Football without fans...

[INTERUNITED]

Is shit. Not just saying it because we've been crap since the restart (obviously the results haven't helped), but every game has been dire. I wanted the Premier League to restart at all costs, I was wrong. The games are like watching training sessions. Some might like it, but it's not for me.

 

[bromtom]

Is shit. Not just saying it because we've been crap since the restart (obviously the results haven't helped), but every game has been dire. I wanted the Premier League to restart at all costs, I was wrong. The games are like watching training sessions. Some might like it, but it's not for me.

It's been far worse than the Bundesliga despite the players being better.

It's very strange.

 

[Swannyblade]

Reluctantly agree. I was desperate for it to come back but I’ve massively underestimated the effect of the fans and atmosphere on the tempo and intensity of the game.
Everything is so flat and hollow.
Obviously it doesn’t help that our players seem to be struggling with it more than others.
I really bought into all that bluster being spoken by the Blades players and staff about being prepared and thought it would play to our advantage...I was wrong

 

[Cheesebored]

It's wank. Win, lose or draw.

 

[bromtom]

It's wank. Win, lose or draw.

We don't know that for sure yet unfortunately haha

Probably is though.

I was really excited for it to come back, but even after 5 minutes at Villa Park, before the shitshow of GDS and today's performance, it didn't seem right.

 

[yorkshirecoast]

It’s so slow. And hardly any attempts on goal, nevermind goals. Most have been really boring.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

How many Merseyside derbies have you seen before where the players carrying the ball have 20 yards of space in front of them?

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

It's almost as if some things are more important than football.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

The good news is surely the football and TV bigwigs will understand that without fans present, the 'product' is not good. They need to ensure that we are looked after properly.

 

[Gavlar]

it's like an Englishman without a beer.

 

[gordoncharles]

We don't know that for sure yet unfortunately haha

Probably is though.

I was really excited for it to come back, but even after 5 minutes at Villa Park, before the shitshow of GDS and today's performance, it didn't seem right.

I do. I have another team and they've won since the resumption. But all the games were just as tedious, lacking in both quality and intensity

 

[FatPaul]

it's like an Englishman without a beer.

Or a United team without a JOC.

 

[LS16Blade]

I too was keen for the football to return albeit I did have reservations that we might discover that we are a team that feed off the crowd and perhaps to a far greater extent than some other sides.

Speaking to an Arsenal supporting friend before the restart, I said that I thought that our season might well fizzle out without supporters. Back in March, I felt that the team really had that steely resolve that they had found 12 months earlier in the promotion run-in, again. Although we weren't playing at our swashbuckling best - and we arguably haven't really hit those heights since the first 70 minutes of the Man U game - we were looking like we had eyes on the prize and we're going to do whatever was required to get there.

Unfortunately, the evidence so far suggests we may indeed be affected more than most.

And trying to look at it from the players' point of view, you can see what a let-down it must be. We've got Man U on Wednesday night, except, in reality, it isn't, is it? Not really; not really what is arguably the biggest away match of the season; the fixture that the players have worked for and were anticipating; the occasion. It's a pathetic imitation of a match that will be played perhaps a touch above practice match pace.

I had today's match on in the background whilst doing other things. I didn't sit down to watch it. In all honesty, it's rubbish, and as far as I can see, every game has been rubbish since the restart.

Over the years, some observers have suggested that television rules football to such an extent that fans need to accept that in the modern game they are dispensable, and that clubs only need the TV companies. If there is any upside to the 'restart', I suppose at least it's becoming quite clear that that notion is nonsense. Football as a product will die without the fans.

 

[wavy-blade]

Taken from fowls talk , having a go but you have got to accept that but he may have a point, our team can’t play without US , THE FANS .
————/——-

The issue with them is that Wilder gets into them and gives them the big "I AM" - go do this for "THE FANS"

How can they exceed expectations, go beyond their talent on aggression alone when there is no partisan support.

It's a leveller of ability, and they lack ability compared to most of that division. The were running 100% on gusto and desire.

 

[GreasyChipBeattie]

It's wank. Lose or draw.

Fixed that for you mate

 

[Shoreham_Bhoys]

Taken from fowls talk , having a go but you have got to accept that but he may have a point, our team can’t play without US , THE FANS .
————/——-

The issue with them is that Wilder gets into them and gives them the big "I AM" - go do this for "THE FANS"

How can they exceed expectations, go beyond their talent on aggression alone when there is no partisan support.

It's a leveller of ability, and they lack ability compared to most of that division. The were running 100% on gusto and desire.

Pretty fair to be honest, the fan effect is very underrated.

 

[More Bladier than thou]

I did say this. Iam also gonna say this...iam not arsed if we don’t qualify for Europe. Whats the point when we cant go to games ! That maybe an unpopular opinion but I genuinely feel like fuck football off completely until stadiums are open again.

 

[Deadbat]

I said it would be very underwhelming and that within a week the initial excitement would disappear. I take no satisfaction on being proved right. Not sure anyone can say it's been very good. I watched a few of the early games but not seen much this weekend.

I could not understand everyone getting so excited. One fan on here said it was the most excited/nervous had been for 40 years before it came back?! Really?

After we lost today I saw bits of the Merseyside derby but I have quickly gone from just wanting to watch our games to even dreading those now!

Sadly we may not see fans this side of Xmas at least so we have to get used to it but it is going to be tough to have another 6+ months of this nay be longer.

United are certainly going to have to find an edge from somewhere as at the moment this training ground/practice match feel means we have no intensity at all.

 

[bromtom]

I said it would be very underwhelming and that within a week the initial excitement would disappear. I take no satisfaction on being proved right. Not sure anyone can say it's been very good. I watched a few of the early games but not seen much this weekend.

I could not understand everyone getting so excited. One fan on here said it was the most excited/nervous had been for 40 years before it came back?! Really?

After we lost today I saw bits of the Merseyside derby but I have quickly gone from just wanting to watch our games to even dreading those now!

Sadly we may not see fans this side of Xmas at least so we have to get used to it but it is going to be tough to have another 6+ months of this nay be longer.

United are certainly going to have to find an edge from somewhere as at the moment this training ground/practice match feel means we have no intensity at all.

I've watched the majority of the games since it came back, and to my eyes the only entertaining ones were Norwich Vs Southampton, and Brighton Vs Arsenal. The rest have been flat as a fart with hardly any desire.

I thought the League Two playoff semi final between Northampton and Colchester was a far better spectacle than any Prem games.

The quicker we can get some fans in the better, even a few hundred would be better than 0, I'm 100% in favour of not starting next season until there are some fans in stadiums, not full houses or anything but a socially distanced and masked up section of support for each team, just to remind the players who they're playing for and for us lot to have some connection with the team.

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

How many more weeks is there of this.

 

[CaptainMorgans]

It's not been good, but neither was the Bundesliga when it first started.

I am glad it's back. The season needed to be finished for sporting integrity.

 

[originaltrueblade]

Football without fans isn’t football

 

[TJ blade]

I said it would be very underwhelming and that within a week the initial excitement would disappear. I take no satisfaction on being proved right. Not sure anyone can say it's been very good. I watched a few of the early games but not seen much this weekend.

I could not understand everyone getting so excited. One fan on here said it was the most excited/nervous had been for 40 years before it came back?! Really?

After we lost today I saw bits of the Merseyside derby but I have quickly gone from just wanting to watch our games to even dreading those now!

Sadly we may not see fans this side of Xmas at least so we have to get used to it but it is going to be tough to have another 6+ months of this nay be longer.

United are certainly going to have to find an edge from somewhere as at the moment this training ground/practice match feel means we have no intensity at all.

If they don't allow fans in before Xmas Pal you might as well forget it! Football is for the fans. Watching this without them it will kill it and the longer it goes on the club's will be finished too.

