Terrace chants have been common since football began, the crowd often being cited as that mythical '12th man', spurring on the players to extra effort.
Go to any match with a decent-sized crowd and you'll hear shouting and co-ordinated songs, and there have been many such chants throughout the years.
We've put together a list of the best judging them on these five criteria:
- Originality
- Humour
- Durability (has it stood the test of time?)
- Ubiquity (have other clubs adopted it/changed the lyrics?)
- Power (that hairs-on-the-back-of-the-neck-
raising effect/also is it catchy?)
Here's our selection of the greatest. Don't agree? Let us know on Twitter and Facebook or in the comments below:
YOUR chants
Quiz
Explainers
- Why do West Ham fans sing I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
- Why do Liverpool fans sing You'll Never Walk Alone
- Why do Stoke fans sing Delilah
- From Beatlemania to Blue Moon: the link between football and music
We've gone for a balanced selection of club anthems, classic hymns, bawdy banter and all-out songs of worship, all of which have been sung high and mighty at a ground near you at some point.
The FFT editorial team discuss their personal favourite football chants
It was tough to whittle them down to just 50, but to whet your appetite here are two that were close and almost made the list...
1) Just can't get enough (Depeche Mode) - the Luis Suarez vintage; the song is also belted out at Celtic Park, among many other grounds.
2) God Save the Queen - sung badly by many an England fan over the years...
Thanks to the brilliant FanChants.com for the chants here.
