More than bragging rights at stake as new era beckons

SOCCER ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester United v Manchester City:Due to the massive recent investment in the club, Manchester City seem poised to provide a real challenge, at last, to their vaunted local rivals

THERE IS something even worse than watching your most hated adversary challenge for world domination – and win – while your own club struggles to survive in shallow waters. Manchester City followers know what that is. It is to witness your despised neighbour turn away from the traditional rivalry and look elsewhere for worthy foes.

It is galling not to be considered worth hating. But, perhaps, not surprising. Manchester City failed to win a derby match – home or away – throughout the entire 1990s, a period when Manchester United were establishing themselves as not just the best team in the city, but one of the top club sides in the world.

Liverpool, Leeds, Chelsea and Arsenal have all competed since the formation of the English Premiership for United’s animosity and ill-will; however, long before Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived last year with wads of cash, the blue side of Manchester had begun, once again, to make it difficult for United supporters to ignore them.

In their 15 league meetings since the turn of the century, City have won five, including a 2-1 victory in February 2008 at Old Trafford, their first victory in the home of their foes since Denis Law’s famous backheeled effort.

In surely the most memorable Manchester derby, Law’s cheeky score in April 1974, secured a 1-0 victory for City over the club he had served for more than a decade. Thinking his goal had relegated United – though it subsequently transpired even a draw would have sent them down – Law didn’t celebrate, and, substituted immediately afterwards, trundled off head bowed. He didn’t play another league match, and that August, the 34-year-old announced his retirement from the game.

The game was marred by a pitch invasion by the humiliated home supporters, who forced its premature end. The result stood, however, and The Irish Times commented the following Monday that, “one result of the Old Trafford scenes is that the decision to fence in soccer fans looms closer. With the Manchester incidents following so closely on the trouble at Newcastle last month, fencing now seems the only solution to prevent similar pitch invasions. .”

If the derby meetings left the fans hot under the collar, they merely reflected the confrontations on the field – from George Best’s horrendous leg-breaking challenge on Glyn Pardoe in 1970, to Roy Keane’s equally ill-timed, stomach-churning tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland more than three decades later.

The one-sided nature of the results, however, impacted on the significance of the meetings – at least for one set of supporters.

Manchester United have averaged one trophy each season for the past two decades. Manchester City last won a major title in 1976 – the League Cup.

This weekend’s meeting, however, appears to have a flavour more akin to the meetings in the old First Division. With the renaissance at Manchester City well under way, the two sides have not looked as evenly matched since their clash in March, 1968, when United were marching towards European Cup glory.

What was surely the greatest ever Manchester City side took a massive step towards their first top-flight league title in more than 30 years (and their second and last to date) by winning 3-1 – through George Heslop, Colin Bell and Francis Lee – at Old Trafford, with George Best claiming the consolation score.

City eventually finished two points clear of United. Remarkably, between them, Bell and Lee scored 18 times in Manchester derbies.

Manchester City fans have been waiting for a long time to feel they are, once again, behind a team capable of matching their rivals in every part of the field – and on the league table.

In the last derby meeting, Cristiano Ronaldo stole the headlines by leaving no one in any doubt as to his displeasure at being substituted an hour into the game which United won 2-0, through goals from Ronaldo – who was sent off in the previous derby – and Carlos Tevez.

Both are no longer United players, though Tevez, if he shakes off a knee problem in time, will make an appearance, this time for City, alongside Stephen Ireland and Shay Given.

“There will be an extra edge to this game, there is no doubt about that,” said Ireland. “Carlos Tevez coming here and some of the things that have been said this summer may even sharpen that edge.

“There is bound to be plenty of banter before the match and in the stands at Old Trafford though I would like to think that there will be a definite line that will not be crossed. Derby games are great; the nerves beforehand, the build-up, the fans.”

With the Irish connection at United, there has, of course, been an Irish presence on the pitch in almost every Manchester derby,

And two Irishmen contributed to one of the most memorable meetings.

United arrived at Maine Road in November, 1993 in the wake of their exit from Europe at the hands of Galatasaray. Bars of Turkish Delight and chants referring to their surrender of a 2-0 lead greeted the United team’s entry on to the pitch. Two Niall Quinn headers turned the taunts to ecstasy.

But the irony of the chants could not have been lost on the home fans forced to witness an Eric Cantona double and a late Roy Keane strike, which took all the spoils for the United.

A year later, United again humiliated City, this time 5-0 at Old Trafford, with Andrei Kanchelskis – who would briefly wear the colours of Manchester City in 2001 – claiming a hat-trick.

The result helped ease the memory of a 5-1 thrashing by City in 1989, a game that famously led to Alex Ferguson reportedly going straight home to bed.

Still, nothing can deflect from the feeling in Manchester that a new era is opening up in the history of derby meetings. It’s a long way from Newton Heath (the future Manchester United) versus West Gorton (the future Manchester City) in 1881, which the Heathens won, 3-0.