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Millwall

England

Millwall Football Club is a professional football club located in Bermondsey, South East London, England. They play in the EFL Championship, the second highest level in English football. The club was founded in 1885 as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club is still able to keep its name, despite last having had a fixture in the Millwall region in the Isle of Dogs in 1910. From the time it was founded until 1993 the club played at the present-day stadium known as The Old Den in New Cross prior to moving to its present home stadium near by, known as The Den. The club's traditional crest is a lion with a rampant that is featured in the nickname of the team 'The Lions'. Millwall's traditional kit is comprised of dark blue shorts, white shirts as well as blue socks.

Millwall was among the original players of the Southern League in 1894. The club played in the league for 22 seasons up to 1920, winning the title two times in 1895 , and in 1896. After their entry into to the Football League in the 1920-21 season, the team has been promoted 11 time (five occasions as Champions, including 1928 and 1938, as well as 1992, 1988, in 2001 and 1928) and have been relegated nine times. They've spent 89 out over their 95-year history playing in the Football League yo-yoing between the second and third levels. Millwall did enjoy an unofficial stint in the top flight of the league between 1988 and 1990 in which they recorded their best ever league position of tenth on the First Division in 1988-89. Millwall made it to their 2004 FA Cup final and qualified for Europe for the first time in their history. They played at the UEFA Cup. Millwall also took home the two League One play-off finals in 2010 and 2017as well as and the Football League Group Cup in 1983, and also were Football League Trophy finalists in 1999.

In the media Millwall's supporters are often been portrayed as hooligans and numerous films have been created that fictionalize their fame. Millwall's fans are famous for their chants on the terrace "No one is a fan of us and we don't really care". Millwall have had a long-running competition against West Ham United. The derby between both sides has been played more than 100 times since the year 1899. The club also shares the same rivalry to Leeds United, and contest the South London derby alongside local teams Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic.

1. History

The story of Millwall Football Club, a professional association football club located within Bermondsey, South East London, England, dates back to the club's founding in 1885 under the name Millwall Rovers.

This is a listing of all the seasons that Millwall Football Club played Millwall Football Club from their starting with the Southern League, to their debut year in the English Football League and up to their final season. The list includes their performance of their participation in the FA Cup, the League Cup and other major competitions and their the top goal scorers, managers and their average home attendance in each season.

Millwall were established in 1885. They for the initial nine years of its existence, they did not play league football. Millwall first joined the FA Cup in 1887, becoming a full-time professional club in 1890. They became founding members of the Southern League in 1894, where they played for 22 seasons, winning the title twice , in the year 1895, and in 1896. They joined the Football League in the 1920-21 season. Millwall have played in all four divisions throughout their 96 consecutive seasons within the league and even their own Third Division South, which they won two times, in 1928 and 1938. The team was Fourth Division champions in 1962. The 1988-89 season is regarded in the same category. The Lions most successful when Millwall made it to the top division of English football. They were 10th in their first every season of the First Division, after being named champions in the Second Division in 1988. Their worst league finish was 9th in the first year in the Fourth Division in 1958-59. Millwall also were Second Division champions in the 2000-01 season. They achieved their highest number of points, 93.

Millwall were promoted eleven time (five in champions) and have been relegated nine times. They were in their 2003 FA Cup Final, losing to Manchester United, but still qualified for the UEFA Europa League the following season, and playing for the first time in Europe as the only time they have played in Europe. They've also made it to the FA Cup quarter-finals on eleven distinct occasions, and reached semi-finals four times: in 1903, 1900, 1937 , and in 2013. Millwall have also made it to semi-finals in the League Cup on three separate occasions in 1977, 1974 and 1995. Millwall have made it to the Football League play-offs eight times. They were play-off semi-finalists in 1991 1994 2000 and 2002. They were play-off semi finalist in 2009 and 2016 and were promoted as winners in both 2010 and 2017. The Lions were winners of their first Football League Group Cup in 1983, and finished runners-up at the Football League Trophy in 1999. Richard Parker holds the record for the most goals scored during an entire season, with 38 goals that he scored during the season 1926-1927. Millwall's most popular home attendance was 27,373, which they achieved in the 1938-39 season , just prior to that the Second World War broke out.

1.1. Beginnings, Southern League and relocation: 1885–1919

The club was formed in 1885 as Millwall Rovers by the workers of J.T. Morton's factory for canning and preservation located in the Millwall region in the Isle of Dogs in London's East End in 1885. J.T. Morton was established at Aberdeen in 1849, to supply sailing ships with food. the company launched the very first English cannery as well as food processing facility at Millwall docks in 1872. It attracted workers from all over all of the nation, which included from the eastern coasts of Scotland which was mainly Dundee. The Secretary of the club was 17 years old Jasper Sexton, the son of the owner who owned The Islander pub on Tooke Street where Millwall held its club meetings. Millwall Rovers' first fixture was played on a area of waste land on Glengall Road, on 3 October 1885, against Fillebrook which was a team who was based in Leytonstone. The team that was newly formed was defeated five to one.

Rovers were able to find a better playing surface for their 1886-87 season near the back of the Lord Nelson pub. It was renamed The Lord Nelson Ground. In November 1886 the East End Football Association was created, along with the Senior Cup Competition. Millwall reached the final, which was played against London Caledonians, which was played at Leyton Cricket Ground. The game ended 2-2, and both teams shared the cup for six months. Millwall was awarded the East London Senior Cup at the very first attempt. Millwall also won the cup the following two years and the trophy was later made theirs.

In April 1889 there was a vote to allow Millwall to eliminate "Rovers" in their names. They started playing under the name of Millwall Athletic, inspired by the move to their new base at The Athletic Grounds. They were among the founding participants in the Southern Football League which they were crowned champions in the first two years in its existence. They were runners-up during its third. In the time of this, the club was offered the chance by to the Second Division of the Football League however, the committee turned away the possibility in part due to the anticipated increase in travel costs, but in addition to remaining faithful towards this particular Southern League. The club was forced to relocate to a new venue North Greenwich in 1901, because Millwall Dock Company wanted to use their land for timber. Millwall Dock Company wanted to make their land an agricultural land. Millwall Athletic reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1900 and 1903 and also were Champions in the Western Football League in 1908 and 1909. On October 10, 1910 Millwall had their final match in their capacity as an East London club against Woolwich Arsenal in the London Challenge Cup. Millwall took the lead by 1-0 before 3000 fans.

Millwall relocated to a brand new stadium, which was named The Den, in New Cross, South London in 1910. Millwall had previously played on four different venues in the past 25 years following their founding at East London; limited expansion space on the Isle of Dogs meant The Lions needed to relocate to increase support and attendance. It was estimated that the cost for The Den was PS10,000. The first game played at the new stadium was on the 22nd October in 1910 when it was contested by current Southern League champions Brighton & Hove Albion winning by 1-0.

1.2. Entering the Football League: 1920–1939

Millwall were, who had also removed "Athletic" in their names they was invited into to the Football League in 1920 for the 1920-21 season together and 22 clubs as part of the formation in the newly created Football League Third Division. In 1920, the Southern League was shorn of its status, with all its clubs opting to go out on their own. Millwall followed suit. The first Millwall Football League match was on 28 August 1920 in The Den, and they had a 2-0 win over Bristol Rovers.

The 1925-26 season was a great one for Millwall. Millwall recorded eleven consecutive clean sheets. This is which is a Football League record, which they have shared together with York City and Reading. Millwall was dubbed an extremely hard-fighting Cup team that played in numerous memorable matches that included a win over three-time league champions and the reigning champions Huddersfield Town 3-1 in the third round of the 1926-27 FA Cup. In 1927-28, Millwall took home their Third Division South title and scored 87 goals on the home pitch in the league which is which is an English record that is still in place. Games between Sunderland in addition to Derby County saw packed crowds of over 48,000 in those years. The 1937 FA Cup run saw Millwall make it to the semi-finals for the third time. the fifth round game against Derby remains as Millwall's highest attendance at 48,762. Millwall were ranked 11th in the best supporters team from England during 1939 despite being part of the second Division. Millwall were among the clubs with the highest financial wealth in England. Millwall had plans to upgrade the Den and also signed international players. Winger Reg "JR" Smith was twice awarded a cap and scored two goals for England during 1938. The Lions were aiming to be promoted into the First Division toward the end of the decade. However, within a week of the 1939-40 season World War II broke out and Millwall were taken away from their dream.

