Arsenal or Tottenham? And other local rivalries.

[Gabriel]

Don’t really favour one side over the other, but, back in the day, I always thought derby games were better at certain grounds, so, for example, the Merseyside derby was always better at Goodison, and the Hampshire derby at Fratton Park. Certain grounds just lent themselves to a more raucous atmosphere, but now that the stadia are all identikits, they tend to be more insipid affairs and it’s much of a muchness.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Thanks MES, beat me to it, although by all accounts the strike breaking story is convenient bollocks. “Skates” is also military slang for sailors because of the fish sex thing.

By all accounts the two sets of fans were on quite friendly terms in the 50s. According to my neighbour, a lifelong Pompey fan, the nastiness started in the 80s when the Portsmouth’s 6:57 Crew were “competing at the top level”. Only a couple of years ago a work colleague had a reverse-auto glass on her car because she’d parked up for an evening in Portsmouth and forgotten to take off the Saints badge from her window.

Yes - Pompey fans point out the strike at Portsmouth docks was broken by bringing in workers from Southampton.
The one little problem with that being Portsmouth is a naval port only, not a goods or passenger docks.

 

[deafmanstevo]

Going off your user name, the bell might not be so annoying to you!

Ha ha , yeah i dont mind any noise bells, trumpets vuvuzelas drums etc.it helps to mask my tinitus.dont like silence.
Talking about bells remember Helen she had a bell used to sit in the north stand at Maine road.

 

[hilts]

I love this stuff.

Arsenal over Tottenham
Everton over Liverpool
Wednesday over United
Birmingham over Villa
Sunderland over Newcastle
Rovers over Bristol City
West Brom over Wolves
Swansea over Cardiff
Norwich over Ipswich
West Ham over any London club
Rangers over Celtic
Dundee United over Dundee
Hibs over Hearts
Atletico over Real
AC Milan over Inter
Lazio over Roma
Real Betis over Seville
Torino over Juventus
1860 Munich over Bayern
Sporting Lisbon over Benfica
Boca Juniors over River Plate

Nicked your list so I could copy and paste. Quite a few differences. Surprised myself how many are based solely on the kit they wear.

Arsenal over Tottenham
Everton over Liverpool
Wednesday over United
Villa over Birmingham
Newcastle over Sunderland
Bristol City over Rovers
West Brom over Wolves
Swansea over Cardiff
Ipswich over Norwich
West Ham over any London club
Portsmouth over Southampton
Derby over forest
fulham over chelsea
Rangers over Celtic
Dundee over Dundee Utd
Hearts over Hibs
Cant stand either Atletico or Real
Inter over AC
Roma over Lazio
Torino over Juventus
1860 Munich over Bayern
Benfica over Lisbon
River plate over Boca
Sampdoria over Genoa

 

[Tolmie scores]

My good Burnley-following mate hates Blackburn with a vengeance. Out of solidarity, I've taken to hating them too (I couldn't actually give a toss about Blackburn Rovers — if anything, they threw a party for us at Ewood Park in May 2000). Like him, therefore, I call them Bastard Rovers. I'm pretty sure he'd say that Burnley's great rivalry is with them.
He's amused by the fact that County have apparently believed for years that they've got a rivalry with Burnley. Poor old County, looking round anxiously for someone who'll notice their hatred.

Come to Ewood, come to Ewood its a dump as you will see
There's a notice on the doorstep saying welcome all to thee
But don't believe 'em don't believe 'em for its all a pack a' lies
Cos' if it weren't for Blackburn Rovers this would be a paradise...

My Grandad's song, ex Burnley Miner and fan

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Come to Ewood, come to Ewood its a dump as you will see
There's a notice on the doorstep saying welcome all to thee
But don't believe 'em don't believe 'em for its all a pack a' lies
Cos' if it weren't for Blackburn Rovers this would be a paradise...

My Grandad's song, ex Burnley Miner and fan

That's interesting.
I'm the last person to say I come from a working class background — it would be a foolish lie — but my grandad on my mother's side was a Burnley miner too. He was blacklisted from every mine in the north of England for union organising activities. So said my mother, anyway. He believed in “all power to the soviets”, as the time-honoured phrase was.
He then became, very happily, a forest warden (or whatever you call it) for the last years of his working life. But the damage was already done. He died youngish, I think of silicosis, the year I was born. I very much regret never having known him.
Don't know if he had any interest in football whatsoever, mind.

And after that completely off-topic excursion… as you were, everybody.

 

[Tolmie scores]

That's interesting.
I'm the last person to say I come from a working class background — it would be a foolish lie — but my grandad on my mother's side was a Burnley miner too. He was blacklisted from every mine in the north of England for union organising activities. So said my mother, anyway. He believed in “all power to the soviets”, as the time-honoured phrase was.
He then became, very happily, a forest warden (or whatever you call it) for the last years of his working life. But the damage was already done. He died youngish, I think of silicosis, the year I was born. I very much regret never having known him.
Don't know if he had any interest in football whatsoever, mind.

And after that completely off-topic excursion… as you were, everybody.

Ernie McCarthy was my grandad - if you find any obscure records let me know - AND he was an ardent socialist. Karl Marx was too right wing for him lol

 

[LongsightM13]

I don’t like Spurs. But I’d choose them over letter-headed Woolwich. I can’t stand Arsenal.

West Ham and QPR over all other London clubs
Sunderland over Newcastle
Pompey over Southampton
Bristol Rovers over City
Brum over Villa
Everton over Liverpool
Wednesday over United
Derby over Forest
Swansea over Cardiff
I quite like both West Brom and Wolves
I hate United and Liverpool equally

Queens Park over Celtic and Rangers
Hearts over Hibs
Torino over Juve
Hamburg over St Pauli
Nurnburg over Bayern
Shalke over Dortmund
Espanyol over Barça
Rayo Vallecano over Atléti and Madrid
Sevilla over Betis
I like both Real Sociedad and Bilbao and always want them to beat all other Spanish teams.

Agree with most of that
Would add Norwich over Ipswich (Weakest Link wankers)
Vale over Stoke

 

[blue aura]

QPR over any London club, though I don't mind Fulham or Palace.

Pompey over any South Coast teams

Birmingham City, even though the Zulus are a nasty bunch, I'll take them over any Midlands team. "Keep right on" imo is the best club anthem.

Oxford Utd over anyone West of London

Don't like any team in the North West/Yorkshire/North East

Hibs over anyone North of the Border

 

[Tolmie scores]

started going with my Dad in the late 60's - was there on this day - Big Match revisited - I still struggle to wonder how such degraded pitches were played upon ( no choice I know ) but the "football" was all kick and rush and a million miles away from today's fayre

The ball was also a big factor. Even the plastic coated multiplex's in the 70's step up from amateur admittedly, were still heavier. Just made the game look harder. Skill wise, you seem some great play on Big Match revisited though, despite all the barriers that today's players do not have