Last game in PL

[LoughboroBlade]

Warnock's fault. End of discussion. I read that he changed the starting 11 on the morning of the game, is that gospel or just another rumour?

Another rumour, given the exact lineup was leaked on here in advance the day before.

 

[guancheblade]

It's irrelevant. Like when commentators talk about what happened last time team X played team Y 10 years ago. Different players, different managers. So, the only thing you could possibly worry about is Jags handballing it in the last game, but you might as well worry about getting struck by lightning.
We don't need to get past anything. Enjoy it, it's what we've aimed for for so long.

Great, now you've jinxed it. VAR handball nailed on now to send us down

 

[Camden Blade]

There has been a bit of discussion about our last game in the PL, Wigan at home. I think a lot of people who were at that game have erased it from their memory. I certainly have. I haven't watched the highlights since, and had forgotton about the Jags handball.

There was so much anger around after that game, it ranks high among the worst Blades days in living memory, perhaps only topped by Walsall at home. There are also conspiracy theories that aren't true (Jags handballed it deliberately, Blades wanted to relegate West Ham and threw the game, convinced that WHam would lose to ManU). Among some, the dislike of Warnock remains. I remember Danny Weber's miss, reports of Sean Bean storming into Warnock's office and it almost ending in a scrap (still no idea what was said), fans fighting amonst themselves, Ferguson playing a weakened side, Tevez. I almost got smacked for admitting putting 50 quid on us being relegated before the Villa game when the odds were 25-1. I couldn't get rid of my winnings fast enough, but when people in the pub found out that I'd betted against the Blades they weren't happy.

This time, I hope it will be different. Even if we get relegated, we'll be stronger. But I do worry. I'm looking at the coming seasomn as a free hit, with any finish above the relegation places as a massive bonus. I hope Blades fans can accept that we could well go back down, and still support us all the way.

I was going to post highlights of the Wigan game but I'm not sure if I'm ready to watch it again yet.

I just watched the highlights earlier given the frequent references to it recently. Highlights of the game are quite hard to find on you tube. It's all montage stuff. I remembered the main incidents from the game but having just watched the highlights two things struck me. What a brave header by Stead for the equaliser. And that brought to mind his clinical equaliser at Charlton a couple of games before. Jags handball. Totally unnecessary. Forgot just how bad it was. But I don't buy the conspiracy theory. I've seen similar in big games, Cup finals etc. It happens although it seems inexplicable! There was also a compilation on 1994. Jesus, that was bad too. Had nearly forgot about that. But we can put it all to bed now. I think we're better placed this time. It's the management that's the big difference.

 

[Paisley Blade]

If that face doesn’t haunt you, nothing will!

View attachment 57838

He was stood behind me in the checkout queue in Sainsbury’s a few months ago.

If it’s any consolation, the years have not been kind to him.

 

[blade53]

Relegation in the last minute at Stamford Bridge is still the one that haunts me , the way it happened , with all the improbable results going against us , plus the knowledge that the Everton v Wimbledon game was almost certainly a fix will live with me forever.

 

[TaxiBlade]

Relegation in the last minute at Stamford Bridge is still the one that haunts me , the way it happened , with all the improbable results going against us , plus the knowledge that the Everton v Wimbledon game was almost certainly a fix will live with me forever.

A different time though. Finding anything out was difficult. Did you have a radio or someone with you? There was no scoreboard (or one that I could see in tier 3 where I was then - I think the away end was being developed, forgotten now). There were people chatting and exchanging info after, but I still didn't believe it. We certainly knew when at a tube station. It was rammed and we were seemingly the only non-blue shirts. I remember the discussion 'blimey, we're surrounded, they could easily push us in front of a train', to which the response was 'good!'

The Wigan game I just don't remember (partly blanked out I think like many of us). We'd been out night before, had a few hours sleep and I'd only had about 3 or 4 pints pre-match as was ridiculous 12 kick offs, and I was smashed

 

[Akinbiyi]

Pinchy to comment on Jags’ handball in 3... 2...

