Sabella

[Silent Blade]

I remember reading an article with Rioch years later and he was asked why he didn't extend his loan, his reply they never asked him too!!

Yes heard about Campbell's off the field antics and I thought Matthews was good in the Fourth Division but poor in the Second and Third Divisions.

Matthews scored on his debut at Leicester. Scored cracking goals against Oldham, Cardiff and Cambridge. Played well in defence against Liverpool. I liked his passing.

 

[Revolution]

If Haslam would have been a bit more canny with his signings in summer 1978 things might have turned out much better for Alex and SUFC,

He had the basis of a good team with decent young 'uns such as Edwards, Stainrod, Campbell (okay there may have been other reasons why he was released), Hamson and Kenworthy who all had a couple of years first team experience by then. Plus in the wings he'd also got Varadi and Benjamin who made their debuts later that season. Instead of letting Edwards go for £50k and replacing him with the injury prone Finneston for £100k, and instead of bringing in Matthews and Tibbot for £200k for the pair and he'd have brought in a quality centre half (the Futcher who was the defender for example) and maybe Rioch for the season in midfield. Aligned with Sabella it could have been a different story altogether.

As I have said on here before, in my opinion Haslam did more damage to the club than any other manager in our history, and that's a high bar. Sold a number of good young strikers, who would play well for other teams for years, and his signings were, by and large, crap or injury prone or both, and we suffered two relegations as a result.

 

[finlaytheblade]

As I have said on here before, in my opinion Haslam did more damage to the club than any other manager in our history, and that's a high bar. Sold a number of good young strikers, who would play well for other teams for years, and his signings were, by and large, crap or injury prone or both, and we suffered two relegations as a result.

Coulnt agree more with that he came in as a wheeler & dealer and certainly lived up to that.
Remember well the first match when we played Orient at the lane on paper we had a really strong team ! We lost 2-1 I think a lad called john chiedozie ( or something like that) scored one of the goals.
Hope's were really high of a promotion push ! The opposite happened Sabella was being kicked all over the place and a disastrous season followed.
Cant remember all the young players he sold ! Two I think were Edward's to Hull & stainrod to Oldham.
We also sold a young kid to Everton for peanuts he went on to play for the pigs.
All 3 as we know had good careers in the game.
It was baffling at the time as we sold all 3 very cheaply and bought in expensive players like Finnieston who were injury prone.
It went from bad to worse all of which has been covered on this forum in the past.

 

[ancientblade]

Coulnt agree more with that he came in as a wheeler & dealer and certainly lived up to that.
Remember well the first match when we played Orient at the lane on paper we had a really strong team ! We lost 2-1 I think a lad called john chiedozie ( or something like that) scored one of the goals.
Hope's were really high of a promotion push ! The opposite happened Sabella was being kicked all over the place and a disastrous season followed.
Cant remember all the young players he sold ! Two I think were Edward's to Hull & stainrod to Oldham.
We also sold a young kid to Everton for peanuts he went on to play for the pigs.
All 3 as we know had good careers in the game.
It was baffling at the time as we sold all 3 very cheaply and bought in expensive players like Finnieston who were injury prone.
It went from bad to worse all of which has been covered on this forum in the past.

peter kitchen got the winner

 

[Big Hitter]

I remember reading an article with Rioch years later and he was asked why he didn't extend his loan, his reply they never asked him too!!

Yes heard about Campbell's off the field antics and I thought Matthews was good in the Fourth Division but poor in the Second and Third Divisions.

According to Clarebrough's book, SUFC 1889, The First 100 Years (p114), Rioch went to an opportunity in America. Guess he got a bit more money than we were offering.

 

[Silent Blade]

Remember well the first match when we played Orient at the lane on paper we had a really strong team ! We lost 2-1 I think a lad called john chiedozie ( or something like that) scored one of the goals.

Joe Mayo and Peter Kitchen scored

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

Coulnt agree more with that he came in as a wheeler & dealer and certainly lived up to that.
Remember well the first match when we played Orient at the lane on paper we had a really strong team ! We lost 2-1 I think a lad called john chiedozie ( or something like that) scored one of the goals.
Hope's were really high of a promotion push ! The opposite happened Sabella was being kicked all over the place and a disastrous season followed.
Cant remember all the young players he sold ! Two I think were Edward's to Hull & stainrod to Oldham.
We also sold a young kid to Everton for peanuts he went on to play for the pigs.
All 3 as we know had good careers in the game.
It was baffling at the time as we sold all 3 very cheaply and bought in expensive players like Finnieston who were injury prone.
It went from bad to worse all of which has been covered on this forum in the past.

