It is the season to be lairy. The festive fixture menu traditionally offers the meaty fare of the derby.
The British game is liberally sprinkled with them. These derby matches have aggression, spite and high energy. But they are imbued with the primal element of defending one’s territory.
In choosing the best British derbies, I have decided to place geography over rivalry. Liverpool v Manchester United and Rangers v Aberdeen, for example, are fixtures that have grown in power over the years and have become intoxicating. But, for this list, I have opted for the local brew. And given a taste of what makes the fixture unmissable.
10. Dundee v Dundee United
HOW many cities can say they have produced two European Cup semi-finalists from the same street? Milan would pipe up but that is merely a ground share. The stretch of road that links Dens Park to Tannadice also emphasises separation. These are two, distinct clubs with varying history and culture. Dundee, once the top dogs, were overtaken by the upstarts in the late 20th century. There is something approaching parity now. This matters little, of course. These teams share a street but divide a city.
Edited highlight: Dundee United won the title once — in 1983, on their rivals’ ground, with a Ralph Milne worldy.
9. Cardiff v Swansea
THIS was one of the first fixtures that banned away fans so that gives an indication of the ferocity of the fixture. Neither team has ascended to the very top of
English football in terms of league titles — though Swansea once fluttered and flattered under the management of John Toshack — but this is a match that needs no outside significance. It is viscerally hostile, though some claim that this only came with hooliganism in the 1960s and there was a gentleness in the rivalry before that.
Edited highlight: The last ever derby at Ninian Park in 2009. It had an 11am kick-off. Enough said.
The 2009 clash of the Welsh sides was moved to an 11am kick-off to minimise risk of trouble
8. Arsenal v Tottenham
Slowly but resolutely, these teams began to swim in different waters in the latter half of the 20th century. Tottenham basically became a punch line after the double-winning season in 1961. Arsenal — under Bertie Mee, George Graham and Arsene Wenger — became the kings not only of North London but of England. Both have endured in the top division, ensuring regular derby matches with undoubted quality.
Edited highlight: Arsenal won the title at White Hart Lane in 1971, through a Ray Kennedy goal. This was a double-winning season too.
Jurrien Timber and Guglielmo Vicario clash during the north London derby in September
7. Hearts v Hibernian
This is a clash with a bit of history with both clubs being formed in the 1870s. The first match was played on the Meadows on Christmas Day in 1875 and they have continued pell-mell since then. There are strong cultural, even political differences between sections of both supports. This adds spice as does the set-up at Easter Road and Tynecastle where fans are on top of the players. It is a fixture that has produced odd scorelines: 7-0 to Hibs 1973, 6-2 to Hibs in 2000, and a 4-4 in 2003.
Edited highlight: Having chronicled a couple of doings by Hibs, the Hearts Scottish Cup final win in 2012 (5-1) is still celebrated by the simple brandishing of a hand.
Hearts’ 5-1 Scottish Cup final win over Hibernian will last long in the memories of fans
6. Sheffield United v Sheffield Wednesday
Another old-timer. It’s the Blades v the Owls in the Steel City Derby. They first met in 1890 and have clashed 132 times since. Both sides have fallen on hard times since their early pre-eminence with one fixture played in the third tier of English football. Despite this, the fixture has retained all of its vital animosity.
Edited highlight: The 1993 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, where the Owls won 2-1 after extra time.
5. Millwall v West Ham
This is bitter, violent. It is known as the Dockers’ Derby but could also plausibly be daubed the Hooligan Hooly. It’s been a while since they played (2011, to the delight of police and football authorities) but both sets of supporters have clung onto industrial doses of antipathy. The rivalry has gained notoriety through its depiction on screen though The Firm and Green Street (which went to extra time in the imaginatively titled sequel, Green Street 2) .
Edited lowlight: Would love to pick a football moment, but it is the Upton Park riot of 2009.
4. Everton v Liverpool
This is regularly miscast as the friendly derby with fans mixing inside the stadium and sharing sweeties and signs of peace. Increasingly, though, there is an edge to it, both on and off the field. It is diminished, though, by the disparity between the quality of the teams in the decades since Everton last won a league in 1987. This title triumph was not followed by European qualification because English clubs were banned because of the behaviour of Liverpool supporters at the Heysel Stadium in the European Cup final where 39 supporters died.
Edited highlight: The FA Cup final in 1989 between the teams post-Hillsborough was impossibly poignant. A city united in grief.
Despite its reputation as the ‘friendly’ derby, the Merseyside clash is anything but
3. Birmingham City v Aston Villa
The Second City derby has a long history (contested since 1879) and has lost little of its lustre. Both sides have waxed and waned over the years, with Villa being the more successful, particularly in winning a European Cup. This has been reflected in Villa’s
comparative domination in the fixture, winning 57 to City’s 38. It has retained a nastiness. Jack Grealish, of Villa, will testify to this as he was punched by a pitch invader during a derby in 2019.
Edited highlight: Grealish went on to score the only goal in that game.
2. Newcastle v Sunderland
The Tyne-Wear derby has been heavily dominated by Newcastle down the years but its simmering heat warms both sets of supporters. This is perhaps pointedly illustrated by the case of a Newcastle fan who was jailed for a year in 2013 for punching a police horse in the wake of his team’s defeat to Sunderland. Not a city derby, but very much a local battle.
Edited highlight: A terrific match in 2006 when Newcastle came from 1-0 down at half-time to win 4-1. One of the Toon scorers was Michael Chopra, who went on to play for Sunderland. And Alloa.
Alan Shearer became a face synonymous for netting against Newcastle’s arch rivals
1. Celtic v Rangers
An obvious choice but it is unequalled for passion, even drifting for some into hatred. It dominates the landscape months in advance. It consumes media coverage with an unsated appetite. It has been known, too, to dominate the airwaves and newsprint long after the final whistle…
Edited highlight: Journalistic prudence demands one has to choose a draw. The 4-4 at Ibrox in 1986 was simply extraordinary.
Celtic’s Mo Johnston fires in a shot during 4-4 Old Firm draw against Rangers in 1986
