Do other fans have a soft spot for us?

[Hague Blade]

tomtheblade - i had that exact conversation in a Singapore cab today. Uncle picked me up from the rank outside Lucky Plaza on Orchard, asked me where I was from, "whereabouts in England?" He's then straight in with the old "Ah, Sheffield - Sheffield United!"

I've had much the same experiences as you - immigration officers in Africa and Asia, locals in both places, the ADO fans when I had my season ticket in The Hague, even my mates when I lived in Australia - all seemingly much more familiar with the Blades than the unclean.

 

[TBW57]

When I came to live in Sheffield, as a football fan looking for love, I chose the Blades rather than Wednesday because of all of the following:

1 My friend Muriel is a lifelong Blade even though she lives in Ecclesfield
2 Wednesday's stewards, the last time I went there, were a bunch of ignorant, arrogant thugs
3 The Leppings Lane end, Wednesday's part in the semi-final tragedy in cahoots with their mates on the Council, and their pathetic and long-overdue memorial to the 96
4 Bramall Lane is red and looks warm and inviting, whereas Swillsborough is blue and doesn't
5 David Blunkett, Roy Hattersley and Clive Betts are all Pigs
6 Sean Bean is a Blade
7 There is a gallows humour among Blades fans which I've never noticed among the Snorters
8 Terry Curran
9 The Wednesday love-in with Rangers
10 Tony Currie
11 The atmosphere at the Lane is just loads better
12 Bramall Lane is in the city, surrounded by shops, houses and pubs and not stuck out in a desert of garages and warehouses

It never crossed my mind to support the Pigs. Not for a second.

 

[HillmortonBlade]

I Have an Arsenal supporting friend who is a member of S2 -
Mullers247, he used to talk to me about it watched the boards and always looks out for our scores, I think with fans who support prem teams, they can enjoy the ups and downs with us, with out too much emotional turmoil and feel guilt free as we are not a threat, I think the relish of finishing 2 - 3 or 4th year in year out cant hold that much excitement, compared to the roller coaster we live on.....

I think I stood beside him in the Copthorne... a lone voice cheering the Gooners while everyone else pondered whether selling your first born in order to afford a second pint might be in order.

As an aside, I have generally found proper football fans of other teams have a begrudging respect (if not quite fondness) for we Blades.

 

[coolhandluke]

There is absolutely no difference between United and Wednesday fans, I know this may be an unpopular opinion but anyone who thinks differently on either side is wearing rose tinted glasses. We are all from Sheffield we are all exactly the same other than we decided to follow differing teams in the City. United and Wednesday both have all of the following: Decent level headed fans, nob heads, Hooligans, loud mouths, morons, fans that are completely bias, fans that are stupidly positive, fans that are unbelievably negative, fans that wear half and half scarves, part timers that only attend big games, characters at the match that shout complete bullshit for no apparent reason, arrogant fans that think having a large fan base makes them better than every other team.

The only real difference I have noticed is I think Wednesday have a larger "floating" fan base. They will go from 17k for a nothing game on a Tuesday night to 34k+ for a big game.

YOU ARE WRONG .

Davy , I'd like to think that your post is a well intentioned addition to an ongoing debate . But it's so far removed from reality that I can't help but think you're quite deliberately being abusive to the overwhelming majority of Blades .

I'll give you the benefit of doubt on this occasion but please , don't ever liken me and thousands of other Blades with the bigoted racist scumbags who infest that fucking shit hole on the outskirts of our city .

 

[Danny_Boy]

YOU ARE WRONG .

Davy , I'd like to think that your post is a well intentioned addition to an ongoing debate . But it's so far removed from reality that I can't help but think you're quite deliberately being abusive to the overwhelming majority of Blades .

I'll give you the benefit of doubt on this occasion but please , don't ever liken me and thousands of other Blades with the bigoted racist scumbags who infest that fucking shit hole on the outskirts of our city .

