Can you be a big Blade even if your dad wasn't?

[FTPE]

I'm not trying to start an argument, and I'm certainly not playing the "bigger blade card" I just wondered if fans who didn't have the support of their family (mainly their dad) had the same passion as the ones who did.
I've just read some posts where people are saying that their dad's were piggies, surely that most hold you back from going to games at an early age or having a real rivalry between us and them?

Thoughts?

 

[Dec]

My dad supports Pompey and my mum loosely supports the pigs... yet I've had a Blades season ticket since I was about 10 years old.

A combination of playing for Junior Blades, growing up in a Blades-centric part of Sheffield and my dad taking me to the Lane a few times, I began to develop a huge interest. Until I was at an age to just go with mates I was lucky enough to tag along to every game with a friend and his dad.

I wouldn't say my passion is any less than another Blades'.

 

[dave the drummer]

I'm not trying to start an argument, and I'm certainly not playing the "bigger blade card" I just wondered if fans who didn't have the support of their family (mainly their dad) had the same passion as the ones who did.
I've just read some posts where people are saying that their dad's were piggies, surely that most hold you back from going to games at an early age or having a real rivalry between us and them?

Thoughts?

My dad was an Owls fan tho he rarely went - he took me a few times when I was little but then I saw the light when I saw Woody and TC for the first time! UTMB!!

 

[Stretch]

My Dad supports Rotherham but only ever took me to a handful of games so I never got into them (my only real memory being seeing Beefy playing there for Scunthorpe)

I was lucky in that my brother in law is a huge Blade and started taking me to the Lane in my teens. I knew straight away that this was my club, impossible to explain why. My grandad was also a Blade but had stopped going to games in the 70s, but he still helped with my tutorage to a lesser extent.

 

[FTPE]

My dad was an Owls fan tho he rarely went - he took me a few times when I was little but then I saw the light when I saw Woody and TC for the first time! UTMB!!

In fairness it could be argued that because you made the choice yourself and being a blade wasn't passed down to you,that your infinity could be even stronger.

 

[JJBlade]

My Dad emigrated to this country so had no feelings towards either Sheffield club when he arrived

My mum is a typical woman and has no interest

My Mums brothers (my uncles) are all sort of pigs but not really keen fans, they'd just say they support Wendy if they were pushed for an answer

I am the first Blade in our family

And the best thing is my two sisters and one brother followed my lead and support United
My uncles kids, all seven of them followed after their big cousin and support United

Some of my Dads sisters and brothers ended up in Sheffield and had kids and grandkids and there is a bit of a mixture of Blade and Pig amongst the whole family slightly in Blades favour

 

[cal the blade]

my Dads dad was a pig fan and i can tell you ive never met a bigger pig hater than my dad so no i wouldnt say it has much of an effect..

 

[SteveBlade]

My Dad just indentifies as one, he hasn't been really into it in my lifetime. 'I went all ooer wi Wensdi' is what he says a lot. But he could probably name 2 of their players now. I wouldn't even call him a Wednesday 'fan' really. Just someone who followed them when they were actually half decent and then couldn't be fucked as soon as they went to shit.

All Wednesday fans in my family are like that, whereas the Blades are actually properly into it and always have been. As well as all of my mates, it was only ever going one way!

 

[FTPE]

Fucking hell... am I the only one who United was hereditary for??

 

[Small Mendonca]

All my family are Blades just about. Does that mean I win?

 

[FTPE]

All my family are Blades just about. Does that mean I win?

Not yet, if you're only 21 there's still time to marry in to the dark side.
I just mean, how can you hate the team your dad supports.
I'm not saying real blades always have to hate Wednesday but it helps.
Plus, if it's more of a "family thing" than just a footballing choice it HAS TO mean more. No?

 

[JJBlade]

No I win
I never had United rammed down my neck as a kid but still ended up a Blade

 

[Fanny magnet]

No

 

[Pedro Verde]

Of course you can it doesnt matter if it has passed down to you

My Grandad was a Blade (born 1889) my Dad was a Blade Im a Blade my youngest daughter is a Blade and weve just bought a ST for my 4 year old Grandaughter

 

[FTPE]

No I win
I never had United rammed down my neck as a kid but still ended up a Blade

That's fair enough.
Obviously I've only known one way so I'm blinkered sort of.

