“With Bob Harris moving in the opposite direction” - a look at United player exchange deals

[1danewhitehouse]

Didn't we manage to swap Danny Cullip, who was terrible as well as being bad for team morale, for Danny Webber with Watford? If so, that was a very good deal.

I think we paid £500k for Webber. Don't think Cullip was part of the deal. He only went on loan to Watford before signing for Forest permanently. That said, there might have been a loan swap before we signed Webber permanently.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I think we paid £500k for Webber. Don't think Cullip was part of the deal. He only went on loan to Watford before signing for Forest permanently. That said, there might have been a loan swap before we signed Webber permanently.

I actually thought Cullip was decent for us but fell out for favour after having a pop at Tonge in training. Brown had gone by then and Tonge was Warnock's golden child at the time and that was the end of him.

 

[sheffielder]

Ruined my day if possible by reminding me of Hunt

 

[Sean Thornton]

Hope had just one bad game in 1971 and that was the 5-0 League Cup defeat at West Ham. Didnt have a bad game at Lane until that 5-0 defeat to Arsenal in January 1972. He deserved to get dropped after the 4-0 home defeat to Derby in April 1972. The following week he injured his knee in the reserves match and was out of action for more than a year. Yes, Hodgy was a brilliant and agile keeper but he had "lost it" in 1970-71 and didnt come out for crosses like he used to. Harris did make the correct decision in replacing Hodgy or we wouldnt have gone up. Hope had 8 consecutive clean sheets in March and April 1971.

You are right about Brown. He was deffo our best keeper in the 1970s decade despite a stupid panel choosing Conroy as the best keeper for the 1970s decade in the 125 years award event

I could never understand Conroy being picked over Brown. Ridiculous decision.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Whilst we're on memorable swap deals. How about trading Lee "England midfielder" Hendrie for Jordan "Not a left back" Stewart? I think everyone lost big time the day that those two were allowed to become professional footballers .

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Ruined my day if possible by reminding me of Hunt

I always found it amusing that Jonathan Hunt was always described as being "on a different wavelength" to the rest of the team as opposed to shit.

PS. I have just discovered he is still playing in the Ithsmian League for Enfield.

 

[pommpey]

Hope had just one bad game in 1971 and that was the 5-0 League Cup defeat at West Ham.

Our famous, worn once, orange away kit? Wasn't that the week after Ipswich 7-0 at home? Always remember one of the West Ham goals which was a 30 yarder which two John Hopes wouldn't have stopped. It was fillumed from behind the opposite end at Upton Park and went right in the top corner.

Didnt have a bad game at Lane until that 5-0 defeat to Arsenal in January 1972.

That game broke my heart. We were shocking. Bally sitting on the ball and beckoning TC. United all over the shop to an organised, well-disciplined Arsenal side.

You are right about Brown. He was deffo our best keeper in the 1970s decade despite a stupid panel choosing Conroy as the best keeper for the 1970s decade in the 125 years award event

I remember one save of Brown's at BDTBL - can't rememeber who we were playing, Forest or Hudds, and the shot was powerful, shifting and away from JB. The speed he managed to get across goal and get his bare hand behind it was absolutely amazing. The ball made an audible 'smack' on his hand as he pushed it round the post and all the crowd including the away fans on the BLLT all went 'AWWWW!' in amazement. His distribution was good too. He used to gather, and fire the ball out to Woody or whoever was on the other wing to start the attack immediately, or drop the ball from a kick onto the receiver's heads.

pommpey

 

[MILLERtheBLADE]

Another one I haven't seen mentioned was Peschisolido to Derby with McLeod coming the other way on loan. Must have been 2004? Could be wrong.

Can remember being at school and being gutted Peschisolido had gone.

 

[Silent Blade]

Our famous, worn once, orange away kit? Wasn't that the week after Ipswich 7-0 at home? Always remember one of the West Ham goals which was a 30 yarder which two John Hopes wouldn't have stopped. It was fillumed from behind the opposite end at Upton Park and went right in the top corner.

The away orange kit a week after the 7-0 win against Ipswich was at Crystal Palace (lost 5-1). That great goal you mentioned was the 4th goal by John “Yogi” Hughes who was signed from Celtic. The League Cup defeat at West Ham was in mid-November (we wore our first kit that night apart from red and black socks)

 

[VLYDONIMIR]

Didn't we sell Michael Brown, Oh Lord, Michael Brown to Tottenham H for a miserly fee + a pre-season friendly?

