It's a trip to Gigg Lane this weekend, and if you didn't know enough about our 0161 buddies, here's our Bluffer's Guide.
Bury FC in a nutshell..... This is like a roll call from years of postings from Mr R. Shaker. Where do we start? Two FA Cup wins, including the record victory for a final which still stands to this day and forever more, geet big scoreboard, the only team to have scored a thousand goals in each division, more games against Liverpool than against Dale, joined up corners, worldwide recognition from John Motson, the prestigious Newsquest Cup holders and a PC World.
The current lot..... Whilst the more rabid amongst their support would deny it, but for Bury, Dale have been something of a role model over the last few years to the Shakers from those dark days five years or so ago, when for both teams derby day success was about as good as it was going to get over a season. They clearly took inspiration from Keith Hill's time at Dale, and whilst they were not alone in doing so, they were probably the most successful, and few could argue that their promotion was anything but deserved after knocking on the door for two or three seasons. After a less than inspiring Summer, the Shakers took off whether they left off last season, and made a great start to life in League One with wins over Sheff Wednesday, Wycombe and Coventry (in the Cup) plus an excellent point away at Huddersfield. However the sale of Lowe and Mozika have brought something of a cloud over the club, and they'll go into Saturday's game with just three goals scored all season by their current squad. The Shakers are boosted by the addition of striker Shaun Harrad who signed for Bury ahead of Dale, and come 4:55pm on Saturday, it could be ourselves left ruing that decision.
Who's the gaffer..... Had Richie Barker not been given the permanent manager's job at Bury in the Summer, then he would have undoubtedly entered footballing folklore as the caretaker manager who led the side to six successive wins and promotion, only to disappear back to looking after the youth team. Quite why it took the Bury board so long in the Summer to come to the decision to retain his services as manager is anybody's guess, but they were left in an impossible situation. Any alternative would always have had the Barker shadow hanging over them had they not hit the ground running. So far in League One, so good for Barker, but with four defeats on the trot, it seems Barker might be having his first difficult spell in charge which could see his managerial credentials tested.
Played for both Dale and Bury...... Given the large number of players to have featured for both clubs over the years, we've managed to club together two sides for an imaginary derby day clash between two Dale / Bury teams.
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| Neil Edwards | |||
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| Dean Howell | Paul Butler | Peter Valentine | Tom Newey |
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| Andrew Haworth | Dave Flitcroft | Brian Barry-Murphy | John Ryan |
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| Steve Johnson | Tony Ellis | ||
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He was a bit good..... From the Bury youth team to England goalscorer, there's not many who can boast that. After making his debut for the Shakers at the age of 16, David Nugent became a regular in the Bury side, and whilst his goalscoring record didn't particular stand out, the potential shone brightly. As financial pressures started to hurt Bury, he was the most saleable asset and a string of clubs were interested in his services. Indeed, Dale were amongst those rumoured to be interested and that interest even reached the stage of messageboard ponderings regarding his potential squad number at Spotland. PNE came in for him for what seemed a pittance at the time, but that deal proved to be rather fruitful when a sell on clause kicked in bringing close to a seven figure sum to the Bury coffers. Whilst the Premiership proved to be a step too far for him, but he entered footballing legend following his England appearance, and forever more any player who steals a goal off another by tapping it in on the line is known as "doing a Nugent" - it certainly has to be better than "doing a Waddle" or "doing a David White".
Try not to mention..... Despite a career where he is rightly acknowledged as one of the best results getting managers in the game, down the road at Gigg Lane it is a different matter altogether. Only known by his anagram on the Bury messageboards, Warnock is continually lambasted by the Bury faithful for a string of mistakes during his brief time in charge, with nowt more embarrassing than wearing his Sheffield United tie in a televised game against that very same team. A string of short term signings left the Shakers in a right old mess financially as the Hugh Eaves cash proved to be as reliable as Nick Leeson's. Relegation didn't help his cause much and the sour icing on the cake came when he jumped ship to wear that tie on a daily basis by joining Sheffield United.
Bury's famous five:
Last ten years.....