Thursday, February 4, 2010
Liverpool v Everton Special: Why Do So Many Players See Red In The Merseyside Derby?
Posted by izzreen at 10:34 PM
Who has got the hardest job at the Merseyside derby this Saturday?
Is it , who is looking to stave off the wolves from his door and lead to a seventh league game unbeaten? Or , who must battle injuries and history to secure a first success at Anfield in more than nine years? How about the stewards, who will need to be alert to the growing sense of animosity between the two sets of supporters?
No, it's none of the above. One man can lay claim to having the most difficult, and arguably the most important, role in the 213th meeting of Merseyside’s top dogs – referee Martin Atkinson.
For whilst the tired old cliché of form ‘going out of the window’ when it comes to derbies may be overplayed, there are some things you certainly can rely on when Red meets Blue on Merseyside.
It is remarkable to think that in the first nine derbies of the Premier League era, neither side picked up a red card - especially considering the combatiive instincts of the likes of Duncan Ferguson, Dave Watson and Neil Ruddock.
But more remarkable is that, in the 26 subsequent games, an incredible 17 players have been dismissed. To put that into context, the Manchester derby has seen just five red cards in 35 games, whilst the North London version has registered just seven.
The first Merseyside derby red cards of the Premier League era came in April 1997, with Liverpool’s Robbie Fowler and Everton’s David Unsworth dismissed after a scuffle late in the sides’ 1-1 draw. In truth it was a pretty soft pair of dismissals, Fowler reacting to some robust treatment from Unsworth and triggering a mini-brawl. But the seeds were sown.
The fact that Fowler and Unsworth, at the time, encapsulated their respective clubs perfectly should not go unnoticed. Fowler was the brash, swaggering goal-machine who had turned his back on his boyhood club to become Liverpool’s talisman. Whilst Unsworth was a conscientious, dedicated, yet ultimately limited defender, who has become a cult hero at Goodison Park. It was almost inevitable that something would eventually give, but few could have predicted the avalanche of cards that would follow.
It could be argued that it has become easier to pick up red and yellow cards over the years, hence the upward trend in dismissals. But that does not explain why the Merseyside derby remains far and away the most ill-disciplined fixture in the Premier League. It seems that the Stanley Park neighbours simply bring out the worst in each other.
Everton’s last win at Anfield came in September 1999, but more memorable than Kevin Campbell’s winning goal at the Kop End is the sight of Reds' keeper Sander Westerveld and Blues' forward Francis Jeffers scrapping their way to an early bath. The images of the 6ft-plus Westerveld struggling against the diminutive Jeffers are amongst the fixture's most farcical. The red cards were deserved if only for the pathetic nature of the 'fight'.
Fisticuffs | Westerveld and Jeffers go toe-to-toe
A 19-year-old Steven Gerrard would follow the pair down the tunnel later on after raking six-studs down Campbell’s thigh, as the game finished with Liverpool’s nine-men (including defender Steve Staunton in goal) against Everton’s ten. Gerrard recalls Jeffers welcoming him as he trudged down the Anfield tunnel with the words "Ha ha, nice one Stevie, you took the pressure off me!".
Gerrard is one of two players to have picked up two red cards in derbies (Everton skipper Phil Neville is the other), after he was given his marching orders less than 20 minutes into the Reds’ 3-1 victory at Anfield in March 2006. "The red mist still lingers, especially in derbies," wrote Gerrard in his autobiography.
Everton fans still insist that Liverpool’s captain should have a hat-trick of derby dismissals on his CV, after a two-footed lunge on Blues defender Gary Naysmith went unpunished in December 2002, but it is interesting to note that it is the two club captains who have set the worst example in recent years. Not that their team-mates have needed much encouragement to follow.
Of the current sides, Gerrard, Neville, Tim Cahill, Tony Hibbert and Mikel Arteta have all seen red in Premier League derbies, whilst Lucas Leiva was sent off as Everton dumped Liverpool out of the FA Cup in February of last year. Even relatively mild-mannered performers such as Milan Baros and Andy van der Meyde have fallen foul of the red mist which seems to hang in the air on derby day.
With some bookmakers likely to offer odds of around 7/1 on there being a red card at Anfield on Saturday, punters would be well advised to consider a flutter. The only question seems to be, who will be the (un)lucky recipient?
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