1.3. Wartime doldrums and relegation to fourth tier: 1940–1965

7 April 1945 was the day that Millwall participated in an Football League War Cup final at Wembley Stadium against Chelsea, however, due to the fact that it was an event that was a wartime cup final, it's not recorded in the official record books. Due to the war in Europe during its final days the number of fans permitted to attend games was lowered. The attendance was around 90,000 people the largest audience Millwall ever played before including the King George VI, whom the team was introduced to prior to the game began.

The loss of numerous young men in the Second World War made it difficult for clubs to keep their old status. This was particularly true for Millwall which seemed to suffer more than the majority. While it was one of the biggest clubs in the country prior to it was a wartime club, Millwall were reduced to one of the clubs that was the smallest following. The Den was severely damaged by bombs on April 19, 1943, and a week later, a fire thought to have been due to a discarded cigarette was also able to destroy an entire stand. Millwall took invitations from nearby clubs Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace and West Ham United to stage games on their stadiums. On February 24, 1944 Millwall made their return to The Den to play in a stadium that was all standing. The stadium was built with a lot of effort from Lions supporters.

Millwall's fortunes changed in the immediate postwar period after the war. They were demoted into Division Three South in 1948 and were required to apply for re-election this league by 1950, after having finished in the bottom two. A turnaround in fortunes saw Millwall finish in the top five, fourth and runners-up during the Division Three South in 1952-53 season. However, with only the Champions getting made champions, Millwall found themselves stuck in the third division despite having a huge attendance of more than 20,000. Millwall was then hit by a downward slide in fortunes, with several bottom-half results. The most memorable moment of the season included one of the most dramatic huge-killing upsets during the 4th Round of the 1956-57 FA Cup on 26 January 1957 the day that Millwall defeated Newcastle United 2-1 in front of 45,646 fans. Millwall was unfortunate to be the victim to be an official part of Division Four in 1958. Though it initially struggled with the reorganisation The de-regionalisation of Third Division North and Third Division South allowed the possibility of promotion through the second place spots. Millwall took home their Division Four Title in 1962 thanks to 23 goals from Peter Burridge and 22 from Dave Jones. Millwall were again relegated in the 1963-64 season, however they did manage to recover with back-to-back promotions, finishing runners up. It was the final time Millwall was in the fourth division.

1.4. Unbeaten home record and the class of '71: 1966–1987

In the following decade, Millwall set a record with home games that went without a loss (43 victories and 17 draws) between 22 August 1964 until 14 January , 1967. In this period, Millwall played in 55 different teams and kept 35 clean sheets with 112 goals scored and lost 33. It was largely due to the managers Billy Gray, who laid the foundations for Millwall, as well as Benny Fenton, a former player who continued to build Gray's team. The entire team that were included, which included the winger Barry Rowan, goalkeeper Alex Stepney and strikers Hugh Curran and Len Julians were presented with an commemorative gold cigarette lighters from the Football Association. The record was later broken by Liverpool who won the duration of 63 home games between 1978 between 1978 and 1981.

In the early 1970s the Millwall team was comprised of many famous and memorable players. They are being referred to by followers by the name of "The Class of 1971". The team included goalkeeper Bryan King, defender Harry Cripps goal-scoring midfielder Derek Possee, Millwall's most ever-capped international player, Eamon Dunphy and the longest-serving player of the club, Barry Kitchener. Millwall missed the chance to be promoted into Division One by one point. In the end, by remaining unbeaten in Division Two for the 1971-72 period, Millwall became the only team to complete the whole season with not losing one game at home in four distinct divisions: 1927-28 Division Three South 1964-65 Division Four and 1965-66 Division Three and 1971-72 Division Two. The year 1974 was the first time Millwall played the very first match to be held on Sundays, against Fulham. The Lions made it to the quarterfinals of the League Cup in 1974, and in 1977.

George Graham managed Millwall from 1983 until 1986. during his tenure, he led Millwall to the Football League Group Cup win that saw them defeat Lincoln City 3-2 in the final of the season 1982-1983. The 1984-85 campaign was extremely prosperous, Millwall reached the FA Cup quarterfinals and were promoted into the Second Division, going unbeaten in their home games again in Division Three and winning 18 games and draw five. Then, in the FA Cup they were beaten by 1-0 First Division Luton Town at Kenilworth Road. The match will be remembered for the wrong reasons after protesters rioted during the game. The number of people injured (including 31 , police officials) were injured during the violence.

1.5. Promotion to top tier, new stadium and administration: 1988–2000

Graham's replacement was Glaswegian John Docherty. In his second season as manager, Millwall won the Second Division championship and gained promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time in the club's history. Starting the 1988–89 season strongly, Millwall topped the league on 1 October 1988 having played six games (winning four and drawing two) and rarely slipped out of the top five before Christmas. This was mainly due to Tony Cascarino and Teddy Sheringham, who scored 99 goals between them in three seasons playing together. Millwall's first top division season ended with a tenth-place finish, which was the lowest place occupied by the club all season. The following season, they briefly led the league for one night in September 1989 after beating Coventry City 4–1, but won only two more games all season and were relegated in 20th place at the end of the 1989–90 season.

Just before relegation was confirmed, Docherty was sacked and replaced by ex-Middlesbrough manager Bruce Rioch. Striker Teddy Sheringham, who later played for England and was the highest-scoring player throughout the Football League in the 1990–91 season, was sold to Nottingham Forest for £2 million after Millwall's 6–2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Second Division play-offs. Rioch left Millwall in 1992 to be succeeded by Irish defender Mick McCarthy. McCarthy guided Millwall to third place in the new Division One at the end of the 1993–94 season. This was their first season at a new ground, at first known as The New Den (to distinguish it from its predecessor) but now called simply The Den, which was opened by the Labour party leader John Smith on 4 August 1993. The new ground was the first all-seater stadium to be built in England after the Taylor report on the Hillsborough disaster. The Lions knocked Arsenal out of the 1994–95 FA Cup in a third-round replay, beating them 2–0 at Highbury. They also reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup in 1995. Millwall lost 5–1 on aggregate to Derby County in the play-off semi-finals that same 1994–95 season, in a tie blighted by crowd trouble. McCarthy resigned to take charge of the Republic of Ireland national team on 5 February 1996, shortly after Millwall had been knocked off the top of the Division One table by Sunderland, following a 6–0 defeat.

Jimmy Nicholl of Raith Rovers was appointed as McCarthy's replacement, but could not reverse the slump in form which saw Millwall relegated at the end of the 1995–96 season in 22nd place. Just five months earlier they had been top of Division One, but now Millwall found themselves in the third tier for the 1996–97 season. The club experienced severe financial difficulties that resulted in them being placed in financial administration for a short time. Nicholl was relieved of his duties and John Docherty returned on a short-term basis to stabilise the club.

Millwall came out of administration, and new chairman Theo Paphitis appointed ex-West Ham United manager Billy Bonds as manager. The 1997–98 season was not a successful one, with the club hovering close to relegation to the fourth tier. Bonds was sacked and replaced by Keith "Rhino" Stevens, with Alan McLeary as his assistant. McLeary was later promoted to the role of joint-manager alongside Stevens. Stevens and McLeary led Millwall to their first ever official appearance at Wembley Stadium. The Lions reached the 1999 Football League Trophy Final with a golden goal win against Gillingham in the semi-finals, and a 2–1 aggregate victory over Walsall in the regional final. They faced Wigan Athletic in the final but, while playing in front of 49,000 of their own fans, lost 1–0 to an injury-time goal. Millwall also lost 1–0 on aggregate to Wigan in the Second Division play-off semi-finals the 1999–2000 season.

1.6. Champions, FA Cup Final and European football: 2001–2004

Mark McGhee was named as Millwall's manager in September 2000 then eight months after,, the team was promoted to Division Two champions, with the team created in the name of Keith Stevens, after five years of playing in the third division in the division. Millwall won an impressive 93 points. This was an all-time record for the club. 50 points after winning the opening game of the 2001-02 season , 4-0 at home against Norwich City set the team in good shape for a successful year. Millwall made it to their Division One play-offs, but defeated the eventual champions Birmingham City 2-1 in the semi-finals. Millwall ended up in mid-table position during the 2002-03 season, and McGhee was fired shortly following the start in the season 2003-2004.

The year 2003 saw Dennis Wise, ex-Chelsea and England player, was appointed caretaker, then permanent manager at the side. In his first year in the club's management, Wise took the team to their very first FA Cup Final in their history. When Millwall played in the final in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff they were the second team outside of the top flight to take part at the Cup final since 1982. They were also the first team outside of the Premier League to reach the final since the establishment of the top flight in 1992. The team was missing 16 players because of injury or suspension. They took part in their Cup final on the 22nd of May 2004, and fell 3-1 in the final to Manchester United. Since Manchester United had already been selected to play in the UEFA Champions League, Millwall could be assured of playing at their first UEFA Cup. The midfielder Curtis Weston, substituted for Wise with just one minute left of normal time He became the youngest Cup finalist in history at the age of 17 years and over 119 days. He beat the record of 125 years by James F. M. Prinsep. For the 2004/05 UEFA Cup, Millwall lost 4-2 in the opening round against Hungarian champions Ferencvaros in the first round, and Wise scoring both goals for Millwall.

1.7. Upheaval, stability and first play-off success: 2005–2013

As of 2005 Theo Paphitis announced that the club was going to let him go as the club's chairman and Jeff Burnige to replace him in May 2005. After the conclusion of the 2004-05 season the manager Dennis Wise announced that he had decided to leave the club because it was difficult for him to develop an alliance with the chairman who was replacing him. The former Millwall forward Steve Claridge was announced as the new manager of Millwall. But after Burnige was forced to step down two months after taking over the position and was confirmed on the 27th of July that Claridge was dismissed after only 36 days not even directing the team in a match. A former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Colin Lee was appointed his replacement, but only for five months as the manager of the team. The 21st day of December, when the club at the bottom of the Championship at the bottom, he took over as Director of Football of the club and was later replaced by a player of 32 years old Dave Tuttle, on a temporary contract for a short time until the conclusion this season. Tuttle had no previous experience in the field of football management. In February of 2006, Lee left the club completely. Millwall had a tough season. They experienced four managers in the year 2005. Their 13 goals at home was the 2nd lowest ever recorded in Football League history. The club's relegation in League One was confirmed on 17 April 2006 following an 2-0 defeat against Southampton. In the season that was closed, Nigel Spackman was appointed as manager. However, his tenure was short, lasting just four months following an array of poor results. In September of 2006, Theo Paphitis (chairman from 1997 until 2005) had to end his nine-year relationship with the club following the length of time he was an executive director with no accountability. On the 19th of March, 2007 Willie Donachie signed a two-year contract after some improvements that led the club to climb to 11th position on the table. Prior to Donachie's arrival, Millwall had taken only six points from their initial 10 games. The 2007-08 season Millwall was last in the league at the start of October. Donachie was dismissed on the 8th of October after which Richard Shaw and Colin West taking over as caretaker managers.

In March 2007 Chestnut Hill Ventures headed by American John Berylson, which has interests in business, retail, financial services and property, as well as sports has invested PS5 million in the club. The ongoing investment by Berylson who has since been the club's main owner and chairperson, has put The Lions on a better direction both in and off the field. The selection to replace Kenny Jackett as manager on the 6th of November 2007 was essential. Through the following two seasons, Jackett managed Millwall through two of the top 6 places during League One, in fifth and third, respectively. He took home the League One Manager of the Month three times during his time as the club's manager. A number of his most important signings have helped propel Millwall to the play-offs and ultimately promotion. After losing the play-off final during the 2008-09 campaign against Scunthorpe United and losing out on promotion automatically on the final date of the season 2009-10, losing against Leeds United by one point, Millwall made it back to Wembley in the end, breaking the play-off hoodoo that had lasted five consecutive failures in 1991 1994, 2000 2002, and 2009 by winning 1-0 at Wembley in 2010's League One play-off final against Swindon Town, securing a return to the Football League Championship after a four-year absence.

Millwall's debut game within the Championship was an away victory of 3-0 against Bristol City. The game was heavily anticipated due to the City's purchase of England's then goalie David James. After the loss, just a few days later Steve Coppell quit in his role as City manager. In 2010, the Lions celebrated the anniversary of Millwall's 125th birthday on October 2nd, 2010 it is the most close home match date to the very first game Millwall had ever faced Fillebrook on the 3rd of October in 1885. Millwall played 1-1 against Burnley as well as wore a specially-designed single-use kit for the game produced by the company Macron that carried the names of each footballer who played for Millwall during the time. Kenny Jackett celebrated five years as the club's manager in November 2012, when the club won an impressive 4-1 win away from Nottingham Forest. After an impressive beginning to the 2012-13 season which included a 13-game winless run , and even a hint of the play-offs Millwall had a disappointing finish with just five wins over the course of 23 games just barely avoiding relegation the final game of the campaign. The team's poor form coincided with their reaching the semi-final of the FA Cup for the fifth time in their history. They faced Wigan Athletic at Wembley Stadium on April 14th, 2013, and fell 2 to the final cup winners. Kenny Jackett resigned on 7 May 2013. The Millwall manager was the fourth longest-serving manager. In the midst of a long month trying, Millwall appointed St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas as their new manager on June 6, 2013. His appointment sparked mixed reactions from some supporters due to his status as an ex-captain and manager of West Ham United, their largest rival. The club's record goal scorer Neil Harris returned to Millwall as coach on the 23rd of June 2013, after having retired from the field due to injury. Millwall dismissed Lomas on the 26th of December, 2013, after only winning five of his initial 22 games as a coach. Harris and youth head coach Scott Fitzgerald took over as joint managers-in-charge. On January 4, 2014, Millwall fell 4-1 to Southend United in the FA Cup the team was 31 positions lower than them on the pyramid of football. Harris said the match was an "shambles."

1.8. FA Cup giant-killers and fifth trip to Wembley in eight years: 2014–present

The club was appointed Ian Holloway as their new manager on January 6, 2014, and the club was at 21st place in the Championship table. He was given the task of keeping the club's Football League Championship status, which he did. Millwall was unbeaten during the final eight games during the 2013-14 season. The team ended up 19th with four points ahead of the zone of relegation. In the subsequent campaign, Holloway was sacked on 10 March 2015 , with Millwall finishing second from bottom in the Championship as well as Neil Harris was reinstated as interim manager until the end in the current season. Harris was not able to guarantee the team's survival however, as Millwall's transfer into League One was confirmed on 28 April with just one game in the 2014-15 season left to be played. Harris was named Millwall's permanent coach the following day. In his first season as manager, Harris led Millwall to the fourth spot at the top of League One and a play-off final at Wembley in which Millwall lost 3-1 to Barnsley. Lions fell 3-1 against Barnsley.

The 2017 FA Cup, Millwall reached the quarter-finals for the 10th consecutive time. They knocked off Premier League opposition in three consecutive rounds: Bournemouth in the third round, Watford in the fourth round, and then reigning Premier League champions Leicester City in the fifth round. On the 28th of February, 2017 Millwall defeated Peterborough United 1-0 and increased their streak of unbeaten play to 16 games across all competitions. They've been unbeaten for nine matches without conceding a goal , for only the second time in the league's 1925-26 season. Millwall reached the League One play-off final at Wembley for the second time in a row this year after defeating Scunthorpe United 3-2 in the semi-final. They were promoted back into the Championship after a 1-0 playoff final win against Bradford City, thanks to the 85th minute goal scored by Steve Morison, his 86th goal for Millwall. With Millwall's return to Championship during the season 2017-18,, the team was on an unprecedented 17-game, unbeaten streak; their longest run in the second tier which beat the previous record of 15 games set in 1971. In the unbeaten run, they scored six away wins consecutively, which was equal to the record set by the club by the team in 2008-09. For the season 2019-19 FA Cup, Millwall once again made it to the semi-finals for the 11th consecutive time, but lost against Premier League side Brighton on penalties. In the first round, they defeated Premier League side Everton, to match the Southampton FA Cup 'Giant-killings' record in which they knocked out 25 top-flight teams who were not playing in the top division themselves.

On October 3, 2019 Neil Harris resigned as Millwall manager. The club was in 18th place , with just two wins in their first 10 Championship games. Harris managed Millwall towards Wembley twice, earning them a promotion in addition to 2 FA Cup quarter-finals during his period as manager. Harris had the distinction of being the Lions fifth manager to serve the longest who lasted more than four and a half seasons at Millwall. On the 21st of October, the manager was replaced by the former Stoke City boss Gary Rowett who defeated the club that he was previously with 2-0 his first game as manager. The 2019-20 season finished with the 8th position, having an early play-off attempt failed to reach the finals. Rowett was able to lead the team to 11th and 9th in the subsequent two seasons.

