The View From S2!

[Harry's Game]

This actually makes grim but interesting reading now.... what happened to that Fleck, Basham and O'Connell?

United 0 Southend 3 - report

Sheffield United’s dreadful start to the season continued as they went down to an embarrassing 3-0 reverse to Southend. The visitors had not won since beating the Blades last March and were rock bottom in form and results. Playing United was just the tonic they needed and they ran out easy...

www.s24su.com

interesting to see Deadbats comments about the Olympics being more enjoyable than the game, I remember spending most of the second half of this game watching the Olympics on my iPhone with a perfect 4g signal. Try getting a 4g signal in the ground now with 30k trying to get online,

 

[1973Blade]

Why didn't you include my comments which said "I'm going to stick my neck out and say we'll still go up with 100 points and be in the Premier League within three years, where we will be in touching distance of Europe until a pandemic halts the season"?

 

[Harry's Game]

Why didn't you include my comments which said "I'm going to stick my neck out and say we'll still go up with 100 points and be in the Premier League within three years, where we will be in touching distance of Europe until a pandemic halts the season"?

yeah.. Dominic Cummings tried that the other day when he said he had been talking about the threat of a Pandemic this time Last year.

 

[CaptainMorgans]

What's the thinking behind not attributing quotes to posters Roygbiv . Not a criticism or anything, just genuinely curious.

 

[Aeres]

Interesting to see the one about not even having a fully functioning or updated website. Shows how much we've grown as a club on and off the pitch really - the media/comms team do a good job nowadays I reckon.

 

[RammyBlade]

I went to all the matches that season (and before and since) and after the Millwall match I was obviously gutted but still not too pessimistic as we actually played OK in that match and still can't understand why (can't remember who gave away the pen Jack ?) put his hand up (reminded me of the Jags one V Wigan that sent us down)
Ironically we got an almost identical one for us at Gillingham a couple of games later in the last minute winner.

Can understand though why people were pessimistic and also thought that Wilders interview after that match was quite low key but obviously he was gutted at the last minute penalty given away.
Who would have thought that we would have gone on to get 100 points ,what would the odds have been at the bookies at that stage ??!!!!

 

[Roygbiv]

What's the thinking behind not attributing quotes to posters Roygbiv . Not a criticism or anything, just genuinely curious.

Just didn't want people to think I was slagging them off really. You can find out who wrote what by typing the quote into the search engine

 

[Blade for Sale]

I've posted some gubbins on here over the years but I unashamedly say that I not only kept a cool head but also created a "support for Chris Wilder" thread in the aftermath of Millwall. Without insisting on anything approaching evidence I am sure the positive vibe engendered was the main reason for our stirring comeback victory v Oxford the following week and the catalyst for all that has followed. But do I see the masses clamouring for my statue in the car park? Do I fuck!

 

[Harrisblade]

I've posted some gubbins on here over the years but I unashamedly say that I not only kept a cool head but also created a "support for Chris Wilder" thread in the aftermath of Millwall. Without insisting on anything approaching evidence I am sure the positive vibe engendered was the main reason for our stirring comeback victory v Oxford the following week and the catalyst for all that has followed. But do I see the masses clamouring for my statue in the car park? Do I fuck!

Don't worry -I've heard that the club are planning to erect a monument in the car park:
'The Unknown Bullshitter'

 

[Ricky]

I genuinely don't know. I have to point out that Ricky was on most threads being much more level headed than anyone else

You know me, always very calm and measured...

One thing I was right about was O'Connell. Most were very unimpressed at that point but I was always certain he'd be a good signing. His start was nowhere near as bad as made out.

Stupid handball but the least he looked like was a solid, reliable defender. His development in so many departments since has been phenomenal. More than you could expect any player to develop. Speaks volumes about him.

 

[Alwood]

Not even in the dark days of Division 4 was I as depressed about our club as I was at the end of the Adkins era. I remember sitting in front of my laptop composing in my mind at least three letters to the Board and not even being bothered enough to complete and send them. After 60+ years of following the Blades, I really felt the only way was down. Like many, I guess, I saw the appointment of CW and AK as another blunder by a Board more concerned about saving money than improving the club. But, oh boy, I have never been so pleased to be so wrong. The journey from those early days will go down in United history and, in the future, our fans will desperately wish they were here during this fantastic time. Cheers, Roy, I loved re-reading these comments from what seems so long ago!!

 

[metalblade]

It's hard to believe that some of our fans were still lamenting the loss of negative Nigel never mind positive Nigel.

