Best Sheffield United side in my lifetime?

[TomHeffernan]

I’m 52, so not exactly in my lifetime but I since I started going. I started going when we were in the 4th Division. Since then we’ve seen some real shit, some real grafters, some real promise and then back to being shit again.

I honestly can’t remember a side as balanced, as gifted and hard working as this one, we’ve often had the hard working bit but have we ever had all three of those qualities at the same time? This side is better than the one that did so well in the Premier League in my opinion.

When we’ve a fully fit squad the quality and depth is unreal. The feeling of reaching the Premier League under Warnock and Wilder was amazing of course but I’ve never had so much confidence in a team as I do this one.

Or perhaps I’ve had one too many?

 

[Stretch]

Wilder's promotion team in the Champ still have it for me, for now, but I can see these boys surpassing that team by the mid way point of the season at this rate.

 

[ReeceofBDTBL]

Get Bogle back and who knows one last big season from a returning John Fleck and this team will be absolute filth.

 

[Ndiayewillalwaysloveyou]

Wilder's promotion team in the Champ still have it for me, for now, but I can see these boys surpassing that team by the mid way point of the season at this rate.

This squad is better with more potential.

 

[Stretch]

This squad is better with more potential.

I largely agree, which is why I think they will surpass the Wilder team, but I am taking into account what the latter achieved as well. I do think these lads are going to piss this league. We certainly have a lot more depth now.

 

[DifferentClass]

Wilder's promotion team in the Champ still have it for me, for now, but I can see these boys surpassing that team by the mid way point of the season at this rate.

The League One iteration of the side was class too. Absolute lightyears ahead of the others.

 

[Ndiayewillalwaysloveyou]

I largely agree, which is why I think they will surpass the Wilder team, but I am taking into account what the latter achieved as well. I do think these lads are going to piss this league. We certainly have a lot more depth now.

Agreed. Our best players under wilder were experienced ones. (Sharp, Mcgoldrick, Duffy etc)

Now, our better players are still at an age where they can get better with us. (Anel, RND, Bogle, N'Diaye, Berge)

 

[Katzenjammer]

But what about the wisdom and endeavour of the 2015/16 side?

 

[Luke1993]

Until this team plays in the premier League and finishes anywhere near 9th, no.

 

[Stretch]

The League One iteration of the side was class too. Absolute lightyears ahead of the others.

Yes it was, and had it not been for Coutts' injury, I honestly think we'd have had back to back promotions.

That midfield in particular, was the most balanced trio I have ever seen turn out for us. They had everything.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Wilder's promotion team in the Champ still have it for me, for now, but I can see these boys surpassing that team by the mid way point of the season at this rate.

Agree the Wilder team were better drilled with a better mentality...really effecient at grinding out 1-0 or 2-1 wins.
We often didn't look that good but used to quite comfortably gain results rarely looking like conceding.
Think the defensive 5 including goalie were top class...better than this team.

This team has far more individual quality and a much better/ deeper squad.
When we click this team can win 4 or 5-0, the Wilder team never looked capable of that....their massive strength was more about keeping clean sheets.

This team has more potential because it's still at the very start of it's development.
So Wilder team slightly better at the moment but I expect this team to end up being better than the Wilder team.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Yes it was, and had it not been for Coutts' injury, I honestly think we'd have had back to back promotions.

That midfield in particular, was the most balanced trio I have ever seen turn out for us. They had everything.

Agree....that Wilder league 1 team is easily the best football I've seen us produce probably followed by Danny Wilson div 1 team.

The thing I found weird when watching that Wilder league 1 team was

If we conceded an early goal I had this smug warm feeling inside that their goal didn't matter because we would still win.
In fact I kind of enjoyed seeing the opposition go 1-0 up because I could then see how the team would react.
It made it more of a competition because some games in league 1 were so one sides it was embarrassing, at the times the opposition rarely crossed the halfway line.

 

[Charlieblade]

I have followed Blades since the 1960s. This Squad is probably the best overall. Worth remembering that the owner has, even reluctantly, played his part, by supporting the retention of players, and made funds available for the outright purchase of Anel, and some promising youngsters on loan.
The football management side of Heck, Mac and Jack has produced a great team spirit.
I honestly believe this side has the most frightening options from the bench, and we are still capable of punishing teams with that depth, especially with 5 subs.
Looks very promising, especially considering the injuries we are suffering.

 

[dellasthunderbolt]

Agree....that Wilder league 1 team is easily the best football I've seen us produce probably followed by Danny Wilson div 1 team.

The thing I found weird when watching that Wilder league 1 team was

If we conceded an early goal I had this smug warm feeling inside that their goal didn't matter because we would still win.
In fact I kind of enjoyed seeing the opposition go 1-0 up because I could then see how the team would react.
It made it more of a competition because some games in league 1 were so one sides it was embarrassing, at the times the opposition rarely crossed the halfway line.

Unless it was bloody Walsall- we really owe them a battering in the cup one year!

 

[Captain2]

Wilder's promotion team in the Champ still have it for me, for now, but I can see these boys surpassing that team by the mid way point of the season at this rate.

I feel that man for man and if everyone was fit this is a far superior squad, and don’t forget we had Gary Madine then

 

[ATL Recs]

Agree the Wilder team were better drilled with a better mentality...really effecient at grinding out 1-0 or 2-1 wins.
We often didn't look that good but used to quite comfortably gain results rarely looking like conceding.
Think the defensive 5 including goalie were top class...better than this team.

