When rivalries cease

[Diable Rouge]

Shrewsbury are the most notable example, finding themselves bereft of local opposition following Hereford's demise, and similarly Hartlepool must miss playing Darlington. Do such clubs have to invent a grudge against the nearest team in their division, or trust that, in time, the phoenix clubs will re-enter the League radar?

[Sean of the Shed]

When rivalries cease

I'm not sure that Shrewsbury and Hereford ever had that much of a rivalry. Shrewsbury had more of a thing with Wrexham rather than Hereford, but I think Wrexham are way too fixed on Chester to reciprocate in kind.

[Sean of the Shed]

When rivalries cease

In fact that gives me an idea of my own.

[Ray de Galles]

When rivalries cease

I think Sean has had the same thought as me, clubs who simply don't have a proper symmetrical rivalry and nobody thinks of them as their main rival.

I always think of Leicester as one of the highest profile examples of this, everyone around them geographically has someone else they care about more don't they?

[Janik]

When rivalries cease

Leicester and Coventry seem to have built a mutual enmity. Mostly based on the two places not actually being not that far apart and well linked by road, and both being the spare wheel in their traditional local rivalries.

Notts County would be a better example. Obviously they are fixated on Forest, but the other way is simply patronising disdain. Forest care way more about Derby.

[Ray de Galles]

When rivalries cease

Coventry hate Villa (even if that itself isn't reciprocated) but I can't say I've ever noticed any heat between them and Leicester.

[Janik]

When rivalries cease

To answer both this and Harry's competing thread:- Northampton. Their long-standing traditional rivally is Peterborough, but Posh are much more exercised by Cambridge nowadays (the feeling is very mutual). But then Northampton got a cuckoo on it's doorstep in Rushden & Diamonds. Cue something proper nearly developing, then being cut off at the knees. At much the same time Kettering also went into a tailspin (which they are beginning to climb back out of, btw) leaving the Cobblers without anything resembling a rival in their County.

[Janik]

When rivalries cease

Harry Truscott wrote: Coventry hate Villa (even if that itself isn't reciprocated) but I can't say I've ever noticed any heat between them and Leicester.

There was a survey a couple of years back that had Leicester as having replaced Villa as Coventry fans number one bug bear. It probably has more to do with Coventry having actually played Leicester at some point in the last fifteen years, but there you go. In fact, it's actually less so from the Leicester side than the Coventry one, if the results are accurate.

[ad hoc]

When rivalries cease

Last time I went to a game at York (which was a long time ago as will become apparent) their fans seemed particularly interested in making their feelings about Scarborough well known (Scarborough were not the opposition that day). I presume now they just hate Leeds like the rest of us.

[treibeis]

When rivalries cease

When I first started going to Bristol City games, a popular terrace chant involved following the team over land, and sea, AND NEW-PORT!

Why it was Newport, I don’t know (all right, you had to cross land and a river to get there, but you had to do that with RO-VERS and SWIN-DON as well, both of whom were far greater rivals than Newport).

I doubt whether CAR-DIFF and SWAN-SEA took Newport as seriously as they took one another, either.

Maybe Newport have run-ins with CHEP-STOW or CWM-BRAN, I really don’t know.

[Lucy Waterman]

When rivalries cease

Bournemouth hate Southampton, apparently. As far as I'm aware, Saints fans have always looked on Bournemouth with disinterested affection.

[Lucy Waterman]

When rivalries cease

Ah, that survey is bollocks. No way Saints fans dislike either Bournemouth or Brighton and Hove more than Spurs.

[My Name Is Ian]

When rivalries cease

I don't think Enfield (up to and including Enfield Town) and Barnet have played each other competitively in years, and they certainly haven't been in the same division for a quarter of a century. Depending on age, Enfield also have Hendon, St Albans and Dagenham on a smaller scale. Barnet had Northampton, or someone like that, Stevenage and Wycombe too, I think. I don't know how they feel about Town, these days.

[treibeis]

When rivalries cease

HSV and St. Pauli used to hate each other's guts more than they hated anyone else's. Then HSV started up a bigger thing with Werder Bremen, with whom they'd co-existed (relatively) peacefully for years.