 

[Small Mendonca]

Not yet, if you're only 21 there's still time to marry in to the dark side.
I just mean, how can you hate the team your dad supports.
I'm not saying real blades always have to hate Wednesday but it helps.
Plus, if it's more of a "family thing" than just a footballing choice it HAS TO mean more. No?

Not a chance. People often say that to me and follow it up with 'yep but what if she's your perfect woman?' - to which I reply:

'My perfect woman would not support that abomination of a club'.

 

[Liverpool blade]

Fucking hell... am I the only one who United was hereditary for??

No you're not!. My cad was a big blades fan so it was a no brainer for me and my 2 younger brothers!!. I remember my dad organising a family holiday in Torquay because the blades were playing there!!. My older sister tried supporting wendie but she never got to the sty because all our family friends were massive blades fans and refused to go anywhere near s6!!. Utb

 

[RammyBlade]

My Dad was an out and out Blade as was my uncle. I started going when I was about 4 years old. My daughter (who didnt live with me at the time) said she was going to be a Pig fan and I said I would love her no matter what but luckilly she only went a half dozen times before she asked if she could come to BDTBL with me and been going now for 20 years !!
Conversely a guy I used to sit with on the Kop was originally a Middlesborough fan who had been brought to the Lane by his Dad but when he watched the match ge decided to be a Blade instead

 

[Liverpool blade]

Sorry for the spelling error. It was meant to say dad!!. Bloody predictive text.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Family football allegiances make no difference. Everyone in my family is a Blade and I don't consider someone with non Blade supporting family less of a Blade than I am. If you're a Blade you're a Blade and that's the end of it.

My Dad is a Blade, so was my Grandfather (on both sides), my brothers are all Blades and if you asked the women in my family they would say the Blades even though they don't really care that much.

I have the most Bladiest Bladey family you could possibly have but it makes no difference. I'm just a supporter like all the others.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

my dad wasn't a blade. He is now. That's how big a blade I am......

 

[Tyler Durden]

I've told this story before but here it is.

My dad didn't have the best start in life. He grew up on Parson Cross, His dad was a Londoner who supported Millwall and his mothers side were all Wednesdayites. His first games were at Hillsborough thanks to one of his Piggy uncles.
He never liked them, he said it just felt unnatural being there and the atmosphere was cold and insipid.
Anyway some time later he went to watch United with some mates and instantly identified as a Blade.

During the 60's and 70's he went everywhere with United (including getting kicked out of Maine Road for running on the pitch with a huge United flag). He stopped going at the turn of the 80's due to a combination of migrating to Canada and the United boards utter lack of ambition (in his opinion).

He only went 3 more times in my lifetime because I pestered him to take me. But the love he had for the club was inherent and completely independent of environment he grew up in and probably borne out of the fact that he was always a stubborn, awkward bastard.

Well on days like this, I miss the stubborn, awkward bastard terribly. He would've been delighted with what Chris Wilder has done with the team as he always rated him as a player. He would've also been proud that one of his sons took that passion from him and ran with it.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

my dad wasn't a blade. He is now. That's how big a blade I am......

My favourite post ever

 

[FTPE]

I've told this story before but here it is.

My dad didn't have the best start in life. He grew up on Parson Cross, His dad was a Londoner who supported Millwall and his mothers side were all Wednesdayites. His first games were at Hillsborough thanks to one of his Piggy uncles.
He never liked them, he said it just felt unnatural being there and the atmosphere was cold and insipid.
Anyway some time later he went to watch United with some mates and instantly identified as a Blade.

During the 60's and 70's he went everywhere with United (including getting kicked out of Maine Road for running on the pitch with a huge United flag). He stopped going at the turn of the 80's due to a combination of migrating to Canada and the United boards utter lack of ambition (in his opinion).

