Rivals

[peanuts2]

Cant forget the regular ding dongs we had with Dirty Leeds for most of the 80s .many a lairy trip to Elland road .

[Londonboy]

On 3/4/2024 at 10:12 AM, Frankly Mr Shankly said:

We just don't have any, or at least any we can unify ourselves by hating. 

 

It's probably a good thing in that losing to hated rivals hits harder. We don't have any defeats laced with that extra bitterness. It's bad enough being an Oldham fan without being punched down on by bitter rivals as well.

 

Closest I felt to a genuine rivalry emerging was those years of playing Wigan between 1997 and 2003. Some of those matches were seething and the tear ups around them were legendary. I think you need to be in the same division with someone geographical close to build one. Even though we were in L1 for two decades, teams like Bolton, Wigan, Blackburn and Preston just dipped in and out. Tranmere was never likely to be a proper rivalry, they're too far away. Wrexham felt a bit more tetchy. I used to hate Citeh back in the 80's and 90's but that faded when we stopped playing them. Burnley have always grated with me because I spent some of my formative years there. 

 

As for Dale, we'd need another twenty years of playing regularly in the same division. Takes a generation to go by for it to 'stick'.

We were in the same division as Bastard Rovers for 10 years from 1980-90 when we went up, which was a great rivalry on and off the pitch during that time.

[Monty Burns]

city

wrexham

leeds scum

yanited

sheff weds

hudds

bolton

burnley

libpool

everton

blackburn

stoke

tranmere (just)

hearts

qpr

 

credit bury for trying

 

thats just top of my head