Most exciting United friendly you've seen?

[1973Blade]

A dull goalless draw rounds off our pre season. Having said that most friendlies are hardly exciting. Looking back, the most memorable ones for me are playing Fenerbahce over ten years ago and winning - although I think it was the Turkish fans who made it interesting - and holding the mighty Inter Milan to a draw in 2018. Apart from that not many of our friendly games have lived long in the memory.

 

[Maurice Maurice]

Pre season friendlies are a day out, or a few days out on the piss. The games are insignificant with players going through the motions and the result meaningless. Nothing to really get excited about and I'm firmly in the camp of only watching them if I've got nowt else to do.

 

[BanbridgeBlade]

Steel city cup games were good.

 

[Old Programme seller]

I remember watching us in a extremely boring 0-0 with the pigs I think Carlton Palmer got sent off it was as the old saying goes ‘like watching paint dry’ I think that was the highlight of the match.

 

[Rochdaleblade]

It's a pretty season friendly. Who gets excited about them? The only one I attended would be around 2002. I was going through a divorce at the time and needed an excuse to get out of the house. From memory, we beat a Dutch team (Twente?) 4 - 1. The only time ive ever sat in the south stand. It would have been exciting if it had a real game I suppose, rather than a glorified kick about.

 

[wardonia_blade]

Not pre-season, but the game against River Plate was good in 1978. The game was part of the Sabella deal. We lost 2-1
From memory Fillol, Passarella, Luque and Ortez played, recent World cup winners. 2 days before we beat a top class Liverpool 1-0 in the league Cup.

 

[Red Wing Blade]

I can remember us playing Tottenham at Bramall Lane and we won 2-1. If I remember rightly Jon Harley scored a beauty in front of the Kop and Jonathan Forte bagged the other one. I seem to remember this being part of the package for Michael Brown.

 

[Silent Blade]

Not pre-season, but the game against River Plate was good in 1978. The game was part of the Sabella deal. We lost 2-1
From memory Fillol, Passarella, Luque and Ortez played, recent World cup winners. 2 days before we beat a top class Liverpool 1-0 in the league Cup.

Yes, that was the most memorable friendly match I went to. Fillol, Passarella, Luque and Ortiz played (all started) in the 1978 World Cup final, Alonso was in the 1978 World Cup squad and came on as sub in their opening game against Hungary, Perfumo played for Argentina in that infamous 1966 quarter final match against England and was captain in 1974 World Cup.

Woody opened the scoring from a penalty after Sabella's mazy dribble was halted by a trip. Alonso's equaliser was a swerving shot from outside of the box towards the top corner of the net at the Lane End past the stunned Jim Brown. Luque's winner was a powerful shot that Brown had a hand to but the ball hit the back of the net via the underside of the crossbar.



After the final whistle the crowd gave a warm standing ovation to the River Plate team and the Argentinians responded with a warm applause to all four sides of the crowd.

After the match I went to John Street to have a closer look at the World Cup winners, I spotted 3 of them in the coach but there was no sign of Passarella. Pedro Gonzalez seemed to fall in love with one of the young ladies who was near me and tried to speak to her through the window but he then came out of the coach to meet the lady to hold her hand and was sort of wooing her! Then a passing car was getting a lot of attention and were surrounded by Blades fans, I was wondering who were in the car and I found that Sabella was in the car with Passarella giving the impression that they are close friends (Sabella must have invited him to a meal out or something like that) and it was no surprise to me that Sabella was Passarella's assistant in the 1998 World Cup


Luque celebrating his winning goal

 

[Blade In Flame]

Perfumo played for Argentina in that infamous 1966 quarter final match against England and was captain in 1974 World Cup.

Did he get scent off?



I shall fetch my coat forthwith....

 

[S64 Blade]

The annual Rotherham or Chesterfield trip. A real highlight in the calendar and the gifts that keep on giving.

 

[Bell4]

I remember a 5-4 loss v Notts County the day Elvis died

 

[Blades1971]

Don't bother with friendlys. Glorified training sessions.

 

[Booker4]

In my era, 1989 on I recall the friendly with Blackburn when Deane returned was a cracker! 10,000 fans to see Drano return, Blackburn were then a PL side and the reception when Deane came on the pitch was really electric. Just ten seconds ir so gone a criss came in which Deano scored a trademark header! I'll never forget it!

Can't remember the final score but I remember we won.

 

[TopBoy]

Kettering away 2001 or 2002 with Jags and Tonge making their debuts.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Kettering away 2001 or 2002 with Jags and Tonge making their debuts.

They both made their debuts in league games.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Not pre-season, but the game against River Plate was good in 1978. The game was part of the Sabella deal. We lost 2-1
From memory Fillol, Passarella, Luque and Ortez played, recent World cup winners. 2 days before we beat a top class Liverpool 1-0 in the league Cup.

