.A. Cup. In 1905 it bought the freehold of White Hart Lane. In 1908 Spurs joined the Football League's Second Division. The following year it was promoted to the First. Archibald Leitch (1865-1939) was commissioned to design. Its construction to be completed in 1934.

Peter McWilliam became Spurs manager in 1912. He encouraged a quick passing style of the game that was derived from Scotland. It became as the Spurs Way . In 1921 Spurs won the F.A. Cup for the second time. The club then a fighting cockerel as its emblem. In 1927 Middlesbrough tempted McWilliams away with a higher salary. Four years earlier Spurs had established an informal relationship with Northfleet United, using it as its nursery club. In 1931 the arrangement was put on a formal footing.

Arthur Rowe (1906-1993) had spent most the 1930s playing as centre-half for Spurs. In 1949 he was appointed to the club's manager. He devised push-and-run football, which was a possession-based passing style of game. It proved highly effective. The following year the club was promoted back to the First Division, which it won the year after that. The right-half Danny Blanchflower (1926-1993) joined Spurs in 1954. He was to be voted the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year in both 1958 and 1961.

Bill Nicholson (1919-2004) had been a wing-half for Spurs. In 1958 he was appointed manager of Spurs. During his sixteen years in charge, the club was to win eight major trophies. Spurs started its 1960-1 season with eleven wins, a draw, and a further four wins. The achievement was unprecedented in top-tier English football. Spurs became the first club in the 20^thC to achieve the League and F.A. Cup double. The striker Jimmy Greaves (1940-2021) joined the team in 1961. Two years later, it won the European Cup Winners Cup, thereby becoming the first British side to win a U.E.F.A. club competition. In Blanchflower retired in 1964. He had played for the club 382 times. In 1967 Spurs won the F.A. Cup for a third time. In 1970 Greaves retired. He had scored 194 goals for the club. Thereby setting a new record. Two years later Spurs won the inaugural U.E.F.A. Cup. In 1975 the midfielder Gleen Hoddle joined the Spurs first team.

In 1974 Nicholson resigned. He was suffering from burn out, having become increasingly disillusioned with football. He regarded players wages as having become and could not abide the hooliganism of some supporters. He succeeded by Terry Neill (1942-2022), who had played for Arsenal. Two years later he returned to that club as its manager. Keith Burkinshaw succeeded him. At the former's request, Nicholson reconnected with the club, working as a consultant until 1991. He proved to have retained his eye for spotting talent. In 1978 Burkinshaw signed the midfielders Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa, both whom had been members of The Argentine's World Cup-winning squad. At the time, it was rare for English clubs to recruit foreign players. Both men became very popular, Ossie earning national treasure status.

In 1982 a major redevelopment of the White Hart Lane Stadium was begun. Irving Scholar paid Sidney Wale 600,000 for a 25% holding in Spurs. As a fan, he felt prompted to do so because as a seasoned property developer, he believed that the company was going to run into financial difficulties. He was aided by Paul Bobroff, who had bought a 15% stake from stake from the Bearmans. By the end of the year, the pair controlled the club. Its debt stood at almost 5m. The pair tried to place it upon a realistic commercial setting. In 1983, in order to raise money, Spurs floated on the London Stock Exchange. It was the first soccer club to do so. In 1984 Spurs won the U.E.F.A. Cup a second time.

Terry Venables had played for Spurs as a midfielder in the late 1960s. In 1987 he was appointed to be manager. His purchases included the midfielder Paul Gascoigne and the striker Gary Lineker.

Under Scholar's stewardship, Spurs had run into financial difficulties. He and Bobroff fell out with one another when it emerged that the former had been willing to take a secret 1.1m loan from Robert Maxwell (1923-1991), the highly controversial owner of the Daily Mirror newspaper. Bobroff resigned. Meanwhile Venables started scouting for someone to buy the club. In 1991 Alan Sugar, the founder of Amstrad home computers business, and Venables paid 3.25m for a holding in the club. They did so as equal partners. Scholar left the club. However, Sugar raised his stake to 8m and thereby became the dominant party in his relationship with Venables. In 1993 the manager was sacked.

Despite having players of the calibre of the strikers Teddy Sheringham J rgen Klinsmann, and the winger David Ginola, Spurs spent a protracted period finishing mid-table.