2. Colours, crest and nickname

Detail of the colours as below mentioned.

 

2.1. Kit

Millwall's uniform has mainly comprised of blue shirts, blue socks and white shorts throughout the 125 years of their existence. In the initial 50 years of their existence, from 1936 the team were in traditional navy blue that was as similar to the colors of Scotland the national squad. The choice of this colour was made because it was a tribute to its Scottish origins of the team, with the base of the initial Millwall Rovers squad being from Dundee. In 1936, the newly named Millwall Manager Charlie Hewitt opted to change the color of the team's kit between navy blue and a more royal blue. The team has been playing in this shade for the majority of 74 years apart from the seasons 1968-75 and 1999-2001 in which the team played with the all-white strip. Their uniform was used for their 2010-11 campaign. commemorated the centennial of the club and saw Millwall adopting the dark navy blue that was their initial strip. The club has kept the same colour ever since. In terms of changing colors, white shirts and yellow shorts, or blue shirts and black shorts were for the Lions primary away colors. They have also played with black and red stripes and all grey, all orange, all red and white and green stripes. Millwall had a one-off camouflage outfit to mark 100 years since that of the First World War against Brentford on November 8, 2014. The kit was sold to fans, and the proceeds being donated to Headley Court, a rehabilitation centre for wounded soldiers from the British Armed Forces.

2.2. Badge

The club's crest was an omnipresent lion since 1936, when it was first introduced in 1936 through Charlie Hewitt. There have been numerous variants of the lion. the first was one red lion often believed to be selected because of it's Scottish roots. The Lion had an eerie resemblance to the signs used by pubs that were named The Red Lion. From 1956 until 1974, Millwall's emblem was two lions leaping in red facing one another. The former Chairman Theo Paphitis brought back the badge in 1999, and it was in use for the next eight years. The current badge is a lion that leaps that first appeared on the Millwall kit back in the year 1979. The crest remained on the kit until 1999, and was introduced again in 2007. The team's Mascot is a huge animal named Zampa named in honor of Zampa Road which is the road that The Den is situated on.

2.3. The Lions

The nickname of the team has been The Lions, previously The Dockers. The origin of the Dockers name was derived from the work of many fans of the club's during around 1900. The club was not a fan of the name and changed its nickname following the news that described Millwall as "Lions of South" after the club knocked Football League leaders Aston Villa out in the 1899-1900 FA Cup. Millwall was, at the time, was a Southern League side, went through to the semi-finals. Millwall adopted the slogan"We Fear No Fight" No Matter Where We go. In the early 2000s, the club began to recognize its connection with the docks of London by organizing Dockers' Day, and also preserving the docks' roots of the club at Millwall FC Museum. Millwall FC Museum. Dockers' Days brings all the previous successful Millwall teams that parade down the field at half-time. Dockers' supporters are able to enjoy the game at no cost. Since 2011, Millwall designated the East Stand in The Den as the 'Dockers Stand' to honor the team's previous nickname.

2.4. Kit sponsors and manufacturers

The 2013-14 season saw Millwall picked to support the cause Prostate Cancer UK to sponsor their shirt at no cost.

Year Kit manufacturer Main shirt sponsor Secondary sponsor(s)
1975–80 Bukta None
1980–83 Osca
1983–85 LDDC
1985–86 Gimer London Docklands
1986–87 Spall
1987–89 Lewisham Council
1989–90 Millwall
1990–91 Lewisham Council
1991–92 Fairview Homes PLC
1992–93 Bukta Fairview
1993–94 Captain Morgan
1994–96 ASICS
1996–97 South London Press
1997–99 L!VE TV
1999–2001 Strikeforce Giorgio
2001–03 24 Seven
2003–04 Ryman
2004–05 Beko
2005–06 Lonsdale
2006–07 Oppida
2007–08 Bukta K&T Heating Services Ltd
2008–10 CYC Oppida
2010–11 Macron Matchbet
2011–12 Racing Sasco Sauces
2012–13 BestPay
2013–14 Prostate Cancer UK Wallis Teagan
2014–15 Euroferries
2015–16 Wallis Teagan
2016–17 Erreà
2017–18 TW Drainage & EnergyBet DCS Roofing
2018–22 Macron
2019–24 Huski Chocolate
2022–27 Hummel

3. Stadiums

Detail of the players as below mentioned.

 

3.1. History

Millwall was founded in their own Isle of Dogs and inhabited four different fields during the first 25 years of the club. Their first home was a small piece of trash ground known as Glengall Road, where they only stayed for a year. From 1886 until 1890, they performed behind The Lord Nelson bar located on East Ferry Road, which was referred to informally as the Lord Nelson Ground, before being forced out by the landlady who offered a more favorable price to use the land.

They relocated to their current location, The Athletic Grounds, on September 6, 1890. This was their first specially-constructed ground with the capacity of a grandstand which could accommodate 600 spectators and a total capacity of 10,000 to 15,000. They were forced to relocate yet again, this time due to the Millwall Dock Company who wanted to make it an industrial timber yard. They moved in 1901 to a place near their home of the past, and it was called North Greenwich. They remained an East London club for the next nine years, and the final match playing at the Isle of Dogs on 8 October 1910, against Portsmouth Millwall, that Millwall took 3-1.

On the 22nd October of 1909, Millwall moved across the River into South London, moving to Cold Blow Lane in New Cross. The fifth field was named The Den, built at an estimated cost of P10,000 by the famous football ground designer Archibald Leitch. The first match played at the ground played with Brighton & Hove Albion, which Brighton beat 1-1. Millwall continued to play there for 83 years until they moved to their sixth and current stadium which was initially known by the name of The New Den but now known as The Den, on 4 August 1993. The stadium has an all-seated capacity of 21,146. The Sporting CP team, managed by Bobby Robson helped open the ground by playing a friendlymatch, that The Lions lost 2-1.

3.2. Bermondsey redevelopment controversy

In September of 2016 Lewisham Council approved a compulsory purchase order (CPO) of the land around The Den rented by Millwall as part of a major redevelopment plan for this "New Bermondsey" region. The plan was controversial due to the fact that developers, Renewal which is owned by off-shore corporations with no clear ownership and is viewed by the local community as profiting from demolition of existing businesses and homes and Millwall's car park as well as Millwall's car-park and Millwall Community Trust property that could construct up to 2,400 private residences. There is zero social housing. Millwall was contemplating the possibility of moving to Kent. Millwall had put forward their own plans for redevelopment focused around the club However, the council decided to support Renewal's plans.

In December 2016 Private Eye reported how Renewal had been founded by a former Lewisham Council leader and senior officer, suggesting potential bias, and that the decision to approve Renewal's plans may have been made as far back as 2013 despite the fact that no due diligence had been able to be carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers due to "poor" and "limited" access to information and management at Renewal, which is controlled from the Isle of Man and British Virgin Islands.

In the face of growing community discontent and media scrutinization In the face of growing media scrutiny, the Council announced in January 2017 that it would not pursue the CPO. But, the Council was said to be seeking legal advice on other options to secure the CPO as well as Council Cabinet members are expected to make a decision on what to do following the "review". Private Eye reported that Millwall are still looking into alternatives to relocate in Kent.

4. Traditional songs

An annual tradition that is held at The Den is the playing of the club's official song "Let 'em Come", composed by Roy Green, as Millwall and the team that is playing onto the field. It was specially written for the team and the lyrics reflect the old London traditions, such as eating jellied eels or having an alcoholic drink prior to going to the game. The song finishes with the entire home crowd sitting with arms raised (usually toward traveling fans), singing the song's final line "Let everyone... bring them all in .... for The Den!" A TV drama about an Millwall supporter and ex-docker with the voice of David Jason, featured a line from the song's title"Come Rain Come Shine. The song played repeatedly in Wembley Stadium after Millwall gained promotion to the Championship in the year 2010. The track "Shoeshine Boy" by the Mills Blue Rhythm Band was used as the song that opened the match prior to "Let the Boys Come".

Other songs that were frequently heard during the time at The Den over the years during the lead-up to games include "London calling" from The Clash, "No Surrender" by Bruce Springsteen, "Town Called Malice" by The Jam and "House of Fun" by Madness with the lyrics "welcome to the lion's den." ...". Status Quo's cover of "Rockin Around the Globe" is played following every home victory.