 

[pommpey]

Didn't we sell Michael Brown, Oh Lord, Michael Brown to Tottenham H for a miserly fee + a pre-season friendly?

See also Brian Deane and Bruno Ribiero.

We still haven't had those friendlies (which are effectively fan-generated part-payment schemes)

pommpey

 

[Bath Blade]

We played Brum away in September 2000, lost 1 nil to a pen. Nuddy got man of the match. I was in with the corporates that day, Nuddy came in our suite afterwards, as a tispsy 20 yr old I got up to have a photo with him. Took the opportunity to tell him to come and play for the Blades he'll love it...........the rest is history.

A similar story, while at university in Nottingham in about 2002, I was in a bar and extremely drunkenly started talking to Des Walker. I told him that he should come and play for United. Although I don't recall his exact response, barely a year later he headed the winner in front of the kop to take us to the playoff final and I think I therefore deserve the credit for it.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Oh what the hell, I have to say I didn't think we got the best of the deal when we swapped McMahon for Harris.

Harris was a"rookie" who did have a resonable first season with us but got found out defensively in due course when we stopped getting 10 men behind the ball as soon as we lost possession. 'Rookie'? Something like 50 career first team games in his whole career before he joined us and certainly never considered good enough for Blackpool first team.

McMahon? Not without ability, not at his best at full back; always a wing back really and now an important man at Bradford in midfield. He takes corners and free kicks, scores goals and travels home and away with the U-21's just for fun.

Poor deal for United. Another player wasted while he was with us. Certainly too 'sparky' for a manager like Clough.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

barely a year later he headed the winner in front of the kop to take us to the playoff final

Thinking about that has just reminded me – would that be Gary Sinclair's cheekiest moment for us?

"Scorer for the Blades, number 4 Des Walker!"

 

[speedymcgeady]

Another one I haven't seen mentioned was Peschisolido to Derby with McLeod coming the other way on loan. Must have been 2004? Could be wrong.

Can remember being at school and being gutted Peschisolido had gone.

Another deal that Warnock "insisted" said player moved here on loan, or it wasn't happening.....
Strange when you consider he hardly played him, then said he wasn't interested in signing him on a permanent basis.

 

[RealMcCoy]

Oh what the hell, I have to say I didn't think we got the best of the deal when we swapped McMahon for Harris.

Harris was a"rookie" who did have a resonable first season with us but got found out defensively in due course when we stopped getting 10 men behind the ball as soon as we lost possession. 'Rookie'? Something like 50 career first team games in his whole career before he joined us and certainly never considered good enough for Blackpool first team.

McMahon? Not without ability, not at his best at full back; always a wing back really and now an important man at Bradford in midfield. He takes corners and free kicks, scores goals and travels home and away with the U-21's just for fun.

Poor deal for United. Another player wasted while he was with us. Certainly too 'sparky' for a manager like Clough.

I must have been watching a different McMahon. No spark evident.

 

[BladeFisher]

I do not enjoy transfer windows. Their approach gives a feeling of dread, as you start to think it’s inevitable that United will sell their best player for a bag of magic beans or, even worse, an “undisclosed fee”, and as for incomings, there’s not a lot of entertainment in watching what seems to be a competition to sign the slowest, least creative midfielders we possibly can, or guessing whether the next signing will be from Blackpool, Derby County’s treatment room, or a Scottish dwarf.

Player swaps are more fun though. It’s like grown up Panini sticker swapping. You take someone you don’t want, or don’t use, and see if you can foist them on some other sucker in return for someone more valuable. This is how much of the transfer business is done in US sport, and I think we need more of it in British football.

......

United have done swap deals from time to time. Indeed, between 1995 and 1999 we did a bunch of them. I thought I’d have a look at 8 such deals from the last 30 years and see if we “won” any of them. This is not a comprehensive set of these deals (the Tudor/Hope/Ford one was well before my time, Nick Henry - swapped for Doug Hodgson - is too boring to write about, and there may be others I’m forgetting) but these are all memorable to me and I hope you find them interesting.

Well, there you go. With the obvious exception of the Jagielka-Beattie-Naysmith transactions, I reckon United have done pretty well out of swap deals in the last few decades. Maybe we should try to do more of these. Someone must want Martyn Woolford, mustn’t they?

One of the best posts ever. This year's Blade Forum award.

 

[Woodwardfan]

I must have been watching a different McMahon. No spark evident.

My definition of 'sparky' : Animated, lively, questioning, spirited.

