Topic: Your opinions wanted for tonight's This is Anfield show

[Christoph]

For that 300,000, the biggest game of the season is Everton.

For 19,700,000 liverpool fans - it's not. It's just another game against just another mid-table side.

I'll leave you with this thought. We beat Everton - we'll finish above them. We lost to everton, we'll still finish above them anyway. They don't matter any more than any other game.

If you should be right there it'd be a fucking shame.

I'm not scouse but still the Merseyside Derby is the biggest game of the season for me.......it's not just a game against a midtable side no matter where you're from you should be able to understand why it is STILL the biggest fixture of the season.

It's brilliant to twat the mancs.......but it's even sweeter to twat them lot from across the park.

[filopastry]

Even as an OOT I get a much bigger buzz going to the derby than watching us play against the Mancs

[nidgemo]

i dont think real's big game is vs atletico is it , a certain team from catalan do come into play somewhere along the line.

Exactly my point. Your local rival isn't your biggest rival.

Because he's in the majority of £20m worldwide fans, and because they are in the majority, they matter, we don't.

Might as well relocate the new ground to Bulgaria, a central location for all these fans. Maybe Germany for the Asian flights into Frankfurt, and the few of us left over here can get flights from Speke if we can be bothered

Good idea.

[Rome 84]

Come on Nidge, tell us about your derby day experiences.

[nidgemo]

Come on Nidge, tell us about your derby day experiences.

Why?

I've been to 2, enjoyed both to a more or lesser degree.

They're not the biggest game of the season.

[Rome 84]

Because, I find it hard to value the opinion of someone who has been to just two derby matches in their entire life when it comes to a debate on the importance of derby matches.
Especially when the individual involved talks of locals who have been to scores of derby games "who won't be told"

[Christoph]

They're not the biggest game of the season.

They are...

[-HH-]

Nidge, if you think you're right and others just 'won't be told', why bother engaging in debate. It's obvious you're coming at this from the 'i'm right, you're wrong' perspective so why bother? I'm not so sure it's the locals on this thread who should be worried about looking embittered.

[nidgemo]

Because, I find it hard to value the opinion of someone who has been to just two derby matches in their entire life when it comes to a debate on the importance of derby matches.

Fair enough. Frankly, I find it hard to take the opinion seriously of someone who thinks a game with a mid table side is the biggest of the season, when they support a club who regularly plays cup finals and hopes to be challenging for the title.

[Rome 84]

Fair enough. Frankly, I find it hard to take the opinion seriously of someone who thinks a game with a mid table side is the biggest of the season, when they support a club who regularly plays cup finals and hopes to be challenging for the title.

If we get to a cup final then that, naturally, becomes the biggest game of the season.
If we genuinely challenge for the title then the games that decide whether we win it or not become the biggest of the season.
But when the fixtures come out the ones we look for first are the ones that have traditionally been the biggest of the season - and Everton top that list.

[WOOLTONIAN]

Putting it as simply as I can I guess my priorities are based on "All Sports" progression.

Target 1 - City Champions
Target 2 - County Champions
Target 3 - Country Champions
Target 4 - European Champions
Target 5 - The best in the World

It seems by reading this and similar threads, most want to skip all the early targets and just become World Champions.
To me you cannot rule the world if you cannot be "Cock of your own back yard"

[nidgemo]

Nidge, if you think you're right and others just 'won't be told', why bother engaging in debate. It's obvious you're coming at this from the 'i'm right, you're wrong' perspective so why bother? I'm not so sure it's the locals on this thread who should be worried about looking embittered.

Not at all Mark.

Well, kind of.

As I've said before in this thread - I of course realise what they mean to locals, and I know they're a major game against our local rivals.

Make no mistake - come next weekend, I will be considering it the biggest game of the season - because it's the next game. After that, the next game will be the biggest game (and might actually be, given the respective position and points of ourselves and arsenal)

I am old enough to remember the 80's when Everton WERE our biggest rival - perhaps that is why I don't see them as such now? I know it's big.

I just don't think it's in any way, shape or form the biggest game of the season.

Stuff like

Everton is 100% the biggest game of the season. No doubt about it in my mind. Losing there last season was the low point of the year.

in a season we lost a European Cup Final is just unfathomable to me.

