'Memries' Sheffield United 1990-1991

[SUFC Handsworth]

Never in my life have I been in a crowd as anxious for the final whistle as the one at that home game with Forest.

The pitch invasion at the final whistle more than made up for it though

 

[N20 Blade]

Thanks for this post just spent the last 2 hours showing my 16 yr old son the best season ever and why we are blades. A certain Chris Wilder made 16 starts too!

 

[JJ Sefton]

Thanks for this post just spent the last 2 hours showing my 16 yr old son the best season ever and why we are blades. A certain Chris Wilder made 16 starts too!

Glad you enjoyed it. One of the purposes of doing all this is to show young kids who have only known the last few shitty years that we haven't always been shit and that if good times have been here before they will come again.

 

[Rodders]

Thing that struck me was how young they look now - as a 10/11 year old, Hodges was a wisened old veteran, now he looks like a right streak of piss whippersnapper. Brilliant video, I had the VHS at the time and I must have worn it out (there's one for all you tap-in fans)

 

[Martino]

This day and age Bassett would have been sacked before Christmas for not getting results.

 

[N20 Blade]

This day and age we would never have got there in the first place because Deane, Agana, Tracey and Bryson would have been sold off. Of those four I always thought Jock was the unsung hero. He scored some vital goals during his time and as mentioned on another thread he could really head well.

 

[Kenilworth]

It was a bit different in those day because Sheffield had decent sides slugging it out in the top flight, and Sky Sports had yet to corrupt every man, woman and beast in to their brand of supporting your football team from the comfort and sanctuary of your own front room with overhyped bullshit like Red Monday.......

It's more that they have an audience with little or no allegiance to one club - but to the Premier League brand itself.
Same with BT Sports - they think that people want to watch all the games because of the "special" nature of the competition.

Well - I could give a flying fuck about Arse, Chelski, ManUre, Moneybags Citeh, the victims or the rest.
Fuck 'em

 

[BushBlade]

This day and age Bassett would have been sacked before Christmas for not getting results.

This day and age we would never have got there in the first place because Deane, Agana, Tracey and Bryson would have been sold off. Of those four I always thought Jock was the unsung hero. He scored some vital goals during his time and as mentioned on another thread he could really head well.

In this day and age Bassett would have been sacked after we were relegated.

 

[JJ Sefton]

It's more that they have an audience with little or no allegiance to one club - but to the Premier League brand itself.
Same with BT Sports - they think that people want to watch all the games because of the "special" nature of the competition.

Well - I could give a flying fuck about Arse, Chelski, ManUre, Moneybags Citeh, the victims or the rest.
Fuck 'em

I remember about 20 London Blades turning up at our then-regular pub to watch us play Stoke on a Saturday night in about 2008. They weren't showing it, they had Liverpool vs Fulham on instead. I pointed out that nobody was watching it and that they were about to send 20 thirsty customers out of the door. "Yeah, but, its the Premier League" the weasley barkeep replied, so we fucked off.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

With the parallels to the start in 1990/91, it just occurred that this is the 30th anniversary of that season – my first as a Unitedite, albeit one that got into midway through.

The dates to games played obviously are out of kilter given our late start this season, but thought it was interesting to see where things were after 7 games for us in 90/91.

 

[Coily]

With the parallels to the start in 1990/91, it just occurred that this is the 30th anniversary of that season – my first as a Unitedite, albeit one that got into midway through.

The dates to games played obviously are out of kilter given our late start this season, but thought it was interesting to see where things were after 7 games for us in 90/91.

View attachment 96833

That almost looks decent! Little did we know what the next 9 games held, I think after the Sunderland home nightmare (Beesley / Rostron) we had pretty much resigned ourselves to relegation. Maybe even before then as I remember the singing of "We'll meet again" at Old Trafford the previous game as we were easily rolled 2-0.

The pitch invasion after we scored at Villa was tragi-comic, and we still managed to bloody lose! Mind you, I remember Duffield's late miss in that game as vividly as Webber's against Wigan in 2007.