 

[BusheyBlade]

I actually thought Cullip was decent for us but fell out for favour after having a pop at Tonge in training. Brown had gone by then and Tonge was Warnock's golden child at the time and that was the end of him.

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me why his goal at Highbury was disallowed.

 

[Revolution]

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me why his goal at Highbury was disallowed.

So am I. There was nothing wrong with that goal.

Mind you, it was par for the course that day. Fabregas cut Monty in half when on a yellow, and wasn't sent off, and Reyes was allowed to slap someone in the face and stay on the pitch.

I was so happy when we equalised.

 

[AlanWrightsShinyHead]

We played Brum away in September 2000, lost 1 nil to a pen. Nuddy got man of the match. I was in with the corporates that day, Nuddy came in our suite afterwards, as a tispsy 20 yr old I got up to have a photo with him. Took the opportunity to tell him to come and play for the Blades he'll love it...........the rest is history.

That was one of my first away games as a nipper. Andy Johnson penalty wasn't it?

 

[BusheyBlade]

So am I. There was nothing wrong with that goal.

Mind you, it was par for the course that day. Fabregas cut Monty in half when on a yellow, and wasn't sent off, and Reyes was allowed to slap someone in the face and stay on the pitch.

I was so happy when we equalised.

In fairness to Reyes, Bergkamp was sent off for that incident, it was a case of mistaken identity. Rather stupid with hindsight when you saw the video footage and realised it was a gloved hand which did the slapping!

I think the glee when Gray put away that penalty is amongst the best I have felt at a match, it was incredible. I think Eboue got away with spitting on Tonge too that day. That much pretty much summed up everything I've always thought about Arsenal under Wenger - spineless, cynical and incredibly dirty.

 

[Silent Blade]

Our famous, worn once, orange away kit? Wasn't that the week after Ipswich 7-0 at home? Always remember one of the West Ham goals which was a 30 yarder which two John Hopes wouldn't have stopped. It was fillumed from behind the opposite end at Upton Park and went right in the top corner.

The away orange kit a week after the 7-0 win against Ipswich was at Crystal Palace (lost 5-1). That great goal you mentioned was the 4th goal by John “Yogi” Hughes who was signed from Celtic. The League Cup defeat at West Ham was in mid-November (we wore our first kit that night apart from red and black socks)

pommpey

John Hughes goal against us in the below video starts at 8:23 between George Best's goal against us and Ronnie Radford's goal for Hereford against Newcastle

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Oh what the hell, I have to say I didn't think we got the best of the deal when we swapped McMahon for Harris.

Harris was a"rookie" who did have a resonable first season with us but got found out defensively in due course when we stopped getting 10 men behind the ball as soon as we lost possession. 'Rookie'? Something like 50 career first team games in his whole career before he joined us and certainly never considered good enough for Blackpool first team.

McMahon? Not without ability, not at his best at full back; always a wing back really and now an important man at Bradford in midfield. He takes corners and free kicks, scores goals and travels home and away with the U-21's just for fun.

Poor deal for United. Another player wasted while he was with us. Certainly too 'sparky' for a manager like Clough.

Depends how you look at it. We got Brayford which means McMahon was surplus. Harris played a decent part in that great run we had under Clough and I think was some people’s MoM at Wembley. He has disappointed over the last 12-18 months though.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Thinking about that has just reminded me – would that be Gary Sinclair's cheekiest moment for us?

"Scorer for the Blades, number 4 Des Walker!"

What a great moment and night that was. Probably my favorite ever game (close with Cov in the FA cup final in 98, the cup wins against Leeds and some of the derby wins).

 

[Rusty view]

That was one of my first away games as a nipper. Andy Johnson penalty wasn't it?

Martin O' Connor according to 't'internet. Marcelo played for them http://www.11v11.com/matches/birmingham-city-v-sheffield-united-09-september-2000-1235/

 

[Deaneandagana]

The one you've missed is the day the club swapped its dignity for Hao Haidong.

 

[BladeFisher]

I actually thought Cullip was decent for us but fell out for favour after having a pop at Tonge in training. Brown had gone by then and Tonge was Warnock's golden child at the time and that was the end of him.

What was supposed to have happened?

 

[Woodwardfan]

I must have been watching a different McMahon. No spark evident.

McMahon stats this season Played 34 Goals 5 Assists 13.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

What was supposed to have happened?

Don't know specific details, just that he "went for Tongy" in training and that was that because "nobody was allowed to go for Tongy"