beaufighter
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2015
- Messages
- 234
- Reaction score
- 63
- Points
- 28
- Supports
- Rotherham United
Your rivals that is. Following a bit of a fishing trip/bitchfest on another thread (and also because a couple of posters were getting sanctimonious about other clubs rivalry, which is very silly, I though I'd start this thread. Let's all be as honest as we can, when you look around at your clubs local rivals, what do you see? It's naturally a very personal interpretation, so there's no right or wrong, but it can be enlightening to see how others view you. To start us off, this is my own impression of the clubs around Rotherham United. Listed, incidentally, in order of prominence, whatever we want to think.
Sheffield Wednesday - easily the most massive club, with the biggest support in our immediate area. We may even admire them if it wasn't for their irritating habit of constantly pointing this out, every single fucking day. Even though they haven't won anything for decades and were in L1 themselves not that long ago. Beating them is the best feeling in the world. Losing, at home, is the worst.
Sheffield United - proper Sheffield club with a sense of where they belong in the world. Generally the best fans in Sheffield too, except Brian the Blade, who gives every impression of a Wednesday fan who got lost one day. Will always be rivals of course, but there are also links, especially since we nearly closed down and SUFC, managed by former Millers player Neil Warnock at the time, did more than possibly all other clubs combined to save us. Many now push this into the background for the sake of rivalry and not feeling sick, but I will always remember.
Barnsley - probably the only local rival club that we would want to be. Similar situation to us, old fashioned working men's football club from a mining area in the Sheffield shadow, but regularly pulling in five figure attendances and spending more time in the championship than out of it. Can't argue with that, given that in my childhood they were distinctly poorly supported fourth division rubbish. Now a magnificent football club and very well run.
Doncaster Rovers - local rivals with no actual affinity whatsoever. The inferior little club that we might become one day if we fuck things up badly enough. Have played in the conference (we never have) and had sub 1000 home attendances (we never have). Given that in the fifties they were quite a big club, comparatively, and a derby between us and them at their ground once attracted a crowd 10,000 higher than our ground could even accommodate at its peak, may explain the massive chip they have on their shoulders now. Losing v DRFC is simply abject failure. A 6-2 win at Belle View in the 90's was a pleasing highlight.
Chesterfield - fake rival, foisted upon the rest of South Yorkshire by Radio Sheffield. I don't think they much care for us either.
If I could make one change, like moving the pieces on a chessboard, I'd switch Donny with Scunthorpe United. Always quite liked them, been to their ground loads, including a WSG England V USA fixture, and would prefer them as a local rival.
Sheffield Wednesday - easily the most massive club, with the biggest support in our immediate area. We may even admire them if it wasn't for their irritating habit of constantly pointing this out, every single fucking day. Even though they haven't won anything for decades and were in L1 themselves not that long ago. Beating them is the best feeling in the world. Losing, at home, is the worst.
Sheffield United - proper Sheffield club with a sense of where they belong in the world. Generally the best fans in Sheffield too, except Brian the Blade, who gives every impression of a Wednesday fan who got lost one day. Will always be rivals of course, but there are also links, especially since we nearly closed down and SUFC, managed by former Millers player Neil Warnock at the time, did more than possibly all other clubs combined to save us. Many now push this into the background for the sake of rivalry and not feeling sick, but I will always remember.
Barnsley - probably the only local rival club that we would want to be. Similar situation to us, old fashioned working men's football club from a mining area in the Sheffield shadow, but regularly pulling in five figure attendances and spending more time in the championship than out of it. Can't argue with that, given that in my childhood they were distinctly poorly supported fourth division rubbish. Now a magnificent football club and very well run.
Doncaster Rovers - local rivals with no actual affinity whatsoever. The inferior little club that we might become one day if we fuck things up badly enough. Have played in the conference (we never have) and had sub 1000 home attendances (we never have). Given that in the fifties they were quite a big club, comparatively, and a derby between us and them at their ground once attracted a crowd 10,000 higher than our ground could even accommodate at its peak, may explain the massive chip they have on their shoulders now. Losing v DRFC is simply abject failure. A 6-2 win at Belle View in the 90's was a pleasing highlight.
Chesterfield - fake rival, foisted upon the rest of South Yorkshire by Radio Sheffield. I don't think they much care for us either.
If I could make one change, like moving the pieces on a chessboard, I'd switch Donny with Scunthorpe United. Always quite liked them, been to their ground loads, including a WSG England V USA fixture, and would prefer them as a local rival.
Last edited:
