Get A Grip!

[pommpey]

Peterborough wasn't an FA Cup semi final, but at that time in the context of our season it was a very very important game. And we went there and won 4-0. You can only beat the teams that you have fixtures against. And if you are in the fourth division they will be fixtures against fourth division clubs. During that season promotion was in the balance for much of the season. We were pursued right up until the last couple of games but did not choke.

Thirty years ago. In the last fifteen we have been somewhat different, however, with numerous FA and League Cup semis and quarters, playoff disasters and ten labourious years in the Championship wilderness, largely thanks to an inability to envisage Bramall Lane as a fucking bastion of Sheffield's finest. We are, in fact, The Blades. Its sung regularly by the fans, and fucked up on the pitch with worrying regularity, despite some cracking performances out of the blue (Charlton away, Leeds away, Liverpool at home). You know, I look at other 'lesser' teams, Wigan, Stoke, Blackpool, Swansea ... just to name a few, and I ponder what it is they have, and we haven't. And it is 'belief'. We, as supporters, all 'believe' United are worthy of PL status. Not exactly top six, but at least sustained attendance at footballings Top Table. These other teams supporters are somewhat blessed in their feelings of elevation and I am sure look at us as an example at where they don't want to be, floundering to former non-league opposition with a board full of wankers who don't support the manager they purposefully install and then neglect. Two of the players mentioned elsewhere play for Blackpool. We traded Beattie at Stoke. Nathan Dyer nodded one in at the weekend at Swansea. Britton seems to be enjoying the fun in the PL. Michael Brown went to tiny Wigan rather than come back to the place he was universally loved. Go figure.

And there are numerous other examples of us not choking. The 5-1 hammering of Cardiff being just one of them.

But, aside from the odd 'going up with', what exactly have we 'won' without choking?

Just because these examples occurred below the premier league, or weren't in a cup semi final does not diminish their importance. You can't get to the premier league if you don't win your vital games in the division in which you find yourself at any given time.

Kinda reinforces my point if anything. Yesterday's game wasn't a semi, or a playoff final. It was, however the most defining game of our season. The one where we lost it all, reliquished the initiative and simply gave it all away. Not so bad if it is Hudderfield or MK fucking Dons. The world however if it it those cunts from S6.

Glad I don't live and work in Sheffield if they go up automatically and we shit out at the playoffs.

pommpey

 

[oldblade]

I think a lot of blades just look and compare the two links below and think how did we f%ck this up??

http://www.sufc.co.uk/page/LeagueTable/0,,10418~20120218,00.html
http://www.sufc.co.uk/page/LeagueTable/0,,10418~20120428,00.html

Pigs appoint a manager who uses the same team plus 1 or 2 loanees and go unbeaten for 10 games +. I really can not see them losing saturday just like i wouldn't expect us to if we were in there position. The problem i have and i am not knocking him to much because he has done very well for us but mr wilson doesn't seem to be able to bring in great quality players on loan or permanent our fringe players are very poor and on 2 occasions now this season we have lost major player and bang we,ve shit it no back up and what we have is garbage. Pigs on the other hand lose a player and replace with quality (for this division) and make sure they have back up, up top. Now yesterday he really surprised me, he left cressy on the bench and played that donkey porter, i am sorry danny but chris porter isn't good enough for the 4th tier never mind promotion chasing 3rd tier. I know you can not help players like hoskins getting injured but he was hardly pulling many trees up anyway. So arguably our biggest game of the season and DW starts a lad who has never started a 1st team game in his life and a lad who couldn't hit a door, this reminds me of the day NW played Mark Rankine in the playoff final by the time the change was made we had left ourselves to much to do. Now on to the playoffs and as people rightly say when a team lose out on 2nd when they have held on to it for so long end up in the playoffs, you find it very difficult to pick them up for another onslaught. I can see us getting to the final but not having enough in the final ending up like the Burnley game 1-0 not looking like scoring or the wolves game 3-0 and never in the game.

We might not like it, but the most striking thing about those tables is that Wednesday managed to get 33 points from 13 games. Now that kind of form is pretty difficult for most sides to keep pace with.

