And so we come to this weekend’s main attraction, the 152nd edition of a derby that officially began back on October 3rd 1891. Over the intervening 118 years United and City have locked horns over relegation, a few Cup semi-finals and once or twice they’ve feuded over the championship but all of a sudden money has made this fixture seem like the most important of the lot.

Talk to a blue and they’ll dismiss United as yesterday’s team, convinced that the future is theirs. This ignores City’s long history of comical failure which there simply isn’t enough space on the internet to record. It also ignores United’s ability to win leagues and cups when they’ve not played particularly well or spent a spectacular amount of money.

Nevertheless, for City supporters ignorance is bliss, what lies ahead is an assault on the Top 4, probably at the expense of Arsenal or (please God) Liverpool, a few attempts to get the ball rolling in the Champions League and a first league title for nearly half a century sometime early in the next decade.

As a result, we’ve been told not to set too much store by this weekend’s result – unless City win of course and then there will be joy unconfined, commemorative videos, tea-cups and T-shirts and a lap of honour around Stockport by the Abu Dhabi royal family. A United win will be regarded as the last kick of a dying order before Ferguson, Giggs and Scholes retire.

The thing is, they may have a point. I don’t neccessarily buy the belief that money buys success, it’s only had moderate success at Chelsea for example, but it does engender a confidence that makes success possible. 18 months ago we were all grinning like Cheshire cats as City stood on the precipice. Now they’re in danger of thinking they can actually win something there will be no stopping the open top bus tours and the tickertape parades.

The belief that the arabs have engendered is dangerous and must be stopped and the quickest way out of this mess is to adminster a hammering so bad that they’ll think twice about darkening our city again. So let’s turn up on Sunday boys and play like there’s no tomorrow, because for reds there may not be one…