Are we dark horses this season

[John Street West Terrace]

We’ve had some easier fixtures recently & thankfully won them which has elevated us a bit in the table but my feet are firmly in the floor ., We’ve got some tougher ones coming up & next month to so I think that will be a better barometer of where we really are .
I think the top 2 will come from these 4 .. Boro , Wolves , Southampton & West Ham .
Outside those I think all the next 20 sides there isn’t a deal between them

 

[bladeinspaceandtime]

No

 

[ekke287]

Apart from the 92 point season when we were turgid and wank according to plenty on here.

Unfortunately that season is all about the end narrative. We WERE poor to watch for most of that season, but the results masked the performances.

Had we won at Wembley we could say it had been worth it, and there would have been a lot of historical revisionism about us dominating the league and blowing teams away. That didn’t happen, we had lots of 1-0 wins and a solid defence through to midfield. We also rode our luck a lot and should have drawn or lost some of those games we won.

The 92 point season has now inadvertently become a yard stick to beat the other side with.

Pro-Wilder - We got 92 points that season so he must know what he’s doing.

Anti-Wilder - We got 92 points but performances weren’t great and ultimately the points counted for nothing.

 

[Kabba Kabba Doo]

Since the 2024/25 season we've played low risk percentage football, making sure we don't get blown away like we did in the prem in 23/24 so it appears we're always "in" games, but the Pinch's article yesterday highlighting that Wilder has only once picked up more than 1.5 ppg against top half teams shows that whenever a good side play us, we tend to get out done either tactically or physically, or often both.
At the start of the season I couldn't see how we didn't go down, now I can see that was a bit far as there are some really really poor teams below us like Preston & Derby, but worryingly without the red we may not have got back level against Derby and we scraped past the charity case that is Preston, who have a worse record than our porcine neighbours did at this stage last season.

As many have said we can only judge after the gauntlet of fixtures coming up until Derby post christmas, if we're still top half/within 5 or 6 points of the playoffs, then who knows maybe we can have a positive January and find a coherent plan that doesn't consist of hopes and prayers that we manage to nick a goal.

I'd be shocked if we don't finish between 13th & 18th personally, beating teams worse than us, losing to teams better than us, but we should have enough of a buffer to keep us from sweating looking over our shoulders

 

[Gin&Juice]

I think we’re like a pissed grandad sat in the corner, quietly. We’ve had our time, but faded. We’re not to be feared but there’s potential for us to land a well connected punch.

 

[ancientblade]

for me it all depends on the january window i think we need at least 2 in to have a chance of top 8 what we do in january will tell us how much the club wants promotion this season

 

[brownblade]

 

[YES Blade]

We’ve seen enough United promotion teams over the years to know what one looks like and this team certainly ain’t one.

Would love to be wrong, but I doubt it. I still think we’ll be something like 12-16th.

 

[Blade59]

I am not sure I see a great deal of scope for improvement from where we are now. Yes when everybody is available we have a decent starting 11 but the reality is that the likes of Phillips, Bamford and a few others will miss a fair number of games just going on past history. The table is fairly tight with only 6 points separating 8th and 15th positions. I don't see any particularly outstanding teams in that group below West Ham. There will probably be a couple of teams in the top 8 that will start to drop off so I would see 7th and 8th positions up for grabs. We may stay in the mix to claim one of those places alongside about 8 other teams but I don't see us suddenly go on a 5 or 6 game winning run to break away from this group. I also suspect we will end up weaker at the end of the January window. A potential points deduction has not gone away either which would further scupper any chances.

 

[brownblade]

I am not sure I see a great deal of scope for improvement from where we are now. Yes when everybody is available we have a decent starting 11 but the reality is that the likes of Phillips, Bamford and a few others will miss a fair number of games just going on past history. The table is fairly tight with only 6 points separating 8th and 15th positions. I don't see any particularly outstanding teams in that group below West Ham. There will probably be a couple of teams in the top 8 that will start to drop off so I would see 7th and 8th positions up for grabs. We may stay in the mix to claim one of those places alongside about 8 other teams but I don't see us suddenly go on a 5 or 6 game winning run to break away from this group. I also suspect we will end up weaker at the end of the January window. A potential points deduction has not gone away either which would further scupper any chances.

