Any idea who is the oldest and longest supporter of the blades

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Northyorksblade said:
This is one thing that kids don't understand. Us oldies are all still 18 in our heads, it's just the creaky joints and grey/no hair that set us apart.
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Don' forget the memories we got as well quite funny reading your post.yeah 18 year old head brain wise. 90 year old bodies they just don' seem to work together for some reason
 
Sharrow Snuff Mill said:
I think the 18 year old head refers to outlook on life and recalling things clearly from 50-60 years ago. It certainly doesn`t refer being able to recall something from10 minutes ago !
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Yes that' true I will say to wife tea or coffee.then go put kettle on.forget what she said then ask again tea or coffee .and this could go on a couple more times .always remember a few years ago went to a home match .we won 2-1.and while listening to results on radio in car on way home our result came up .her reply was i didnt know they.the opposing team scored.i said you were at the match you saw them score.what a waste of admission money
 
Isaw Joeshaw said:
I take no offence to the use of the word older 'cos that's the way it is ! Now, if you'd said ancient old bastard that would be a different matter altogether and you might have got a knock on the door in the early hours !

As to the matches you mention, yes I was there at the 7-3 against the Grunters but, strangely, it didn't seem so special at the time because I knew that we were so much better than them and we had Jimmy Hagan and they didn't.

I like the other wins you mentioned and there are others, but, even as a Blades fan, there are too many to mention over a 70 years span.

As to the comparison between Jimmy, Joe and TC , I think I've made my position clear in previous posts which is that they were all truly wonderful players who were an absolute joy to watch and to select any one of them as being 'the best' is completely unnecessary and totally spurious.

I am absolutely content in the knowledge that I had the privilege of seeing three of the finest English players ever to grace a football field in my lifetime, playing for the club I fell in love with over 70 years ago.
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That was an excellent post to read, and a good reply to the "who is the best" question to boot.

I can only sit here in my (relative) youthfullness and go green with envy at the players you've seen at the Lane over the years!

Here's hoping I'm still around to mark 70 years of watching the Blades, and here's hoping you have many more years at the Lane as well. Without speculating as to your age, it would be amazing to have a centenarian at the Lane in the future (I appreciate you are probably a way off that yet!!)
 
ForgeBlade said:
That was an excellent post to read, and a good reply to the "who is the best" question to boot.

I can only sit here in my (relative) youthfullness and go green with envy at the players you've seen at the Lane over the years!

Here's hoping I'm still around to mark 70 years of watching the Blades, and here's hoping you have many more years at the Lane as well. Without speculating as to your age, it would be amazing to have a centenarian at the Lane in the future (I appreciate you are probably a way off that yet!!)
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I'm glad you liked it and very much hope you make the 70 years watching the Blades mark.

As to the centenarian thing, yes, I'm a long way off that and don't expect to get there but my grandmother lived to be 103 so you never know .........!
 
I spoke to my Dad about this (he's 86!) and his first game at BDTBL was in 1941. It was against Lincoln City and he believes it was Fred Furniss's first game at Bramall Lane. United won 10-1:eek:

For various reasons, he can't make it these days but we did manage to get him to the Chesterfield game last season so he could finally see United lift a trophy - we were living away for the 4th division. He can remember the 1936 cup final but his father concluded that he was too young to go with the promise that "I'll take you to the next one son!":rolleyes:

His first actual game was at Hillsborough:confused:, or "Owlerton" as he still calls it. He grew up in Wisewood on the "buttons" estate (although born around the corner from BDTBL) and he went to watch Jackie Robinson who was their equivalent of Jimmy Hagan at the time (but not as good). Seemed an interesting character though as he liked a drink and there are stories of him stumbling out of the Park Hotel at 2:45 and appearing on the pitch at 3pm!

