Football in South London has always punched below its weight. Or perhaps not. The richer parts of the city are all north of the river and that is where the most successful clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham – have been. Clubs south of the river have enjoyed brief flurries of success, perhaps epitomised by the rapid rise and subsequent collapse of Wimbledon as a London club (the rise of AFC Wimbledon notwithstanding).
Football in South London has always punched below its weight. Or perhaps not. The richer parts of the city are all north of the river and that is where the most successful clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham – have been. Clubs south of the river have enjoyed brief flurries of success, perhaps epitomised by the rapid rise and subsequent collapse of Wimbledon as a London club (the rise of AFC Wimbledon notwithstanding). When Charlton ground shared with Crystal Palace, the idea of a merged South London club was raised, but was deeply unpopular with Charlton fans who fought their way back to The Valley. Now both Crystal Palace and Charlton, struggling on and off the pitch, are up for sale. Palace owner Simon Jordan has reiterated his desire to find a buyer for Crystal Palace, the club he brought out of administration. With some regret, he commented that he had hoped or great success during his nine years as chairman. ‘Maybe I’ve come up short in what I’ve achieved and football is not a place for me any more,’ he said. It’s just possible than an external entrepreneur might see a chance to buy both clubs and merge them. But such is the feeling between the fans of the two clubs, likely to be reflected in their derby tomorrow night, that what might appear to be a rational economic solution would never work in practice.