 

[8lade]

View from 8lade 25 Aug 2016 (4 games in)

From memory
Wilson once he lost Evans and Rostron (the replacement was injured) he appeared like a rabbit in the headlights, unable to make the necessary loan to give us some fire power, any fire power, unless we were very lucky (sounds like the Blades doesn't it?) we were always going to get turned over.
Clough played counter attacking football (why we did so well against better sides) and again we didn't have the strikers to unlock defences so we were always going to struggle if we went behind plus too many league 1 teams were happy with a point from us.
Adkins, I feel for, one season and somebody else's players to deal with, yeah he talked some cack but I imagine he had to shoulder responsibility for a poor team and not having enough resources to put it right (i'm sure he will come good again).
Wilder, I'm sure will improve, whether we will get to the play offs i'm not sure but he needs to stop using his favourites and get somebody in the team who is in enough form to put the ball in the net.

I've just read that and feel quite proud of myself and not one of you bastards liked it!

and 17 Oct 2016 6 wins and 2 draws later

I'm man enough to say that I thought we were in for a really hard season but kept stum as I was feeling punch drunk more than anything else. It was the look on Wilder's face in interviews he was looking Weiry already, (haa! see what I did there!) And I really thought we needed more than a couple of signings to turn it around. Move forward to the present day, we are now entering a new tough era of the season, the rest of the division can see there's a new daddy in town and we are going to start seeing some really defensive set ups, it's whether we will be able to crack those that will dictate whether we will be good enough this season.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Benefit of hindsight and all that.....but did someone really imagine, even then, that Adkins had done a better job than Wilder?

Love these sort of retro views Roy, think we've all damned whoever was appointed to take the Blades to the promised land. It's not often you find someone with Wilder's skill-set.

Agreed. Some of us with earlier insight were even having doubts. A post of mine from January 2010

Call for Wilder

 

[metalblade]

I can understand peoples concerns after the first four games of Wilder's reign given what had gone on before, probably the only bright spot was the cup run to the semi finals but then again you have to set out to win a cup game so not really reflective of Clough's outlook for run of the mill league games where it was more a don't lose mentality.
I did expect a lot more from Adkins but he did have a lot of shite that Clough left him that were impossible to move on until their contracts run down (Sharp apart he actually brought more shite into the club) but even so the football under Adkins was a bad as many before him. That last parade of shame at the end of the season must still go down as the clubs lowest point since relegation to the fourth division. It was inevitable that Wilder's first few games would come under intense scrutiny.

 

[ComedyClub]

Can someone at the club stop allowing Wilder to do interviews as he’s coming over as he’s clueless - that's my fave

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

I think they're a great set of fans. Not one of them called us 'Sheffield'...

 

[true99blade]

You know me, always very calm and measured...

One thing I was right about was O'Connell. Most were very unimpressed at that point but I was always certain he'd be a good signing. His start was nowhere near as bad as made out.

Stupid handball but the least he looked like was a solid, reliable defender. His development in so many departments since has been phenomenal. More than you could expect any player to develop. Speaks volumes about him.

In fairness he had an absolute nightmare against Southend a few days prior to the bizarre handball at Millwall. Testament to how brilliant he’s been since though, only the error for Villa’s 3rd last season sticks in my mind since.

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

“we are in for a torrid time in September. Gillingham are likely to beat us at their place, Wimbledon are down in the shit with us so will be looking to get off the mark. Peterborough and Scunthorpe have shown that they are capable of scoring for fun whilst we huff and puff to achieve nothing.
This could be painful.”

No idea who wrote the above.

And the introduction of E Ebanks-Landell on 61 mins in the above game,and Billys last minute winner, changed how we would play in the future,thats my opinion.

 

[Addison]

What’s interesting from DB’s Millwall report was that there were far fewer comments than I expected. Yes, everyone is fairly damning about the performance. There are comments of this being a really bad season. But I was thinking there would be pages and pages of passionate anger – a ten pager at least. Maybe there were multiple threads not captured by a look at just this in isolation. Maybe the bulk of the anger was more so post-Southend. But I think it’s just as likely we’d all at this stage reached a numb malaise brought about cumulatively by the previous regimes.

Millwall 2 United 1 - report

Sorry for late report….got in midnight-ish and too tired to write last night. Day of excess on the booze did not help either but you need it these days to watch United! ---- The Blades fell to rock bottom of League One after yet another defeat; their third from four games so far this season...

www.s24su.com

I was pleased that we'd got a decent keeper in and that there was some level of improvement from the Southend fiasco. A few players games had picked up noticeably Coutts, Freeman and Duffy but this young lad O'Connell was costing us goals.

