Are we "War Weary"?

[SheepdipBlade]

The atmosphere on the Kop was pretty woeful again yesterday which started a coversation about the differences between now, and the dog days of Robson's time.

When Robson was obviously failing there were real feelings of frustration and of anger - but yesterday there was a sense of resignation around the place. Not apathy - people still obviously care about the Blades - - but the difference is marked.

There can be few people who feel that everything is fine at the Lane - and many more who feel things are running badly off the rails - - So why does it feel so different this time around?

Is it because we've had the heart beaten out of us over the last few years? Relegation by one goal on the last day of the season, the Tevez Affair, the Robson debacle, losing the play-off final, selling the Kyles, the injuries, losing Killa.

There's not been much to smile about in this time to even things out either.

I'm not advocating a barefooted return to the car park (or making any comment at all about KB for that matter) - but the Kop feels so different to before. Is it that after all the trials of the last few years, a critical mass of fans have crossed the line between acceptance/resignation and frustration/anger?

 

[LouTheBlade]

I understand where you're coming from with this and I think most people can sense the feeling of apathy around the place. Yesterday was the first time in ages ive left the ground smiling and laughing after defeat. It wasn't because of the result/performance itself. It was more due to the apathy I referred to previously and the fact that I'm taking it all with a pinch of salt because I could see this all coming for a while now. Plus someone has to lose at the end of the day...........

At one time I would have been inconsoleable after a home defeat but as the years have gone by it bothers me less and less. Ive seen all the disappointment before and SUFC certainly hardens you to it so you just joke about it now. It still hurts, but you find ways to supress it and look on the bright side.

I would say the heart has been beaten out of us yes, but the problem is these days you can't win promotion off the back of determination and heart. You could in the 70's, 80's and even early 90's but the game has moved on so much and you need much much more than that these days. The financial side of things has stamped out the benefits that spirit and belief bring. Strangled it in fact. Football is all very robotic and played to system now. It's more about physical ability now than about courage and guile.

 

[Grecian2000]

Had this conversation in the pub yesterday afternoon. Apathy was exactly the word we ended up with.

No affinity to the players, no affinity with the backroom staff, a type of football that is alien to anyone who enjoys the game and a general feeling as if we are watching a drifting ship with no-one at the wheel.
If the powers that be don't appear to know there's something wrong then why should we care?

We were a football club that people cared about and now we are a business that one man cares about that has a football team loosely attached to it. Very, very sad at the moment.

 

[rachyblade]

It might be because it is so late on in the season it is obvious Blackwell will still be here for the final game at least. Alot of fans have accepted that now, it's season over and no matter how angry we get it wont change anything.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Season ticket re-news below 5000 might just make Bob sit up and take notice!!

 

[SheepdipBlade]

Had this conversation in the pub yesterday afternoon. Apathy was exactly the word we ended up with.

No affinity to the players, no affinity with the backroom staff, a type of football that is alien to anyone who enjoys the game and a general feeling as if we are watching a drifting ship with no-one at the wheel.
If the powers that be don't appear to know there's something wrong then why should we care?

We were a football club that people cared about and now we are a business that one man cares about that has a football team loosely attached to it. Very, very sad at the moment.

Not sure "apathy" is what I felt in our part of the Kop. People do still care - though I think there's probably mileage in your points about the gulf that's opening between fans and the world that professional footballers live in - and that as the club becomes ever more obviously a business (I guess it's always been a business [look at Accrington and Aldershot going under years ago] it's just more obvious today as money becomes evermore important)

Perhaps a better question for me to have asked would have been - "Does this sense of resignation mostly come from from events that are happening within the club, or from events that have happened to the club? Which one most effects the way we feel?

 

[beightonblade]

yer daft buggers .................

the atmosphere wud be back in a flash IF we had sumat to shout about.

 

[dingledog]

yer daft buggers .................

the atmosphere wud be back in a flash IF we had sumat to shout about.

And that is the point, it is dull to the point of tedious and If I am honest I am just bored with it all.

 

[raul]

It's death by a thousand cuts imho not one easily identifiable thing. It starts with the programme being full of artists impressions of shiny structures and ends with the words to the club anthem put on a big screen.

We're right back where we were at the start of the decade but all the goodwill has ebbed away. I'm sad, not angry.

 

[alcoblade]

Had this conversation in the pub yesterday afternoon. Apathy was exactly the word we ended up with.