5. Rivalries

Millwall were ranked 8th out of from ninety-two Football League clubs with the most rivals in the league, including West Ham United, Leeds United, Crystal Palace, and Charlton Athletic considering them a major rival. Portsmouth, Everton and Gillingham have minor rivalries with Millwall as well, with a history of riots between the two clubs that dates back to the 1970s.

5.1. Major rivalry with West Ham United

Millwall's most fierce adversaries are West Ham United. It's one of the most heated local derbies in the world of football. Both clubs never been able to meet in recent years because they were in different leagues. The majority of their matches took place prior to when they were involved in the First World War, with around 60 games between 1899 between 1899 and 1915. Both clubs met 99 times in the time since their first game in 1899. Millwall had 38 wins, drawn 27, and lost 34 games, won 27, as well as lost 34. Despite the violence between the two groups of fans and demands for matches between the two teams to be played in a closed-door environment The last time they played was during the Football League Championship in 2011-12 without an outright ban on either side of the fans and there was no recurrence of the riots that erupted in the crowd. The rivalry between both sides particularly the teams and two hooligan businesses, is shown on the big screen a number of times in films like Green Street.

5.2. Rivalry with Leeds United

Millwall are in a bitter relationship and Leeds United. The rivalry between both teams is heightened by the fervent passion of both clubs' fans as well as their the connection to hooligan football. The two clubs' hooligan companies, The Leeds United Service Crew along with Millwall Bushwackers Millwall Bushwackers were notorious in the 70s and 80s for their violent behavior, and were described as "dirty Leeds" and "the soccer scourge" respectively. Between 1920 and 2003, the teams only met 12 times and played in different divisions throughout their existence, with neither thought of the other as an opponent on the field. Since Leeds were exiled to in the Premier League in 2004, the teams have played 28 times over the course of sixteen years. The rivalry started during League One during the 2007-08 season, which saw disturbances and violent clashes between both groups of fans as well as the officers in the stadium of Elland Road. The tensions continued through the 2008-09 season when both teams competed for advancement to the Championship and culminated in Millwall eliminating Leeds from the League One playoffs at the semi-final stage. Both teams have played 40 times, and they are equal in their results; Millwall have won 19 games times, Leeds 17 , and 5 games been drawn.

5.3. South East London derbies

Millwall are the closest with Charlton Athletic, with The Den and The Valley being less than four miles (6.4 km) from each other. The last time they met was in July, 2020, and it was an 1-0 victory for Millwall at The Valley. Since their first game in competition back in 1921 Millwall are averaging 37 wins, drawn 26 and lost 12 games, drawn 26 while losing 12. The Lions have not lost in their last 12 matches against Charlton for a period of 24 years. They have won seven games and drawn five times. The Addicks won their last game in March of 1996 in The Valley. The Lions have last played their fellow South East London club Crystal Palace during the 2012-13 season during which both teams participated in The Football League Championship. They were drew 0-0 in The Den and 2-2 at Selhurst Park. In the nearly 100 games of competitive play between both clubs since 1906, Millwall have won 39 won, drawn 29 and lost 29.

6. Players

Detail of the players as below mentioned.

 

6.1. Current squad

As of 9 July 2022

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG George Long
2 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Danny McNamara
3 DF Scotland SCO Murray Wallace
4 DF England ENG Shaun Hutchinson (captain)
5 DF England ENG Jake Cooper (vice-captain)
6 MF England ENG George Evans
7 FW Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Benik Afobe
8 MF England ENG Billy Mitchell
9 FW Wales WAL Tom Bradshaw
10 FW Netherlands NED Zian Flemming
11 DF England ENG Scott Malone
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 MF England ENG Tyler Burey
15 DF England ENG Charlie Cresswell (on loan from Leeds United)
18 MF England ENG Ryan Leonard
20 FW England ENG Mason Bennett
23 MF Northern Ireland NIR George Saville
25 FW England ENG Isaac Olaofe
33 GK Poland POL Bartosz BiaÅ‚kowski
34 DF England ENG Alex Mitchell
35 MF England ENG Hayden Muller
39 MF England ENG George Honeyman

 

6.2. Out on Loan

As of 4 July 2022

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK  ENG Joe Wright (at Bath City until 30 June 2023)

 

6.3. Millwall Under 23’s & Youth Academy

As of 12 July 2022.

No. Pos. Nation Player
13 GK England ENG Ryan Sandford
30 MF England ENG Chinwiki Okoli
36 MF England ENG Alfie Allen
37 FW England ENG Abdul Abdulmalik
38 FW England ENG Nana Boateng
40 DF England ENG Besart Topalloj
44 MF England ENG George Walker
No. Pos. Nation Player
GK England ENG Jordan Gillmore
DF England ENG Arthur Penney
DF England ENG Jeremy Kyezu
MF England ENG Bunmi Babajide
MF England ENG Sebastian Drozd
FW England ENG Tyrese Briscoe
FW England ENG Jay Barton

 

6.4. Player of the year

Voted by Millwall Supporters Club members and season ticket holders.

Year Winner
1971 England Barry Bridges
1972 England Bryan King
1973 England Alf Wood
1974 England Alf Wood
1975 England Phil Summerill
1976 England Barry Kitchener
1977 England Terry Brisley
1978 England Phil Walker
1979 England Barry Kitchener
1980 Wales John Lyons
1981 England Paul Roberts
1982 England Dean Horrix
1983 England Dean Neal
Year Winner
1984 England Anton Otulakowski
1985 England Paul Sansome
1986 England Alan McLeary
1987 England Brian Horne
1988 England Danis Salman
1989 England Terry Hurlock
1990 England Ian Dawes
1991 England Teddy Sheringham
1992 Northern Ireland Aidan Davison
1993 United States Kasey Keller
1994 England Keith Stevens
1995 England Andy Roberts
1996 Wales Ben Thatcher
Year Winner
1997 Australia Lucas Neill
1998 England Paul Shaw
1999 England Neil Harris
2000 England Stuart Nethercott
2001 England Matt Lawrence
2002 England Steve Claridge
2003 Trinidad and Tobago Tony Warner
2004 England Darren Ward
2005 England Darren Ward
2006 England David Livermore
2007 England Richard Shaw
2008 England Paul Robinson
2009 England Andy Frampton
Year Winner
2010 Republic of Ireland Alan Dunne
2011 England Tamika Mkandawire
2012 Comoros Jimmy Abdou
2013 Nigeria Danny Shittu
2014 Republic of Ireland David Forde
2015 Comoros Jimmy Abdou
2016 Scotland Jordan Archer
2017 Wales Steve Morison
2018 England Shaun Hutchinson
2019 England Lee Gregory
2020 Poland Bartosz BiaÅ‚kowski
2021 Poland Bartosz BiaÅ‚kowski
2022 Scotland Murray Wallace

 

6.5. Personnel honours

Please see below.

 

6.5.1. English Football Hall of Fame

Millwall players are inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame:

  •  Teddy Sheringham (2009)
  • Ray Wilkins (2013)

6.5.2. PFA Fans' Player of the Year

Players who are included in this year's PFA fans'"Little League" list while being at Millwall:

  •  Jay Simpson (2008, while on loan from Arsenal) (First winner of the award whilst on loan at another club.)

 

6.5.3. PFA Team of the Year

Players who are part of the PFA Team of the Year while being on the pitch for Millwall:

  •  Tim Cahill (2004)
  • Tim Cahill (2001)
  •  Matt Lawrence (2001)
  • Neil Harris (2001)
  •  Alex Rae (1996)
  •  Alex Rae (1995)
  •  Ben Thatcher (1995)
  •  Colin Cooper (1993)
  • Dave Cusack (1985)
  • John Jackson (1980)
  • Ray Evans (1976)
  • Bryan King (1975)
  • Bryan King (1974)

6.6. Notable former players

The following list of famous players who played for Millwall as well as players who were honored by the Millwall Hall of Fame, international players who have been capped by their nation when playing for Millwall as well as players who have received an acknowledgement for their 10 years of service at Millwall and players who have played more than 100 appearances, and scored more than 50 goals and 1885 founding members who have contributed greatly to the club's past.

7. Managers

There were 34 permanent managers and 15 temporary managers appointed since the appointment first professional manager of the club, Bert Lipsham on 4 May 1911. Between 1890 and the year 1910 Millwall directorships Kidd, Stopher and Saunders were honorary managers and also worked as club secretary. Bob Hunter is Millwall's longest managing manager, remaining in charge for 15 years. Before becoming manager, he served as the team's coach for an entire 21-year period. He passed away in 1933 after serving as a player for the duration of 36 years. Steve Claridge holds the shortest period of time at the club and was the manager for just 36 days and never having taken control of a first-team match. Each Millwall manager has been out of the United Kingdom or Ireland.

