The rivalry between two talented managers has resulted in the dominance of domestic trophies and exciting matches during their clashes. Despite occasional exceptions, this rivalry has remained clean, with players and managers often praising each other.
However, there was a time when their matches were so intense that violence spilled into the car parks. During one game in the early-70s, a forward for the Sky Blues antagonized Liverpool defender Tommy Smith, earning himself a post-game altercation with the notorious hard man, who was nicknamed ‘The Anfield Iron’.
This incident also raises the question of whether football was better in the past, considering the change in the nature of comments made by personalities in the sport. The surprising twist in this tale is that Marsh and Smith would later become teammates in 1976, not for an English team, but for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in Florida.
