Your favourite Blades

[coaxingstar71]

snap, although Currie, Woodward, Sabella and Cockerill were great too

To this day I'm still not sure which of Tracey and Kelly was the better keeper.

We were incredibly lucky to have them both at the same time.

Don't tell Pinchy that we were 'lucky' to have them both!

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Whithouse, Kelly, Deane, Agana, Hodges, Jags, Morgs, Brown, Devlin, Bent, McGrath, Holdsworth, Nilsen, Borbokis, Fjortoft

 

[BushBlade]

snap, although Currie, Woodward, Sabella and Cockerill were great too

To this day I'm still not sure which of Tracey and Kelly was the better keeper.

We were incredibly lucky to have them both at the same time.

Never saw Woody or Sabella play and only ever saw TC in a testimonial so doesn't really count.

I liked most of our midfielders in the IP days; Trusson, Arnott, Cockerill, McHale plus Stan, John Mac, Waughy but the OP was about favourites so I kept the list short.
Liked a lot of players under Harry too, all the obvious ones, but I was a young cynical adult by then and I didn't 'hero worship' them in the way you do when you're a kid.

 

[wizadry]

Winning more games is more important. Kelly didnt command his area like Tracey did. Tracey's accurate kicking often landed on our strikers heads

Although winning games of football is very important, it doesn't determine who the better keeper was, imo of course.

 

[wizadry]

Without getting into an argument about who was the best out of Tracey and Kelly, one thing you can say is that we had two top class keepers in the squad at the same time. Say what you like about Harry, but he found us some quality keepers very cheaply. Was it £12,500 for Tracey and £150,000 for Kelly? You can also add the late Mel Rees too - another quality keeper and wasn't he free?

The point you make mate shouldn't even be up for debate, we certainly did have good GKs back then.

 

[Maidenhead]

Never saw Woody or Sabella play and only ever saw TC in a testimonial so doesn't really count.

I liked most of our midfielders in the IP days; Trusson, Arnott, Cockerill, McHale plus Stan, John Mac, Waughy but the OP was about favourites so I kept the list short.
Liked a lot of players under Harry too, all the obvious ones, but I was a young cynical adult by then and I didn't 'hero worship' them in the way you do when you're a kid.

John Mac = John Matthews?

Am struggling to come up with a John Mac, although at my age I'm sure there's lots I can't remember.

Beats me with how Darren and Silent can trot out stats for fun and I can't recall anything about most games I went to last season.

 

[cooperblade]

As an aside, who had died in the week previous and got a minutes silence as it wasn't very well observed on the away end, anyone remember?

Matt Busby wasn't it? Obviously a great football man but not sure he merited a minute's silence at a Sheffield derby.

 

[coaxingstar71]

John Mac = John Matthews?

Am struggling to come up with a John Mac, although at my age I'm sure there's lots I can't remember.

Beats me with how Darren and Silent can trot out stats for fun and I can't recall anything about most games I went to last season.

John MacPhail?

 

[sitwell]

Matt Busby wasn't it? Obviously a great football man but not sure he merited a minute's silence at a Sheffield derby.

Busby died on the Thursday ,my first child was born on Friday and I went to Hillsboro on a massive bender that lasted the whole weekend ,typical of Utd to fuck up ,I don't think we won for weeks after that ,thought my lad was a curse. I have a vivid memory of going mental at Jamie Hoyland after his 136th back pass.

 

[Darren]

Busby died on the Thursday ,my first child was born on Friday and I went to Hillsboro on a massive bender that lasted the whole weekend ,typical of Utd to fuck up ,I don't think we won for weeks after that ,thought my lad was a curse. I have a vivid memory of going mental at Jamie Hoyland after his 136th back pass.

We didn't win between beating Oldham 2-1 ion 1/1/94 and beating West Ham 3-2 on 28/3/94. We won twice (the Oldham game and v Chelsea on 27/11/93) between 24th August and 28th March - 2 wins in 7 months!

 

[Maidenhead]

John MacPhail?

Definitely age. Signed from Sunderland I think.

I'm sure I'll soon find out if I'm wrong

 

[JasonEllis]

Paul "God" Ifill

 

[BushBlade]

John Mac = John Matthews?

Am struggling to come up with a John Mac, although at my age I'm sure there's lots I can't remember.

Beats me with how Darren and Silent can trot out stats for fun and I can't recall anything about most games I went to last season.

I'm the same. I cant remember much of the last ten years or so but still recall small details of matches from the 80s.

John MacPhail.

 

[Maidenhead]

Definitely age. Signed from Sunderland I think.

I'm sure I'll soon find out if I'm wrong

I looked it up I'm wrong. Sunderland came after us. I knew they were there somewhere

 

[TJB.]

