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In 1881, the Stanley Cricket Club of Byker (an inner-city ward of Newcastle) decided to form an off-shoot of the club, to play football during the winter.  In 1882, they changed the name to Newcastle East End FC.  Another cricket club in the city formed Newcastle West End FC, also in 1882.  East End turned professional in 1889.  West End avoided dissolution by merging with East End, in 1892.  This club became Newcastle United FC, and wore red, then red-and white vertically striped jerseys.  The club joined the Second Division in 1893.  In 1894, they adopted their famous black-and-white vertically striped jerseys, after frequent color clashes with other clubs in red kits.  Also, their hated local rivals Sunderland AFC had begun wearing red and white stripes (in 1886).  It is for this black and white scheme that the club is known as the Magpies.  In 1898, Newcastle was elected to the First Division.  By the early 1900′s, with a squad dominated by Scotsmen, Newcastle became a football power.  They won the League Title in 1905, 1907, and 1909.  In the FA Cup, Newcastle were runners-up in 1905, 1906, and 1908.  They won their first FA Cup in 1910, beating Barnsley 1-0, in the re-play at Goodison Park (in Liverpool).  They were runners-up in this competition again in 1911.  The FA Cup Finals, from 1895 to 1914, were played at the old Crystal Palace, in south London.  Newcastle played 6 Finals there, the most of any club. 
 

Newcastle’s form dropped after that, and for the next 13 seasons they were basically a mid-table club.  They won their second FA Cup in 1924, defeating Aston Villa 2-0, at the old Wembley Stadium.  Three years later (1927), Newcastle won the League Title, their fourth.  And the Magpies won their third FA Cup in 1932, with a 2-1 victory over Arsenal.  However, they were relegated two years later.  From 1935 to 1939/1946 to 1948 (7 league seasons, with WW II in between),  Newcastle was in Division Two.  Their first season back in the top flight, 1948, Newcastle had an astounding average gate of 53,800, the nation’s highest.  The club won back to back FA Cups in 1951 (2-0, over Blackpool), and 1952 (1-0, over Arsenal).  By the mid-fifties, the club was mired in the bottom half of the league table, but they still won the FA Cup again, in 1955 beating Manchester City 3-1.  {see this newsreel of the 1955 FA Cup}  The club was led by Jackie Milburn and Bobby Mitchell.  This was their sixth FA Cup.  It was also their last major trophy.

Through the late 1950′s, the club continued to slide down the league table, and was relegated in 1961.  They returned to the First Division in 1965, but remained as a bottom-half-of-the-table club.  However, they did win the Inter-City Fairs Cup in 1969.  This defunct trophy was the forerunner of the UEFA Cup (the second echelon championship of Europe).  They defeated Sporting (Lisbon), Feyenoord, Zaragoza, and Rangers on the way, and Ujpest, of Hungary, in the final.   The squad was led by Welshman Wyn Davis.  The Fairs Cup is not recognized by UEFA as a trophy.  The Magpies made it to 2 “real” Cup finals in the 70′s, though.  But they lost both: the FA Cup, in 1974, to Liverpool; and the League Cup, in 1976, to Manchester City.  From 1971-76, Malcolm McDonald was the driving force, scoring 97 goals in 5 seasons.  But Newcastle was relegated once again, in 1977.  After 6 seasons they were promoted back to the first tier, in 1984.  It was Kevin Keegan, in the twilight of his famous career, who led the club back up.  {see this 1983-84 highlight reel.  There are nice background views of St. James’ Park at the link.  Even then, the stadium had a lop-sided shape, with some large stands, and some smaller.  (#9 in some of the goals is Chris Waddle)}

  But it was back to the second level in 1989, with the club in massive debt, and forced to sell off players like Paul Gascoigne.  In 1992, Sir John Hall took over the club, and appointed Keegan as manager.  His heavy investment in the club saw quick results, as Newcastle went from 20th to 1st place, and were promoted to the new English Premier League, playing an exciting brand of attacking football.  The next season, Newcastle continued their impressive form, finishing 3rd best in the country.  A dip to 6th place, in 1995, was answered with the signings of David Ginola and Les Ferdinand.  In the 1995-96 season, the club looked set to finally regain the crown.  They led the league by as much as 12 points, but squandered the lead, and finished second.  One game stands out, a 4-3 loss to Liverpool that many call one of the greatest matches ever {see this footage}.  The club then signed Geordie Alan Shearer for a then-record 15 million pounds.

