The North London Feud…

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are bitter rivals.

But how did that rivalry start? Originally, why did Spurs fans hate Arsenal so much?

(Spoiler alert: they shouldn’t have! But another team really should’ve!)

A bit of history.

When Arsenal Football Club moved from Woolwich to Highbury in 1913, nearby Tottenham Hotspur felt they were encroaching upon their turf. They felt the Gunners would take their own fans away from them.

It didn’t happen, though. In fact the opposite happened.

It brought increased interest in football to north London so both teams benefitted. Attendances increased at both clubs - well, until war broke out ending the 1914-1915 season.

No, the hatred really started a bit later - just before the 1918-19 season started - after World War I (WWI) was over.

Spurs believed then, and believe now, that Arsenal stole their position in the league.

But did they?

At that time, the league had just two divisions. With 20 teams in each division.

Also at that time the bottom THREE teams of division one would swap places with the top THREE teams of division two at the end of each season.

Poorly performing teams get relegated a division, well performing teams get promoted a division.

And it was Man Utd, Chelsea, and Tottenham who were due to go down for division one to division two. All three teams were at the bottom of the previous 1915 division one league table. Man Utd were 18th, Chelsea were 19th, and Spurs were last, 20th. Which turned out to be significant.

However, some objections were raised because that 1915 season was plagued by match fixing esp. by Liverpool. So some saw that triple relegation as unfair. Some.

Also the league was due to expand both its divisions from 20 to 22 teams. So maybe a compromise could be found. Maybe.

Some division two teams argued that FIVE teams ought to be promoted. Three that normally would be promoted and then two more to fill the extra two spaces that are becoming available in division one.

Others said that maybe that the normal THREE could be promoted from the second division, but only ONE be demoted from the first division. So taking up the two extra division one spaces.

A meeting was held. A compromise was agreed.

Both Man Utd and Chelsea could stay in division one - not least as the match fixing in 1915 by Liverpool had affected Chelsea’s games directly. But Spurs couldn’t stay in the top flight as Liverpool’s fixed games hadn’t affected them directly. So Spurs were rightly being demoted to division two. Because they were 20th - last - in division one!

So there was just the matter of which of the THREE teams were going to be promoted from division two to division one. Obvious, right? The top three from the 1914-1915 season, right? Er… no.

Derby County and Preston North End had come 1st & 2nd in the 1915 division two table so they were guaranteed both a top flight spot. So far so good.

The controversy is perhaps why Arsenal were chosen as the third team coming up from division two to division one when they had only reached 6th place (later amended to 5th place in 1975 after an error in calculation of the goal average was discovered) in division two in 1915! They jumped over Barnsley who had come in 3rd place! Why?

The argument used was that Arsenal had grown the game massively in Highbury (since their move north of the river in 1913) so it was good for the league overall. Good for football. Indeed ticket receipts were huge at Highbury.

I make no judgement on the fairness of this but it’s perhaps Barnsley fans who should hate Arsenal not Spurs fans!

So just to be clear, Spurs were rightly demoted because they were crap in 1915. Arsenal didn’t steal their place. They stole Barnsley‘s one!

So Spurs fans hate Arsenal football club for the wrong reason. It’s not because we stole their top-flight spot in 1918. It’s just because we’ve out-class them ever since. 😂

I might also note that Arsenal have not dropped out of the top rung of English football since.

Just saying. 🙂

@arsenal
#COYG

Arsenal 25/26 Third Kit…

The new white #Arsenal 25/26 third shirt is an instant classic — clean, sharp, and built for the future. Just like Lewis-Skelly. 🔥 

Big win for @Arsenal and @adidasfootball @MylesLewisSkelly #COYG 

I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. Guinness?…

So yesterday a bunch of we gooners were invited along to The Twelves Pins pub in Finsbury Park and also to the Emirates Stadium to take part in an advert for Guinness. 

It was to be filmed as a launch for the partnership between Guinness and Arsenal. 

I won’t give the plot of the advert away (a harpist is involved), but while I was hanging around in Club Level for the afternoon session, waiting to be ushered into our upper tier seats where we were expected to sing a few Arsenal chants and to be in the background of the ad, one of the producers approached me and this bloke who was sitting next to me. 

“Would you two like to be IN the advert?”, he asked?

We looked at each other and me being the shy and retiring type said, “go on then, what do we need to do?”

“Not much”, he said, “you play two security guards and just have to walk past one of the lead actors. As you pass you just need to nod and walk away from the camera.”

“It’ll only take 5 minutes.  Then we’ll have you back up in the stands for the chanting”. 

“We might give one of you a clipboard too. One of you ok to work with props?” 🤣

“Oh and earpieces. You’ll need earpieces.”

“Sure, why not?” we said in unison. And giggled. 

Two hours later - on our 18th take - we were perhaps beginning to regret our eager commitment.

We’ve been dressed up in dark blue clothing and had earpieces fitted. It was filmed down in the garage of the Emirates Stadium as the actor we were to interact with was just getting out of his car and walking towards the entrance to the pitch. 

Try nodding more. Try nodding less.  Try it with a high five.  Try walking in step. Try walking out of step. Try talking to each other as you walk.  Try saying nothing.  Etc etc. 

When they were happy, we put our original clothes back on and headed back to Club Level. 

That was followed then by another two hours of sitting in the stands with everybody else chanting 100 different variations of “We’re the North Bank, we’re the North Bank, we’re the North Bank, Highbury” along with variations on the chant for a pub in Dublin, one in Lagos, and The Twelve Pins itself. 

The whole thing was great fun. Four hours though. And not so much as a sniff of a Guinness voucher! 

Next time I’ll demand a Supporting Actor rate! 

The video should be out of the next couple of weeks.  

Belper Pride…

Belper Pride…

Stuart and I have a spent a lovely long weekend staying with Dawn and Alan in their beautiful newly generated six bedroom house in the equally beautiful town of Belper in glitzy Derbyshire.

Belper Pride was on - 11,000 locals and tourists descend on the town for the parade, the market stalls, the laughter, the celebrating, and the dog show. 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

Helen and Justin came too. Jo joined us on the Friday. Nikki on the Sunday.

The guys are amazing hosts and we had great fun.

Dog Nab It…

 Best in Show? No. But Best Veteran? You betcha! 🏆🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Belper Pride 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

 

The Estate @ Dorfman Theatre…

Last night Stuart & I went to see The Estate, a comedy about politics, wills & sibling wreckage @ Dorfman Theatre (@nationaltheatre) on London’s glitzy South Bank 

Adeel Akhtar (@adeelak77) is aspiring politician, Angad, who dreams of making it big. 

Only the ghost of his father hangs heavy. And his sisters have a score to settle. 

Akhtar is magnetic - switching from brittle warmth to withering fury in heartbeat. He anchors Shaan Sahota’s debut play, razor-smart clash of grief, inheritance, & unspoken politics of family & identity.

It’s East Is East with mortgage & The Thick of It’s bile — full of dark laughs, sharper truths, & standout performances. 

Funny, furious, & fantastically performed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️