Every summer, as the fixtures for the upcoming season are released, football fans all over the country are scrolling through them looking for one game and one game only. The derby….
Whether your team are fighting for the title, involved in a relegation scrap or lost in mid-table mediocrity, there is no game more important in the footballing calendar. So why do we love our derbies so much? Why do they hurt so badly when they don’t go our way? And, most importantly, what makes a great derby?
Our hatred towards our nearest rivals is usually a prejudice that dates back to long before we can remember. The dislike of another club passed down between generations of fans. For example the rivalry between the two Manchester clubs dates back all the way to 1881. And yet, our feelings towards ‘the enemy’ don’t seem to get diluted with each passing generation. The local derby is still met with as much excitement and passion now as ever.
Still today there is a need for those bragging rights. Walking into an office on Merseyside, mixed with Liverpool and Everton fans, knowing that your team have proved their dominance over the local rivals at the weekend is quite a feeling. Sitting at your desk with the local bragging rights firmly secured for another few months at least.
But what makes a good derby? Over the last two weeks we have had two very good, yet very different, examples.
Two weeks ago Arsenal beat Tottenham 5-2 at the Emirates. Both teams attacked from the off and the game was blessed with excitement for the full 90 minutes. Even when Spurs went 2-0 up early on Arsenal never seemed out of the game and ended up levelling before half time. Having come back from two goals down the Gunners were in the ascendancy and ran out convincing winners in the end. ‘Total Football’ from beginning to end.
With 7 goals highlighting what was a feast of end to end attacking football, this North London derby surely had everything. Yet, last weekend, Newcastle and Sunderland offered a completely different (yet equally enjoyable) take on the derby.
At St James’ Park, excuse me, I mean the Sports Direct Arena, the Tyne-Wear derby was played out with a few ingredients which differed from its North London equivalent. Sunderland took the lead in the first half via a Nicklas Bendtner penalty. But Newcastle rallied and equalised in stoppage time through Shola Ameobi.
There wasn’t anything ‘Total Football’ about Bendtner’s penalty or Ameobi forcing an equaliser over the line from close range. But the importance of both goals resonated with their respective supporters just as much as a volley from 30 yards would have. Whereas Arsenal/Spurs focused on passing, possession, attacking football etc, Newcastle/Sunderland was about determination, hard work and ‘getting stuck in’. And ultimately, both were exhibitions of passion.
Even though it ended with just two goals, the Tyne-Wear game was full of talking points such as penalty decisions, yellow cards, red cards and the like. A big sliding tackle by Lee Cattermole or Cheik Tioté was met with almost as loud a reaction as a goal at the Emirates.
Of course what you want your particular derby to look like is down to personal preference. The two examples above are at very separate ends of the spectrum. Would it be greedy to want the best of both? A game full of hard work, tough tackles, skilful players and a bag full of goals? It probably doesn’t matter. Your local derby is going to be the best one for you as it’s the one that means the most, whether it’s North London, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Milan, Madrid or anywhere in between.
From the outside looking in these games probably shouldn’t matter that much. If Man United wins the league this season then will City winning the derby count for anything in the grand scheme of things?
In the long term, most likely not, but in the short term the derby means everything. Sometimes we can’t quite put a finger on why it means so much to us, but it does. City will savour their 6-1 win at Old Trafford for a long time to come. Well, at least until April 30th when the two sides meet again.
Regardless of the outcome of that game at the Etihad, United and City fans will be counting down the days until they meet their rivals again. Just like all respective football fans are.