He has also harboured a grudge against Newcastle United since the early '50's when, on a snowbound Bramall Lane for an FA Cup 5th (or maybe 6th) round game, Newcastle went ahead and then spent a goodly chunk of the game punting the ball onto the cricket pitch which was knee deep in snow. There was only one ball boy and it took him an age to retrieve the ball whenever called upon. He's never forgiven them for that:)
 
Bayingblade said:
He has also harboured a grudge against Newcastle United since the early '50's when, on a snowbound Bramall Lane for an FA Cup 5th (or maybe 6th) round game, Newcastle went ahead and then spent a goodly chunk of the game punting the ball onto the cricket pitch which was knee deep in snow. There was only one ball boy and it took him an age to retrieve the ball whenever called upon. He's never forgiven them for that:)
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1947 and it was 6th round. We were favourites to win the Cup

 
First time I went to Bramall Lane was with my dad (Jimmy Hagan) who took me to watch Bradmans last cricket tour in 47, I think ? The Aussies opener got out early doors, I bawled my eyes out at the noise and my dad had to take me all the way back to Hollythorpe on the bus. He came straight back on the bus to find Bradman was also out. Never forgave me !!! My mother used to take me to the football from the following season 48? Unfortunately, because of my dads career, I was dragged away from Utd ( kicking and screaming, I might add ). Had to support from afar. My dad always looked to the Utd result first and I remember him being devastated when we went down to the old 4th div.
One of the observations he made later in life was that certain football crowds know more about football itself than other fans. He always said that Utd were the most knowledgeable of all. He said he would have hated to be a lesser player at Bramall Lane because of all the stick they had to take .He put it it down to the history of football in Sheffield. Interesting theory, I thought. I have always tried to take in the comments of away fans and have come to the conclusion that the newer the club the less knowledgeable the crowd are. Any views on this.
 
alpine blade said:
First time I went to Bramall Lane was with my dad (Jimmy Hagan) who took me to watch Bradmans last cricket tour in 47, I think ? The Aussies opener got out early doors, I bawled my eyes out at the noise and my dad had to take me all the way back to Hollythorpe on the bus. He came straight back on the bus to find Bradman was also out. Never forgave me !!! My mother used to take me to the football from the following season 48? Unfortunately, because of my dads career, I was dragged away from Utd ( kicking and screaming, I might add ). Had to support from afar. My dad always looked to the Utd result first and I remember him being devastated when we went down to the old 4th div.
One of the observations he made later in life was that certain football crowds know more about football itself than other fans. He always said that Utd were the most knowledgeable of all. He said he would have hated to be a lesser player at Bramall Lane because of all the stick they had to take .He put it it down to the history of football in Sheffield. Interesting theory, I thought. I have always tried to take in the comments of away fans and have come to the conclusion that the newer the club the less knowledgeable the crowd are. Any views on this.
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Alpine, my father is a tough old stick and very few things tug at his heart strings. But the mere mention of Jimmy Hagan turns him to jelly. Tony Currie was "good, but not a patch on Jimmy Hagan" to quote him. The difference (again according to senior BB) was that your Dad made other players around him look good. Ordinary players shone when he was in the team and struggled in his absence. I also know of Wednesday fans of the same generation who say Hagan was the best ever to play in Sheffield.

Mind you, my Grandfather always said Billy Gillespie was the best..........:rolleyes:;)
 
Bayingblade said:
Thanks Silent. I'll show him that........................


Having said that, I might not as he still rages about it to this very day and it might not be too good for his 86 year old heart!:confused::)
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He needs to know the truth - the reporter said that the better team won!
 



