10 best football terrace chants

Football fans bring a game to life.

Watching any sport live is a unique experience. The excitement, bonhomie and raucous atmosphere are infectious enough for a casual observer to get caught up in. But what sets football apart is the quick-witted terrace chants that fans come up with. Usually belted out to the tune of popular or folk songs, some fans excel at making up the best chants that are then very quickly picked up by everyone around them.

Football fans, especially British are always the first to express their concerns and views through chants and rhymes during games. While some are quickly forgotten, some have stood the test of time because of their inherent humour. Many of them have even been adopted by other clubs and tailored to their needs.

Here’s a look at some of the best terrace chants in recent history.

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#10 Seven Nation Army

Alessandro Del Piero led fans in rome in a rendition of 'Seven Nation Army' after they won the World Cup in 2006.

When Jack White of the White Stripes came up with a seven-note riff for their most iconic song ‘Seven Nation Army’, little did he know it would be transformed into one of the most oft-chanted tunes inside a football stadium. It may be a common chant inside Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena nowadays, but it was the Belgian Club Brugge who first popularised the song.

The Blue Army of Brugge heard it in a pub in Milan and after their victory, they adopted it as their anthem. The song then passed on to AS Roma and became Italy’s unofficial song for the 2006 World Cup. By the time Euro 2012 came around it was the tournament’s official goal song.

Jack White claimed that the song’s popularity at live sporting events was a huge honour for him and said, "I love that most people who are chanting it have no idea where it came from. That's folk music."

#9 Lanky Crouch

Peter Crouch lost out on his starting spot with the arrival of Fernando Torres.

Peter Crouch is a bona fide veteran – not for any inherent brilliance that he may possess but because he’s played for eight clubs in both the first and second divisions in England since the start of his career. At the start of the 2005-06 Premier League season, Crouch moved to Liverpool where he suffered an initial 19-game goalscoring drought which ended in December 2005

While he struggled to find his form, Liverpool fans came up with the famous chant,

“He's big, he's red, his feet stick out the bed, Peter Crouch, Peter Crouch.”

Video Courtesy: Liverpool Songs and Football chants

#8 Manchester City fans sing 'U-N-I-T-E-D'

Manchester United fans were against the takeover of the club by the Glazer family.

Football fans may be used to hearing United fans sing ‘U-N-I-T-E-D, United are the team for me...’, but the Citizens came up with their own version of the tune after the takeover. This is how it went:

“U-N-I-T-E-D,

That spells f*****g debt to me,

With a knick-knack paddywhack give a dog a bone,

Ocean Finance on the phone!”

P.S. – Ocean Finance is a finance company in the UK that offer loans.

#7 Heskey Wonderland

In his two years with Birmingham City, he just had one good season and attracted much criticism from fans.

"There's only one Emile Heskey,

One Emile Heskey.

He used to be sh**e,

But now he's all right,

Walking in a Heskey wonderland."

This particular chant, however, isn’t exclusive to Heskey and Birmingham. The name being interchangeable, supporters of various clubs have made it their own by replacing Heskey with their own player. A suitable terrace chant for fans who want to show their support for in-form players who are just mediocre at best.

#6 Who sleeps in Fergie’s bed?

Howard Webb received a lot of criticism and ridicule for supposedly supporting Manchester United.

Terrace chants are usually directed at teams, players or managers but Liverpool supporters decided to aim one at referee Howard Webb. Now, the internet is full of memes and trolls about Howard Webb being United’s 12th man, but the Anfield faithful did one better when they came up with a song about how he apparently favoured the Red Devils and this is how it goes:

“He's bald, He's red, He sleeps in Fergie's bed. Howard Webb, Howard Webb.”

#5 Norwich wants their scarves back

The Norwich colours are identical to the green and gold adopted by United fans when they were protesting the takeover of the club by the Glazers.

When Norwich City encountered the Red Devils, they noticed the similarity between the two colours and made up a chant to the tune of ‘Sloop John B’.

“We’ve come for our scarves,

We’ve come for our scarves,

We’re Norwich City,

We’ve come for our scarves.”

#4 Offside by a tooth

To call Luis Suarez a controversial character would be an understatement.

Luis Suarez is plagued by controversy wherever he goes and most of the time, the scandals are his doing. Aside from all the biting, Suarez has often been accused of racism and unsportsmanlike behaviour. So, when the Uruguayan striker was still at Liverpool, in a clash between them and the Red Devils, United supporters came up with a witty chant for the Barcelona man.

Referring to his teeth, the fans sang in unison:

“Your teeth are offside, your teeth offside

your teeth are offside

Luis Suarez you’re teeth are offside.”

#3 Keep your wives at home

Wayne Bridge refused to shake John Terry's hand before a match after Terry reportedly had an affair with Bridge's ex-girlfriend.

John Terry was mired in a terrible controversy when it was revealed he had an affair with Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge’s former girlfriend. The affair and the scandal cost him the English captaincy and endangered his place in the national squad.

However, Chelsea fans made light of the matter and became famous for singing one particular song to the tune of ‘Lord of the Dance’ for their captain and legend.

“Chelsea, wherever you may be, keep your wife from John Terry."

Here’s a video of another famous John Terry chant where the United fans mock him on his failure to convert a penalty in the final of the UEFA Champions League 2008.

#2 Rio and the drugs

Rio Ferdinand received an eight-month ban for missing a drug test in 2003.

Many may have forgotten, but Rio Ferdinand was a West Ham United player before he moved to Manchester United. In 2003, he failed missed a drugs test and was banned from playing.

Incidentally, when his team faced his former club he was subjected to much heckling and chanting. The best was one sung to the tune of Duran Duran’s ‘Rio’ and this is how it went:

“His name is Rio and he watches from the stand”.

#1 Pundit turned manager

Alan Shearer was appointed manager of former club Newcastle United in April 2009.

Newcastle United supporters seemed very unforgivable after what they chanted about one of their greatest players Alan Shearer. He left his job as a football pundit on Match of the Day to return to his former club as manager.

Unfortunately for him and the club, his tenure as manager was a disaster and the Magpies were relegated to the second division. Newcastle supporters didn’t take too kindly to their fate at the hands of Shearer and expressed their ire in song:

"You should have stayed on the telly".

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