BornOnShorehamStreet
Well-Known Member
or so the line goes in the song "Three Lions on my Shirt".
More like 46 years of hurt now for England fans.
I heard that on the radio yesterday and it got me thinking, how many years of hurt for Blades and when would the years of hurt start.
I've been looking at our cluhonours list on the OS and several dates stand out as posssibilities I guess.
1889 - obvious! That's when we were founded and it's been all downhill from there hasn't it?
No, the early years were pretty good actually and I remember when I was a nipper in the 50s my grandad telling me all the names of the players in the four Cup Finals we won. He was in his 70s then so was able to mix stories of the Blades, 'Fatty Foulkes', the Mooney Gang and Shillito at will! No wonder I became fascinated. I was fascinated by his accent as well; my parents sent me to Mylnhurst (where Warnock sent his kids) and I had elocution lessons so when my grandad would say things like "put sum coil on t'fire" I wouldn't have a clue what he was talking about. I had elocution lessons you see. One day I distinctly remember asking him if he was English! lol But my love of the Blades started then at his knee.
So not 1889 as we've won a few things since then.
1936 - FA Cup Final 1-0 defeat to the Arsenal when Jock Dodds hit the crossbar. Yes big match defeat at a neutral venue and no goal scored. Familiar or what? But we have won something since then.
1950 - pipped to a promotion place by .008 of a goal (average in those days) by our neighbours in S6. But we've won something since then.
1961 - another semi-final heart ache when we play Leicester City 3 times drawing 0-0 twice and the losing 2-0 .
But we've something since then. (Am I beginning to sound a bit ChrisTarrant now?
)
1971-1972 season - after a cracking start when we head the table until a certain match at Old Trafford, we slump to 10th
But dah-de-dah-de-dah...
1974-1975 season - we miss out on a place in Europe where oral tradition states we needed to beat Birmingham away in the last match to secure a place. We drew 0-0 and I remember that night as the night my much loved red Triumph Herald (literally) blew a gasket on the way there and on the way back I took the wrong turn up the M6 (never been on it before then) and finished up going to Manchester and across the Snake pass to get home! We finished 6th but it seemed so close at the time.
But we, but not much....
1980-1981 season. Now I don't recall this but according to the OS excellent year by year history we started the season at the top of the table but then of course we went into the 4th Division for the first and only time in out history
But we, and it was the next season, and that was it, apart from the occasional runners-up spot.
1993 the season we went to Wembley with the pork in the FA Cup Semi Final - at least we scored.
But we won something - er no we didn't. So did the years of hurt start here for most people?
1993-1994 season - relegated from the Premier League by a bizarre series of results that had us safe until you know what, allegedly!
1997 - Play Off Final at Wembley to get back to the Premiership versus Palarse - lost 1-0
1998 - FA Cup Semi-Final at Old Trafford versus Newcastle - lost 1-0, again
2002-2003 - surely this had to be the year we did it! Well did something, like score at a neutral venue maybe? No
FA Cup Semi-Final at Old Trafford - lost 1-0 (ho-hum) and denied by a referee that got too close to Michael Tonge, and one of the best saves of all time!
Worthington Cup Semi-final versus Liverpool over two legs. At least we won the home leg but the away leg was marred by the trashing of the Arkle by Liverpool idiots.
Play Off Final (Premiership here we come, again) versus Wolves at the Millenium. Surely now was our time! Third time lucky! Well there was a three in it. Lost 3-0
2007 - last match in the Premiership season and shades of 1981 and 1994 sees us relegated on the last day versus Wigan and this lead on to Tevezgate as we all know
2009 and another Premiership Play Off Final at Wembley and ooh! Guess what? We lose to Burnley by, oh, yes, 1-0! Nil - again!
So, when did the years of hurt start for you?
For me it was the 1993 Semi Final versus dear old crackling! 19 years -couldn't be 20 could it, or 25?
19 years so we can't say, what an anniversary and, what a great chance to end the years of hurt.
Maybe it's best that way!