The prolific scorer had just led underdog Blackburn Rovers to their first Title in 81 years.  Even so, in 1997, Newcastle finished second, again, to Manchester United.  More disappointment followed, as Newcastle lost back-to-back FA Cup Finals: to Arsenal 0-2, in 1998, and Manchester United 0-2, in 1999.   Sir Bobby Robson became manager in 1999, and the club improved from 13th to 11th to 4th place.  In 2003, they finished 3rd, and qualified for the European Champions League.  But failure to maintain this level cost Robson his job.  For new manager, the board, led by Chairman Freddy Shepherd, made an uninspired choice: the authoritarian Graeme Souness.  The taciturn Scot had left the Liverpool clubhouse rife with dissension, in the early 90′s; he left Blackburn in 2004 with bitterness all around, and the situation at Newcastle played out similarly.  Although the club made it to the semi-finals in the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup in 2005, by February, 2006, Newcastle was near the foot of the table, and Souness was sacked.  The signing of 2001 European Player of the Year Michael Owen had helped, but Owen was constantly being injured.  Glen Roeder was the next manager, and was instrumental in turning their season around: they finished 7th.  But injuries helped make the 2006-07 season into a disaster: 13th place, and Roeder resigned.  Sam Allardyce, former manager of the Bolton Wanderers, was hired.   Allardyce had worked wonders with Bolton, a medium-sized club that was traditionally a second division team.  He relished the opportunity to manage a big club, like Newcastle, with a big transfer kitty.  New ownership emerged during the summer of 2007.  Mike Ashley, a retail billionaire, took over controlling shares of the club, and appointed Chris Mort, in place of Freddy Shepherd, as Chairman.  Newcastle is now one of the richest clubs in England.  But big spending has not won anything during the half-century of underachievement that is Newcastle United.  This is a club that pulls in 50,000 per game, but continues to win nothing but media overexposure.  Bitter Geordie fans in the Toon Army are already calling for Allardyce’s head, as the club sits in 11th place.  You would think Newcastle supporters would give someone a little more time than 12 games to turn around a club that for 50 years has produced nothing but dashed hopes.

Thanks to Historical Football Kits, for the 5 older jerseys on the chart, reproduced by permission (historicalkits[dot]co[dot]uk); Colours Of Football, for the 3 sets of newer kits (colours-of-football[dot]com); Photos:  (soccerati[dot]net); (nufc[do]pics[dot]com),;(empics[dot]co[dot]uk, (stadiumguide[dot]com); (sporting-heroes[dot]net).

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Portsmouth FC was formed in 1898, from the ashes of the Royal Artillery Football Cub, which was forced to disband due to breach of its amateur status.  PFC began play in September, 1899, in the Southern league.  For their first decade they wore pink jerseys with maroon trim, and were known as ”the Shrimps,” though the name “Pompey” has been associated with them from the beginning. {for origin of the name Pompey, see # 10 on this list}  In 1911, dissolution was averted by a new board, with guarantees to the banks for debts.  After the war (1920), the League expanded, and Portsmouth joined the new Third Division.  Four seasons later, in 1924, the club gained promotion to the Second Division.  They made it to the First Division,  for the first time, in 1927.  They did this by the slenderest of margins, a goal average only .005% higher than Manchester City.  Jack Tinn became manager that same year .  He would remain until 1947, and is credited for building the side that eventually won the Title (in 1949).  Portsmouth initially had to stave off relegation , though, with two successive 20th place finishes.  However, they did well enough in the FA Cup to make it to the final in 1929, losing to Bolton Wanderers 2-0, at Wembley.  Portsmouth began to secure their foothold in the top flight, finishing as high as 4th place (in 1931), and reached the top ten 6 times in 9 seasons (1931-39).  In 1934, another good Cup run ended with the club losing to Manchester City, 2-1, in the Final.  Pompey finally won the FA Cup in 1939, beating heavily favored Wolverhampton 4-1.  Goals were scored by ex-Wolves player Bert Barlow (twice), Jock Anderson, and Cliff Parker.