The billionaire Joe Lewis had made his initial fortune in the schmutter trade before going on to become a currency trader. In 1998 he tried to buy Spurs. Three years later his ENIC Group acquired a 29.9% holding in the club, 27% of it being from Sugar, who was paid 25m. Lewis's associate Daniel Levy acquired an interest and was appointed to be the club's chairman. Spurs moved from L.S.E. to Alternative Investment Market. In 2007 Sugar sold his remaining 12% stake in Spurs to ENIC for 25m. Two years later Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of the EasyJet airline sold his 9.9% holding in Spurs.

The winger Gareth Bale joined Spurs in 2007. The following year Harry Redknapp, a former midfielder with club, was appointed manager. In 2009 the striker Harry Kane joined the first team. In 2012 Redknapp was sacked after not being able to agree on the terms for the renewal of contract.

Spurs became a private company again in 2012.

In 2012 Spurs Bulls Cross training facility in Enfield opened. In 2019 Spurs moved from White Hart Lane to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In 2023 Kane left. He had scored 213 goals in 317 appearances.

Spurs are nicknamed the Lillywhite's in reference to their white shirts.

¹. Hotspur was the nickname of Sir Henry Percy (1364-1403). His descendants included the Smithson family, who owned land in Tottenham. They assumed the surname Percy in 1749.

Website: https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com

West Ham United

Thames Ironworks & Shipbuilding Company was a shipbuilding business that had sites at Blackwall and Canning Town.¹ Arnold Hills (1857-1927), its managing director, and Dave Taylor, a foreman, set up a works football team in 1895. The team's initial kit was dark blue. This was because Hills had won a Blue by playing football for the University of Oxford. However, with time, a number of disputes emerged about its finances and how it should be run. Therefore, in 1900, it was wound up and relaunched as West Ham United. Hills continued to aid the club financially. It was managed by Ernest Syd King (1873-1933), who had played for the side. Its home games took place successively at Hermit Road in Canning Town, Browning Road in East Ham, and Memorial Grounds in Plaistow. It developed a keen rivalry with Millwall, which had been a short distance to the west on the Isle of Dogs.

The Cearns family were intimately involved with West Ham for most of the 20^thC. Jimmy Cearns was on 1895 team s committee. His son Will Cearns (1882-1950) was to become wealthy through involvement in the construction industry. He served as its chairman from 1935 to 1950. His son Len (1914-1993) was chairman from 1979 to 1990. In turn, his son Martin was chairman from 1990 to 1992. The Pratt and Warner² families also had long-time stakes in the club.

In 1898 West Ham joined the Second Division of the Southern League. The club was promoted the First Division at the end of its first season. In 1904 West Ham moved to the Boleyn Ground. The same year the club's players started wearing a claret shirt that had sky blue sleeves. In 1919 the club joined the Second Division of the Football League. Four years later it was promoted to the First. Also in 1924, the side played in its first F.A. Cup final.

West Ham was demoted to the Second Division in 1932. King was sacked. He was succeeded by his long-term assistant Charlie Paynter (1879-1971). It soon began clear that King had serious mental health problems. He committed suicide.

Ted Fenton (1914-1992), a former wing-half with the side, succeeded Paynter in 1950. He paid particular attention to developing youth talent within the club, setting up The Academy of Football. In this effort he was aided by the former centre-half Malcolm Allison (1927-2010). In 1958 West Ham returned to the First Division.

Ron Greenwood (1921-2006) succeeded Fenton in 1961. In 1964 West Ham won the F.A. Cup. The following year the club collected the European Cup Winners Cup. In 1966 England won the World Cup. In the final the side was captained by Bobby Moore (1941-1993), while the goals were scored by Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters (1943-2019). All three were products of the club's youth team. That year the midfielder Trevor Brooking joined the first team. He was to play in it for the next eighteen years. In 1970 West Ham won the F.A. Cup for the second time.

The 1974-5 season did not well for West Ham. Greenwood opted to become general manager. His assistant, John Lyall (1940-2006), became team manager. The side proceeded to score 20 goals in four games and won the F.A. Cup. In 1977 Greenwood left West Ham in order to become England's caretaker manager. The following year West Ham were demoted to the Second Division. Lyall responded to this situation by making two bold purchases. He paid 430,000 for the defender Ray Tonka Stewart, which was a British record for a teenager, and 565,000 for Phil Parkes, which was a world record for a goalkeeper. Both men proved their value. The following year the team won the F.A. Cup for the third time. In 1981 it returned to the First Division.

In the 1980s the pornographers David Sullivan and David Gold (1936-2023) acquired an interest. They were open to working with the Cearns and the Pratts. However, Len Cearns, who then the chairman, signalled clearly that he was not prepared to deal with them.

