The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 57: The past of the national derby

"The Red Devils vs Liverpool derby has always been England's national derby. It's a clash between two giants, England's hottest battle, the most intense confrontation. It's a clash of muscles, a blow of bones, a fight of wills; it's a surge of passion, a spurt of blood, a burning flame; the two teams fight to the death not only for victory, but also for honor."

--Inscription

Ferguson knew that this was the biggest task he faced when challenging Liverpool away from home, and he knew that victory would mean a lot.

For Manchester United fans, how Ferguson directs the team to play this Red Devils game, the final outcome, the scene and the process are also their focus. Manchester United fans can accept failure, can accept a fair loss, but they hope that Manchester United can win, can defeat the arrogant enemy, and defeat this arrogant opponent.

Red Devils vs. Liverpool, a meeting between the two English giants, a meeting between the two English Red Devils.

Just hearing these two names will make the fans excited. Once they meet, there will be sparks flying and earth-shaking. Every time these two names are put together, the fans of both teams will always feel their blood boiling! Every match between them is a football event, a media carnival, and a hot spot for fans all over the world to be excited. Because this is a real Red Derby, the English national derby.

This is a true derby, transcending any confrontation between mortal enemies.

The significance of the Red Devils Derby is also the most famous in the world of football. The deep hatred between the two teams in history, the contradictions in reality, and the face-to-face conflicts are the driving force for them to fight with hatred and fighting spirit. Every time the two teams play, conflicts will inevitably break out, hot scenes, classic tactics, fierce confrontations, and the decision of victory or defeat... In an environment where the hatred between the two sides is full, in the confrontation and conflict of the fans, there is often a bloody passion.

Why is the Red Devils vs. Liverpool the real national derby?

In the long history of English football, Manchester United and Liverpool are the two real bosses. Although they do not almost monopolize the league championship like their old friends in the Scottish Premier League or Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga, these two clubs are still the most successful of all clubs. Whether it is honorary trophies, historical heritage, or the number of fans and reputation, they have always been the absolute leaders in the field of football in the British Isles and the two giants that have been prosperous in European football for a long time.

In the long stream of time, these two clubs have reached the peak at different times and led the crowd. To some extent, their competition is the main focus of the more than 100 years of English football history. Both red teams have established dynasty rule. You have won 19 championships, and I have won 18 championships; you have won the European Cup 3 times, and I have won the Champions League 6 times... You have the "Theatre of Dreams Old Trafford", and I have the "Temple of Anfield"; you have the magical reversal in 1999, and I also have the incredible 2005 big reversal to win the championship; you have the godfather of football Busby, and I have Shankly who I look up to; you have the phoenix nirvana after the "Munich Air Crash", and I have the souls of the two major tragedies waiting to rest and mourn; you have George Best, Charlton, Cantona, Beckham, and I have Ian Rush, Dalglish, Keegan, and Gerrard; you have the 92 golden generation, and I also have the boot room tradition...

These two top clubs in England have always been in sharp opposition, their hatred for each other is as fierce as fire, and they will not give up any opportunity to attack each other. They always regard each other as the biggest enemy and the strongest opponent, always hoping to step on each other and teach each other a lesson viciously.

Where does the deep and irreconcilable hatred between the two clubs come from?

The answer comes from history, from the competition between the cities where the teams are located, and from the fierce and life-and-death battles in history.

Manchester, where the Red Devils are located, and Liverpool, where the Liverpool FC are located, are both important cities in the north of England, only about 40 kilometers apart. The two cities began to build cities at different times and developed in different circumstances. There was no conflict at the beginning. After entering the 20th century, the two cities began to form conflicts of interest, and the contradictions naturally arose because of the economy. Historically, Liverpool is one of the most famous ports in the UK. The port trade has been very prosperous for a long time, and the economy has always been relatively developed. The British Industrial Revolution gave Liverpool the best opportunity. As the most important port in the north, they controlled the import and export of industrial products of the empire and raw materials of various colonies, and quickly developed into an important economic center. Manchester cultivated and strengthened the cotton textile industry during the Industrial Revolution, and won the reputation of "World Factory" and "World Cotton Capital". It developed rapidly and wealth rushed in. The two cities have a close relationship. Manchester is very dependent on Liverpool's port transshipment, and Liverpool's wealth is also brought by Manchester's imports and exports. This relationship did not last long. The city of Liverpool soon began to impose heavy tariffs on merchant ships entering and leaving the port, which made Manchester factory owners overwhelmed and they began to build a large canal directly to the open sea.

By the end of the 19th century, the Manchester Canal was opened in the UK, and ships could bypass Liverpool Port and reach Manchester directly. Manchester got rid of Liverpool, a "parasite". This became the omen and source of Liverpool's decline. Manchester also became the object of their jealousy, and the Grand Canal became the focus of Liverpool people's curses. Someone shared this experience: "No matter who is a Liverpool person, whether he is a Liverpool fan or not, if you want to win his favor, the universal way is to curse the Grand Canal first, which works every time."

Economic conflicts sparked the confrontation between the two cities. Manchester became the second largest city in the UK and the economic center of the north, and its economic strength surpassed Liverpool. Although Liverpool became the "European Cultural Capital" and its port economy began to radiate inland and regain vitality, the conflicts between the two places have not been resolved, and emotional clashes are everywhere.

