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Fish & Chip Shots: Death Of The Derby
The big derby weekend has come and gone. Goal.com’s Shane Evans gives his two sense on what went down, or the lack thereof.
Dec 1, 2009 1:25:02 PM
By Shane Evans
If you read last week’s TFE, you knew I was extremely excited for this past weekend in the English Premier League.
It had all the components of a thrilling league matchday. A host of big fixtures, some intriguing player battles, title implications, the lot. It could have been glorious. Sure, I had some apprehensions about the London match, but there was potential for it to be something special.
Much to my chagrin, I was let down on all counts. Every single one. When the most exciting derby revolves around the two recently promoted teams from Birmingham, you know there are issues.
The derby is a sacred thing in football. It’s what separates the sport from all the others out there who simply have ‘rivalries.’ Rivalries don’t mean anything to me, because: a. teams have multiple rivals and b. they lack the genuine hatred for the opposition. In football there is a distinct and concrete opposition who you hate and you focus all your energy on them. Add the fact that many cities in England and across Europe have multiple teams, just makes the fire that much more scalding.
So there you have my rant about why derbies are great. Now you’ll be privy to why I think they’re lagging this season. Actually over the last few years.
Looking back on the fixture list, there is but one derby that stands out as being worthy of my approval, that being the first Manchester derby. Fueled by that little Argentinian traitor, it was exciting, fast-paced and in your face. You’d be hard-pressed to find one like it at any other point this year.
Case in point: this weekend. Two of the best fixtures the league can give us, Arsenal-Chelsea and Everton-Liverpool. Both complete and utter borefests.
It seems to me that when presented with the opportunity of playing in a derby, eight of the 11 players on the pitch don’t understand the significance of the match given that they are foreign-born or just simply don’t buy into it. From those two matches one could argue that 11 players really put their all on the line for the sake of the derby.
Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Dirk Kuyt, Tim Cahill, Leighton Baines, Tony Hibbert, Tim Howard, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Cesc Fabregas. That’s one quarter of all the players in the starting squads.
I wish I could make a ‘back in the day’ reference, but I’m not old enough to make such educated and specific claims, but just from my understanding of football and how it works the intensity and pride of playing in a derby 20 years ago, even 15 years ago was much different than it is today.
Nothing against them as players, but what kind of vested interest do Andrey Arshavin and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov have in these matches? None whatsoever. They can barely even speak English, you can hardly expect them to appreciate the grandeur and tradition that is the derbies they play in.
I’m not saying foreign players are the problem, because I am a big advocate of them being in the English game. It just seems that at the rate they are thrust into the line-ups, there is a dilution of pride about the shirt you wear. I don’t know, maybe I’m just blabbing here, but I cannot stress enough how displeased I was with the two ‘main’ derbies this weekend.
Everton and Liverpool played a sloppy match that probably would have ended scoreless if it weren’t for the mishaps of one Joseph Yobo. Then in London, Arsenal put in a quality 30 minutes or so and then proceeded to lay down and play possum for the rest of the match after Drogba knocked in his first goal (compliments of one Ashley Cole).
Forgive my rant, but seriously, am I alone in thinking the some of the guts and glory has gone from these types of matches? Feel free to email me or leave comments. For now, I’m done.
Pickled Onions
Perhaps my mood has been soured by the fact that I went 1-2 this week. I got the Merseyside derby right, but honestly, with the amount of players Everton are missing a throwball fan could figure that one out. So there’s my win.
Outside of that, it was pretty bleak. I thought Arsenal could rise up and down the big bad Blues at the Emirates. What I should have done was count the number of English players on the field for the Gunners and then count Chelsea’s and that would determine who knew the importance of the match from a pride standpoint and who would end up winning. Definitely gonna get flak for that one...
For those interested parties, Chelsea won that battle 3-0, unless of course you count Spain reject and England never-was Manuel Almunia. We’ll say 3-0.5.
In the last match of the weekend, I had Sunderland showing beating Wigan. Not much of a stretch, right? A week prior, Wigan were destroyed 9-1 by Spurs and Sunderland had beaten Arsenal 1-0. Wigan beat Sunderland 1-0. Credit my boy Roberto for that one.
