Real difference between east and west; John Beattie looks ahead to

There are lots of old jokes about the differences between Glasgow and Edinburgh, and before we go any further, I am from Glasgow; two cities in Scotland separated by an impenetrable bit of black stuff feared by millions and responsible for a great deal of mental malfunction called the M8. In Edinburgh, tables and chairs on the pavement might be a cafe, in Glasgow, so the story goes, it's a warrant sale.

An Edinburgh girl tells her Glasgow pal she doesn't know what knickers to wear to a party, her Calvin Klein ones or her Marks and Spencer ones. Her Glasgow pal just looks at her: "Knickers - to a party?" is all she says. And then there's the fact that we think that Edinburgh folk live in the East, the Far East, and they think we live in the West, the Wild West.

We have our Rangers and Celtic, they have their somewhat dimmer Hibs and Hearts, they've got some rich bloke buying up Charlotte Square, we had a builder who cleaned up George Square for a penny, they've got a parliament, and we don't.

But when it comes to rugby, they have a bunch of players who would rather be playing for the Borders, while we in the West have a Glasgow team who have a bit of team spirit - and perception is all- important.

On Friday night, Glasgow take on Edinburgh at Hughenden in their rearranged Boxing Day fixture. And while football may hanker after a break in hostilities at this manky time of year, there is no doubting the very tangible sense of disappointment and gloom that pervaded Boxing Day itself when 7,000 or more folk had to sit at home and mope when they realised that their appointment with fun had been lost thanks to a severe overnight frost. The only present the fans really wanted was a game.

But perhaps perception is as misleading as the smhirr of rain that can welcome you to Glasgow and which seems to hide its riches. In Pool B of the Celtic league, Edinburgh won just two of their six games, and sit second bottom. In the Scottish/Welsh league, despite having played three more games than Glasgow, they sit on the same number of points, and Europe was a pretty miserable expedition with just one win from six and bottom place in their pool.

In Celtic League Pool A, on the other hand, Glasgow were third with four wins from seven, and in their European pool they finished above Northampton. Players like Tommy Hayes have become somewhat legendary, Gordon "Badger" Simpson is popular for his unpopularity and his ball-carrying, Roland Reid is an enigma, Gordon Bulloch has all the Hutchie girls on his side, John Petrie gets the Dundee vote, Andy Nicol is pleasant and sharp, and although they have to realise that they aren't as famous or as good as they think they are there is the feeling that something is happening in Glasgow.

The coaching seems to be doing the trick thanks to Richie Dixon and crew, and there is a fan base - a new fan base as there are hordes of girls who thrust themselves at the barriers trying to get a wee peek at the thighs.

Edinburgh seem so much more dingy by comparison. You don't hear much from Edinburgh aside from the punters having a go at them on the SRU website chatroom.

So, Glasgow for the easy victory? Er, no. There has been a quiet revolution in Edinburgh, not least on the Kiwi front. I was there in Bath when they ran them close, and with the arrival of Todd Blackadder and Brendan Laney from New Zealand, things are on the up. It's hard to describe the tangible aspects of Blackadder's arrival, save to say that he is the kind of intense Kiwi who plays on pride and respect and instils those very same qualities into his team mates. It was Grand Slam try scorer Jim Calder who told me of how Blackadder hovers near the ball and is always on hand.

Add to that players like Chris Paterson behind him and you have a potent mix of older New Zealander and bright Scottish talent.

The suspicion is that Glasgow will have their botties felt if they are not careful as Edinburgh are the underdogs, nobody rates them at the moment, their office is in a portakabin on one of Murrayfield's back pitches, and the glamour is west along the M8. Heaps of manure have been dumped on the Edinburgh "Gunners" over the season and firing blanks has been the least of their problems.

Neither of our two teams have progressed to the knockout stages of Europe, and that is dismal. Depending on your viewpoint, it's either totally unacceptable or natural, but either way it's dismal. But more than anything, this Friday is a test of the marketing of the Scottish product to its own people.

I expect Scottish rugby's biggest domestic crowd of the season, and a game of far higher quality than club rugby. Oh, and I expect Glasgow to win.

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