Ever Denied You were a Blade?

[BusheyBlade]

I watched utd a couple of times at millwall's old ground by standing on the home end just on the side of their kop in the days when the only way to the away end was down a near suicidal narrow alley way where they would wait for you after the match. Very difficult staying quiet when you want cheer and vice versa, just dont say too much.

Walking to Millwall down the very narrow alley is when my marvellous London accent really came into its own. Load of Blades fans trying to hide their allegiance by being quiet, I could make up any crap with no accent to give myself up

When we were at Highbury in the "Kanu/Overmars" match I was sitting with the Arsenal fans behind the goal. When Marcelo equalised I managed to sit on my hands and stay quiet but when it all kicked off I was up on my feet and berating the players. I suddenly remembered where I was but felt much better when I say there were plenty of other Blades around me. My Arsenal supporting school mate looked more scared than any of us.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Ha-ha! that's hilarious. So, these Blades Bovver Boys actually offered you the chance to produce evidence that you were a Blade before they set about re-arranging your face? That's jolly decent of them I'd say.

It's a good job you had a season ticket with you old chap. What else could you have used to prove your allegiance to the Blades I wonder? Maybe you could recite all verses of the chip butty song - taking care to sing "Magnet" and not "maggots" or that would provoke a kicking for sure. You could have recited the names of players from the past maybe? Or you could have asked them to give you a Sheffield postcode and you'd tell them where in Sheffield it was?

S8? Err, yes that's kind of like Greenhill and Norton Lees and Abbey Lane and stuff

ok next...S10?

S10 - Err , oh yeah, now that's a posh bit up near Hallamshire hospital and Ranmoor and Crosspool, all around there

ok next...S6

that's easy, it's a shithole.

Correct! you've passed the test.

Bovver Boys?

Have I woke up in an episode of Life on Mars?

 

[BLADES1988]

I have never been a Blades denier, but I once pretended I didn't even like football and said I was into rugby. It was either that or a stabbing.

Whilst they were trying to comprehend a human being didn't like football I made my escape.

 

[Silvio Morris]

I went to swillsborough with a Derby fan, and we decided on a few drinks around hillsborough corner.
Went in the Blue Ball, blokes on the door asking "do you want a go on't raffle?"
"aye ok" I replied, as I fumbled for a bit of change. "Whats the prize?"
They pointed to a blue and white signed rag hanging up, I stopped and quickly put change back in my pocket.
"Yerr not an owl are tha?" with about ten lads staring at me.
"No, i'm bloody NOT" I replied, and I stormed off to the bar to order two pints.

Think the crowd was about 22,000, with 5k+ Rams. In the premiership. Massive.

 

[BLADES1988]

I went to swillsborough with a Derby fan, and we decided on a few drinks around hillsborough corner.
Went in the Blue Ball, blokes on the door asking "do you want a go on't raffle?"
"aye ok" I replied, as I fumbled for a bit of change. "Whats the prize?"
They pointed to a blue and white signed rag hanging up, I stopped and quickly put change back in my pocket.
"Yerr not an owl are tha?" with about ten lads staring at me.
"No, i'm bloody NOT" I replied, and I stormed off to the bar to order two pints.

Think the crowd was about 22,000, with 5k+ Rams. In the premiership. Massive.

That would have fitted a guy fawkes quite nice! cheap nylon is very flammable aswell!

 

[Macfarlane21]

Finding all the "tough guy" answers very amusing

 

[blade too long]

I remember walking nr the midland railway stn. one Saturday evening, the pigs had played Notts. Forrest at home, a group of piglets approached me, I was wearing a red jumper they were looking for forest fans & trouble.
The ringleader asked me what team I supported, I answered in the broadest Yorkshire accent I could muster & said I hadn't been to the match, that seemed to convince them I wasn't a Notts fan.
Has anyone else been approached by a nasty looking gang & got asked the same question, its 50-50 that you give the right answer to escape a beating, I often chickened out & said Rotherham.

should have said to them
Im a blade , I considered being an owl but I couldn't afford the lobotomy

 

[JOEYDEE]

No, in fact my standard response is actually "Sheffield United, cuntybollocks, do we have a problem?".

Which has caused awkwardness from time to time in social gatherings, doing surveys, meeting girlfriends' parents etc.

Pmsl !especially the bit about meeting girlfriends parents !

 

[The Crab]

Bovver Boys?

Have I woke up in an episode of Life on Mars?

Hope so, I always liked the Audi Quattro

 

[Sean Thornton]

should have said to them
Im a blade , I considered being an owl but I couldn't afford the labotomy

Funny if it wasn't tragic.....

 

[Sean Thornton]

Funny if it wasn't tragic.....

 

[Bert]

Finding all the "tough guy" answers very amusing

Did Bert ever tell you about the time he went to the derby game at Hillsborough the night we won 3-1, wearing his full Blades kit and due to a mix up in ticketing he found himself on the middle of their Kop? Had to chin a few but after that they left Bert alone even after he'd jumped up and gave them all the v signs after the third goal went in.