Scarcely believable even now that we picked up 42 points from our final 22 games.

 

[BobblesBlade]

Incredible season.

That music was awesome

 

[Geordie Blade]

With the parallels to the start in 1990/91, it just occurred that this is the 30th anniversary of that season – my first as a Unitedite, albeit one that got into midway through.

The dates to games played obviously are out of kilter given our late start this season, but thought it was interesting to see where things were after 7 games for us in 90/91.

View attachment 96833

Luton (in 6th place) finished third from bottom, although they avoided relegation because only two went down that year. Everton (18th here) finished ninth. Things can change a lot!

For us, going from 4 points from 16 games to 42 points from the next 22 was incredible! It really showed what a bit (or a lot) of belief can do.

 

[mattbianco1]

Incredible season.

Commentator refers to us as "Sheffield" in the very first game v Liverpool

 

[LS16Blade]

With the parallels to the start in 1990/91, it just occurred that this is the 30th anniversary of that season – my first as a Unitedite, albeit one that got into midway through.

The dates to games played obviously are out of kilter given our late start this season, but thought it was interesting to see where things were after 7 games for us in 90/91.

View attachment 96833

Results-wise, this season has closer parallels with the disastrous 1975-76 season. In fact, eerily so.

After 7 games in 75/76, we had the same record of 1 draw and 6 defeats. Just as this season, we had only scored 3 goals and 2 of those were penalties and our only point to date had come in a 1-1 home draw in which our goal came from the spot and the opponents (Derby) missed a penalty of their own. We even had an unfortunate single goal defeat at Liverpool in the 6th game of the season, in a game in which we actually played well.

We would go on to lose our 8th game of the season at West Ham, before finally beating Burnley at the Lane in our 9th game.

Incredibly, our next win didn't come until 23 February, and had still only won 2 games out of 36 when we were relegated before the end of March with 6 games to go. We then proceeded to win 4 and draw 1 of the last 6 games.

United historian, Denis Clarebrough summarised it...

"Where there had been confidence, now there were doubts and uncertainty, and by the end of September, the season, and the future of the Club, lay in ruins. Currie was unsettled following an approach from Leeds, and the lack of character and dept in the playing staff was cruelly exposed in an unparalleled sequence of defeats..."

It was an "unparalleled sequence of defeats" when it happened in 75/76. Hopefully, we can shake ourselves out of this strikingly similar current run sharpish because these are not the sort of parallels we want to be drawing.

 

[coaxingstar71]

Results-wise, this season has closer parallels with the disastrous 1975-76 season. In fact, eerily so.

After 7 games in 75/76, we had the same record of 1 draw and 6 defeats. Just as this season, we had only scored 3 goals and 2 of those were penalties and our only point to date had come in a 1-1 home draw in which our goal came from the spot and the opponents (Derby) missed a penalty of their own. We even had an unfortunate single goal defeat at Liverpool in the 6th game of the season, in a game in which we actually played well.

We would go on to lose our 8th game of the season at West Ham, before finally beating Burnley at the Lane in our 9th game.

Incredibly, our next win didn't come until 23 February, and had still only won 2 games out of 36 when we were relegated before the end of March with 6 games to go. We then proceeded to win 4 and draw 1 of the last 6 games.

United historian, Denis Clarebrough summarised it...

"Where there had been confidence, now there were doubts and uncertainty, and by the end of September, the season, and the future of the Club, lay in ruins. Currie was unsettled following an approach from Leeds, and the lack of character and dept in the playing staff was cruelly exposed in an unparalleled sequence of defeats..."

It was an "unparalleled sequence of defeats" when it happened in 75/76. Hopefully, we can shake ourselves out of this strikingly similar current run sharpish because these are not the sort of parallels we want to be drawing.

We also sacked Furphy and brought in Sirrel who I recall reading the players couldn't understand his glaswegian accent. He also bored them to death by playing training games all the time.