Is there any real prospect of a points deduction? We just have a legal dispute RE payment of the previous owner, which is away from the pitch. Unless they somehow deem we're investing the withheld payments into the football club. Which would be hilariously insane of the owners.

Go on. Give us -115pts for ten seasons. Make our day.

 

[Blade59]

Is there any real prospect of a points deduction? We just have a legal dispute RE payment of the previous owner, which is away from the pitch. Unless they somehow deem we're investing the withheld payments into the football club. Which would be hilariously insane of the owners.

Go on. Give us -115pts for ten seasons. Make our day.

I honestly don't know. It will depend on whether we are deemed to have broken any rules on the transfer of the shares to the new company in terms of how and when the EFL were notified. It is not straightforward and until the EFL either charge us or not it is something that cannot be ruled out. I don't think they can do us on the legal dispute with the previous owner whatever anyone might think of the morals of the case.

 

[brownblade]

I honestly don't know. It will depend on whether we are deemed to have broken any rules on the transfer of the shares to the new company in terms of how and when the EFL were notified. It is not straightforward and until the EFL either charge us or not it is something that cannot be ruled out. I don't think they can do us on the legal dispute with the previous owner whatever anyone might think of the morals of the case.

The one thing we can all be confident about, is getting a punishment worse than Man City.

 

[Rudders]

I think you are forever going to be unhappy with football unless you support a side like real Madrid... Ludicrous.

Maybe he just wants a manager who can handle, or even excel, under pressure - unlike our current one! Let's be honest calmness under pressure begins at the top and permeates down through preparation and practice for these events. And then there's running off down the tunnel when you lose.

 

[pollster]

When you look at the strength in depth we have when everyone is fit, we have a lot of pros who have played at a really high standard and some of the best youngsters in the league.
We are becoming a resilient team to beat.
We have the best keeper in the league.
A striker with highest conversion rate per shot.
We are flying under the radar of other clubs and could be underestimated which could work in our favour.
It reminds me abit of when we come up from league 1 and everyone was "having a off day" when playing us
I think our results looking at it have been good although performances haven't always been excellent
Its time some of you lot got down to the lane and start getting behind the team and being positive instead of acting entitled and praying on Wilder and team to fail
We win this weekend and we are in amongst it perfectly for some big games on the run up to christmas

Top of the pops for christmas

Delusional
A resounding NO!
We have scraped two wins and a draw and against teams who on the day looked like they are candidates for relegation
All three managers on the brink of the sack
As the Charlton manager coming up on Saturday


And then one of them beats the top of the league next game!
(without star player Lankshear of course!)
The only hope for United with this manager is it is yet another poor League - despite WHU - and we can beat any team on one of their bad days
YOU CANNOT GET UP THAT WAY
Hoping the opposition are hopeless on the day.

We have THE WORST manager in our history
We had three players stealing a living starting last game
Chugalong Choudhury, Captain Clown and Cannon BALLS
and two players McGuiness and Chong played out of position
We got a win because of a quality inherited player still here
who was left out by the imbecile only two games ago costing us points yet again
(As he similarly won the game at Blackburn when we were outplayed and lucky to be still in the game)

We play the wrong formation as we only have wing backs and need three at the back
We also need three at the back as we do NOT have ONE top centre back let alone two
Captain Clown - just pointless
McGuiness I worry about on the ground
Kitching - appears hotheaded sometimes brain dead and again slow on the ground
A shit manager who won't pick Baptiste based on his birth certificate
Docherty who seems to be signed as mascot not a player
A bit like John Ryan at Donny getting a game if the game the league and promotion is already won
A manager who plays McCallum as LSCB when great lad he may be and a good wing back
like Captain Clown is often an accident waiting to happen and CANNOT be a last line of defence
And then RND who was bombed out the first day of Wilders arrival and made the Wales team before United under Wilder
My best three does NOT inspire me with confidence for every opposition lineup
Strength in depth?

There IS a reason why Moore got in behind us literally from the first to the last minute (when McGuiness blocked) playing Wrexham
This is a pattern replicated from the first game at Mansfield Town when they should have equalized at the start of the second half.
FFS how can you miss a 6 5" giant of a man?