In response to all the replies I've had telling me I'm wrong. Personally I'm just calling it as I see it, I didn't expect my opinion to be popular. If I went on Owlstalk as a Wednesday fan and posted something similar no doubt I'd also be told I'm wrong as they'd also say they're nowt like us in an insultive fashion. I know Blades who are top blokes & Owls who are top blokes I know Blades who are nob heads and owls alike, etc etc.

 

[coolhandluke]

In response to all the replies I've had telling me I'm wrong. Personally I'm just calling it as I see it, I didn't expect my opinion to be popular. If I went on Owlstalk as a Wednesday fan and posted something similar no doubt I'd also be told I'm wrong as they'd also say they're nowt like us in an insultive fashion. I know Blades who are top blokes & Owls who are top blokes I know Blades who are nob heads and owls alike, etc etc.

If you are calling it " as you see it " then you need to open your eyes .

Statistically , " our like minded brethren " ( your words not mine .... or certainly words to that effect ) consistently topped the national league of shame in terms of arrests for racially aggravated offences .

Don't tar us with the same brush .

 

[Hartley Hare]

I was in the mini-market last week and the proprietor introduced me to this fella who was a Watford supporter.

He saw my Blades badge and said...........

"Ah Sheffield United.....No problem with that, proper club"

That's good enough for me.

I sort of dislike that phrase "proper club"...... it is like nice bowl of soup.

However, I often say it when talking about the likes of Charlton, Wimbledon,Bristol Rovers, Orient, AccringtonStanley........etc etc.

HH

 

[Pollingtonblade]

I was just wondering from your experiences whether you've found from your friends/acquaintances outside of the rolling hills of South Yorkshire, or during chats pre-match from opposing fans, whether other people have a soft spot for Sheffield United?

I've found this on many occasions, and I've known a fair few people who support big clubs but will always look out for the blade's score.

Not that this makes much difference to us as a club, and you could argue its only because we've been largely a failure over the past 20 years or so, but there is definitely something about Sheffield United that draws people in.

Having a think about some of the possible reasons:

• The whole Tevez affair had many neutrals side with us
• Clubs have a lot of respect that we can still attract 20k supporters after 6 years in league 1
• We have that tongue in cheek pessimism (unlike our neighbours)
• We've had our fair share of cup runs and upsets which is always good for the neutral
• Fans like travelling to our "proper ground" in a city centre close to the train station
• Some fans probably disliked the whole mob culture around the resigning of Ched Evans with certain celebrities shoving their nose in

Then again saying all this I'd rather us be very successful with everyone hating us!

No

 

[Jan Age]

Generally when I meet people on holiday and you start chatting over a beer .... the talk gets to which clubs everyone supports... never had any one take a deep breath when I say Sheffield United.

Tell you what; Leeds are roundly hated, West Ham too.

Our porcine friends aren't the best liked upon either... with regular comments such as 'you can't talk about football with that lot' and 'at least you're not a Wednesday fan'

 

[EddieColquhoun]

There is absolutely no difference between United and Wednesday fans. We are all from Sheffield
.

A lot or Wendies aren't from Sheffield as the Barnsley accents on phone-ins show.

 

[EddieColquhoun]

I once read on a Millwall forum that "Sheffield United are like the Millwall of the north". I can see what they meant, and I saw it as a huge compliment to be honest. They've also compared us very favourably to the Pigs on several occasions.

Blades fans tough reputation does get respect. Irvine Walsh used to wear a Blades badge to enhance his uber-coolness.

 

[EddieColquhoun]

Pigs went running to the Hammer's forums after the Tevez.
Pigs then became for a short while, but still believe they are loved by the Glasgow Bluenoses.
They seem to seek approval from anywhere and everywhere, funnily enough they've not met
any 'love' in Crystal Palace and Liverpool.

Have we ever craved a bond with any club/supporters to the detriment of our neighbours?

Psychologically, that chip on the shoulder will soon be large enough to be visible from the Moon.

