North London derby

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The North London derby is the name of the football local derby between the two major teams in North London – Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. It specifically refers to individual matches between the teams, but can also be used to describe the general ongoing rivalry between the clubs.

Contents

[edit] History

The first meeting between the two sides was a friendly on November 11, 1887, when Arsenal were located in Plumstead (then part of Kent but now in Greater London), and known as Royal Arsenal. The match was abandoned 15 minutes before it was due to end "owing to darkness" with Spurs leading 2-1.[1] The first League match between the clubs was in the First Division, on December 4, 1909; Arsenal won 1-0.[2]

However, a proper rivalry between the two teams did not begin until 1913, when Arsenal moved from the Manor Ground, Plumstead to Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, just four miles from Tottenham's White Hart Lane; by doing so, they became Tottenham's nearest neighbours and thus began a natural local rivalry. The two teams first faced each other as "north London" clubs (although Tottenham was actually in Middlesex until incorporated into Greater London in 1965) in a War Relief Fund friendly on August 22, 1914 at White Hart Lane; although Arsenal were in the Second Division and Tottenham in the First, Arsenal won 5-1.[3] They would go on to meet regularly during World War I in the London Combination, the regional wartime competition of the time.

The rivalry escalated in 1919 when the First Division was to be expanded by two teams. 19th-placed Chelsea, who would otherwise have been relegated, were allowed to stay and thus took one of the places. The final place could have been awarded to 20th-placed Tottenham, or Barnsley, who had finished 3rd in the Second Division, but both missed out. Instead it was decided that Arsenal would be promoted, despite their only finishing 5th[4] in Division Two. It has been frequently alleged that Arsenal chairman Sir Henry Norris used underhand dealings in order to bring this about, although nothing has been proven.[5]

Tottenham were soon promoted back into the top flight after taking the 1919-20 Second Division title, and the fierce rivalry has continued ever since. The first fully competitive derby match after Arsenal's 1913 move to North London was a First Division match that finished 2-1 to Tottenham, on January 15, 1921 at White Hart Lane.

As with most major football rivalries, there is much banter and gloating between the two sets of fans, many of whom work and even live together, and players who transfer between the two teams receive a bad reception from their former fans, the most recent example being defender Sol Campbell, who was nicknamed "Judas" by Spurs fans after he crossed the divide.

[edit] Notable derby matches

  • Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal (May 3, 1971) – The final match of the 1970-71 league campaign, and Arsenal needed a win or a goalless draw to take the First Division title (a score draw would have meant Leeds United won on goal average). The game was tight with few real chances on goal, until the very end. With three minutes to go, John Radford's shot forced Pat Jennings into a good save; George Armstrong got to the rebound and chipped the ball across goal and Ray Kennedy headed home the winner. Spurs desperately tried to get a goal back but to no avail; Arsenal held on to win the title (the first half of the Double that season).
  • Tottenham 1-2 Arsenal (March 4, 1987) – Arsenal and Spurs had drawn 2-2 on aggregate in the League Cup semi-finals; with no away goals rule in force, the match was replayed at White Hart Lane. Spurs went 1-0 up through Clive Allen but Arsenal substitute Ian Allinson equalised and David Rocastle scrambled home the winner to take Arsenal through to the final, where they won their first trophy since 1979.
  • Tottenham 3-1 Arsenal (April 14, 1991 at Wembley) – The first FA Cup semi-final between the two sides. Arsenal were chasing a second Double, but Tottenham's Paul Gascoigne scored after just five minutes with a free kick from 30 yards out. Gary Lineker made it two, and although Alan Smith pulled one back for the Gunners before half-time, Lineker scored again in the second half to make the game safe. Arsenal's Double dream was dashed, though they still won the League that season; Spurs went on to lift the Cup a month later.
  • Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham (April 4, 1993) at Wembley) – Arsenal gained revenge over their North London rivals for the 3-1 semi final defeat two years earlier, when Tony Adams scored with a header for the Gunners; Arsenal prevailed despite Lee Dixon's sending-off; Arsenal went on to win the cup in May and added it to the League Cup to complete a cup double.
  • Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal (April 25, 2004) – Arsenal were unbeaten in the Premiership and only needed a point to secure the title. The Gunners were 2-0 up after 35 minutes thanks to Patrick Vieira and Robert Pirès' goals. A famous win looked to be on the cards, but Spurs restored some pride by denying Arsenal victory; in the second half Jamie Redknapp scored from long-range, before Robbie Keane converted a 90th-minute penalty. Nevertheless, Arsenal still won the title at their rivals' home ground, repeating their triumph of 1971.
  • Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham (April 22, 2006) - The final derby match at Highbury, with Arsenal and Spurs in the race for fourth place and Champions League qualification. Spurs took the lead on 66 minutes; two Arsenal players collided on the halfway line and stayed down. Arsenal expected the ball to be played out, but Spurs continued and Robbie Keane scored. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger complained heatedly, clashing with his counterpart Martin Jol on the touchline. Substitute Thierry Henry equalised in the 83rd minute, and the match ended 1-1. Champions League qualification was not decided until the final day of the season; illness-stricken Spurs lost 2-1 at West Ham United, while Arsenal beat Wigan Athletic 4-2 to take fourth.