Manchester is one of the most unpredictable cities in the UK. It is very common for it to rain three or four times a day and have three or four sunny days at the same time. The great writer Scott used "Manchester weather" to describe the mentality of women. Manchester people are sensitive and sharp, and they can turn against each other at any time, just like the weather. Liverpool is close to the ocean and has a more stable climate than Manchester, but Liverpool fans are just as extreme.

Manchester is a traditional inland English national city, absolutely loyal to the Queen, and proud of being a citizen of the British Empire. Liverpool is a city dominated by Irish immigrants, where a large number of merchants and ship owners gather. The appearance of the citizens of the two places is very different. Manchester is hard-working and industrial, and the working class constitutes the main body of society. The earliest players of the Red Devils were railway workers, and the fans were working class. The players on the Liverpool side were mainly merchants and ship workers, but many of the fans were businessmen with flashy lives. Naturally, there was no goodwill between the two teams. The accents of Liverpool people are different, mixed with many Irish and Scottish accents, which makes them look quite different. In British proverbs, there is also a word "scouse" to ridicule "Liverpool people". At this stage, the composition of the residents of the two cities has become complicated, but the Red Devils and Liverpool people are still easily distinguished, and their inner hostility has never diminished.

There are also conflicts between the two cities in religion. Liverpool is a Catholic city - most new immigrants believe in Catholicism, while Manchester people believe in the Church of England - Protestantism like most cities in the UK. This difference also adds fuel to the hatred and conflict between the Red Devils fans and Liverpool fans.

Liverpool fans have always looked down on the Red Devils. They even look down on all British people except those in London. Liverpool has always been famous for its culture and is known as the cultural capital of Europe. It has made outstanding achievements in literature, music, singing and dancing, and drama. Liverpool's art performances and bars are particularly famous. Many British people, including Europeans, come here to spend the weekend. In the 80s and 90s, Liverpool was "hedonistic" and local girls would wear sexy evening dresses to go clubbing, which was a grand sight. Bobby Ditcher, the girlfriend of Arsenal captain Adams, once exclaimed: "The girls there are so amazing. Even when it snows heavily on Christmas, they will wear bikinis!" Manchester is an industrial city with a cold and hard tradition. It was only after the new century that it vigorously developed creative industries and high-end service industries. Because of the strong performance of the Red Devils and Manchester City, watching games at the stadium and gathering in bars have become the pleasure of tourists. The two cities continue to confront each other, showing different singing and dancing and feasting, and the fans of the two clubs are not giving in.

Both cities have made great achievements in music. Liverpool is the birthplace of rock music, and the great "Beatles" band originated from here. Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr all started from the "Cave Bar" in Liverpool, starting a new era and capturing more fanatical Liverpool fans. Liverpool's team song "You'll Never Walk Alone" is very popular in Europe and the United States and has great charm. Manchester is another important city of rock music, with a stronger heavy metal color, obvious industrial style, and more doomsday ideas. The band "Oasis" has a strong Manchester City characteristic, and the "Rock Roses" band, the resident band at Old Trafford, is the banner of the Red Devils fans, inspiring the Red Devils to move forward bravely and rush forward.

Economic competition, religious confrontation, ethnic differences, industrial divisions, differences in fashion, cultural dislocation, and the struggle for discourse power... This is the competition between Manchester and Liverpool. In the Middle Ages, the confrontation between Lancashire and Yorkshire would be resolved through war. In modern society, the derby wars between cities take place on the football field.

The two cities' most outstanding representatives of competitive sports, the Red Devils and Liverpool, are competing against each other in this national derby, which must determine the winner.

Every Liverpool fan hates the Red Devils, and vice versa, but the Red Devils fans' hatred is accompanied by a bit of contempt and a special kind of pride. Liverpool fans' resentment may not be because the Red Devils are too successful, or because of the resentment of the century-long confrontation, but rather because the Red Devils players and coaches have a unique temperament, that is, the kind of pride that they are the best and no one can suppress them. These guys from the Red Devils are not humble at all, and always want to let people know that they are the best, which makes it even harder to accept.

This deep-rooted arrogance hurts Liverpool fans the most. In fact, before Ferguson coached the Red Devils, Liverpool was more successful than the Red Devils in terms of club performance, and the Red Devils could not surpass it at all. Liverpool did not have a very glorious period in history, but after Shankly became the head coach of Liverpool in 1959, the club became extremely brilliant. Since 1977, they have won the European Cup four times and are the "King of Europe" who swept all directions. However, even if Liverpool dominates Europe, the Red Devils are still proud. Even in the downfall after Busby retired, the Red Devils dared to declare their uniqueness, even if they were relegated to the second division. Liverpool enjoys all the respect, but they still think that the Red Devils are the favored children.

why?

It’s just because before Liverpool, the Red Devils’ success was so dazzling, so brilliant that Liverpool became jealous and hateful.

Busby's children, the rebirth of the Munich air disaster, the revival like a phoenix nirvana, the first to reach the top of the Champions League, the Golden Ball Awards for three superstars, Charlton's World Cup championship...all of these are proclaiming the legend of the Red Devils and the great achievements of this club.

This is also why the Red Devils have the qualification to never bow to Liverpool at any time. The Red Devils fans always firmly believe that "only we Red Devils are the most legendary club and the greatest team in this country."