He only went 3 more times in my lifetime because I pestered him to take me. But the love he had for the club was inherent and completely independent of environment he grew up in and probably borne out of the fact that he was always a stubborn, awkward bastard.

Well on days like this, I miss the stubborn, awkward bastard terribly. He would've been delighted with what Chris Wilder has done with the team as he always rated him as a player. He would've also been proud that one of his sons took that passion from him and ran with it.

God damn it, how've I managed to get rain in my eye on day like this

While yours might not have been generation after generation its stories like that which makes me believe that family really adds to the United passion.

 

[Maidenhead]

We livwd in Leeds and my dad had no interest in any form of sport at all.

I peaked at nearly 19st but i'm not such a big Blade now having got down to about 15st

 

[bromtom]

Fucking hell... am I the only one who United was hereditary for??

Don't know much about my family after Grandparents but one of my Grandads was a Welshman so he didn't really like football, though he took my Uncles and my Mum to both United and Wednesday games, but my Uncles turned out as massive Wednesdayites, Mother doesn't give two shits, actively calls us stupid for supporting any football at all haha

On my Dad's side, I'm at least a 3rd generation Blade. My Grandad always supported them as far as I know, and so has my Dad, and so have I. My Grandad used to own a cutlery business in town, and I've got a knife my Dad etched at his factory in the late sixties with a United badge on it, and he always used to end any birthday or Christmas cards with UTB, since he passed I do the same when I send cards to my Dad now for Father's day and stuff, carry on the tradition.

As I say, my Dad's always supported United, and worked at Bramall Lane at the time I was born, so it was a given that I'd end up supporting them too.

I don't think parentage is any hindrance to supporting a team though, it helps you get to matches but I don't think it means you can't be as passionate about it. Just means you haven't got someone to moan with on Saturday tea time after United stuff it up in the last minute haha

 

[Cerberus Blade]

My father had no interest in it at all and neither did either of my brothers or anyone else in my family. I made my own mind up that it is best to support a local team and United were by far the best local team imo at the time I started going to matches (1970).

Anyone who lets their parents influence them to the degree that they choose their football team (or their political party) for them shows an inability to think for themselves.

I have two boys. I have taken them to the Lane since they were old enough to sit still and take an interest in the game (and not be a bleedin' nuisance to everyone around them!). I made it clear from the start, "This is my team, they aren't very good and they never win anything, but I'll always support them because they are my team".

I've no doubt that me supporting the Blades has influenced them, but one is an adult now the other not far off. They love their football and appreciate we aren't supporting Real Madrid here, but they love supporting the Blades. Win or lose.

Wilder has turned me into a liar btw! Now we ARE very good and DO win things!

 

[stevieb]

I'm not trying to start an argument, and I'm certainly not playing the "bigger blade card" I just wondered if fans who didn't have the support of their family (mainly their dad) had the same passion as the ones who did.
I've just read some posts where people are saying that their dad's were piggies, surely that most hold you back from going to games at an early age or having a real rivalry between us and them?

Thoughts?

 

[stevieb]

Yes, you can. My Dad was a Wednesday fan and so were most of my mates at school. Blades won out because I could walk to the Lane and for great atmosphere on covered Kop especially at night matches. Mum's family all Blades. Six generations.

 

[Baxters left nostril]

My dad was and still is a die hard derby county fan, as is my entire family both on my dads and my mums side. As a really young kid I went along to watch derby with my dad and grandad, who still to this day go home and away week in week out. However I got invited by a mate at school to go and watch the blades play against Man Utd in the fa cup at beautiful downtown bramall lane, I think I was maybe 6 or 7 and it was the game cantona scored that lovely little chip from the corner of the box. I still remember the excitement on the way to the game of going somewhere new and experiencing a new surrounding. Me and my mate both had the red and white face paint on and the atmosphere in and around the ground was awesome, all the red and white balloons as the players came out, everyone in the kop booming out the greasy chip butty song, and ever since that night I've been completely hooked! I still keep a conscious eye out for derbys results as they still hold a little corner of my heart but for me, purely because it puts a smile on the old mans face when they win but for me since that night it's always been about the blades! UTB