Liverpool and United are different, claim the distinguished football journalists Phil McNulty and Jim White in the introduction to “Red against red”. In Manchester and Liverpool, the malignant contempt between the clubs’ fans has permeated all aspects of the two metropolitan areas’ daily life, they write. Football can be used as a yardstick or barometer for mutual hatred in cities such as Glasgow (Catholic Celtic and Protestant Rangers). In North-West England, on the other hand, it is the driving force behind hostilities. And this despite the fact that the two old industrial giants have more in common – historically, politically and culturally – than many fans and residents would like to know. HATEFUL CONDITIONS: Manchester United supporter Peter Brookes was hit in the eye by a dart during a match at Anfield in 1978. The dart was reportedly thrown by a Liverpool supporter. Photo: Ray Bradbury / Alamy Stock Photo Protracted dispute This description forms the very premise of the two journalists’ interesting but also riveting narrative about the long-standing rivalry between the clubs and its far-reaching aspects. Not least, it will be interesting for the reader to see if they are able to justify their claims about something completely distinctive. There are, after all, other deep chasms in the world of football. It is certain that the undersigned has not been bored along the way. The two authors have backgrounds in each of the two cities – and the clubs’ fan bases. Phil McNulty is a Scouser, i.e. from Liverpool. Jim White is a Mancunian, from Manchester. Both have long careers behind them as football journalists in the British press. Together, they manage with considerable wit to shape a narrative in which the intensity of the conflicts is clearly revealed, while at the same time maintaining a necessary near-distance. SILVER CLOTHES ON THE HEAD: “Red against red” also offers photo memories from the ten matches mentioned, including from when Manchester United beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup final in 1977. Here, manager Tommy Docherty celebrates the victory. Photo: Bob Thomas Sports Photography via Getty Images Ten matches Boka’s approach is as simple as it is successful: Through ten more and less memorable matches between the two clubs, connections are drawn, and anecdotes and facts are presented. The first match, the first chapter in the book, is the FA Cup final in 1977. The last is the Premier League match at Anfield in January 2020, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær as unsuccessful ManU manager. Between the two matches, the reader is reminded of great player personalities and managers, conflicts and friendships. Alex Ferguson, who cursed that Liverpool should come down from the pedestal, is one example. UP AND DOWN: From 1964 to 1990, Liverpool won 13 league championships. After many years of drought, Manchester United from 1993 won the league 13 times in 20 years under Sir Alex Ferguson’s management. Here he greets Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez before a game in 2008. Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images More than football Through interviews and the authors’ own experiences, we get ups and downs in sporting, political and economic history, nationally and locally – the the steep industrial downturn under Margaret Thatcher. We meet the wild football violence, hooliganism at its worst, the heavy effects of the football tragedies at the Belgian Heysel stadium in 1985 and Hillsborough four years later: TRAGEDY: 39 people died during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels. Liverpool supporters attacked the opposing team’s supporters, and a large stand wall collapsed. Photo: AFP PHOTO BELGA FILES A consistent and striking feature: when one club and city has been on the offensive, things have gone worse with the other. Money rules The creation of the Premier League in 1992 falls within the book’s time span and illustrates the almost improbable increase in the place and importance of money in English (and international) football. The gradually intense drive towards football clubs as well-run and profitable joint-stock companies is interesting and clear. Again, the two clubs from the north-west are at the forefront of development. If not at the same time. NEVER IN YOUR LIFE: Ahead of a Premier League game against Liverpool in 2021, Manchester United supporters protested against the owners’ support for a European Super League. The plans were shelved after harsh criticism from fans, the league, players and politicians alike. Photo: Oli Scarff /AFP via Getty Images The authors could have gone even deeper into the money problem and the importance of wealthy owners. What it has done to ticket prices and ordinary working-class fans’ ability to watch matches, with astronomical prices on the heads of star players. Repetitions It is true to say that there is not much to object to this book – not even for a reader who has not sacrificed too many heartbeats at the two clubs in the book’s focus. The prerequisite is of course a minimum of interest in football as a phenomenon and power factor. Some repetitions may be unavoidable with two authors who may divide the writing between them about ten completely different events. One example is the distance between the two cities. I am unlikely to forget that it is a mere 50 km, and that it is a good idea to take the M62. FULL ARGUMENT: Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher and Manchester United’s Gary Neville at each other after United were awarded a penalty in a match on March 21, 2010. CELEBRATION: Liverpool’s Danny Murphy scores from a penalty at Old Trafford on April 24, 2004 – and comes up with a not very subtle gesture to the home crowd CONTROVERSIAL: Manchester United’s French defender Patrice Evra accused Liverpool’s Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez of racial abuse during a match in 2011. The incident led to an eight-match ban for Suárez. STRONG EMOTIONS: Jamie Carragher again – this time completely devastated after losing to Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford on January 24, 1999. United won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup this season. HELLO WORLD: Steven Gerrard scores at Old Trafford on 13 March 2009 and celebrates by kissing the camera lens. On the left Fernando Torres. Have we figured it out now? If the authors have argued well enough that the rivalry between these two clubs in north-west England is something separate and unique? They have gone a long way to convincing the undersigned, mostly because of an entertaining, curious and knowledgeable account. For a Norwegian reader, with ever so little football memory, a little nostalgic touch doesn’t hurt in the end. Represented in the line-ups in the FA Cup match at Old Trafford in January 1999. TRIPLE TRIUMPH: In 1999 Manchester United walked away with the three biggest trophies a British club can win. Here, Ole Gunnar Solskjær has just scored the decisive goal in the 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup on 24 January 1999. Photo: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo On one side of the pitch Henning Berg and, towards the end, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. On the opposite half, Vegard Heggem and Stig Inge Bjørnebye. Around them, names like Beckham, Keane, Cole and Redknapp, Ince and Carragher. Everything managed by Messrs. Ferguson and Houllier. I’m not going to say anything about what kind of times it was, but everyone is free to make up their own mind. Manchester United won 2-1. news reviews Photo: Vigmostad Bjørke Title: “Red against red – Liverpool, Manchester United and the bitterest rivalry in the football world” Authors: Phil McNulty and Jim White Language: Bokmål Original title: “Red on red” Genre: Nonfiction Publisher: Vigmostad Bjørke Pages: 377 Published: 2023 Translator: Erik Ringen
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“Red Against Red” by Phil McNulty and Jim White – Reviews and recommendations
