Let's be honest

[Micalijo]

Whatever people think about the reasons behind our relegation, when the final whistle went against Wigan, a small part of every Blade died. Things have never been the same since and in my opinion never will be. That was our chance to be a meaningful top flight club, the chance to pull away from Wendy for decades. I know older Blades will cite other relegations and Chelsea was obviously bad enough but Wigan was just too much of a blow to fully recover from.

There's been some good stuff on here recently and as soon as Warnock is mentioned I think the bitterness/upset/distress/devastation that most of us felt that day and still feel now comes out. I feel bitterness towards West Ham, plenty feel bitterness towards Warnock himself but it's still there, very close to the surface for me and I think plenty of others as well. Everything we discuss now stems from that day for me.

 

[SteelCity Blade]

Everything we discuss now stems from the fact that we are what we are. Why fight it?

We have seldom been a meaningful top flight club and I doubt we ever will. Every time we have had a chance to really kick on in our history....we have either bottled it/ fucked it up/ been second best. Lots of clubs dont get anywhere near to where we've been and they just get on with it. I'm forever fed up of our inability to reach our potential but after decades of mediocrity I kind of get the message that we're seeing the true Sheffield United.

I just count myself lucky to have a club I love to support!

UTB :thumbup:

 

[Dog Blade]

Not a thing died for me
I felt the bitterness you talk about and the upset, but whether it's Premier League, Division Two or whatever I still get more pride from just being 'a Blade' than I do from being a meaningful top flight club, or hoping that we become that
I don't follow Sheffield United for that, I follow them for the few highs that they sometimes give me in the most unexpected of places or times

 

[Latters]

Not a thing died for me
I felt the bitterness you talk about and the upset, but whether it's Premier League, Division Two or whatever I still get more pride from just being 'a Blade' than I do from being a meaningful top flight club, or hoping that we become that
I don't follow Sheffield United for that, I follow them for the few highs that they sometimes give me in the most unexpected of places or times

I tend to agree. Whilst I do want us to be successful, being generally shit/average makes the relative high points all the better. I like being excited by reaching semi-finals rather than expecting to win the competition and I enjoy it being a shock when we beat top flight teams. It adds an element of satisfaction to it.

That said, surely a sustained few seasons in the Prem isn't too much to ask...

 

[Bert]

Whatever people think about the reasons behind our relegation, when the final whistle went against Wigan, a small part of every Blade died. Things have never been the same since and in my opinion never will be.


What a load of bollocks.

It was relegation of which there have been very many since the 60's. No big deal to real Unitedites.
We go up, we go down, that is how it's always been. As a matter of fact Bert looks down on Man U, Chelsea fans etc and he never listens to what they have to say as he does not consider the majority of them the be real supporters. Up the Blades.

 

[shorehamview]

If you can identify the small part of "every Blade" that died then good luck. I presume that to make such a sweeping statement you've asked every single living Sheffield United supporter. I must have been out the night you came round to ask me.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Whatever people think about the reasons behind our relegation, when the final whistle went against Wigan, a small part of every Blade died. Things have never been the same since and in my opinion never will be. That was our chance to be a meaningful top flight club, the chance to pull away from Wendy for decades. I know older Blades will cite other relegations and Chelsea was obviously bad enough but Wigan was just too much of a blow to fully recover from.

I'm hazarding a guess that you are relatively new to being a Blade, hence your comment above and also your love of Warnock.

I think how somebody viewed Wigan depends largely on how many relegations you have been through before. For me, the worst was 75/76, after finishing 6th & just missing out on Europe the previous season. But I was only 15, and it was the first time it had happened since I started going to games,so it was going to feel bad. Stamford Bridge stung like mad too, I had got very pissed before the match because I was celebrating staying up, so we all thought, and I arrived back in Sheffield as the hangover started to bite.......

I don't think I have ever felt quite as desolate as I did sat on the concourse at half time in Cardiff after Warnock had fucked up yet another big game v Wolves. The latest relegation is just another in a long run of disappointments, tempered by the occasional success, that is all a part of being a Blade. A point I agree with Len on is that we are probably the biggest underachievers in the entire league structure, certainly for the size of the club. I may not like it, but that it is how it has always been, and I have to accept that it might always be like this because, well, that is the "Blades Way".