Overall: 24-11
Still well above .500. Suits me just fine. This weekend should help as well as I’m staring down a few easy decisions, if there is such a thing.
Mushy Peas
More World Cup draw news? I suppose so, as it’s the biggest happenings in the world of football this week. That is, of course, if you count out the Carling Cup, which is obviously on the lips of the world.
If you take away all the controversy and confusion regarding the playoffs and whatever will be included in this emergency meeting tomorrow, the draw itself is actually quite thrilling. Picked one at a time, the teams get to see who they’ll be training to play against over the next six months.
I always enjoy spectacles like this. I’ll enjoy it even more given that one of my all-time favorite hunnies, Charlize Theron, is co-hosting. She alone makes it worth watching. Did you see Mighty Joe Young? I mean come on.
We’ll concentrate on the draw and it’s fall out next week. For now, I have a big piece of TFE/FCS news to share. Well not big, but noteworthy.
Sometime this week, possibly by Friday, depending on if I can decide on a logo I like, I’m going to launch a Facebook fan page for both TFE and FCS. I’ll post all the editions there and interact with you all through the wall and other Facebook-related methods.
I’ve been big on Twitter lately, but I realize that a great number of people still don’t use it, so I figured why not start a Facebook initiative to involve all of you who use that predominantly. I look forward to communicating with all of you, as it’s essentially what this is all about. Would you guys be fans? Think it’s a good idea? Please let me know so I can gauge the interest.
Look for the link in Friday’s TFE or at the very latest in the next week’s Fish & Chip Shots.
The Fixins’
Mildly Entertaining Celebration of the Week: Jimmy Bullard, Hull City
Well, that has to be the most productive thing he’s done since joining the Tigers, eh Phil? A coolly-taken penalty was followed by a recreation of Mr. Brown’s little half-time talk last December. Down 4-0 at the half, Brown didn’t allow his players to go into the locker room and actually had his team talk on the pitch as they sat around him. Ballsy. Coincidentally enough, I respected Brown back then. Maybe Bullard will help bring that back. Sporting an undefeated record in November (2 wins, 2 draws, 0 losses) certainly helps. Check the ‘celebration’ here.
Tweet of the Week: @usarsnl
“@shanevans I love The Full English. Perfect pre-match, post hangover.”
In response to my declaration that a Facebook fan page is to come for my two lovely babies.
Player of the Week: Wayne Rooney, Manchester United
I’d say Wazza is settling in nicely now that he is the guy at Old Trafford. A tidy hat-trick against Portsmouth is evidence of this. Two sublimely-taken penalties shows that he, despite being English-born, can covert from the spot, and that you don’t have to stutter step to score one in a red shirt. His new found freedom on the pitch has helped him become if not the best, one of the top strikers in the country.
Honorable Mention: Clint Dempsey, Fulham; Didier Drogba, Chelsea
Rotten Egg of the Week: Burnley
I understand they are a newly-promoted team, and they are hardly Derby from a few years ago, a far cry actually, but they are just atrocious on the road. One point away from home all season, Owen Coyle’s boyos were down 4-0 at halftime against West Ham this weekend. Credit the Hammers for playing arguably their best match of the season, but something has to be said about how different a team plays away from its friendly confines. Luckily, their next two trips are to Pompey and Wolves.
Gaffe of the Week: Joseph Yobo, Everton
He’s not totally to blame for Everton’s loss to Liverpool, but his little error certainly contributed. Plus, I’m not really in the mood to call anyone at the moment given that I spent the whole first part of the column whining. Simply put: Everton can barely afford to have miscues against the bad teams, let alone one as potent as the Reds. Lesson learned.
Goal of the Week: Ryan Giggs, Manchester United
Not only was it the legend’s 100th Premier League goal, it was absolutely lovely. A free kick left of the net, Giggs stepped up and after a Wayne Rooney dummy and curled it by Portsmouth keeper Asmir Begovic. Expertly done by one of the league’s top men. Congratulations, Giggsy.