Years Manager
1890–1899  Fred Kidd(s)
1899–1900  Edward Stopher(s)
1900–1910  George Saunders(s)
1911–1918  Bert Lipsham
1918–1933 Scotland Bob Hunter
1933–1936 Northern Ireland Bill McCracken
1936–1940  Charlie Hewitt
1940–1944  William Voisey
1944–1948  Jack Cock
1948–1956  Charlie Hewitt
1956–1958  Ron Gray
1958–1959  Jimmy Seed
1959–1961  Reg 'J.R.' Smith
1961–1963  Ron Gray
1963–1966  Billy Gray
1966–1974  Benny Fenton
1974 Republic of Ireland Theo Foley(c)
Years Manager
1974–1977  Gordon Jago
1977 Republic of Ireland Theo Foley(c)
1978–1980  George Petchey
1980  Terry Long(c)
1980–1982  Peter Anderson
1982  Barry Kitchener(c)
1982–1986 Scotland George Graham
1986–1990 Scotland John Docherty
1990  Bob Pearson(c)
1990–1992 Scotland Bruce Rioch
1992–1996 Republic of Ireland Mick McCarthy
1996 Wales Ian Evans(c)
1996–1997 Northern Ireland Jimmy Nicholl
1997 Scotland John Docherty
1997–1998  Billy Bonds
1998–1999  Keith Stevens
1999–2000  Keith Stevens & Alan McLeary
Years Manager
2000  Steve Gritt & Ray Harford(c)
2000–2003 Scotland Mark McGhee
2003–2005  Dennis Wise
2005  Steve Claridge
2005–2006  Colin Lee
2006  Dave Tuttle
2006  Tony Burns & Alan McLeary(c)
2006  Nigel Spackman
2006–2007 Scotland Willie Donachie
2007  Richard Shaw & Colin West(c)
2007–2013 Wales Kenny Jackett
2013 Northern Ireland Steve Lomas
2013–2014  Neil Harris & Scott Fitzgerald(c)
2014–2015  Ian Holloway
2015–2019  Neil Harris
2019  Adam Barrett(c)
2019–  Gary Rowett

 

8. Club officials

As of 12 July 2022.

 

8.1. Board

  • Chairman: John Berylson
  • Chief Executive Officer: Steve Kavanagh
  • Directors: James Berylson, Constantine Gonticas, Trevor Keyse, Demos Kouvaris, Richard Press and Peter Garston

8.2. Coaching staff

  • Manager: Gary Rowett
  • Assistant Manager: Adam Barrett
  • Coach: Paul Robinson
  • Technical Coach: Joe Carnall
  • Goalkeeping Coach: Andy Marshall
  • U23 Elite Development Squad Manager: Kevin Nugent
  • U23 Elite Development Squad Assistant Manager: Paul Robinson
  • Academy Director: Scott Fitzgerald

9. Honours

Competition Achievement Year Notes
Second Division (tier 2) Champions 1988 Promoted to the top flight for the first time in the club's history.
Second Division / First Division (tier 2) Play-off Semi-Finalists 1991, 1994, 2002  
Third Division South / Second Division (tier 3) Champions 1928, 1938, 2001 Millwall set an English record in 1928 with 87 league goals scored at home. Finished with 93 points in 2001, a club record.
Third Division (tier 3) Promoted 1966, 1976, 1985 Unbeaten at home for the second successive season in 1965–66 season. Automatically promoted after finishing third in 1976.
Football League One (tier 3) Play-off Winners 2010, 2017 Won 1–0 against Swindon Town in 2010 and 1–0 against Bradford City in 2017.
Football League One (tier 3) Play-off Finalists 2009, 2016  
Second Division (tier 3) Play-off Semi-Finalists 2000  
Fourth Division (tier 4) Champions 1962  
Fourth Division (tier 4) Runners-Up 1965 Finished one point behind the champions Brighton & Hove Albion.
FA Cup Finalists 2004 Qualified for the UEFA Cup. Game was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
FA Cup Semi-Finalists 1900, 1903, 1937, 2013  
FA Cup Quarter-Finalists 1922, 1927, 1978, 1985, 2017, 2019  
League Cup Quarter-Finalists 1974, 1977, 1995  
Football League Trophy Finalists 1999 First official appearance at Wembley in a recognised competition.
Football League Group Cup Winners 1983  
FA Youth Cup Winners 1979, 1991  
FA Youth Cup Runners-up 1994  
FA Youth Cup Quarter-Finalists 2020  
Football League War Cup Finalists 1945 South final runners-up.
Third Division South Cup Winners 1937 Joint winners with Watford (3–3 aggregate in final.)
Kent Senior Shield Winners 1912, 1913  
London Challenge Cup Winners 1909, 1915, 1928, 1938  
Western Football League Champions 1908, 1909  
Southern Football League Champions 1895, 1896  
London League Champions 1904 Unbeaten with 11 wins and one draw.
United League Champions 1897, 1899  
East London Senior Cup Winners 1887, 1888, 1889  
East London FA Cup Joint-winners 1886
 

10. Records and statistics

Barry Kitchener holds the record for Millwall appearances with 596 appearances between 1966 to 1982. The record for goals scored is set by the former Manager Neil Harris, with 138 in all matches. Neil Harris beat records of previous record 111 scores set by Teddy Sheringham on 13 January 2009, when he scored the 3-2 win away in Crewe Alexandra. The club's biggest margin of victory for the season is 9-1. an amount they achieved twice during the Football League Third Division South winning year in 1927. They defeated both Torquay United and Coventry City by this score in The Den. Millwall's biggest league loss was 8-1 against Plymouth Argyle in 1932. Millwall's most traumatic loss across all contests was a 9-1 loss in Aston Villa in an FA Cup fourth-round second-leg match in 1946. Millwall's most significant Cup victory was a 7-0 win over Gateshead on the day of 1936. Their most scoring aggregate game was a 12-goal thriller home against Preston North End in 1930 in which Millwall were defeated 7-5.

10.1. Player records

As of 5 May 2019.

Appearances
  • Players in bold denotes still playing for the club.
  1. 596 Barry Kitchener (1966–82)
  2. 557 Keith Stevens (1980–99)
  3. 443 Harry Cripps (1961–74)
  4. 431 Neil Harris (1998–04, 2007–11)
  5. 413 Alan McLeary (1981–93, 1997–99)
  6. 388 Alan Dunne (2000–2015)
  7. 361 Paul Robinson (2001–2015)
  8. 343 Jimmy Forsyth (1929–39)
  9. 342 Jimmy Abdou (2008–2018)
  10. 341 Richard Hill (1919–30)
  11. 341 Len Graham (1923–34)
 
Goals
  • Only Football League and senior cup competitions included.
  1. 138 Neil Harris (1998–04, 2007–11)
  2. 111 Teddy Sheringham (1982–91)
  3. 92 Steve Morison (2009–11, 2013–14, 2015–19)
  4. 87 Derek Possee (1967–73)
  5. 83 Jack Cock (1927–31)
  6. 80 Jimmy Constantine (1948–52)
  7. 78 Johnny Shepherd (1952–58)
  8. 77 Lee Gregory (2014–19)
  9. 74 David Jones (1959–64)
  10. 71 Jack Landells (1925–33)
  11. 71 Alex Rae (1990–96)

11. Millwall in European football

On the 22nd of May, 2004, Millwall were in the match against Manchester United in the FA Cup Final, but lost the match 3-0. Since Manchester United had already been selected into their place in the UEFA Champions League, Millwall were guaranteed to play for the UEFA Cup. Millwall participated in the opening round and fell 4-2 to Ferencvaros.

