On May 15th 2011 my beloved West Ham were relegated from the Premier League for the 5th time in my lifetime. The one silver lining in the whole torrid affair however was that with the drop to the N-Power Championship meant we would get to play Millwall FC TWICE! next season. In fact the first time we would get to play them in a league game in 6 years.
The West Ham v Milwall rivalry is arguably one of the most famous rivalry's in world football having been portrayed in many footballing movies like The Firm, Green St Hooligans and Rise of the Footsoldier. It's a rivalry thats over 100 years old and stems from our first ever meeting in 1897. West Ham (then Thames Ironworks FC) a team from the shipbuilding company on the north bank of the river Thames and rival dockers south of the river on the Isle of Dogs J.T. Morton company (Millwall). With the companies bidding on the same contracts the rivalry soon spilled onto the football pitch an into the stands.
This carried trough until the present day, with our most recent and well documented meeting in 2009.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1209028/Man-stabbed-West-Ham-Millwall-fans-brawl-outside-stadium.html
Where i don't condone the violence that occurred, the passion and atmosphere at the game was the sort rarely seen at sporting events, and the sort that makes football and it's rivalry's a unique experience in world sports.
The rivalry has it's lighter moments as well. The Millwall faithful clubbed together and purchased a banner to be towed behind a plane and flown over Wigan's ground during the game we were relegated.
Football is blessed with a vast number of local derby's and fierce rivalry's almost always delivering a highly charged sporting experience. Some sadly have seen their hay day, yet others read like a must see before you die list.
West Ham v Millwall
Everton v Liverpool the merseyside derby
AC Milan v Inter Milan
Roma v Lazio
Partizan v Red Star Belgrade
Fenerbahce v Galatasaray
Barcelona v Real Madrid
and of course two that stand out above all:
Celtic v Rangers
Boca Jnr's v River Plate
With the exception of Real and Barca you may have noticed a common trend between them. Almost all of the worlds great sporting rivalries and certainly the most passionate ones are between clubs in the same city. Proximity and social resentment are the catalyst's in generating these intense sporting spectacles. It's something that sport in the US sadly lacks with it's sporting culture. With the exception of NY you are lucky to get a team in the same state, let alone city to help develop those rivalries. Sure college sports create highly fanatical die hard fans and there are some good rivalries, but they don't develop into the deep loathing and hatred of the opposing team that takes the level of intensity to that next level.
From a local Atlanta standpoint it saddens me and i feel it's a huge missed opportunity as we have two professional women's teams in the city. A 2 game local derby between the Silverbacks and the Beat would make for a fantastic series of games. With the east and westside location of the clubs giving plenty for the fans to get behind. I would guarantee the two games would have the highest attendance in their respective seasons.
For me i'll be waiting for September the 17th and our away game at the Den, where i predict a West Ham win and a whole slew of headlines!!
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