I am an optimist by nature, and I will always hope for better days. But I've been going long enough to realise that it might never get much better, at least for very long before it all goes tits up again, and I don't really care. I will support the club through all the ups & downs, enjoy a few pints before the match, enjoy the odd great performance & bit of success, have a good old moan from time to time, sometimes feel incredibly frustrated, but basically just get on with it and support the club, no matter how bad or good things are. And they have been much, much worse than this.

 

[davidpinder]

Whatever people think about the reasons behind our relegation, when the final whistle went against Wigan, a small part of every Blade died. Things have never been the same since and in my opinion never will be. That was our chance to be a meaningful top flight club, the chance to pull away from Wendy for decades. I know older Blades will cite other relegations and Chelsea was obviously bad enough but Wigan was just too much of a blow to fully recover from.

There's been some good stuff on here recently and as soon as Warnock is mentioned I think the bitterness/upset/distress/devastation that most of us felt that day and still feel now comes out. I feel bitterness towards West Ham, plenty feel bitterness towards Warnock himself but it's still there, very close to the surface for me and I think plenty of others as well. Everything we discuss now stems from that day for me.

I think what made it worse was the fact wigan were the team who survived a lot like the piggys against palace, but what we needed to do is what they are doing and thats go straight back and stronger just like Newcastle did. Unfortunately that didn't happen so we are now looking like becoming a mid table side for many years to come.

 

[Micalijo]

Whatever people think about the reasons behind our relegation, when the final whistle went against Wigan, a small part of every Blade died. Things have never been the same since and in my opinion never will be.


What a load of bollocks.

It was relegation of which there have been very many since the 60's. No big deal to real Unitedites.
We go up, we go down, that is how it's always been. As a matter of fact Bert looks down on Man U, Chelsea fans etc and he never listens to what they have to say as he does not consider the majority of them the be real supporters. Up the Blades.

What a load of bollox. No big deal? Pull the other one, and I've seen plenty of disasters where SUFC are concerned, not as much as you but plenty. If you walked away from that game feeling it's no big deal then good for you. I personally thought it was one too many in terms of heartbreaks but you know best, cheers for putting me right.

I aint a Prem glory hunter and wasn't trying to say it's all about being in the Prem. I've seen 5 seasons of top flight football since turning 18 so second tier is the staple diet and you get fond of it aftwer a while.

 

[Micalijo]

I'm hazarding a guess that you are relatively new to being a Blade, hence your comment above and also your love of Warnock.

I think how somebody viewed Wigan depends largely on how many relegations you have been through before. For me, the worst was 75/76, after finishing 6th & just missing out on Europe the previous season. But I was only 15, and it was the first time it had happened since I started going to games,so it was going to feel bad. Stamford Bridge stung like mad too, I had got very pissed before the match because I was celebrating staying up, so we all thought, and I arrived back in Sheffield as the hangover started to bite.......

I don't think I have ever felt quite as desolate as I did sat on the concourse at half time in Cardiff after Warnock had fucked up yet another big game v Wolves. The latest relegation is just another in a long run of disappointments, tempered by the occasional success, that is all a part of being a Blade. A point I agree with Len on is that we are probably the biggest underachievers in the entire league structure, certainly for the size of the club. I may not like it, but that it is how it has always been, and I have to accept that it might always be like this because, well, that is the "Blades Way".

I am an optimist by nature, and I will always hope for better days. But I've been going long enough to realise that it might never get much better, at least for very long before it all goes tits up again, and I don't really care. I will support the club through all the ups & downs, enjoy a few pints before the match, enjoy the odd great performance & bit of success, have a good old moan from time to time, sometimes feel incredibly frustrated, but basically just get on with it and support the club, no matter how bad or good things are. And they have been much, much worse than this.

First game 1981 for me.

I wasn't trying to grade each relegation or play-off loss by the way, might have sounded like that but I wasn't. We'll all have our personal favourites!

 

[Micalijo]

If you can identify the small part of "every Blade" that died then good luck. I presume that to make such a sweeping statement you've asked every single living Sheffield United supporter. I must have been out the night you came round to ask me.

I love you Shoreham.

 

[bricktop]

What a load of bollox. No big deal? Pull the other one, and I've seen plenty of disasters where SUFC are concerned, not as much as you but plenty. If you walked away from that game feeling it's no big deal then good for you. I personally thought it was one too many in terms of heartbreaks but you know best, cheers for putting me right.