They used to have a Chelsea love-in as well.

 

[Danny_Boy]

A lot or Wendies aren't from Sheffield as the Barnsley accents on phone-ins show.

That to be fair is very good point.

 

[Danny_Boy]

If you are calling it " as you see it " then you need to open your eyes .

Statistically , " our like minded brethren " ( your words not mine .... or certainly words to that effect ) consistently topped the national league of shame in terms of arrests for racially aggravated offences .

Don't tar us with the same brush .

You seem to be taking my comments as an insult to yourself and I apologise for that because it's not meant to be. I come from a "split family" in terms of Sheffield football, my brother who is also one of my best friends is a Wednesday fan as is half of my family, thankfully both my parents are Blades. My two closest friends are a blade and an owl and in the most part we all get along well.

 

[elgoog44]

That to be fair is very good point.

So Barnsley Vs THEM... is not just a derby its like a Civil war...... 6 fingered brother against 6 fingered sister/ Cousin/ Mother and Lover Aunty and Sister in law?....

 

[I should coco]

So Barnsley Vs THEM... is not just a derby its like a Civil war...... 6 fingered brother against 6 fingered sister/ Cousin/ Mother and Lover Aunty and Sister in law?....

Time to trot out one of my favourite other club songs.

Sung by Ipswich fans to the Adams family tune:

"Your sister is your mother
Your father is your brother
You all shag one another,
The Norwich family"

 

[snootyfenooty]

What sets United fans apart is that they are all pissheads. I mean, how many grounds are there in the country where you have dozens of pubs within 10 minutes of the ground. And how many of them open at 6:00am on a big away days so the fans can get tanked before getting on the coach. At home games there can only be 10k in their seats when the players come down the tunnel. This doubles within 5 minutes, which is about the time it takes to "just have another quick-un". I can't think of another club in the country where this situation applies.

 

[dave the drummer]

I agree entirely with you and for all the reasons you have stated.

I seem to have a vague memory of a poll that was done years ago asking football fans who their 2nd favourite team was after the main one that they supported. I'm sure that the Blades came out top of that poll - does anyone else remember it?

 

[super_pig]

You are right in that we share a city with them, Danny Boy. You are right that we both have a varied set of supporters and even they have the odd one with some level of intelligence.

BUT........

When it comes to talking SWFC, to a man they are among the most deluded people you could stumble across. I know and have known loads of them down the years and yes, some of them come across as intelligent, level headed and reasonable people but mention of SWFC removes any semblance of the aforesaid. They actually believe they are a "MASSIVE" club, remember the "big six"? Yet when you confront them with the facts, their eyes glaze over and their brains turn to mush. When you point out they haven't averaged 30k since 1967, they don't believe you. When you state that United have done this twice since then despite having a much lower capacity stadium, they are struck dumb. When you point out their sub 11k average in the mid '70's they enter a state of denial akin to Hitler in his bunker. When you point out that average crowds between the 2 clubs is there or thereabouts within 2k over the course of history to them, they shout you down. Their attitude towards other clubs is one of arrogance, disdain and disrespect, "tinpot" being a favourite description.

Remember Lee Strafford? He claimed a potential 500k fans in the UK and 4 to 5 million across the world! They believed him, they genuinely did!!

And to address your final point regarding "floating" support, you've got to remember that Hillsborough provides facility for one of the largest away followings in the country. The 34k crowds you quote more often than not contain huge away support. Again, when you provide this information to an owl, they look to the skies in disbelief and emit a low humming sound.

The list goes on and on regarding their delusions. Yes, they may look the same as us, work with us, live next door and even be related to us. But to state that there is "absolutely no difference between United and Wednesday fans" is just not true.

Thankfully!

yeah don't agree either
i used to try and give credit where it was due with the odd pig i ran into but never got any respect back.. not once
they simply have no class.. come to think of it i don't think i have one close friend who is a pig

 

[frank drebin]

I seem to have a vague memory of a poll that was done years ago asking football fans who their 2nd favourite team was after the main one that they supported. I'm sure that the Blades came out top of that poll - does anyone else remember it?

