Blades cult heroes

[Bergen Blade]

Which former Blades would fit the tag? Do we have someone in the current squad?

 

[mattbianco1]

Doyle & Porter

 

[TarquinDelouche]

Doyle & Porter

He said "cult".

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Foulkes, Hockey, Bolton, Burridge, Booker, Kamara, Kozluk.
It's more down to personality than talent.
We and football in general are sadly lacking that type of player in recent times.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Bob Hatton?

Jim Bone?

 

[Bergen Blade]

He said "cult".

A blog (@JamesMcManus1) about the qualities that make a cult hero:

With ticket prices rising, the regular punter being forced out of the stands and into the nearest pub and with chief executives arguing that football is little more than an ‘entertainment’ business now, the level of detachment, bordering on disillusionment that most supports feel is entirely understandable; the sport is no longer a game of the masses, rather an elitist cash cow that increasingly treats fans as customers, so holding on to a shred of folklore, a relic from a bygone era when times were simpler represents a tangible and attractive connection for most between the pitch and the terraces, found none more so than in the cult hero, but what ingredients go in to making one?

At the weekend, Newcastle held on to draw with Sunderland 1-1 despite going down to ten men in the first half after Cheikh Tiote’s red card, but the main incident that caught the attention prior to kick-off was that Shola Ameobi, otherwise referred to as the ‘Mackem slayer’ for his derby goals record, was handed his first start of the season.

Now there’s no denying Ameobi’s status as a cult hero on Tyneside, but he perfectly encapsulates the main factors – he’s a bit rubbish, he occasionally has moments of sublime quality, he tries really hard, he seems to genuinely care about the club he plays for, he’s loyal and most importantly of all, he seems to genuinely dislike his club’s rivals and more often than not raises his game against them to make a telling contribution. I support neither Sunderland nor Newcastle, but I quite like Ameobi, he seems like a passionate, thoroughly likeable footballer, which is rarer than you might think these days.

Cult heroes are never the best players in your side and they should always have at least one massive weakness which you love them for having all the same. For Duncan Ferguson, it was his infamous temper, which combined to numerous hilarious anecdotes off the pitch and his seemingly unlimited hatred of certain footballers on it made him a loveable character in a game increasingly short of them

How a player acts off the pitch usually has an effect on how view them as a player, despite our best intentions to judge them objectively. Jimmy Bullard was widely liked not because he was a tidy player with sound technique, but because it looked like he was having such a great time when he was playing and his enjoyment was infectious; there was nothing cynical about him, just the dawning realisation that he was living every fans dream.

There’s a different route to the status of cult hero, though, and that could often mean hitting a last-minute winner in a game of importance. I wouldn’t quite classify Sergio Aguero here simply because he’s a world-class footballer in his own right and there’s very little of the cult about him, but Jimmy Glass, Gary Mabbutt, Gary McAllister and Paul Dickov certainly fall into this category.

Another important factor is the one man club status, born out of loyalty to the shirt, but the temptation with this one is that if often gets muddled up with the status of ‘legend’. Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs and John Terry for example, are not cult heroes, but Matt Le Tissier, Sammy Lee and Tony Hibbert most certainly are, which in itself represents the various contradictions with trying to quantify something like this and there are several grey areas which leave themselves open to interpretation and personal preferences.I happen to have a weakness for Pablo Zabaleta, even though he doesn’t play for the club that I support.

For instance, Roma’s Daniele De Rossi is a world-class player, similarly to Aguero, but I’d classify him as a cult hero simply because he’s turned down the lures of Manchester City’s millions in the summer to stay put at the club he loves, which is exactly why aside from his penchant for scoring outlandishly brilliant goals, Le Tissier is still widely held in such high esteem by neutrals.

The sense of ‘what might have been’ can also play an important part – unfulfilled talents are almost always referred to as cult heroes. George Best, Paul McGrath and Ledley King were all hampered by injury to such an extent that they never made the most of their outstanding ability, but at the same time, there’s something appealing about a limited player making the most of himself and doing well, like Shaun Goater or Dennis Irwin.

Coming from a foreign country can often aid your cult status among the fans too, offering something a little out of the norm and during the mid-90s, the top flight was awash with flawed but creative geniuses such as Juninho, Georgi Kinkladze and Eyal Berkovic – the sort of players you’d pay good money to watch simply due to their ability to do the unexpected. They provided thrills not normally seen at these provincial clubs and they brought a previously unforeseen glamour to proceedings and a hope that there is something better out there.