I aint a Prem glory hunter and wasn't trying to say it's all about being in the Prem. I've seen 5 seasons of top flight football since turning 18 so second tier is the staple diet and you get fond of it aftwer a while.

Disappointment is part of being a Blade, we have them from time to time, some are minor, some are monumental, but they are disappointments all the same, and you just need to man up, take it on the chin and move on, beacuse at the end of the day there is a good time coming even if sometimes it seems a million miles away. Imagine us punching above our weight and managing to win a cup, or sneaking in to Europe and going on a European Tour. The shit times we have already been through are down payment on good times like that.

 

[JJ Sefton]

No part of me died but there has been one thing I havent had since as a United fan; fun. I used to love not knowing what was going to happen when you turned up at the ground, looking forward to leaving the pub at 2:45, people having an opinion on us, otherwise crap seasons being livened up by something unexpected (like 04/05 and the Highbury match). That could all come back so nothing is dead but I hope its sooner rather than later because I miss it like mad.

 

[SwissBlade]

Relegation is all but forgotten for me, I no longer have any bitterness there.

West Ham, obviously a bunch of tossers and I tell this to every Hammers fan I meet. But don't hold it against them anymore.

I'm more bitter about Robson and losing in the Play off Final

 

[j j]

The only thing that died was a few people's balls. Pissed off at the time? Of course, but over it a long, long time ago.

If you have had no fun since the Wigan game, maybe it's time to give football a rest. OK, last season was a bit of a dry wank. But the season before was excellent at times and we did well. Even though the previous one had some harsh points there were some right goodies in there too. And this season has hardly kicked off but has been full of drama already. Who knows what happens next? Lots of people reckon they do. How many really do? No one.

 

[happyhippy]

Whatever people think about the reasons behind our relegation, when the final whistle went against Wigan, a small part of every Blade died.

Yup. It wasn't much fun. For quite a lot of us, it was just another of the bonecrunching moments, and not the end of the world.

Things have never been the same since and in my opinion never will be. That was our chance to be a meaningful top flight club, the chance to pull away from Wendy for decades. I know older Blades will cite other relegations and Chelsea was obviously bad enough but Wigan was just too much of a blow to fully recover from.

Why was Wigan any different to any other kick up the orchestras? Why was that different from Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Burnley, Bristol City or Walsall?

There's been some good stuff on here recently and as soon as Warnock is mentioned I think the bitterness/upset/distress/devastation that most of us felt that day and still feel now comes out. I feel bitterness towards West Ham, plenty feel bitterness towards Warnock himself but it's still there, very close to the surface for me and I think plenty of others as well. Everything we discuss now stems from that day for me.

If you want to talk about moving away in terms of how football financially moved, then Mark Stein inadvertantly sent us to oblivion way before Warnock ever turned up .... we missed money in so much of a way it's unbelievable .... but I shall start a parallel thread .... believe me, I shall ....

If all you talk about stems from the day that we got relegated from the top flight last time, then you really do need to have a look a look at who you are, and not how you are. Sheffield United didn't die, or how it is run, managed, coached or supported because Unsworth scored a penalty.

It was a pivotal day in that it was the umpteenth pivotal day which United had been on the wrong end of in twenty odd years. All lost.

As I've said before, I can remember watching desolate games away at Hereford and Altrincham. Getting humped at Scunthorpe and Colchester. Humped by Stockport, Oldham and Bury at home. If your defining moment is a defeat at home to a side which bought its way up, against similar, when another side cheated, then really your opinions to me are really worth nothing.

I was happily having a few pints with Wigan fans in the Sheaf who were hoping for 'the best result', which would have been West Ham relegated. We were the ones who went that that day. If the fact that we got relegated once is your only reason for your continued invective, then please stop. There really is no need. It was some years ago.

I'd really like to hear some some genuinely useful critique, and I doubt very much that you're hard of thinking, but please .... fucking move on.

 

[happyhippy]

OK, last season was a bit of a dry wank.

I believe "Comfort" makes things easier on a cool wash, but you're always liable for the random taste testing ....

 

[LSF]

What a load of bollox. No big deal? Pull the other one, and I've seen plenty of disasters where SUFC are concerned, not as much as you but plenty. If you walked away from that game feeling it's no big deal then good for you. I personally thought it was one too many in terms of heartbreaks but you know best, cheers for putting me right.

