South Wales experiencing a Christmas-like fervour ahead of first top-flight derby
How did your derby day start? For me, there were literally seconds between my head leaving the pillow and a smile breaking out on my face. For anyone with a love of either club involved in today's historic match, today is simply massive.
For the clubs too, the game is more than just a derby. Even though the season is only around a quarter of the way through, there's an argument that this is quite a big game in terms of league position. A win for the Swans tomorrow would see them five points clear of their rivals, who would remain only a point (and a place) clear of the relegation zone. Losing at home to your rivals would undoubtedly bring about a reaction from the squad - whether that would rally Cardiff or see their form slump further you can't say, however.
Conversely, a win for Cardiff would see them leapfrog the Swans and jump to 12th in the table. It shows how tight the league is at the moment, but I feel that in terms of the boost it would give to the teams involved, Cardiff would draw more satisfaction from sitting above the Swans than vice-versa. No doubt it would grate the Swans sitting below their rivals, but I think after two seasons in the Premiership they carry a bit more self-belief than those up the road.
Whatever happens today, I've no doubt I'm going to spend the entire match screaming at whatever TV I find myself in front of. I'm very envious of anyone who managed to nab themselves a ticket, and I'm sure the atmosphere will be something rarely (if ever?) seen in the Premier League. A proper derby with proper fans on television worldwide. Quality.
As I was on about the other day, it's vitally important we behave ourselves. Back in the day we were just inch-fillers in national papers, but serious crowd violence today could have massive ramifications for both teams. It's still a bubble-trip, so any further restrictions would surely involve the banning of away fans. That's something no-one wants, and personally the idea of the whole world watching as we smash ten bells out of each other isn't something that fills me with pride. If you see someone doing something daft, don't encourage it. The more level heads, the better.
That's enough sense though. Today is the day. Derby day. One for the history books. For ninety minutes, I'm liable to be a seething, impassioned mess with absolutely no powers of rational thought, and only three points on my mind.
Man I love football...