20 Most Hated Football Clubs In The United Kingdom
It is believed that the more successful is a club, the more is the hate it gets. Most of the clubs down in the following list are hated around the United Kingdom due to the success they achieved. There are other factors as well that drive the rivals or even their own fans to hate the club such as poor management, awful bosses, horrible performances, disrespectful and unethical fanbases.
The football played in the UK is very intense that gives birth to a lot of feisty rivalries that eventually create a great deal of hatred towards various clubs. The rivalries also make the atmosphere more electric. The more intense is the rivalry, the better is the atmosphere. The fans become violent sometimes and cross the line into hooliganism as well. There are some British clubs that are totally disdained by fans all over the UK and we listed down the top 20 most hated football clubs in the United Kingdom.
Here are the 20 most hated football clubs in the United Kingdom.
20) Birmingham City
People in England don’t really like Birmingham as a city and make fun of their accent and grammar. Aston Villa are considered to be Birmingham City’s main rivals who are their nearest neighbors geographically and with whom they contest the Second City derby. It is one of the fiercest rivalries in English football and there is a sheer, unhealthy hatred between them. They loathe each other whether it is Premier League or Championship.
19) Sheffield United
The hate Sheffield got was because of the atmosphere in their dressing room back in 2006-07. Their own teammates were fighting each other which shows no sportsman spirit and is embarrassing for football fans. United’s main rivals are city neighbors Sheffield Wednesday with whom they compete in the Steel City Derby. The Blades also have rivalries with Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and West Ham. These rivalries make them one of the most hated clubs in Britain.
18) Sunderland
Sunderland is mostly hated by their lifelong rival Newcastle United and they also have a little bit of rivalry with Portsmouth and Middlesbrough. Sunderland is also hated due to their Hooligan firms back in the ’70s and the 80’s. At the end of the 1999–2000 and the 2002–03 seasons, Sunderland topped the hooliganism table in the Premier League with 223 and 154 fan arrests, respectively. The fans are also said to be demanding and are never happy with whatever the management does for them.
17) Cardiff City
Probably the only club from Wales that is hated so much all over the United Kingdom. A pervading sense of capital city arrogance has always made it easy for Welsh fans to loathe Cardiff. The 2000-01 team of Cardiff city is their most hated team when Sam Hammam arrived who was pretentiously describing his new club as the ‘Barcelona of Wales’. They have long-standing rivalries with Swansea City and Bristol City. They are one of the most hated football clubs in the United Kingdom.
16) Hearts
Most of the hate Hearts receive is from their arch-rivals Hibernian FC. The chairman of Heart of Midlothian Wallace Mercer once proposed to takeover Hibernian, keep the name Hearts, and just sell Easter Road. They are probably the most hated club in Scotland outside the Old Firm. Another reason might be the jealousy combined with a need and fear of keeping them ‘in their place’. Another reason might be the media factor of how they are portrayed.
15) Newcastle United
Newcastle United were founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End. The club has been a member of the Premier League for all but three years of the competition’s history, spending 88 seasons in the top flight as of July 2020, and have never dropped below English football’s second tier since joining the Football League in 1893. They are one of the biggest underachievers in the recent era. They are mostly hated by fans of Sunderland, and also have small rivalries with Middlesbrough, Liverpool, and Manchester United.
14) Aston Villa
There is no denying the fact that Aston Villa is a big club. Villa have a fierce local rivalry with Birmingham City and the Second City derby between the teams has been played since 1879. Historically though, West Bromwich Albion have arguably been Villa’s greatest rivals, a view highlighted in a fan survey, conducted in 2003. The two teams contested three FA Cup finals in the late 19th century. Villa also enjoys less heated local rivalries with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Coventry City.
13) Stoke City
The Stoke-on-Trent club is hated mainly because of their playing style which is very rough. Rival fans say that they don’t know the difference between Rugby and Football. Stoke City is considered every British fan’s second or third least favorite team. However, Stoke fans don’t really mind it and some even embrace it. Stoke City fans booed Ramsey for a long time because he did not accept Shawcross’s apology after Ryan Shawcross almost ended the Welshman’s career by breaking his leg. All these things make StokeCity one of the most hated football clubs in the United Kingdom.
12) Manchester City
One of the few teams that are hated mostly because of the ridiculous amount of money they spend each year. The recent success of the Sky Blues has made the fans around England hate them even more now. They are ridiculed for not being able to fill up their own stadium. Rivals also claim that they have no history and only became relevant due to their money. Man City’s rivals Man United have more hate for them than any other club in Premier League.
11) Arsenal
The main reason for the Arsenal hate all around the United Kingdom is that they brag about the ‘invincibles’ season when it is almost 17 years now. But in recent history, Gunners have consistently underperformed and do not aim to challenge for the title.
British fans also believe that the Gooners were lucky in that season and did not deserve the praise and hype they got. Tottenham fans loathe everything to do with Arsenal and vice-versa. West Ham fans also hate the red and white. Manchester United are not big fans either nor are Chelsea or Liverpool. Stoke and Manchester City also dislike the club.
Poor start to your piece there with a picture of Portsmouth fans under the section on Birmingham.