How do you actually feel about United now, and what do you want them to be in the future?

[Edgar Allan Poo]

I've noticed a number of posters saying that they just don't like football as much these days. The general costs of being a regular supporter and the often bland football served up due to the price of failure making managers more risk adverse are factors.

This has become more apparent of late as I have drifted back to my local 'non league' club if they have games that don't clash with United's own fixtures. The difference is stark. Young, fit players with day jobs who are there because they want to be, who play hell for leather football and can play for 90 minutes+. The magic is there week in week out in grass roots football.

These days my circumstances allow me to travel further and take in more United games than ever before and I still feel like the history, the sometimes joy but more often cursed bad luck keeps me coming back for more.

I'm glad we aren't deluded that we are massive but look on with envy at what relatively small clubs like Brentford and Bournmouth have achieved but I also like the battling underdog element that teams like us and Millwall have.

My hope is that we can get a ownership and manager that can give us both a sound financial base but retain a grass roots mentality on the field.

 

[bladesince64]

Fucking up someone's day is beautiful. Not sending them down or anything like that, necessarily, but halting a play-off charge, equalising with 9 men, winning with your only shot on target after being outplayed for 90 minutes, it's what I live for.

It's what we do and we'll never be anything else.

We don't do sustained success or keep our quality players but I hope that one day we can develop into a Bournemouth Brentford Brighton where we can compete at least.

 

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

United in my lifetime have always been the “nearly club”…and we still are.

We’re always nearly there but never are.

Nearly won a Playoff final
Nearly got to an FA Cup final
Nearly got to a League Cup final
Nearly qualified for Europe
Nearly signed Maradona…

On top of that we’ve sold players who have gone on to do good things…

Just a few…Ndiaye, Maguire, Walker, Ramsdale….

From one angle it’s great. The underdog spirit, the League One 6 season humbling but then the resurgence came - great times of course but then what? Nothing. We don’t ever progress or grab the opportunity like clubs like Bourenmouth, Brentford and Brighton have (perhaps we should rebrand to Bheffield Bunited?).

Perhaps we just have an exaggerated level of expectation and actually where we are is exactly where we should be.

I can’t help feeling like we’ve spunked an amazing opportunity in the last decade to establish ourselves as a premier league side and really leave the championship yo-yo club status behind. But no, we didn’t and I genuinely think that’s a lot to do with a fundamental lack of ambition and a “we’re Sheffield United, that’s not for us” attitude written into the fabric of our being.

We’re a club with no dreams and as Kevin Keegan once said…see picture from Newcastle’s game V Liverpool last weekend. We’re the opposite he talks about.

 

[RamsgateBlade]

I've always found supporting United is like a drug habit. There have been various times since I started going to the Lane in the sixties when I've said 'that's the last time I'm going to waste my time/money on that load of shite'. But then, following 2 or 3 wins and a sniff of promotion, it's like the drug dealer knocking on the door and offering me something. I know it's going to be a short-term high followed by years of misery, but I can't resist.

In short, I dream but don't have any real expectations. Twill always be thus..................or will it??

 

[RamsgateBlade]

I've always found supporting United is like a drug habit. There have been various times since I started going to the Lane in the sixties when I've said 'that's the last time I'm going to waste my time/money on that load of shite'. But then, following 2 or 3 wins and a sniff of promotion, it's like the drug dealer knocking on the door and offering me something. I know it's going to be a short-term high followed by years of misery, but I can't resist.

In short, I dream but don't have any real expectations. Twill always be thus..................or will it??

And as for the current owners, I'm reminded of the gag from when I was a kid: 'What's the definition of an American bra? One yank and it's off'.
Well we have 2 yanks who are making us look like total tits
Although, as you know, there are quite a few knockers on this site.........

 

[S64 Blade]

I’d like us to play to our strengths more. I’m not really bothered about success, although a cup win or a season in Europe would be nice to get that monkey off our back.

And by playing to our strengths I mean the academy, the local area and the fans.

Sort of like an Atletico Bilbao lite.