 

[flyingmonkeyuk]

After the Newcastle FA Cup semi final at Old Trafford, I had to get the tram back to my girlfriend's (who is from Manchester), so I was pretty much on my own, as everyone else was heading the other way. Some Newcastle fans were chucking bricks about and a couple of them wandered over to me, wondering if I was a Blade. I just replied that I was City and, after a bit of a discussion, they wandered off.

 

[Danny_Boy]

I was kind of on the other end of this. It was away at Sunderland early 2000's in the cup I think. There was literally running battles outside the coaches it was madness to be fair.

I was walking back to the coach after the match with a mate who was not really a massive football fan he'd come with me for the piss up more than anything, think we had lost. I won't lie I was in my early twenties and thought it was great at first, proper thought I was hard. Until the fighting got closer and literally blokes were laid out on the floor and I started realising that I am not hard, I am a lover not a fighter in fairness I was shitting myself as was my mate. A massive bald headed bloke with an accent I couldn't place as North East or Yorkshire pinned me up against a coach and said "United or Sunderland" I just said "I am blade mate". He dusted me down and said "good lad, never deny who you support" and walked off. Still don't know who is supported, suspect he was a Blade otherwise I would have had a kicking but he never confirmed it.

 

[BushBlade]

I was kind of on the other end of this. It was away at Sunderland early 2000's in the cup I think. There was literally running battles outside the coaches it was madness to be fair.

I was walking back to the coach after the match with a mate who was not really a massive football fan he'd come with me for the piss up more than anything, think we had lost. I won't lie I was in my early twenties and thought it was great at first, proper thought I was hard. Until the fighting got closer and literally blokes were laid out on the floor and I started realising that I am not hard, I am a lover not a fighter in fairness I was shitting myself as was my mate. A massive bald headed bloke with an accent I couldn't place as North East or Yorkshire pinned me up against a coach and said "United or Sunderland" I just said "I am blade mate". He dusted me down and said "good lad, never deny who you support" and walked off. Still don't know who is supported, suspect he was a Blade otherwise I would have had a kicking but he never confirmed it.

I vaguely recall an apocryphal story where a couple of supporters had a firm run at them and one of the blokes thought 'fuck it, I can't outrun them' and stayed where he was. The hoolies left him alone because 'he'd stood his ground'. No idea if that has ever happened.

 

[Slim Man]

No, but anyone who goes out their way to way for a feyt at football is a right bellend.

I'd never deny it, and you can tell when people are after trouble so you just prepare yourself to have to throw a right before they do

 

[BushBlade]

No, but anyone who goes out their way to way for a feyt at football is a right bellend.

I'd never deny it, and you can tell when people are after trouble so you just prepare yourself to have to throw a right before they do

I'd go for a throwaway left to the body first to set the right up.

 

[Slim Man]

I'd go for a throwaway left to the body first to set the right up.

I'm a lover not a fighter.

 

[Jesus_was_a_Blade]

Never.

After we lost the play-off final to Huddersfield I walked to the nearest pub looking to drown my sorrows. Just as I raised the glass to my lips I felt a tap on the shoulder, spinning round I found myself confronted by no less than 10 blokes, dressed head to toe in Huddersfield gear. Me being sat in a United shirt there was no way I would have been able to hide my loyalties.

The next 3 minutes are a bit of a blur to be honest, but I seem to recall it went exactly like this..



Have I passed the test? Am I a big enough Blade now?

 

[Tyler Durden]

One of my mates when I was at school got chinned in the subway near St Mary's church by two "Blades". Grown men too by all accounts.

He wasn't remotely into football, so when they asked him "United or Wednesday", he replied "Er, Wednesday?" and they promptly kicked the shit of him.

He could've escaped a kicking just by telling the truth!

 

[sitwell]

I became a carpet fan once ,Chelsea headhunters stormed the Worlds end in Camden armed to the teeth looking for Utd ,everyone vanished into thin air not wanting to meet Mr scythe and machete ,we dived into an Asian second hand carpet shop ,very busy full of men with northern accents admiring shagpiles.

 

[BushBlade]

One of my mates when I was at school got chinned in the subway near St Mary's church by two "Blades". Grown men too by all accounts.

He wasn't remotely into football, so when they asked him "United or Wednesday", he replied "Er, Wednesday?" and they promptly kicked the shit of him.

He could've escaped a kicking just by telling the truth!

Used to hate walking through there. Once heard someone running up behind me and shit myself, spun round to square up and it was just a jogger. Felt a bit of a tit.

 

[BushBlade]

I'm a lover not a fighter.

I try to avoid trouble at all costs. When I was younger a lot of Stanley knives and the like were around, some proper horrible cunts that would attack in mobs and look to seriously injure people. Getting punched a bit isn't that bad but getting carved up and hospitalised, no thanks. And I still have the same mentality, keep my head down.

 

[I should coco]

Remember coming out of forest after we just relegated them ,cloughs last home game as well I think ,so to say they were slightly pissed off was an understatement.
I was heading back to the station with a mate ,and about 70 of their firm came round a corner looking for blood .so all we could do was mingle ,I never denied I was a blade just did a bit of forest role play ,while being escorted back to the station

I was a student in Nottingham in 85 and went to see the last game of the season. Forrest v Everton who'd already won the title so we stood on the away end thinking it would be a laugh. It wasn't. A couple of thousand miserable Scousers still hungover from winning the title and loads of 'up for it' Forrest boys.