As for the defence when we have an attacking free kick
God help us when against Derby was it as at times we had Choudhury and Phillips
Neither can ******* run or get in position to tackle
Although Choudhury made great efforts to run out of position for the PNE goal on two minutes
but of course no effort to get back.
Presumably that's why they were chosen
There is no way they could ever run back into a useful position so have to stand there whilst the others run back
There is a limit to how many fouls Phillips can make in a game despite refs being generous with him so far.

Its said we will have some money to spend in Jan
IF we are pressing at the top
(We won't be with Wilder in charge)
Great - just what we we need
Wilder bringing in another Cannon BALLS (£10 million)
or Captain CLOWN (£8 million)
and wages to match.
(the failure resulting in the need to get rid of star players Peck and Sereki and the endless decline under Wilder)

If we were somehow to be anywhere near the top at Christmas after playing less bad teams not the badly failing
would you trust Wilder making signings to get an improvement ?
The last two Christmas periods have seen us drop off and fail
Last season without a wimper and disastrously without Wilders exit (long term)

THE ONE player Wilder brought in all summer who has made a significant POSITIVE change to this club's fortunes
is clearly DONOVAN
IRONICALLY the only YOUNG player for this third rate journeyman manager.
He played him out of position
changed his game to make him support Choudhury who is hopeless
and then dropped him to prove he was the man and as a **** you to supporters
I'm still not convinced he being correctly guided to get the best out of him
and he appears to have lost some fitness through not playing

WOULD he want a similar star young player?
Or would he sign another batch of ex Leeds player to fail
like last season?
He spent all summer desperate to bomb out all our young fringe players to bring in 30 year old may have beens.
(Except Baptiste who he was forced to play to avoid playing McGuiness and Zatterstrom who he was desperate to offload)

TOO SLOW
TOO NEGATIVE
TOO OLD is the dominating impression of the Summer signings.
A bit like the fraud manager

Would post Senna the soothsayer
Woe Woe and Thrice Woe
But doesn't seem to be a short clip on youtube still

I dread the extended signings Wilder wants to make (for next season) like Ayew and Choudhury if we win at Charlton tomorrow
with no games to distract
Although I will be cheering them on stream willing
That is a permanent problem you have with totally ignorant 'owners'
They are too easy to fool - certainly short term
A bit like this thread poster.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Dark horses? More

 

[I should coco]

We have THE WORST manager in our history

I gave up at that point, but I'd imagine Harry Haslam, Martin Peters, Billy McEwan, Steve Bruce, Adrian Heath, Kevin Blackwell, David Weir and Nigel Adkins, are all energetically nodding along in approval.

 

[brownblade]

Delusional
A resounding NO!
We have scraped two wins and a draw and against teams who on the day looked like they are candidates for relegation
All three managers on the brink of the sack
As the Charlton manager coming up on Saturday


And then one of them beats the top of the league next game!
(without star player Lankshear of course!)
The only hope for United with this manager is it is yet another poor League - despite WHU - and we can beat any team on one of their bad days
YOU CANNOT GET UP THAT WAY
Hoping the opposition are hopeless on the day.

We have THE WORST manager in our history
We had three players stealing a living starting last game
Chugalong Choudhury, Captain Clown and Cannon BALLS
and two players McGuiness and Chong played out of position
We got a win because of a quality inherited player still here
who was left out by the imbecile only two games ago costing us points yet again
(As he similarly won the game at Blackburn when we were outplayed and lucky to be still in the game)

We play the wrong formation as we only have wing backs and need three at the back
We also need three at the back as we do NOT have ONE top centre back let alone two
Captain Clown - just pointless
McGuiness I worry about on the ground
Kitching - appears hotheaded sometimes brain dead and again slow on the ground
A shit manager who won't pick Baptiste based on his birth certificate
Docherty who seems to be signed as mascot not a player
A bit like John Ryan at Donny getting a game if the game the league and promotion is already won
A manager who plays McCallum as LSCB when great lad he may be and a good wing back
like Captain Clown is often an accident waiting to happen and CANNOT be a last line of defence
And then RND who was bombed out the first day of Wilders arrival and made the Wales team before United under Wilder
My best three does NOT inspire me with confidence for every opposition lineup
Strength in depth?

