No derby, no football!

Since the concept of derby was introduced to football, a unique culture has gradually formed, and this culture is often formed not only because of football. Two cities, two regions, and even two famous peoples are structured in history, and there are huge differences and contradictions between different social classes and religious beliefs, and finally this instinctive passion of human beings is vented in the form of football. In order for two clubs to compete for fans and resources in their respective regions, the teams that form derby relationships often form fierce competition in a number of aspects, such as game performance, organization and service delivery, and the selection of young players, which spurs the club forward.

Football derbies can continue from on-field to off-pitch, from pre-match battles to post-matches, constantly stimulating people's nerves and then feeding a whole bunch of news outlets, and the influence of the derby can be a simple example. The 2016 NBA Finals staged a magical reversal, with the Warriors and Cavaliers winning more than 18% of the domestic ratings in the United States, a record high. However, this record is still far from the number one sport in the United States, where the average viewership of the annual NFL finals "Super Bowl" reached a terrifying 48%, and if you add 2 million overseas viewers, the number of viewers watching "Bowl" worldwide can reach 150 million. However, this "bowl" has become a pediatric in front of some football derbys, not to mention the national derby in Spain, Liverpool and Manchester United's annual double red meeting can attract four to five hundred million viewers around the world to watch the live broadcast, to put it mildly, the NBA finals attention and double red meeting, there are several "Super Bowls".

That's the charm of the derby, Liverpool boss John Brown. Henry once described the horror ratings brought by the Double Red Society as "unbelievable", which is why so many American bosses frantically poured into England.

Heidward is well aware of the impact of the derby between Portsmouth and Southampton. They are very similar, the two cities are located together on the southeast coastline of England, and the port of Portsmouth and Southampton are also two of the most famous ports in England; In football, where both clubs' academies have enjoyed a reputation over the past century, and even in the same way that both clubs have weakened, Southampton have undergone a painstaking period of financial purge and restructuring. They are not like Southampton, which is more of a trading port that sends their good things to Liverpool, Portsmouth is a military port, the smoke of the Normandy landings has not yet dissipated, the Saints' youth training focuses on technique and awareness, and Pompey develops the physical fitness and fighting spirit of the players.

They were like a pair of brothers, with very different personalities, fighting and supporting each other, and in Portsmouth's heyday, Southampton could only fight in League One. While they relied on their own hematopoietic ability to gradually recover, the Pompey army fell off the altar like fate.

The slogan "Once", has appeared on the pitch more than once, reflecting the vision of the fans of both teams to return to the beauty of the South Bank derby.

………………

Before the tense derby begins, Hydward unexpectedly answers a phone call.

"Uncle Hydward, I'm going to kindergarten today."

The child's excited voice came from the earpiece, as beautiful as a silver bell, and he unconsciously smiled. McVeigh spent a week in the hospital, was discharged when Portsmouth were away to Hull City, and after spending so much time at home, the strong lad finally had a normal school life.

Hydward temporarily paused the pen in his hand and asked, "Is that happy?" ”

There was silence on the other end of the line.

After a few seconds, just as he was wondering, McVeigh's cry came, a whoa-wow, the listener was sad, and the listener was crying.

I'll go! What a situation! I was so happy just now, as if the sky was clear, and it turned to rain in a few seconds.

"Woooooooooo......oo I hate red! Uncle, I hate red!! ”

Hydward heard in a fog, what the hell? What the hell is hating red?

He reassures McVeigh to no avail, and asks what is going on, but the child is still crying, not knowing what he is talking about.

After waiting for another half minute, McVeigh's father's slightly apologetic voice rang on the other end of the phone, "I'm really sorry, sir, McVeigh secretly took my phone and called you and bothered you." ”

Hydward cleared his throat and smiled "It's okay, why does he cry when he calls, and keeps shouting that I hate red, what the hell is going on, Max?" ”

On the other end of the phone, Max's voice comforting his son, "Well, don't mention it, Mr. Hydward, I was happy to go to kindergarten today, but when the school uniform was handed out, McVeigh found that the main color of the school uniform was the red that represented Southampton, so he suddenly cried and shouted over and over again: I hate red." ”

“……”

Hydward froze for a few seconds, but he didn't expect that McVeigh was a staunch Portsmouthist fighter at a young age, and it seemed that both football and derby culture had to start with a baby.

This kid has the potential to be groomed into Gerald.

"Sir, give the phone to McVeigh, I'm trying to persuade him."

The little guy took the phone and called out pitifully, "Uncle! "His whole heart is about to be sprouted by him.

"McVeigh, is it okay for your uncle to invite you to watch the game away, are you afraid?"

Portsmouth were beaten 4-0 at home to Southampton in the first leg, and Jonathan was splashed with Coke by angry fans that day, and he was mercilessly taunted by his team-mates and coach after he had already moved away. With such a score and such a story, it is destined to be difficult to turn the page away.

Hydward could see the little guy on the other end of the line standing up and saluting, shouting "I'm not afraid!" ”

McVeigh burst into tears and shouted excitedly: "Uncle, you must defeat those guys in Southampton, I will cheer you on, I have confidence in you!" ”

Nervously preparing for such a cute little guy seems to inject new strength into him, there is a sentence that Heideward agrees very much, on the road to greatness, there must be great opponents, this is the true meaning of derby, the true meaning of football, and even the true meaning of all competitive sports.

On the road to success at Heideward, on the road to success at Portsmouth, there must be a great opponent like Southampton, which is an obstacle that the team has to overcome. English philosopher Bertrand. Russell said that competition is a stimulus to human activity. The same applies to football, where his players want to improve, even transform, and the derby is the best stage.

He was looking forward to it.