New age football fan

London football supporters are middle-class "prawn sandwich" fans who spend thousands of pounds a year on gym memberships, foreign holidays and gardening.

Modern followers of the working class game like Tolkien, the Scissor Sisters and books about punctuation, according to a report out today.

It also reveals the gap between North and South. While London fans spend most on hotels, hair cuts and clothes, followers of Bolton Wanderers are the biggest camping and caravanning enthusiasts.

The report, for Premiership sponsor Barclays, paints a picture of a typical supporter far from the "pie and Bovril" working-class image. It will back the reputation of London crowds as passionless "suits".

Fulham supporters spent the most on clothes, an average of £746 a year. They were followed by Chelsea and Arsenal, with Bolton, perhaps surprisingly, in fourth place.

Supporters also spend huge amounts keeping fit. Arsenal fans pay out the most, at £540 a year, followed by Charlton, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. Among Premiership fans as a whole, £95 a year is spent on haircuts, although 20 per cent said they never visited hairdressers.

Manchester United fans do not score highly on many of the key spending categories. They are only sixth place in the fashion league, spending an average of £673 on clothes each year - and are only the eighth biggest spenders on mobile phones, with a bill of £466.

The most popular CD was Keane's Hopes And Fears. The fans' favourite DVD overall was The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

Astonishingly, the favourite book was Lynne Truss's punctuation guide Eats, Shoots And Leaves.