Grieving

[robbiez666]

I've kind of accepted our lot the last few weeks. No point getting angry about it.

We are what we are as a club.

A 2nd tier outfit.

I stupidly thought after last season we had cracked it. Our Sheffield United would go on and establish ourselves as a EPL club for years to come. Heck we may even get to Europe I felt. God how deluded I was.

We have had one season where we dreamed of something else...Our club was relevant, respected at the top level but poof it has lasted barely a moment. Even the Bassett teams stayed up for 4 seasons. This was meant to be different. We played good football, even spending money. This time it would be a new United.

We were thinking positive and not little old plucky United...muck o' nettles.

How stupid we were?

The sad part is the amazing run under Wilder and his affection for the club and the great era looks like it could be tainted with us being the worst Premier League team ever and one of the worst top flight teams for 90 years. Hope it somehow changes but looking bleak and us going in the record books for the wrong reasons.

I hoped Wilder would go as he going to a top club or back even England. This way could be a horrible way for it all to end and as great as the 4 years were before ..this year as it stands will be how much of Wilder and SUFC are remembered.

Maybe I should expect better and should not settle for what we are. Yet, this time I am not going to be fooled again. I am accepting us for what we are. A champ (old 2nd div team) who occasionally has the odd season in the 3rd or 1st tier.

Maybe this is a negative way of thinking but without huge investment we are not even capable of doing a Burnley or a Stoke at the moment.

I'm not going to get worked up one way or the other. Despite what I said above abput the legacy being tainted I have had a great 4 years and never thought that would happen 6/7 years ago when stuck in League One.

Maybe the club needs to take stock and properly rebuild with a new Academy/Training ground and seeking further investment so we can come back to this league stronger next time. The trouble with this adventure was it was all about Wilder and him getting the best out of a system and individuals who let's be honest have never played and mist never will play at this level again if we go down. We need some substance to us if we are ever going to do better than 1 or 2 seasons and out or like Wolves and Leicester major investment.

Above may seem negative but how I feel this morning and yes I know we are not down but the reality is we have one foot in the champ (not on the gap between teams bit the fact we can't score, let alone win and now play better teams in the lead up to Xmas).

We really need to invest on our youth system. The fact we have next to nothing between squad and U-18s is shocking. Some of that is due to how quickly we went up but we've been playing U-18s in the U-23s for a few years now. We are way behind a lot of clubs in the first two flights in that sense.

 

[steve26272]

Yeah but the 5 subs is in Championship I believe.

That’s good, cos with our squad been stronger than most others down there it will allow us to make tactical substitutions....

 

[Foody]

It's just such a shame, I've never known times as good as the last few years. Football was something to truly look forward to and there was never any sense of 'going through the motions' or going to matches out of some sense of loyalty, it was all just exciting.

I can't love football at the moment though, not just because of our form. The lack of fans, VAR and decisions being the main talking points. It's just not right. Even online, be it on here, twitter, Facebook or anywhere else, there's been a noticeable change. I don't know if it's because we can't let our frustrations out at the match, the feeling of powerlessness, or it might just be part of the wider picture at the moment, either way it's not nice. The aggression, the hatred and just toxic nature of it, is not what football is about.

Take this forum, we all have one major thing in common : we love Sheffiel United and just want success. Yet it's full of name calling, bickering and the age old 'you aren't a proper blade' stuff.
It's a hard time to be a Sheffield United fan right now, it's a tough time away from football too. We've lost our freedoms, worry about health, finance and family. It's a time to stick together, to respect each other, support our club and hope for the best.

I'm starting to believe that come August we will all be back at the lane. It doesn't really matter what division we are in. What matters is that we're together, that we are United.

We're going on a journey......

 

[Rochdaleblade]

Grief is the price that you pay for love.

 

[BushBlade]

"If you have light on light, you have nothing. If you have dark on dark, you basically have nothing. Just like in life. You gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come. I'm waiting on the good times now."

Internet points for anyone who know's who said this

Dolly Parton

And people say she’s just a pair of tits.

 

[Mumbo]

Every owls fan would swap league positions with us in a heartbeat.Put it this way,we are guaranteed at least Championship football next season.

 

[Deadbat]

Every owls fan would swap league positions with us in a heartbeat.Put it this way,we are guaranteed at least Championship football next season.

Wednesday will stay up sadly I feel. Pulis will get enough points and there are such rotten teams down there such as Wycombe, Coventry, Rotherham etc who they will scrape above. They have been awful but you sense he'll drag them out of it.

Think we will be playing them next season but in front of maybe half capacity grounds.

 

[YES Blade]

Every owls fan would swap league positions with us in a heartbeat.Put it this way,we are guaranteed at least Championship football next season.

That's the yardstick is it? As long as we're better than Wednesday, who gives a shit how bad we are?

