Remember that week in April 1997?

[Silent Blade]

There was a big difference with the fans backing on 5th April and 12th April 1997 which showed that positive backing does help to lift the team. In the 2-1 home defeat against WBA (Bob Taylor, who some months earlier refused to speak to Kendall when WBA allowed him for talks over a possible transfer, got the winner). Our players were very edgy and afraid to make mistakes probably because the Blades fans were restless throughout the game (despite a lovely equaliser by Fjortoft) and the worst part of the match was when Spackman came on as sub (I didn’t agree with him coming on but still backed the team) and the crowd booed at Spackman every time he touched the ball. After about 20 minutes later Kendall decided to sub him (I didn’t agree with giving in to the fans demands).
In the next few days many fans were saying that the booing towards the team were wrong as we were still in the play off places. In the next home game (against Palace) 7 days later, the fans roared the team on from the start and, attacking the Kop end, we were rewarded with early goals from Ward (pen) and Fjortoft. David White made it 3-0 near the end.
We had players on high wages at the time but it is wrong to assume that we should be beating teams every week and moan if we don’t get the goals early in the game. Lets hope we will give our team full backing from the start to the end of the game for the rest of the season

 

[Silent Blade]

WBA and Palace games between 1:09:25 and 1:17:00
See Fjortoft gesturing the Kop for positive backing just after his plane celeration at the WBA game

 

[Pollingtonblade]

and then a few weeks later we went to Wembley with thousands of 'positive' fans and.....

 

[Silent Blade]

and then a few weeks later we went to Wembley with thousands of 'positive' fans and.....

There werent many positive Blades fans at Wembley from what I can remember

 

[Pollingtonblade]

There werent many positive Blades fans at Wembley from what I can remember

There weren't any 'positive' players as I recall - the worse play off final ever I'd wager.

 

[Cheets]

My recollection is that Charles Green said something along the lines of "We've got 5 games left. Let's treat them all as cup finals". They cut admission prices for the Stoke game to a fiver (I think) and Nazeem Hamed was introduced to the crowd, and there was indeed a full house and great atmosphere for that match. All leading us up to our first play-off final. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Those black Avec jumpers were cool as fuck.

 

[Geordie Blade]

Just watching that play-off second leg at Ipswich (1:24:42), and two things struck me:

1. It was absolutely brilliant seeing Fjortoft rubbing it into Taricco's face after the final whistle. I can only think of Kevin Muscat who can compete anywhere near with Taricco in terms of vileness from Blades fans.

2. Is my monitor deceiving me, or were the goalframes in that game square? I thought they'd been phased out in the 1970s!

 

[Revolution]

There werent many positive Blades fans at Wembley from what I can remember

At one point in the second half, Lee Sandford went on a run and won a corner.

That was the closest we came to a goal that day. We had no shot on target.

But I assume that's the fans fault.

 

[South London Blade]

There weren't any 'positive' players as I recall - the worse play off final ever I'd wager.

Udders one a couple of years back was far worse.

 

[Bladesway]

1. It was absolutely brilliant seeing Fjortoft rubbing it into Taricco's face after the final whistle. I can only think of Kevin Muscat who can compete anywhere near with Taricco in terms of vileness from Blades fans.

I'd agree but personally I loathed Alex Rae and David Healy up there with the two you mention. Remember Muscat missing a pen at the lane if memory serves me.

 

[Geordie Blade]

I'd agree but personally I loathed Alex Rae and David Healy up there with the two you mention.

Kevin Ball could complete the "He's a Shithouse, Boss" five-a-side team.

 

[blade too long]

Udders one a couple of years back was far worse.

nah palace game stunk , was devoid of everything , even blades cheered when palace scored as it saved us from another 30 minutes

 

[SotonBlade]

WBA and Palace games between 1:09:25 and 1:17:00
See Fjortoft gesturing the Kop for positive backing just after his plane celeration at the WBA game

Look at the number of players in the box!!

Hope Clough watches that!

 

[Blade for Sale]

nah palace game stunk , was devoid of everything , even blades cheered when palace scored as it saved us from another 30 minutes

Didn't they score at the end of ET?

 

[blade too long]

Didn't they score at the end of ET?

no idea was asleep

 

[Silent Blade]

There weren't any 'positive' players as I recall - the worse play off final ever I'd wager.

Agree. David White was useless. Hutchison got carried off in the 1st half and Tiler's clearance header should have been directed to the touchline rather than to the middle

 

[Silent Blade]

Just watching that play-off second leg at Ipswich (1:24:42), and two things struck me:

1. It was absolutely brilliant seeing Fjortoft rubbing it into Taricco's face after the final whistle. I can only think of Kevin Muscat who can compete anywhere near with Taricco in terms of vileness from Blades fans.