 

[Cerberus Blade]

There has been a bit of discussion about our last game in the PL, Wigan at home. I think a lot of people who were at that game have erased it from their memory. I certainly have. I haven't watched the highlights since, and had forgotton about the Jags handball.

There was so much anger around after that game, it ranks high among the worst Blades days in living memory, perhaps only topped by Walsall at home. There are also conspiracy theories that aren't true (Jags handballed it deliberately, Blades wanted to relegate West Ham and threw the game, convinced that WHam would lose to ManU). Among some, the dislike of Warnock remains. I remember Danny Weber's miss, reports of Sean Bean storming into Warnock's office and it almost ending in a scrap (still no idea what was said), fans fighting amonst themselves, Ferguson playing a weakened side, Tevez. I almost got smacked for admitting putting 50 quid on us being relegated before the Villa game when the odds were 25-1. I couldn't get rid of my winnings fast enough, but when people in the pub found out that I'd betted against the Blades they weren't happy.

This time, I hope it will be different. Even if we get relegated, we'll be stronger. But I do worry. I'm looking at the coming seasomn as a free hit, with any finish above the relegation places as a massive bonus. I hope Blades fans can accept that we could well go back down, and still support us all the way.

I was going to post highlights of the Wigan game but I'm not sure if I'm ready to watch it again yet.

I accept that we could go back down but I don’t think we will.

With this manager and this work ethic I think we will hold our own.

 

[JohnDenver]

when people in the pub found out that I'd betted against the Blades they weren't happy.

There’s a problem that belonged to anyone but you.

 

[blade53]

A different time though. Finding anything out was difficult. Did you have a radio or someone with you? There was no scoreboard (or one that I could see in tier 3 where I was then - I think the away end was being developed, forgotten now). There were people chatting and exchanging info after, but I still didn't believe it. We certainly knew when at a tube station. It was rammed and we were seemingly the only non-blue shirts. I remember the discussion 'blimey, we're surrounded, they could easily push usY 15 MINUTE in front of a train', to which the response was 'good!'

The Wigan game I just don't remember (partly blanked out I thin0 k like many of us). We'd been out night before, had a few hours sleep and I'd only had about 3 or 4 pints pre-match as was ridiculous 12 kick offs, and I was smashed

I agree it was very different then , but people around us did have radios , & and at halftime with us 2-1 up , Everton losing 2-0 , & all the other results going our way we were in heaven! then in a crazy 15 minute period it all turned on it's head, Chelsea equalised , somebody said Everton were back at 2-1 , then 2-2, Ipswich were hanging on 0-0 , but we still thought we were OK , ………………… and then!

 

[Bert]

A different time though. Finding anything out was difficult. Did you have a radio or someone with you? There was no scoreboard (or one that I could see in tier 3 where I was then - I think the away end was being developed, forgotten now). There were people chatting and exchanging info after, but I still didn't believe it. We certainly knew when at a tube station. It was rammed and we were seemingly the only non-blue shirts. I remember the discussion 'blimey, we're surrounded, they could easily push us in front of a train', to which the response was 'good!'

The Wigan game I just don't remember (partly blanked out I think like many of us). We'd been out night before, had a few hours sleep and I'd only had about 3 or 4 pints pre-match as was ridiculous 12 kick offs, and I was smashed

Exactly Bert's experience at Stamford Bridge.
Trying to find out the scores on the way to the tube and slowly realising that a series of very improbable results had sent us down.
That night after Match of the Day, a Wednesdayite police officer who was a friend of Bert's rang him.
His words were, "That Everton game was a fix".
How right he was.

 

[Minty]

The Wigan game was indeed a real kick in the bollocks.

Sadly, the real reason we were relegated was Warnock's tactics away from home. There were loads of very ordinary sides in the PL that season who we were more than capable of picking points up against away from home if we had actually gone there to win rather than grab a point. If we had played away as we did at home we would have been safe by a country mile.