FourFourTwo ranked the 10 most hated football teams in British football history with controversial team No 1
The 10 most hated football teams in British history were named and ranked, with a controversial side taking the No.1 spot.
Over the years, there have been plenty of 'hated' football clubs due to their owners, players, style of play or level of success.
In 2023, Four Four Two plucked out the most loathed teams in the history of British football, factoring in the aforementioned reasons.
10 - Wolves, 1937/38
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9 - Stoke City, 2009/10
Stoke, who were under the managerial tutelage of polarising figure Tony Pulis, became an infamous outfit because of their most potent weapon.
Rory Delap's long throws wreaked havoc. Hated not only because the goals it created were so 'ugly' but also because of the 'rigamarole before each one'.
Delap's throws were extremely effective and their approach won few admirers, especially after Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey had his leg broken by Ryan Shawcross.
8 - Preston North End, 1888/89
Preston won the league in the 1888/89 season, but their greatness was tarnished by corruption.
The team, predominantly made up of Scots, were lured by promises of money and jobs at a cotton mill managed by the club's secretary/manager William Sudell.
Before their league success, when the game was still officially an amateur game, the FA had kicked Preston out of the FA Cup for paying players.
In 1894, Sudell was jailed after embezzling £5,325 (over half a million quid in today’s money) to give to players.
7 - Arsenal, 1919
Arsenal were elected to a new 22-team First Division despite finishing fifth in Division Two in the 1914/15 season.
Then-chairman Sir Henry Norris had secretly negotiated with (and, it has been alleged, bribed) members of the FA committee.
The Gunners edged out Tottenham in a vote.
6 - Liverpool, 1974-89
Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish managed Liverpool during a hugely successful spell.
Liverpool were known for a team of hard men such as Ron Yeats, Tommy Smith, Joey Jones, Jimmy Case, Graeme Souness and Steve McMahon.
Four Four Two writes: "Nor were the fans popular, spawning many of the stereotypes which linger to this day. That they were so frequently celebrating victory only strengthened the hatred that reached a controversial peak after the Heysel disaster caused all English clubs to be banned from Europe for half a decade, ending the country’s unprecedented hegemony over continental competition (seven European Cups in eight seasons, 1977-84)."
5 - Millwall, 1985-present
4 - Wimbledon, 1987/88
Wimbledon's notorious team were known as the 'Crazy Gang' that featured the likes of Vinnie Jones, John Fashanu and Lawrie Sanchez.
They cut the heating and blocked the toilets in the visitors' dressing room and beat the sh*t out of each other to settle internal scores.
3 - Manchester United, 1998/99
Skippered by Roy Keane, who divided opinion, and managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, Man United's treble-winning side is still in the conversation for the greatest British football team in history. But they were hated as much as they were adored.
Their come-from-behind Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich in Barcelona secured the Red Devils' third trophy that season, having won the Premier League and the FA Cup.
2 - MK Dons, 2004/05
"MK Dons claimed Wimbledon’s history and league position as their own. How fitting that this synthetic club moved to Milton Keynes, a new town where concrete cows were once erected to create atmosphere," writes Four Four Two.
1 - Leeds United, 1973/74
Leeds takes top spot, with Don Revie's title-winning 1973/74 side.
It was his second league title, with George Best describing them as a 'bloody nightmare'.
Four Four Two highlighted Billy Bremner as their 'chief villain', with The Sunday Times dubbing the Scot '10 stone of barbed wire', which paints its own picture.
Topics: Leeds United, Manchester United, Football, Liverpool, Arsenal, Millwall
Nasir Jabbar