Last month Chris Whiting conducted a comprehensive and fascinating study into the nature of football rivalry. By asking 1200 supporters across the country who they consider to be their club’s arch nemesis he unveiled answers that are revealing, sometimes predictable, and other times just bizarre.
The study also illustrates that, contrary to popular belief, who you hate the most is not set in stone.
Stand out facts
17 clubs’ main rivals have changed since 2003.
Leeds United, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest have the most teams considering them as main rivals (three each).
Gillingham have the fewest rivals, appearing in no club’s top three rivalries.
52.2% of fans believe that geographical proximity is the cause of their main rivalry.
34.7% blame it on history whereas 8.2% think it’s down to league position.
73.9% of football fans claim they would miss their rivals if they ceased to exist.
Changing rivalries
Since 2003, 17 club’s main rivals have changed.
| Team | Old Rival | New Rival |
| AFC Bournemouth | Reading | Southampton |
| Arsenal | Manchester United | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Bolton Wanderers | Manchester United | Wigan Athletic |
| Brentford | Queens Park Rangers | Fulham |
| Carlisle United | Middlesbrough | Preston North End |
| Chelsea | Arsenal | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Colchester United | Wycombe Wanderers | Southend United |
| Coventry City | Aston Villa | Leicester City |
| Crewe Alexandra | Stoke City | Port Vale |
| Doncaster Rovers | Rotherham United | Leeds United |
| Fulham | Chelsea | Queens Park Rangers |
| Huddersfield Town | Bradford City | Leeds United |
| Oldham Athletic | Manchester City | Rochdale |
| Reading | Swindon Town | Aldershot Town |
| Torquay United | Exeter City | Plymouth Argyle |
| Tranmere Rovers | Bolton Wanderers | Oldham Athletic |
| West Bromwich Albion | Wolves | Aston Villa |
Rivalries – who are they?
Here is a complete list of the 92 Premier League and Football League clubs’ top three rivalries –
| Team | Main rivals | Second rivals | Third rivals |
| Accrington Stanley | Morecambe | Blackburn Rovers | Burnley |
| AFC Bournemouth | Southampton | Reading | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| AFC Wimbledon | Milton Keynes Dons | Crystal Palace | Crawley Town |
| Aldershot Town | Reading | Swindon Town | Oxford United / Wycombe Wanderers |
| Arsenal | Tottenham Hotspur | Chelsea | Manchester United |
| Aston Villa | Birmingham City | West Bromwich Albion | Wolves |
| Barnet | Stevenage | Dagenham & Redbridge | Northampton Town / Carlisle United |
| Barnsley | Sheffield Wednesday | Sheffield United | Leeds United / Huddersfield Town |
| Birmingham City | Aston Villa | Wolves | West Bromwich Albion |
| Blackburn Rovers | Burnley | Bolton Wanderers | Manchester United |
| Blackpool | Preston North End | Bolton Wanderers | Burnley |
| Bolton Wanderers | Wigan Athletic | Burnley | Blackburn Rovers |
| Bradford City | Huddersfield Town | Leeds United | Rotherham United |
| Brentford | Fulham | Queens Park Rangers | Chelsea |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Crystal Palace | Portsmouth | Southampton |
| Bristol City | Bristol Rovers | Cardiff City | Swindon Town |
| Bristol Rovers | Bristol City | Swindon Town | Cardiff City |
| Burnley | Blackburn Rovers | Bolton Wanderers | Blackpool / Preston North End |
| Burton Albion | Chesterfield | Derby County | Notts County |
| Bury | Bolton Wanderers | Rochdale | Oldham Athletic |
| Cardiff City | Swansea City | Bristol City | Leeds United |