[edit] Statistics and records

As of January 31, 2006, there have been 154 competitive first-class meetings between the two teams since the first league meeting in 1909, of which Arsenal have won 65 and Tottenham 49.[6] The most goals in one game were scored in the closely contested 5-4 Arsenal Premiership victory at White Hart Lane on November 13, 2004. The biggest winning margin was 6-0 to Arsenal on March 6, 1935, although Tottenham have twice won 5-0 (December 25, 1911 and April 4, 1983).[2] The last Tottenham victory over Arsenal was on November 7, 1999, when Spurs won 2-1 at White Hart Lane; the Gunners have remained unbeaten against their North London rivals in the seventeen matches (fourteen Premiership, one FA Cup, two League Cup) since, as of January 31, 2007.

Tottenham's record for goals scored against Arsenal is shared by Billy Minter and Bobby Smith, with nine goals each.[7] Arsenal's record is held by Alan Sunderland, with eight.[8] Arsenal's long-time defender David O'Leary holds the record for most North London derbies played (35), while Gary Mabbutt and Steve Perryman shared the corresponding record for Spurs, with 31.[8]

[edit] Summary of results

Arsenal wins Draws Spurs wins Arsenal goals Spurs goals
League 57 37 45 208 186
FA Cup 3 0 2 7 5
League Cup 5 2 2 13 9
Charity Shield 0 1 0 0 0
Total 65 40 49 228 200

[edit] Crossing the divide

Perhaps due to the rivalry between the clubs, relatively few players have played for both Arsenal and Spurs since 1913. The players who have done so are listed below.[7][9]

[edit] Arsenal, then Tottenham

Name Pos Arsenal Tottenham
Career Apps Goals Career Apps Goals
Jimmy Brain FW 1924–32 232 139 1931–35 34 10
Laurie Brown DF 1961–64 109 2 1964–66 65 3
David Jenkins MF 1966–68 25 9 1968–70 17 2
Rohan Ricketts MF 2001–02 1 0 2002–05 36 2

In addition, former Arsenal winger Joe Hulme managed Tottenham Hotspur between 1945 and 1949, while ex-Gunner Terry Neill was Spurs manager between 1974 and 1976, before crossing back to manage Arsenal between 1976 and 1983. Most famously, George Graham was first an Arsenal player, then managed the Gunners between 1986 and 1994, before being fired and later taking up the reins at White Hart Lane between 1998 and 2001.

[edit] Tottenham, then Arsenal

Name Pos Tottenham Arsenal
Career Apps Goals Career Apps Goals
George Hunt FW 1930–37 198 137 1937–38 21 3
Freddie Cox RW 1938–49 105 18 1949–53 94 16
Vic Groves MF 1952–53 4 3 1955–64 201 37
Jimmy Robertson RW 1964–68 181 31 1968–70 59 8
Steve Walford DF 1975–77 1 1 1977–81 98 4
Willie Young DF 1975–77 64 4 1977–81 237 19
Pat Jennings GK 1964–77 590 1 1977–85 327 0
Kevin Stead DF 1976–78 14 0 1978–79 2 0
Sol Campbell DF 1992–2001 315 15 2001–06 197 11

Additionally, Herbert Chapman played as an amateur at Spurs between 1905 and 1907, long before he was the Gunners' first title-winning manager between 1925 and 1934.[10]

[edit] Footnotes and references

  1. ^ Tottenham Hotspur in Friendly Matches - Season 1887-1888. Topspurs. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
  2. ^ a b Records against Tottenham. Arsenal.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
  3. ^ Season 1914-1915. Jim Duggan's Topspurs. Retrieved on 2007-01-05.
  4. ^ How Arsenal got promoted in 1919. Retrieved on July 18, 2006.
  5. ^ These allegations range from political machinations to outright bribery; a detailed account of what facts are known can be found in Spurling, Jon (2004). "Chapter Two: Sleaze and the Tory MP", Rebels for the Cause: The Alternative History of Arsenal Football Club. Mainstream. ISBN 0-575-40015-3. 
  6. ^ All time results between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Soccerbase.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-31.
  7. ^ a b Spurs v Arsenal Facts. MEHSTG.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
  8. ^ a b The North London Derby. Arseweb. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
  9. ^ Arsenal vs. Tottenham. Arseweb. Retrieved on March 12, 2006.
  10. ^ Herbert Chapman (1912-19). The Definitive History of Leeds United. Retrieved on 18 July 2006.
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