alpine blade said:
First time I went to Bramall Lane was with my dad (Jimmy Hagan) who took me to watch Bradmans last cricket tour in 47, I think ? The Aussies opener got out early doors, I bawled my eyes out at the noise and my dad had to take me all the way back to Hollythorpe on the bus. He came straight back on the bus to find Bradman was also out. Never forgave me !!! My mother used to take me to the football from the following season 48? Unfortunately, because of my dads career, I was dragged away from Utd ( kicking and screaming, I might add ). Had to support from afar. My dad always looked to the Utd result first and I remember him being devastated when we went down to the old 4th div.
One of the observations he made later in life was that certain football crowds know more about football itself than other fans. He always said that Utd were the most knowledgeable of all. He said he would have hated to be a lesser player at Bramall Lane because of all the stick they had to take .He put it it down to the history of football in Sheffield. Interesting theory, I thought. I have always tried to take in the comments of away fans and have come to the conclusion that the newer the club the less knowledgeable the crowd are. Any views on this.
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What a great post. At last I have found something I have in common with one of our greatest players - I too was devastated when we were relegated to the 4th division! I was only 6 when I started at the Lane in 1953, so I have only hazy memories of his play; his skill on the ball left an impression on me, but I was too young to fully appreciate it. A story I put up some time ago on here is that when I was 6 or 7, I used to go to the local park in football gear, and the local Bobby on the beat (who knew my parents) always used to say 'Now then, 'Agan, where you off to?' He wasn't a Unitedite, and it has since made me understand how respected your dad was - very few players are so well thought-off that their name is used simply to mean 'footballer'.
 
