Liverpool - United : The Bloody Red Rivalry

Charles Darwin once prophesized that the struggle for supremacy is and will always remain a vital part of human evolution. Well, it is no different in the North-West region of England. If there’s any fixture that can get as fierce and feisty as La Liga’s El Classico, it’s the North West Derby. Two clubs that define English football, two clubs that have completely dominated the history of English football, go head-to-head in a gripping clash at Anfield. A rivalry of the ideologies, economies, cultures and pretty much everything that separates the two cities. A rivalry so intense that players and managers, alike, get goosebumps by the mere mention of it. A fixture where heroes are made, a fixture where one mistake makes you the villain in the eyes of your own fans. Let’s rewind back in time, highlighting some of the historic moments that shaped the rivalry.


The root of all the hatred
Believe it or not, it was the industrial revolution (YES, that’s right) that ignited the fire of the hatred that know burns brightly in the heart of every Scouser and Manc. During this time, both were competing with each other for supremacy of the north-west, with Manchester famous for its manufacturing prowess while Liverpool was famous for the importance of its port. Once the Manchester Ship Canal was built, ships could bypass Liverpool and transport goods directly into Manchester. The Ship Canal was an audacious project and upon completion in 1894 it was the longest man-made ship canal in the world. The Ship Canal meant less dues for Liverpool merchants which consequently resulted in job losses at the Port and resentment from the local people of Liverpool. Furthermore, the crest of Manchester United includes a ship representing the Manchester Ship Canal and reflects Manchester's trade roots. Fascinating.


Football adds the fuel to the fire
The best way to test the real extent of human friendship- pit them against each other on a football pitch. With the title of “The Greatest English Football Club” at stake, the already existent foe-lationship got even fiercer. The domination of English football can be represented by a sinusoidal wave, with Liverpool dominating the scene in the 1970s and 1980s winning the league 11 times and the European Cup 4 times. Manchester United’s period of domination began with the introduction of a certain Sir Alex Ferguson in 1986 and has continued till now. Since then, they have won the league title a record twelve times, a European Continental treble (European Cup, the Premiership and the FA Cup) in 1999, two domestic doubles and The European Double of the Premier League and European Cup in 2008.

The teams have met in four major cup finals; the FA Cup in 1977 and 1996, and the League Cup in 1983 and 2003. Both the clubs have shared the spoils, with United winning both FA Cup final meetings in pulsating encounters, and Liverpool coming out on top in the League Cup meetings.


Public Display of Emotions
The players and managers of both teams definitely do not have the word diplomacy in their dictionaries. Their emotions which include, mostly bitterness and despicableness, come out in all forms, be it chants, quotes, banners or gestures.



With Manchester United winning a record-breaking 19th title this season, Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous comment comes to mind
“My greatest challenge is not what’s happening at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f**king perch. And you can print that.”

In 1994, after a thrilling 3-3 encounter between the two, the Kop unfurled a banner that read "Au revoir Cantona, come back when you've got 18 titles". United fans did not forget this. 15 years later, when United equaled Liverpool’s record of 18 league titles, they travelled to Anfield with Cantona masks and beach balls (Mocking the infamous beach ball goal Liverpool conceded against Sunderland)




Wayne Rooney, being an Everton Youth Academy product, hasn’t refrained from publicly expressing his hatred for the red half of the Merseyside .

Liverpool’s very own Mr.Liverpool, Steven Gerrard, in one of the documentaries, pointed out that that there were no Manchester United shirts in his collection and that he would never have one of them in his house. Gerrard wrote in his autobiography– “during 90 minutes of football, I want United to die.”




It got really ugly at times too.
Kop fans openly mocked the Munich air tragedy in their chant:“Who's that lying on the ruuunway? Who's that lying in the snow? It's Matt Busby and the boys, making all the fucking noise, cause they couldn't get the aeroplane to go! “

United fans decided to take revenge with their own chant ridiculing the Hillsborough tragedy:

“Who's that choking on their vomit? Who's that turning fucking blue? It's a scouser and his mate, crushed behind the Hillsborough gates, and they won't be singing Munich anymore!”



In 2006, when a late Rio Ferdinand header gave United a bitter victory over their rivals, Gary Neville celebrated by kissing the United badge right in front of the Kop fans and shouting profanities at them. While Jamie Carragher publicly criticized Neville’s actions and claimed that he ‘crossed the line’, United fans regarded this as an act of loyalty and sang to the tune of ‘London Bridge is falling down’:

“Gary Neville is a red, is a red, is a red. Gary Neville is a red. He hates Scousers!”

The 30-mile journey that can’t be made

The rivalry is so intense that there has been no direct transfer between the two clubs since Phil Chisnell, who joined Liverpool from United way back in 1964. In 2007, Liverpool approached United with a bid for Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze and the player had publicly opened the doors for the move. The fans regarded this as an insult to the club and Heinze became a target of hatred. Sir Alex blocked the move and the Argentine was eventually sold to Real Madrid.


