Life has been tough for the independent countries that grew out of the olf Soviet Union. Kevin O'Flynn  tracks the progress of the smaller republics in the latest qualifiers

In 1988, the soviet union’s football team was more or less at its peak, reaching the final of the European Championships. Unfortunately for them, it was more or less the only part of the country that still functioned as well. When the Union broke up ten years ago no one realised how badly afffected the new republics would be. The lack of decent competition – think what would happen if the Premiership were split into 15 regional leagues – was bad enough, but the economic collapse of most of the republics meant that most decent foot­ballers could not earn a proper wage.

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Leyton Orient and West Ham have grown even further apart since the Eighties, as Tom Davies reports

Football fans in London have always been more promiscuous than elsewhere, as one would expect with 13 clubs to choose from. If you couldn’t make your team’s away game you could always go elsewhere. A Chelsea fan could pop down to Fulham, a Leyton Orient fan might be tempted by a trip to Upton Park or Highbury (usually, to silently support the opposition), or a Spurs fan could pop up to Barnet.

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The three smaller west London clubs have more in common than antipathy towards Chelsea. They even share some fans, says Anthony Hobbs

In footballing terms, the citizens of west London have had plenty to moan about over the years. A good number of them have become pretty adept at it, to the point of weary cynicism. With my own club, Queens Park Rangers, currently bouncing around at the bottom of the First Division and playing some staggeringly uninspiring football, this latent negativity does not need much persuading to come out into the open.

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The fortunes of the capital's clubs over the years

Glory years Success has come in many guises. The Thirties saw the most trophies won, but all by one club, Arsenal. Four teams, though not Arsenal, won things in the Sixties, from the League Cup (Chelsea and QPR) to the World Cup (West Ham). In the Eighties cup glory was shared even more liberally, with Wimbledon, Crystal Palace (1990), QPR, West Ham, Tottenham and Arsenal reaching Wembley. And in 1989-90, no fewer than eight London teams were in the First Division. But if you want to know the last time two London sides fought out the title between them, the answer is – never.

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London's big clubs promised much, but only Arsenal have won regular league championships. Mike Ticher wonders why

There is no particular reason why a capital city should produce successful or popular football clubs. In fact in Europe the opposite seems the case. The records of the main clubs in Berlin and Paris are woeful. Roma and Lazio have won just four Italian titles between them. London’s part in English football history is also one of potential only partly fulfilled, char­acterised by lots of cup triumphs but few league titles (Arsenal ex­cepted), by huge spectator support, a proliferation of middle-ranking clubs – far more than any other city in Europe – and a patchwork of interesting but rarely mutual rivalries.

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