[Archived] Why Fergie Quit Rovers

[S15]

Sure the atmosphere is pretty intense I'll give you that. But then so are many other derby games (Barca Madrid say.)

Barca v Real isn't a derby you nin whit.

[bb3]

Barry Ferguson went back to Scotland because he is an average player,completely over-rated when we signed him,he realised this and sulked his way back to the SPL where he can continue to under achieve for the rest of his career,because he can get away with it up there,you can't in England.

As mentioned before,there was something dodgy about this transfer from the very beginning. Also I seem to remember Ian st John warning him at the time not to sign for rovers,saying that his biggest derby game would be Bolton Wanderers,can't say he wasn't warned!

[roversWASmylife]

All derbies are special in their own way. The teams involved, especially the two sets of fans, know how important it is to them, bragging rights etc.

To be honest, I'm not sure that neutrals who are not from this area of the world actually realise what this game is all about.

But one of the most intense derby games I've seen on television is Roma v Lazio, I would love to go to a game like that.

[Rovermatt]

Oh and Celtic rangers is not a big game. Man Utd Arsenal was a big game. Rovers against either of them would be a bigger game. In fact Bolton Rovers could be construed as a big game by SPL standards. I'm fairly confident that both teams would clean up the rest of the SPL and give Celtic and Rangers a good game too. The truth is on the international stage Celtic-Rangers is scarcely worth bothering with. Just like baby bazza.

What nonsense.

The Old Firm game is easily the most intense derby on the planet. As the only two teams capable of winning the title, the victor often stands in good stead in the league rankings. Set aside the quality of football (which is rarely of a very high standard in any derby game) and factor in the history, tension, atmosphere and large fanbases (all the things that contribute to such an occasion). It is utterly wrong to dismiss it outright like that. Yes the SPL is crap, but the Old Firm is one of its few positive aspects.

Sure the atmosphere is pretty intense I'll give you that. But then so are many other derby games (Barca Madrid say.)

So the winners of the rangers celtic match most likely win the SPL - wow - what a prize. The SPL is so insignificant, you've said yourself the SPL is a joke, that the stakes are hardly much more than bragging rights. And what with at least four derby games per season the derby's highly repetative and too commonplace. Similarly I'd argue the quality and class on display is far higher in a premiership derby for example. Tottenham Arsenal for example is littered with high class players. As for tradition - is the tradition any greater than that of the other derby? Is it a greater tradition than the Rovers-Burnley derby? Ok they're two comparatively small (in terms of catchment area and on the international scale) clubs but to me that just adds to the tradition and atmosphere of the occassion.

To me Celtic Rangers games are too commonplace, fighting it out for very little, prizes which internationally are looked down upon.

You misunderstand. Of course the SPL title means nothing to us, but to the hordes of fans it means everything. That is what is at stake for these two big clubs. The whole point of any derby game is that it is representative of the fans, the history and traditions are utterly intrinsic. The quality of the football and the class of players is secondary to the results and bragging rights. Nowhere is this more hotly contested than in Glasgow.

[youandwhosearmy]

ah just dont talk about him, in 10 years time no one in England will even remember who he was

the only peple who will ever talk about him will be rangers fans, similarly the only people who believed that him moving back there was old rangers players or people who dont have a clue (walter smith). Everyone else will know he bottled it

waste of space

come on you celtic

[92er]

He's gone back to one of the clubs in the top twenty-slightly below Celtic-if you saw the financial leagues today.

He was never as good as the hype about him-but that was mainly from Souness who over paid for him.

It's a shame we lost money on the fee and the wages for the 6 months he didn't play.

It's a shame he didn't say thank you to us.

[trueblue]

He's gone back to one of the clubs in the top twenty-slightly below Celtic-if you saw the financial leagues today.

He was never as good as the hype about him-but that was mainly from Souness who over paid for him.

It's a shame we lost money on the fee and the wages for the 6 months he didn't play.

