The 13 biggest derby clashes in the English football league.
With the Manchester derby on the horizon, we thought it would be a good idea to refresh your memories about where else in the country gets fired up with derby day fever. These 13 derbies are the biggest the country has to offer. Some are more aggressive than others, but make no mistake, they all have the potential for fireworks.
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13. Norwich City vs Ipswich Town
The ‘Old Farm’ derby is set to resume this season following Norwich’s return to the Chamnpionship. The only two major sides in East Anglia are bitter rivals despite being 50 miles apart, but because of that, these aren’t just two teams going at each other, but empires. These could be two spicy encounters this season as Norwich will be looking to bounce back straight to the Premier League, whilst Ipswich will be mounting their own challenge to get back to the top flight.
12. West Bromwich Albion vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
The Black Country derby is the West Midlands’s second biggest clash. The two sides are of similar size with similar histories, both vying for supremacy in the areas surrounding Birmingham. They hate each other more than they hate Aston Villa, but Albion’s attentions have turned to claret and blue following Wolves’ demotion down to League Two and the Championship.
11. Burnley vs Blackburn Rovers
Known locally as the Lancashire Hotpot, even the players get involved in this one and in 2008 Rovers midfielder David Dunn referred to Clarets fans as “dingles”. However, Burnley eventually got their revenge when Rovers were sent down and flew a plane with a banner over Ewood Park with a banner reading “In Venky’s we trust”. The ultimate revenge came last season, though, when Burnley ascended to the top flight, leaving Rovers to eat their dust.
10. Southampton vs Portsmouth
The two clubs are based in rival shipping towns, so their rivalry is based on over a century of hate. However, the two sides now have a shared hatred of Harry Redknapp to bind them together, thus pushing their dislike for one another on the back burner. Bar a draw in one of the cups, it’s unlikely that these two will come across each other anytime soon.
9. Swansea City vs Cardiff City
Until recently, away fans were banned from attending this fixture following an incident outside Swansea’s old Vetch Field in the late 80s. A hefty police presence often takes the threat of violence out of the event, but there is still la bubbling undercurrent of social and political discourse. However, last season’s encounters were historic events as it was the first time two Welsh side’s faced each other in the Premier League.
8. Newcastle United vs Sunderland
Some say the Tyne-Wear rivalry is really about the English Civil War, when Newcastle remained loyal to the crown and Sunderland sided with parliament. However, the two sets of fans have fallen foul to less regal clashes in recent years as a Newcastle fan was filmed punching a horse last season. The fire still burns in this one as just a few short years ago Magpies defender Steven Taylor received death threats for daring to suggest that a Sunderland player wouldn’t get in the Newcastle team.
7. Sheffield Wednesday vs Sheffield United
The Steel City derby is the world’s oldest football rivalry, and things got off to a rowdy start as a report from a 1862 fixture descended, quite naturally, into fisticuffs. Both sides have fallen on hard times in recent years, but it perhaps remains the most unfriendly derby outside the Premier League.
6. Nottingham Forest vs Derby County
Forest legend Stuart Pearce once said of Derby: “if they were the only club around I’d still rather go on the dole” highlighting that this rivalry is felt by the players just as much as it’s felt by the fans. The two clubs have shared players and managers ever since Brian Clough turned up at the old Baseball Ground and now that they are established as regular Championship sides they frequently tussle it out for supremacy in the East Midlands.
5. Liverpool vs Everton
Once regarded as the ‘friendly derby’ the two Merseyside clubs have gone a long way to undoing that tag as fixtures between the two have provided more red cars than any other game between two Premier League sides. However, there is still more respect between the clubs than hatred, and you get the feeling that they only really dislike each other on match day.
4. Manchester United vs Manchester City
For years City were forced to play catch up to their bigger brothers as they continued to dominate the domestic football landscape. However, following the injection of a bottomless pit of money on the blue half of the city this has become, in footballing terms, the biggest derby in the country.
3. Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
Since football started to become more middle class at the turn of the century, Spurs and Arsenal fans are now on an equal standing with each other. But there is still a huge gulf between them when it comes to matters on a match day as things that are mostly trivial to everyone else (i.e Sol Campbell) still serves as a cause for much anger and hurt 13 years down the line.
2. Aston Villa vs Birmingham City
The Second City derby is a game that so frequently gets overlooked by the rest of the country, but make no mistake these two clubs really hate each other. Games frequently bubble over into handbags and there has been a fair share of dismissals. Upon their rise to the top flight Blues had the edge on the encounters, but Villa eventually managed to claw their way back on top.
1. West Ham United vs Millwall
Millwall Athletic and Thames Ironworks were made up of dock workers from opposite sides of the river, competing for the same business, so it’s little wonder why there is such animosity between the two. Criminal elements began infiltrating the two groups in the 60s and 70s and the feeling of hatred still hasn’t left. As recently as 2009, when the two sides met in the League Cup, we saw the worst eruption of football violence in Britain for quite some time, the results left a man stabbed and a lot wondering if any of the trouble has to do with football at all.
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