The very thought that a liverpool fan would rather beat everton than win a european cup is something I, and I'm sure many more, can't understand.

[Aldridge 8]

if any everton fan tries to win an argument with me i just say to them when i go home i think i will get out the 1984 or 1986 or 1989 cup finals  , every important derby we have won so how can any everton fan give a liverpool fans any grief .

[BHB]

in a season we lost a European Cup Final is just unfathomable to me.

The very thought that a liverpool fan would rather beat everton than win a european cup is something I, and I'm sure many more, can't understand.

Of course I wouldn't rather beat Everton than win the European Cup, you're taking it out of context.

But losing at Goodison last season in the manner we did hurt, and hurt a lot.

Losing to AC Milan in the final I can accept, as they are a great side, and a side we beat against all the odds 2 years before. I'd got over that defeat within days of getting back home. The 3-0 defeat at Goodison ate at me for weeks, just couldn't shrug it off. We were battered by those nomarks. It hurt.

And as soon as that fixture list came out over the summer, I go straight for the Derby Day fixtures, every single summer.

It's 9 days away and already I'm having trouble sleeping at night. Says it all.

[mrsphilthefish]

They're not the biggest game of the season.

They are..........

The build up is the worst feeling in the world, I feel sick now thinking about it. It is totally different than ANY other game of the season. I couldn't honestly say that I enjoy them.....except when we win....then the enjoyment comes later. No one can predict whats going to happen......even if either team had the best form ever going into the match, it means nothing!!! The players are always up for it......some lose their heads, and some of the calmest fans ever turn into raging bulls!!!
Everyone in Liverpool wants the bragging rights until we do it all over again.

[Rome 84]

Besides cup competitions, what have been your highest and lowest points as a Liverpool fan in the last decade?
For me, the high point was McAllister's last minute winner in the Goodison derby and the low point was being battered 3-0 in last year's Goodison derby.
And why? The answer is simple - no other game affects your emotions quite like the Merseyside derby.
As much as I loved Murphy's winners at Old Trafford they don't even come close to Gary Mac's against the shite.

[BHB]

if any everton fan tries to win an argument with me i just say to them when i go home i think i will get out the 1984 or 1986 or 1989 cup finals  , every important derby we have won so how can any everton fan give a liverpool fans any grief .

"3 finals we've played 3 finals we've won
and we won't be mastered by no blueshite scum..."

[Tetti]

Yet in this thread everyone from OOT seems to be doing that.

Not that simple BHB  - apart from those that think that repeating the same position over and over and over will convince us   , for what its worth I can see we have at least two Fazakerly and Maghull lining up with the Man U side and Yorkshire, London and Berkshire lining up with the Derby.

Maybe its complicated too by (old) age - sorry Bez and Filo! Speaking personally I mean.

 Or maybe its that a lack of understanding about our roots as a club and what that means doesnt just exist Out Of Town? 


 

[labyrinth]

Its depends of point of view. If our main aim is to win the league, derby clearly not the biggest game. If we talk about past and history we will play our biggest game about ten days, and then we have 30 less important games, so cool.

[Aldridge 8]

lets put it another way by saying everton is our biggest game give power to the evertonians , by saying united is the biggest game in the world for liverpool and united which in my book it is gives everton nothing and thats the way it should be we shouldnt boost them up what so ever .

[a red revolution]

lets put it another way by saying everton is our biggest game give power to the evertonians , by saying united is the biggest game in the world for liverpool and united which in my book it is gives everton nothing and thats the way it should be we shouldnt boost them up what so ever .

The best way to do that is to twat the bitter blue bastards every time we play 'em!!! 

[Aldridge 8]

The best way to do that is to twat the bitter blue bastards every time we play 'em!!! 

read my earlier post IE cup finals i think there enough

[nidgemo]

Of course I wouldn't rather beat Everton than win the European Cup, you're taking it out of context.

But losing at Goodison last season in the manner we did hurt, and hurt a lot.

Losing to AC Milan in the final I can accept, as they are a great side, and a side we beat against all the odds 2 years before. I'd got over that defeat within days of getting back home. The 3-0 defeat at Goodison ate at me for weeks, just couldn't shrug it off. We were battered by those nomarks. It hurt.