| Carlisle United | Preston North End | Hartlepool United | Middlesbrough |
| Charlton Athletic | Crystal Palace | Millwall | West Ham United |
| Chelsea | Tottenham Hotspur | Arsenal | Manchester United |
| Cheltenham Town | Swindon Town | Oxford United | Shrewsbury Town |
| Chesterfield | Rotherham United | Sheffield Wednesday | Sheffield United |
| Colchester United | Southend United | Wycombe Wanderers | Ipswich Town |
| Coventry City | Leicester City | Aston Villa | Birmingham City |
| Crawley Town | AFC Wimbledon | Brighton & Hove Albion | Swindon Town |
| Crewe Alexandra | Port Vale | Stoke City | |
| Crystal Palace | Brighton & Hove Albion | Millwall | Charlton Athletic |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | Barnet | Leyton Orient | Brentford |
| Derby County | Nottingham Forest | Leeds United | Leicester City |
| Doncaster Rovers | Leeds United | Barnsley | Sheffield United / Sheffield Wednesday |
| Everton | Liverpool | Manchester United | Manchester City |
| Exeter City | Plymouth Argyle | Torquay United | Bristol Rovers / Yeovil Town |
| Fleetwood Town | Morecambe | Blackpool | Accrington Stanley |
| Fulham | Queens Park Rangers | Chelsea | Brentford |
| Gillingham | Millwall | Charlton Athletic | Swindon Town |
| Hartlepool United | Carlisle United | Sheffield Wednesday | Sunderland |
| Huddersfield Town | Leeds United | Bradford City | Sheffield Wednesday |
| Hull City | Leeds United | Leicester City | Scunthorpe United |
| Ipswich Town | Norwich City | West Ham United | Colchester United |
| Leeds United | Manchester United | Millwall | Sheffield United |
| Leicester City | Nottingham Forest | Derby County | Coventry City |
| Leyton Orient | Southend United | Brentford | Dagenham & Redbridge / West Ham United |
| Liverpool | Manchester United | Everton | Chelsea |
| Manchester City | Manchester United | Liverpool | Everton |
| Manchester United | Liverpool | Manchester City | Chelsea |
| Middlesbrough | Newcastle United | Sunderland | Leeds United |
| Millwall | West Ham United | Crystal Palace | Charlton Athletic |
| Milton Keynes Dons | Peterborough United | AFC Wimbledon | Northampton Town |
| Morecambe | Accrington Stanley | Burnley | Bradford City |
| Newcastle United | Sunderland | Middlesbrough | Manchester United |
| Northampton Town | Peterborough United | Milton Keynes Dons | Leicester City / Oxford United |
| Norwich City | Ipswich Town | Wolves | Leeds United |
| Nottingham Forest | Derby County | Leicester City | Sheffield United |
| Notts County | Nottingham Forest | Tranmere Rovers | Chesterfield |
| Oldham Athletic | Rochdale | Wigan Athletic | Huddersfield Town |
| Oxford United | Swindon Town | Reading | Wycombe Wanderers |
| Peterborough United | Northampton Town | Milton Keynes Dons | Leicester City |
| Plymouth Argyle | Exeter City | Torquay United | Portsmouth |
| Port Vale | Stoke City | Crewe Alexandra | Shrewsbury Town |
| Portsmouth | Southampton | Brighton & Hove Albion | Millwall |
| Preston North End | Blackpool | Blackburn Rovers | Burnley |
| Queens Park Rangers | Chelsea | Fulham | Cardiff City / Stoke City |
| Reading | Aldershot Town | Swindon Town | Oxford United |
| Rochdale | Bury | Burnley | Oldham Athletic |
| Rotherham United | Doncaster Rovers | Sheffield Wednesday | Chesterfield |
| Scunthorpe United | Hull City | Doncaster Rovers | York City |
| Sheffield United | Sheffield Wednesday | Leeds United | Barnsley / West Ham United |
| Sheffield Wednesday | Sheffield United | Barnsley | Leeds United |
| Shrewsbury Town | Walsall | Wolves | Port Vale |
| Southampton | Portsmouth | Brighton & Hove Albion | Bournemouth |
