BladesPod: 2016/17 Revisited - when Chris Wilder came home

[Beans]

Afternoon all, hope you're keeping well and staying safe and healthy.

Roygbiv and I have put together a two-part review of Chris Wilder's first season as United manager, casting our minds back to the end of Adkins and then revisiting every goal and every game in our march to promotion and 100 points.

Cheers as always for listening!

Part 1:


Part 2:


And also listenable on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or indeed anywhere you get your podcasts.

I think old Panchero is going to chip in a few links to old Views From that we discuss in this review (hello Coventry fans), and below is a photo I referenced too which I'll drop here in case anyone's not seen it and hears me mention it. Plus, it's a bloody good photo (from our home draw with Scunthorpe).

 

[JPBrods]

Funny that. Today I've spent all day "working" from home by slowly going through the 2 min highlights of every game of this campaign. I'd probably rate this as my favourite season following United. I know subsequent seasons have pushed the bar higher and we've had much bigger and important results and days out since, but this was the one for me.

 

[Harry's Game]

Excellent I think for this will be even better than the triple assault retrospective as this one has a happy ending.

 

[Roygbiv]

John Fleck

Sheffield Utd fans absolutely raving about him best signing for years - whole thread on him a particularly his performance on Saturday - fans of Bradford are saying much the same about vincelot -

www.skybluestalk.co.uk

View From Coventry

Coventry 1-2 Blades “Sheffield United. What’s the pro SISU chants about?” “Sufc fans chanting “There’s only one Sisu” proves once again why they’re the smallest team i…

roysviewfrom.wordpress.com

Pre-Match View From Coventry

“A draw isn’t unrealistic, think the cup win could give us the confidence to man up and fight to the last for the season. Then again we could get thumped and the game be over by half time.” “…

roysviewfrom.wordpress.com

Coventry City ladies and gentlemen

 

[Deadbat]

Listened to part one on my daily stroll.

Enjoying it. As you say lots of s were critical of the signings and Wilder early on. We were so wrong but at the time the players we brought in and the say the season started things looked desperate. A few signings, changing the formation, Coutts and Freeman coming back and it all went in the right direction.

After 4 games I was honestly saying Wilder was put of his depth and we could go down. I did not think that was a knee jerk reaction as other than 45 mins v Bolton we looked abysmal. As Roygbiv said it looked evem worse than tje Adkkns stuff early on.

How wrong I was!

 

[LardSardine]

So looking forward to this! Thanks a lot guys!

 

[Wapping Blade]

Started listening today, will continue tomorrow. I cannot remember Chris Hussey at all!

 

[Roygbiv]

Started listening today, will continue tomorrow. I cannot remember Chris Hussey at all!

Lucky you

 

[LoughboroBlade]

I knew I attended the Rochdale home game and came away a bit concerned by the performance, but couldn’t find my comments when looking for the thread titled “Rochdale report”.

That’s because the one most were commenting on immediately after that wasn’t called that...

Hoof ball v2

Working well fellas ! UTB

www.s24su.com

 

[Harry's Game]

I knew I attended the Rochdale home game and came away a bit concerned by the performance, but couldn’t find my comments when looking for the thread titled “Rochdale report”.

That’s because the one most were commenting on immediately after that wasn’t called that...

Hoof ball v2

Working well fellas ! UTB

www.s24su.com

I had completely forgotten my “Glass vase in a field of Rhinoceros“ comment ... rather proud of that one.

 

[S40BLADE]

I must be in the minority cause when we hired Wilder and made those initial signings I was ridiculously positive due to worshipping his Northampton side. My depression kicked in after Millwall away though...

Duffy, Clarke and Fleck were players I wanted us to sign due to performances against us the previous season. However, I did think that Basham wasn't good enough...

 

[tomtheblade]

Enjoying this one fellas, thank you!

One thing struck me at the start. You were discussing Adkins disposition, and using various adjectives to describe his demeanor and rhetoric.. bright, cheerful, overly positive, crap Barry Fry (lol), and spouting nonsense.

The word you needed sprung to mind... delusional

The bloke was completely delusional, about how good we were, our prospects, playing style.. everything.

If there's one thing Blades fans have a finely tuned ear for, and therefore cannot abide.. it's that.

That was his problem in a nutshell.

 

[Roygbiv]

Enjoying this one fellas, thank you!

One thing struck me at the start. You were discussing Adkins disposition, and using various adjectives to describe his demeanor and rhetoric.. bright, cheerful, overly positive, crap Barry Fry (lol), and spouting nonsense.