We were voted the most stylish behind West ham but that was going back a few years

 

[davidblade]

Time to trot out one of my favourite other club songs.

Sung by Ipswich fans to the Adams family tune:

"Your sister is your mother
Your father is your brother
You all shag one another,
The Norwich family"

Sorry may I correct you!

"Your sister is your mother

Your father is your brother

You all shag one another,

The Dingle family

 

[CarlingBlade]

What sets United fans apart is that they are all pissheads. I mean, how many grounds are there in the country where you have dozens of pubs within 10 minutes of the ground. And how many of them open at 6:00am on a big away days so the fans can get tanked before getting on the coach. At home games there can only be 10k in their seats when the players come down the tunnel. This doubles within 5 minutes, which is about the time it takes to "just have another quick-un". I can't think of another club in the country where this situation applies.

I don't think i've seen as many pissed fans as i saw at Charlton this weekend, i'd say a good 90% were pissed up.

I was in a meeting once which Mr McCabe was at, there was talk of the PO Final and the kick off time, his response was amusing to say the least, along the lines of "5.00pm KO, our lot will pissed up by kick off, then again they'd be pissed up by kick off if it was a 10.00am kick off"

 

[BLADES1988]

yeah don't agree either
i used to try and give credit where it was due with the odd pig i ran into but never got any respect back.. not once
they simply have no class.. come to think of it i don't think i have one close friend who is a pig

Unfortunately I have 5 Wednesday fans as close friends. Poor Bastards.

 

[Bladeloyal]

YOU ARE WRONG .

Davy , I'd like to think that your post is a well intentioned addition to an ongoing debate . But it's so far removed from reality that I can't help but think you're quite deliberately being abusive to the overwhelming majority of Blades .

I'll give you the benefit of doubt on this occasion but please , don't ever liken me and thousands of other Blades with the bigoted racist scumbags who infest that fucking shit hole on the outskirts of our city .

We might have been mad we might have been bad but we are one multicultural family, even that lot from hacky

 

[bornablade]

Unfortunately I have 5 Wednesday fans as close friends. Poor Bastards.

You 'have 5 Wednesday fans as close friends.'

I think you'll find your the poor bastard.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

People love us and hate us in equal measure.

 

[bornablade]

I haven't lived in Sheffield for over 20 years and my work brings me into scores of people every week and the subject of football nearly always becomes a talking point. My experiences are most football fans don't know very much about any other club other than their own and sometimes that is very little.

Came across a huge Evertonian last week who I've met about four times in recent years. I mentioned DCL to him and he'd no idea who I was talking about. 'It's hard enough keeping up with the first team players.'
This lack of knowledge is particularly true of the Premier league club supporters.

There are others who I can talk to (or listen to) who are quite happy to speak endlessly about their club and yet never have the decency to ask who I support.

I find there are posters on here who have more knowledge of other clubs than the ones who actually support them.

I don't think we are on other supporters personal radar when it comes to what they think of us.

 

[BLADES1988]

You 'have 5 Wednesday fans as close friends.'

I think you'll find your the poor bastard.

They are the ones that have to live with the fact that they are fans of a club with no soul..

 

[super_pig]

I don't think i've seen as many pissed fans as i saw at Charlton this weekend, i'd say a good 90% were pissed up.

I was in a meeting once which Mr McCabe was at, there was talk of the PO Final and the kick off time, his response was amusing to say the least, along the lines of "5.00pm KO, our lot will pissed up by kick off, then again they'd be pissed up by kick off if it was a 10.00am kick off"

following our team is there any wonder?

 

[nicksufc]

Here's a poll that was carried out a few years ago...Wednesday crop up in more team's rivals than us, though mainly just from all of the South Yorkshire teams who presumably hate them because, like us, they're in close proximity to them. And can see/hear them first hand.