2. Is my monitor deceiving me, or were the goalframes in that game square? I thought they'd been phased out in the 1970s!

You can see Taricco spitting at Hutchison and Fjortoft. Nasty!

 

[Silent Blade]

At one point in the second half, Lee Sandford went on a run and won a corner.

That was the closest we came to a goal that day. We had no shot on target.

But I assume that's the fans fault.

Ha ha. Fjortoft's low shot was inches past the post in the last 10 mins

 

[Silent Blade]

Kevin Ball could complete the "He's a Shithouse, Boss" five-a-side team.

Alan Ball was public enemy number 1 at the Lane in the 1970s. Never forgot our fans being in raptures when he got sent off in October 1972. francis Lee was another one and got sent off after a scuffle with Ted Hemsley in December 1972. We cheered at his sending off too!

 

[Silent Blade]

Didn't they score at the end of ET?

90th minute

 

[DI36O]

My recollection is that Charles Green said something along the lines of "We've got 5 games left. Let's treat them all as cup finals". They cut admission prices for the Stoke game to a fiver (I think) and Nazeem Hamed was introduced to the crowd, and there was indeed a full house and great atmosphere for that match. All leading us up to our first play-off final. What could possibly go wrong?

Plus there was a streaker (i think?)

 

[Blade for Sale]

90th minute

Christ I could have sworn it was at the end of ET! It felt like it anyway. I also recall a bunch of Palace fans rocking up in a tank as well, but maybe that was a hallucination too!

 

[Borbokisfreekick]

There werent many positive Blades fans at Wembley from what I can remember

I remember that as well, almost the whole lower section down the camera side and around the tunnel was empty, always wondered how many we took, but we definitely didn't sell out our allocation.

Was a horrible final. Nothing went in our favor, culminating in the last minute winner. Just shows how "form" can go out of the window. We battered Palace weeks before and did the double over them in the league, and still lost.

 

[Silent Blade]

Christ I could have sworn it was at the end of ET! It felt like it anyway. I also recall a bunch of Palace fans rocking up in a tank as well, but maybe that was a hallucination too!

Deffo 90th minute. Kendall's response was to put on Andy Walker to play for one or two minutes of the injury time. Just remembered that he subbed Katchouro in the 1st half

 

[CG Blade]

Yes they did toll up in a tank. I was right behind Hopkins when he hits that shot, as soon as it left his boot I knew it was in. I just got straight up and headed for the exit, I think I was halfway up the steps before it hit the net. The worst of many bad play off finals

 

[HillmortonBlade]

I was a bag of nerves throughout that April... went off to Jamaica to marry Mrs HB at start of May and flew back in the day of the Play Off final, sat utterly exhausted and despondent during the match (on tv in the new in-laws). Could have been jet lag, could have been Red Stripe and rum withdrawal, could have have been the match...

 

[bornablade]

Alan Ball was public enemy number 1 at the Lane in the 1970s. Never forgot our fans being in raptures when he got sent off in October 1972. francis Lee was another one and got sent off after a scuffle with Ted Hemsley in December 1972. We cheered at his sending off too!

I think the discussion may end when I say.......Gareth Ainsworth

 

[grafikhaus]

...but it is wrong to assume that we should be beating teams every week and moan if we don’t get the goals early in the game. Lets hope we will give our team full backing from the start to the end of the game for the rest of the season

Goals early in the game? It'd be nice if we had a fucking shot in the first half. This is one of many things that will count against NC - the casual way the first half just passes us by in home games.

It was absolutely brilliant seeing Fjortoft rubbing it into Taricco's face after the final whistle. I can only think of Kevin Muscat who can compete anywhere near with Taricco in terms of vileness from Blades fans.

Ah. Mauricio Taricco. I thought about him the other day as he's been one of Gus Poyet's 'assistants'. A truly vile cunt who had his usual snippy performance against us while playing for Ipswich around 96/97. Me and the lads were in the Social Club after the game and the Ipswich coach pulled up outside to collect their players for the journey home.

'The word' went up and around eight Blades boarded the coach, made their way to Taricco and left him in no doubt that his life was in danger if he ever came back.

 

[Mustela Putorius Furo]

I remember that as well, almost the whole lower section down the camera side and around the tunnel was empty, always wondered how many we took, but we definitely didn't sell out our allocation.

That was because Charles Green set up a ticket distribution policy as if he was selling to Man Utd fans:

"If you were born on a wednesday, your name starts with a J and your favourite Jovian moon is Ganymede, go to Turnstyle 63 on a thursday morning between 3 and 4 am and you can buy 1 ticket per voucher".

Palace just sold 'em on the basis of "4 tickets per person" that turned up in the queue when the went on sale. They sold out.