Best season opening game?

[Tynemouth Blade]

1-1 v Liverpool with the cheat Gerrard?
2-1 v ManUre and Deano?
2-1 v Notts County last year. We all thought "wow!" to that display only for it to go tits up soon after!

I seem to remember beating Swindon at BL 4-1 or 4-0 on their return to the top flight?

What's your favourite?

 

[ZoneManWilf]

Man United 2-1.

 

[ZoneManWilf]

I seem to remember beating Swindon at BL 4-1 or 4-0 on their return to the top flight?

3-1 opening game on 93/94 season when we both ended up getting relegated. I think Andy Scott and Willie Faulkener (not sure on spelling, possibly Falconer?) were scorers for us that day.

 

[Compound_Legend]

Sunderland 2-0 when Borbokis made his debut.



I really thought we were going up that season even after one game. Then Charles Green stuck his oar in one fateful January morning...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/47842.stm

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Got to be Deane destroying Manchester United.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Interesting thing opening games. We started 1974-75 with what looked like a bit of a disappointing 1-1 draw against QPR at home, but ended the most succesful season of the modern era in 6th place, missing the title by just 3 points.

The next 75-76 season started with a home game again this time against champions Derby. That game ended in a far more creditable 1-1 draw. We finished bottom and were relegated!

The 1980-81 season started with an away game at Carlisle. We won 3-0 and we know what happened at the end of that season.

The 1981-2 Division 4 season started with another game againt Hereford, which ended in a very disappointing 2-2 draw. The season ended as champions with 96 points.

Which generally goes to show that results of opening games give absolutely no indication of how a season will pan out!

 

[Coily]

I'd have to pick the 2-1 win against ManUre, although I did enjoy Lazy Edwards scoring all four in a 4-0 win against Gillingham to start 83-84.

 

[Darren]

3-1 opening game on 93/94 season when we both ended up getting relegated. I think Andy Scott and Willie Faulkener (not sure on spelling, possibly Falconer?) were scorers for us that day.

Falconer, Bradshaw and Rogers scored.

 

[Darren]

Interesting thing opening games. We started 1974-75 with what looked like a bit of a disappointing 1-1 draw against QPR at home, but ended the most succesful season of the modern era in 6th place, missing the title by just 3 points.

The next 75-76 season started with a home game again this time against champions Derby. That game ended in a far more creditable 1-1 draw. We finished bottom and were relegated!

The 1980-81 season started with an away game at Carlisle. We won 3-0 and we know what happened at the end of that season.

The 1981-2 Division 4 season started with another game againt Hereford, which ended in a very disappointing 2-2 draw. The season ended as champions with 96 points.

Which generally goes to show that results of opening games give absolutely no indication of how a season will pan out!

First game record in 6 promotion seasons since 70-71 P6 W4 D1 L1

First game record in 8 relegation seasons since 67-8 P8 W2 D3 L3

Your thesis is (slightly) refuted.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

First game record in 6 promotion seasons since 70-71 P6 W4 D1 L1

First game record in 8 relegation seasons since 67-8 P8 W2 D3 L3

Your thesis is (slightly) refuted.

Ah, but you need to do full statistical analysis of all seasons. The 1st one I used had neither promotion nor relegation, but ended with a surprising over-achievement despite the opening result. Difficult to quanitify as to whether a season ends in over or under achievement, but your data brain could manage that I think.

 

[mattbianco1]

Reading this thread has made me realise I rarely make the opening game.

Missed last season. Missing tomorrow. Missed Man U 2-1. Missed Sunderland 2-0. Can remember I was at a wedding for Swindon opener in 1995. I missed Paul Ifill vs Leicester in 05.

What I have thought of though is that we usually play at Wembley when were on sky for opener. Last season, Birmingham in 07. As I'm writing this I remember we were againstLiverpool too and dint make wembley that year. I was at the Liverpool game though, maybe that's the exception to the rule.

 

[Blade for Sale]

Best and most significant opening day in my memory was West Brom 0-3 Blades, 1989. They were one of the pre-season favourites, we were newly promoted and we blew them away. Gave the entire club, fans and players belief and ended up with the most unlikely prmotion to the top flight just 2 years after relegation to the 3rd tier. It was also the first outing of the best away kit in history.

 

[bricktop]

The opening game against Leicester in 05/06 also set down a decent marker for the rest of the season. I remember going straight from the pub to seeing Flintoff clatter the Aussies in the 2005 Ashes

 

[Wapping Blade]

Falconer, Bradshaw and Rogers scored.

What's Saddam Hussein doing with Lawro?

 

[Jon Bon]

SUFC 7-0 Bristol City in 2014, when Porter scored 5. *

*See, if this was the old BU, I would have been able to post under the alias 'Time Travel Blade'

 

[Silent Blade]

1971-72 Blades 3 (Woodward pen, Salmons, Flynn) Southampton 1 (O'Neill). As a committed Blade my first 1st division match involving the Blades. 2nd half was played in thunderstorm conditions. We werent to know that we went on to have a marvellous 10 league match unbeaten run with 8 wins and 2 draws (even though our previous defeat was in that infamous 2-1 home defeat against Hull in March).