{Pictured above, the 1939 FA Cup winners.} 

From the Guardian.co.uk… British Pathé archive: Portsmouth win the 1939 FA Cup.

War broke out soon after, and Portsmouth ended up holding the Cup until 1946, when the competition was finally resumed.  Portsmouth’s status as one of the nation’s chief naval centers meant an influx of investment and talent to the area during World War II.  In 1947, in recognition of the city’s association with the military, Pompey began wearing their distinctive red stockings (blue for navy, red for army).  After the war, the club improved from 12th (1947), to 8th (1948).  And in 1949, under manager Bob Jackson, Portsmouth won their first League Title.   The squad played an attacking style of football, and featured midfield anchor Jimmy Dickinson, bustling left-winger Jack Froggatt, fleet right winger Peter Harris, and prolific forward Duggie Reid  {see this article}.  The club also reached their peak attendance that season, averaging 37,082.  In 1950, Pompey repeated as champions, beating Aston Villa 5-1, on the final day.  This allowed them to finish 2/5ths of a goal higher than Wolverhampton, for the Title.  

 {Below is Jimmy Dickinson, who holds the all-time appearance record for Portsmouth FC, with 764 games played (1946-65), as well as 48 caps for England.}

As the 1950′s wore on, the club failed to replace their aging veterans, and Portsmouth’s decline began.  {here is Peter Harris, ca.1953}   Though they finished 3rd in 1954, by 1959 they were relegated.  And in 1961, it was back to the Third Division, with a second relegation in 3 years.  Portsmouth bounced back to the 2nd tier the next season, though.  There they remained for 13 seasons, with a forgettable average finish of 15th place.  A financial crisis in 1976 forced the club to sell off their best players.  The predictable result was relegation, to the 3rd Division, in 1976, and down to the 4th Division, in 1978.  Pompey began the climb back up, by returning to the third tier in 1980, and the second tier in 1983.

Portsmouth made it back to the top flight in 1987, under manager Alan Ball, but for just one season.  Back in the second level, the club spent 14 seasons barely treading water, with an average finish of 16th place.  On six occasions, they had to struggle to avoid relegation, most notably in 1998, when returning manager Alan Ball helped the club avoid the drop.  By this time, Portsmouth had became known as “the Sleeping Giant” of the south coast.  The one real highlight of the decade was a good FA Cup run in 1991-92, with Pompey losing to eventual Cup winner Liverpool, in the semi-finals.  In their centenary season of 1998-99, Portsmouth went into financial crisis.  Competing factions could not raise sufficient capital, and the off-field battle over control of the club affected on-field results.  The club was under threat of dissolution in their 100th year.  In December, 1998, Portsmouth went into financial administration.  In May, 1999, the club was rescued by Serbian-American Milan Mandaric.  Before owning the San Jose Earthquakes, of the North American Soccer League, Mandaric had made his fortune in Silicon Valley, as a manufacturer of computer components. After the NASL’s demise, Mandaric returned to Europe, first as owner of Standard Liege (Belgum), and then OGC Nice (France).  Out of the blue, Mandaric took on the task of bringing Portmouth FC out of administration, and began investing heavily in the club.  He was attracted to the English game by the passion of the fans, something he found lacking in Belgium and the south of France.

There was another relegation scare in 2001, when Graham Rix was manager.  A final-day victory, coupled with a Huddersfield loss, kept them up.  Mandaric hired Harry Redknapp as director of Football that summer, after he left West Ham (where he had managed for 6 seasons).  The inevitable happened the following spring, as Rix was out, and Redknapp in, as manager.  During the summer of 2002, Redknapp embarked on a flurry of transfer activity.  Svetoslav Todorov, an unknown Bulgarian striker, was bought from West Ham.  People wondered why, but stopped wondering after he ended up leading the second tier in scoring the next season, with 26 goals.  He sold Portsmouth’s most valuable asset to raise cash.  This was beanpole striker Peter Crouch (who now plays for Liverpool, and England),  dealt to Aston Villa, for 5 million pounds.  He unearthed gems in young left back Matt Taylor, whom he prised from  Luton Town for a mere .75 million pounds; and solid center back Arjan De Zeeuw, on a free transfer from Wigan.  Then he made the key signing of veteran midfield general Paul Merson, from Aston Villa.  Merson was faced with the prospect of spending the season on the bench at Villa.  He knew Redknapp was putting together something special on the south coast, and joined.  There were more brought in, most prominent being crafty midfieder Steve Stone, also from Aston Villa.  And the wily Redknapp wrangled deals that had Villa paying around half of Merson and Stone’s wages.  Portsmouth shot out of the gate, and never looked back.  The transformation in the club was astounding.   Merson captained a squad that simply dominated the league.  The club began scoring at a prolific rate, and ended with 97 goals.  They won the division by 6 points, and were promoted, along with Leicester City, and Wolverhampton.
                                          