A few thoughts about the 'good old days', and also about the current situation, for anyone who has the patience to read all this. The best days for me were the late 50s and early 60s, no doubt largely because it was my youth, and I loved football above all else. And also, the United of that time earned that love. Ask any Blades fan who was watching United at the time, and rather like reciting times-tables, they will be able to reel off the starting line-up: Hodgkinson; Coldwell, Shaw (G); Richardson, Shaw (J), Summers; Lewis, Russell, Pace, Hodgson, and Simpson. For several seasons that 11 seemed to start every league and cup match (the Cup was very high profile), and even in Division 2 we had 2 England internationals (Hodgy, Graham Shaw), and arguably one player even better (Joe Shaw). There were, I think, no scapegoats, as the players were so familiar that they were accepted for their strengths, rather than jeered for their weaknesses (Simpson was a direct winger who crossed well and had a hard shot, but never headed the ball; Richardson was not a great passer, but a superb tackler). But, they were not a total success - they used to finish in the top 6 of Div 2, finally won promotion (runners-up), and then finished around mid-table in League 1 (5th was the highest). They were also a consistently good Cup side. What they lacked was a creative genius - if only Hagan had been 10 years younger, or Currie 10 years older...
Since that era there have been more downs than ups, but we are now back in a similar place to the late 50s, on the fringe of the promotion race in the second tier. So much has improved (stadium, pitch), and McCabe, Wilder, Sharp have re-created the sense of unity and connection between club and fans. We have a good and committed team, without individual stars and big egos. My wish would be that Wilder in particular is given time to develop that feeling of unity; we are never going back to a first team of 11 regular players (though it almost felt like it last season), but a tight-knit squad of committed players, with the very best of the academy players developing a career here, could produce a solid platform for several years, re-creating something of the spirit of the 'good old days'. The good news for young and old alike is that we are in one of those moments where things might, just might, be going our way...
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
A few thoughts about the 'good old days', and also about the current situation, for anyone who has the patience to read all this. The best days for me were the late 50s and early 60s, no doubt largely because it was my youth, and I loved football above all else. And also, the United of that time earned that love. Ask any Blades fan who was watching United at the time, and rather like reciting times-tables, they will be able to reel off the starting line-up: Hodgkinson; Coldwell, Shaw (G); Richardson, Shaw (J), Summers; Lewis, Russell, Pace, Hodgson, and Simpson. For several seasons that 11 seemed to start every league and cup match (the Cup was very high profile), and even in Division 2 we had 2 England internationals (Hodgy, Graham Shaw), and arguably one player even better (Joe Shaw). There were, I think, no scapegoats, as the players were so familiar that they were accepted for their strengths, rather than jeered for their weaknesses (Simpson was a direct winger who crossed well and had a hard shot, but never headed the ball; Richardson was not a great passer, but a superb tackler). But, they were not a total success - they used to finish in the top 6 of Div 2, finally won promotion (runners-up), and then finished around mid-table in League 1 (5th was the highest). They were also a consistently good Cup side. What they lacked was a creative genius - if only Hagan had been 10 years younger, or Currie 10 years older...
Since that era there have been more downs than ups, but we are now back in a similar place to the late 50s, on the fringe of the promotion race in the second tier. So much has improved (stadium, pitch), and McCabe, Wilder, Sharp have re-created the sense of unity and connection between club and fans. We have a good and committed team, without individual stars and big egos. My wish would be that Wilder in particular is given time to develop that feeling of unity; we are never going back to a first team of 11 regular players (though it almost felt like it last season), but a tight-knit squad of committed players, with the very best of the academy players developing a career here, could produce a solid platform for several years, re-creating something of the spirit of the 'good old days'. The good news for young and old alike is that we are in one of those moments where things might, just might, be going our way...
Click to expand...
Time hasn’t dimmed your memory, Hodgy, and do you know, I think you could be right.
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
A few thoughts about the 'good old days', and also about the current situation, for anyone who has the patience to read all this. The best days for me were the late 50s and early 60s, no doubt largely because it was my youth, and I loved football above all else. And also, the United of that time earned that love. Ask any Blades fan who was watching United at the time, and rather like reciting times-tables, they will be able to reel off the starting line-up: Hodgkinson; Coldwell, Shaw (G); Richardson, Shaw (J), Summers; Lewis, Russell, Pace, Hodgson, and Simpson. For several seasons that 11 seemed to start every league and cup match (the Cup was very high profile), and even in Division 2 we had 2 England internationals (Hodgy, Graham Shaw), and arguably one player even better (Joe Shaw). There were, I think, no scapegoats, as the players were so familiar that they were accepted for their strengths, rather than jeered for their weaknesses (Simpson was a direct winger who crossed well and had a hard shot, but never headed the ball; Richardson was not a great passer, but a superb tackler). But, they were not a total success - they used to finish in the top 6 of Div 2, finally won promotion (runners-up), and then finished around mid-table in League 1 (5th was the highest). They were also a consistently good Cup side. What they lacked was a creative genius - if only Hagan had been 10 years younger, or Currie 10 years older...
Since that era there have been more downs than ups, but we are now back in a similar place to the late 50s, on the fringe of the promotion race in the second tier. So much has improved (stadium, pitch), and McCabe, Wilder, Sharp have re-created the sense of unity and connection between club and fans. We have a good and committed team, without individual stars and big egos. My wish would be that Wilder in particular is given time to develop that feeling of unity; we are never going back to a first team of 11 regular players (though it almost felt like it last season), but a tight-knit squad of committed players, with the very best of the academy players developing a career here, could produce a solid platform for several years, re-creating something of the spirit of the 'good old days'. The good news for young and old alike is that we are in one of those moments where things might, just might, be going our way...
Click to expand...

Brilliant post.

You could not have summed up that era any better, particularly the fact that given a Hagan or Currie in his prime, that team could have had significant achievements. I also like the comparison with our present situation and, with a bit of luck, Brooks could turn out to be the player which both that team and this needed to take us to a higher level.
 
Isaw Joeshaw said:
Brilliant post.

You could not have summed up that era any better, particularly the fact that given a Hagan or Currie in his prime, that team could have had significant achievements. I also like the comparison with our present situation and, with a bit of luck, Brooks could turn out to be the player which both that team and this needed to take us to a higher level.
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I left the name out to check that people were reading the post properly...;) My guess is that we might not make enough progress quickly enough to keep him, so it might be the next generation. Even if Spurs don't win lots of trophies, their fans will celebrate Harry Kane for years to come.
 
Isaw Joeshaw said:
Brilliant post.

