I was shocked by Arsenal vs Tottenham rivalry, but then one moment made me see real hatred

Yesterday at 05:30 PM

Arsenal vs Tottenham is a historic and bitter rivalry but for Martin Keown, the frenzy surrounding their clashes was initially surprising.

The north London derby has been contested 196 times since their first meeting in 1909, with the Gunners leading on wins with 83.

Keown appeared in 26 of the clubs’ battles across two stints at Arsenal during which he became a club legend.

He first joined on a schoolboy contract in 1980, by which time plenty of blows were exchanged between the ferocious rivals on the pitch.

However, despite the well-documented animosity between the clubs over the past century, Keown was seemingly taken aback by it.

Tottenham had been stuck in a period of decline during Keown’s rise into the Arsenal team.

While they remained each other’s fiercest geographical rivals, Manchester United suddenly became the most important competitive match for Arsenal.

Still, Keown was quickly struck by the passion in north London – and one moment still lives with him to this day.

Centre-back partner Sol Campbell received vitriolic abuse after going back on his word and joining Arsenal from Tottenham in a deeply controversial free transfer in 2001.

Ahead of Wednesday night’s Premier League fixture at the Emirates Stadium, Keown reflects on his early experiences of the north London derby – and the day Campbell played for Arsenal at White Hart Lane.

“When I first arrived, I was shocked with the hysteria around playing Spurs,” he exclusively told talkSPORT.

“I was in a very good youth team, we won 9-0 in our very first youth team game, Glenn Hoddle's brother [Carl] was playing and there were a few notable players.

“Everybody in-house was like, 'Wow'… They took notice of us because it was a good group of young players that were coming through with players like [David] Rocastle and [Michael] Thomas.

“Then we beat their reserve side, we scored six goals, again… And I never really got carried away with the Tottenham game.

“I'm not trying to be arrogant, I just realised that it's dangerous for it to be in your head too much.

“My landlord was a Spurs fan, Charlie, he talked all the time about Spurs, the quality of the football, the way they were, the class.

“So, it was just under the surface for me and I think I managed that well, I only got sent off once against Spurs, I think the game was pretty well over.

“But I loved going to White Hart Lane, I loved the atmosphere, there was real hatred from their fans, particularly when Sol Campbell went, the situation went too far, way too far, but really great memories.

“I wouldn't walk down the Tottenham High Road now, I don't think it would be wise.

“As much as the game has cleaned up and they've got a lovely new stadium, it's a long walk on my own. So, White Hart Lane visits are few and far between.”

Keown won eight north London derbies against Spurs and drew 12, tasting defeat on six occasions.

His last ever derby experience came in 2004 when Arsenal drew 2-2 at White Hart Lane to win their ‘Invincible’ Premier League title.

The centre-back didn’t play but was part of the iconic celebrations on their rivals’ home turf in front of the travelling fans.

It was Keown’s third Premier League crown before leaving during the following summer, with Arsenal failing to become title winners since.

Arsenal have retained an edge over their local rivals since Keown hung up his boots – albeit the gap is significantly smaller these days.

The Gunners finished above Spurs for 21 successive seasons between the 1995/96 season to the 2015/16 campaign – before Tottenham went on a run of their own, finishing above their arch-rivals six times in a row.

Mikel Arteta’s side have finished second behind Manchester City in the past two years and fallen away in this season’s race too.

Victory against Spurs this week will see them close the gap on leaders Liverpool, who currently sit six points ahead with a game in hand.

Tottenham are 11 places below Arsenal, having already lost ten Premier League fixtures during an injury-ridden season.

However, Arsenal will certainly not be short of pressure on their shoulders following back-to-back cup defeats.

Newcastle beat them 2-0 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final last Tuesday to dent their hopes of reaching the final.

Arsenal were then knocked out of the FA Cup on Sunday following a penalty-shootout defeat to ten-man Manchester United.

They have won four of the last five meetings against Spurs, which includes a 1-0 away win earlier in the season.

But their out-of-sorts local rivals could still further derail their chances of silverware and hand Liverpool a massive title boost.