The two clubs have arguably the most overwhelming fan-base across the globe , which makes the rivalry global, so it won’t be surprising if you see an Asian United fan and an African Kop fan arguing away to glory. The passion the fans have for their club, it freaks some people out. They take the insults and criticisms personally. Two of my friends are Liverpool supporters and we manage to remain at peace thanks to an agreement which bans all forms of banter. :D

Summer of 2011

In a month or two the transfer window will open and we would welcome another new season of some exciting football for the year 2011-12. Firstly this transfer window which opens effectively from June 1 and closes on midnight of august 31. Well there a few clubs who would try their luck getting players who would match their profile and their style of play.

Starting with Barclays Premier League, recent years in BPL has seen the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City splashing money on several high profile players.

So lets get down to my club Manchester United first. United with the backing of Glazers who reportedly sanctioned Sir Alex Ferguson a war chest of 100 million pounds to dig deep into the summer signings, this looks like a sign that the headlines in the newspapers would be dominated by the red devils.

Firstly they need a good goalkeeper who has skills to replace the retiring Van Der Sar. Well it would be quite a burden for the incoming keeper to replace a legend like Van Der Sar, considering the fact that he has won so many titles for united even at the age of 38 when he famously stopped Anelka's penalty to give United their second CL title. well the players who are monitored for this role are Manuel Neuer , David De Gea, Gigi Buffon and Hugo Lloris. From my point of view going for Gigi is a waste of money as hes a shadow of his former self, plagued by injuries and loss of form and also keeping the age factor in consideration , gigi would not be a wise choice to fill the shoes of Van Der Sar. David De Gea got both age and experience on his side and he is already touted as a possible replacement for Iker Casilas in the spain national team.

Secondly they need a good centre halves, one who is a good defender as well as well composed. Vidic and Ferdinand are the obvious starters for the first team but they need to get some young talent like Steve Taylor, Rafael Toloi or even Giorgio Chiellini.

Coming to the midfield, they need to sign players of high quality like Javier Pastore, Paulo Henrique Ganso, Marek Hamsik and Jack Rodwell. They need to buy a couple of players to replace the aging duo of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.

United have one of the best forwards in the world with the likes of Rooney, Berbatov and Chicharito. It would be wise if United can land either Alexis Sanchez who is one the brightest stars in Serie A or Edin Hazard who has catapulted to fame thanks to his performances at Lille.

Coming to Chelsea, the club i hate the most :P this time we may expect a summer clearance with the likes of Zhirkov,Drogba,Bosingwa,Anelka leaving stamford bridge and the likes of players like pastore,hamsik coming to replace them. 

Arsenal need to sign a top class goalkeeper from the above mentioned list but Igor Akinfeev looks like the best bet for the gunners. He's got class and skills as well as playing for CSKA Moskow and Russia, he would be an ideal keeper for the gunners.

Liverpool are continuing their resurgence in BPL thanks to the surprise signings of Suarez and Carrol. A liverpool fan would be delighted if they can get couple of good players in summer and the fate of Alberto Aquillani is still undecided. The decisive factor for Liverpool to get some good players in  summer would be whether they can offer European football next season or not. Afellay seems to be courted by both Arsenal and Liverpool and hes ready to move to one them if barca doesnt offer him first team football next season.

Coming to the case of Totenham, "make hay when the sun shine" as the proverb says, Spurs must sell Bale for a reasonable price in summer so that they can go into the market to fund their own transfers.

In Bundesliga, Bayern have sacked their coach Van Gaal, and the entire team is in mess following a disappointing season where they will finish with an empty cabinet, a summer overhaul is on the cards. the areas of concern would be defense and the midfield for the bavarian giants.

Schalke are enjoying their best football ever, UCL semifinals for the first time in their history, although winning the tournament is the only way they can ensure that they will return to europe next season. With the legendary RAUL leading their attack up front, they are a force to beckon with. it will be interesting to see if they can hold on to their captain who is the subject to a move to either arsenal or united.

coming to La Liga, its pretty straight, Barca and Real Madrid are fighting to sign Cesc, and in recent weeks CR was subject to speculation linking him to a move to italy. It would be interesting to see how Valencia would play in the transfer market provided they lose two of their best wingers, Mata and Pablo Hernandez.

last but not the least, Serie A, Milan would like to sign Ibra on full time basis for 24 million euros, while Inter are plotting a raid over Machester City for Tevez. Juventus on other hand have been in crisis where nothing has worked out, and the much awaited signing of Krasic turned out to be a disaster for the club. Nedved who is a director at Juventus is insisting on an overhaul and the players most likely approached by Juventus in summer would be Arshavin, Bosingwa and Bastos. Roma on other hand would probably monitor the market and go for players who have the capability to replace a legend like Totti.