 

[Wapping Blade]

Yep - I’ve tried to watch games other than ours and it’s shite.

 

[LS16Blade]

Taken from fowls talk , having a go but you have got to accept that but he may have a point, our team can’t play without US , THE FANS .
————/——-

The issue with them is that Wilder gets into them and gives them the big "I AM" - go do this for "THE FANS"

How can they exceed expectations, go beyond their talent on aggression alone when there is no partisan support.

It's a leveller of ability, and they lack ability compared to most of that division. The were running 100% on gusto and desire.

The Pig on Porktalk goes too far with his point and, therefore, gets it wrong - as you'd expect with any of those dummies. A number of our players have excellent ability on the ball and were playing some exceptional stuff in tight situations before Christmas. The games against Spurs, Man U, Wolves, Villa and Burnley spring immediately to mind. So to say that we lack ability is nonsense.

We seem to be collectively off the boil. Literally none of them are playing with the dash, verve and confidence on the ball that characterised their play up to the lockdown. And in that respect, your point, 'wavyblade', appears to be more pertinent. It seems that our players do indeed thrive on the relationship with the supporters.

I suspected that this would be the case before the resumption, and unfortunately it seems to be being proved. It's also why I'm one of those Blades that is utterly frustrated that the club close the Kop for cup games. It sends a certain message to the players. Frankly, even if the gate is going to be much lower, i believe that it will always benefit the team to have fans on the Kop for cup games - even if it's only 3-4,000 rather than the usual 10,000. We all know how dire the cup performances have been since the club started closing the Kop for them.

Anyway, that's a debate for another day. For now the problem is whether the players are going to be able to regain their standards in a minimum of 9 games that won't have the atmosphere of even a league cup tie?

 

[Shanks]

Taken from fowls talk , having a go but you have got to accept that but he may have a point, our team can’t play without US , THE FANS .
————/——-

The issue with them is that Wilder gets into them and gives them the big "I AM" - go do this for "THE FANS"

How can they exceed expectations, go beyond their talent on aggression alone when there is no partisan support.

It's a leveller of ability, and they lack ability compared to most of that division. The were running 100% on gusto and desire.

Can see the sense in some of this but to say we are 100% gusto & desire is both disrespectful to our players ability & simply a Wendy’s ONLY chance to have a dig. No one, especially That lot can tell me that Henderson,Brick,Egan,Fleck,Enda,Didsy & Baldock would not get into any other Premiership team. Plus the fact Lunny is rumoured to be getting interest from Everton. Seriousl! Two poor games & suddenly our players are crap without the fans! I’m not having it. Top 10 finish this year = yes Chris fucking sort it out it’s embarrassing UTB

 

[HVR]

There's the old saying "On paper" referring to a team's ability. Without the fans and the atmosphere, this is about a close to it as possible. And "On Paper" we are probably in the bottom 6 - I'm not sure if we will win any more games this season.

 

[Whiston Blade]

I'm starting to think to myself how many players actually want to be back playing football for their clubs? Some have spoken out but I have a feeling many have stayed silent and are just going through the motions until the season ends. I don't care if they're tested regularly, I wouldn't want to be out there. I've been working from home since mid-March and still don't like the idea of going to the shops.

But yeah, I agree, it's awful without fans in the stadium but money talks and that's what is driving the game to be played.

 

[hidesbehindapseudonym]

Makes you realise just how important O'Connell is and how inept Berge and McBurnie are.

Villa and Norwich in deep shit. Only pray that West Ham join them.

 

[Bladesman]

It did take a week or two for the Bundesliga to kick into life once teams realised that these games were not just friendly games. The players need to adapt and adapt quickly.

I know it is very tacky but I think we need to do as much as possible to make sure the players know the fans are with them especially in our remaining home games. I don't care if its big zoom screen of fans during the match or video messages of support from the fans on the big screen at the lane.