 

[Mumbo]

Wednesday will stay up sadly I feel. Pulis will get enough points and there are such rotten teams down there such as Wycombe, Coventry, Rotherham etc who they will scrape above. They have been awful but you sense he'll drag them out of it.

Think we will be playing them next season but in front of maybe half capacity grounds.

That's the yardstick is it? As long as we're better than Wednesday, who gives a shit how bad we are?

That's the yardstick is it? As long as we're better than Wednesday, who gives a shit how bad we are?

Wow ! talk about reading something into a post that just isn’t there.

 

[DaleHillBlade]

Feel like I'm.watching someone I love or something beautiful slowly die and I'm helpless to stop it

If we hadn't done so well and the last few years been so joyous and exhilarating I probably wouldn't feel this way

I can understand everyone's reactions ,we aren't in the stadium doing our bit and are having to watch this unfold in front of us in the worst possible circumstances in the midst of a global pandemic and all the shit that entails to not being allowed in the stadium and watching ( win lose or draw )/the abomination that is sport without spectators .like a reanimated family pet dragging its self round the house

Fuck this year and fuck the football gods why they have chose to single us out after all we've done for the beautiful game I don't know but the anxiety and stress I'm going through watching us at the moment is unbearable and comparable to the major traumatic events in my life

I’m not sure we often agree.. but this post is spot on.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Wow.

Remind me to ask for a few of you when I go into the trenches.

.

.

UT 1st 2nd 3rd or 4th Div B

 

[Champagneblade]

I've kind of accepted our lot the last few weeks. No point getting angry about it.

We are what we are as a club.

A 2nd tier outfit.

I stupidly thought after last season we had cracked it. Our Sheffield United would go on and establish ourselves as a EPL club for years to come. Heck we may even get to Europe I felt. God how deluded I was.

We have had one season where we dreamed of something else...Our club was relevant, respected at the top level but poof it has lasted barely a moment. Even the Bassett teams stayed up for 4 seasons. This was meant to be different. We played good football, even spending money. This time it would be a new United.

We were thinking positive and not little old plucky United...muck o' nettles.

How stupid we were?

The sad part is the amazing run under Wilder and his affection for the club and the great era looks like it could be tainted with us being the worst Premier League team ever and one of the worst top flight teams for 90 years. Hope it somehow changes but looking bleak and us going in the record books for the wrong reasons.

I hoped Wilder would go as he going to a top club or back even England. This way could be a horrible way for it all to end and as great as the 4 years were before ..this year as it stands will be how much of Wilder and SUFC are remembered.

Maybe I should expect better and should not settle for what we are. Yet, this time I am not going to be fooled again. I am accepting us for what we are. A champ (old 2nd div team) who occasionally has the odd season in the 3rd or 1st tier.

Maybe this is a negative way of thinking but without huge investment we are not even capable of doing a Burnley or a Stoke at the moment.

I'm not going to get worked up one way or the other. Despite what I said above abput the legacy being tainted I have had a great 4 years and never thought that would happen 6/7 years ago when stuck in League One.

Maybe the club needs to take stock and properly rebuild with a new Academy/Training ground and seeking further investment so we can come back to this league stronger next time. The trouble with this adventure was it was all about Wilder and him getting the best out of a system and individuals who let's be honest have never played and mist never will play at this level again if we go down. We need some substance to us if we are ever going to do better than 1 or 2 seasons and out or like Wolves and Leicester major investment.

Above may seem negative but how I feel this morning and yes I know we are not down but the reality is we have one foot in the champ (not on the gap between teams bit the fact we can't score, let alone win and now play better teams in the lead up to Xmas).

I think I read alongside Leeds and Burnley we were 1 of 3 clubs not run by a Billionaire. Makes an uphill task and should come as no surprise that a team with a budget in the bottom 2 or 3 should be in the relegation spots.

It is disappointing how uncompetitive we've become though as much as we happily thumbed our noses with a bottom wage bill and a 9th finish, this approach was always going to catch up with us.

Still, we have a chance to yo yo a bit. It's a damn site better than being marooned in League One for years!

Good article by Nathan Hemmingham where he basically says we went up so quick that the squad have no time to develop. Very true. Once the first XI has an injury or two, some of the guys coming in are not even established Championship players.

Ironically I'd say we came up too slow. Without that terrible injury to Coutts, we'd have come up with Brooks, with Duffy, Coutts all a year sooner and how we miss some of what those guys brought. Is almost wished Lunny had bombed early because Wilder might have forgotten 3-5-2 was poor in the league below. It was very much a 3-4--2 that took it to the opposition when we went up.

