Blade for Sale
Well-Known Member
As a club we seem to define ourselves by how unlucky we are. I admit the Segers affair, Tevezgate, Play Off and Semi defeats hurt like buggery at the time, but sometimes, it’s good to look at the permanent positives of supporting this grand old club:
- Our stadium. There is nowhere like BDTBL when it’s rocking, nowhere. It’s amazing how many away fans say they love coming to our stadium and how often it comes it comes in the top 5 of polls to rate the country’s best grounds. We also happen to play in the city which produces the best ale in the country (and therefore the world) with umpteen quality boozers within walking distance. It’s the oldest professional ground in the WORLD, has a history like no other. Fans of clubs in new identikit out of town stadia would kill for a ground like ours.
- A genuine city rivalry. It’s amazing how few of these there are. Mancs and Scousers have 2 big clubs but the rivalry is diluted by the Man Utd-Liverpool rivalry for me. No such thing as a North East derby. Leeds have to look to us or (laughably) Manchester for theirs. London is completely saturated, only Spurs Arsenal clash having the intensity of a true derby for me, apart from the odd occasion West Ham and Millwall finds themselves in the same division. Ours is the best derby in England and the 2nd best in the UK behind Glasgow (and who wants all that sectarian gubbins anyway?)
- Best nickname of any club ever. Short, snappy, harks back to the heritage of the city and a headline writer’s dream. I have an Italian mate who’s an AC Milan fan, he couldn’t get over our scoreboard at a derby calling out Blades and Owls, he thought it was brilliant. It’s a much underrated aspect of our club and projects farther and deeper than many suspect.
- Ditto our emblem. It’s genius in its simplicity, but manages to convey the age, colours, name, nickname, city, county and, critically, heritage, all in one brilliant design. I was once chatting to a Turkish fella about something and nothing. When he found out who I supported, he said n’owt but made the shape of the crossed swords with his fingers. Class.
- Our fans. Yeh we can be a miserable bunch and sometimes the negativity winds me up but what club would attract our support in our position and without a trophy of note for 89 years? Not bloody one. And it’s not just that. I can go down the Lane by missen and get chatting to anyone I’m sat next to. When Jags and Nuddy scored THOSE goals v Leeds I was hugged by strangers like a long lost brother.
- Sheffield’s footy history. Second to none. Oldest and 2nd oldest club, our neighbours (bless em) one of the founding league clubs, first published rules, oldest ground, oldest professional ground, oldest derby, first match under lights, first Premier League goal, first team broadcast on radio (v Arsenal). That global game generating and watched by billions? We made that.
So next time you’re thinking we’ve won sod all for years, just remember we win every week. COYRAWW!!
- Our stadium. There is nowhere like BDTBL when it’s rocking, nowhere. It’s amazing how many away fans say they love coming to our stadium and how often it comes it comes in the top 5 of polls to rate the country’s best grounds. We also happen to play in the city which produces the best ale in the country (and therefore the world) with umpteen quality boozers within walking distance. It’s the oldest professional ground in the WORLD, has a history like no other. Fans of clubs in new identikit out of town stadia would kill for a ground like ours.
- A genuine city rivalry. It’s amazing how few of these there are. Mancs and Scousers have 2 big clubs but the rivalry is diluted by the Man Utd-Liverpool rivalry for me. No such thing as a North East derby. Leeds have to look to us or (laughably) Manchester for theirs. London is completely saturated, only Spurs Arsenal clash having the intensity of a true derby for me, apart from the odd occasion West Ham and Millwall finds themselves in the same division. Ours is the best derby in England and the 2nd best in the UK behind Glasgow (and who wants all that sectarian gubbins anyway?)
- Best nickname of any club ever. Short, snappy, harks back to the heritage of the city and a headline writer’s dream. I have an Italian mate who’s an AC Milan fan, he couldn’t get over our scoreboard at a derby calling out Blades and Owls, he thought it was brilliant. It’s a much underrated aspect of our club and projects farther and deeper than many suspect.
- Ditto our emblem. It’s genius in its simplicity, but manages to convey the age, colours, name, nickname, city, county and, critically, heritage, all in one brilliant design. I was once chatting to a Turkish fella about something and nothing. When he found out who I supported, he said n’owt but made the shape of the crossed swords with his fingers. Class.
- Our fans. Yeh we can be a miserable bunch and sometimes the negativity winds me up but what club would attract our support in our position and without a trophy of note for 89 years? Not bloody one. And it’s not just that. I can go down the Lane by missen and get chatting to anyone I’m sat next to. When Jags and Nuddy scored THOSE goals v Leeds I was hugged by strangers like a long lost brother.
- Sheffield’s footy history. Second to none. Oldest and 2nd oldest club, our neighbours (bless em) one of the founding league clubs, first published rules, oldest ground, oldest professional ground, oldest derby, first match under lights, first Premier League goal, first team broadcast on radio (v Arsenal). That global game generating and watched by billions? We made that.
So next time you’re thinking we’ve won sod all for years, just remember we win every week. COYRAWW!!
had dared to show his face on the Shoreham last time out. My life would have been perfect.