11.1. European record

Season Competition Round Opponents 1st leg 2nd leg Aggregate
2004–05 UEFA Cup First round Hungary Ferencváros 1–1 1–3 2–4

12. Supporters

Millwall have had an average of around 12,000 for each home game during their time within the Football League, while the team has spent the bulk of their time moving between the second and third divisions in English football. The club was initially situated within London's East End of London, Millwall moved to the other side of into the River Thames in 1910 to south-east London and has a large number of supporters from the nearby regions. The fans and the club have an historical connection with hooliganism in football, which was prevalent throughout the 1970s as well as the 80s through the company initially known as F-Troop but later became more popularly known in the form of The Millwall Bushwackers, who were one of the most notorious hooligan gangs of England. Five times The Den was closed by The FA and the club was fined numerous times for disorderly behavior. A BBC documentaries Panorama was invited to The Den in 1977 by Millwall in 1977 to demonstrate that the hooligan image was just a myth, and exaggerated by the media. Instead, the BBC presented hooliganism as very rooted in Millwall and even attempted to tie them up with the extreme right-wing politics of the National Front. The program was very detrimental to the club. The former Chairman of the club Reg Burr once commented: "Millwall provide a perfect coat hanger on which football clubs can hang its social problems on" An example of this is the coverage of the murderer Gavin Grant. Even though he played for eight clubs, playing his tiniest number of game (four) with Millwall and was also contracted by Bradford City at the time The BBC featured the headline "Former Millwall striker Gavin Grant found guilty of killing".

A stigmatization of violent crime that is attached the name Millwall has been traced more than 100 years. Millwall faced local opponents West Ham United away at Upton Park on 17 September 1906, in an Western League game. Both sets of fans were predominantly composed of dockers, who resided and worked in the same neighborhood in East London. A lot of them were rivals who worked for rival firms and competing for the same position. The local newspaper, the East Ham Echo, reported that "From the initial kick it was expected to cause some problems however, the storm broke out after Dean and Jarvis were involved in a collision (Millwall also had two of their players suspended during the game). The incident caused a lot of excitement among fans. The bank crowd had gotten the fever and there were plenty of free fights." In the 1920s, Millwall's stadium was shut for two weeks following an incident in which a Newport County goalkeeper, who was hit by missiles, leapt into the crowd to fight several supporters from home who were knocked out. The ground was closed during the period of two weeks that was 1934 after protests by the crowd following the arrival to Bradford Park Avenue. The pitch was also subject to a closing in 1947, and in 1950, the club was fined for an official and linesman were attacked outside the ground.

Through the 60s the phenomenon of hooliganism in England was more frequently reported. On the 6th of November, 1965 Millwall defeated West London club Brentford 1-1 away in Griffin Park in the match, an grenade from a hand was thrown into the pitch at Millwall's Millwall end. The Brentford goalie Chic Brodie took it in, examined it , and threw it in his goal. The ball was later recovered by the police and found to be harmless fake. There was a lot of fighting both inside and outside the stadium during the game between the two groups of fans and one Millwall fan suffering an injury to his jaw. The Sun newspaper ran the alarming headline "Soccer marches to War!" Trouble was discovered on Loftus Road on March 26, 1966, during a game of Queens Park Rangers and Millwall in a period when both teams were at in the lead of league standings, battling to be promoted into Division Two, but the London derby was won by QPR, the west London side, QPR. The second half ended with an object was thrown from the terraces and struck Millwall teammate Len Julians on the head and drew blood. The announcer for the stadium declared that the game could be called off in the event of further disturbances by the crowd, leading some Millwall supporters to take over the field and attempt unsuccessfully to have the game cancelled. The unbeaten record of Millwall's home games of 59 matches came to an end with Plymouth Argyle in 1967, the windows of the coach for the away team were broken. The same year, an official was assaulted and the FA directed the club to put up fences around the Den's Terracing. On March 11, 1978, an riot broke out in The Den during an FA Cup quarter-final match between Millwall as well as Ipswich Town, with the home team being defeated 6-1. The riot started on the terraces, and then spilled onto the field. Dozens people were wounded and some hooligans turned on the supporters of their team, and causing bloody injuries to innocent fans. Bobby Robson, then manager of Ipswich was quoted as saying of Millwall supporters after the incident "They were the police who ought to have turned the torch-throwers at the fans". In 1982, Millwall the club's chair Alan Thorne threatened to close the club due to the violence that was triggered by losing the FA Cup to non-league side Slough Town.

In 1985, the Kenilworth Road riot that occurred following the FA Cup sixth-round match between Luton Town and Millwall on 13 March 1985, was one of the most horrific and most widely-reported instances of football violence to this day. On the night, about 10,000 people crowded into the stadium that normally contained half the number of people to see Luton beat Millwall by 1-0. There were numerous pitch assaults, fights in the stands , and missile-throwing were witnessed, among which one object struck Luton's goalie Les Sealey. The incident caused a ban on supporters who were away of Luton of the Kenilworth Road ground for four years. Luton were approached to Millwall to make Wednesday night match ticketed however, this request was not taken seriously. In the end, different hooligan companies were granted admission to the arena. In addition to the Millwall hooligans as well as those who belong to the Luton's MIGs Many of the 31 supporters arrested following the incident were identified as coming from the Headhunters' firm of Chelsea as well as West Ham United's Inter City Firm. The FA requested an investigation that found that they were "not confident by the evidence that Millwall F.C. was taking all reasonable precautions to meet the rules in FA Rules 31(A)(II)." The fine was APS7,500 against Millwall however, it was later cancelled upon appeal. The punishment that Millwall received was possibly that the name of the club was "synonymous with everything undesirable in football and in society".

As of May 2002 a large number of hooligans who had gathered around Millwall engaged in disturbances on the field, following Millwall lost an extra-time game against Birmingham City. The incident was described by BBC as among the most egregious instances of civil disorder that has been seen within Great Britain in recent times. A spokeswoman for the police said it was the case that police personnel were injured. as well as 24-police horses had been injured and that the Metropolitan Police considered suing the club for the incidents. The former chairman Theo Paphitis responded that Millwall was not responsible for the acts of a numb group of people who are loyal in the same way as the football club. "The mob violence problem is not just a Millwall issue, it's not a football-related issue It is an issue that affects every aspect of our society" he stated. Paphitis then announced a membership program where only those who were willing to join and have membership cards will be permitted access to The Den. Scotland Yard withdrew its threat to sue, and stated: "In light of the efforts put in and the donation to a charity that assists injured police officers the Metropolitan Police Service has decided not to take lawsuits in relation to Millwall F.C. regarding the incident". Legal experts have said that it would be impossible to make a soccer club responsible for an incident that happened away from its stadium and involved players who were not present at the game. The new scheme, which was implemented by Paphitis is now limited to away games that are deemed to be high risk. Many fans are unhappy with the scheme to reduce Millwall's fan support away for games, like Leeds United where fans are given vouchers that can be exchanged to purchase tickets at a specified place of West Yorkshire Police's choice during the game. match. Additionally, kick-off times that are early that are set by police typically lead to only a couple of hundred fans travelling.

The month of January was 2009 when a large number of Millwall fans who were considered "high risk" people were allowed the right to attend an FA Cup fourth-round match away at Hull City. The match, which was won with a 2-0 score by Hull and astonished by seats along with plastic bottles and coins were thrown by a few away fans. There was a variety of reports in the media about the initial hurling of missiles by Hull supporters after cheers and jeering from Millwall supporters who were a part of Jimmy Bullard (an ex-West Ham player) shortly before the match. On the 25th of August 2009 Millwall took on West Ham United in the Football League Cup, losing 3-1 in extra time. One Millwall supporter was wounded during battles between two groups of fans outside the stadium. The match saw hundreds West Ham fans invade the pitch three times which forced the game be suspended for a short time. The police later claimed that the violence, due to the scale of it, was planned prior to the game. Following the violence, Millwall were handed three charges by the FA and were later dismissed of all three; West Ham received four charges and were found guilty of two counts of violent or threatening, obscene, aggressive behaviour, as well as being on the field of play. West Ham were fined PS115,000 which was viewed as insulting by Millwall who steadfastly defends it's supporters and its inability to perform any better than they did for an opponent's stadium.

