Tomorrow, we jolly QPR boys and girls will be marching down the Fulham Palace Road towards Craven Cottage for the first time in a while. The last competitive fixture between the two sides was more than ten years ago, played out by teams heading in different directions. The Cottagers were surging towards promotion to the top flight, while the Superhoops were looking decidedly non-super on their way down to English football's third tier. The season's top scorer was a perilously skinny young man by the name of Peter Crouch, weighing in with just ten goals and gamely ignoring cries of 'freeeeeeeeeeeeeak' from opposition supporters. Who could have guessed then that the beanpole forward would go on to change hands for millions of pounds over and over and over again? Who could have known that he'd still be deemed worthy of a ten million quid fee at the age of thirty?
Those days seem like a lifetime ago - and for young QPR fans that's almost literally the case. Doubtless, a good number of the Rangers faithful packing out the Putney End tomorrow will be enjoying their first ever season of Premier League football.
A long, long gap, then, between league fixtures between the Rangers and their near neighbours in SW6 - and an even longer one since the last league tie with that other supposed 'west' London side, the Pensioners of Stamford Bridge. The rivalries between these three teams are fragmented in nature, lacking the momentum built up by guaranteed annual fixtures. The most common meetings between members of this triumvirate are the clashes between Chelsea and Fulham, which have occurred just 72 times. Compare this with the north London derby, which has taken place over 160 times, and the Merseyside derby, which has been played more than 200 times.
As well as being dampened somewhat by the spasmodic nature of meetings between the sides, rivalries between these teams are decidedly asymmetrical at present. However much it may pain fans of both QPR and Fulham to admit it, Chelsea supporters do not, in the main, seem to consider these teams to be among their principal rivals. Blues fans appear to get a lot more worked up about other clubs altogether. In December 2004, Planetfootball.com conducted a survey among supporters of the 92 clubs of the Premier League and Football League, asking them to name their most detested rivals. Chelsea fans chose Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United while both Fulham and QPR supporters ranked Chelsea as their most hated opponents.
Years of relative prosperity and success at Stamford Bridge had, then, relegated their near neighbours to a rather unimportant status in the eyes of Blues fans. Put simply, QPR and Fulham supporters may 'hate' Chelsea more than they 'hate' each other, but Chelsea fans don't properly reciprocate.
Such, then, is the nature of 'west' London football derbies.
But why, you ask, has the word 'west' been wrapped in inverted commas each time it's been used in this context?
Well, this is because, as many QPR fans would contend, there is only one true WEST London team - the men from Shepherds Bush, W12. The other clubs in the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, this line of argument would go, are huddled close to the river in SOUTHWEST London. This is a fairly tedious matter of semantics, but it amuses some of us.
this is my england will be present at tomorrow's match. But it remains to be seen if a decent report on the day's proceedings can be constructed. More warm, sunny weather is predicted and members of the Defector's Weld elite clique are suggesting a long afternoon of booze and good fellowship - conditions not really conducive to perfect recall of every kick of the ball.
For the ninety minutes of the actual match, the this is my england vantage point will be from the so-called 'neutral' section of Fulham's ground. Eh? What is a neutral section? Well you might ask, given that Fulham is the only club in the country to have such a thing.
A chunk of the Putney End, it seems, is made available to supporters of both the home and away teams and to anybody else who might fancy a match down by the Thames. Given the strong interest in tomorrow's fixture among QPR fans, it seems curious that so few tickets were allocated to the visiting side and that so many Rangers supporters will be seated in this 'neutral' section. On various Fulham Internet messageboards there seems to be a bit of dark muttering about the possible threat of naughtiness from the visitors. So one wonders how many Cottagers will feel inclined to sit among the QPR mob. It really is all very novel. According to Fulham's website, "supporters in the neutral section may wear replica shirts or other items of clothing relating to either team". Gee, thanks. It'll certainly be a different experience to skulking in silence and minus colours among the home fans at grounds including Highbury, White Hart Lane and Brammall Lane. Ah... memories...