I feel what has ultimately caused led to them catching us wasn't yesterday's game, but was that mad game against Oldham. Had we closed that out (as we should have done) from 2-0 up we would have mainained (or increased) our cushion over Wednesday. However, the manner in which we messed up in that game also cost us further points the following midweek at Walsall, because we had no defenders left to pick from. hence the cushion almost disappeared and I feel that spurred Wednesday on.

 

[oldblade]

Kinda reinforces my point if anything. Yesterday's game wasn't a semi, or a playoff final. It was, however the most defining game of our season. The one where we lost it all, reliquished the initiative and simply gave it all away. Not so bad if it is Hudderfield or MK fucking Dons. The world however if it it those cunts from S6.

Glad I don't live and work in Sheffield if they go up automatically and we shit out at the playoffs.

pommpey

Yes, yesterday we failed to win a key match. But my point is that it is incorrect to try claim that we always lose the season defining game. We don't.

 

[metalblade]

And Peterborough away in 1981 was a very big deal at that time. Promotion was far from secured and around that time they had been in the sort of form Wednesday are now in. Added to that their manager made some disparaging comments about us before the game. If supporters at that time had the same mentality as we seem to have now, we would have said it was the kind of game we were destined to bottle. But we didn't. We obliterated them. It might have been in the fourth division, but if that is where you are, that is the opposition you play against. And whilst I have always thought that our relegation to the fourth division was forever a stain in the club's history, that season turned out to be one of the most enjoyable, and the promotion (in the end done in style) still felt great.

At the time we had spent shitloads of £££'s on that team, big fish in a small pond. In today's terms it would be like buying half a dozen million pound players for a league 2 side. As it stands at the moment we have players who have premiership on their CV's we have the divisions largest wage bill but yet we still struggle to achieve anything.
A team who not so long ago were non league pulling gates a fraction of the size we get over 2 games take 4 out of the 6 points and generally outplay us for long periods in both games may well be over achieving but something is wrong at the lane and it has been for years.

 

[blade too long]

we could end up with 92 points , in what way is that a bad season, if we finish 3rd , so be it , just have to accept well be the unluckiest team in history, relegated from the prem only ever on goal difference, and highest points total ever to be third

 

[MunXy]

Confidence is a massive part of any players ability to perform, just look at how sharp & confident Torres is today, movement, pace & 2 goals

this was taken from a twitter post some 4 hours ago by probably the best keeper the Blades have had in the 30+ years i personally have been going to games, now ALL you "fans" slagging off players on a regular basis, not just for a bad performance, but just on general principle, take note, knocking a players confidence is detrimental not only to the player BUT in turn to the club YOU support and this is why i say what i said about fans not behind the Blades then all you are doing is helping other clubs not just wendy, as for what right i have for saying this well ive followed the blades not just in person but via net or radio in places and conditions not only wrong but dangerous, ive seen and been there at almost All of the disappointments of the past 30+ years and yes its hurt but its never knocked my confidence in MY team, many have mentioned play off finals, cup semis etc, spare a thought for the other clubs that may never even get to a semi or a play off final, infact heres a tought, how many clubs currently in the prem havnt been to wembley in the last 30 years, personally i have no idea but id bet there are a couple.

utb #keepthefaith

MunXy

 

[pommpey]

Yes, yesterday we failed to win a key match. But my point is that it is incorrect to try claim that we always lose the season defining game. We don't.

Oh boy.

Monday 26 May 2003. SUFC 0 - 3 Wolves.
Sunday 09 May 2004. PNE 3 - 3 SUFC.
Sunday 08 May 2005. Wolves 4 - 2 SUFC.
Sunday 13 May 2007. SUFC 1 - 2 Wigan.
Monday 25 May 2009. Burnley 1 - 0 SUFC.
The whole of the Feb - Apr 2011 period (yup, we won some, but then again, we lost plenty didn't we?)
Saturday 28 Apr 2012. SUFC 2 - 2 Stevenage.

Let us leave out Palace playoff final at Wembley, Pigs FA Cup Semi, Newcastle FA Cup semi, Liverpool League Cup semi, Arsenal FA Cup semi, Sunderland FA Cup quarter.

