Alexandra or Argyle -- you just can't beat a good club name

Alexandra or Argyle -- you just can't beat a good club name

Every week, English football fans follow the fortunes of their favourite teams, whether they are called United, City, Town or something totally different.

So let's look at what is the most popular suffix amongst the current 92 clubs in the top four divisions.

The most common is City, featuring 14 teams, followed by United and Town both with 12 representatives each.

Of the remaining clubs, there are five Rovers, while County and Albion have three representatives each.

The only other names that feature more than once are Wanderers and Athletic with two apiece.

Of course, there are many teams like Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton that don't carry any suffix.

There are no Towns in the Premier League which has four Uniteds and just two Citys.

Ten of the Towns are in League One and Two while there are eight Citys in the Championship.

Of the aforementioned names, perhaps the most unusual is Albion, attached to Brighton and Hove, West Bromwich and Burton.

The word Albion is the ancient name for Britain and not in common use, although it sometimes crops up in poetry.

WBA were originally called West Bromwich Strollers but changed their name because several players came from the Albion district of West Bromwich.

However, it is the clubs with unique names that furnish some of the more intriguing tales.

Tottenham were originally an offshoot of Hotspur Cricket Club when Hotspur FC were formed in 1882, but later changed to Tottenham Hotspur.

The name Hotspur was derived from the Harry Hotspur character in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I.

Harry was a fiery character who used spurs while riding horses. One wonders how many fans when they sing Come on you Spurs are aware they are invoking the name of a Shakespearean character.

Crystal Palace have one of the more attractive names.

The club was formed by the workers on the original Crystal Palace, a stunning plate-glass and iron structure that was part of the Great Exhibition held in Hyde Park in 1851.

Aston Villa are believed to be named after a large Georgian house of that name in Aston.

The house later became the Villa Cross pub.

Nottingham Forest acquired the name from the Forest Racecourse where the club was originally based.

In the Championship, most fans have probably figured out that Preston North End acquired the name simply because the club was located in the north end of Preston.

League One features a couple of names that stand out including Plymouth Argyle, currently top of the league.

Plymouth is known to be the biggest city in England never to have boasted a top flight club.

The Devon club also has a unique Argyle suffix which has prompted two theories.

One is that the name of the original Argyle Athletic Club was influenced by the army regiment the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.

The regiment had a strong football team in the early days and were stationed nearby.

The other admittedly less inspiring explanation is that the players used to meet at the Argyle Tavern.

Then we have Sheffield Wednesday, one of the more intriguing names in club football, although there is a logical explanation.

The team were originally called Sheffield Wednesday Cricket Club because they only played on Wednesdays, which used to be a half day among retailers in Britain.

We must not forget Accrington Stanley, a club much admired by neutrals ironically because of their lack of success, although they have performed better in recent years.

The club's biggest achievement is it still being in existence, despite falling out of the league for many years.

And how did Accrington get this unique name? You probably have guessed it -- from the Stanley Arms public house.

There is definitely only one Orient in English football, and that is at Leyton, currently second in League Two.

The club originally picked up the name from the Orient Shipping Line where many of the players worked in the early days.

Another name that catches the eye is Crewe Alexandra.

The romantic version is that the club was named after Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who married Queen Victoria's eldest son Edward VII.

More likely, it was named after the Alexandra pub, where the players used to drink.

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