THE Derby

[ElephantBlade]

I think it's a load of bollocks when they try ranking football rivalries by order of "intensity".
Someone who supports Celtic/Rangers or Newcastle/Sunderland cannot tell me that they hate their rivals more than I hate the Pigs, or what they feel inside is stronger when they win or lose.

In my subjective world, a derby in my home city is the biggest deal on earth.

Nailed it.

 

[SwissBlade]

Can you put up a link that defines 'actual derby' please?

This is the thing, its a personal definition of what i believe an actual Derby is.

 

[SteveBlade]

Derby a football match between two teams from the same area.

An area is a particular part of a town, a country, a region, or the world.

World: The earth, together with all of its countries and peoples.

 

[SwissBlade]

I think the rivalry has also grown as time has gone on. I've heard stories about coaches of mixed support leaving Sheffield for Wembley for the FA semi in 93 and fans of both teams spending the day together. Not a chance would that happen now. The met would have such a difficult job on their hands if us and pigs ever met at Wembley again.

Yeah I was on a coach like that, it was a really good laugh, banter all the way down. Shite journey back, mind

One of the blades on our coach had packed his own sandwiches, He'd apparently got his missus to make them and put them in the fridge. When he picked them up in the morning he just took the bag out and stuck it in his rucksack.

Halfway down the M1 were heard a few swear words, thinking he'd put the wrong word in his crossword the bus fell silent in anticipation. Turns out that he'd picked up the Sunday joint of meat and not his sandwiches!

 

[The Crab]

In terms of the game we think it will be..................


But they usually turn out like

 

[Booker4]

Good post. I would add a couple.

Southampton / Portsmouth is a very fierce rivalry but doesn't get much mainstream attention and they haven't played much I years.

Cardiff / Swansea very similar to the above too.

Aye forgot South Wales. Very strong, although as with the south coast rivalry, as they live in separate places. I doubt its as hard to face them when you lose a derby as there are less mixed communities.

 

[Booker4]

Burnley and Blackburn reckon to hate each other as well I believe.

I think the wankest rivalry is between Brighton and Crystal Palace. Nobody really cares about either of them so they chose eachother. Bless.

The crapest rivalries are when one hates the other and the other doesn't care! Palace and Brighton might be a very odd rivalry but they do seem to really dislike each other. Leeds on the other hand consider Man U they'e biggest game, and Man U don't really care about Leeds, unless they're in competition for winning the league as they were in 92.

 

[Booker4]

What's this Spurs v Arsenal supping together about? I've never heard of or seen this.

I'd suggest that if you talked to the hardcore support of any club about their local rivals you'll find they hate each other like we hate the pigs, be it Brum/Villa, Arsenal/Spurs, Millwall/West Ham or even Southampton/Pompey.

Ours is a great derby, ferocious, but what does it matter whether it's the most intense? The only thing that we should care about is being the best at football, the rest is just compensatory trivia.

Aye I was surprised re the North London clubs. Just out if interest, are there likely to be pubs that show the game that have both sets of fans openly watching the game? I've never watched a Sheffield derby from the pub to be honest! Either been to the game or would listen to it on Radio Sheffield.

 

[penthouseblade]

Good post. I would add a couple.

Southampton / Portsmouth is a very fierce rivalry but doesn't get much mainstream attention and they haven't played much I years.

Cardiff / Swansea very similar to the above too.

Don't forget the M69 derby, Coventry City v Leicester City, tin hats on for that bad boy!!

 

[Beat Jedi]

I think the rivalry has also grown as time has gone on. I've heard stories about coaches of mixed support leaving Sheffield for Wembley for the FA semi in 93 and fans of both teams spending the day together. Not a chance would that happen now. The met would have such a difficult job on their hands if us and pigs ever met at Wembley again.

Yes I remember the mixed coaches. I think it would happen again in similar circumstances cos u get pubs in the suburbs with mixed clientele putting coaches on. I'm from Dronfield and know some pubs there put coaches on and some were mixed. Plus you got a lot of people going to that match who don't usually go so not hardcore fans.

I got myself into Sheffield and went with the Sportsman cos no way I was going on a coach with any pigs on it.

 

[BushBlade]

Aye I was surprised re the North London clubs. Just out if interest, are there likely to be pubs that show the game that have both sets of fans openly watching the game? I've never watched a Sheffield derby from the pub to be honest! Either been to the game or would listen to it on Radio Sheffield.

I don't know tbh, I'm in west London and I don't know north London that well. Both clubs though are a bit like London's Man U, quite gentrified, so maybe in some of the posher parts it might happen. I can't see it tbh, unless they're all plastics who don't care. I watched the league cup semi with a couple of close mates and even then, it got a bit tense. And I'm soft as shit.

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

As far as the Derby is concerned, I think The Pentagon is a worthy favourite at this early stage. Saxon Warrior from the same yard also looks likely to make up into a smart middle-distance colt. The Ballydoyle horse I don't rate is Gustav Klimt - don't think he's good enough nor is he a likely stayer. Expert Eye is quoted by a number of firms but he's not bred to get the trip although the Guineas distance should be well within his compass. The one that looks interesting at bigger odds is Emaraaty from the John Gosden yard. He really caught the eye first time out at Sandown and is likely to get at least ten furlongs next year. He runs in a maiden at Newbury this Saturday and the 50/1 currently available with Bet365 for Epsom might look pretty big by Saturday evening.