I suppose all of these don't qualify as 'season defining games' do they?

pommpey

 

[oldblade]

we could end up with 92 points , in what way is that a bad season, if we finish 3rd , so be it , just have to accept well be the unluckiest team in history, relegated from the prem only ever on goal difference, and highest points total ever to be third

And relegated to the fourth division with a positive goal difference. Has any team other than us ever been relegated with a positive goal difference?

 

[pommpey]

And relegated to the fourth division with a positive goal difference. Has any team other than us ever been relegated with a positive goal difference?

Hey. Now you've put it like that, and the fact that we were relegated from the Prem on GD, and the fact that we are so unlucky having a convicted rapist as a top goalscorer, fell foul of Tevez, had shit managers and our ground is on a ley-line or summat, I don't feel so bad about February 14th and the handsome points difference, games in hand and the chance we had to be promoted and commit the pigs to playoff hell.

How odd things turn out though, eh? Ha-ha-ha.

pommpey

 

[metalblade]

Yup if it wasn't for bad luck we'd have no luck, someone ought to make a film about the Blades...................... oh wait that was shite too.

 

[oldblade]

Oh boy.

Monday 26 May 2003. SUFC 0 - 3 Wolves.
Sunday 09 May 2004. PNE 3 - 3 SUFC.
Sunday 08 May 2005. Wolves 4 - 2 SUFC.
Sunday 13 May 2007. SUFC 1 - 2 Wigan.
Monday 25 May 2009. Burnley 1 - 0 SUFC.
The whole of the Feb - Apr 2011 period (yup, we won some, but then again, we lost plenty)
Saturday 28 Apr 2012. SUFC 2 - 2 Stevenage.

Let us leave out Palace playoff final at Wembley, Pigs FA Cup Semi, Newcastle FA Cup semi, Liverpool League Cup semi, Arsenal FA Cup semi, Sunderland FA Cup quarter.

I suppose all of these don't qualify as 'season defining games' do they?

pommpey

I quite clearly did not say that we don't lose season defining games. I said it was incorrect to say we ALWAYS lose season defining games, and I said that because we don't.

Wolves 4-2 SUFC was not a season defining game. A win would not have seen us in the play offs. And a win at Preston in 2004 was also unlikely to see us in the play offs. We needed to win by two or three goals. And at that time we hadn't won there since the mid 1950s. I think most felt that we put in a good performance that day.

But if you want to believe that we have always and will always lose the defining games of the season, don't let me stop you.

 

[pommpey]

I quite clearly did not say that we don't lose season defining games. I said it was incorrect to say we ALWAYS lose season defining games, and I said that because we don't.

The evidence suggests otherwise. Particularly Wigan. At home.

Wolves 4-2 SUFC was not a season defining game. A win would not have seen us in the play offs. And a win at Preston in 2004 was also unlikely to see us in the play offs. We needed to win by two or three goals. And at that time we hadn't won there since the mid 1950s. I think most felt that we put in a good performance that day.

Christ. We let three goals in. Had we not, it would have given us the three goals needed. Are you purposefully not seeing the point, here?

But if you want to believe that we have always and will always lose the defining games of the season, don't let me stop you.

Third division it is, then.

pommpey

 

[Selly]

I feel what has ultimately caused led to them catching us wasn't yesterday's game, but was that mad game against Oldham. Had we closed that out (as we should have done) from 2-0 up we would have mainained (or increased) our cushion over Wednesday. However, the manner in which we messed up in that game also cost us further points the following midweek at Walsall, because we had no defenders left to pick from. hence the cushion almost disappeared and I feel that spurred Wednesday on.

Nail n head. Oldham was the turning point of our season. 6potential points thrown away in 45 mins of madness...table would look a lot different if we beat Oldham...

 

[pommpey]

Nail n head. Oldham was the turning point of our season. 6potential points thrown away in 45 mins of madness...table would look a lot different if we beat Oldham...

And who scored the penalty to deny us two points?

No. Don't bother replying. We know.

pommpey

 

[oldblade]

Hey. Now you've put it like that, and the fact that we were relegated from the Prem on GD, and the fact that we are so unlucky having a convicted rapist as a top goalscorer, fell foul of Tevez, had shit managers and our ground is on a ley-line or summat, I don't feel so bad about February 14th and the handsome points difference, games in hand and the chance we had to be promoted and commit the pigs to playoff hell.