What was concerning was CW's post match interview. It reminded me of Weirs after the Hartlepool game before he got the push.

CW obviously needed a drink on the coach on the way back. I understand that Alan Knill was asked to sort out the booze from the offy. He asked JOC, Jake Wight and James Wilson to do this and was very impressed with the way Jake Wright organised the other two ensuring no crates were dropped by hanging back and letting the other two get forward of him onto the coach. After a few bevvies AK said to CW " Maybe we should play with three at the back next away game as Jake's a good organiser" The rest is history .

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

There were taken from a few to be honest. I have to admit I left out the few "come on its early days" posts as that wouldn't have been exciting

 

[JimW1889]

Luckily i was so disillusioned after Adkins that I didn't renew my season ticket for the first time in 10 years and didn't see any of these games. Barely paid attention to it but remembered hearing him on the radio and thinking it needs to turn around or we'll be going down. Of course jumped on the bandwagon as soon as we looked good around October and then got a half season ticket as well.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

This poll was from a day before the grim 0-0 draw at home to Gillingham, and over a week after we watched that woeful performance on Sky down at Southend. It’s also at the same time Northampton were about to be crowned Champions.

You may find the results surprising.

Poll: Adkins or Wilder

Same set up with Nigel Adkins at the helm next season or Chris Wilder with a Director of Football. What would you rather have?

www.s24su.com

 

[CoatesyBlade]

I must admit my first ever post on the old Bladesmad forum was a total rant. I'd never been on forum before but had to vent... And vent I did!

It's all sunshine in the Coatesy sky now though. So proud of this club (always have been but you know what I mean) I talk to anyone who'll listen to me about how great we are. From the kit man to the board I have full confidence in my team. Love that we keep proving anybody and everybody wrong continually. Love watching the team. It's my greatest pleasure in this life!

 

[Iffy Onuora's Shiny Head]

The JCR and Flynn comments summed up our mentality back then.

 

[Stretch]

I've got a horrid feeling that the "he dropped a clanger giving Billy the armband..." comment, may have been mine.

 

[Deleted member 23679]

From my recollection of that time, I threw my teddies out of the pram after the abject performance at home to Southend United where our defence was schooled by Nile Ranger (remember him), and we turned in what for my money was the poorest performance of the League One years, a truly abject performance by a side truly bereft of confidence. I can remember being home and watching Laura Trott winning Olympic Gold before the full time whistle.

I would imagine the Millwall responses would show a marked difference between those who went down and those who didn't. I went and although it wasn't the most scintillating performance we've ever turned in, it was a good, solid workmanlike performance where we put a bit of heart and fight in to it, and was unlucky to come away with a defeat. I was also pleased that I had seen us playing with a solid and goalkeeper for the first time in years, and it was the first time I had been impressed with Kieron Freeman.

The Oxford game afterwards was the game changer, we went in a goal down but hadn't played too badly, but with those two second half goals that gave us the win, I watched a team visibly grow in confidence by first of all getting back in to the game, then taking a lead and then battling hard to see it out.

Those three games will go down to my mind as a critical time for the club. It was the point in time where as a club we finally grew some bollocks and snapped out of the general air of malaise and began to move forward.

 

[gavtheblade]

I think the'pile of sick'comment belonged to yours truly

 

[Sean Thornton]

This poll was from a day before the grim 0-0 draw at home to Gillingham, and over a week after we watched that woeful performance on Sky down at Southend. It’s also at the same time Northampton were about to be crowned Champions.

You may find the results surprising.

Poll: Adkins or Wilder

Same set up with Nigel Adkins at the helm next season or Chris Wilder with a Director of Football. What would you rather have?

www.s24su.com

Well sitwell put his cards firmly on the table and got it right.

 

[dublin 10 blade]

I went to all the matches that season (and before and since) and after the Millwall match I was obviously gutted but still not too pessimistic as we actually played OK in that match and still can't understand why (can't remember who gave away the pen Jack ?) put his hand up (reminded me of the Jags one V Wigan that sent us down)
Ironically we got an almost identical one for us at Gillingham a couple of games later in the last minute winner.

Can understand though why people were pessimistic and also thought that Wilders interview after that match was quite low key but obviously he was gutted at the last minute penalty given away.
Who would have thought that we would have gone on to get 100 points ,what would the odds have been at the bookies at that stage ??!!!!

Actually Rammy I predicted we’d go up as champions with 100 points and 100 goals , the only joking part of my posts were we’d be up by paddy’s day