Filed under: Shout Out
The rivalry between Liverpool FC and Manchester United, England’s 2 biggest clubs in terms of success (with 33 league titles and 7 european cups between them), great players (George Best, Kenny Dalglish, Bryan Robson, Ian Rush etc) and their rich history, is one of incomparable and intense hatred shared between both sets of supporters. It is a hatred that has been steadily brewing for the past 4 decades and has escalated tremendously in recent times, especially with the resurgence of Man United as a football force in the 90s.
The ‘Busby Babes’
It all began with the dominance of Man United in the 1950s with Matt Busby’s young team ( the ‘Busby Babes’ as they were known) led by the legendary Duncan Edwards, which played swashbuckling football sweeping all before them in England and Europe. Then tragedy struck in 1958 when the plane carrying the team crashed after a third failed attempt to take off, killing 8 of the Busby Babes including Edwards. It is a tragedy that would not only set back Manchester United, but English football as a whole a few years with the loss of so many gifted young players. Busby survived and spent a decade rebuilding his team. Along with survivor Bobby Charlton, then later with the arrival of Denis Law and the prodigious talent of a certain Irish rebel turned superstar, Man United once again became a formidable force to be reckoned with, culminating in their European Cup victory in 1968. They became the first English team to achieve this feat establishing themselves as a giant in the continent.
The tragedy that took away so many young lives and the subsequent ‘rise and rebirth from the ashes’ had a romanticism attached to it which made Man United every neutral fan’s sentimental favourite.(as opposed to the media influenced phenomenon of the 90s which made hating Man United hip, resulting in the creation of the farce that is known as ABU, which is acronym for Anything But United.) That and the tradition for flamboyant football played in the right spirit created an aura about them which ensured that they remain to this day the best supported club in England. But soon after their European Cup triumph in1968, the club’s fortunes took a downturn, contributed by an ageing team and the retirement of Busby, and hit rock bottom in 1974 when they relegated to the old 2nd division. They would gain promotion in their first attempt, but would spent the next 2 decades, stuck in the dark ages, attempting in vain to reclaim the league title.
Bill Shankly- Liverpool Legend
Meanwhile, Liverpool FC would go on to emerge as the premiere English club under the guidance of Bill Shankly, then Bob Paisely and later Joe Fagan. Liverpool’s football though by no means a crowd pleaser was effective and efficient (yes it is true..Chelsea did not pioneer this dull form of football) . They were also the first English team to master the continental style of football, and led the English domination of the competition for 7 seasons running along with Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. In this time Liverpool had won the European Cup 4 times. They had also accumulated a record number of league titles which further dwarfed the achievements of Manchester United who at that time only had 7. Then in 1985, Liverpool were involved in a tragedy of their own at Heysel stadium in the European Cup final against Juventus. Liverpool fans breached a fence separating the 2 groups of fans, charging at the Italians and causing the retaining wall to collapse killing 39 people, mostly Italians in the process. Though Liverpool went on to win the tie, the victory was overshadowed by the tragedy which resulted in English clubs being banned from Europe for the next 6 years. England which had dominated the competition never really recovered from that till Man United won it again in 1999, in the process of completing a unique treble that season. Liverpool themselves went on to win it for the fifth time in 2005.
Liverpool FC-European Champions 1977
In the 70s and 80s, though Man United had very little success winning anything, and had to endure the ignominy of watching their northwestern counterparts establish themselves as the undisputed kings of English football, they were still regarded in general to be the biggest team in England due to their massive following and rich history with regards to the Munich air crash and their subsequent revival. This was something which stuck in the throats of Liverpool supporters. While Liverpool were in general regarded highly due to their great success, they never quite managed to match the glamaour of Manchester United whose traditions have been steeped in entertaining football and ‘magical’ players like George Best who caught the imagination of the public.
Heysel Disaster
The rivalry despite the opposing fortunes of both teams intensified to a point where it crossed all boundaries of moral acceptance resulting in contemptible behaviour from both sets of fans. Liverpool fans were known to unfurl banners, sing songs and create chants which mocked the tragedy of 1958, while Man United fans later responded in kind with references to the Heysel and Hillsborough disasters. This repugnant form of malicious goading is still evident today, even if it is only displayed by the minority. The most recent incidents which are cause for embarrassment, and which highlight that this situation is unlikely to improve any time soon, took place last year at Anfield when Liverpool beat Man United in a FA Cup tie. Man United fans in the away section were showered with human faeces and bottles of urine by Liverpool fans who occupied the upper tier. Then later the ambulance carrying Alan Smith who had broken his leg and dislocated his ankle, was pelted by stones and almost overturned by a group of reprehensible Liverpool fans who screamed taunts like “Munich scum”. It must also be noted though that vast majority of Liverpool fans did give Smith a standing ovation as he was stretchered off the pitch. Maybe there is hope yet.
Scouser vs Scouser
With Man United’s renewed dominance in the 90s, under the management of Alex Ferguson, catalysed by the arrival of one Eric Cantona in 1992, Liverpool FC found themselves in the shoes once occupied by their dreaded enemies, underachieving and watching their arch rivals establish themselves as the new kings of England. This ofcourse was till a certain Russian came along and changed the face of English football.But that’s irrelevant. Having not won the league title in 17 years themselves, (ever since the back pass rule was implemented or maybe that’s just sheer coincidence) and out of the running of this year’s championship, they will do everything to ensure Man United do not win one more to get closer to their own proud record of 18 league titles. The game at Anfield is a platform for them to try and dampen Man United’s title challenge as well as taking revenge for the 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford earlier this season. But at the end of the day, it is not simply about protecting records or winning championships when these 2 sides collide. It is about pride and basking in the satisfaction of getting one over the bitterest of rivals. In the overall scheme of things though, this is just another mini footnote in a rivalry through the ages between 2 northern neighbours.
-WUMmy
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the anti V brigade 