 

[VictoryBlade]

Good article sums up how I feel as well! But as one or two of you have said, we have seen much worse times and the bottom line is we cant compete in the top division ...simple as! Breaks my heat coz every match I think this is the one only to be let down! But we as fans know this in our heart of hearts, always the bridesmaid etc. The only thing we have now is hope!!! So come on guys Up the Blades coz I tell you (along with most of you) I love this fucking club and you can have your plastic Man City's all day but we are Blades!

 

[VictoryBlade]

UTB

 

[JackSUFC]

we are not even capable of doing a Burnley or a Stoke at the moment.

This is something that’s annoyed me.

Off the top of my head there are clubs like Burnley, Brighton, Bournemouth, Palace, Stoke and Watford that have had/ are having sustained periods in the Premier League recently. Thought we could enjoy something similar after last season.

Three top flight seasons since 1994.

 

[haich1889]

If we can't or won't compete with our wage structure then we may just as well accept that we realistically are no more than a top half Championship club, offering maybe a brief flirtation with the rich boys in the Premiership.
All is not lost yet though, plenty of points to play for so who knows what will happen. It's just as every dreary weekend goes by we leave ourselves with a steeper hill to climb.

You're probably right but it's an awful & bitter pill to swallow.
We are Sheffield ffs: one of the biggest fan base areas in the country!! I just can't accept we ALWAYS play the budget card whenever we get promoted.
Each of the last 4 top flight promotions has been achieved on a shoestring & almost exclusively down to extraordinary & motivational leadership from Harris/Bassett/Warnock/Wilder. It's probably not coincidence tha 2 of them were Blades.
You'd think having worked miracles,just once, the Board at SUFC would allow us to start a season with a budget to compete. In 50 years we've played barely half a dozen games in the top tier & in everyone we've been the League's paupers. The board never have & never will match the ambition of Big City fans, which is what we are.

Also why we haven't won a f##kin skerrit or even competed in a final for almost 100 embarrassing years.
I couldn't even give a flying f##k if we went bust winning summat, at least we'd have that memory . Most of the teams that struggled financially make their way back eventually. Ffs Leicester went into liquidation when they pipped us to 2nd spot in 2003. Didn t hurt them fu##ers too much.

Raaaaant dome

 

[DaleHillBlade]

You're probably right but it's an awful & bitter pill to swallow.
We are Sheffield ffs: one of the biggest fan base areas in the country!! I just can't accept we ALWAYS play the budget card whenever we get promoted.
Each of the last 4 top flight promotions has been achieved on a shoestring & almost exclusively down to extraordinary & motivational leadership from Harris/Bassett/Warnock/Wilder. It's probably not coincidence tha 2 of them were Blades.
You'd think having worked miracles,just once, the Board at SUFC would allow us to start a season with a budget to compete. In 50 years we've played barely half a dozen games in the top tier & in everyone we've been the League's paupers. The board never have & never will match the ambition of Big City fans, which is what we are.

Also why we haven't won a f##kin skerrit or even competed in a final for almost 100 embarrassing years.
I couldn't even give a flying f##k if we went bust winning summat, at least we'd have that memory . Most of the teams that struggled financially make their way back eventually. Ffs Leicester went into liquidation when they pipped us to 2nd spot in 2003. Didn t hurt them fu##ers too much.

Raaaaant dome

You saying Wilder didn’t have some decent money?
Or should we have put ourselves in hock even more?

ffs

 

[cahill]

Feel like I'm.watching someone I love or something beautiful slowly die and I'm helpless to stop it

If we hadn't done so well and the last few years been so joyous and exhilarating I probably wouldn't feel this way

I can understand everyone's reactions ,we aren't in the stadium doing our bit and are having to watch this unfold in front of us in the worst possible circumstances in the midst of a global pandemic and all the shit that entails to not being allowed in the stadium and watching ( win lose or draw )/the abomination that is sport without spectators .like a reanimated family pet dragging its self round the house

Fuck this year and fuck the football gods why they have chose to single us out after all we've done for the beautiful game I don't know but the anxiety and stress I'm going through watching us at the moment is unbearable and comparable to the major traumatic events in my life

This is by far my most depressing disappointing year supporting United. Grieving is an appropriate word. All my life I’ve devoured the league tables, form stats, attendance tables etc.This season I’ve not looked once and I’m having to concentrate on activities better conducive to good mental health. I just wish I could go to sleep for the rest of the season and wake up with us top of the Championship and CW/AK still at the helm whilst we pack Bramall Lane again. Other than this site I don’t access any other football related media, print, radio, tv, or online. I can’t watch United matches on tv, too nervous but paradoxically I’m ok while at live matches. I record matches and watch them afterwards if we win or draw so obviously this season I’ve hardly watched any football. Bumped into a Leeds fan mate whilst walking on the moors yesterday and he respectfully avoided talking about the Blades this season.