We already have a very strong academy. One of our greatest assets. So let’s double down on that. It’s proven to work so let’s keep making it even better. I’m not saying we need all players from South Yorkshire in the side, but why not have 5-10 year plan to have 2/3rds of our XI from the academy? We aren’t a million miles away now. I’d sooner we plough an extra few million into the academy each year than signing people like Ben Godfrey or Danny Ings. It’s a pretty clear and simple strategy rather than throwing loads of different ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks.

I think this then sits nicely entwined with encouraging a fiercely loyal, partizan crowd at home games. Large homegrown talent on the field usually provides a greater connection with the stands. The club should make a real effort in getting the Lane to be as full as possible. Again, looking back at our strengths, look at what McCabe managed to achieve through the 00s in bringing new fans onboard and growing our crowds. It’d be nice to be as inventive again and create a real sense of community.

We are at our best when it’s an us versus ‘them’ situation and I think both of the above enable that whilst playing to the strengths we always have.

 

[KeyffSmyff]

I started in Div3 so we are up as far as I'm concerned. I would like us to go back to buying lower league gems and using our own academy players, if that means our highs are a play off push then so be it. The players that downed tools with Selles can fuck off, I want more Brooks, Seriki, Buyabu, Blaster, One, Peck, etc. Our lads who are going to be outclassed in a premier League Season but never out battled. By BiL supports Chelsea, different striker every year, different manager every 6 months, no linage, just a shirt. Brink back the scouting network and get the next superstar Abdul Abdul... from Boreham Wood or however. I've come to terms with never going to win anything other than the Championship, I don't want us to buy it I want us to win it.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

I’d like us to play to our strengths more. I’m not really bothered about success, although a cup win or a season in Europe would be nice to get that monkey off our back.

And by playing to our strengths I mean the academy, the local area and the fans.

Sort of like an Atletico Bilbao lite.

We already have a very strong academy. One of our greatest assets. So let’s double down on that. It’s proven to work so let’s keep making it even better. I’m not saying we need all players from South Yorkshire in the side, but why not have 5-10 year plan to have 2/3rds of our XI from the academy? We aren’t a million miles away now. I’d sooner we plough an extra few million into the academy each year than signing people like Ben Godfrey or Danny Ings. It’s a pretty clear and simple strategy rather than throwing loads of different ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks.

I think this then sits nicely entwined with encouraging a fiercely loyal, partizan crowd at home games. Large homegrown talent on the field usually provides a greater connection with the stands. The club should make a real effort in getting the Lane to be as full as possible. Again, looking back at our strengths, look at what McCabe managed to achieve through the 00s in bringing new fans onboard and growing our crowds. It’d be nice to be as inventive again and create a real sense of community.

We are at our best when it’s an us versus ‘them’ situation and I think both of the above enable that whilst playing to the strengths we always have.

Cos we sell our talented youngsters at the drop of a hat.

 

[Kabba Kabba Doo]

I echo the sentiments of a lot of posts above, the game just doesn't feel the same ever since 2020, and maybe that's just because we were really really good before COVID and have been 90% crap since (the 10% being players like Ndiaye and Gibbs White who were a pleasure to watch).

I think we flew too close to the sun, Europe was in our grasps, we'd have beaten Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter final at the Lane and gone into the semis against Man City who had an off year so who knows how that would have gone in a one off game, I like to think we'd have beaten them. Then ever since we've been absolutely annihilated in 2 prem seasons wining less than 40 points across both, had the disastrous starts under Slav and Selles, yes Hecky got us up purely by having better players than the rest of the league and Wilder slogged us to 90 points but I was bored out my mind watching that team for the most part, and if we had won at Wembley we'd have inevitably stunk out the premier league for another 9 months.

I also feel as a fanbase we've become extremely entitled (myself included probably), we were almost spoilt by the run CW1 put together, players that not only were really good, they were also really likeable, I can't imagine Tanganga and Femi Seriki getting pissed up and making a song about the team to sing at awards night like Egan and Baldock did, it felt like the whole squad became Blades overnight and were hooked instantly, now I wouldn't be sad if any player left the club before the deadline (and I wasn't sad when Gus or Brooks left either).

I want us to get back to that likeability, I want to see the players enjoying playing for the club, and maybe that comes back to the entitlement that we as fans have to get behind the players and back them no matter what, a backs against the walls season like this is going to be may just be the tonic to get the mojo back, a couple of surprise wins and a proper togetherness to battle our way through games and hopefully some of these players can make a real name for themselves.