No affinity to the players, no affinity with the backroom staff, a type of football that is alien to anyone who enjoys the game and a general feeling as if we are watching a drifting ship with no-one at the wheel.
If the powers that be don't appear to know there's something wrong then why should we care?

We were a football club that people cared about and now we are a business that one man cares about that has a football team loosely attached to it. Very, very sad at the moment.

Yep, I agree with this. I'd like a change in ownership just as much as I'd like a change in manager. I could not be more disappointed with Kevin McCabe. He's sinking to the depths of all the previous United chairmen, presumably under the weight of interest payments he's extracting from us.

UTB

 

[bladeinlondon]

The [point is we cant bond with the team - they arent Blades just a rag bag of short term contracts and loanees. i am trying to musteer the enthusiasm for a long drive up to BDTBL before the end of the season but who would I be going to watch? With Ward out and the Kyles gone there is no one i am keen to watch. Last season was when we should have gone up we had the Kyles ; Killa would have stayed and Halford would have signed for us. We just needed a striker and to be honest Cresswell has done well in difficult circumstances and Evans could still come good. I agree we may have a shout at Naughton but forget Walker - did brilliantly on his start at Spurs and made a goal.

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

I agree with most of what's been said as being factors. I would add one though.

For me part of the problem is that if you simply look at our league position set against the background of a ridiculous run of injuries, having to sell our best players, and the general effect of the dreaded end-of-parachute-payments phase , it's difficult to give Blackwell too much stick - particularly when you consider that he's done well for us prior to this season. Why is that a problem? Because with Blackwell in charge it all feels so desperately hopeless, dull and directionless. I find myself stuck in this dilemma of not being able to build up any enthusiasm for United, while not really feeling it's justifiable to demand Blackwell's head.

With Robson it was easy. Nice and clear cut. The results were dreadful, when there was some money around. He'd never done anything for us, and I never liked him anyway before he was involved with United (unfair? Possibly - but this is football, not real life). I felt no qualms about being on his back.

So with Blackwell I sort of drift on. I get behind the team during the game, and always will, but, like Lou, I don't feel any great feeling of despondency after a defeat, or elation after a win. Perhaps I just have to accept that mid-table safety is about the best we can expect during this transition stage. I just wish there was some clue as to what we are in transition to.

 

[Elsecar_Blade]

I think the fact that Blackwell does have the injuries and financial excuses is just about holding people off completely savaging him via protests and such. Also the league position is a little bit better AND he did take us to Wembley. A Hillsborough no-show was Robson's big downturn - though it was bad before that too - so Blackie has a lot to fear at the Sty in April.

In terms of the apathy etc ... I think I can also offer another reason.

In Robson's six months or so, we still had major, major injustices rankling inside us as fans and as a club. The Tevez thing had fired us up and we wanted United to walk the league and return to the PL heads high to stick two fingers up at the corrupt bar stewards. The screwing of United that season had the majority of fans angered; anger always creates an atmosphere that will lead to despair if results go against you. Robson got hatred because he wasn't taking us straight back up. Blackwell is managing a different set of fans - the anger has subsided and we're drifting.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Robson got hatred because...

..he is a tosser who shouldn't have been any where near our club in the first place.

 

[happyhippy]

Robson got hatred because...

..he is a tosser who shouldn't have been any where near our club in the first place.

I certainly can't disagree with that, and I firmly believe that that terrible decision to appoint him really sent us more deeply down the chute than anything.

Put it this way, not only was Sornob's appointment met with disbelief, but we knew that what we had was going down the tubes with him. He was onto a hiding before a ball was kicked, and we were right. Because he's ferking useless.

Blackwell was slightly different. We were scraping the bottom of the barrel when appointing him, and in which case, he hasn't done so badly. We should never have been in the position of having to appoint Blackie though.

I still wonder what Coleman could have done instead of Sornob though. We'd never be world beaters, but I'll bet (using a mathematical model ) our results and the mood would have been better a couple of years ago.

 

[happyhippy]

So with Blackwell I sort of drift on. I get behind the team during the game, and always will, but, like Lou, I don't feel any great feeling of despondency after a defeat, or elation after a win. Perhaps I just have to accept that mid-table safety is about the best we can expect during this transition stage. I just wish there was some clue as to what we are in transition to.

That's actually why I can't be arsed to go to a game now, and I have a season ticket, and have had for years. I think I've missed close on half of our matches this year at home.

Bargain.