Premier League >>>The Holy Grail

[ChipButtyBlade]

Its not is it ?

Will you miss it ?

Do you want to come straight back next season ?

NO NO NO

 

[YES Blade]

Then what’s the point in supporting the club? It seems pretty pointless if our sole ambition as fans is to see the club be good enough to be a Championship club and nothing better.

 

[JPBrods]

Of course I would but only if we could actually compete.
People who say "ohh the Championship is just much better" are talking out of their arse.
We want to be in this league just not a laughing stock. It's that simple.

 

[91stMinute]

Its not is it ?

Will you miss it ?

Do you want to come straight back next season ?

NO NO NO

NO. Didnt want to go up in the first place. Promoted teams can rarely compete in "the best league in the world"
WONT MISS - VAR. Will be able to celebrate goals properly.
WONT MISS - The cheating players rolling around like they've been shot then jogging around again after remembering to limp for a few steps.
WONT MISS - Sky coverage of "their league". No more Redknapp, Carragher et al spouting their bile and their complete lack of respect/knowledge of the game below the top 6.

I could go on but will hand it over to others.

EPL

 

[91stMinute]

Then what’s the point in supporting the club? It seems pretty pointless if our sole ambition as fans is to see the club be good enough to be a Championship club and nothing better.

We will never be able to compete in this league. The gap is massive even if you have a monetary backing. It is getting bigger every season.

Then what’s the point in supporting the club?

You could say that to the vast majority of football supporters in the EFL. Since when have we become a fan base that expect the club to be in the EPL?

 

[s20Blade]

It's just a cash-grab now for championship clubs. If you're not stupid and avoid giving out long term contracts you can come back down in a decent financial state.

 

[Swannyblade]

It's true that there's a growing inequality between the Prem and Champ, but even by recent standards, we've been a special kind of shite this season.
We can't just blame everything on the wealth gap, there's a lot of internal blame as well. Obviously the ownership has been woeful in their approach, but some of our players need to have a long hard look in the mirror.

 

[Bobby b]

Everyone wants us to be a success in the championship next season and success means promotion, whether that be in the top 2 or via wembley but unfortunately for us fans the prize is not worth having, yes we would get better players, who have probably got relegation clauses so we would have to sell them, most likely at a loss, yes the club could pay the bills for the next couple of years.
The likelihood is we come straight back down losing lots of games, and those losses would be picked over minutely by every "expert" those losses would be seen globally, so that if you're abroad and say to a foreigner that you support sheffield united they would probably say "oh you're a bit shit aren't you", there is the possibility we could be a success in the premiership, but that success possibly would be finishing 4th or 5th from the bottom where we would still lose the majority of the games, which would be picked over by "experts".
Then there's the other teams, where most of them look down on you, they look at you as a way to close the gap at the top, ok that happens in every league I know but in other leagues the commentators wouldn't just talk about that aspect of the game, I know the theatrics, gamesmanship and downright cheating is creeping into lower leagues but this is, we'll premier league stuff.
Then there's VAR, where you have to wait 20 minutes to celebrate a goal, if you're lucky enough to score one, there's the 2 hour games what we're never pleased to see, either were hanging on for a win or draw or we're getting hammered and want it to end, these games always suits the bigger teams more.
In conclusion NO

 

[FlamingLip]

Our peaks are the champ seasons. Our troughs are the Prem seasons. It's a weird paradox but it's reality without billions of investment which isn't likely.

I don't mind getting relegated from the Prem every time we enter. But we have to manage to go down with some level of dignity. This season has been a disgrace to the sport.

 

[SheepdipBlade]

I hear fans from a lot of clubs saying that football has lost it's way - and the PL in particular is a problem. If the polarisation between the "elite" and the rest continues to grow, we're likely to end up with an American sports system where the elite clubs make the rules to benefit themselves - and smaller clubs never get a look in due to the system if nothing else - all aided and abetted by UEFA/FIFA in the name of "spreading the game", which to me is code for "making more money".

Derby, Stoke, West Brom, Burnley, Pompey, Reading, Charlton, Norwich, Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Sunderland - all clubs with fans pissed off by "the system".

Personally I find FM more enjoyable than the real thing nowadays.

The only wild card may be if the Saudis out-bid the PL. Either way - it's a far cry from the days of TC and Woody.

 

[SuperSonicBlade89]

Can't we just fuck the leagues off and aim for 7th in the Championship and just concentrate on the cups? You know its very nearly 100 years!