Either Arturo Lupoli or Marcus Williams. I can never decide.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Disagree, Tracey was the better all round keeper, his kicking was excellent, very good at one to ones, had a great understanding with the defence. Kelly was a good shot stopper but his kicking was poor (especially dealing with back passes) and his understanding with the defence (especially with Roger Nilsen) wasnt good. We have won more matches with Tracey in the team than with Kelly in the team.

My best keepers since 1970

1. Tracey
2. Kelly
3. Kenny

I think Tom McAllister sneaks in there for me Silent. Potentially the best of the lot, bastard Marsh!

 

[sitwell]

Macallister
Kenny
Tracey

 

[Silent Blade]

I looked it up I'm wrong. Sunderland came after us. I knew they were there somewhere

We signed him from Dundee. He scored against them at their ground in the Anglo Scottish Cup 2nd leg match we played there in the following season

 

[The Bohemian]

Hope, Badger, Hemsley, Powell, Colquhoun, Hockey, Woodward, Salmons, Dearden, Currie, Reece.

Suggestions from more youthful members makes me realise just how fortunate some of us were to see players from the Currie-Woodward era in action. Hodgkinson, Badger, Hemsley, Colquhoun, Woodward and Currie have probably not been bettered in the 40+ subsequent years. The boy Dearden was no slouch either.

More recently I'd add Deane, Edwards (despite being an idle git), Kenworthy, Jagielka and Walker.

 

[Pinchy]

care to comment on the other two?

Yes, I liked both of them.

My particular favourites were Willie Carlin and Colin (3 songs) Addison. Old fashioned inside forwards (none of your AM, DM bollocks) and proper footballers. From more modern times, Glen Cockerill, another footballer.

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

Yes, I liked both of them.

My particular favourites were Willie Carlin and Colin (3 songs) Addison. Old fashioned inside forwards (none of your AM, DM bollocks) and proper footballers. From more modern times, Glen Cockerill, another footballer.

I agree. Three fine footballers. I loved Carlin who could not only play but who could more than look after himself despite his size. He played a huge part in Mick Hill's late equaliser at Hillsborough in January, 1968, a game (and goal) that sticks in the memory. I was gutted to see him lining up against us at the Baseball Ground two years later in the FA Cup when we went there after knocking out Everton. We lost 3-0 and Carlin played really well.

Addison is shown to excellent effect in that lengthy tribute to Woodward that's on YouTube and on here. Very good passer of a ball and equally effective as a striker. That "improvised" goal at Hull in front of the United supporters is terrific and, of course, he scored the winner in that memorable Cup win over Everton.

Cockerill was a very good midfielder as well. Industrious, covered a lot of ground in a game and carried a real attacking threat. He deserved to play at a higher level than we could offer and that came to pass.

 

[Jan Age]

Yes, I liked both of them.

My particular favourites were Willie Carlin and Colin (3 songs) Addison. Old fashioned inside forwards (none of your AM, DM bollocks) and proper footballers. From more modern times, Glen Cockerill, another footballer.

Thanks I will sleep easier at night knowing that you approve of the other two ;-)

 

[essexblade87]

Whitehouse
Kelly
Fjortoft
Deane
Cowans

 

[brownie4583]

Tony Currie,Alan Woodward,Tony Kenworthy,Keith Edwards,Brian Deane,Alan Kelly,Michael Brown

 

[Hodgyman]

My dad didnt rate Bernard Shaw. "Not even half as good as his brother, Graham", he said

He was good enough to play for England (under 18 or 23) but I agree he was not a good has his brother Graham. He managed to play for the full England team. He was pure class.

 

[Hodgyman]

I can't argue against any on that list - good shout!
I would have to add Tony Currie and Alan Woodward too

I am ashamed to say I omitted Jaggers. He is still one of my favourites, even when playing for Everton and especially England. It was great to see him wear the captain's arm band the other night

 

[Silent Blade]

He was good enough to play for England (under 18 or 23) but I agree he was not a good has his brother Graham. He managed to play for the full England team. He was pure class.

Yes, Graham has 5 full England caps

 

[Hamburg Blade]

Hodges for me, just thought he had a sublime touch, though the Deane and Agana partnership was not just great to watch it sparked a real buzz amongst the fans.

 

[Bugboyblade]

I used to like Martin Pike. Dougie hodgson as well. And I'd go with Kelly over Tracey.

 

[BladeInBC]

The original (in my memory) Waaaardy - Mitch.
Deane (best defender I've ever seen - always first man back to defend)
Stancliffe, Jan Aage, Devlin (especially how much Warnock hated him)... plenty more.