'Memries' Sheffield United 1990-1991

[JJ Sefton]

Incredible season.

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

Never in my life have I been in a crowd as anxious for the final whistle as the one at that home game with Forest.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Never in my life have I been in a crowd as anxious for the final whistle as the one at that home game with Forest.

I was on the South Stand. I still remember the noise from the Kop when that third goal went in. On a quiet day I still can still hear it.

 

[bartman]

The Villa match was the turning point for me. Played really well and the reaction of the fans when Jones scored was unbelievable(we hadn't scored for a few games). There was passion and a great work ethic and whilst thinking it would be a miracle to get out of the mess we were in, you felt that first win was just around the corner

 

[BushBlade]

Never in my life have I been in a crowd as anxious for the final whistle as the one at that home game with Forest.

I thought my heart was going to burst out of my body.

 

[Blade for Sale]

Almost as good as the promotion season for me, the turnaround from 4 points in 16 games to 30 in the following 13 was something to behold. It annoys me when they talk about teams stopping up after poor starts but we never get mentioned as we had the temerity to do it before the premier league launched.

 

[HighfieldBlade]

Never in my life have I been in a crowd as anxious for the final whistle as the one at that home game with Forest.

Here's another one where we couldn't wait for the final whistle. It's seemed like an absolute eternity.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Good to see Wilder playing in that video.

 

[DifferentClass]

I was on the South Stand. I still remember the noise from the Kop when that third goal went in. On a quiet day I still can still hear it.

I remember hearing it from S12.

I was in my mother's womb at the time!

 

[Weasel]

Never in my life have I been in a crowd as anxious for the final whistle as the one at that home game with Forest.

Think my first gray hairs appeared after that game.

 

[Revolution]

Never in my life have I been in a crowd as anxious for the final whistle as the one at that home game with Forest.

the only one worse for me was the 2nd leg of the playoffs at Ipswich.

When Bryson hit both posts with the same shot against Forest with the score at 2-2, I started to think we would never win a match. Luckily Deano stepped up.

I saw every home game and zero away games. Top home games: (in no particular order):

1-3 v Liverpool - my first top flight Blades game, with Deano's goal as the highlight. Tracey's injury cost us a point.
7-2 v Oldham - 0-2 after 5 minutes. What a comeback!
3-2 v Forest - duck broken at last
1-0 v Derby - Hodges beats an in form Peter Shilton to start our winning run
4-1 v Southampton - Bob Booker's match, played in freezing fog. 4-0 up in 20 minutes!
2-1 v Man U - Mrs Revolution's first game

The worst game was game 14 of the non winning run, 0-2 v Sunderland. Heartbreaking late defeat following terrible errors from Beesley after dominating the game.

 

[DaveBassettsgoneonholiday]

Derby at home gave me particular satisfaction at work & down the local for a few weeks regardless of Hodges less than elegant goal celebration.
Also, come the end of the season Derby had gone down & we stayed up with ease........ at the start of the season one Dean Saunders had tipped us for relegation too.

 

[bricktop]

the only one worse for me was the 2nd leg of the playoffs at Ipswich.

When Bryson hit both posts with the same shot against Forest with the score at 2-2, I started to think we would never win a match. Luckily Deano stepped up.

I saw every home game and zero away games. Top home games: (in no particular order):

1-3 v Liverpool - my first top flight Blades game, with Deano's goal as the highlight. Tracey's injury cost us a point.
7-2 v Oldham - 0-2 after 5 minutes. What a comeback!
3-2 v Forest - duck broken at last
1-0 v Derby - Hodges beats an in form Peter Shilton to start our winning run
4-1 v Southampton - Bob Booker's match, played in freezing fog. 4-0 up in 20 minutes!
2-1 v Man U - Mrs Revolution's first game

The worst game was game 14 of the non winning run, 0-2 v Sunderland. Heartbreaking late defeat following terrible errors from Beesley after dominating the game.

Memory tells me that it was Marco Gabbiadini who scored both the Sunderland goals, for some reason he seemed to be one of those players who always scored against the Blades.

 

[Revolution]

Memory tells me that it was Marco Gabbiadini who scored both the Sunderland goals, for some reason he seemed to be one of those players who always scored against the Blades.

