I hate local derbies. I love local derbies.
Not sure there is anything better, short of winning silverware, than your team winning the bragging rights over local rivals.
For Aston Villa, there are no rivals more local than the Blues and there aren’t many derbies that divide the lines and split a city quite like this match does.
It brings out the best in many fans, the banter, the rivalry and the undying love for their club.
It also brings out the very worst in a minority on both sides but I’ll be damned if I waste my time and breath talking about those.
It’s a shame they exist because it brings shame on what should be – what is – a great and fierce rivalry where the battle should always be on the pitch.
Plenty of other derby games are important to their respective fans but they don’t have the same bite and fervour surrounding them.
He's been through a lot but Jonathan Fear continues to fight back – now he's raising
for #SupportingOurOwn
https://t.co/pgwpFS9xVX pic.twitter.com/wvYDsB7AhV
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) October 26, 2017
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TV always try to hype up the Manchester derby but really? Not a patch.
Rangers vs Celtic, fine, Newcastle vs Sunderland is pretty tasty as well, but most? They pale into insignificance compared to Villa vs Blues.
Bruce told the press that he’d not realised the intensity of this match until he moved to the area.
Then, when reminded we usually win, he laughs and says “Don’t!” As he rightly says, form goes out of the window because (cliche alert) derbies are the great leveller.
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We played Wolves recently, well, Wolves played, we didn’t really turn up. Bruce said after the match that we didn’t do enough off the ball, and he was right.
Wolves are also local rivals but losing to them didn’t smart quite the same way that losing to the Blues does.
Luckily – and please don’t let this tempt fate – we don’t lose to them very often.
Our team will have to be on their game, this will be a tough, physical game and they’ll have to do far more on and off the ball than they did against Wolves.
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They have proven a few times this season though, that they can battle. The Bolton game was a physical one not helped by a useless referee who offered no protection to our players from the constant assault from that team of carthorses.
We did have an incredibly shaky start to this new campaign but we are now on six wins, four draws and just three losses.
We have entered the top six and I see no reason, with the money spent and the quality of our squad, not to not stay there.
We should remain in contention for promotion throughout the rest of this season. Scrap that, we shouldn’t just remain in contention, we should be getting promoted.
The battle is on vsBlues, win that and the Wolves loss will be a distant memory, lose it and…. well, you just don’t think about losing against a local rival in a derby do you?
Until the next disaster fellow Villans. UTV
- Speaking of battles, Jonathan Fear forced his slightly battered body to complete a marathon, fundraising for the Aston Villa Foundation. You can donate HERE.
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