Saturday 8 December 2012

More than just a game

Crystal Palace’s 3-0 victory over Brighton meant way more than just 3 points




Rivalries define football. They are what set the sport apart, what drives fans to come back for more. Rugby World Cups, the Ashes or even the Olympics, they all come and go, and yet football, from day to day and game to game endures. People get passionate about football. Whether you think they should or not is another debate entirely, but fundamentally people care and it’s that burning desire, whether healthy or not that fuels the rivalries that mean a victory can be worth considerably more than three points and a loss can feel as devastating as a child losing a pet gerbil.

It’s because you care. You always want to win, but on occasion you cannot bear to lose. It means too much. To be rather self-indulgent and to quote one’s self, this was written in the aftermath of Crystal Palace’s 1-0 victory at the Valley earlier this season; ‘A win’s a win as they say but emerging victorious against the local rivals is hugely satisfying, indeed judging whether you’ve had a good or a bad season in the minds of fans can often be decided on just that factor alone.’

Playing your arch enemy narrows your view; you don’t see the bigger picture. Win or lose against your most bitter foes and how you fair in the other 40 odd games doesn’t seem to matter. Only the 90 minutes against the side you love to hate does. Hate is a strong word but one that can be entirely appropriate. You’d miss them if they weren’t there. You’d lose that buzz that can only come from a game against your despised neighbours. It’s often not the anger that fuels you – it’s not wanting the embarrassment.

In a TV age and a world of social media, bragging rights are all important. You can’t just make like one of the Likely Lads anymore, ignoring the score; it’s there in your face, 24-7, humiliation and abuse ready to be served up time after time. It’s a game your team must win, for your sake as much as theirs.

Where do rivalries come from? Typically, it’s geographic; ‘Them from down the road’ the one’s you have to see every day. They can be from the same city or the one just up the nearest dual carriageway, but it’s about local pride. History, politics, religion, class, a dodgy penalty in a Rumbelows Cup tie, they can all spark a grudge, one passed down from fathers to sons, more ingrained from generation to generation.

Try to understand where the rivalry between Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion comes from them. To those on the outside, it doesn’t make sense. Maybe it doesn’t have too, but the fact remains that the clash between the ‘Eagles’ and the ‘Seagulls’ (even the club nicknames have sprung out of the rivalry) is just as heated as any of the other civil wars that take place in English football.

It rose out of the 1970’s, two clubs on the rise, two clubs often playing each other and two clubs in direct competition with one another. Games were fractious, spiced up by personal rivalries from the White Hart Lane dressing Room. Terry Venables and Alan Mullery didn’t like one another, and soon neither did their players. It was only natural that the fans would follow their idols suit.

Is it local? Well not in the classic sense of the word, but then neither is Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, and that tends to get people’s attention. Travel south from the Borough of Croydon and there isn’t much football until you hit Brighton. It’s the route from the South into London, the route the dislike travels.

The clash last weekend was like a trip back in time, the fires of the rivalry being stoked by both sides vying at the top of the division, angling for the top flight. It’s where the passions ignited in the first place, two aspiring teams and dreaming sets of supporters; the other blocking their way to the big time. Managers Ian Holloway and Gus Poyet may not have the personal animosity of their historical predecessors but in Glenn Murray, the clashes now have their latest catalyst.

Defecting from Brighton to South London after spearheading the formers promotion to the Championship in the summer of 2011, understandably, did not sit too well. Nor did it help that he was on the score sheet as his new team became the first to beat his old team on their shiny new patch. Tensions before Saturday were running high.

In the end the game was rather one sided, an early sending off, the guilty and wonderfully named Lewis Dunk could have no complaints about it, set the tone for one way traffic. From the red card onwards it was always going to be difficult for the away side, however, viewed as it is through red and blue tinted spectacles, one team were rampant whereas the other was lethargic.

With the partisan hat off, Brighton are clearly a good team, but for them last Saturday was not a good day at the office. Too many passes astray, second to every ball and dominated in the challenge, the visitors showed little and offered less. Derby wins are always ones for the memory banks but one has the feeling that the Eagles will not have it as easy again.

These are special times to be a Palace fan. Recent history has told supporters to be cautious, that setbacks are always waiting around the corner, but just like the hammering of your closest rivals should be enjoyed, so too should a young vibrant team playing great football being at the top of the league. Let’s just hope by the time the men from SE25 head south for the return clash with Brighton on the 17th March that it will be for points for a continued promotion drive as much as the bragging rights.

Matt Snelling

http://collinsbeans.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter: @CollinsBeans
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