| Southend United | Colchester United | Leyton Orient | Dagenham & Redbridge |
| Stevenage | Milton Keynes Dons | Barnet | Dagenham & Redbridge |
| Stoke City | Port Vale | West Bromwich Albion | Leicester City |
| Sunderland | Newcastle United | Middlesbrough | Leeds United |
| Swansea City | Cardiff City | Reading | Bristol City |
| Swindon Town | Oxford United | Reading | Bristol City / Bristol Rovers |
| Torquay United | Plymouth Argyle | Exeter City | Bristol Rovers |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Arsenal | Chelsea | West Ham United |
| Tranmere Rovers | Oldham Athletic | Bolton Wanderers | Everton / Liverpool |
| Walsall | Wolves | Aston Villa | West Bromwich Albion |
| Watford | Leeds United | Crystal Palace | Queens Park Rangers |
| West Bromwich Albion | Aston Villa | Wolves | Birmingham City |
| West Ham United | Millwall | Tottenham Hotspur | Arsenal / Chelsea |
| Wigan Athletic | Bolton Wanderers | Blackburn Rovers | Preston North End |
| Wolves | West Bromwich Albion | Birmingham City | Aston Villa |
| Wycombe Wanderers | Colchester United | Milton Keynes Dons | Oxford United |
| Yeovil Town | Bristol Rovers | Exeter City | |
| York City | Rotherham United | Leeds United | Bradford City |
Neutral opinion
The 20 most offensive clubs to the neutral football fan
1/ Manchester United
2/ Liverpool
3/ Leeds United
4/ Chelsea
5/ West Ham United
6/ Stoke City
7/ Millwall
8/ Milton Keynes Dons
9/ Cardiff City
10/ QPR
11/ Manchester City
12/ Arsenal
13/ Tottenham Hotspur
14/ Crawley Town
15/ Birmingham City
16/ Aston Villa
17/ Hull City
18/ Nottingham Forest
19/ Reading
20/ Portsmouth
The 20 least offensive clubs to the neutral football fan
1/ Brentford
2/ Aldershot Town
3/ Burton Albion
4/ Bury
5/ Yeovil Town
6/ Cheltenham Town
7/ Dagenham and Redbridge
8/ Exeter City
9/ Torquay United
10/ Fulham
11/ Bournemouth
12/ Colchester United
13/ Leyton Orient
14/ Rochdale
15/ York City
16/ Carlisle United
17/ Crewe Alex
18/ Hartlepool United
19/ Tranmere Rovers
20/ Accrington Stanley
Check out Chris’s fantastic blog herehttp://thechriswhitingshow.wordpress.com/ or follow him on Twitter@ChrisRWhiting
(Chris supports Leicester so Forest fans beware)
5 Comments
- Matton September 15, 2012 at 10:30 am
Im a Swansea City fan.. I dont consider Reading to be our 2nd rivals and I don’t know anyone who would?
- Charlie Big Spudson September 19, 2012 at 11:16 am
Charlie big ‘uns here, West Ham United…
Only bloody 5th in the most offensive clubs category? I’m offended by that and won’t be happy until we’re top of the pile.
Yer all two bob, the lot of ya…Irons!
- Saint Jameson September 19, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Toon fan here, whilst our rivalry with the mackem soapdodgers is a given (and has been since the English civil war) there is no rivalry with Middlesbrough as it simply doesn’t exist,we just don’t recognise them as competitors and never will.Personas non gratas.
As for our newest rivals it’s got to be our tormentors at Villa Park, we’ll never forget that afternoon in the second city and hope to return the favour one day! - Joseon September 22, 2012 at 3:09 am
Interesting, I’m not an english, so as a neutral, I always think than Leeds was the Man United’s third rivals, Leeds vs Man United it’s a proper derby so intense as City vs United or Liverpool vs United, some small clubs has good derbies too, Sheffield Utd vs Sheffield Wednesday seems to be great like Nautico vs Sport Recife, known as derby of the derbies, a classic rivalry from brazilian football, others brazilian derbies are Flamengo vs Fluminense, Grêmio vs Internacional and Corinthians vs Palmeiras.
