West Ham v Milwall – A Look At The Rivalry That Burns London

By Karan Yadav
13 years Ago

(From the archives..)

For a football fan, the city of London is like a gourmet multi-cuisine restaurant, which has something to cater to every diner’s taste. The city proudly hosts as many as fourteen professional football clubs, playing across various divisions of English Football. Over the course of the twentieth century, many rivalries evolved in the London landscape for different reasons; some of them even pre-dating the clubs which would eventually go on to become a medium for man to show his passion, fight his battle and defend his ilk.

The rivalry between Fulham and Chelsea in South West London transpired when Fulham rejected the offer to shift from Craven Cottage to Stamford Bridge, a ground which was until then not occupied by any football team. That set the foundation of Chelsea FC and the rest, as they say, is history. On the other hand, few prominent rivalries such as the one between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have their roots in the most natural of places – land. Arsenalai??i??s move to Highbury in 1913 reduced the distance between the two clubs to less than four miles and thereafter ensued a saga people would go on to know as the ai???North London Derbyai???. In this case, the newly introduced local element provided the spark.

Thereai??i??s another rivalry, a rivalry that was neither born out of a rejected proposal nor has a local flavor to it. Nonetheless, it is the most notorious of them all.

Millwall v West Ham United

In 1885, Millwall FC was formed by dockers and shipbuilders on the Isle of Dogs in Londonai??i??s East End. Ten years later, on the other side of the Thames river, a team was formed at Thames Ironworks, which would later be called West Ham United, to boost the morale of the workers. The teams were supported by shipmen and workers, who were anyway rivals in their business. Football just intensified everything.

A newspaper article (1899), for the FA cup tie between Thames Ironworks (WHU) and Millwall Athletic (MFC)

In 1926, amidst widespread economic grief, a strike was observed in the East End by the workers who primarily were West Ham supporters. Incidentally, the dockers on the other side of the river, the Millwall supporters, didnai??i??t stand by it. This betrayal fueled the fire to rage on for years. Just like the rivalry between two dockyards in the 19th century that laid the foundation of this bitter feud, in the sixties, it was the clash between two rival gangster families ai??i?? the Krays, who inhabited the East End, were ai???The Hammersai???, while the Richardsons, who prowled the south of the river, were ai???The Lionsai???.

The teams, however, didnai??i??t meet much as West Ham was mostly in a division or two higher than Millwall. However, whenever they did, hell broke lose. The 70s and 80s were the dark ages of English Football. That was a time when football hooliganism was at its peak across England, and sections of the fan base were more interested in clashing with the rival firms than letting their teams fight it out on the pitch. A nadir was reached when a Millwall fan was killed in 1976 after a brawl with the West Ham fans at the New Cross Station. In the aftermath of his death, leaflets were handed out in The Den which declared ai???A West Ham Fan Must Die To Avenge His Deathai??i?? a week before the match.

Though times have changed in England and world football, hooliganism still raises its head time and again, and more often than not, it happens when these two clubs meet on the pitch. The last of which was in August, 2009, in a Carling Cup encounter. Pitch invasions, rioting, brick hurling, pre-decided brawls, and fans being stabbed were reported in and around Upton Park ai??i?? it was a diabolical nightmare for the authorities and for the police.

Scenes at Upton Park after the final whistle in the last encounter between the two sides

ai???I’m feeling sick to the very pit of my stomach after watching those disgusting scenes of so-called fans rioting at West Ham’s Carling Cup match with Millwall. Right and proper people should never give in to violence.

And I don’t like saying this but I am afraid there is only one answer if the Hammers and Lions are ever drawn to face each other again – put the balls back in the hat and draw them out again. When the two names were drawn together, it was just asking for trouble and that is exactly what we got because of the history between them.

And if they ever meet in the League then the game should be played behind closed doors because the human cost of these kind of disturbances is just too high to bear any longer.ai???- Harry Redknapp

As things stand, there is a high probability of both the teams being in the same division come next season. This can occur in the following two circumstances –

Millwall gets promoted to the top division and West Ham survives relegation.
Millwall fails to get promoted but West Ham is relegated to the championship.

One would have to delve into each team’s present situation to get to the bottom of this fascinating prospect; a nightmare for the FA authorities and the London police.

The Lions: After being relegated to League 1 in 2006, Millwall returned to the Championship after a four year gap. They have found stability under present boss Kenny Jackett, appointed in 2007, and are presently eleventh in the league, 8 points adrift of sixth-placed Leeds United. From now till the end of season, The Lions would strive hard to get themselves a play-off spot, but it looks unlikely at this moment, especially considering the form and the quality of teams above them. Also, the Lions have won just one and lost three of their last five fixtures. A good start to the Championship ensured they won’t be relegated, but they also aren’t promotion material just yet. Their only tryst with the Premier League was in the 1988-89 season, and if they continue to grow as they have under Jackett, a return to the top division in the future is a realistic possibility.

The Hammers: After returning to the Premiership in 2005, West Ham have not been relegated despite coming close on at least one occasion. However,Ai??under Avram Grant, the Hammers have been flirting with danger this season. Their form has been awry and the Israeli manager has been under-fire throughout the campaign. They reached the Carling Cup semi-final and their 4-0 win over Man United in the competition remains one of the few troughs of this campaign. West Ham currently occupy the nineteenth position in the league table and are struck in the relegation quagmire. In their last five games, they have won just once, however, their stunning comeback against West Brom to earn a point in the last game would have definitely given some confidence. New signing Demba Ba, fit-again Thomas Hitzlsperger and ever-reliable Scott Parker hold all the cards for their survival. As it stands, the Hammers are more likely to go down than stay up. A lot will depend on how well they can hold their ground at home and also on the fortunes of other teams at the bottom of the table.

Finally, the conclusion is that Millwall is likely to remain in the Championship while West Ham in all likelihood will drop down from the Premiership. The football-loving fans across the world would have two fiercely competitive derby fixtures to look forward to in the Championship, and the authorities and law-and-order agencies would have sleepless nights in anticipation of what awaits them, but would nonetheless strive to ensure the violence-loving fans return home disappointed irrespective of the result of the games.

Legend has it that fans of either club wait with bated breath for years, yearning to be drawn against their bitter enemy. Ai??When the clubs actually clash, all the pent up hatred just blows away anything that comes in its way. Probably, if the teams go on to meet more often, a time may come when this derby takes the shape of a rivalry such as the one between Arsenal and Tottenham, in which although there is boundless passion and hatred, theAi?? fans don’t let it transform into violence or hooliganism.

Just before the closing credits roll out inAi??Green Street Hooligans, a film based on the Millwall-West Ham rivalry, the mainAi??protagonist beautifully sums upAi?? the story. He says (about a West Ham fan) “Pete Dunham’s life taught me there’s a time to stand your ground, and his death taught me there’s a time to walk away.“

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