Back in the promised land of the English Premier League, Pompey started out very good, but by January, 2004, they were in the relegation zone.  Young striker Ayegbeni Yakubu began to find his stride, though, and his goals helped propel Portsmouth to a strong finish: 13th place.  The next season started promising, but rumours began of a rift between Redknapp and Mandaric.  The problem was exacerbated when Mandaric hired the Croatian Velimir Zajec as Executive Director.  Redknapp bristled at this affront to his status, resenting the fact that there would be someone else, besides the owner, that he would have to answer to.   So he stepped down, in October, 2004, when Portsmouth was sitting in 10th place in the table.  Zajec, and assistant coach Joe Jordan co-managed the club, until Frenchman Alain Perrin was hired, in February, 2005.  Meanwhile, Redknapp angered Pompey fans by becoming manager of hated rivals Southampton.  Both clubs became involved in the relegation battle.  Pompey clinched safety on the second-from-last game; Southampton went down. 

 The next season, defensive lynchpin De Zeeuw left, returning to Wigan.  It surfaced that he disliked Perrin (he wasn’t the only one).  Zajec’s additions to the squad were by and large underwhelming, and Pompey sat bottom of the Premier League all though the fall of 2005.  Perrin was sacked in November.  And in December, the prodigal son returned: Redknapp resigned from Southampton, and was re-hired by Mandaric.  The club faced an uphill battle, but was helped by a cash infusion from Alexandre Gaydamak, who became co-owner of the club.  Three acquisitions from Tottenham proved crucial.  Sean Davis, Pedro Mendes, and Noe Pamarot strengthened the midfield and defense.  Mendes’ last second 30-yard strike against Manchester City, in March, 2006, was the impetus for Pompey’s miracle escape from relegation.  They had sat 9 points below safety, with 10 games remaining, but survived. 

That summer, there was a buzz around Pompey similar to the summer of 2003.  Good players started to want to be part of what Harry was doing, like goalkeeper David James, who put in a transfer request at Man City.  And Redknapp landed quality England international, and Arsenal ex-captain, Sol Campbell.  The 2006-07 season saw Portsmouth playing less reckless, and more defensively sound.  They were in the top 4 up until the Holiday season, ultimately finishing in 9th place, only 2 points shy of qualifying for Europe.  Mandaric sold his half-share to Gaydamak, saying his work was done.  He has since bought Leicester City, a club similar to Portsmouth, in a sleeping-giant sort of way.  Portsmouth currently sits 6th in the table.  Pompey has gone from the brink of liquidation, to the upper echelon of the Premier League, knocking on Europe’s door, in nine years.   

Thanks to these sites: The 5 kits on the lower left, on the chart: copyright Historical Football Kits, reproduced by kind permission. (historicalfootballkits[dot]co[dot]uk).  The 3 sets of newer kits: Colours Of Football (colours-of-football[dot]com),  Some People Are on The Pitch (spaotp[dot]com).  Photos: The Stadium Guide (stadiumguide[dot]com), (blogs[dot]warwick[dot]ac[dot]uk), (cache[dot]viewimages[dot]com), Pompey Web (pompeyweb[dot]co[dot]uk).

Special thanks to Pat Symes, who wrote “Sleepimg Giant Awakes,” published by the Parrs Wood Press (parrswoodpress[dot]com), and Mike Walker, whose great photos comprised the Portsmouth promotion run gallery here.