A parallel we do not want to repeat.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Results-wise, this season has closer parallels with the disastrous 1975-76 season. In fact, eerily so.

After 7 games in 75/76, we had the same record of 1 draw and 6 defeats. Just as this season, we had only scored 3 goals and 2 of those were penalties and our only point to date had come in a 1-1 home draw in which our goal came from the spot and the opponents (Derby) missed a penalty of their own. We even had an unfortunate single goal defeat at Liverpool in the 6th game of the season, in a game in which we actually played well.

We would go on to lose our 8th game of the season at West Ham, before finally beating Burnley at the Lane in our 9th game.

Incredibly, our next win didn't come until 23 February, and had still only won 2 games out of 36 when we were relegated before the end of March with 6 games to go. We then proceeded to win 4 and draw 1 of the last 6 games.

United historian, Denis Clarebrough summarised it...

"Where there had been confidence, now there were doubts and uncertainty, and by the end of September, the season, and the future of the Club, lay in ruins. Currie was unsettled following an approach from Leeds, and the lack of character and dept in the playing staff was cruelly exposed in an unparalleled sequence of defeats..."

It was an "unparalleled sequence of defeats" when it happened in 75/76. Hopefully, we can shake ourselves out of this strikingly similar current run sharpish because these are not the sort of parallels we want to be drawing.

My dad used to say that that season was a real low point in his time supporting the club. He said “You couldn’t figure it out. Players who’d been great the season before were playing like shit. The only way I could cope with it was by getting blind drunk”

 

[Gavlar]

The tempo we played games at then, wow!

 

[Northyorksblade]

I believe Bassett got a psychologist in to help morale. He must have been good.

 

[More Bladier than thou]

Proper football kits those were, some of the greatest, what an era, great memories.

 

[JJ Sefton]

I believe Bassett got a psychologist in to help morale. He must have been good.

I think he says on the video that it didn’t. The players didn’t take it seriously, called him ‘Simon the Psycho’, and he left quite quickly.

 

[bongleblade]

Incredible season.

Did anyone else think “Alan Partridge” at the start of that?

 

[Aganarama]

I think he says on the video that it didn’t. The players didn’t take it seriously, called him ‘Simon the Psycho’, and he left quite quickly.

Bassett was ahead of his time in many respects - both on the mental and physical side (remember the physical trainer Eddie whose surname I can't spell without the aid of the programmes he was always in advertising Weider body building stuff!). DB understood he needed these because we weren't the most technically gifted bunch (though we weren't totally bereft in that department either).

 

[Aganarama]

And on the parallels with 90/91...where is our Glyn Hodges going to come from???
Anyone up for selling some raffle tickets to help?

 

[N20 Blade]

And on the parallels with 90/91...where is our Glyn Hodges going to come from???
Anyone up for selling some raffle tickets to help?

David Brooks?

 

[N20 Blade]

I think he says on the video that it didn’t. The players didn’t take it seriously, called him ‘Simon the Psycho’, and he left quite quickly.

Sorry, off topic, but who the hell is that in your avatar? I recognise the face but can't for the life of me put a name to it?

 

[Aganarama]

Sorry, off topic, but who the hell is that in your avatar? I recognise the face but can't for the life of me put a name to it?

Is it someone from Howard's Way? (too much TV as a youngster)

 

[JJ Sefton]

Is it someone from Howard's Way? (too much TV as a youngster)

It is, indeed, barrow boy turned boat baron Ken Masters from Howard’s Way, the great avatar of Thatcherism.

 

[N20 Blade]

It is, indeed, barrow boy turned boat baron Ken Masters from Howard’s Way, the great avatar of Thatcherism.

I used to enjoy watching Lynne Howard as an impressionable teenager...

 

[Silent Blade]

Bassett was ahead of his time in many respects - both on the mental and physical side (remember the physical trainer Eddie whose surname I can't spell without the aid of the programmes he was always in advertising Weider body building stuff!).

Barowski or something like that?