Perhaps one shouldn't be too surprised at Fulham's ground having such an eccentric feature. It is, after all, home to one of the most tacky examples of statuary to be found in our capital city. It was with regret that this is my england learned that access to this gaudy piece of tat is not possible from the Putney End. The King of Pop/alleged kiddie fiddler (take your pick) would look good with a blue-and-white hooped scarf.
Predictions? Well, this is my england has a long-held superstition about not predicting the outcome of QPR matches. Instead, let's focus on some of the details:
As well as being dampened somewhat by the spasmodic nature of meetings between the sides, rivalries between these teams are decidedly asymmetrical at present. However much it may pain fans of both QPR and Fulham to admit it, Chelsea supporters do not, in the main, seem to consider these teams to be among their principal rivals. Blues fans appear to get a lot more worked up about other clubs altogether. In December 2004, Planetfootball.com conducted a survey among supporters of the 92 clubs of the Premier League and Football League, asking them to name their most detested rivals. Chelsea fans chose Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United while both Fulham and QPR supporters ranked Chelsea as their most hated opponents.
Years of relative prosperity and success at Stamford Bridge had, then, relegated their near neighbours to a rather unimportant status in the eyes of Blues fans. Put simply, QPR and Fulham supporters may 'hate' Chelsea more than they 'hate' each other, but Chelsea fans don't properly reciprocate.
Such, then, is the nature of 'west' London football derbies.
But why, you ask, has the word 'west' been wrapped in inverted commas each time it's been used in this context?
Well, this is because, as many QPR fans would contend, there is only one true WEST London team - the men from Shepherds Bush, W12. The other clubs in the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, this line of argument would go, are huddled close to the river in SOUTHWEST London. This is a fairly tedious matter of semantics, but it amuses some of us.
this is my england will be present at tomorrow's match. But it remains to be seen if a decent report on the day's proceedings can be constructed. More warm, sunny weather is predicted and members of the Defector's Weld elite clique are suggesting a long afternoon of booze and good fellowship - conditions not really conducive to perfect recall of every kick of the ball.
For the ninety minutes of the actual match, the this is my england vantage point will be from the so-called 'neutral' section of Fulham's ground. Eh? What is a neutral section? Well you might ask, given that Fulham is the only club in the country to have such a thing.
A chunk of the Putney End, it seems, is made available to supporters of both the home and away teams and to anybody else who might fancy a match down by the Thames. Given the strong interest in tomorrow's fixture among QPR fans, it seems curious that so few tickets were allocated to the visiting side and that so many Rangers supporters will be seated in this 'neutral' section. On various Fulham Internet messageboards there seems to be a bit of dark muttering about the possible threat of naughtiness from the visitors. So one wonders how many Cottagers will feel inclined to sit among the QPR mob. It really is all very novel. According to Fulham's website, "supporters in the neutral section may wear replica shirts or other items of clothing relating to either team". Gee, thanks. It'll certainly be a different experience to skulking in silence and minus colours among the home fans at grounds including Highbury, White Hart Lane and Brammall Lane. Ah... memories...
Perhaps one shouldn't be too surprised at Fulham's ground having such an eccentric feature. It is, after all, home to one of the most tacky examples of statuary to be found in our capital city. It was with regret that this is my england learned that access to this gaudy piece of tat is not possible from the Putney End. The King of Pop/alleged kiddie fiddler (take your pick) would look good with a blue-and-white hooped scarf.
Predictions? Well, this is my england has a long-held superstition about not predicting the outcome of QPR matches. Instead, let's focus on some of the details:
- Joey Barton vs. Danny Murphy will be an interesting tussle in the centre of the park
- Shaun Wright-Phillips vs. Jon-Arne Riise will be another match-up to watch
- QPR's fans will massively out-sing the genteel Fulham followers
- Fan of each side will vigorously make the suggestion that the opponents' supporters care more about the match than they do
- That said, it will fucking go off big style in the away/neutral end if the Rangers manage to hit the back of the net
- Sunny weather and generous quantities of alcohol will make it an afternoon to treasure
Moreover, let's hope for a good spectacle on the pitch with plenty of witty repartee but no actual fisticuffs around and outside the ground.
U RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRssssss
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| A pricey day out among 'neutrals' |
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