Then we need a proper succession plan beyond CW, which we also likely need new owners to be able to do properly, one that's realistic, honest and open with the fans so we know where we stand and hopefully plot out a route to being a properly ran football club, for once!

 

[Rodley]

I've noticed a number of posters saying that they just don't like football as much these days. The general costs of being a regular supporter and the often bland football served up due to the price of failure making managers more risk adverse are factors.

This has become more apparent of late as I have drifted back to my local 'non league' club if they have games that don't clash with United's own fixtures. The difference is stark. Young, fit players with day jobs who are there because they want to be, who play hell for leather football and can play for 90 minutes+. The magic is there week in week out in grass roots football.

These days my circumstances allow me to travel further and take in more United games than ever before and I still feel like the history, the sometimes joy but more often cursed bad luck keeps me coming back for more.

I'm glad we aren't deluded that we are massive but look on with envy at what relatively small clubs like Brentford and Bournmouth have achieved but I also like the battling underdog element that teams like us and Millwall have.

My hope is that we can get a ownership and manager that can give us both a sound financial base but retain a grass roots mentality on the field.

I think people love football when we do well, and don’t like it when we don’t.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

I'm off down to Cardiff tonight with my 14 year old and we're both more excited for this trip that our holiday a few weeks back.

We don't care about the result/performance. It's about experience, community, belonging and like Carlton says, having an identity.

The minute we start getting nervous about which millionaire RB will play, or will Gary Neville dissect us with negative comments on Monday night, or someone Nigerian prick on Twitter will slag us off - we've lost that identity.

 

[Kabba Kabba Doo]

I think people love football when we do well, and don’t like it when we don’t.

I agree to a sense, but what does doing well mean? Getting promoted to the prem to get battered again every week?

 

[biggiesablade]

Same as I always have done. Love being a Blade and not really fussed what leauge we in/how well we doing. Being a Blade is a core part of who I am. When we doing well im happy when we not I dont dwell on it.

 

[Revolution]

Love being a Blades fan, love the club.

I always say it’s by far the most interesting club to follow of all of the teams that never win trophies. There’s always something going on.

Have always expected to be let down by the owners, and since around 2003 always expect to be let down by the players in playoffs and relegation battles. It’s just the way it is.

Hate the current owners and want them out before they do serious damage. Whoever comes in won’t have the money to compete, and it will go on as it always has.

Off to Cardiff tomorrow. So looking forward to it.

 

[gsblade]

To have confidence in our future, feel as though we are going to have some success, I look at clubs like Brentford, Bournemouth and as much as I want them to be successful i wonder why not us?

I do wonder the same. But I wouldn’t trade what we’ve got for what Brentford have got in a million years. Went to their new place last time we played them and the club is unrecognisable. The fanbase, the ground, the badge, the culture. What’s the point if you lose all that?

 

[Rodley]

I agree to a sense, but what does doing well mean? Getting promoted to the prem to get battered again every week?

I think with decent ownership you go to the Prem and try and give it a go. And even if you go down, you deliver the Dore project and improve the Academy.

The season we competed in the Prem was one of my best seasons in living memory.

Not a comment to you, but I think some fans have painted themselves in a corner moaning about a period of time where we’ve been relatively good (this last ten years). And consequently midtable Championship is the world ending.

 

[Rodley]

I do wonder the same. But I wouldn’t trade what we’ve got for what Brentford have got in a million years. Went to their new place last time we played them and the club is unrecognisable. The fanbase, the ground, the badge, the culture. What’s the point if you lose all that?

Go to Forest and ask them about Europe, or Leeds and see the atmosphere. Or speak to Brighton fans or fans of Palace, a perennial midtable Championship side until 15 years ago, who’ve now won a European trophy.

 

[loveWalrusDaveTheBlade]

Wrote this to someone else and was interested in how others feel as football changes

Hard to even put into words how I feel about United now. As much as I'm a huge advocate for modernising the set up, I do think United are a bit 'different'.

A club for who ruining others day is almost as important as celebrating success. Provincial, independent, thrive on dislike, obstinate, spiky, unpleasant to be around for non Blades. If we ever did become another identikit, 'polished' club I think the heart of it would die a little.

