Listening to Talk Sport on the way home last night I was saddened by some of the comments that were flying around in the wake of the Suarez/Evra affair,Liverpool and Utd fans phoning in and texting confirming that basic rivalry between the 2 clubs is a thing of the past and that its now gone way beyond that to a vile hatred that I have never witnessed in football before.
As a Wolves fan of nearly 50 years I grew up in Dudley equidistent between Molineux and the Hawthorns so that everywhere there were Wolves and Albion fans and although there was major rivalry the hatred that now abounds between Liverpool and Utd never reard it's ugly head,I mean Liverpool and Manchester are miles apart.
So what has caused this situation that to my mind has only existed in the UK before in the sectarian divisions of Glasgow,well to be honest my initial reaction was that it's Utd and their arrogance during the Premier League ear especially with the baiting of Liverpool over the 19th league title,a situation that never occurred during the 80's when Liverpool were not only dominant but admired and respected by the majority of neutrals but is that to simplistic? Well at the risk of upsetting many friends who are Utd fans I dont think it is but the Suarez affair and the attitude of Liverpool FC and many of their fans in the wake of that has exasserbated it to the extent that we now have a situation where the next match between the 2 is a powder keg waiting to explode and the authorities have a real problem on their hands in about 5 weeks time.
All I can hope is that these attitudes stay at either end of the East Lancs Road and do not infiltrate the rest of football.
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