I aint a Prem glory hunter and wasn't trying to say it's all about being in the Prem. I've seen 5 seasons of top flight football since turning 18 so second tier is the staple diet and you get fond of it aftwer a while.

Well said Bert earlier!
Trouble with the Micaljos of this world is they judge everybody like themselve as in the 'every single Blade' comment. Then he gets touchy when Bert puts him straight. Mardy get!
Good to see you back Bert, at least there's a bit of quality when you're around....

 

[bladesman3]

Totally agree/feel the same as Micalijo....i know we should accept that que sera sera but that was a huge downer after years of hope, excitement, promotion...

 

[SteelCity Blade]

Totally agree/feel the same as Micalijo....i know we should accept that que sera sera but that was a huge downer after years of hope, excitement, promotion...

The best thing to do is expect nothing from them. There was always a chance we would go down that season and despite it being easy to blame Tevez/Scudamore etc. etc. which did play a part....no denying it....we were clearly amongst the five worst teams in the Premier League that season. We were essentially a "decent" side that with a bit of luck and courage, had a chance of staying up.

Luck deserted us and the powers that be were against us. We had nowhere near enough quality to overcome those obstacles and thats why we went down. There were times that season when we threw points away so we could have easily stayed up on our own merits despite everything.

It was a shame yes but it happened and thats life. Teams go up, teams go down. At least we had a crack at it....the vast majority of clubs are yet to taste the top flight at all and have had longer exiles than us.

 

[Micalijo]

Yup. It wasn't much fun. For quite a lot of us, it was just another of the bonecrunching moments, and not the end of the world.



Why was Wigan any different to any other kick up the orchestras? Why was that different from Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Burnley, Bristol City or Walsall?



If you want to talk about moving away in terms of how football financially moved, then Mark Stein inadvertantly sent us to oblivion way before Warnock ever turned up .... we missed money in so much of a way it's unbelievable .... but I shall start a parallel thread .... believe me, I shall ....

If all you talk about stems from the day that we got relegated from the top flight last time, then you really do need to have a look a look at who you are, and not how you are. Sheffield United didn't die, or how it is run, managed, coached or supported because Unsworth scored a penalty.

It was a pivotal day in that it was the umpteenth pivotal day which United had been on the wrong end of in twenty odd years. All lost.

As I've said before, I can remember watching desolate games away at Hereford and Altrincham. Getting humped at Scunthorpe and Colchester. Humped by Stockport, Oldham and Bury at home. If your defining moment is a defeat at home to a side which bought its way up, against similar, when another side cheated, then really your opinions to me are really worth nothing.

I was happily having a few pints with Wigan fans in the Sheaf who were hoping for 'the best result', which would have been West Ham relegated. We were the ones who went that that day. If the fact that we got relegated once is your only reason for your continued invective, then please stop. There really is no need. It was some years ago.

I'd really like to hear some some genuinely useful critique, and I doubt very much that you're hard of thinking, but please .... fucking move on.

I wish you'd fucking move on. Cannot believe you at times Hippy. Totally OTT as usual. And slating Blackwell is totally different.

 

[mattbianco1]

There's been some good stuff on here recently and as soon as Warnock is mentioned I think the bitterness/upset/distress/devastation that most of us felt that day and still feel now comes out. I feel bitterness towards West Ham, plenty feel bitterness towards Warnock himself but it's still there, very close to the surface for me and I think plenty of others as well.

That's because you're a grumbling bugger !! When I here Warnocks name I think "Great man" "Good manager" "Promotion" "Season in the Premiership" "2 cup semi's & a play off final in one season" etc..

Try taking off the tinted glasses that you wear and you may realise that everything isn't as bad as you make out....

I've seen us play at Old Trafford, Highbury, Millenium Stadium, Wembley (both,) Anfield, St James' etc.. and they're great days out hey, we even won at Newcastle other year!! We ARE a 2nd tier team now. End Of. But when the good seasons come around that makes you savour them more not grumble for the 5 in between! Top ten finishes are United every season. Sometimes we finish 3rd and fuck it up on our big day out. Sometimes we finish 8th and say another same old season "the nearly men." But, every so often we play Liverpool or Arsenal or Newcastle in a cup semi final and can't believe how good it is to be a blade at that moment. Why should the feeling stop there? When we lose to those teams in these Semi's everybody says "Oh well, it had to end one day, it would've been nice to get to the final" bla bla bla.... When it's a play off final or a relegation 6 pointer all of a sudden the comments turn sour "Useless" "Toss" "Sack the manager" etc.. Get over it man! We're a 2nd tier club now that occasionally has a good season or two.