Other great opening day displays by the Blades were the 3-0 win at WBA in 1989-90, 2-1 win at home to Man U in 1992-93 and the 2-0 win against Sunderland in 1997-98. To be honest we didnt really play that well in the 4-1 win against Leicester in 2005-06 as we were lucky to be level for most of the game and then Leicester collapsed in the last 10 mins

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Sunderland 2-0 when Borbokis made his debut.



I really thought we were going up that season even after one game. Then Charles Green stuck his oar in one fateful January morning...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/47842.stm

That would have been my choice as well. We were so full of optimism weren't we?

Poor deluded fools!

 

[Roygbiv]

Falconer, Bradshaw and Rogers scored.

Listening to Gorman moan there it was obvious they were going down. Excuses galore

At least we went down in style that season

 

[axel smeets]

1971-72 Blades 3 (Woodward pen, Salmons, Flynn) Southampton 1 (O'Neill). As a committed Blade my first 1st division match involving the Blades. 2nd half was played in thunderstorm conditions. We werent to know that we went on to have a marvellous 10 league match unbeaten run with 8 wins and 2 draws (even though our previous defeat was in that infamous 2-1 home defeat against Hull in March).

Other great opening day displays by the Blades were the 3-0 win at WBA in 1989-90, 2-1 win at home to Man U in 1992-93 and the 2-0 win against Sunderland in 1997-98. To be honest we didnt really play that well in the 4-1 win against Leicester in 2005-06 as we were lucky to be level for most of the game and then Leicester collapsed in the last 10 mins

We were poor against Leicester, Silent. But Warnock of course had made some very decent acquisitions in the summer of '05, and it was Keith Gillespie who came on and started delivering accurate crosses which turned the tide. The scoreline was ridiculous in the end, but it shows to me how important an opening day win can be because it set us up to win 12 from our first 14.

 

[Geordie Blade]

Best and most significant opening day in my memory was West Brom 0-3 Blades, 1989.

I agree with this one. I went along just happy to be back in the second flight, and was hoping that we wouldn't look too out of our depth. Deane and Agana ran them absolutely ragged. We also unveiled a new tactic from corners (two men at the near post and two at the far post, who then completely swapped positions just as the corner came in), which caused mayhem for West Brom. It was fantastic that that season was bookeneded with two incredible away games in 'that' kit. We won the Football League's 'performance of the week' that day, too.

 

[Tynemouth Blade]

Falconer, Bradshaw and Rogers scored.

"...against Sheffield United's hard men..."

Oh how things have changed!

 

[LardSardine]

Sunderland 2-0 when Borbokis made his debut.



I really thought we were going up that season even after one game. Then Charles Green stuck his oar in one fateful January morning...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/47842.stm

It was a great team that, shame it didn't last long. I remember the day well, really hot day, took my new girlfriend who wasn't really into football (needless to say the relationship was quite short!). Much better team than that which played in the opening game in the Premiership against Swindon.

 

[Silent Blade]

We were poor against Leicester, Silent. But Warnock of course had made some very decent acquisitions in the summer of '05, and it was Keith Gillespie who came on and started delivering accurate crosses which turned the tide. The scoreline was ridiculous in the end, but it shows to me how important an opening day win can be because it set us up to win 12 from our first 14.

True, the three teams that went up (Reading and Watford being the other two) were probably not pre-season favourites to finish in the top 6

 

[Silent Blade]

I agree with this one. I went along just happy to be back in the second flight, and was hoping that we wouldn't look too out of our depth. Deane and Agana ran them absolutely ragged. We also unveiled a new tactic from corners (two men at the near post and two at the far post, who then completely swapped positions just as the corner came in), which caused mayhem for West Brom. It was fantastic that that season was bookeneded with two incredible away games in 'that' kit. We won the Football League's 'performance of the week' that day, too.

WBA's manager Brian Talbot was very critical of our style of play but at the end of the season he apologised to Bassett and also he had to pay Harry Redknapp because Harry made a bet with him at a holiday resort during the 1989 close season that the Blades would finish above WBA

 

[Greeny96]

My favourite out of only a few opening games is the Leicester game. Bought some decent players and to win by a score of 4-1 was a quality day. Hoping Bristol tomorrow will top this.

 

[lawlessdan]

I'm shocking nobody has mentioned the thrilling 0-0 with Gillingham in 03/04 season.

Jesus that match was dull.

 

[ZoneManWilf]

I'm shocking nobody has mentioned the thrilling 0-0 with Gillingham in 03/04 season.

Jesus that match was dull.

It was one if the hottest matches ever that one and the game where Warnock said even Real Madrid wouldn't have broken the Gills down

 

[ZoneManWilf]

Best and most significant opening day in my memory was West Brom 0-3 Blades, 1989. They were one of the pre-season favourites, we were newly promoted and we blew them away. Gave the entire club, fans and players belief and ended up with the most unlikely prmotion to the top flight just 2 years after relegation to the 3rd tier. It was also the first outing of the best away kit in history.

I sat in the home end for that one with my Dad as guests of a friend who was a baggies fan. We absolutely murdered them, and their fans went from frustration to anger to bemusement by the end with sarcastic chants towards their own team. They were mightily impressed with Deane and Agana though.