Following a match with Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road in September Manager Kenny Jackett said Millwall's hooligan issues are to some extent exaggerated by sensationalism in the media. "I find it unjust. We are a club that is easy to criticise , and during my time at our club, the manner in which we've been portrayed is unjust" said the manager. Another example of this is archives of footage of their hooligan group's previous bad behavior being shown, even when disturbances have occurred on other venues, but not with the club. In a match that was played between Millwall as well as Huddersfield Town, The Observer stated that one Huddersfield Town fan had thrown coins at a lineman and Millwall fans intervened and handed over the culprit to the police. In the News of the World, however, carried the headline "Millwall Thugs Deck Linesman With Concrete". This has resulted in an atmosphere of resentment among fans of the club. This has led to Millwall supporters' well-known song on the terrace, "No one is nice to us We don't care singing in defiant defense of their team and themselves. In April of 2013, Millwall met Wigan Athletic in the semi-finals in the FA Cup. Millwall were defeated 2-0. After the game the violence broke out in the area which was allocated to Millwall and saw people fighting with each other and later against police. This led to 14 arrests. Of these, the two involved Wigan supporters. In January 2014 an Millwall fan tore the linesman's flag when the corner was not awarded to his team during the game with Leicester City; Millwall lost 3-3. On the 29th May, 2016 Millwall took part during an Football League One play-off final against Barnsley at Wembley Stadium, but towards the end of the game which ended with Barnsley taking the lead 3-1 group Millwall supporters went through a security fence and began to attack Barnsley supporters and some were forced out of the stadium to avoid violence. Additionally, there were objects thrown at Barnsley players as well as Barnsley fans during the match. The violence and fighting were condemned by the Football Association. On the 26th of January, 2019 Millwall defeated Everton 3-2 and knocked them out the FA Cup. The fans of both teams clashed in the middle of The Den before the game which resulted in one Everton fan being hit across the face by the blade of a knife. The senior Metropolitan Police officer said, that it could be "some very shocking violence in football witnessed in a long time". The match was also marred by claims of racial shouting.

5 December 2020 Millwall was playing Derby County in the first game to The Den for fans in the last ten months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A few of the 2,000 supporters were booing the players who sat down and raised their fists before the game to support Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter protests and social movement. The booing was denounced as a violation of the rights and freedoms by The FA, EFL, Kick it Out, and the mainstream media. Cabinet Minister George Eustice refused to condemn Millwall supporters, saying that the Black Live Matter as a political movement was in opposition to what the majority of British people believed and that supporters should be free to express their opinions. The head of the Brexit Party Nigel Farage called BLM an Marxist Party who had been "sussed out" by Millwall supporters and demanded the fans to kneel in protest. The next time the Den played The Den in the match against QPR on December 8, 2020 Millwall supporters cheered while QPR also cheered as Millwall players held up an anti-racism banner that spoke of the inequalities within football. The thousands of Millwall fans also booed QPR players who sat on the knees. No Millwall player kneeled. Prior to the game fans were each given an official letter from Millwall that read, "The eyes of the world are watching that football club tonight. It's and your club and they'd like us to fall. As a team, we're not going to let that occur." A few Millwall supporters had claimed that their boos during the Derby match did not have any racist motives, but were rather in opposition to the politicization in this Black Lives Matter movement in the UK.

12.1. Notable supporters

Name Occupation
Danny Baker Radio DJ and comedian
Michael Barrymore Actor
Geoff Bell Actor
Big Narstie MC, rapper
Ted Cheeseman Boxer
CM Punk AEW wrestler
Bob Crow Former RMT trade union leader
Daniel Day-Lewis Actor
Madeline Duggan Actress
Emilio Estevez Actor
Andy Fordham Former darts world champion
Lars Frederiksen Singer in Rancid
Johnny Garton Boxer
Steve Harley Singer in Cockney Rebel
Frank Harper Actor
Blake Harrison Actor
Tamer Hassan Actor
David Haye Retired boxing world champion
Rod Liddle Journalist
Lord Ouseley Kick It Out Founder
Nick Love Film director
Kellie Maloney Former boxing promoter, born Frank Maloney
Roland Manookian Actor
Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook Rugby player
Laila Morse Actress
Patrick Murray Actor, Mickey Pearce in Only Fools and Horses
Des O'Connor Entertainer
Gary Oldman Actor
Theo Paphitis Entrepreneur, Dragons' Den
Scroobius Pip Musician
Timo Soini Politician
Gregg Wallace MasterChef presenter
Denzel Washington Actor
Ian Wright Former footballer
Zerkaa YouTuber

13. In the community

The club in 1985 established The Millwall Community Trust (MCT) that offers sports educational, charitable and educational projects. The Trust is located next the The Den, in the Lions Centre. The Trust works with local residents from the adjacent areas that include Lewisham, Southwark and the larger Millwall Community. The Trust provides fitness and sports programs, educational workshops with disabilities, as well as soccer clubs. The Trust promotes anti-gun and anti-knife crime. In a game with Charlton Athletic in 2009, both teams were wearing special kits to honor the memory of local teens who were murdered and their families Jimmy Mizen and Rob Knox. The logos of the two teams' shirt sponsors were substituted with the words, "Street violence ruins lives". The club also raised more than PS10,000 for Help for Heroes charity. Help for Heroes.

14. In popular culture

Millwall have been featured in numerous films with a focus on the hooliganism of the club, particularly the Bushwackers as well as the conflict between them and West Ham United. The films often glorify violence from football in the beginning of each film, it generally ends with the losing their lives, illustrating the absurdity of the sport of hooliganism.

  • The Firm (1989) The Firm (1989) - Real life Millwall supporters Gary Oldman plays Bex, head of the football club Inter City Crew, a fictional depiction that of the West Ham's Inter City Firm and their violent escapades. Millwall's Bushwackers company is known as The Buccaneers within the movie.
  • "Arrivalderci" Millwall (1990) (TV) A bunch of Millwall supporters go to 1982's World Cup in Spain, right following an outbreak of the Falklands War breaks out, determined to avenge an injury to their own.
  • Black Books (2000) - In the episode "Cooking the Books", Bernard Black (Dylan Moran) is determined to provoke certain Millwall criminals, causing him to be injured sufficiently so that he can avoid paying his tax obligations. When he asks, "How does the song take off? Millwall, Millwall, we're truly awful and all our female friends are miserable and apathetic," he succeeds.
  • The Football Factory (2004) The Football Factory (2004) It is primarily about The Chelsea Headhunters, who fight several other companies on their off days, and culminate in an epic battle against Millwall's Bushwackers.
  • Green Street (2005) - Elijah Wood plays an American student who becomes involved with West Ham's company. The film builds towards an intense fight with Millwall's team in the final scene, when both teams are drawn against one another in the Cup which foreshadows similarities to the Upton Park riot of 2009. Upton Park riot.
  • The Rise of the Footsoldier (2007) A rise and fall of the hooligan footballer is documented from his start on the fields to his transformation into an inseparable member of a notorious criminal gang. Rivalry among West Ham and Millwall is depicted in the opening sequences that the documentary.
  • Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal (2007) The main character Sunny Bhasin (John Abraham) initially accepts to leave Southhall United Football Club and takes up a lucrative deal to join Millwall F.C. However, he decides to not join Millwall however.
  • Green Street 2: Green Street 2: Stand Your Ground (2009) - Direct-to-video sequel to Green Street. It is a direct sequel to the first's finale, in which various members of Millwall's and West Ham's companies being imprisoned together , and also planning a football match.
  • The Firm (2009) The Firm (2009) - Remake from Nick Love, director of The Football Factory and himself as a Millwall fan. It is set in the 80s, the film concentrates on the fashion, music and football culture in the era. It was generally praised by reviewers. In October 2009 it was revealed that the Metropolitan Police released still photos of the film as a response to a search for gang members who were involved in Upton Park. Upton Park riot. The mistake resulted in an apology being issued by Scotland Yard.
  • St George's Day (2012) St George's Day (2012) - A British Gangster film that featured appearances by Millwall stars Liam Trotter, Alan Dunne, David Forde, Darren Ward and Scott Barron. The film also featured a number of Millwall references like "Nobody likes Us and 'We Are Not Afraid of No One'.
  • In the two seasons (2013) as well as three (2014) in the Norwegian television show Lilyhammer, Paul Kaye guest plays London the gangster Duncan Hammer. The character suggests that he's an advocate for Millwall as he discusses the use of the "Millwall brick" to slap an owee.

The ground for the club The Den was also used in the role of The Dragons Lair The Dragons Lair, the home of the fictional Harchester United in the television series Dream Team. Harchester United in the television show Dream Team. It was also featured in the episodes of The Bill and Primeval. In the realm of literature, books like "No One Loves Us We Don't Mind the True Stories from Millwall the UK's Most Famous Football Hooligans" written by Andrew Woods focuses on the hooligan aspect of Millwall. Sunday Mirror columnist Michael Calvin covered the 2009-10 season for Millwall, creating the book Family: A Lifetime of Love, death and Football. The book examines the rivalry between Millwall and West Ham United, the murder of the Millwall fan and the Lions victory in play-offs and advancement to The Championship under Kenny Jackett.