Bar Kenworthy he sold them all Edwards, Stainrod, Varadi to Everton, Benjamin to WBA and Hamson to Leeds. And brought in a load of old, crocked shit. Result, we went from a mid table second tier team, with a host of very good young players to the fourth division with a host of old has-beens.

Worst manager in our history by the proverbial country mile.

 

[ForgeBlade]

Way, way before my time, but I've heard the stories and seen the videos.

RIP Alejandro. Gone to play on the great pitch in the sky with Diego.

 

[Maidenhead]

Unbelievable footballer. His goal at Preston was magical. Rip Alex. Thanks for the memories.

The goal that really stood out for me was the one at Sunderland in a midweek 6-2 thrashing,

They had just gone 4 - 1 up when in my head I can still see him picking up a loose ball ball, running through half their team and the smashing in an unstoppable shot. Possibly the best individual goal I have ever seen from a Blade.

the report here Tales From The Stands: Sunderland 6-2 Sheff Utd (1979) - Rokermen blunt the Blades! - Roker Report (sbnation.com) seems very understated to my memory

 

[singaporeblade]

RIP Alex
I was on the John Street terrace the day you were presented to the fans and press.
A wonderful player.

Yes, so was I.....Just read this and shocked to hear the bad news. Passing of a great player and makes me once again realise how short life is.
Sad day once again but thanks for the memories Alex.

 

[singaporeblade]

Matthews scored on his debut at Leicester. Scored cracking goals against Oldham, Cardiff and Cambridge. Played well in defence against Liverpool. I liked his passing.

John Matthews was a decent player but was a little injury prone - similarly Steve Finnieston would have been a great addition for us if he hadn't spent so much time injured

 

[Maidenhead]

John Matthews was a decent player but was a little injury prone - similarly Steve Finnieston would have been a great addition for us if he hadn't spent so much time injured

I was amazed and excited when we signed Finnieston, what a let down

(And Alan Young for that matter)

 

[Paisley Blade]

Sabella was an absolutely amazing player. I remember him running down the left wing, just inside the touch-line, flipping the ball over a defender who'd come up to tackle him, running round the defender, bringing it down on the other side and then continuing down the line.
RIP

I remember him getting hacked down from behind and him sliding on the ground , whilst putting his arms around the ball moving on the turf without touching it - getting up and gliding away. It was when we beat Notts 5-0 or 5-1 Spring 79. I used to stand bang next to the tunnel on JS at that time and it happened right in front of me.

Same season we got hammered 6 something at Roker Park. I can remember a Mackem calling in to Radio Sheffield saying Sabella was magic that night.

 

[Paisley Blade]

I was amazed and excited when we signed Finnieston, what a let down

(And Alan Young for that matter)

I'm guessing that , like me , you were there to see Alan Young's wonderful overhead kick seal a 'famous' comeback v Oxford (3-2?) circa 1982?

 

[GEARYstolemyBEER]

With Estudiantes winning the 2009 Copa Libertadores
View attachment 100092

what about this for a quote when Veron signed for Man Utd

“This one is a great tail of a former international footballing superstar and his love for Sheffield United and Yorkshire. It is all because the Argentine’s uncle Pedro Verde played for the Blades between 1978 and 1981.

My uncle and aunt then spent two years living in Sheffield. So there I was hoping to play for Sheffield United and here I am at Manchester United!'”

'My uncle played for Sheffield United'

Juan Sebastian Veron is not the first member of his family to play for an English league team. OSM can reveal that Pedro Verde - a skilful but somewhat lightweight striker who played for Sheffield United between 1978 and 1981 - is in fact Veron's uncle.

www.theguardian.com

 

[Gavlar]

My dad says he remembers watching him dribble on ice at the lane when the others players couldnt stand up.

 

[Maidenhead]

I'm guessing that , like me , you were there to see Alan Young's wonderful overhead kick seal a 'famous' comeback v Oxford (3-2?) circa 1982?

I honestly can't remember, but I can think of no reason why I wouldn't have been.

I have a terrible memory for games gone by but a few of the most outstanding memories stick with me and that Sabella goal at Sunderland is one.

Strangely I think losing 6-2 is part of the reason why I can recall it.

I can also recall Kenworthy's early opener. We'd just got into the ground and I thought we were going to romp it, how wrong can I be?

Also whilst we were stuck in traffic after the game a local chap out walking his dog asked us the score and my mate just said "lost 6-2".

The dog walker obviously assumed we were Sunderland fans as his face didn't half fall