Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterThe Den is a magnificent place to watch football. I imagine its a great venue to play at, too.Its a Guy Ritchie-directed, late 90s, flat-roof pub football club, soundtracked by Ocean Colour Scenes The Riverboat Song.Nowhere else in English football are you likely to hear, Lino, youre a c*** sung in unison during the first halffrom the Family Stand.Millwall is one of the last truly great places to watch proper footballAt very few grounds in English football do you walk through the crowds before kick-off and wonder, Is everyone here in the same WhatsApp group called What were wearing to the game?The chant of MILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL, if you can call it a chant or better still, a rebel yell, is an assault on the eardrums, despite there being less than 20,000 in the building. You may like Ex-Millwall owner Theo Paphitis on Millwall's 'scary' European adventure Newcastle United demonstrated the power of the twelfth man can Aston Villa overcome the empty North Stand? Bromley vs Leicester and 10 more things to look forward to in the EFL this season Theres an old-style, decommissioned London bus painted royal blue that stands outside. It serves Spitfire ale. They have a centre-half of six feet six who plays exactly as youd imagine. Even the commercial partners are proper working mans sponsors: Selhurst Timber and Builders Merchants, Masons Scaffolding - corrr, I've got splinters just thinking about them. Canary Wharf is visible above the Dockers Stand, and they f***ing love a tackle.Im not at The Den every week, but Ill bet the bloke who sits adjacent to the press box and shouts, They are f***ing pony, with the same frequency as the London Bridge to South Bermondsey service, is a regular, and local.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Plenty of teams - Leeds, Everton and Newcastle among them - might claim they run Millwall close in their Millwall-ness, but its exactly what the Premier League is missing, to its detriment.I know what youre thinking, 'Surely the EFL Family Club of the Year 2017 is a touch more welcoming than it was back in the old days?' Of course, that would be the correct assumption. Nothing is like the old days, but unlike other grounds, and some of Millwalls closest rivals, ahem, they at least retain some of the horribleness.In an age where football has become increasingly polished and corporate-ified, its redeeming to visit a stadium where it all feels authentic. Going in a box at The Den would feel wrong, and a waste of money. Paying more to miss out on the full experience? No, thanks.Even the press room, with its low ceiling, a discarded mannequin torso and worn Wetherspoons-like carpet, stippled with 'MFC' worked into the fabric, is like something out of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchants The Office.The Lions came close to promotion last season, defeated in the Championship play-offs by eventual winners Hull City. Theyve lost star man Femi Azeez and were soundly beaten 5-1 by Southampton earlier this season, so this term might not go as well as last.However, with six teams now making up the play-offs, and Millwall giving a near full-strength Newcastle side a good go in the Carabao Cup, theres every chance.TOPICSPremier LeagueChampionshipJoe DonnohueSocial Links NavigationSenior Digital WriterJoe joined FourFourTwo as senior digital writer in July 2025 after five years covering Leeds United in the Championship and Premier League. Joe's 'Mastermind' specialist subject is 2000s-era Newcastle United having had a season ticket at St. James' Park for 10 years before relocating to Leeds and later London. Joe takes a keen interest in youth football, covering PL2, U21 Euros, as well as U20 and U17 World Cups in the past, in addition to hosting the industry-leading football recruitment-focused SCOUTED podcast. He is also one of the lucky few to have 'hit top bins' as a contestant on Soccer AM. It wasn't a shin-roller.