Strangely I’ve not felt this disappointed before even during our fourth division and third division days. I think it must because of the glowing expectation from last season.

Samaritans anyone

Ps that said Pigs are preserving my sanity

 

[cahill]

It's only a game, there are far more important things in life beyond Sheffield United. (I do expect people to tell me otherwise but ya know..)

Intellectually and in terms of common sense I know that’s obviously true but so much of my identity is wrapped up in being a Unitedite it defies rationality. I know that’s probably a bit sad and pathetic but it is what it is. I’m not some lame duck that retreats to a corner and feels sorry for myself and wishes « it wasn’t so » i crack on with life.
I’ve bern very ill this year but that wasn’t as painful as United’s collapse

 

[Bladesman]

You're probably right but it's an awful & bitter pill to swallow.
We are Sheffield ffs: one of the biggest fan base areas in the country!! I just can't accept we ALWAYS play the budget card whenever we get promoted.
Each of the last 4 top flight promotions has been achieved on a shoestring & almost exclusively down to extraordinary & motivational leadership from Harris/Bassett/Warnock/Wilder. It's probably not coincidence tha 2 of them were Blades.
You'd think having worked miracles,just once, the Board at SUFC would allow us to start a season with a budget to compete. In 50 years we've played barely half a dozen games in the top tier & in everyone we've been the League's paupers. The board never have & never will match the ambition of Big City fans, which is what we are.

Also why we haven't won a f##kin skerrit or even competed in a final for almost 100 embarrassing years.
I couldn't even give a flying f##k if we went bust winning summat, at least we'd have that memory . Most of the teams that struggled financially make their way back eventually. Ffs Leicester went into liquidation when they pipped us to 2nd spot in 2003. Didn t hurt them fu##ers too much.

Raaaaant dome

Wilder has spent over £100 million. Warnock or Bassett would have walked on broken glass to be allowed even half of that sort of money to spend.

The Prince has given Wilder a damn sight more to spend than McCabe would have allowed.

 

[cahill]

Wilder has spent over £100 million. Warnock or Bassett would have walked on broken glass to be allowed even half of that sort of money to spend.

The Prince has given Wilder a damn sight more to spend than McCabe would have allowed.

True what you say but the top end Prem teams are spending mega amounts of money more than in Warnock or Bassetts day, I do believe Brewster was a panic buy however. When you compare the service we’ve had out of the likes of Didzy for nothing compared to the likes of McBurnie its crazy

 

[haich1889]

Wilder has spent over £100 million. Warnock or Bassett would have walked on broken glass to be allowed even half of that sort of money to spend.

The Prince has given Wilder a damn sight more to spend than McCabe would have allowed.

I'm not saying Wilder hasn't squandered some of the 'good' money we've had. I believe some of his recruitment has been misplaced at best. BUT we did miss out on at least 4 of our 1st choice targets: 2 to Villa who barely stayed up, 1 to newly promoted Fulham & 1 that we were unable to prize from Reading (now that's a ffs). I have criticised the inability to replace JOC who is crucial to a system we have played for 3 years.
You have to assume after last season , with all the praise we got, that most (if not all) of the above
were unsuccessful due to a lack of ambition/cash.
At least £35 million was squandered in a mad crazy gamble (Brewster) & 2 fullbacks that were not exactly top of a priority list. One hasn't even made the bench yet. The jury for me is still out on the merits of the £19 million spent on a keeper we sold for £1,5 million (to raise funds ffs) 3 years ago.
I agree the amounts spent are much more than we are accustomed to but other clubs are still spending more.

 

[haich1889]

You saying Wilder didn’t have some decent money?
Or should we have put ourselves in hock even more?

ffs

I didn't know we were already in 'hock'. When was that announced??

 

[bladeinspaceandtime]

I came to the conclusion long ago that Sheffield United won’t achieve a great deal. That final day against Wigan in 2007 sealed it for me. I have to give Chris Wilder a lot of credit for achieving (overachieving) what looked impossible not a long time ago, but his head has now gone and with it has our ability to punch above our weight. We’ll just have to see where this bottoms out.

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

Dolly Parton

And people say she’s just a pair of tits.

And a big pair at that.
Saw her perform at Red Rocks Denver a couple years back. I was at the back but was still impressed. Great concert too.

 

[William]

I feel like I need to shout at someone most matches. That’s what I like doing when we lose and I’m in the stadium, no one can hear me on the pitch but it gets it out of my system. I’d suggest shouting at someone you live with to help you feel better over Christmas. Just so you’re not carrying all this disappointment, sadness and disgust around with you in between games.

 

[Wards]

The Southampton game is the only game I've felt really angry about - so much so that I vowed not to watch us tonight. Usually I can laugh a defeat off and my mind turns to other things very quickly but even the missus said how bad a mood I was in on Sunday afternoon.