Fair enough - put in that context, I know what you mean. Indeed, I wasn't that different myself!

[Taylor_LFC]

To be honest I can’t separate the Man Utd and Everton games. I hate losing to Everton more than I do to Man Utd, but I get a bigger buzz from beating Man Utd than I do with Everton.

I hate Man Utd much more though, mainly because I have mates and family that support Everton, were as with the Mancs I have no friends or family that support them, nor would I ever have any because I despise the little c*nts that much.

[Fruity]

Its understandable that the majority of the people of Liverpool see it as the biggest game where as the majority of those outside do not.

there will be some outside that recognise its importance but i would suspect that most like me see Everton as a mid table side. I know of 2 Evertonians and dont even know them that well. I know many more Mancs / arsenal / chelsea even geordies.

That creates or adds to the rivalry pre the game. Because i dont live in Liverpool i have not got Evertonians in my ear all day long praying for a win so they can gloat. I appreciate the grief supporters are going to get if we lose, but at the end of the day for me personally we got bigger fish to fry. I would still recognise it as a big game though but it would still even be behind our top 4 rivals.

In footballing terms it is in only the top 4 who are our rivals, they are the teams to beat. Even when Everton were good i never hated them, but even when United were shite i did. My Brothers and father supported them.

So I can understand why its important for people of Liverpool as they grew up and live around it. i grew up and lived around united supporters so my hate will always be there.

[Live4pool]

coming from Belfast you'd think the derby is just another game to me....well it aint, i cant stand everton, almost as much as the mancs, fucking love it when we beat the blueshite and get in a 'mood' when they beat us, even draw with us, this probably has somethin to do with my uncle being an Everton fan and tryin to get me to support them when i was young, (though my dad had already ensured i was a red for life) bought me an everton hat n'all that never touched a hair on me head, went straight into the cupoard. and then in the bin when i found it a year or two later 

ill admit though that i dont get as much a buzz when playin em as say the mancs cos theres usually a good number of united men in the pub when liverpool united games come around and theres plenty of singing and that, needless to say we always outsing em as only a few of them know more than 2 songs  (typical mancs) though when we score against everton it feels just as good as any goal against that other lot.

[double helix]

I am an adopted scouser & proud of it. I became a liverpool fan even before I knew a dickie about football. A colleague of mine(later disciplined for racial discrimination) told me I had to have blue eyes and blond hair to be an Evorton. Being an India, I was so livid with anger, that I came out and instantly hated Evorton and everything they stood for. I asked a mate of mine, who hates them the most & he took me to the club shop and bought my first Liverpool jersey & from that moment I was Liverpool fan.

I have since then spent considerable time and money on the club. The club is an integral part of my life now.

Being a Psychiatrist, I recently attended a Psychotherapy conference and we were all given an exercise to describe our worst nightmare and eloborate on it. I instantly described my nightmare as Blueshite Vs Scum in the European Cup final. The course facilitator then asked me who would I want to win. I asked him to provide alternatives like the match being cancelled  for rain/storm etc.......... he said the match was played.who would I want to win? he added I could not say neither.

I thought about it long and hard since & I would rather have blueshite win it than the Scum.


If Evorton win a derby game, instantly you will have a DVD released  as was the case last year. If we win the derby, Gollum comes out with loads of shite like they have spent so much blah blah blah.......

I always wind my Blueshite mates by saying "you are either a Big Small club or a Small  Big club... face it". I show them the blue UEFA badge and tell them, get it fir st and comeback till then nuff said!

It warms my heart when I hear the usual if it were'nt for you we would won the European cup shite or chants of murderers etc.... I use the phrase warms my heart in a paradoxical connotation manner, as it is reassuring to know they are a typical shrub growing under a huge tree who are jealous,bitter and possess aninbred mentality .This bodes well for us as with that attitude of fans they are doomed as a club. the blueshite will not generate revenue meaning they w on't be able to afford top wages or top players and so... blah blah blah

The rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester is not just a rivalry between 2 football clubs. its a rivalry bred by people who lived in the respective cities in the 19th century and early part of 20th century. the declining slave trade and  losing the ocean liners in preference to working in the textile mills & air travel which led to the loss of the pre-eminence of Liverpool and led to the rise of Manchester. the proof of all this, is Liverpool has the highest list of Grade 2 listed buildings outside of London.