Don't get me wrong I'd love to see us as a steady top flight team and some day I might. We had a great chance to become that team the other year but bad tactics at Villa, missed penalties vs Blackburn, Paddy deciding to elbow Andy Johnson, Paddy thinking he can outsprint Obafemi Martins, Rob Styles, Carlos Tevez, Not putting a man on the post at Blackburn, Richard Scudamore the list is endless but all had a say on our 'Season in the Big time.'

But despite all of the bad days we've had since i'm not gonna sit and cry about it. What's done is done. I look forward to the game every week and always will do.

I used to work with a man that is never happy, always grumbling, felt the whole world was against him... I hate him!
I now work with blokes that like a laugh and a joke and don't get down hearted about anything. "Oh well, it's just one of those things"... I like them kind of people better.

No point being miserable all your life

 

[Ollessendro]

Whatever people think about the reasons behind our relegation, when the final whistle went against Wigan, a small part of every Blade died. Things have never been the same since and in my opinion never will be. That was our chance to be a meaningful top flight club, the chance to pull away from Wendy for decades. I know older Blades will cite other relegations and Chelsea was obviously bad enough but Wigan was just too much of a blow to fully recover from.

There's been some good stuff on here recently and as soon as Warnock is mentioned I think the bitterness/upset/distress/devastation that most of us felt that day and still feel now comes out. I feel bitterness towards West Ham, plenty feel bitterness towards Warnock himself but it's still there, very close to the surface for me and I think plenty of others as well. Everything we discuss now stems from that day for me.

thought provoking stuff Mic (and that's what a forum is all about)

Whatever people think about the reasons behind our relegation, when the final whistle went against Wigan, a small part of every Blade died. Things have never been the same since and in my opinion never will be.


What a load of bollocks.

It was relegation of which there have been very many since the 60's. No big deal to real Unitedites.
We go up, we go down, that is how it's always been. As a matter of fact Bert looks down on Man U, Chelsea fans etc and he never listens to what they have to say as he does not consider the majority of them the be real supporters. Up the Blades.

Looks like out lastest addition is the 'clappers' answer to Big Mart!?

Nothing died in me when we lost to Wigan though. I had a sinking feeling all the week before and wasn't surprised at all when we got beat. I remember us looking certain for avoiding the drop in 94, but we went down. I learnt from that. Frankly we were so bad against Villa that Wigan was always going to be a struggle. It hurt like hell mind.

Sure we blew our chance for the big time and cementing our place in the Prem. I'd prefer to be playing the big teams and travelling to the Bridge, White Hart Lane and the Emirates, rather than the Den, Selhurst Park and Vicerage Road. Sure, mais c'est la vie.

 

[super_pig]

suck it up guys.. it is what it is about being a blade.. over the years i've seen us lose on the last day to go down .. three times.. wigan.. even missing a penalty (walsall).. lost to chelsea on the last day (relegated) after being two one up.. a fix so blatant that my mate who is an everton fan gets embarassed talking about it..
draw to leicester when we needed a win (relegated).. lost three fa cup semi finals and a league cup semi final.. lose three play off finals.. what else?
i should have known i was in for a bumpy ride when as a youngster we contrived to lose the watney cup final
we'll do summat one day.. i might never see it but it will happen:fishbowl:

 

[Micalijo]

That's because you're a grumbling bugger !! When I here Warnocks name I think "Great man" "Good manager" "Promotion" "Season in the Premiership" "2 cup semi's & a play off final in one season" etc..

Try taking off the tinted glasses that you wear and you may realise that everything isn't as bad as you make out....

