Sheffield Wednesday prepare to welcome their less illustrious neighbours to Hillsborough on Sunday with the build up to the season's first Sheffield derby in full flow.
Despite a number of seasons as the top dogs in the city as far as results are concerned, Sheffield's second club (or technically third including the elder statesmen of Sheffield F.C.) still give off a stench of paranoia and inferiority when discussed alongside their elder neighbours at Hillsborough.
Wednesday have been held back by financial mismanagement since before their relegation from the Premier League in 2000 and yet despite the fact United have finished above the Owls in every season since then, they continue to be just as interested if not more obsessed with the demise of Wednesday than the fortunes of their own club.
United fans are often quick to have a dig at a Wednesday defeat and pay more interest in goading the opposition fans about this than discussing the merits of their own team, why is this?
Many United fans given the choice would rather see Wednesday relegated than their own team promoted, seemingly fearful that one day in the not too distant future the rightful order will be restored and big brother will be back on top again.
For them the derby means everything as 6 points off the Wednesday can overshadow any other failings during the season.
Indeed they boasted of such a haul in the build up last season, but of course the defeat at Hillsborough was solely due to the manager and his lack of passion. If the players can't generate their own passion for a derby game then surely this cannot solely rest on the shoulders of one person.
Not long after that game Mr. Robson finally got his comeuppance as a result of the famous shoes off protest at Bramall Lane. Chairman McCabe had backed his man to the hilt but even he wilted at the awful smell of the feet of the great unwashed-even from his overseas base.
So with Robson gone, who then was to blame for the fact that it took a moment of magic from Beattie to rescue the Blades only point from the Owls in the return fixture in April?
Despite having a better infrastructure, a more experienced and talented playing staff and a significantly greater wage bill than the Owls and indeed many clubs of a similar stature for the best part of a decade, the Blades have achieved little of note during this time.
Now United fans laud it over the comparative attendances of the two clubs in the past two seasons, seemingly ignorant of the highly inflated prices at Hillsborough and the fans lack of faith in the board. This coupled with the free kids tickets on offer at the Lane and the fact that their crowds only overtook those of a team that had finished below them season upon season and had been in the third division for two seasons, after the Blades had been promoted to the Premier League, fickle? Surely not!
See you on Sunday.