As for our derby, I'll be there and I'm optimistic. Anybody else got tickets for the South Stand? If so, how will we recognise each other?

 

[Hodgyman]

All that and not one tip eh?

Of course there is a tip. It's where the game is on Sunday!

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I reckon that the Sheffield derby is the fiercest in the country outside of the old firm.

It's certainly fierce. I think when you add religion to the mix it gets even more fierce. As in Celtic (Catholic) and Rangers (Protestant) or Liverpool (Protestant) and Everton (Catholic) or Hibs (Catholic) and Hearts (Protestant).

We don't have that religious element in the mix. We just have Wednesday (arrogant) and Blades (humble).

 

[Garibaldi]

Another Derby worth mentioning is Stoke v Port Vale. That whole bloody area is just plain weird, made up of the 6 towns and all that, but a mate of mine was at North Staffs Poly in the 80s and went along to one, said the atmosphere was one of pure hatred.
It's probably more comparable to the Bristol derby than ours but thought it was worth a mention.
Oh yeah, and worst rivallry for me has to be Palace and Brighton. No comparison to a proper 2-team city derby.

 

[WhiteHawk]

We've got a Scunthorpe fan at work and apparently them & Grimsby absolutely detest each other.

 

[Steve Mackan]

It's certainly fierce. I think when you add religion to the mix it gets even more fierce. As in Celtic (Catholic) and Rangers (Protestant) or Liverpool (Protestant) and Everton (Catholic) or Hibs (Catholic) and Hearts (Protestant).

We don't have that religious element in the mix. We just have Wednesday (arrogant) and Blades (humble).

Could argue Wednesday (Beres) Blades (Chip Butty). Although I'm partial to bot.h

 

[1066blade]

Another Derby worth mentioning is Stoke v Port Vale. That whole bloody area is just plain weird, made up of the 6 towns and all that, but a mate of mine was at North Staffs Poly in the 80s and went along to one, said the atmosphere was one of pure hatred.
It's probably more comparable to the Bristol derby than ours but thought it was worth a mention.
Oh yeah, and worst rivallry for me has to be Palace and Brighton. No comparison to a proper 2-team city derby.

Simplistically, we could also include the broad brush of north/south. Although not definite, generally most pigs are from the north of the city, Blades from the south. I myself buck the trend, originally from the inner city ( total mix of red and blue) moved to the northern suburbs, 90% blue. It wasn't an easy ride being a young Blade, everyday confrontation and bullying abuse. I have lived on the south coast for 45 years now, as for Brighton and Palace, they haven't a clue as to what real rivalry is. It really is tough up North.

 

[nicksufc]

What sets ours apart for me is that, rose tinted specs removed, both teams are of a similar stature, yet paradoxically the fixture doesn't come about all that often because fluctuating fortunes dictate that we aren't always in the same division.

The result is a fixture which is rare enough to maintain its 'needle' every time but is nearly always evenly and fiercely contested.

I can't think of any other cities where this happens. Something to cherish really, although I like most will be shitting it until the final whistle on Sunday, and the outcome will dictate my mood for the rest of the week!

Think this is a key point as to why it's one of the top derbies in the country, along with a few other reasons:

- Our H2H record, although we edge it, is very tight overall. A lot of derbies are quite lopsided in that respect.

- We're similarly-sized clubs with similar levels of support - right now we're both in the same division and averaging about the same. Again, this isn't the case for a lot of derbies.

- Being an intercity derby in a football-mad city is something that a lot don't have. The United/Wednesday divide splits offices, families and schools in a way I couldn't imagine the Tyne-Wear derby doing, for instance

Of course everyone will say their derby is the best, but the Sheffield one has some unique selling points!

 

[FATTYFOULKE]

Simplistically, we could also include the broad brush of north/south. Although not definite, generally most pigs are from the north of the city, Blades from the south. I myself buck the trend, originally from the inner city ( total mix of red and blue) moved to the northern suburbs, 90% blue. It wasn't an easy ride being a young Blade, everyday confrontation and bullying abuse. I have lived on the south coast for 45 years now, as for Brighton and Palace, they haven't a clue as to what real rivalry is. It really is tough up North.

90% blue? When you say northern suberbs are you talking Barnsley? North Sheffield generally is more pigs I would guess, such as South more Blades. But there's no way either side of the city is 90% one way or the other.

 

[WhiteHawk]

Rangers v Celtic this weekend aswell, and West Ham v Tottenham. Wimbledon v MK Dons tonight too.

 

[Wapping Blade]

We've got a Scunthorpe fan at work and apparently them & Grimsby absolutely detest each other.

Scunny Donny is tasty.

 

[super_pig]

I think the rivalry has also grown as time has gone on. I've heard stories about coaches of mixed support leaving Sheffield for Wembley for the FA semi in 93 and fans of both teams spending the day together. Not a chance would that happen now. The met would have such a difficult job on their hands if us and pigs ever met at Wembley again.

there was a report kicking around saying that ours was the most intense derby after the old firm based on cards, arrests, goals etc

 

[blade too long]

 

[super_pig]

90% blue? When you say northern suberbs are you talking Barnsley? North Sheffield generally is more pigs I would guess, such as South more Blades. But there's no way either side of the city is 90% one way or the other.

it's not 90 percent but there is a definite north/south split.. put it this way, i wouldn't leave a car with a pig badge on it on Woodseats bottom on friday night. same as i wouldn't leave mine in Walkley for the same reason