In 1986 West Ham finished third in the First Division. In retrospect, the squad was referred to as The Boys of 86. Three years the club was relegated to the Second Division. Lyall was sacked. Billy Bonds, a former midfielder and defender with club, was appointed manager. In 1991 were promoted to the First Division. In 1992 the team was relegated.

In 1992 Terry Brown, an accountant, succeeded Martin Cearns as the chairman of West Ham. The latter was to continue to be a director of the club until 2006.

West Ham were promoted to the Premiership in 1993. As assistant manager, Harry Redknapp's talents had been increasingly becoming evident. In 1994 the club s board decided that it wanted him to be manager but for Bonds to retain some sort of role. Bonds took exception to how he thought was being treated and resigned. Under Redknapp the quality of play improved. In 1999 the side finished fifth, its highest place in over a dozen years. The following year the centre-back Rio Ferdinand was sold to Leeds for 18m. The purchases that the manager made with this money proved to be unfortunate. In 2001 he was sacked. During his time in charge there was a high degree of churn in the squad; over 130 went through the club, creating a transfer fee deficit of 16m. However, Redknapp's assistant and brother-in-law, Frank Lampard sr. resigned in solidarity with him. This made the position of his son, the midfielder Frank Lampard jr., very awkward. He was sold to Chelsea for 11m.

Glenn Roeder (1955-2021), the team coach, was appointed manager. He suffered a brain tumour. Trevor Brooking took over as caretaker manager. However, West Ham was relegated. Roeder was sacked in 2003. Brooking again stepped in as caretaker managed. He developed a reputation for being the best manager West Ham never had .

Alan Pardew was appointed to be Roeder's successor. In 2005 West Ham returned to the Premiership. The following year it was bought by a consortium of Icelandic businessmen that was led by Eggert Magnusson and Bj rg lfur Guōmundsson paid 85m for West Ham. Brown was paid 33.4 for his holding. He stepped down as chairman. Pardew was sacked his replacement was Alan Curbishley. He resigned in 2008, subsequently winning a case of constructive dismissal that he brough against the club. In turn, he was superseded by Gianfranco Zola, the former Chelsea striker. In 2007 Magnusson sold his 5% holding to Guōmundsson. In 2008 Iceland's three principal commercial banks defaulted. Guōmundsson was the majority owner of Lansbanki. In 2009 he declared personal bankruptcy. West Ham was taken over by CB Holding, an asset management company.

West Ham survived a protracted relegation battle during the 2009-10 season. At its end, Zola was replaced by Avram Grant.

In 2010 Sullivan and Gold bought a 50% holding in West Ham. This gave them control of the club. A few months later they raised their stake to 60%. In 2013 Sullivan was to acquire a further 25%.

In 2010 Grant was succeeded by Sam Allardyce. In 2012 the club returned to the Premiership.

In 2013 West Ham was granted a 99-year-long lease on the London Stadium by the Olympic Park Legacy Company.³ This had been the centrepiece of the 2012 London Olympics.

Slaven Bilić, a former defender with the club, succeeded Allardyce in 2015. He was sacked two years. David Moyes came in as a caretaker. In 2018 Manuel Pellegrini was appointed to be manager. He was dismissed just over eighteen months later. Moyes stepped in a second time.

West Ham are known as both the Irons and the Hammers.

¹. Thames Ironworks found itself being undercut by the northern shipbuilders. It launched its final ship in 1912.

². The Warners were descended from Arnold Hills.

³. A success made sweeter by the fact that Spurs had to take over the Stadium.

Website: https://www.whufc.com

A.F.C. Wimbledon

It became apparent both that Wimbledon F.C.'s owners wished to move club away from Wimbledon and that the Football Association was willing to approve such a move. Overwhelmingly, the fans objected to this prospect. In 2002 a number of them met at The Fox & Grapes pub on Wimbledon Common and agreed to set up a new club A.F.C. Wimbledon. The following year Kingstonian F.C., an Isthmian League club, sold its Kingsmeadow ground to the new entity. The ownership of A.F.C. Wimbledon was structured so that three-quarters of the shares were owned by The Dons Trust, a supporters organisation. A minority were sold off in order to raise capital Also in 2003 Wimbledon F.C. moved to Milton Keynes, which was 60 miles (96 km) north of Wimbledon.

A.F.C. Wimbledon started its playing life in the Premier Division of the Combined Counties League, the ninth tier. Over the course of thirteen seasons, the was promoted six times. Starting in February 2003 and ending in December 2004 it enjoyed 78 matches unbeaten. This was the longest such run in British senior football. It was promoted to League Two in 2012. Four years later they were playing in League One.