You could not have summed up that era any better, particularly the fact that given a Hagan or Currie in his prime, that team could have had significant achievements. I also like the comparison with our present situation and, with a bit of luck, Brooks could turn out to be the player which both that team and this needed to take us to a higher level.
Click to expand...
I could add the forward line to that slightly earlier
Ringstead Hagan Browning Brook and Hawksworth.

UTB
 
Kentblade said:
I could add the forward line to that slightly earlier
Ringstead Hagan Browning Brook and Hawksworth.

UTB
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I hadn't thought about it beyond the United team of my youth. I suppose in earlier eras this will have been quite common, amongst most clubs. Indeed, it must have been almost possible to do it with the reserve team! As I only started in 1953, I could have got there with that forward line, but only after working it out. Does the defence and the midfield behind that forward line also trip off your tongue automatically? Burgin, Furniss, the 2 Shaws (?), Latham (?), Hoyland(?)... I can't do it.
 
alpine blade said:
First time I went to Bramall Lane was with my dad (Jimmy Hagan) who took me to watch Bradmans last cricket tour in 47, I think ? The Aussies opener got out early doors, I bawled my eyes out at the noise and my dad had to take me all the way back to Hollythorpe on the bus. He came straight back on the bus to find Bradman was also out. Never forgave me !!! My mother used to take me to the football from the following season 48? Unfortunately, because of my dads career, I was dragged away from Utd ( kicking and screaming, I might add ). Had to support from afar. My dad always looked to the Utd result first and I remember him being devastated when we went down to the old 4th div.
One of the observations he made later in life was that certain football crowds know more about football itself than other fans. He always said that Utd were the most knowledgeable of all. He said he would have hated to be a lesser player at Bramall Lane because of all the stick they had to take .He put it it down to the history of football in Sheffield. Interesting theory, I thought. I have always tried to take in the comments of away fans and have come to the conclusion that the newer the club the less knowledgeable the crowd are. Any views on this.
Click to expand...
son of god posts here. humbled.
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
A few thoughts about the 'good old days', and also about the current situation, for anyone who has the patience to read all this. The best days for me were the late 50s and early 60s, no doubt largely because it was my youth, and I loved football above all else. And also, the United of that time earned that love. Ask any Blades fan who was watching United at the time, and rather like reciting times-tables, they will be able to reel off the starting line-up: Hodgkinson; Coldwell, Shaw (G); Richardson, Shaw (J), Summers; Lewis, Russell, Pace, Hodgson, and Simpson. For several seasons that 11 seemed to start every league and cup match (the Cup was very high profile), and even in Division 2 we had 2 England internationals (Hodgy, Graham Shaw), and arguably one player even better (Joe Shaw). There were, I think, no scapegoats, as the players were so familiar that they were accepted for their strengths, rather than jeered for their weaknesses (Simpson was a direct winger who crossed well and had a hard shot, but never headed the ball; Richardson was not a great passer, but a superb tackler). But, they were not a total success - they used to finish in the top 6 of Div 2, finally won promotion (runners-up), and then finished around mid-table in League 1 (5th was the highest). They were also a consistently good Cup side. What they lacked was a creative genius - if only Hagan had been 10 years younger, or Currie 10 years older...
Since that era there have been more downs than ups, but we are now back in a similar place to the late 50s, on the fringe of the promotion race in the second tier. So much has improved (stadium, pitch), and McCabe, Wilder, Sharp have re-created the sense of unity and connection between club and fans. We have a good and committed team, without individual stars and big egos. My wish would be that Wilder in particular is given time to develop that feeling of unity; we are never going back to a first team of 11 regular players (though it almost felt like it last season), but a tight-knit squad of committed players, with the very best of the academy players developing a career here, could produce a solid platform for several years, re-creating something of the spirit of the 'good old days'. The good news for young and old alike is that we are in one of those moments where things might, just might, be going our way...
Click to expand...
can still recite the early 70's team verbatim.
 



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