Written by Ricky Murray
From the United States’ political tussles with Iran and Iraq to the personal ‘beef’ fought out between gangsters and rappers from the east and west sides of Los Angeles, there has always been a fierce rivalry between the east and the west in virtually any part of the world. And the same applies to the footballing landscape in London, England where West Ham United and Chelsea ply their sporting trade; with the former representing the east side of the capital and the latter on behalf of the west.
They are the two biggest clubs from their respective areas, but if you take a look at the current Barclays Premier League table then you will see that there is a substantial difference in stature between the two. Both their respective league positions will testify the difference between the two clubs on and off the pitch. Despite Chelsea’s recent problems, they are in small pickings compared to that of the Hammers as the gulf between them in terms of size, revenue and success on the pitch could not be much vaster in the top division at the time of writing.
But amazing as it may sound to some people, until 1994 there was not much to separate the two sides in terms of their past triumphs and their potential for future success. They had both achieved a very mild degree of affluence up to that point, but in the sixteen years since then, the Blues of the west have eclipsed anything that the Hammers of the east have achieved in their entire history. So let’s take a trip back to 1994.