In 2020 A.F.C. Wimbledon moved into its present home Plough Lane. This had been built on what had been the site of Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium. The name was that of Wimbledon F.C.'s former home, which located c.250m. metres away.

¹. The following year Wimbledon F.C. changed its name to the M.K. Dons.

Website: https://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk

Wimbledon F.C.

In 1889 a group of former pupils of the Old Central School on Wimbledon Common formed Wimbledon Old Centrals. The club played on Wimbledon Common, using The Fox & Grapes pubs as its changing room. The team changed its name to Wimbledon F.C. in 1905. Five years later its finances collapsed and it had to be wound up. In 1911 Wimbledon F.C. was set up. The club acquired Plough Lane as a permanent home in 1912. Seven years later the club joined the Athenian League. In 1921 it moved the Isthmian one. In 1930 H.R. Watts was appointed to be Wimbledon's first-ever manager. By the end of the decade Plough Lane could hold a crowd of 30,000 people.

Sydney Black, a local businessman, became the chairman of Wimbledon in the mid-1950s. He started paying the players secretly. This helped the club to revive its fortunes. The following year it topped the Isthmian League for the first time in 23 years. In 1960 floodlights started to be used at Plough Lane. In 1963 Wimbledon won the F.A. Cup, Eddie Reynolds (c.1935-1993) scoring all four of the team s goals with headers. The club joined the Southern League the following year on a professional basis.

Allen Batsford (1932-2009) became the manager of Wimbledon in 1974. The following year it became the first-ever non-League side to defeat a First Division team away from home. In 1977 later it was elected to the Football League. Following disagreements with Ron Noades, the club chairman, Batsford resigned. The businessman Sam Hammam acquired a stake in Wimbledon. The media took sometimes to referring to the side as The Wombles in reference to the characters created by the children s author Elisabeth Beresford (1926-2010).

Wimbledon was promoted to the Third Division in 1979. It was relegated at the end of the following season. Noades gave serious consideration to moving the club away from South-West London. He conducted discussions with the Milton Keynes Development Corporation. In 1981 Wimbledon returned to the Third Division. Noades left the club to became the chairman of Crystal Palace. One of his final actions was to promote Dave Bassett, the assistant manager, to be manager.

Wimbledon was promoted to the Second Division in 1984. Two years later the club joined the First Division. The midfielder Dennis Wise joined the club the previous year. In 1986 he was joined by Vinnie Jones and the striker John Fashanu. The side adopted a simple, aggressive form of long ball football that was facilitated by the ability of Dave Beasant, the goalkeeper, to kick the ball a long distance. Many professional players looked down upon it; Gary Lineker commented that Wimbledon were best watched on Ceefax.¹ Yet, the style of play proved to be highly effective.

Bassett resigned in 1987. He was succeeded by Bobby Gould. The following year Wimbledon won the F.A. Cup. The BB.C. commentator John Motson (1945-2023) referred to the side as The Crazy Gang.² The term entered popular usage. Following the victory, the board was going to move to an all-seater stadium. Nothing came of this plan. The proposed site became a public park.

The Taylor Report on 1989's Hillsborough Disaster recommended improvement to all English grounds. In 1991 Sam Hammam, Wimbledon's owner, concluded that the club could not afford to make the necessary changes to its Plough Lane home. The club started playing its home games at Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park ground. Therefore, he decided to opt for a new build somewhere else in South-West London. After a while, he concluded that Merton Borough was not being sufficiently supportive of his proposal. Therefore, he started to consider moving the club away from Wimbledon. In 1995 he gave serious thought to moving it to Dublin.

Hammam sold 80% holding of Wimbledon to the Norwegian businessmen, Bj rn Rune Gjelsyen and Kjell Inge R kke in 1997. The following year Plough Lane was sold to Safeway, a supermarket chain. It was to be demolished in 2002.

In 2000 Wimbledon were relegated from the Premiership. That year the club introduced Wandle the Womble as its mascot. Wimbledon was placed in administration in 2003. It moved to Milton Keynes. Beresford withdrew the licence for Wandle. The following year MK Dons were formed.

¹. Ceefax was a teletext information that the B.B.C. provided over the years 1974-2012.

². The Crazy Gang had been a group of English comedians who in the 1930s had frequently worked together.

³. Plough Lane was located by the River Wandle.

Website: https://www.mkdons.com

David Backhouse 2024