Greater Manchester seemed to be entering a festival as the Derby was about to take place. From Saturday, the shops became busier, especially the bars, where fans could gather and shout comfortably. People who love Man City and Man United have started to book in advance, stories about the two teams are starting to be mentioned more.
At 2pm on Sunday (local time), all eyes will be on the Etihad to witness the biggest match of the Premier League season. Not Milan, Madrid, London... but attention will be drawn to Manchester because of the history, stature, form and wealth of the two teams participating in this classic match.
A few miles east of the Etihad, Oldham are preparing for a trip to Wrexham's home ground in the National League. In the West, Bolton are preparing to welcome Lincoln City in League One. In the South, Stockport County is preparing to welcome the away team Walsall at Edgeley Park. These are clubs that are not as famous, playing lower leagues but have a large number of local fans.
However, names like Bolton, Wigan Athletic and Oldham have all played in top-flight competitions like the Premier League. However, their interest in them has now fading on Sunday, at least until the referee blew the whistle to end the Manchester Derby.
Manchester City and Manchester United are the pride of sport for the Greater Manchester area. Since 2020, there have been only four clubs from the region in the top three leagues of England (Premier League, Championship and League One). This is the lowest figure since 1980. There are many factors leading to this such as owners of teams that are not strong enough or too indifferent. However, the attraction of Man City and Man United is so great that cash flow from the locality through sponsorship and advertising forms also flows into this duo more, the gap between "rich and poor" is still widening every year.
Bolton's relegation in 2012 and Wigan in 2013 have reduced the number of teams in Greater Manchester in the Premier League from 4 to 2, which has remained the same until now. Other teams have almost no chance to look up because of debt, COVID-19 and then disband. Oldham were a founding member of the Premier League in 1992 but are now playing in the English fifth division. They are the first Premier League side in history to slip out of the professional league system.
Somewhere, the signals from Salford City in the Fourth Division have revived some hope when the owners have started to pay attention and create an environment for the football-loving community in Greater Manchester to have more playground, instead of the distant dreams of one day wearing the Man City or Man United shirt. However, how much further will that community advance to become professional and bring a more widespread Premier League atmosphere to the region?
All the traditional features of each local club are still there, but it is gradually being completely overshadowed by the huge shadow of Man City and Man United. It is known that, on this Sunday, all the traditional values, memories and efforts of the remaining teams in the locality will no longer be mentioned when the Manchester Derby officially opens.
