Manchester United vs. Liverpool

Nothing is more pleasing than heaping misery on your rival in a football context - scousers will never be bigger than United. As the red half of Merseyside go to Old Trafford to try and gain pride, United's recent form will have to be on show. This clash entails geography, status, philosophy, sport and pride. Today's clash at Old Trafford is arguably the fiercest and biggest in English football. The two teams from the North West clash in a "Derby of England", with bragging rights at stake. The close proximity of both club plus the history between them augments the situation further. The two team have been the most successful in English football. More often than not, the match involving the two heavyweights is played during lunchtime - an early kickoff, so as to discourage fans from drinking. Nobody would relish the prospect of facing drunkards in such a hot tempered match. Ryan Giggs - the current United's assistant manager has the most appearances in the clash involving the two teams. Gone are the days when the Scottish trio of Graeme Souness, Alan Hansen and Kenny Dalglish ran rings around United - we also had a Scottish in the mold of Dennis Law earlier. The dominance of the clash was cemented when Sir Alex Ferguson insisted that United vs. Liverpool was the biggest game, even after a surge in power in the form of Eastlands - Manchester City. The rivalry dates back to the competition between the two cities in the North West - while Manchester was known for its manufacturing significance, Liverpool was recognized for its port. Once a new port was built in Manchester, it was easier to convey cargo directly without the input of Liverpool hence leading to resentment from the locals as well as job losses.It is imperative to note that the ship is found in many Mancunian institutions for instance the Manchester City's crest and the Manchester Municipal Council badge. Liverpool dominated the English football from the late seventies up until the late eighties, while Manchester United have taken over from their rivals since 1993. The Anfield outfit has 18 English League titles and 33 domestic honors, while the Old Trafford club has 20 English titles and 35 domestic honors. The Merseysiders form has been patchy and poor and a loss to United may be last straw for Brendan Rodgers - John W. Henry may decide to give him an early Christmas break by sending him to Belfast. Paul Ince and Michael Owen have played for both clubs, thereby attracting the wrath of aggrieved entities. England's "El Clasico" is usually laced with undertones of hate and passion - the fixture isn't short of controversy either. The red mist has descended with escalated amounts of rage in various matches involving the two giants. A bust up between Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher - now associates at Sportsmail, showed how the fixture disregarded the "perceived" ethics of national identity. Gordon Strachan - the current coach of the Scotland football team, even went as far as smoking imaginary cigars after he scored for United as the Kop faithful watched. The frosty relationship between Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish - two prominent Scots, just underlined the rivalry. However, it was the knight who was vindicated after United knocked Liverpool "off their perch" - nobody would ever forget the banners brandished by the Kop with sentiments such as "come back when you win 18 titles!" Blimey, they couldn't their eyes when it finally happened. The saga involving Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez further escalated the hate to unimaginable levels. What with Gary Neville celebrating O'shea's goal infront of the scousers?, Eric Cantona heroics and the dismissals witnessed during such a clash! Who would forget Dimitar Berbatov's hattrick in 2010? The less we talk about Hillsborough and Munich disasters as pertains both clubs, the better!