In the late 70's and early 80's, when we were winning everything under Uncle Bob, Imagine the putrid,bitter,classless,clueless wankers feeling, we are a richer city and still Scousers win everything.

In the 90's their unquestionable success  coincided with our decline until Gerard Houlier happened(to be fair to Ged)he scum typically were classless and had no grace in victory & this fuelled an unrivalled passion between the 2 clubs.

Recently the Mancs are trying to hijack the magnetic levitation train connecting London and Scotland from Liverpool as the stopover to Manchester as the stop over. we wanted the BBC centre here in Liverpool, but the Mancs got it. We got the capital of culture and the  twats were bitter about it.

Of course to make matters worse, we win the Euuropean Cup, reach another final,get new investment to the club,buy top notch players.... the twats are full of putrid, bitter,clueless classlessness as only they can.

to recap...

playing Evorton is like playing a cousin, with whom you had many memorable fights where you twatted the poor sod.

Playing the scum is well.. let me put it this way... WAR.

P.S:- to this day my blood boils when they taunt us about  OUR 96 & sing that  (stupid f***ing behaviour) Michael  Sheilds songs. Imagine what must be going throught that family when they hear it?

[shanklyboy]

Fair enough. Frankly, I find it hard to take the opinion seriously of someone who thinks a game with a mid table side is the biggest of the season, when they support a club who regularly plays cup finals and hopes to be challenging for the title.

Well maybe if you actually took in what those of us who think that it is the biggest game have told you!

It's your right to have an opinion such as you do, though comments like you find it hard to take us seriously only winds people up.
The Derby isn't about if the outcome effects where any silverware goes; it transcends that, as has already been pointed out to you.
You don't understand that and that's up to you, but only having been to 2 Derby games and not living here probably accounts for that. Maybe there are more Mancs where you live than bitters so that's going to have an effect on your opinion.

I've been attending these games since 1966 and I can assure you that unless you attend a few Woodison derbies, especially if you are in the Gladwys St, you would find it difficult to comprehend fully.

You say the game against Man Utd is the biggest game because it has an effect on our League campaign. That’s not entirely true, certainly not historically. So using that logic, the 'biggest game' against our 'biggest rivals' could change depending on who is likely to be challenging for the honours? Man Utd now, maybe Arsenal for the next few years etc.

So from 1892 onwards who were our biggest rivals?
Who were our biggest rivals during Man Utds 27 years in the wilderness?
Who were our biggest rivals from 1992 onwards when we had few chances of competing for the League?
Who were our biggest rivals when we or Everton were 2nd Division teams and not even playing each other?

If the answer to those questions isn't Everton then you just don't understand and never will. I don't have a problem with that way of thinking and accept that there is such a school of thought.
 
If there is one major difference being a Liverpool fan and being a Scouse Liverpool fan, this game is it.
However some none Scousers will have understood and embraced what it means and will go through every emotion that a local does.Though unless you have grown up here you can't fully appreciate the nerve wracking anticipation of the game nor the sickening, gut wrenching taste of defeat.

I've been at Cup Finals when we have lost to the Mancs and although it's sickening, the feeling doesn't last as long as even the most unlucky of narrow defeats against Everton.
Would I have swapped a victory in those Finals against Man Utd for a win over Everton, certainly not. I want my club to win trophies.
The key here it seems is when there's nothing at stake.
If our last 2 games of the season were against Man Utd and Everton, with nothing to play for, I'd take a 1-0 win over Everton for a 4-0 defeat by the Mancs.

Some locals will disagree of course, mainly younger fans but that doesn't change the fact that victory in those 2 games a season are intrinsically woven into the fabric of our city and our club more than any game against any other opponent could ever be.

[Rome 84]

Brilliantly put Shanklyboy

[shanklyboy]

Being a Psychiatrist,

Physician heal thyself !

I say that because you sound like a bit of a fucking nutter.
You sure you're not from Toxteth ?

they are a typical shrub growing under a huge tree 

Like the analogy by the way!

[J-PH]

While by no means absolutely perfect, the opinion of the 2868 fans attending the derby would make a more valued opinion.