There IS a reason why Moore got in behind us literally from the first to the last minute (when McGuiness blocked) playing Wrexham
This is a pattern replicated from the first game at Mansfield Town when they should have equalized at the start of the second half.
FFS how can you miss a 6 5" giant of a man?

As for the defence when we have an attacking free kick
God help us when against Derby was it as at times we had Choudhury and Phillips
Neither can ******* run or get in position to tackle
Although Choudhury made great efforts to run out of position for the PNE goal on two minutes
but of course no effort to get back.
Presumably that's why they were chosen
There is no way they could ever run back into a useful position so have to stand there whilst the others run back
There is a limit to how many fouls Phillips can make in a game despite refs being generous with him so far.

Its said we will have some money to spend in Jan
IF we are pressing at the top
(We won't be with Wilder in charge)
Great - just what we we need
Wilder bringing in another Cannon BALLS (£10 million)
or Captain CLOWN (£8 million)
and wages to match.
(the failure resulting in the need to get rid of star players Peck and Sereki and the endless decline under Wilder)

If we were somehow to be anywhere near the top at Christmas after playing less bad teams not the badly failing
would you trust Wilder making signings to get an improvement ?
The last two Christmas periods have seen us drop off and fail
Last season without a wimper and disastrously without Wilders exit (long term)

THE ONE player Wilder brought in all summer who has made a significant POSITIVE change to this club's fortunes
is clearly DONOVAN
IRONICALLY the only YOUNG player for this third rate journeyman manager.
He played him out of position
changed his game to make him support Choudhury who is hopeless
and then dropped him to prove he was the man and as a **** you to supporters
I'm still not convinced he being correctly guided to get the best out of him
and he appears to have lost some fitness through not playing

WOULD he want a similar star young player?
Or would he sign another batch of ex Leeds player to fail
like last season?
He spent all summer desperate to bomb out all our young fringe players to bring in 30 year old may have beens.
(Except Baptiste who he was forced to play to avoid playing McGuiness and Zatterstrom who he was desperate to offload)

TOO SLOW
TOO NEGATIVE
TOO OLD is the dominating impression of the Summer signings.
A bit like the fraud manager

Would post Senna the soothsayer
Woe Woe and Thrice Woe
But doesn't seem to be a short clip on youtube still

I dread the extended signings Wilder wants to make (for next season) like Ayew and Choudhury if we win at Charlton tomorrow
with no games to distract
Although I will be cheering them on stream willing
That is a permanent problem you have with totally ignorant 'owners'
They are too easy to fool - certainly short term
A bit like this thread poster.

 

[pollster]

Dark horses? Let's be completely truthful. If we managed to get promoted. We have no money(serious money). No infusture
No plan. No nothing.
We know the embarrassing previous seasons, of going to the Premiership not prepared.
If we want to play in the Premiership we need complete culture change from top to bottom.
Yes, I am a Blade, but also a realist.

As I see it the only plan the 'owners' have IS to get promoted
That is their and our only hope to avoid the decline.
The idea that it will happen with highly paid journeyman players and manager is delusion.

NEVER WORRY about a squad getting promoted to the Prem
Sunderland had no defence against us at Wembley
They were able to get rid of them all (except the big centre half) and prosper.
We would NOT under Wilder
He basically bought NOTHING to improve the team last time when he spent and wasted a fortune in SUFC terms.
In fact almost every teams terms outside of the very top teams.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Well, the general consensus of all EFL watchers this season is that SUFC are utter wank. So hopefully being so far under the radar might actually work in our favour…Slow and steady wins the race.

 

[Tom Bott]

The table never lies.

Though if this oft quoted cliché were true then the following must also be true.

Chris Wilder is a genius.

Because when he took over after Selles last season, we were bottom of the league table with zero wins, so he had no chance to beat teams above us in the league?
Even Wendy?
So we were relegated...

I suspect that 'the table never lies' cliche may have if's but's and maybes attached depending on 'circumstance'.

Surely the whole point of supporting a sporting team is based on exceeding your circumstances.

 

[Tom Bott]

Well, the general consensus of all EFL watchers this season is that SUFC are utter wank. So hopefully being so far under the radar might actually work in our favour…Slow and steady wins the race.

