At least twice a season Manchester grinds to a halt as its two footballing giants clash in battles that have repercussions at the highest level of the game.
While the derby has always stirred up passions in the city the emergence of the Blues as a major force in world football has transformed the dynamics of the fixture and given it an added splash of glamour.
Manchester-based poet Tony Walsh captured the essence on the crucial match in the last stanza of his poem commissioned by the BBC after the Citizens thrashed United 6-1 at Old Trafford.
“They’ll talk today of victory,
They’ll talk today of tension,
They’ll talk today of history,
And the chance to be a legend.”
Being a United supporter the 6ft 5in Walsh will not have good memories of the derby that influenced the poem, and was broadcast on BBC1’s Football Focus the following January.
Walsh, 48, who works under the stage name ‘Longfella’, spent 20 years working with the Manchester community in various principal officer roles.
Ahead of today’s game, in which a win for either side would see them take a three-point advantage over their rivals in the title-race, Walsh spoke to MM the intense rivalry and how City’s recent resurgence has upped the stakes on Derby Day.
“There’s always been a fierce rivalry between United and City regardless of which leagues the respective teams have been in at the time, but the fact that they’re both flying high adds a bit of spice,” he told MM.
“I like a friendly rivalry – we’ve got two top clubs and I’m looking forward to a great game.”
You can watch full poem, as shown on Football Focus, by clicking here.
Walsh’s next performance is at Rhymechester: Poets In The City at the Town Hall Tavern in Manchester, January 19.
Image courtesy of Sky Sports via YouTube, with thanks
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