tonypeers5
Member
- Location
- Harlow
- Country
England
As there's been more discussions about this following the Millwall draw, so I thought I'd start a discussion around rivalries. I find it an interesting topic to talk about because due to our continued, sustained PL status for over a decade and it means we've gained an enlarged new following which has spread globally. I remember the early 2000s when we were in the Championship and it was hard to believe that 'South London is ours'.
Many have their own opinions on who we have rivalries with & who we don't. There's the 2 obvious ones in Brighton & Millwall, which will always been there. Then there's a few minor ones which have been based on a small series of heated matches over a few seasons, but the key to new rivalries IMO is regular matches with some heated exchanges or controversial events.
When I was younger, I thought the Brighton rivalry was odd as we weren't near them geographically & we never played them (as they were in a lower division). However, the Brighton rivalry has reignited in the modern era (last 15-20 years) because of both teams being in the PL (and the battle to get into the league), whereas the Millwall one has fizzled out somewhat. It's mainly geography that fuels any animosity with Millwall. Millwall will always see West Ham as their 'main rivals' in the same way as we see Brighton as ours. The fact that we don't really play Millwall regularly anymore has probably led to Palace fans not really caring about them as much. Certainly newer fans won't have that same dislike for them as older fans.
I'd say there are definitely other teams that have been short term rivals of which we have heated matches against that I would have disliked more than Millwall at the time. Watford is a prime example due to their hatred of Wilf, but since Wilf has left and Watford got relegated, I'm sure neither team cares anymore. Charlton are another team I've always disliked, as their fans have tried to claim that they are the main team in South London (which is laughable), but again, as we don't play them anymore, any heat has probably fizzled out.
Oddly enough, Palace is not a team most fans I speak to dislike. When I moved to Essex a few years ago, I've found most fans are Spurs/Arsenal/West Ham and nearly all say they actually have a soft spot for Palace. We don't really threaten the top teams for trophies or European places. Many comment on us having a great atmosphere in an 'old school' ground and we always seem to have a few exciting players. We don't really have many geographical derbies with local teams as all the PL teams in London have other teams they have history and beef with.
I've found there's a few teams in PL like us in this position like Bournemouth & Brentford.
What are other member's thoughts on this? Would be great to hear from fans from outside the UK's opinions on their experiences from other team's fans.
Many have their own opinions on who we have rivalries with & who we don't. There's the 2 obvious ones in Brighton & Millwall, which will always been there. Then there's a few minor ones which have been based on a small series of heated matches over a few seasons, but the key to new rivalries IMO is regular matches with some heated exchanges or controversial events.
When I was younger, I thought the Brighton rivalry was odd as we weren't near them geographically & we never played them (as they were in a lower division). However, the Brighton rivalry has reignited in the modern era (last 15-20 years) because of both teams being in the PL (and the battle to get into the league), whereas the Millwall one has fizzled out somewhat. It's mainly geography that fuels any animosity with Millwall. Millwall will always see West Ham as their 'main rivals' in the same way as we see Brighton as ours. The fact that we don't really play Millwall regularly anymore has probably led to Palace fans not really caring about them as much. Certainly newer fans won't have that same dislike for them as older fans.
I'd say there are definitely other teams that have been short term rivals of which we have heated matches against that I would have disliked more than Millwall at the time. Watford is a prime example due to their hatred of Wilf, but since Wilf has left and Watford got relegated, I'm sure neither team cares anymore. Charlton are another team I've always disliked, as their fans have tried to claim that they are the main team in South London (which is laughable), but again, as we don't play them anymore, any heat has probably fizzled out.
Oddly enough, Palace is not a team most fans I speak to dislike. When I moved to Essex a few years ago, I've found most fans are Spurs/Arsenal/West Ham and nearly all say they actually have a soft spot for Palace. We don't really threaten the top teams for trophies or European places. Many comment on us having a great atmosphere in an 'old school' ground and we always seem to have a few exciting players. We don't really have many geographical derbies with local teams as all the PL teams in London have other teams they have history and beef with.
I've found there's a few teams in PL like us in this position like Bournemouth & Brentford.
What are other member's thoughts on this? Would be great to hear from fans from outside the UK's opinions on their experiences from other team's fans.