Game of the Week: Wolverhampton 0-1 Birmingham
I alluded to it at the beginning of this little ditty: this derby was the only one worth watching this weekend. Sure, it didn’t boast the big names or the huge stadium with a regular-sounding name, but there was passion from both sides and not just in the seats. Fin.
Shane Evans is an Associate Editor of Goal.com. His feature, "Fish & Chip Shots" appears weekly. Contact Shane at shane.evans@goal.com with questions, comments and concerns or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/shanEvans
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section!
If you read last week’s TFE, you knew I was extremely excited for this past weekend in the English Premier League.
It had all the components of a thrilling league matchday. A host of big fixtures, some intriguing player battles, title implications, the lot. It could have been glorious. Sure, I had some apprehensions about the London match, but there was potential for it to be something special.
Much to my chagrin, I was let down on all counts. Every single one. When the most exciting derby revolves around the two recently promoted teams from Birmingham, you know there are issues.
 Didier Drogba & Billy Gallas Dreaming of derby delight. |
So there you have my rant about why derbies are great. Now you’ll be privy to why I think they’re lagging this season. Actually over the last few years.
Looking back on the fixture list, there is but one derby that stands out as being worthy of my approval, that being the first Manchester derby. Fueled by that little Argentinian traitor, it was exciting, fast-paced and in your face. You’d be hard-pressed to find one like it at any other point this year.
Case in point: this weekend. Two of the best fixtures the league can give us, Arsenal-Chelsea and Everton-Liverpool. Both complete and utter borefests.
It seems to me that when presented with the opportunity of playing in a derby, eight of the 11 players on the pitch don’t understand the significance of the match given that they are foreign-born or just simply don’t buy into it. From those two matches one could argue that 11 players really put their all on the line for the sake of the derby.
Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Dirk Kuyt, Tim Cahill, Leighton Baines, Tony Hibbert, Tim Howard, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Cesc Fabregas. That’s one quarter of all the players in the starting squads.
 Steven Gerrard | This guy knows a thing or two about the derby. |
I wish I could make a ‘back in the day’ reference, but I’m not old enough to make such educated and specific claims, but just from my understanding of football and how it works the intensity and pride of playing in a derby 20 years ago, even 15 years ago was much different than it is today.
Nothing against them as players, but what kind of vested interest do Andrey Arshavin and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov have in these matches? None whatsoever. They can barely even speak English, you can hardly expect them to appreciate the grandeur and tradition that is the derbies they play in.
I’m not saying foreign players are the problem, because I am a big advocate of them being in the English game. It just seems that at the rate they are thrust into the line-ups, there is a dilution of pride about the shirt you wear. I don’t know, maybe I’m just blabbing here, but I cannot stress enough how displeased I was with the two ‘main’ derbies this weekend.
Everton and Liverpool played a sloppy match that probably would have ended scoreless if it weren’t for the mishaps of one Joseph Yobo. Then in London, Arsenal put in a quality 30 minutes or so and then proceeded to lay down and play possum for the rest of the match after Drogba knocked in his first goal (compliments of one Ashley Cole).
Forgive my rant, but seriously, am I alone in thinking the some of the guts and glory has gone from these types of matches? Feel free to email me or leave comments. For now, I’m done.
Pickled Onions
Perhaps my mood has been soured by the fact that I went 1-2 this week. I got the Merseyside derby right, but honestly, with the amount of players Everton are missing a throwball fan could figure that one out. So there’s my win.
 Manuel Almunia Almost English? |
For those interested parties, Chelsea won that battle 3-0, unless of course you count Spain reject and England never-was Manuel Almunia. We’ll say 3-0.5.
In the last match of the weekend, I had Sunderland showing beating Wigan. Not much of a stretch, right? A week prior, Wigan were destroyed 9-1 by Spurs and Sunderland had beaten Arsenal 1-0. Wigan beat Sunderland 1-0. Credit my boy Roberto for that one.
Overall: 24-11
Still well above .500. Suits me just fine. This weekend should help as well as I’m staring down a few easy decisions, if there is such a thing.
