1. Celtic vs Rangers - Old Firm Derby
The most intense, brutal, fired up derby in British football is undoubtedly the Old Firm Derby. A fixture where the two giants of Scottish football would be pitted against one another in an arena filled with Scots crying out for blood to be spilt. Much akin to the film Gladiator. I cannot recall the last time I watched one of these without a red card being brandished. The rivalry here is more than football, with some heavy underlining factors to take into consideration. The Catholic/Protestant split, which we shouldn't really go into detail here, is a major contributor to this bloodshed tie. Death threats and parcel bombs have all been associated with this game, with Neil Lennon being targeted numerous times. Countless brawls have broken out both on and off the pitch, as well as on the touchline. Scuffles between McCoist and Lennon were not too uncommon in the past few meetings.
With Rangers banished from the SPL, all we can hope for in the coming years is that the cup draw is nice, and we see these two trade blows again. But until then, it seems the top clash in British football is on the simmer for now. So there we have it, arguably the top five fiercest derbies in British football. There are a number that I could have selected, but from what I've witness, these were the top five on the balance of passion, intensity and history. From my days in Spain, I can say that the rivalries in Britain in comparison are one of the most intense on the European stage.