I'm not talking about support dwindling,my response was about whether fans should still support a club if the club has moved away from the original location.I could ask you if you'd still be a Spurs fan if Spurs had moved to the Olympic Stadium ?
Yes I would have, it would even have been more convenient for me to get to Stratford even though I would hate us to move from Tottenham. Short of the purchase of the club by the Conservative Party I can't think of anything that would get me to change my loyalties. Years of crap football hasn't done it!
Aaah - you've missed the point then. Thats NOT what I've been talking about. I'm talking about catchment areas and so forth, the likelihood of supporting a team based on it's location and yours. As Harry's disciple and I have said, the number of Arsenal fans in and around the Woolwich area would've been watered over the years because Arsenal moved to North London, I would expect far fewer Arsenal fans to remain now compared to when Arsenal were in Woolwich. If a club moves then you would still support the club - as long as it wasn't too far away. Sam Hammam found that out when he moved Wimbledon to Milton Keynes, the fans didn't want that and refused to support that club and started AFC Wimbledon instead.
I'd say that map is bollocks. Growing up in Merton it's practically all Chelsea, but you get a fair bit of Arsenal too which isn't represented, also a fair share of Fulham here which isn't represented. Ealing from my experience is practically all Chelsea. Croydon being another huge Chelsea area yet the map suggests Palace are the predominant team. When that map said Sutton was Palace that was when I knew that map had truly lost the plot, you'd be hard pushed to come across a more partisan borough than Sutton towards a particular football team (Chelsea), I've never come across a Palace fan from those parts. I've never come across a QPR fan in Merton (my borough either). I think the map I produced is far more accurate despite only displaying the big 4. It's well known that Epsom, Walton and Staines none of which have been underlined are Chelsea areas as well. I live near Epsom so can vouch for that, not so much the other two, but from what fans of other clubs tell me it is. Arsenal are definitely under-represented in that map, their support in South East London (from my experience) is huge. West Ham over-represented, Spurs under. It's well known Watford and Hertfordshire in general is a Spurs stronghold.
Like Chelsea then, let e guess district you supported Chelsea since 2003, and you'll be waving your plastic flag tonight.
Can't see the map fella - can you re post? I think the Desmond Morris map is over simplified and doesn't really show the diveristy of support across London.
Well I'm a South Londoner and I support Arsenal. As has been mentioned in this thread, South East London is a big stronghold for Arsenal fans. The reasons why? I can only speak for myself, but I would suggest that it's because of our founding roots in Woolwich. Both my parents are from Lewisham and Greenwich and I grew up in and around Lewisham, Charlton, Woolwich and Plumstead. My Gran and Grandad lived a stones throw from the Barracks in Woolwich and as a Kid I used to knock about with a lad who lived on Hector St in Plumstead where the back garden of his house still had old remnants from the original terrace from the Invita ground. I've seen it with my own eyes and that for me was the start of my Arsenal love affair. My Mother in Law still lives at the Top of Plumstead common today, a short walk from the Royal Oak pub, where Arsenal (Dial Sq) were founded. Anyone from this neck of the woods knows all about Arsenal and the historical roots that the area has.