How odd things turn out though, eh? Ha-ha-ha.

pommpey

Serious question pommpey, if following The Blades is as miserable for you as your posts suggest, why do you bother? And don't worry, I'm not suggesting you should follow anyone else or that your support is detrimental to the club or anything daft like that. But it's clearly making you very unhappy!

 

[Selly]

And who scored the penalty to deny us two points?

No. Don't bother replying. We know.

pommpey

Technically the penalty only denied us 1 point, as it was2-2 at the time.

I'd kill to have that point back now though...

 

[oldblade]

The evidence suggests otherwise. Particularly Wigan. At home.
pommpey

The evidence as you put it shows that we have often messed up, but we have also often pulled through and relevant examples have been given.

 

[pommpey]

Serious question pommpey, if following The Blades is as miserable for you as your posts suggest, why do you bother? And don't worry, I'm not suggesting you should follow anyone else or that your support is detrimental to the club or anything daft like that. But it's clearly making you very unhappy!

Isn't it obvious? As much as long suffering fans like me would just dearly love to jump ship and support someone else, it is a physical, emotional impossibility. I can't fuck off and follow the admirable flair and footballing porn of Manchester United. I can't bring myself to stand either on the terraces or (as was yesterday) twenty four inches away from my 60" HD telly and cheer anyone else on when they score. Yesterday (as with the Wigan match a while ago) I could not sit down. I want us to win, so badly. I want us to succeed, if with bonus chips at the expense of the shower of fuckers in S6 then all the better. Yes, it is misery. Yes, as a supporter I have every right to point out where we are going wrong (in my opinion) as have you to uphold your (misguided IMO) opinion that all is well and this is acceptable. I won't be happy until I see our team lined up in a centre circle with fireworks and streamers, like a few years ago when I trudged out of the Milennium Stadium and saw Wolves's joy burst overhead. To accept anything else is ridiculous. We are the Blades, for fuck's sake.

pommpey

 

[pommpey]

The evidence as you put it shows that we have often messed up, but we have also often pulled through and relevant examples have been given.

Trophy Cabinet?

*Empty*

Nuff said

pommpey

 

[Large Mendonca]

Don't we have the "Steel City Cup" in it ?

 

[Kenilworth]

I absolutely see where Pommps is coming from and I find his posts entertaining, passionate and normally very well constructed - especially when he goes off on one (he was the same on BU). Posting criticism on a forum is far removed from those that verbally criticise and undermine the team during matches. Forums like this are the right place to "get it off your chest." All of us no matter how many games we attend or otherwise, for whatever reason, have every right to do so and I am sure that Pommpey is as committed a Blades fan as any there is. That doesn’t mean to say that he has no right to vent frustration and the facts are that for a club the size of Sheffield United we have achieved a level of failure parallel to no one. Why would we be in this division, again, if this were not the case?

Fact is we have had to put up with some utter spineless shite for many years and just when we think we are going to get some joy or glory, at the expense of the other mob from S6, we get screwed over or freeze at that vital match – a trait that actually does happen more often than not.

To say that we have triumphed in many crucial games is just papering over the cracks. A lot of those games in which we have prevailed were not to lift a trophy or secure a championship they have been to come second or third in a division to gain a promotion. Why have we had to gain a promotion? – ‘Cos we were shit and bottled many more games in the seasons that preceded that one. Where we have been promoted in recent times we never, ever looked like catching the leaders whether it be Wolves or Reading – or Charlton this season for that matter – perennial bridesmaids with the bottle to match.

Now a fan should support the team whatever – granted and 100% agree
I will never, ever support any other club. I cannot. I will not. I have no choice.
Every time I go to a game I am 100% with the lads. I have only left one game early in my life and that was when we were getting trounced 3-0 in the FA Cup at Lincoln (FFS) and I think they were in a division below us at the time.

That doesn’t mean to say that results and, more importantly, performances like Saturday don’t hurt you to the core.
That doesn’t mean to say that to conform to one person’s model view of a fan we have to swallow someone’s limp propaganda and believe we prevail in the face of adversity or overcome the challenge on more occasions than we fail – we simply don’t. If we did we would be a premiership club of long time standing and have lifted the odd cup now and then.