UTB
More like 46 years of hurt now for England fans.
I heard that on the radio yesterday and it got me thinking, how many years of hurt for Blades and when would the years of hurt start.
I've been looking at our cluhonours list on the OS and several dates stand out as posssibilities I guess.
1889 - obvious! That's when we were founded and it's been all downhill from there hasn't it?
No, the early years were pretty good actually and I remember when I was a nipper in the 50s my grandad telling me all the names of the players in the four Cup Finals we won. He was in his 70s then so was able to mix stories of the Blades, 'Fatty Foulkes', the Mooney Gang and Shillito at will! No wonder I became fascinated. I was fascinated by his accent as well; my parents sent me to Mylnhurst (where Warnock sent his kids) and I had elocution lessons so when my grandad would say things like "put sum coil on t'fire" I wouldn't have a clue what he was talking about. I had elocution lessons you see. One day I distinctly remember asking him if he was English! lol But my love of the Blades started then at his knee.
So not 1889 as we've won a few things since then.
1936 - FA Cup Final 1-0 defeat to the Arsenal when Jock Dodds hit the crossbar. Yes big match defeat at a neutral venue and no goal scored. Familiar or what? But we have won something since then.
1950 - pipped to a promotion place by .008 of a goal (average in those days) by our neighbours in S6. But we've won something since then.
1961 - another semi-final heart ache when we play Leicester City 3 times drawing 0-0 twice and the losing 2-0 .
But we've something since then. (Am I beginning to sound a bit ChrisTarrant now?
)1971-1972 season - after a cracking start when we head the table until a certain match at Old Trafford, we slump to 10th
But dah-de-dah-de-dah...
1974-1975 season - we miss out on a place in Europe where oral tradition states we needed to beat Birmingham away in the last match to secure a place. We drew 0-0 and I remember that night as the night my much loved red Triumph Herald (literally) blew a gasket on the way there and on the way back I took the wrong turn up the M6 (never been on it before then) and finished up going to Manchester and across the Snake pass to get home! We finished 6th but it seemed so close at the time.
But we, but not much....
1980-1981 season. Now I don't recall this but according to the OS excellent year by year history we started the season at the top of the table but then of course we went into the 4th Division for the first and only time in out history
But we, and it was the next season, and that was it, apart from the occasional runners-up spot.
1993 the season we went to Wembley with the pork in the FA Cup Semi Final - at least we scored.
But we won something - er no we didn't. So did the years of hurt start here for most people?
1993-1994 season - relegated from the Premier League by a bizarre series of results that had us safe until you know what, allegedly!
1997 - Play Off Final at Wembley to get back to the Premiership versus Palarse - lost 1-0
1998 - FA Cup Semi-Final at Old Trafford versus Newcastle - lost 1-0, again
2002-2003 - surely this had to be the year we did it! Well did something, like score at a neutral venue maybe? No
FA Cup Semi-Final at Old Trafford - lost 1-0 (ho-hum) and denied by a referee that got too close to Michael Tonge, and one of the best saves of all time!
Worthington Cup Semi-final versus Liverpool over two legs. At least we won the home leg but the away leg was marred by the trashing of the Arkle by Liverpool idiots.
Play Off Final (Premiership here we come, again) versus Wolves at the Millenium. Surely now was our time! Third time lucky! Well there was a three in it. Lost 3-0
2007 - last match in the Premiership season and shades of 1981 and 1994 sees us relegated on the last day versus Wigan and this lead on to Tevezgate as we all know
2009 and another Premiership Play Off Final at Wembley and ooh! Guess what? We lose to Burnley by, oh, yes, 1-0! Nil - again!
So, when did the years of hurt start for you?
For me it was the 1993 Semi Final versus dear old crackling! 19 years -couldn't be 20 could it, or 25?
19 years so we can't say, what an anniversary and, what a great chance to end the years of hurt.
Maybe it's best that way!
UTB
'used to put a newspaper in his coat across the shoulders so he didn't get wet'.. err.. apparently 
