The Manchester Derby

I'm a little late getting to the party on this one as every conceivable angle has been taken, dissected and discussed in pubs, offices and in column inches about this mega Manchester derby, so I'll keep it short, (without the sweetness).

The build up was borderline ridiculous with everyone and their dog having a say on what was labelled the biggest game in Premier League history and certainly the biggest Madchester Derby in over a generation.  With all the media hype including twitter feeds blowing up with talk of what was actually a bit of a damp squib of a game showed the power of the brand of the Barclays Premier League in full effect.  The most exciting things from the game, for me, were...

• The appearance of El Diego at the Eithiad. He knows how to make anything a spectacle and certainly added to the drama of the occasion from his box on high. Also his facial hair and smile make me happy.
• Fergie and Mancini nearly coming to blows in the technical area after giving it the bunny hand gesture for their verbals to the 4th official, and then Fergie's bright red hooter looking on the verge of blowing as he told the mop headed Italian to 'Fuck off" in his finest Glaswegian snarl.  Class.
• The support.  The Blue half of Manchester has waited in the wings for a while now, but with their new wealth, stadium and superstar roster they are known as the 'noisy neighbours'.  At the Etihad on Monday night they were deafening.  At half time, moments after Captain fantastic Vincent Kompany had nutted them into the lead, the place was jumping.  It was almost as if they'd won the league there and then.  The atmosphere from those fans made it the occasion it was, because regardless of the on-the-field actions, the crowd made the evening one to remember, and their noise, joy and energy transcended across the Atlantic and into my TV as I watched, mesmerized by the passion, humour and love for the Citizens.
• Liam Gallagher.  They play his music before the games, they play his music at half time, but at the end, they played his favourite band, The Beatles, and 'Hey Jude'.  Watching the Beady Eye front man belt out the "Naa Naa Naa na na na NAA!" at the top of his lungs with the rest of the home support was amazing, and so were his comments after the game. "I love Mancini, he's nearly as cool as me" he said, and I'd agree.
• Sir Alex.  He said he's never sent his team out to play for a draw and wouldn't for this game.  He lied.  United were terrible, didn't have a shot on target or even at goal and Joe Hart was rarely called into anything like action.  It's amazing how a midfield containing Scholes and Giggs is called "classy" and "experienced" when they win, but labelled "old, past it" and "gone" when they lose.  Fergie should blame the Glaziers who bought his beloved club and rather than channeling some of the income of the biggest, richest club in the world into the playing staff, they have used it to make money and moves on other ventures resulting in Ferguson signing the Reserve team Coach to his side this season, and a few other players who he signed after getting rid of many in a summer clear out (De Gea and Jones came in for decent money, but Gibson, Obertan and Brown were all sold, Neville, van der Saar and Scholes* all retired, freeing up money from the wage bill. (Scholes was the Reserve Team Coach when he re-signed with United 15 games ago.)  If City do go on to win the league even with their tough run in (Newcastle away - who are chasing Champions League football, and QPR who are scrapping for their lives compared to United's rather easy run in with Swansea who could only draw with a relegated Wolves last weekend and a Sunderland team who started their Summer holidays about a month ago) Ferguson will put severe pressure on the Glazier's to break open the cheque book and spend big this summer.
• Vincent Kompany - Not considered a mercenary in a team of multi-millionaire players.  I'm sure he's on a few quid a week but his attitude, application and aptitude on and off the pitch has made him a man loved by the home fans and respected by opposition players and fans a like. His headed winner was simple enough by a player of his standard, but it's potential impact on where the league trophy goes this season cannot be underestimated.  It may well be the most important thing he's done in his career
• Super Mario - He managed to stay off the pitch and out of the news.  That's note worthy in itself.

This is leads us to the last 2 games of the season. Hopefully City beat Newcastle to keep it interesting and it all comes down to the last day.  That's the drama the neutrals want, and I'm sure that the blue half of Manchester would take that, especially after being 8 points behind their red neighbours 4 games ago!