As an awestruck 12 year old, I remember both those games vividly.

 

[1973Blade]

I remember a 5-4 loss v Notts County the day Elvis died

Were you All Shook Up by the defeat?

 

[Gannon and Egg]

York a couple of years ago and then to Leeds millennium square for suede and the manics

 

[Gin&Juice]

Watching Mousse getting crane lifted onto the pitch at Matlock.

 

[Silent Blade]

Were you All Shook Up by the defeat?

We were winning 2-0 then it was 2-4 then 4-4 before County hit a late winner

 

[Gin&Juice]

I do remember Michael Tonge scoring against Boro in 2002. Think it was Tracey’s testimonial. Not sure if it was entertaining? James Wallace looked good against Fenerbache once. Running out of ideas. They’re all the same every season. The worst we do in preseason the better the season is, the better we do, the bigger the clusterfuck it is.

 

[Karlos]

In my era, 1989 on I recall the friendly with Blackburn when Deane returned was a cracker! 10,000 fans to see Drano return, Blackburn were then a PL side and the reception when Deane came on the pitch was really electric. Just ten seconds ir so gone a criss came in which Deano scored a trademark header! I'll never forget it!

Can't remember the final score but I remember we won.

Is that the one where we saw borbokis and quinn for the first time at wing back with Paul McGrath , Holdsworth and Tiler at the back? That was the pre season game when I thought , we have a team here!

 

[Silent Blade]

Is that the one where we saw borbokis and quinn for the first time at wing back with Paul McGrath , Holdsworth and Tiler at the back? That was the pre season game when I thought , we have a team here!

Yes

 

[Bell4]

Were you All Shook Up by the defeat?

My best mate - Kev , who passed away on the way home from the Norwich home game in Dec, relayed the news whilst three of us were camping inside a two man tent at Bridlington South Shore camp site … he said - Utd have lost 5-4 and Elvis has croaked it - as he brought to the tent a couple of Sunday papers .

How I miss him

 

[SW12 to S12 to S18]

Don't bother with friendlys. Glorified training sessions.

Me neither, unless they’re in Germany.

 

[103SecondsOfMagic]

My first ever home match was the friendly against Benfica after we sold them Deano in about 1998. A young 103SoM hadn't yet grasped the difference between a meaningless pre-season friendly and a glamorous European fixture against illustrious opponents, so I was a rather disappointed member of a 200-strong crowd watching us lose 3-1

 

[LBA_Blade]

I guess it is about age at the time, scarily it's 19 years ago now but the mini preseason tour of Northern Ireland/ROI with those 3 games in 2007 for me were great as with a group of mates, some that had gone off to uni, others on different career paths, we had a great time. My favourite game was vs Newry, and as had mates up that we we flew to Belfast from Newcastle and randomly bumped into Craig Short going through security at the airport. Some decent goals with Tonge who did do a bit of free kick magic from memory and also had a squad that included Paddy, Del boy, Danny Webber and Jon Stead. I think Killa and Morgs were CB's too, legs-of-wood defo was in the midfield and at least one of the Quinn's were in the squad. Which probably meant Keith Gillespie was playing too, not got the programme to see if the "fact of the day" was in there about him making the switch from Man United to Newcastle with Andy Cole going in the other direction, but that's for another time. It wasn't for the memories of football but the mates and chat with locals that made it

 

[SW12 to S12 to S18]

I guess it is about age at the time, scarily it's 19 years ago now but the mini preseason tour of Northern Ireland/ROI with those 3 games in 2007 for me were great as with a group of mates, some that had gone off to uni, others on different career paths, we had a great time. My favourite game was vs Newry, and as had mates up that we we flew to Belfast from Newcastle and randomly bumped into Craig Short going through security at the airport. Some decent goals with Tonge who did do a bit of free kick magic from memory and also had a squad that included Paddy, Del boy, Danny Webber and Jon Stead. I think Killa and Morgs were CB's too, legs-of-wood defo was in the midfield and at least one of the Quinn's were in the squad. Which probably meant Keith Gillespie was playing too, not got the programme to see if the "fact of the day" was in there about him making the switch from Man United to Newcastle with Andy Cole going in the other direction, but that's for another time. It wasn't for the memories of football but the mates and chat with locals that made it

I think it was 30 years ago, unless they’ve done two tours there. I’m sure they did one around then.

 

[S64 Blade]

I think it was 30 years ago, unless they’ve done two tours there. I’m sure they did one around then.

Definitely went in 2007 too.

 

[247Blade]

Im trying to fit Utd and exciting in a sentence?