It was. He'd scored when they beat us the season before too.

He always scored against us - other players who always seemed to score against us in that era were Mark Ward and Paul Walsh. Kevin Drinkell, of slightly earlier vintage, got about a dozen against us for Grimsby and Norwich.

 

[Blade for Sale]

Paul Walsh

Or 'That Caravan Dwelling Long Haired Gypo Bastard' as my old man used affectionately to call him.

 

[BushBlade]

It was. He'd scored when they beat us the season before too.

He always scored against us - other players who always seemed to score against us in that era were Mark Ward and Paul Walsh. Kevin Drinkell, of slightly earlier vintage, got about a dozen against us for Grimsby and Norwich.

We battered them that day but just couldn't score and then Bees gave Gabbiadini the ball twice.

 

[Revolution]

We battered them that day but just couldn't score and then Bees gave Gabbiadini the ball twice.

I remember Radio 5 live (or perhaps it was Radio 2 then) interviewing Bassett that evening after the game. I was listening with my Dad. I think we were 14 games without a win then. At the end of the interview, Bassett was asked if he had any message for Blades fans. Bassett said firmly and confidently "Yes. Sheffield United will be in the First Division next season". Me and my Dad laughed.

It turned out Bassett was right.

 

[JJ Sefton]

We battered them that day but just couldn't score and then Bees gave Gabbiadini the ball twice.

I remember Walth Snr being fucking furious.

 

[JJ Sefton]

I remember Radio 5 live (or perhaps it was Radio 2 then) interviewing Bassett that evening after the game. I was listening with my Dad. I think we were 14 games without a win then. At the end of the interview, Bassett was asked if he had any message for Blades fans. Bassett said firmly and confidently "Yes. Sheffield United will be in the First Division next season". Me and my Dad laughed.

It turned out Bassett was right.

I don't know if its hindsight, but I don't remember ever being sure that we were doomed like everyone else seemed to think. Even when we were getting thrashed by Norwich people were still totally behind Bassett. My dad used to grumble that the football wasn't as good as under John Harris, but he was never in any doubt that Bassett was the bloke for the job. My main memories are a seething anger all through the first half of season because I was getting the pissed ripped out of me at school all the time and a sort of delirium when we went on that run. I remember Match magazine printed a league table for if the League had started on January 1st 1991 and we were second behind Arsenal who only lost one game all season if memory serves.

 

[CarlingBlade]

Derby at home gave me particular satisfaction at work & down the local for a few weeks regardless of Hodges less than elegant goal celebration.
Also, come the end of the season Derby had gone down & we stayed up with ease........ at the start of the season one Dean Saunders had tipped us for relegation too.

I went with a friend and his dad, I was only about 13yr old and always very keen to get to the match and stay to clap the players off (pre pub going days), so I was a bit put out when my mates dad announced, "we'll never score against Shilton today, let's get off and beat the traffic". We were walking along Cherry St when the ground erupted "bugger".

I recall scanned the sports pages of the paper at my grans on the Sunday and Shilton got a 10 rating from that match, one of the best all round goalkeeping performances I've ever seen, bar Alan Kelly at Wembley.

 

[bricktop]

I don't know if its hindsight, but I don't remember ever being sure that we were doomed like everyone else seemed to think. Even when we were getting thrashed by Norwich people were still totally behind Bassett. My dad used to grumble that the football wasn't as good as under John Harris, but he was never in any doubt that Bassett was the bloke for the job. My main memories are a seething anger all through the first half of season because I was getting the pissed ripped out of me at school all the time and a sort of delirium when we went on that run. I remember Match magazine printed a league table for if the League had started on January 1st 1991 and we were second behind Arsenal who only lost one game all season if memory serves.

You probably got spared the worst of it not being in Sheffield. I had it on a daily basis as a Blade being vastly outnumbered by the Gruntlets ar Ecclesfield School.........

 

[coaxingstar71]

Really enjoyed that, thanks for posting WalthamstowBlade

I was working Saturdays back then but still managed to get to a few.

 

[Revolution]

You probably got spared the worst of it not being in Sheffield. I had it on a daily basis as a Blade being vastly outnumbered by the Gruntlets ar Ecclesfield School.........