I employed an apprentice once who I asked if he had ever heard of the tortoise and the hare parable.

He had no idea what I was talking about.

After he left he lost half a finger in a wood saw in his desire to get 'the job done quicker'.

 

[I should coco]

Surely the whole point of supporting a sporting team is based on exceeding your circumstances.

I'd suggest that for most of us, there is no real 'point' in supporting United. It is handed down from your family, or the first team you went to with mates and you are stuck with it. It's a bit like a religion, a crack habbit, or an incurable disease.

That means accepting all the shit that comes with supporting an 'average' English team, so exceeding my expectations is not something I've seen much in 56 years of watching us. Basset in 1990, Wilder in 2017 and then 2020 and that's probably it.

 

[I should coco]

After he left he lost half a finger in a wood saw in his desire to get 'the job done quicker'.

I'm putting him in touch with Lawyers-on-wheels-are-us.

Clearly your negligent early training, and hareism are at fault here.

Where thers's blame, there's a claim.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Though if this oft quoted cliché were true then the following must also be true.

Chris Wilder is a genius.

Because when he took over after Selles last season, we were bottom of the league table with zero wins, so he had no chance to beat teams above us in the league?
Even Wendy?
So we were relegated...

I suspect that 'the table never lies' cliche may have if's but's and maybes attached depending on 'circumstance'.

Surely the whole point of supporting a sporting team is based on exceeding your circumstances.

No idea what you're on about mate.

Selles lost every match, he had a 0.00% win percentage with six defeats from six games in all competitions.

Wilder improved on that by stopping us losing every game we played.

That doesn't make him a genius.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

We really need to stop all this nonsense about trying to pigeon hole people into being Wilder haters or Wilder lovers.

Most Blades fans are neither.

Chris Wilder is my favourite Sheffield United manager ever by a million miles and he probably always will be.

I can't see anyone else bettering what he did for us from 2016 to 2020 in my lifetime.

I don't hate him and I never will.

I just don't think he's the man to take us up again going forward.

It's as simple as that.

I want him to guide us safely to a mid table finish this season and then gracefully step aside to let someone else have a crack at it.

Wilder is a legend and always will be, I'm just a bit fed up of him.

 

[Tom Bott]

for most of us, there is no real 'point' in supporting United. It is handed down from your family,

Absolutely, I have very little interest in football.- It's a game between two teams, only one of which can win.

I'm a Sheffield United supporter through family history going back to my great, great, grandfather.

I go, win, loose or draw.

 

[Tom Bott]

Clearly your negligent early training, and hareism are at fault here.

Though without my intense training he would have probably lost his entire hand, as he acknowledged by buying me a bottle of Ardbeg Corryvreckan on his departure.

Hareism? Callum O ?

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

I'd suggest that for most of us, there is no real 'point' in supporting United. It is handed down from your family, or the first team you went to with mates and you are stuck with it. It's a bit like a religion, a crack habbit, or an incurable disease.

That means accepting all the shit that comes with supporting an 'average' English team, so exceeding my expectations is not something I've seen much in 56 years of watching us. Basset in 1990, Wilder in 2017 and then 2020 and that's probably it.

I'm 37 and I've seen the good times and the bad, mainly bad or averageness.

I want to see something that I've never seen before.

Realistically, for a club like us, the only two things that would be is either winning the Championship or reaching a major cup final.

If we can get into the Premier League and actually stay there for a few seasons then that would greatly increase our chances of getting to the League Cup final or FA Cup final.

We'd still probably lose if it did ever happen but anything can happen in a one off game.

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

I'm 37 and I've seen the good times and the bad, mainly bad or averageness.

I want to see something that I've never seen before.

Realistically, for a club like us, the only two things that would be is either winning the Championship or reaching a major cup final.

If we can get into the Premier League and actually stay there for a few seasons then that would greatly increase our chances of getting to the League Cup final or FA Cup final.

We'd still probably lose if it did ever happen but anything can happen in a one off game.

You e seen some of the best years in anyone's lifetime. Rise from league 1 to the premier League and and a dream season.
Maybe this is the problem, that was the normal time be expected.

 

[riselikeasalmon]

On performances no, but yeah right now it’s a dross division we have a decent squad and if we give up now then what’s the point so yeah coraww