It's a shame he didn't say thank you to us.

It's a shame about a lot of things..

Like it's a shame we signed him in the first place !

[Eddie]

Sure the atmosphere is pretty intense I'll give you that. But then so are many other derby games (Barca Madrid say.)

Barca v Real isn't a derby you nin whit.

Actually in a sense it is, at least in France you can have such a thing.

You can have a local derby ie Blackburn Burnley

Then you can also have a derby that is simply a match with a lot of tradition and history behind it where the clubs have become intense rivals ie Arsenal Manchester United

I don't know if in English you can have the same thing, this is odd as I'm a native English speaker, just expressing an opinion really.

[broadsword]

Yeah, Real v Barca is not just a meeting between top club, it's the fascists against the separatists, the centrists against the Catalans.

Bet Figo would have said it felt like a derby after his first game vs Barca for Real. A pig's head chucked on the pitch - nice!

[Rovermatt]

Sure the atmosphere is pretty intense I'll give you that. But then so are many other derby games (Barca Madrid say.)

Barca v Real isn't a derby you nin whit.

Actually in a sense it is, at least in France you can have such a thing.

You can have a local derby ie Blackburn Burnley

Then you can also have a derby that is simply a match with a lot of tradition and history behind it where the clubs have become intense rivals ie Arsenal Manchester United

I don't know if in English you can have the same thing, this is odd as I'm a native English speaker, just expressing an opinion really.

What about the Breton derby (although Nantes isn't technically in Brittany any more)?

[1864roverite]

rovermatt

its only a big game for the scottish league and for its Irish followers, anywhere else it is meaningless.

Christ its not even about pride its simply about religion, I know this as I have actually been to numerous old firm games having lived at Ibrox in the mid 80's.

Our own derby game on Sunday is every bit as big, but this has meaning, there is no religion its simply PRIDE and HATE about each others club.

I would take Rovers v Bumley over ANY other derby, but that is just me a wee simple laddie from Blackburn

[blubawls]

He's gone back to one of the clubs in the top twenty-slightly below Celtic-if you saw the financial leagues today.

He was never as good as the hype about him-but that was mainly from Souness who over paid for him.

It's a shame we lost money on the fee and the wages for the 6 months he didn't play.

It's a shame he didn't say thank you to us.

Do you have a link for these tables. Are they world or British and where do we rank?

[youandwhosearmy]

The fact they usually play each other 5 times a season makes the match seem very ordinary to me. A lot of empathis is placed upon these games because the rest of the fixtures are pointless and its something to at least look forward to

[allan]

"The biggest derby in Germany is in Borussia" - tosspot presenter on Talksport (can't remember his name).

[Radagast]

Christ its not even about pride its simply about religion, I know this as I have actually been to numerous old firm games having lived at Ibrox in the mid 80's.

Your ###### it is. It deeply offends me to read @#/? like this when I come from a mixed religion Scottish family. I can promise you religion will be the last thing on the mind of any Old Firm supporter in my family or that I would consider a friend on Sunday.

EDIT: Yes I am expecting the 'witty' retorts of "Oh, you're right, they're everything in Glasgow is peachy."

Edited February 18, 2005 by Radagast

[LeChuck]

Do you have a link for these tables. Are they world or British and where do we rank?

1 (1) Manchester United - £171.5 million

2 (4) Real Madrid - £156.3 million

3 (3) AC Milan - £147.2 million

4 (10) Chelsea - £143.7 million

5 (2) Juventus - £142.4 million

6 (7) Arsenal - £115.0 million

7 (13) Barcelona - £112.0 million

8 (6) Inter Milan - £110.3 million

9 (5) Bayern Munich - £110.1 million

10 (8) Liverpool - £92.3 million

11 (9) Newcastle United - £90.5 million

12 (11) Roma - £72.0 million

13 (18) Celtic - £69.0 million

14 (16) Tottenham - £66.3 million

15 (15) Lazio - £65.8 million

16 (-) Manchester City - £61.9 million

17 (14) Schalke - £60.5 million

18 (-) Marseille - £58.3 million

19 (-) Rangers - £57.1 million

20 (-) Aston Villa - £55.9 million

2002-2003 placing in parenthesis.