It was horrible before Christmas, because the Pigs were on course for promotion and doing well in the League Cup. They achieved both, but after our second half of the season I didn't care.

 

[JohnDenver]

I don't know if its hindsight, but I don't remember ever being sure that we were doomed like everyone else seemed to think.

At the age I was then, if Bassett had told me aliens were landing I'd have believed him. We could achieve anything as far as I was concerned, and as I'd only known the Deane and Agana years, why the hell not?

It took many years, Mark Stein, Carlos Tevez and Steve Simonsen to convince me otherwise...

 

[JJ Sefton]

You probably got spared the worst of it not being in Sheffield. I had it on a daily basis as a Blade being vastly outnumbered by the Gruntlets ar Ecclesfield School.........

I remember there being one Leyton Orient fan at my school I could sort of look down on, the rest were all Arsenal and Spurs.

 

[bricktop]

I remember there being one Leyton Orient fan at my school I could sort of look down on, the rest were all Arsenal and Spurs.

I genuinely can't remember anyone else I went to school with supporting anyone other than United or Wednesday. There probably was one or two but everyone was caught up in the whole Sheffield rivalry at the time. It was a bit different in those day because Sheffield had decent sides slugging it out in the top flight, and Sky Sports had yet to corrupt every man, woman and beast in to their brand of supporting your football team from the comfort and sanctuary of your own front room with overhyped bullshit like Red Monday.......

 

[JJ Sefton]

I genuinely can't remember anyone else I went to school with supporting anyone other than United or Wednesday. There probably was one or two but everyone was caught up in the whole Sheffield rivalry at the time. It was a bit different in those day because Sheffield had decent sides slugging it out in the top flight, and Sky Sports had yet to corrupt every man, woman and beast in to their brand of supporting your football team from the comfort and sanctuary of your own front room with overhyped bullshit like Red Monday.......

Funnily enough, when we first moved down south there was another family from Sheffield living across the road and we were friendly with them for a while. They had a son, Mark, who was a couple of years older than me and the adults thought we'd be friends but when it was just me and him he used to pick on me. Right mean little sod he was. In the end we stopped knocking about with them and they moved back to Sheffield. Years later my dad told me they'd been Pigs anyway.

 

[Silent Blade]

It was. He'd scored when they beat us the season before too.

He always scored against us - other players who always seemed to score against us in that era were Mark Ward and Paul Walsh. Kevin Drinkell, of slightly earlier vintage, got about a dozen against us for Grimsby and Norwich.

Le Tissier and Peter Kitchen too. Think Lineker played at least 6 times against us but never scored

 

[CarlingBlade]

Funnily enough, when we first moved down south there was another family from Sheffield living across the road and we were friendly with them for a while. They had a son, Mark, who was a couple of years older than me and the adults thought we'd be friends but when it was just me and him he used to pick on me. Right mean little sod he was. In the end we stopped knocking about with them and they moved back to Sheffield. Years later my dad told me they'd been Pigs anyway.

Just think, if you'd have known he was a Pig you could have battered him early on to teach him a lesson.

 

[BushBlade]

I don't know if its hindsight, but I don't remember ever being sure that we were doomed like everyone else seemed to think. Even when we were getting thrashed by Norwich people were still totally behind Bassett. My dad used to grumble that the football wasn't as good as under John Harris, but he was never in any doubt that Bassett was the bloke for the job. My main memories are a seething anger all through the first half of season because I was getting the pissed ripped out of me at school all the time and a sort of delirium when we went on that run. I remember Match magazine printed a league table for if the League had started on January 1st 1991 and we were second behind Arsenal who only lost one game all season if memory serves.

I wasn't going to post this originally as I didn't want to sound like a hindsight smartarse but my memory of the Sunderland game was that a lot of us thought it was just a matter of time before we won a game. It was fine margins and the team was giving everything. We caused them all sorts of problems but nothing fell for us and it was only two errors from Beesley that cost us, they didn't really threaten us that much.

And, of course, two seasons before we'd been in the third division so our expectations weren't too high. We knew survival would be a big achievement with our finances and after two successive promotions we trusted Bassett to give it his best shot. Just like it would be if CW won back to back promotions for us.