Maybe. for me its these as the top two; Forest vs Derby Blackburn vs Burnley Then pretty much every 'derby' is even in terms of how big the game is.
Battle of the Birdies: Crystal Palace vs Brighton. There's something charming about this battle of the non-achievers. Both clubs have bright assets - Palace's academy has churned out players like Zaha, Clyne, Moses and Bostock in recent years alone, while Brighton have built themselves a well-respected new stadium and free-flowing team under the watchful eye of Gustavo Poyet. I suppose this tinderbox tear-up started in the 80s when both sides were punching above their respective weights, and there is something of a local element considering the southern bounds of Palace's and northern bounds of Brighton's catchment areas tend to converge somewhere around Crawley. The Holmesdale Fanatics and more traditional support from the South Coast will have nothing but bile to spew in each other's direction, especially after the defection of Glenn Murray northwards. EXODUS' ESTIMATION: understated, undershown, but don't underestimate it. Strong rivalry. Wessie Warfare: Huddersfield vs Leeds. 'THE' West Yorkshire Derby was traditionally played between Bradford City and the Terriers, but with the Bantams' absence from all things interesting in recent years, the Motorway City's southwesterly satellite town has focussed its explosive anger in a different direction. Town know all too well that Leeds will lord their supporter base's superiority over them, and cannot deny even to this day that the Kirklees Metropolitan Area is, in effect, 'just a town full of Leeds fans'. But they have their own three league titles to their name and Leeds' popular ex-manager along with an energetic and promising young team, in contrast to the more solid and uncompromising battlers in the Warnock squad. A pre-season bust up which resulted in the arrest of numerous nawties from both sides will have done nothing to ease the tensions already firmly in place after the 'Billy Bremner is a blue' incident (sponsored by Dulux). 33,000 Whites and 2,000 Dog-Worriers turned out for the last airing of this fixture at Elland Road, and I fully expect higher than average attendance once again for this clash. EXODUS' ESTIMATION: the battlegrounds of Batley are up for grabs here. Local, local, local, but expect the tinpottery of Town to transcend new frontiers if they nab a victory this season. Moderately healthy rivalry.