Mushy Peas
More World Cup draw news? I suppose so, as it’s the biggest happenings in the world of football this week. That is, of course, if you count out the Carling Cup, which is obviously on the lips of the world.
If you take away all the controversy and confusion regarding the playoffs and whatever will be included in this emergency meeting tomorrow, the draw itself is actually quite thrilling. Picked one at a time, the teams get to see who they’ll be training to play against over the next six months.
I always enjoy spectacles like this. I’ll enjoy it even more given that one of my all-time favorite hunnies, Charlize Theron, is co-hosting. She alone makes it worth watching. Did you see Mighty Joe Young? I mean come on.
We’ll concentrate on the draw and it’s fall out next week. For now, I have a big piece of TFE/FCS news to share. Well not big, but noteworthy.
Sometime this week, possibly by Friday, depending on if I can decide on a logo I like, I’m going to launch a Facebook fan page for both TFE and FCS. I’ll post all the editions there and interact with you all through the wall and other Facebook-related methods.
I’ve been big on Twitter lately, but I realize that a great number of people still don’t use it, so I figured why not start a Facebook initiative to involve all of you who use that predominantly. I look forward to communicating with all of you, as it’s essentially what this is all about. Would you guys be fans? Think it’s a good idea? Please let me know so I can gauge the interest.
Look for the link in Friday’s TFE or at the very latest in the next week’s Fish & Chip Shots.
The Fixins’
Mildly Entertaining Celebration of the Week: Jimmy Bullard, Hull City
Well, that has to be the most productive thing he’s done since joining the Tigers, eh Phil? A coolly-taken penalty was followed by a recreation of Mr. Brown’s little half-time talk last December. Down 4-0 at the half, Brown didn’t allow his players to go into the locker room and actually had his team talk on the pitch as they sat around him. Ballsy. Coincidentally enough, I respected Brown back then. Maybe Bullard will help bring that back. Sporting an undefeated record in November (2 wins, 2 draws, 0 losses) certainly helps. Check the ‘celebration’ here.
Tweet of the Week: @usarsnl
“@shanevans I love The Full English. Perfect pre-match, post hangover.”
In response to my declaration that a Facebook fan page is to come for my two lovely babies.
Player of the Week: Wayne Rooney, Manchester United
 Wazza | All grown up. |
Honorable Mention: Clint Dempsey, Fulham; Didier Drogba, Chelsea
Rotten Egg of the Week: Burnley
I understand they are a newly-promoted team, and they are hardly Derby from a few years ago, a far cry actually, but they are just atrocious on the road. One point away from home all season, Owen Coyle’s boyos were down 4-0 at halftime against West Ham this weekend. Credit the Hammers for playing arguably their best match of the season, but something has to be said about how different a team plays away from its friendly confines. Luckily, their next two trips are to Pompey and Wolves.
Gaffe of the Week: Joseph Yobo, Everton
He’s not totally to blame for Everton’s loss to Liverpool, but his little error certainly contributed. Plus, I’m not really in the mood to call anyone at the moment given that I spent the whole first part of the column whining. Simply put: Everton can barely afford to have miscues against the bad teams, let alone one as potent as the Reds. Lesson learned.
Goal of the Week: Ryan Giggs, Manchester United
 Ryan Giggs | Congrats to a top man. |
Not only was it the legend’s 100th Premier League goal, it was absolutely lovely. A free kick left of the net, Giggs stepped up and after a Wayne Rooney dummy and curled it by Portsmouth keeper Asmir Begovic. Expertly done by one of the league’s top men. Congratulations, Giggsy.
Game of the Week: Wolverhampton 0-1 Birmingham
I alluded to it at the beginning of this little ditty: this derby was the only one worth watching this weekend. Sure, it didn’t boast the big names or the huge stadium with a regular-sounding name, but there was passion from both sides and not just in the seats. Fin.
Shane Evans is an Associate Editor of Goal.com. His feature, "Fish & Chip Shots" appears weekly. Contact Shane at shane.evans@goal.com with questions, comments and concerns or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/shanEvans
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section!
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