Reading Football Club was formed in 1871.  The club remained amatuer for it’s first 24 years, and was a founding member of the Southern League, in 1894.  In 1895, they turned professional.  Reading’ s nickname throughout it’s first century was “the Biscuitmen,” after a local industry.  (They changed their nickname to the Royals in the 197o’s, as a reference to Berkshire’s status as the Royal County; Windsor Castle is located there.)  The highlight of their early days was a tour of Italy in 1913, where they defeated Genoa, AC Milan, and champs Pro Vercelli.  Reading was elected to the League in 1920, as part of a group of teams allowed to join, to fill the new Third Division.  They moved up to the Second Division in 1926, but only remained there for five seasons.  33 seasons (1931-1971) in the Third Division followed.  For the next 13 seasons, they vacillated between the 4th and 3rd Divisions.  In the 1982-83 season, the club was under the threat of dissolution.  Robert Maxwell, the nefarious press-baron, had recently bought the nearby club Oxford United, and tried to bring about a merger of the two clubs, as the Thames Valley Royals.  Supporters of both clubs were successful in preventing this.  The club won the Third Division in 1986, and reached the second tier of English football for the first time in 55 years.  However, they were relegated 2 seasons later.

In 1990, John Madejski bought the club.  He had made his fortune publishing a second-hand car magazine.  Five years into the new ownership, results could be seen: a doubling of the fan base (from 4,000 to 9,000 average attendance), and a return to the second tier.  In fact, had it not been for the streamlining of the Premier League, in 1995-96 (from 22 clubs to 20), Reading would have been automatically promoted.  Madejski has said, in retrospect, that this would ultimately have impeded the club’s progress, as their new stadium was not ready, and they surely would have gone straight back down.  As it was , the Royals did have another set-back, 4 seasons back down in the third level (1998-2002), before their next assault on the top flight.  By 2003, Reading was drawing 16,000, and their small-club days looked to be behind them.  Steve Coppell, a former Manchester United and England winger, took over from Alan Pardew, who left acrimoniously to West Ham.  A 7th place finish in 2005 was followed up by a record-breaking run: Reading clinched promotion to the top flight (on March 25, 2006) quicker than any club in the post-War era.  The next season, Reading’s first ever in the top flight, saw an essentially unchanged squad.  And not one player on the squad had a single game of Premier League experience.  Under the steady leadership of Coppell (see this article), and with very vocal and enthusiastic sell-out crowds behind them, Reading produced a string of results that saw them finish one point shy of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.  Under Madejski, and with Coppell, Reading had gone from a century-old football backwater struggling in the lower divisions, to 8th place in one of the 3 top leagues in the world.  From barely drawing 4,000 paid customers, to a sold out 24,000 seat stadium, with plans for expansion to 36,000, all in under 20 years. 

Thanks to Historical Football Kits (historicalfootballkits[dot]co[dot]uk) for the older kits (the 5 kits on the lower left of the chart), which are reproduced by kind permission.  Thanks to Colours Of Football, and Some People Are On The Pitch for the newer kits.  Thanks to (stadiums[dot]football[dot]co[dot]uk) and (readingfcpremiumtv[dot]co[dot]uk) for photos.

Sunderland & District Teachers Association Football Club was formed in 1879.  Glasgow-born James Allan was the driving force behind the club’s formation.  One year later, membership was opened to all, and they became Sunderland AFC.  The club was elected to the Football League in 1890.  They were the only club in the league from the north-east of england, and had to pay travel expenses for visiting clubs.  With a board of directors made wealthy by the region’s coal and shipbuilding industries, the club was able to assemble a strong, primarily Scottish, squad.  Sunderland quickly won 3 Titles: in 1892, 1893, and 1895 (and were runners-up in 1894).  They were famously called “the Team of All Talents.”  In 1898, they moved into their new ground, Roker Park, which had a capacity of 30,000.  1902 saw them win their fourth League Title.  In 1913, Sunderland won the league for the fifth time, and were runners-up in the FA Cup, losing to Aston Villa 1-0, in front of 120,000, at the old Crystal Palace.   They won their sixth, and final title 71 years ago, in 1936.  In 1937, they won their first FA Cup, beating Preston North End 3-1, at the old Wembley.   After World War II, Sunderland began drawing huge crowds.  Roker Park (see picture) became famous for it’s noise: “the Roker Roar.”  Their peak was 1950, when they averaged 47,700, and finished in 3rd place.  Investing heavily in players, they were derisively nicknamed “The Bank of England,” as they broke transfer records.    But the money spent was for nought, and they were relegated to the 2nd division in 1958.  Their 68-year run in the First Division (1890-1958) is the second-longest in English league history, exceeded only by Arsenal (currently at 81 seasons).  After six seasons in the second tier (1958-64), the club returned to the top flight for six seasons (1964-70), but they never finished above 15th place.  Sunderland won the FA Cup, while in the 2nd Division, in 1973.  (see this article)  Their surprise defeat of Leeds, 1-0, was marked by a great double-save by goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery, and a winning volley by Ian Porterfield.  It was the Black Cat’s last trophy. (see this You Tube tribute)  The club returned to the First division in 1977, only to be relegated again.  This began a pattern of relegation (7 times) and promotion (7 times) that has continued to this day.   Their low point was the one season spent in the Third Division (1987-88).  They had a brief spell of promise in the 2000 and 2001 seasons, twice finishing in 7th.  But since then, they have went up and down twice.  This pattern may have been halted, though.  Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane was hired as manager, in September, 2006, when Sunderland was bottom of the second tier.  Keane, who has shown a legendary level of intensity throughout his career, (see this article) has been surprisingly restrained, and extremely effective, in this his first shot as boss.  Sunderland went on to steamroll up the table, and win promotion as champs.  This season, the Black Cats will do well to avoid the drop, but Keane seems to have fashioned aside that is up to the challenge.

