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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.
They ultimately fell short as West Ham claimed a 2-1 victory, but what happened in the build-up to the game quickly became a major headline.
Most of the Tottenham players suddenly fell ill the night before the memorable clash, struck by food poisoning from a lasagna served at their hotel.
That incident was later referred to as “Lasagna-gate”, and Jenas believes it was the moment when Tottenham’s rivalry with West Ham truly began.
The Olympic Stadium dispute
Six years after the events of “Lasagna-gate”, Tottenham and West Ham were once again in the headlines during the famous Olympic Stadium dispute.
After the 2012 Summer Olympics, the future of the main stadium in Stratford became a major talking point as both clubs wanted to make it their new home.
With neither willing to compromise, what followed was one of the most memorable turf wars in the history of the English top flight.
Tottenham offered to redevelop the stadium and wanted the athletic tracks removed. West Ham preferred to keep the stadium the way it was, but make it suitable for football.
The Hammers wanted to reduce the capacity from 80,000 to 60,000 and were even willing to keep the running track. But Tottenham argued that it would leave fans too far away from the action.
Instead, they wanted to tear down the stadium and rebuild it as a football venue. They also proposed refurbishing the National Sports Centre in Crystal Palace to compensate for removing the athletics track.
The Olympic Park Legacy Committee ultimately chose West Ham as its preferred club to move in after the Olympics, but the deal fell through due to a legal dispute with Spurs.
They ultimately decided that the stadium should remain in public ownership. West Ham now call London Stadium home, although they could be plying their trade in the Championship next season.
The Hammers are facing a fight to avoid relegation in their final four Premier League fixtures. They cannot afford to drop any more points in the home stretch.