After so many big game failures post the Burnley play off final debacle I have seriously considered whether I want to put myself through the expense and heartache of another play off final, ever again. I am still unsure now whether I will go to the shit hole that is Wembley and that white elephant of a stadium (if we get there again). Maybe I hate it more because I see it as a symbol of what we never achieve. I guess I might on the off chance we will upset the norm, probably ‘cos Kenilworth Junior will persuade me that I will not want to miss it. After all, it’s the division below so theoretically less of a challenge – who knows we may even score a goal in a PoF? If we do score and still end up losing I’ll bet the rose tinted glasses brigade will come out with that as a positive even after we suffer the sight of either MK or Huddersfield ribbons on the winner’s trophy and their team bouncing up and down in a shower of bubbly and fireworks.

It’s a lifetime decision to support the Blades, it’s a commitment we choose willingly but not something that can be cast off simply. The longer the association goes on the more frustrated you tend to get. The word “fan” is short for “fanatic” which implies some lack of control over your emotions, so even after all the disappointment and pain we go through we are fanatical enough (or too stupid) to hope again, regardless.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

I read somewhere that Coventry City haven't finished in the top six of any division since 1970.
That's 42 years of mid-table mediocrity relieved only by the despair of two relegations.
Yes, United always fail in the play-offs. Yes, we always get relegated in bizarre circumstances.
Yes, we always seem to make hard work of promotion even when it looks on the cards.
Yes, it would be nice to win a trophy or a match on a neutral ground.
But would I swap the last 42 years of the Blades rollercoaster for Coventry City's merry-go-round?
Not a chance!

 

[Darren]

I read somewhere that Coventry City haven't finished in the top six of any division since 1970.
That's 42 years of mid-table mediocrity relieved only by the despair of two relegations.
Yes, United always fail in the play-offs. Yes, we always get relegated in bizarre circumstances.
Yes, we always seem to make hard work of promotion even when it looks on the cards.
Yes, it would be nice to win a trophy or a match on a neutral ground.
But would I swap the last 42 years of the Blades rollercoaster for Coventry City's merry-go-round?
Not a chance!

Would I swap Coventry's 31 years of top tier football for United's ups and downs......er.....yes, I think I would!

 

[Selly]

Would I swap Coventry's 31 years of top tier football for United's ups and downs......er.....yes, I think I would!

And an FA cup......

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Would I swap Coventry's 31 years of top tier football for United's ups and downs......er.....yes, I think I would!

This. Also during that time Coventty have won an FA Cup.

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Would I swap Coventry's 31 years of top tier football for United's ups and downs......er.....yes, I think I would!

This. Also during that time Coventty have won an FA Cup.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Would I swap Coventry's 31 years of top tier football for United's ups and downs......er.....yes, I think I would!

Really? Mid-table year after year. Same opposition. Same grounds. Same old, same old.
No chance of winning the title. No real chance of a top 6 finish.
No excitement. No gut-wrenching tension. No sense of achievement when you get promotion.
No thrill at reaching the play-offs. No joy of making the play-off final.
Only the cups to get excited about and even then only one FA Cup win 25 years ago.
I genuinely wouldn't swap what we've had (all the ups and downs) for what they've had (indifferent).

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Removed. Duplicated my post for some reason

 

[Darren]

Really? Mid-table year after year. Same opposition. Same grounds. Same old, same old.
No chance of winning the title. No real chance of a top 6 finish.
No excitement. No gut-wrenching tension. No sense of achievement when you get promotion.
No thrill at reaching the play-offs. No joy of making the play-off final.
Only the cups to get excited about and even then only one FA Cup win 25 years ago.
I genuinely wouldn't swap what we've had (all the ups and downs) for what they've had (indifferent).

You are a strange one. You really would prefer only 10 years of top tier football (compared to Coventry's 31), never winning anything (compared to Coventry's FA Cup) and until next season never being in the bottom two tiers (compared to our 7 years there).

I think you might be in a small minority here....

 

[Kenilworth]

Considering that most of the years we have not been fighting relegation or promotion we spent in mid table mediocrity but in a lower division. Hmmmnnn.

Not a fan of the Sky Blues by any strech - have many friends who are but there is no doubt they have been a better team than us for the last 40 years overall - taking the measure of league position and trophies won.