Thanks to all the sites I linked up to on this post, plus Historical Football Kits website (www[dot]historicalkits[dot]co[dot]uk), whose kits (the five on the bottom left of the chart) are reproduced by kind permission.  Also thanks to Colours of Football website (www[dot]colours-of-football[dot]com, for the newer kits. Thanks to Curley’s Corner Shop (www[dot]south-shields[dot]myby[dot]co[dot]uk), and www[dot]omrawan[dot]forumslog[dot]com for photos.  Also thanks to the Roker Roar, whose catchy Sunderland ’73 FA Cup song is now stuck in my head.

Hotspur FC was formed in 1882, by a group of teenagers in the North London district of Tottenham, and named after Henry IV (Henry Hotspur, of Shakespearean fame), who had lived there in the 14th century, and whose descendants owned land there.  The name was changed to Tottenham Hotspur FC in 1884.   The club turned professional in 1895.  They joined the Southern League the following year.  In 1898, they began wearing white jerseys and navy blue pants, in emulation of Preston North End, the top English club of the time.  They won the FA Cup in 1901, as the first non-League club to win the trophy, beating Sheffield United 3-2, in the replay.  They were elected to the Second Division in 1908, and immediately won promotion to the First Division, in 1909.  However, their form suffered, and by 1915, the time of the Great War (now called World War I), they were bottom of the league. 