 

[CPB]

It can be the holy grail. IF you have money and infrastructure about you.
But you need alot of money to get to that stage.

Leicester assuming they do go up will probably kick on again and become a PL mid table team because they spent quite a bit on their infrastructure and also already have a good core of players to build on. Leeds need to do a bit more work but still have some good players.
Southampton have the infrastructure too so should they not make promotion this season it won't be long.

As Hecky said in his recent interview it was always going to be tough, but we contrived to lose too much of the core/dressing room and I'm inclined to believe this.
Iliman was that good for us he papered over some of our play but equally because he was that good as a team he was a constant outlet/a threat and a really good presser. Sander was very used to our system and generally speaking performed better under Hecky than anyone else.
That said it was all championship games. Losing Sharp from the dressing room won't have helped our character either even if really he wouldn't have played much at all.
I suppose you could throw in that during this season as well we have lost Egan and McBurnie hasn't been available enough either.

Wilder needs to rescue the end of the season with a new approach for sure. In a way Wilder needs to have a sit down with the board/Prince and they need to work out who they are wanting to keep beyond this summer.

So whilst we don't want to be rushing academy players in and damage their experience we should be looking to blood Arblaster, Brooks and even Sam Curtis perhaps where we can.

Archer will be gone so, although I'd still use him for sure, not at the expense of developing players. (That said I'm not sold on Osula).
McAtee will also be gone but we simply have to play him given his ability.
I also appreciate that should we be wanting to cash in on the likes of Souza/Hamer. (not saying we do) But benching them would not drive the price higher.

 

[Whiston Blade]

The next time we get promoted to the PL, everyone will be out celebrating with the club. The fact is, if you're holding your own or at least giving it a good go when in the PL, win, lose or draw, the fans will be relatively happy. Getting dry humped week-in week-out with the odd crumb of results which go our way isn't enjoyable, believe it or not..

 

[Racing Blade]

I hear fans from a lot of clubs saying that football has lost it's way - and the PL in particular is a problem. If the polarisation between the "elite" and the rest continues to grow, we're likely to end up with an American sports system where the elite clubs make the rules to benefit themselves - and smaller clubs never get a look in due to the system if nothing else - all aided and abetted by UEFA/FIFA in the name of "spreading the game", which to me is code for "making more money".

Derby, Stoke, West Brom, Burnley, Pompey, Reading, Charlton, Norwich, Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Sunderland - all clubs with fans pissed off by "the system".

Personally I find FM more enjoyable than the real thing nowadays.

The only wild card may be if the Saudis out-bid the PL. Either way - it's a far cry from the days of TC and Woody

Whilst I'm no fan of or advocate for American sport, the NFL system is ultra competitive and throws out different winners and finalists, over the years.

In the 70s, countless clubs managed to win one of the three main trophies, which meant, during our TC and Woodward days, we had genuine hope of joining the party (before we imploded and ended up in Division Four). Similar sharing of the spoils in Germany, Italy or France has also gone the same way.

Acceptance of being somewhere between 15th and 35th best club in the land, nowadays, leaves no hope of ever winning anything, but I guess it is what it is.

Supporters of all the clubs you mention will have their own outlook, then there are the likes of Barnsley, Rotherham and Chesterfield who just support their local team without delusions of grandeur.

Realistically, we are all going to be sitting around, hoping for a lucky ownership change to alter the cycle. Highly unlikely in my life time without a tectonic change, such as the European Super League, but that's another story.....

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Its not is it ?

Will you miss it ?

Do you want to come straight back next season ?

NO NO NO

Well that depends…When we were playing total Wilderball and bearing down on a top six spot just before Covid struck…I didn’t give a flying fuck about what was going on in EFL and SWFC was just a figment of a very distant imagination…So, it weren’t too bad then.

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Its not is it ?

Will you miss it ?

Do you want to come straight back next season ?

NO NO NO

Yes it is.
Yes (But not VAR)
Yes

I watched Arsenal last night and would give my right arm to see a United side play football like that.

Doubt it will happen in my lifetime, the whole thinking of the club would have too change including the fans.

 

[HillmortonBlade]

Then what’s the point in supporting the club? It seems pretty pointless if our sole ambition as fans is to see the club be good enough to be a Championship club and nothing better.

The fact it’s even a discussion point says lots about the state of the sport these days.

And don’t start me on VAR..

 

[DaveBassettsgoneonholiday]

It's not just (some of) us that think it's not worth the bother. There's an article in this mornings Times Sport section if anyone can link it that shows it's the view held by many clubs supporters.