[blubawls]

Thanks LeChuck.... there must be a typo somewhere, i don,t see us on the list.

Edited February 18, 2005 by Paul

[neekoy]

My figures are different? These are as of March 2004 based of income levels, last years in brackets

1 (1)

Manchester United

251.40

2 (2)

Juventus

218.30

3 (4)

Milan

200.20

4 (6)

Real Madrid

192.60

5 (3)

Bayern Munich

162.70

6 (12)

Inter

162.40

7 (8)

Arsenal

149.60

8 (5)

Liverpool

149.40

9 (13)

Newcastle

138.90

10 (7)

Chelsea

133.80

11 (10)

Roma

132.40

12 (15)

Dortmund

124.00

13 (9)

Barcelona

123.40

14 (n/a)

Schalke

118.60

15 (16)

Tottenham

95.60

16 (11)

Leeds

92.00

17 (14)

Lazio

88.90

18 (17)

Celtic

87.00

19 (20)

Lyon

84.30

20 (n/a)

Valencia

80.50

How amazing Roma, Lazio, Leeds and Dortmund are there when they are so near to financial collapse

Edited February 18, 2005 by Paul

[LeChuck]

The figures I put were released this week.

If those were published in March last year then they'll be for 2003. If you look at the positions in brackets in mine, you'll see that they match those in yours...

Tut tut.

Edit it, it's ugly an unnecessary.

[Nate]

Can't wait for the day we play Rangers in some sort of European comp (If we get that far that is)

We should really stick it up him!!!

[Rovermatt]

rovermatt

its only a big game for the scottish league and for its Irish followers, anywhere else it is meaningless.

Christ its not even about pride its simply about religion, I know this as I have actually been to numerous old firm games having lived at Ibrox in the mid 80's.

Our own derby game on Sunday is every bit as big, but this has meaning, there is no religion its simply PRIDE and HATE about each others club.

I would take Rovers v Bumley over ANY other derby, but that is just me a wee simple laddie from Blackburn

I disagree. Surely the intensity (the central point of any derby game) is the thing that makes it so special? Yes the football may not be up to scratch, and certain reasons for the rivalry are distasteful, but the occasion and historical significance are second to none. These are the things that make derbies the games the are.

The claim that Sunday's cup tie (hardly a clash between footballing contemporaries) is bigger than the Old Firm game is slightly misguided.

Edited February 18, 2005 by Rovermatt

[broadsword]

For the fans of Burnley and Blackburn (at least for those still living in the area), this is the biggest derby in the World. And for those living in Glasgow the Old Firm is.

It's all very reminiscent of the yawnsome "my club is bigger than yours" rubbish that we have to withstand on here.

As far as I know there isn't a "derbyometer" that can accurately gauge how "big" a derby is. Just like there isn't a "bigclubometer".

In the end partisan affiliations dictate what your view is on this, but it does make for a lot of hot air as people end up chasuing their own tails.

[T4E]

As much as it pains me to say it, he's a bit of a joker is our Barry. He's right about it being one of the biggest games in the World mind. It's just the rest of the league fixtures he needs to worry about.

[Tris]

As far as I know there isn't a "derbyometer" that can accurately gauge how "big" a derby is.

Derbyometer clickety clickety click

East Lancashire is leaving that crap Scottish game trailing

[bellamy11]

As far as I know there isn't a "derbyometer" that can accurately gauge how "big" a derby is.

Derbyometer clickety clickety click

East Lancashire is leaving that crap Scottish game trailing

Interesting link.

I see that Barry Ferguson has voted 62 times in the Blackburn/Burnley poll.