But there needs to be something more than Wilder, Bettis and a dream. I think we'll likely be fine eventually, and hopefully the current owners shuffle off forthwith.

I just don't want it to be dull. I'm here for the moments, not the trophies

Lovely post, and captures a lot of what I feel.
To me, what you describe as the things that distinguish us from 'identikit' teams are what I would call our club culture - a term that has been hijacked on this forum to infer something different and poorer. We have a history and an edge that uniquely defines us as a club, with which I identify, and which characterises and motivates me as a Blades supporter. Lose that identity, and lose the club for ever.
Money has become the key driver of success in football, to the detriment of the game, and that this is frequently associated with moving a club away from its roots to an era of superstars on the field and tourist fans off it. The current Man Utd, for example. What keeps me going is the belief that there are a few clubs who have bucked that trend and delivered cash-driven success, usually through foreign ownership, while at the same time maintaing the character and cultue of the club. Liverpool are the stand out examples for me, with Newcastle close behind. Both have delivered fantastic success while maintaining an identity and culture recognisable and unchanged over decades. Now I'm not suggesting we sensibly compare ourselves with them, but it's something I hope we can become on a smaller scale. Build quality through investment while never compromising our fight, our cussedness, our identity, and our delight in sticking it up other clubs. Moments of glorious success against the odds, that keep us fuelled and fired up, and that give us something to smile about. I think we can do that, and it gives me optimism going forward.

 

[Lord Eddard Muir]

Fucking up someone's day is beautiful. Not sending them down or anything like that, necessarily, but halting a play-off charge, equalising with 9 men, winning with your only shot on target after being outplayed for 90 minutes, it's what I live for.

One of my favourite things about that first Wilder Prem season was the chorus of moans on social media every time we won from people going "well that's fucked up my acca". I enjoy being an inconvenience to the bland masses.

 

[Kabba Kabba Doo]

I think with decent ownership you go to the Prem and try and give it a go. And even if you go down, you deliver the Dore project and improve the Academy.

The season we competed in the Prem was one of my best seasons in living memory.

Not a comment to you, but I think some fans have painted themselves in a corner moaning about a period of time where we’ve been relatively good (this last ten years). And consequently midtable Championship is the world ending.

Agreed regarding ths 19/20 season, it was unbelievable and the sense we were on the cusp of becoming a proper established club was a feeling like no other, however I also feel it may well be the peak for us and everything since has felt ultimately pointless, especially without a billionaire bankrolling us I don't think we'll ever get that close again

 

[relish]

I love everything about going to the match: pre-match drinks in the pub with friends, enjoying the atmosphere of match day, post-match analysis back in the pub etc. I only go to a few away games a season, but I really enjoy those too. Yes sometimes matches are boring - that's always been the case. And sometimes we lose. But I wouldn't give up my season ticket for anything.

That said, I'm not too bothered what division we're in. Apart from the fact that you tend to get a fuller ground and slightly better atmosphere when in the Premier League, I'm just as (if not more) happy when we're in the Championship. It's nice to have success of course, but I'm not too bothered about promotion given that nowadays it almost always ends in relegation the following season anyway.

As for what we are as a club, I think our natural level is top half of the Championship, with occasional blips above or below that. We usually have a couple of really good players that we can get excited about, and the majority are decent pros who do their best for the Blades. That's all fine with me.

 

[Cheeky Blade]

Win, draw or lose…


In the future I’d like to see us become more St Pauli rather than the Walmart future many clubs are heading to.

UTB.

 

[Uganda Blade]

I remember the club put out a highlights video a few years ago, probably under Wilder Mk1. I think it was entitled The Sheffield United Way. There were something like 27 passes, each marked with a Ping!, leading to a goal.
Amongst the other things people have mentioned, I'd like to see football like that more often.

 

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

One of my favourite things about that first Wilder Prem season was the chorus of moans on social media every time we won from people going "well that's fucked up my acca". I enjoy being an inconvenience to the bland masses.

Absolutely, me too. But…there comes a point where being a winning underdog has to materialise and progress into being an established contender.

