The more things change, the more they stay the same. Apparently. So they say. Except that's not really true, is it. Take football: it's changed - but it's changed! Oh soccer! What happened? What happened to us? We just don't know you any more.
To illustrate the point, Norwich City versus Manchester United in the FA Premier League. Sir Alex Ferguson's side will be taking nothing for granted this evening, of course, but chances are, the league leaders will sashay off with the three points from Carrow Road this evening. Norwich City's recent form is better than decent - they're unbeaten in four Premier League games, a run which has seen them beat Arsenal and additionally knock Spurs out of the League Cup - but they've lost seven of their last eight matches against Manchester United. And the visitors are in red-hot form, on a five-match winning run in the league which has included comprehensive victories over Chelsea and Arsenal, and a ludicrously impressive comeback at Aston Villa. United are hot favourites: they're perennial title contenders, while Norwich will just be happy to maintain their divisional status this season.
Cast your mind back 20 seasons, though, to the corresponding fixture. It's the first season of the Premier and Champions Leagues, before the money generated by the Premier and Champions Leagues had completely jiggered All Football. United still have title pretensions - but the biggest club in the world haven't won the thing for 26 years, and after bottling it the season before, look like filling their breeks again. From a position atop the table after 31 games, they fail to win any of the next four, picking up only three points from 12. They travel to Norwich in all sorts of trouble, four off the leaders Aston Villa. They're in third place, behind... Norwich City, who have launched an unlikely title bid under Mike Walker.
City's tilt at the title has been idiosyncratic, to say the least. Hotly tipped for relegation, they start the season with a blistering 4-2 win at title hopefuls Arsenal, and never look back. By the time they beat Wimbledon 2-1 at the beginning of December, they're eight points clear at the top (despite having been whupped 7-1 at Blackburn along the way). But they only win three more games until March, whereupon another mini-burst of form gets them right back in the race. On the evening United come to town, they can go top again with a win. A defeat for United, meanwhile, will probably scupper their season, and it'll be at least 27 years before they win that elusive title.
Cue one of the great carpe diem moments in English football history. United, the pressure on, throw the kitchen sink at Norwich. Within 21 minutes, they're three goals up through Ryan Giggs, Andrei Kanchelskis and Eric Cantona. Norwich's fragile confidence collapses, even though Mark Robins manages a second-half consolation. They go to Spurs on the Friday, and get humped 5-1, the jig up. The day after, Steve Bruce stages a late one-man comeback against Sheffield Wednesday, and United's title wait will soon be over.
Close, then, but no cigar for Norwich. Still, what a campaign, one which earns them a subsequent season of Bayern Munich bothering. Heady times. But the idea of Norwich City Football Club battling for the title these days? Not gonna happen. Oh football! What happened? You've changed.
Kick off: 5.30pm.
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