Who are the top dogs in London? Which club can lay claim to being the biggest and the best of the 13 in the football league that reside in the capital?
To help finally determine this age-old question is it first necessary to weed out the non-runners, those who are fine institutions of course, each boasting a proud history and followed by wonderful fan-bases, but in this particular regard they are immaterial.
With not even a modicum of disrespect intended we can then dispense with Sutton United, Leyton Orient, AFC Wimbledon, Charlton Athletic, QPR and Millwall.
Which leaves only the seven inhabitants of the Premier League but even at this rarefied height we can quickly discount a few.
No fully self-aware supporter of Brentford, Fulham or Crystal Palace would ever assert their club ruled the roost, though the latter can legitimately attest to being the star attraction south of the city.
These are clubs defined by being underdogs. Their achievements are typically over-achievements and this process of elimination therefore leaves us with Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and West Ham.
Before we delve any deeper let’s highlight the three key metrics that will be used to find the behemoth among mere giants, these being prestige and history, fanbase and global reach, and silverware won.
Each club will be given between one and four points per category.
Prestige And History
The Hammers score highly here. After all, their iconic captain lifted aloft England’s only World Cup to date. Two of their players scored all four goals in that seismic final.
Moreover, their traditions are perhaps best known of the quartet beyond the capital, even to those who have only a passing interest in the sport.
West Ham’s Premier League odds may be hopelessly adrift of the others on a perennial basis but that matters not. What matters is that this is a club – from their bubbly anthem to their working class roots – that is most wedded to its past.
Aside from Arsenal, arguably.
The Gunners’ aristocratic pedigree had them coined the ‘Bank of England’ club way back. They had Herbert Chapman and Alex James. They have won league titles in every decade but two since 1930 and have been ever-present in the top-flight since 1919.
Even seemingly inconsequential details come into play. The 1939 film The Arsenal Stadium Mystery was not called The Stamford Bridge Mystery, was it.
Tottenham just edge out Chelsea for third spot by virtue of winning the league earlier, first doing so in 1951.
- Arsenal 4 points, West Ham 3, Tottenham 2, Chelsea 1
Fanbase And Global Reach
Gooners may outnumber their rivals within the capital but no-one comes close to Chelsea for international appeal and recognition. In part this derives from the Blues’ string of continental successes since 2012.
To strengthen this point, Chelsea have over 55 million followers on Facebook and Twitter combined. Arsenal are next in line with 46.3m.
Tottenham pale to such numbers though recent adventures in the Champions League will have greatly enhanced their status and standing overseas.
West Ham come a distant fourth in this reckoning.
- Chelsea 4 points, Arsenal 3, Tottenham 2, West Ham 1
Silverware Won
A lack of silverware costs West Ham and the same can be said for Tottenham, who are in truth probably mainly interested in being the top dogs of North London anyway.
No league titles in over sixty years leaves them far short of claiming this particular crown even if they do possess one of the finest stadiums in world sport.
Which leaves a straight shoot-out between the Gunners and the Blues.
Chelsea remain the only club in London to have won a Champions League, doing so twice, but if we dispense with Community Shields, Full Members Cup wins, and Second Division champions medals Arsenal have won 31 major honours to Chelsea’s 29.
The present-day disparity between the clubs should also be factored in.
The last couple of seasons have seen Arsenal short-priced in the sports betting to lift a league crown. Chelsea have lurched too many times into crisis.
- Arsenal 4 points, Chelsea 3, Tottenham 2, West Ham 1
Whether Mikel Arteta’s side win a title anytime soon or not, they take the honour for being the top dogs of London.
Final Scores
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Arsenal 11
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Chelsea 8
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Tottenham 6
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West Ham 5
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