No matter what anyone says, being an established premier league side, attracting decent playing talent, competing for a European spot and giving the Top 6 a helluva game everytime we play them is undoubtedly more exciting and what we all want.

 

[The Fox]

I had a wry smile at the " we like being disliked " comments- i take it thats just from supporters of other clubs because lots have a tantrum at "biased" pundits , explayers and journalists.

 

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

It genuinely fucks me off to see clubs like Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth do so well. Not because I don’t like them or owt but because that genuinely could’ve been us with the right club management. I’m sure clubs like Norwich will feel the same. We’re very much like Norwich in that respect.

When Warnock had us back in the premier league since the 90’s (a real chance to establish):

Bournemouth finished 19th in League One
Brighton finished one place above Bournemouth and Brentford were relegated from league one that season

 

[Rodley]

It genuinely fucks me off to see clubs like Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth do so well. Not because I don’t like them or owt but because that genuinely could’ve been us with the right club management. I’m sure clubs like Norwich will feel the same. We’re very much like Norwich in that respect.

When Warnock had us back in the premier league since the 90’s (a real chance to establish):

Bournemouth finished 19th in League One
Brighton finished one place above Bournemouth and Brentford were relegated from league one that season

The problem has always been ownership.

 

[KMC-1889]

Frustration is the overriding feeling. I’ve no real desire for us to be an established premier league team as beyond the money (which doesn’t really affect fans) I really don’t see the appeal.

Being a competitive championship team with an occasional cup run or threatening promotion, by developing the best youngsters from the area and players pick ups released from Cat 1 U18s supported by experienced higher level pros on frees or loans, would be the absolute dream. Been able to follow the careers of Jags, Walker, Maguire, Naughton, N’Diaye, Berge, et al and knowing that our club was pivotal to these players development and careers.

The frustration comes from the fact that over the last 7 or so seasons (since 2020 really) every time the club has had a decision to make we’ve made the wrong one, and to compound that we’ve repeated those mistakes. Despite what others tell me I don’t ‘hate’ anyone at the club but the main ringleaders are a personification of this refusal to learn from mistakes, develop and improve themselves as people or seek external support when they reach the limit of their abilities.

More than anything else it’s just been a massive waste. We’ve had more money come through the club than anyone could have dreamed of back in 2014 and we’ve ended up with very little to show for it and almost back where we started.

I’ve kind of made peace with the situation now, but it has clipped the excitement a lot. Results good, bad or indifferent are met with a partridge style shrug as opposed to a more animated reaction.

I’ll always be a fan, I’ll always be in the ground or at the pub, I was here before the current lot were and I’ll be here long after they’ve gone.

 

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

Frustration is the overriding feeling. I’ve no real desire for us to be an established premier league team as beyond the money (which doesn’t really affect fans) I really don’t see the appeal.

Being a competitive championship team with an occasional cup run or threatening promotion, by developing the best youngsters from the area and players pick ups released from Cat 1 U18s supported by experienced higher level pros on frees or loans, would be the absolute dream. Been able to follow the careers of Jags, Walker, Maguire, Naughton, N’Diaye, Berge, et al and knowing that our club was pivotal to these players development and careers.

The frustration comes from the fact that over the last 7 or so seasons (since 2020 really) every time the club has had a decision to make we’ve made the wrong one, and to compound that we’ve repeated those mistakes. Despite what others tell me I don’t ‘hate’ anyone at the club but the main ringleaders are a personification of this refusal to learn from mistakes, develop and improve themselves as people or seek external support when they reach the limit of their abilities.

More than anything else it’s just been a massive waste. We’ve had more money come through the club than anyone could have dreamed of back in 2014 and we’ve ended up with very little to show for it and almost back where we started.

I’ve kind of made peace with the situation now, but it has clipped the excitement a lot. Results good, bad or indifferent are met with a partridge style shrug as opposed to a more animated reaction.

I’ll always be a fan, I’ll always be in the ground or at the pub, I was here before the current lot were and I’ll be here long after they’ve gone.

I think your (valid) opinion sums up my post about a lack of ambition if that’s your absolute dream for us as a club. That’s not a dig either, we all want different things, but a Championship side flirting with promo and developing to talent for other teams isn’t my idea of a dream.