LouTheBlade
Active Member
So what are we to do about the current ‘goings-on’ at BDTBL? The answer is ‘nothing.’ We can’t affect it so there is little point getting hot under the collar about it or arguing with those who do. Yes I have been one of those who is severely unhappy and I have made countless, possibly even some pointless suggestions on how to improve things but I am just one man. A meaningless supporter at that. I will go on to establish exactly what I mean by ‘meaningless supporter’ later on but first of all I want to try and put across some perspective and realism. Mainly for those either losing sleep because of a football team or those vehemently defending their beloved Blades from the sometimes very harsh abuse that people on this forum deliver. It helps if we understand the following?
Are we performing to expectation?
A: Considering the size of our club, its support and infrastructure – Sheffield United Football Club has underperformed for decades with fleeting moments of progression. It’s always been this way and it won’t ever change. Certainly not with the way football is and the way it is going. We all need to stop dreaming and just accept we are what we are. Yes we could expect better football on the pitch but we have proved time and time again we are not a top flight club because we don’t have the courage to be. Second tier is where we are and second tier is where we deserve to be.
Is the style of football entertaining?
A: No, probably not and certainly not in my eyes. While KB is in charge we will play a certain way and he has proved to have no way of deviating from it. I can see it, most people with a football brain can see it. But what do you want to do about it? The board have no intention of sacking him and the only way it will change is if he leaves so get over it. I know I have to and I will.
Are we getting value for money?
A: Certainly not. Football hasn’t been a value for money product for at least 10 years. £400+ a season ticket should deliver football’s answer to dining in the finest restaurants. Instead we get football’s answer to Burger King Season in season out. It’s astonishing in the sense that it is the only product people will pay for consistently regardless of how crap it continues to be. Blind devotion is such a strong motivator. After years of being that way inclined I am sick of playing the mug and instead of forever moaning about what is being served up – I am instead questioning my investment for the benefit of my own wallet and the people that depend upon me. Some things are more important than football.
Should we feel sorry for Blackwell or the team?
A: No. The suggestion that anyone should feel sorry for people on ludicrous wages is beyond me. The vast majority of supporters have proper jobs. Some work long hours, some juggle children and work and some have very little money but spend what little they have on Sheffield United. They do this through sheer faith in a team that they love and they torment themselves silly when United lose. I do the same; I have even shed tears for them in my younger days. But why? Why do we do this? Do you honestly think for a minute that the manager and the team sit in their 5 bed detached house in the suburbs worrying about the fans and feeling sorry for us?! Of course they don’t. They worry about their wallet and their own pride, nothing else.
And finally, considering all the above........
Why do we keep coming back?
A: Because our blind devotion is motivated by the desire for glory and so that we can say we support a successful team. Admit it, what fills us with more pride than to be able to say “I support Sheffield United,” when they’ve just been promoted. If a psychic told you we would never win anything ever again and would stay in this division forever – 70% of you would walk away and never return. The reason we keep going back is for that ‘what if’ feeling. We all live in that hope that success is just around the corner and if we’re honest with ourselves, we dare not walk away because we are worried we will miss out. The human brain is the same in every head, we are greedy and self-concerned. We don’t support a football team to help them, we do it for our own personal joy and turn up for only one reason. We want the good times and the vast majority of us don’t want to tolerate the bad times. It’s all a bit silly really and it’s no wonder those that don’t understand the game ridicule us for it.
What did I mean by meaningless supporter?
A: What it says on the tin pal. We are meaningless to the football club. Maybe not as a crowd but we are as an individual. Just another head or another bum on the seat. They have no regard for what the supporters want. They just take your money off you and serve it up as they please. Football isn’t for the fans anymore. It’s a rich little boys playground and we are their pawns. The day the majority realise this and stop handing over hard earned cash with blatant disregard the better. We need to punish the game to take it back for ourselves because it doesn’t belong to us anymore. We’re just feeding those that really benefit from it.
Just think about it. I mean really think about what I’ve said. I’ve attempted to avoid real criticism of anyone at the club in this thread and get to the heart of how some people feel but more importantly.......what some supporters know. Deep down you know everything I have said is right. Hurts me to say it but it is.
Are we performing to expectation?
A: Considering the size of our club, its support and infrastructure – Sheffield United Football Club has underperformed for decades with fleeting moments of progression. It’s always been this way and it won’t ever change. Certainly not with the way football is and the way it is going. We all need to stop dreaming and just accept we are what we are. Yes we could expect better football on the pitch but we have proved time and time again we are not a top flight club because we don’t have the courage to be. Second tier is where we are and second tier is where we deserve to be.
Is the style of football entertaining?
A: No, probably not and certainly not in my eyes. While KB is in charge we will play a certain way and he has proved to have no way of deviating from it. I can see it, most people with a football brain can see it. But what do you want to do about it? The board have no intention of sacking him and the only way it will change is if he leaves so get over it. I know I have to and I will.
Are we getting value for money?
A: Certainly not. Football hasn’t been a value for money product for at least 10 years. £400+ a season ticket should deliver football’s answer to dining in the finest restaurants. Instead we get football’s answer to Burger King Season in season out. It’s astonishing in the sense that it is the only product people will pay for consistently regardless of how crap it continues to be. Blind devotion is such a strong motivator. After years of being that way inclined I am sick of playing the mug and instead of forever moaning about what is being served up – I am instead questioning my investment for the benefit of my own wallet and the people that depend upon me. Some things are more important than football.
Should we feel sorry for Blackwell or the team?
A: No. The suggestion that anyone should feel sorry for people on ludicrous wages is beyond me. The vast majority of supporters have proper jobs. Some work long hours, some juggle children and work and some have very little money but spend what little they have on Sheffield United. They do this through sheer faith in a team that they love and they torment themselves silly when United lose. I do the same; I have even shed tears for them in my younger days. But why? Why do we do this? Do you honestly think for a minute that the manager and the team sit in their 5 bed detached house in the suburbs worrying about the fans and feeling sorry for us?! Of course they don’t. They worry about their wallet and their own pride, nothing else.
And finally, considering all the above........
Why do we keep coming back?
A: Because our blind devotion is motivated by the desire for glory and so that we can say we support a successful team. Admit it, what fills us with more pride than to be able to say “I support Sheffield United,” when they’ve just been promoted. If a psychic told you we would never win anything ever again and would stay in this division forever – 70% of you would walk away and never return. The reason we keep going back is for that ‘what if’ feeling. We all live in that hope that success is just around the corner and if we’re honest with ourselves, we dare not walk away because we are worried we will miss out. The human brain is the same in every head, we are greedy and self-concerned. We don’t support a football team to help them, we do it for our own personal joy and turn up for only one reason. We want the good times and the vast majority of us don’t want to tolerate the bad times. It’s all a bit silly really and it’s no wonder those that don’t understand the game ridicule us for it.
What did I mean by meaningless supporter?
A: What it says on the tin pal. We are meaningless to the football club. Maybe not as a crowd but we are as an individual. Just another head or another bum on the seat. They have no regard for what the supporters want. They just take your money off you and serve it up as they please. Football isn’t for the fans anymore. It’s a rich little boys playground and we are their pawns. The day the majority realise this and stop handing over hard earned cash with blatant disregard the better. We need to punish the game to take it back for ourselves because it doesn’t belong to us anymore. We’re just feeding those that really benefit from it.
Just think about it. I mean really think about what I’ve said. I’ve attempted to avoid real criticism of anyone at the club in this thread and get to the heart of how some people feel but more importantly.......what some supporters know. Deep down you know everything I have said is right. Hurts me to say it but it is.