The three of us were a Chelsea fan (from Eltham with the strongest Cockernee accent you've ever heard) a Barcode (complete with 'Why aye' accent) and myself so it had to be me that did any talking. As we walked out small groups of Everton fans were getting hidings all over the place. FFS, I'd had a couple of kickings before for being a Blade but it all seemed so wrong that I was going to get the shit kicked out of me for being a Scouser.

Fortunately we were ignored and got away It did make me think I wouldn't take a kicking for someone else so I'd decided I'd say 'Blade' rather than 'Everton'.

 

[I should coco]

We had a kid at school (Dinno) who went to Uni in Glasgow in the early 80s. He came out a pub on his own and as he was crossing the road three locals caught up with him. The inevitable 'Who d'ya support?' came but he didn't know one side of the Old Firm from another.

He decided it was 50/50 for a kicking but it could be a nasty one if he got it wrong so he said 'Sheffield United'. One of them put his arm round him and as he was just starting to shit himself, another one piped up..
'We like Sheffield United. You signed wee Jimmy Johnstone and he's a god wi us'. Another one told him 'We hate that fuckin Wednesday though cos they had Willie Henderson....'

He swears that they insisted on walking him to his bus to make sure he was safe!

If you know your history and all that.....

 

[BushBlade]

I was a student in Nottingham in 85 and went to see the last game of the season. Forrest v Everton who'd already won the title so we stood on the away end thinking it would be a laugh. It wasn't. A couple of thousand miserable Scousers still hungover from winning the title and loads of 'up for it' Forrest boys.

The three of us were a Chelsea fan (from Eltham with the strongest Cockernee accent you've ever heard) a Barcode (complete with 'Why aye' accent) and myself so it had to be me that did any talking. As we walked out small groups of Everton fans were getting hidings all over the place. FFS, I'd had a couple of kickings before for being a Blade but it all seemed so wrong that I was going to get the shit kicked out of me for being a Scouser.

Fortunately we were ignored and got away It did make me think I wouldn't take a kicking for someone else so I'd decided I'd say 'Blade' rather than 'Everton'.

You deserved a kicking for being a bloody student with your cheap tickets, subsidised beer and your Smiths records.

 

[ashsufc1889]

Yeah, me and a mate got off the train in Derby on a match day with loads of other Blades. Told the police, whom were herding everyone into some shiity pubs, i didn't support anybody and was going to the hospital to see an Uncle. Made up some BS name. They let us go and we walked straight up to the high street into a weatherspoons with loads of other blades.

 

[I should coco]

You deserved a kicking for being a bloody student with your cheap tickets, subsidised beer and your Smiths records.

Come on mate. The 'subsidised' beer in our hall bar was Shipstones so I should have been paid to drink it.

I went to loads of punk/Oi gigs but can't ever remember the Smiths being a favourite, with their whiny Mancunian drivel.

You might be right about me deserving a kicking though.....

 

[Danny_Boy]

I vaguely recall an apocryphal story where a couple of supporters had a firm run at them and one of the blokes thought 'fuck it, I can't outrun them' and stayed where he was. The hoolies left him alone because 'he'd stood his ground'. No idea if that has ever happened.

There probably are a small amount of hooligans that live by some sort of code and would do something like the above, but my general observation from around 1989 to present is that the majority of hooligans are moronic lager louts that will just kick off with anyone even their own mates because they are knuckle draggers with low intelligence. I remember a few years ago we had played Oldham (I think) in an evening game and I came straight from work, I parked in Decathlon (naughty man) and walked through the underpass, I was behind a man with his young son who were obviously Oldham fans, further ahead as you come out of the underpass near the church were two scruffy looking blades fans asking everyone that walked out of the underpass who they supported, they had tracky bottoms on and old blades shirts so not really your typical hooligan. I thought they would leave the bloke and his son alone as his son couldn't have been any older than 10. Nope they bounced up to them and got right in the guys face asking were he'd been and were he was going etc. Adrenalin kicked in and again like I say I am not hard and was completely shitting myself again but I just said, "leave it out lads he's with his kid" in the hardest broadest Yorkshire accident I could muster, the larger of the two shrugged said "we're all blades aren't we and walked off.

I hate that saying WABAW or WAWAW depending on who you support, why would you say that to people you don't know?

 

[Danny_Boy]

Oh and in answer to the original question which I haven't answered yes I have lied about being a Blade once in Leeds. We had played Bradford and the train stopped in Leeds on the way back, me and my mate wanted to go into Leeds for a few post match beers but the police were stopping everyone and sending all the Blades back to the platform to get trains back to Sheffield. We convinced an officer that we lived in Leeds and had been to Bradford visiting family and we managed to get through. Looking back either that copper was chill, couldn't be bothered or was thick because we were two lads both stinking of beer at 5pm on a Saturday afternoon and with a large group of Blades who had all been sent away.