“Lasagna-gate” to Relegation: The bitter Tottenham-West Ham rivalry
“Lasagna-gate” to Relegation: The bitter Tottenham-West Ham rivalry Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United have one of the most unusual rivalries that goes far beyond the regular disdain between clubs from the same region. This has gone on for the better part of the last 131 years and shows no signs of letting up, even as both clubs now fight to preserve their top-flight status. Tottenham and West Ham have been sucked into a relegation battle that’ll likely end with one of these two iconic London clubs dropping into the Championship.
The North Londoners have brought in Roberto De Zerbi to lead their survival, although whether he can pull that off depends on how he approaches Tottenham’s fixtures in May . West Ham also have a tricky run of games coming up, and Nottingham Forest’s 5-0 victory over Sunderland makes it more likely that one of the two London clubs will be relegated. In light of both clubs trying to keep their head above water, we have decided to take a look at the history of the rivalry between the London duo.
A rivalry born in the streets of London The rivalry between Tottenham and West Ham may not be the Premier League’s loudest feud, but it has lasted for more than a century and continues to find new life in unexpected moments. The bad blood between the two clubs dates back to 1898 when West Ham, then known as Thames Ironworks, travelled across London to face Tottenham in a local league fixture. At the time, neither club could have imagined how often their paths would cross, but they kept bumping into each other in the Southern League, the Western League, and the London League.
They then found themselves in the Football League and locked horns there for the first time in 1920. Since then, Tottenham and West Ham have squared off a remarkable 227 times over the past 128 years, and there’s a high chance that their paths will diverge at the end of this season. How Lasagna sparked an intense rivalry between both clubs There wasn’t much of a rivalry between Tottenham and West Ham in the early days.
But all of that changed in May 2006 when things became more intense. Former Tottenham midfielder Jermain Jenas explained how the North Londoners arrived at West Ham’s then home ground, Upton Park, with everything to play for on the final day of the season. Led by Martin Jol, Tottenham needed all three points to finish fourth above Arsenal and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.