Resumption of the league, in 1919, brought about expansion to 22 teams.  Chelsea, set to be relegated, as they finished second-from-bottom in 1915, were allowed to remain in the top flight.  But the other new spot was not given to last-place Tottenham, but rather to Arsenal, even though Arsenal had finished 5th place in the Second Division.  This, compounded by Arsenal’s encroachment into Tottenham’s territory five years earlier, led to the bad feelings toward Arsenal that have continued to this day. (See this article.)  The club bounced right back to the top flight the next season, though, and won their second FA Cup (1921).  They beat Wolverhampton 3-1, before 71,000 at Stamford Bridge.  A second-place finish the next season was followed by a steady decline, ending in relegation in 1928.  From 1928 to 1950, they  languished, spending 13 of 15 seasons in the Second Division.  But under Athur Rowe, starting in 1949, Tottenham began playing in an agressive, fluid style, called “push and run,” that was marked by give-and-go passing.  Key players included Alf Ramsay and Bill Nicholson.  They gained promotion in 1950, then won their first National Title, in 1951, their first season back in the First Division.  In the next nine seasons, they finished second place twice, and third place twice, but also finished in 16th and 18th place two times.  Tottenham won their second (and last) Title in 1961.  In fact, they became the first English club in the twentieth century to win “The Double” (League Title + FA Cup), by beating Leicester City 3-1, at Wembley.  This legendary side was managed by Bill Nicholson, and featured Jimmy Greaves, Danny Blanchflower, and Dave Mackay.  The next season, they finished second, and won their fourth FA Cup, defeating Burnley 3-1.  In 1963, they became the first British team to win silverware on the continent, claiming the European Cup Winners’ Cup over Atletico Madrid, 5-1.  Tottenham won their fifth FA Cup in 1967, beating Chelsea 2-1.  More Euro glory was gained in 1973, when Tottenham won the new UEFA Cup, over Wolverhampton. 
Since 1950, Tottenham Hotspur have spent just one season in the second level: 1977-78.  Back in the top tier, in 1978, they signed two Argentinian World Cup winners, Ossie Ardiles and Ricardo Villa.  This was an unusual act for the era, and it helped propel the club to back-to-back FA Cup wins in 1981 and 1982.  Both of these Cup finals went to replays; the ’81: 3-2 over Manchester City, the ’82: 1-0 over Queens Park Rangers.  Tottenham won their second UEFA Cup in 1987, over Anderlecht of Belgium.  That year was ultimately a disappointment, though, as they frittered away the league title, and lost to their nemesis Arsenal, in the FA Cup final.  They did win their eighth FA Cup, though, in 1991, with a side that included Gary Linekar and Paul Gascoigne.   Since then, the club has won no silverware, and their best finish has been 5th place, in 2006 and 2007.  (They blew a 4th place finish in 2006, on the last game of the season, after half their starting lineup fell ill from food poisoning.  Fourth place is so important in England, because that is the last European Champions League spot, and is basically the ticket to the promised land of Big Club status.)  This 25-year run of failure has led to mounting frustration amongst the fans, and pressure from the board for results.  Being such a high profile club from London, with one of the most successful clubs in all of England only 4 miles away, has turned the need for results into a mania.  Which can partially explain the poor way in which the board, under chairman Daniel Levy, handled the dismissal of much-loved manager Martin Jol, in late October, 2007.  This after a poor start to a season where they were odds-on favorites to finally break into the coveted top 4.  New manager Juande Ramos, fresh off two straight UEFA Cup wins at Sevilla,  takes over a club that boasts an explosive attack, but is prone to sieve-like defensive displays.   Tottenham has huge ambitions, including a new stadium, and there are plenty of funds in the transfer kitty, but Ramos still has his work cut out for him.

Find out Tottenham Hotspur FAQ here.

Thanks to colours-of-football[dot]com, for the new kits; historicalkits[dot]co[dot]uk for the old kits (the 5 kits at the bottom left-hand corner), which are copyright Historical Football Kits, and reproduced by kind permission. Thanks to org[dot]ntnu[dot]no, and sportsgallery[dot]co[dot]uk for the photos.  Thanks to tottenhamhotspur-mad[dot]co[dot]uk, and european-football-statistics[dot]co[dot]uk for stats.  Thanks to wikipedia for info.  Thanks to FourFourTwo for the great article.

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The football club of the Thames Ironworks was formed in 1895.  The club joined the Southern league in 1898.  They re-formed, as a professional club, in 1900, changing their name to West Ham United FC.  (The club gets it’s nickname, The Hammers, from it’s origins as a metal-works team, not as a derivation of “Ham;” their crest features a pair of rivet hammers)  In 1919, West Ham were elected to Division 2 of the Football League.  1923 was a watershed year for the club.  They participated in one of the most famous FA Cup Finals, losing 2-0 to Bolton Wanderers, in the first cup final played at Wembley Stadium.  Known as “The White Horse Final,” (see this article) it was attended by over 125,000 spectators.  That defeat was tempered by their promotion to the First Division the same spring.  Their first stay in the top flight only lasted 9 years, though, as they were relegated in 1932.  They languished in the second division for 19 seasons, finally winning promotion in 1958, the year Bobby Moore debuted.