Mind you, when HSV go down and if St Pauli manage to stay up, they may revert to the previous situation.

[Grimmer]

When rivalries cease

ad hoc wrote: Last time I went to a game at York (which was a long time ago as will become apparent) their fans seemed particularly interested in making their feelings about Scarborough well known (Scarborough were not the opposition that day). I presume now they just hate Leeds like the rest of us.

This is indeed true. I can't remember hearing any Scarborough chants this year but "We all hate Leeds" has definitely had an airing.

That said, the Scarborough enmity didn't die away immediately when their club folded. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if it's still there and I just haven't noticed it.

Anyway I miss the games against them. They were the only rivals in the county (North Riding) and it was a good day out. I can't see a circumstance where I'd be happy to play the new club in the league anytime soon - they are a long, long way from achieving the league status the old side bizarrely held so long.

[Ray de Galles]

When rivalries cease

I pondered who Wimbledon's biggest rivals are now. Franchise might want it to be them but that kind of tacit endorsement will never happen.

There are rivalries from the original non-league days like Sutton and Tooting & Mitcham, I think, and enmities from the recent route back to league football like Bromley. Then there is the old hatred of Palace, of course.

I wonder what TonTon thinks?

[rick derris]

When rivalries cease

Hereford v Newport used to be the big game for both teams

[Janik]

When rivalries cease

I wonder if the Colchester-Wycombe thing has died yet? It was quite toxic for a good long while, but the spark for it (competing for the Conference title) is so long ago that you would think everyone would have moved on. Or maybe the lack of a sensible alternative keeps the flames flickering.

[3 Colours Red]

When rivalries cease

Interesting point in the OP regarding phoenix clubs.

It's hard to say how much sympathy there was on our part when the original Chester City went under even though we were very nearly in the same boat.

I think most of it there actually was stemmed from a selfish need for a proper emnity.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

When rivalries cease

Three Times A Reddy wrote: Interesting point in the OP regarding phoenix clubs.

It's hard to say how much sympathy there was on our part when the original Chester City went under even though we were very nearly in the same boat.

I think most of it there actually was stemmed from a selfish need for a proper emnity.

Regrettably, I chucked a tenner in a bucket for them when they were collecting at Wimbledon v Wrexham shortly after folding.

I did that more because I felt bad for Chester fans than I would miss playing them. And now they're back I can't wait for us to find ourselves in different divisions ASAP.

I hate the derbies; they're overpoliced, devoid of any fun and far too bitter and nasty. I guess you might say that's a lost rivalry.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

When rivalries cease

My Name Is Ian wrote: I don't think Enfield (up to and including Enfield Town) and Barnet have played each other competitively in years, and they certainly haven't been in the same division for a quarter of a century. Depending on age, Enfield also have Hendon, St Albans and Dagenham on a smaller scale. Barnet had Northampton, or someone like that, Stevenage and Wycombe too, I think. I don't know how they feel about Town, these days.

Wingate and Finchley are Town's main rivals these days.

[Ray de Galles]

When rivalries cease

That must be difficult when W&F self-confessedly have barely any support.

.

[N est à?]

When rivalries cease

the lack of a sensible alternative keeps the flames flickering.

Heh, in virtually all these cases, the sensible alternative would be to chill out and not worry too much about other teams.

[Giggler]

When rivalries cease

I'd have called this thread 'When Hate Breaks Down'.

I grew up with Bolton as Bury's traditional rivals when we were together in Division Three. As Bolton rose we still maintained a healthy disdain for them, mainly because some of the key components of the team that enabled them to rise into the second tier then the Premier League had all regularly torn the Wanderers apart whilst playing for Bury.

Even when the two were in the second tier together in 1998/99 it was very one-sided, but the two most recent meetings in the League Cup have shown a flicker that Bolton might in fact give something approaching a flying fig about Bury. The relief from their fans when they equalised against us in August's tie was incredible.

[Stumpy Pepys]

When rivalries cease

Giggler wrote: I grew up with Bolton as Bury's traditional rivals when we were together in Division Three …

Me too. And I remember too many embarrassing Bury victories.

I think the rivalry's still there, albeit latent, at least among anyone over 35. I think we're natural foes. It just needs Bury to get back in the second tier.