 

[Loco Blade]

I can understand the anti - prem sentiment. I feel the same but like in real life ambition has to be matched with commitment. The one thing this club has totally lacked in all the attempts since the formation of the Premier League is funding and structure . When and whoever is the next custodian of our club that takes the opportunity seriously I will believe. Until then they’re just taking the piss .

 

[SwissBlade]

Reality is that financially for clubs it is the holy grail. Outside the top league the revenues are hard to compete on

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Yes (I would love us to be come an established Premiership side)
Yes
Yes (What's the point otherwise)

VAR can do one though.

 

[munksyb]

In mitigation to this season

The PL teams held all the loan cards, and we only got Archer & MacAtee at the last minute

We have been totally decimated be injuries, and players out for months , if not the full season

We have never consecutively played the same front 3 or back 4
( as far as I can recall, so how do you build up understanding throughout the squad.

And however you analyse it
Premier League referees have a natural bias towards the Elite teams for most calls & the 50/50 calls and the way players dive & grab the ball, but most of all VAR seem to look for every way to penalise us.

 

[ATL Recs]

Its not is it ?

Will you miss it ?

Do you want to come straight back next season ?

NO NO NO

Mediocrity in an easier league is your aim then ffs man what’s the point to that
always strive and have ambition to be better

 

[Nedski]

Can't we just fuck the leagues off and aim for 7th in the Championship and just concentrate on the cups? You know its very nearly 100 years!

I don't mind this idea at all to be honest.

Let's get our starting 11 sorted over pre season, getting rid of Souza, Anel and anyone else that doesn't want to be here, make some decent signings, and use the league games to work out how we want to play while bringing in players like Peck, Curtis, Marsh etc.

Then when the cup games come along we can really give it a good go. The EFL Cup is only 6 games and no one cares about it anymore, but it's a final, a trip to Wembley, and hopefully an actual trophy! I'd take that over promotion.

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

Premier League is fuckin shit.
Ok, it's nice playing some big name teams, who have historical status. But it feels like a commercial venture going down the wrong path for the wrong reasons.
Watching EFL matches on TV has been a breathe of fresh air. It's what football is supposed to be.

 

[brownblade]

Premier League >>>The Holy Grail

Hard to compare the two. Premier League obviously been brilliant since 1992(?) but has had some bad installments and these days they think a big budget makes anything work.

Whereas the Holy Grail still makes people laugh to this day. Also don't think a big budget was needed.

 

[Bell4]

Premier League is fuckin shit.
Ok, it's nice playing some big name teams, who have historical status. But it feels like a commercial venture going down the wrong path for the wrong reasons.
Watching EFL matches on TV has been a breathe of fresh air. It's what football is supposed to be.

Great place to play your football, not the Prems fault we are run like a club scout camping trip

 

[Bell4]

In mitigation to this season

The PL teams held all the loan cards, and we only got Archer & MacAtee at the last minute

We have been totally decimated be injuries, and players out for months , if not the full season

We have never consecutively played the same front 3 or back 4
( as far as I can recall, so how do you build up understanding throughout the squad.

And however you analyse it
Premier League referees have a natural bias towards the Elite teams for most calls & the 50/50 calls and the way players dive & grab the ball, but most of all VAR seem to look for every way to penalise us.

Paranoid

 

[Need4speed]

Please stop with the idea that promotion to the Premier League is the financial holy grail. It may have solved our financial problem temporarily but that is only because we spent fuck all, apart from higher wages and bonuses, the consequence is relegation. Same for Luton unless they are saved by points deductions. Same for Norwich in the past. A club gaining promotion who want to compete have to spend way more than the extra money they get from being in the Premiership and that is a financial risk. Yes I hope we get promotion next season but the finances of football are so distorted by clubs owned by countries and billionaires we won't stay up.

 

[FATTYFOULKE]

You could say that to the vast majority of football supporters in the EFL. Since when have we become a fan base that expect the club to be in the EPL?

I remember a time when everyone expected United to be a mainstay of English football‘s top division. We shouldn’t lower our expectations.

There is absolutely no reason why United can’t become a mainstay of the Premier League much the same as other similar sized clubs and absolutely no reason we couldn’t win the odd cup.

Think of the number of semi finals we’ve been in as a second tier club and think of the number of smaller clubs who’ve reached finals in recent years.

Accept second best and it’ll not be long where second best becomes an ambition rather than the norm. We should never stop wanting to be a regular top flight club.