In 1961, Ron Greenwood became manager, and West Ham’s golden age began.  They won the 1964 FA Cup, defeating Preston North End 3-2.  One year later, they beat Munich 1860 to win the (now defunct) European Cup Winners’ Cup.  Three West Ham players had crucial roles in England’s 1966 World Cup victory: Captain Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst (who scored a hat trick in the final, over Germany 4-2), and Martin Peters (who also scored in the final).  West Ham won the FA Cup again, in 1975, this time over Fulham, 2-0.  West Ham’s great run ended when they were relegated, in 1978.  But while in the 2nd Division, they then won their third FA Cup, defeating Arsenal 1-0, in 1980.  The Hammers were promoted the following year (1981).  Since then, they have spent 22 seasons in the top flight, and 5 in the 2nd level; with 3 separate relegations and subsequent promotions.  Their last promotion was in 2005, under manager Alan Pardew.  They did well in the 2005-06 Premier League season, finishing 9th.  But a poor start, and injuries, put the Hammers in a relegation battle the next season.  Pardew was sacked in December 2006, replaced by ex-Charlton manager Alan Curbishley.  They survived relegation by winning 7 of their last 9 games, the greatest escape from relegation the Premier League has ever seen.  The controversial acquistion (illegal, actually) of Argentine phenom Carlos Tevez proved crucial to the club’s survival, as he scored 7 goals in their last 10 games.

West Ham United is famous for the quality of it’s developmental system.  They have consistently produced fine talent, many from near their hardscrabble East London base.  The club bills themselves as “The Academy of Football.”  Their supporters have sometimes been maligned as full of a hooligan element, but those days (the 1970′s and 80′s) are thankfully in the past.  Their true rival is Millwall, who play just across the Thames River from West Ham.  But Millwall’s recent downturn in form (they’re stuck in the 3rd Division) has chilled the rivalry.  They have no love for the more posh North and West London clubs of Arsenal, Tottenham, and Chelsea.

Thanks to these sites.  Photos: stadiumguide[dot]com; footballgroundguide[dot]co[dot]uk and en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org.  Newer kits: colours-of-football[dot]com; old kits: historicalkits[dot]co[dot]uk.  Statistics: westhamutd-mad[dot]co[dot]uk.  Attendance figures: european-football-statistics[dot]co[dot]uk.

Wigan Athletic FC are also known as the Latics, which is a corruption of the word “Athletic.”  Wigan has made it to the lofty reaches of the English Premier League because of the massive investment owner Dave Whelan has put into the club.  The multi-millionaire is former owner of JJB Sports, a large retail sporting goods chain. Whelan played for Blackburn Rovers FC in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before a broken leg forced an early retirement.  He used the compensation-money to purchase his first store, which he eventually parlayed into JJB.  After making JJB Sports the biggest sports retailers in the UK, Whelan turned his attention back to football, assuming Chairmanship of Wigan in 1995.  The club had only joined the Football League in 1978, and had an extremely small fan base. The first game under his reign, Wigan drew 1,452 to their old ground, Springfield Park.  But that situation soon changed, as Whelan invested heavily, and Wigan rose meteorically up the leagues.  The Latics made it to the Premier League in 2005, and surprised everyone by finishing 10th in 2005-06, under manager Paul Jewell.  In their second Premiership season (2006-07), they avoided relegation by the thinnest of margins, beating Sheffield United away, pipping them on goal difference.  Jewell was burned out by the stress, though,  and stepped down.  His successor, Chris Hutchings lasted only 12 games, with Wigan mired in the relegation zone.  Steve Bruce was named the new manager on November 23, 2007.  Bruce, who had briefly managed Wigan in 2001, before having a six-year spell at Birmingham City, will try to pull the Latics out of their 11 game winless streak.  Poor league form aside, Wigan also face an uphill battle attracting fans.  Their sleek park (which they moved into in 2000), home also to the Rugby team the Wigan Warriors, is often embarrasingly empty for games.  They are on their way to having the worst attendance in the league again, around 18,400.  There simply may be too much top-level football in the northwest of England.  Manchester is just 25 miles down the road (where around 115,000 fans comprise the Manchester United/Manchester City attendance base); Liverpool is also 25 miles away (Liverpool/Everton making up about 85,000 average spectators);  Bolton (22,000 or so per game) is right next door; and Blackburn (24,000) is also nearby.  Plus, there are 3 second-division clubs within 50 miles of Wigan.  The Latics really have their work cut out for them.   The bloom is off their fairy-tale rise, fans have stopped showing up, they play in a region with a glut of football clubs, and perhaps most damning of all, most quality football players would really rather play somewhere more glamorous.

Thanks to these websites: FootballGroundsGuide[dot]co[dot]uk, and chilvers1[dot]demon[dot]co[uk] for photos; and Colours-Of-Football[dot]com for the kits.