There is not one clear path to the status of cult hero and it’s this malleable definition which lends itself to them being so highly regarded by supporters, often disproportionately so when compared to their ability. Whether it be through blind loyalty, genuine likeability or commitment to the cause, one thing is for certain, though, they are a dying breed within a game becoming increasingly aloof, introspective and self-serving and we could do with a whole lot more cult heroes to worship in the not too distant future.

 

[Sheff de party]

The Chief?

 

[Bedrock Blade]

Little Del Geary.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

For me, it's the lack of ability, papered over with either infectious personality (kozzy) or a never say die attitude ie delboy.

 

[raul]

His name is Nick.......

 

[Latters]

His name is Nick.......

Maybe if we hadn't sold him after four months...

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Nicky Johns ?

 

[Wards]

Whitehouse, Hodges & Booker for me.

 

[Latters]

No mention of Deano yet? Mind boggling. Cult heroes can be class players too.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Clearly not many people over 40 on here.....neither am I but surely TC is the ultimate Blades cult hero. Arguably our all-time greatest player.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Steve Faulkner. Crap, but by god, the man had good hair...

 

[metalblade]

Clearly not many people over 40 on here.....neither am I but surely TC is the ultimate Blades cult hero. Arguably our all-time greatest player.

Are you kidding ? for all his class he was never a cult hero, he soon buggered off to Leeds a cult hero would have stayed at the lane like Hagan did when the pigs wanted him. The cult hero of that team was Trevor Hockey who was only there to win the ball then pass to Currie.

 

[Melbourne Blade]

I'd define cult status as a player you'll remember in your lifetime and who people will still talk about/mention/compare for years to come. Also they have to have had their own unique song/chant ; ) My first memories are of course Edwards. Although he left for the dirty so perhaps not ; ) Others of note Brian Deane of course who will always be my cult hero. Bob Booker for his leadership in the basset era prem seasons and lest not forget Whitehouse who gave his heart & soul for the club and was ultimately robbed of his career due to injury. Alan Kelly definitely, more later years Ndlovu for sure and perhaps Michael Brown (who can forget that season) however i'm not sure he's "cult" status. Recent years? I can't think of anybody unfortunately!

 

[stannyblade]

keef (Gillespie)

 

[Darren]

Are you kidding ? for all his class he was never a cult hero, he soon buggered off to Leeds a cult hero would have stayed at the lane like Hagan did when the pigs wanted him. The cult hero of that team was Trevor Hockey who was only there to win the ball then pass to Currie.

Hagan played for United in the time of the maximum wage. It follows that there was no financial incentive for him to leave United as no-one else could pay him anymore than United did. Loads of very good players stayed with "small town" clubs in those days (Matthews, Finney, Lofthouse, Haynes, Mannion etc etc).

In Currie's day, you could make a lot more money by moving to a "bigger" club, as I am sure he did. Give the man credit for the fact that he stayed with United all the time we were in Division 1, when he could have earned more by moving.

 

[Hodgyman]

My list, not necessary the best players but who's character or contribution deserved them a mention:
Billy Hodgson, Doc Pace, Alan Birchenall (the joker and kisser of TC), The god that is TC, Trevor Hockey, Paul Stancliffe, Carl Bradshaw, Bob Booker (Hodgyman jnr's all time favourite), Peter NDLove Nuddy, The Chief , Neil Warnock.

I met the man who invented window sills on holiday. What a ledge!

 

[Eskimo]

Trevor Hockey

 

[Bladesway]

Andy Linnigan.

 

[drinksmat]

Christian Nade

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Hagan played for United in the time of the maximum wage. It follows that there was no financial incentive for him to leave United as no-one else could pay him anymore than United did. Loads of very good players stayed with "small town" clubs in those days (Matthews, Finney, Lofthouse, Haynes, Mannion etc etc).

In Currie's day, you could make a lot more money by moving to a "bigger" club, as I am sure he did. Give the man credit for the fact that he stayed with United all the time we were in Division 1, when he could have earned more by moving.

He (Currie) was lined up to replace Bobby Charlton at Old Trafford, but turned down the move.

 

[anglian blade]

Bob Booker - Wikipedia says he is a cult hero so it must be true

 

[SwissBlade]

Bruno Riberio


Bob Booker has to be the biggest cult hero

 

[essex blade]

oooh aahh

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Bruno Riberio


Bob Booker has to be the biggest cult hero[/quote]

Totally agree, along with Trevor Hockey

Reasons: Bob was never a great player, but loved everything about being a Blade, a top bloke.

Trevor Hockey drove a blue suede Triumph Vitesse which weighed about five tons when it rained.

He also broke his leg, and walked off the pitch.