This team has far more individual quality and a much better/ deeper squad.
When we click this team can win 4 or 5-0, the Wilder team never looked capable of that....their massive strength was more about keeping clean sheets.

This team has more potential because it's still at the very start of it's development.
So Wilder team slightly better at the moment but I expect this team to end up being better than the Wilder team.

Short memories we rolled teams over in Division 1 and played with a very attacking go for the throat home and away mentality that continued in the Championship we seem to forget how many home games we won by 2 clear goals we always had goals in us and the only times I can recall we lost it was Cardiff and Wolves away 0-3 and the Fulham 4-5 game at home and away the 0-3 there, the second Championship season we grinded out at WBA Leeds and home to Brentford it was a you score we know we can score more. I don't quite get that with this team yet.

We changed that in the Premiership to a more tighter flatter approach which worked ...for a while

If Swansea had scored last night I could not see how we would have got back into the game but they didn't , they looked better more composed than us and our make shift defence did at times look makeshift but that's no criticism - though I do think this squad is stronger, more athletic and technically better and has all the potential to be much much better ..............just those bloody injuries

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

I’d expect this team to beat the promotion team we had with Wilder. I think it has more balance & strength in depth than the team that finished 8th in the prem too.

The big games are still to come for me though - Norwich, West Brom (who I still think will come good), Burnley are the tests I want to see us against.

There’s no team in this league that I don’t think we can beat though. We have a huge opportunity to go up, we just need to keep consistency & get ‘the cavalry’ of injured players back asap

 

[Sithblade]

This team without injuries to McGrath and Whitehouse. Also Stuart, Ford, Dellas, Woodhouse, Nilsen, Taylor, Walker, Marcelo and Saunders on the bench potentially could have been the best team since I started going in 81/82 season.

 

[bertieblade]

There’s no team in this league that I don’t think we can beat though. We have a huge opportunity to go up, we just need to keep consistency & get ‘the cavalry’ of injured players back asap

we have every chance of going up if we stop giving the ball away in ridiculous situations which creates chances for the opposition. Very rarely have we had a good goal scored against us they have recently been scored as a result of our mistake.

 

[ben1987]

If this side had a fit JOC then there would be sex wee everywhere.

There is more flair and creativity in this side than Wilders.

 

[Stevo]

I think we have had first 11s to match this team, In terms of whole squad ,if fully fit I'd say it's the best squad I've known in my 31 years as a blade

 

[DaveBassettsgoneonholiday]

If we conceded an early goal I had this smug warm feeling inside that their goal didn't matter because we would still win.
In fact I kind of enjoyed seeing the opposition go 1-0 up because I could then see how the team would react.

I remember watching the Chesterfield away game in the pub, I think we went one down before wiping the floor with them. Despite it being only November and despite being let down many times over the years I was pretty confident even then that the team was more than capable of promotion...... a very strange feeling for a Blade.

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

we have every chance of going up if we stop giving the ball away in ridiculous situations which creates chances for the opposition. Very rarely have we had a good goal scored against us they have recently been scored as a result of our mistake.

Completely agree, our unforced errors are pretty high. They usually come from the same 3 players too.

In the premiership this is something that gets immediately punished and puts you 1-0 down despite sometimes having control.

 

[bongleblade]

Agree the Wilder team were better drilled with a better mentality...really effecient at grinding out 1-0 or 2-1 wins.
We often didn't look that good but used to quite comfortably gain results rarely looking like conceding.
Think the defensive 5 including goalie were top class...better than this team.

This team has far more individual quality and a much better/ deeper squad.
When we click this team can win 4 or 5-0, the Wilder team never looked capable of that....their massive strength was more about keeping clean sheets.

This team has more potential because it's still at the very start of it's development.
So Wilder team slightly better at the moment but I expect this team to end up being better than the Wilder team.

This is the key to being a PL team, if this season we can learn to grind out 1-0/2-1 wins against the tougher teams, as well as being a team which has skill, speed, strength and depth which can batter lesser teams... that's when we'll know we're ready for the big league. If we can achieve that we've got a decent shot at surviving up there.

At present we aren't PL quality as we're relying on being stronger than other teams in the division, as we know that dynamic completely changes when you're the small fish, you can't rely on home as a fortress.

 

[bladesmanluke]

We've played 9 games. Over the 9 games we've done very, very well, but it's still 9 games.

Let's enjoy it, but keep our feet on the ground (admittedly more so the players that need to do this) and see where we end up. Nothing matters, but the next game

 

[1066blade]

1970 - 71 for me, although I hope this lot go on to prove me wrong.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

How old is everyone on here? The side in 2020 came 9th in the premier league. I don't see this side doing that next year if we go up.

 

[Houston_Blade]

If Piroe had scored the 2 he should have last night we’d be wank

Some people need bringing back down to Earth, let’s have this thread in May shall we?!

 

[reedy63]

Easy question for me 1970-71 and 1971-72 .missed a few seasons after that. moved to Australia back in 1977.

 

[Wards]

Far too long to go before making any rash statements. I think this squad is definitely talented and certainly more flexible than Wilder's Championship promotion side but they haven't done it over a 46 game season so I wouldn't have the temerity to claim it's anywhere near that level yet. The best sides are those that can do it week in, week out and have something to show for it come May. The signs are promising but nothing to laud over just yet.