The word you needed sprung to mind... delusional

The bloke was completely delusional, about how good we were, our prospects, playing style.. everything.

If there's one thing Blades fans have a finely tuned ear for, and therefore cannot abide.. it's that.

That was his problem in a nutshell.

Exactly why he would work well at Wednesday

 

[Echo Blade]

I’ve liked the original post before even listening - these are brilliant!

 

[Etchysketchy]

I remember being pretty disillusioned after the end of the season before. But when Wilder came in and immediately made Billy captain, released loads of players and transfer listed several more I certainly thought ‘at least this guys not afraid to shake things up.’

Felt like an impressive start from someone who had a plan. A really savvy way to begin repairing the relationship with the fans.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

20 August 2016



7 March 2020



Wilder is God.

⚔♥

 

[JackSUFC]

20 August 2016

View attachment 79886

7 March 2020

View attachment 79887

Wilder is God.

⚔♥

Imagine leaving the Millwall game in 2016 and predicting we’d be 6th in the Premier League in less than four years later. Would’ve been sectioned.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Imagine leaving the Millwall game in 2016 and predicting we’d be 6th in the Premier League in less than four years later. Would’ve been sectioned.

Joint 5th.

 

[stringjunior]

That was wonderful Beans and Roygbiv.

Thanks so much for doing it.

 

[Niceguyeddie]

Great pod listened today and brought back a lot of great memories
The Coventry game with the protests in particular and the way they stopped whistling when they had the ball the fucking shitbags

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Listened to part 2 today – a really enjoyable revisit of the season that. I’d totally forgotten Scougall’s role earlier in the season, the weirdness of the Coventry fans, EEL’s rapid rise and equally rapid decline, and the extent of the briefness of Lavery’s spell starting with Sharp.

So many memorable away games – before that season I’d never been to Southend (great little ground and a great game), Swindon (perhaps the best team goal I’ve seen us score), Northampton (toughest sitting on hands experience ever), Port Vale (scary frankly), and had hated every miserable trip to Stadium MK those previous seasons. With the exception of Walsall, that season really did as said in the Pod settle a lot of scores with particular clubs/grounds like MK Dons. Football can change quickly, but it might be a very long time before we see some of these teams again.

 

[nezimão]

i don’t believe i’ve ever seen the ‘flare photo’ you guys reference - does anyone have a copy? i’d love to see it!

thanks as always to ben and andrew, original and still the best blades pod

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

i don’t believe i’ve ever seen the ‘flare photo’ you guys reference - does anyone have a copy? i’d love to see it!

thanks as always to ben and andrew, original and still the best blades pod ⚔

This one?

 

[Large Mendonca]

Another enjoyable pod - thanks you two keep 'em coming

 

[ZoneManWilf]

Really enjoyed listening to this over the last couple of days, thank you both.

One thing that you didn't mention specifically, (but got close to the theme of it) was talking about actually winning the title and the fact we were seeing United win something, for the first time in decades. I know it was 'only' League One, but I still loved this aspect of the season, other promotions I'd seen since DIv 4, in 84, 90 and 06 were in second or third places, I loved being able to call us Champions.

Plus we completed winning all 4 divisions which is a fun fact historically

 

[Bath Blade]

Just listened to the whole lot over the past couple of days (doing some driving for work so finally got enough time on my own to listen).

What great memories, particularly enjoyed the post-Southend and Millwall discussion. I’ve still got a text received from a mate at the time concerned that the job was too big for Wilder and that he was Mickey Adams Mk2. My main recollection was apathy, we were rubbish and I wasn’t bothered any more (the result of the previous few years).

The pod illustrated perfectly how the hope grew throughout the season until suddenly realising (after Bolton at home for me) that promotion was pretty much nailed on.

Thanks for the pod.

 

[S64 Blade]

Listened to part one earlier today. Feel a bit sorry for Roy getting ditched at the pub, by his dad on a number of occasions.

 

[Antonb]

Yet another great podcast. A fantastic and highly entertaining listen. Well done guys for keeping these pods going. Thankyou very much.

 

[Beans]

Listened to part one earlier today. Feel a bit sorry for Roy getting ditched at the pub, by his dad on a number of occasions.

On the plus side, we got another "Roy's View From The Bathroom" anecdote.

 

[SRBlade]

There was one standout comment on this forum during that season for me, apologies as I don't know who it was or the thread etc.

I felt it captured the essence of the belief in the squad towards the end of season run in, shadowed by the past that we used to closely dragged with us.

"We are running out of games in which to f*ck this up"