Derby
day. Whether Tyne-Wear, split by Stanley Park or across the Black Country, it’s
the 180 minutes of football no fan really looks forward to every season. Until
it’s over that is. The week leading up to a derby match is filled mainly with
dread, nervous excitement and bravado, climaxing with the result.
Pride
has just as a big say in it: whoever’s on the losing end has to face the
barrage of social media and text abuse from friends, as well as turning into work
the next day and burying their head in their laptop to avoid the goads of fans
victorious. Naturally, if the boot’s on the other foot it’s one of the sweetest
three points the Premier League has to offer. A lot is at stake.
This
Sunday is the 166th Manchester derby: it’s all change in the
dug-outs, with both sides having appointed new managers. With David Moyes and
Manuel Pellegrini each experiencing derby day for the first time, there’s an
extra air of heightened uncertainty lingering around Manchester. Although it’s
still early days in the 2013-14 season things couldn’t be tighter table-wise,
with the two clubs locked on seven points and City just edging it with a
superior goal difference.