I've seen us play at Old Trafford, Highbury, Millenium Stadium, Wembley (both,) Anfield, St James' etc.. and they're great days out hey, we even won at Newcastle other year!! We ARE a 2nd tier team now. End Of. But when the good seasons come around that makes you savour them more not grumble for the 5 in between! Top ten finishes are United every season. Sometimes we finish 3rd and fuck it up on our big day out. Sometimes we finish 8th and say another same old season "the nearly men." But, every so often we play Liverpool or Arsenal or Newcastle in a cup semi final and can't believe how good it is to be a blade at that moment. Why should the feeling stop there? When we lose to those teams in these Semi's everybody says "Oh well, it had to end one day, it would've been nice to get to the final" bla bla bla.... When it's a play off final or a relegation 6 pointer all of a sudden the comments turn sour "Useless" "Toss" "Sack the manager" etc.. Get over it man! We're a 2nd tier club now that occasionally has a good season or two.

Don't get me wrong I'd love to see us as a steady top flight team and some day I might. We had a great chance to become that team the other year but bad tactics at Villa, missed penalties vs Blackburn, Paddy deciding to elbow Andy Johnson, Paddy thinking he can outsprint Obafemi Martins, Rob Styles, Carlos Tevez, Not putting a man on the post at Blackburn, Richard Scudamore the list is endless but all had a say on our 'Season in the Big time.'

But despite all of the bad days we've had since i'm not gonna sit and cry about it. What's done is done. I look forward to the game every week and always will do.

I used to work with a man that is never happy, always grumbling, felt the whole world was against him... I hate him!
I now work with blokes that like a laugh and a joke and don't get down hearted about anything. "Oh well, it's just one of those things"... I like them kind of people better.

No point being miserable all your life

Please note that when I hear Warnock's name I think exactly the same as you.

Were your last two sentences really necessary? What the fuck are you on about on a football forum?

 

[Nick Jansky]

Please note that when I hear Warnock's name I think exactly the same as you.

Were your last two sentences really necessary? What the fuck are you on about on a football forum?

Maybe he is pointing out that you do come across as a very miserable person who only serves to depress others on the forum, and is drawing an analogy with his former workmates?

 

[SteelCity Blade]

Maybe he is pointing out that you do come across as a very miserable person who only serves to depress others on the forum, and is drawing an analogy with his former workmates?

Although I agree with your suggestion that some people on here post nothing but misery and criticism....I wonder why you rise to it????

This is not specifically aimed at you Jansky, there are far bigger culprits in terms of biting at the bait. This is towards everyone....

In most cases the attempts to come across as miserable and critical are light hearted (probably not meant to be taken seriously all the time). But even when they are serious it doesnt mean you have to take a blind bit of notice. This "sunshine band" or whatever people call them post constant criticism of the club because they want to get a reaction from it. Why else would anyone post anything on an internet forum????

I'm not saying dont respond with a counter argument, but its only depresses others if those people a) read it and b) take it seriously.

Besides....if people didnt have these pole-opposite opinions there wouldn't be any debate on here....hence it would be boring

 

[shorehamview]

I love you Shoreham.

That's because I'm fucking ace. Everyone loves me - the ones that say they don't are exhibiting classic denial symptoms.

I'm not always right about everything, but at least I can try to see the funny side - and surely that's a big part of what being a Blade is about. Sure, there have been lows, but I've never had a part of me die inside as a direct result of the football.

The pies on the other hand, well. And don't get me started on the Bovril, and lack of stirrage thereof. And why can't the catering staff bloody smile? I bet they're fully paid-up Sunshine Band members, the gloomy fuckers. Honestly, you'd think they'd be overjoyed to serve sub-standard fare to pissed-up ungrateful football fans........

 

[Micalijo]

Maybe he is pointing out that you do come across as a very miserable person who only serves to depress others on the forum, and is drawing an analogy with his former workmates?

Really? Was he really trying to say that? I would never have guessed it.

I've gone right off you Jansky. You should have seen me the day Blackwell got sacked? Happy as Larry me. Lovin Speedo and chatting with my buddies on here.

 

[happyhippy]

I wish you'd fucking move on. Cannot believe you at times Hippy. Totally OTT as usual. And slating Blackwell is totally different.

OTT? Really? I'm not the one who is still bleating about a relegation years ago, and I'm also not the one who's more or less written an obituary about the club. Don't get me wrong, I've always been a 'glass half empty' person, but for Christ(TM)'s sake, lighten up.

I like a moan. We all like a moan. I'm particularly good at grumbling and being professionally miserable in fact. I find it's good for the soul. Just change the record. Please? We've finally got rid of Mr Boring, and whilst we're far from out of the woods, changes are happening. It's not perfect; nothing ever will be, but is there really any need for this constant self-flagellation?