Hi guys,
I could use some help. I'm writing an club profile for my own Dutch website and probably an other Dutch football outlet. Because we promoted to the Premier League, people in the Netherlands are getting more interested about Sheffield United, so I got the request to draft a club profile. I have got a limit of around 2,000 words so I should give everyone a fine taste of our club.
However, I only started to follow Sheffield United intensively 2 years ago, before that I just checked scores and that was basically it. So I probably don't have all the information a real life-long supporter has.
I'm gonna cover the club history, the way to the premier league, maybe a little bit of the ownership battle that's going on, the club philosophy and what to expect off the upcoming season.
So my question to you guys is, do you have any information about our club that I probably not know, considering my background. Maybe something special that happened about Wilder's first year? A certain code that supporters have?
Any information is much appreciated!
Historical
Not strictly United, but Sheffield's role in the invention of the modern game. See the Sheffield rules, Sheffield FC, Hallam etc. Without Sheffield football would either not exist, or not be the game that is loved today. There are a huge number of football firsts that were derived from Sheffield.
The fact that United are the first United.
Brian Deane scoring the first Premier League goal.
Bramall Lane:
the oldest professional stadium in the world.
The stage for a myriad of sports including Test Cricket cricket and an FA Cup Final:
https://www.sufc.co.uk/news/2018/july/history-of-bramall-lane/
The fact Bramall Lane hosted the first floodlit game.
United were also involved in the first ever radio commentary away at Arsenal.
Fans view of the ground
We take pride in the city centre location, and refer to Sheffield Wednesday - a club on the outskirts of the city - as "South Barnsley".
There are many great pubs in the vicinity of Bramall Lane, and Sheffield and United fans are rather fond of this fact. This isn't the trend in English football with most new stadiums being built out of town. Our ground regularly comes top or close to top in polls of visitting fans, for the same reasons.
Fanbase
Largely working class, with an unpretentious working class mentality. The city is famed for it's steelmaking past which is emphasised by the club badge. This reputation goes back centuries but is now largely seen as vital to the industrial revolution:
http://www.softmachines.org/wordpress/?p=2057
Harry Brealey - who later invented stainless steel - had his works across the road from the John Street side of the ground; so Sheffield's steel making past lies right at the heart of the club's identity.
http://www.museums-sheffield.org.uk/project-archive/burngreave-voices/BrearleyH.html
https://www.sufc.co.uk/news/2018/october/forged-in-steel/
Sheffield, and the surrounding areas, also have a long connection with mining- particularly coal mining.
Wilder and the current team:
The manager and current captain (Sharp) are both boyhood Blades. In Wilder's case he went from ballboy, to player to manager.
Our promotion squads were made up of players solely from British and Irish backgrounds. We've been labelled parochial or a 'Brexit' team, but this inaccurate due to the pioneering style of play and the reasons we have for purchasing these players which have little to do with nationality.
Our pioneering playing style: 3-5-2 with overlapping centre backs.
The small budgets that saw us rise up the leagues. Biggest signings: Egan 3.5 million; Norwood 1.2million; Lundstram 700k. All signings offset by player sales to higher divisions, or in Evans and Leonar's case substantialprofits (mostly premier league teams) : Che Adams, Dominic Calvert Lewin, Aaron Ramsdale, David Brooks, Lee Evans, Ryan Leonard. Also, the Maguire and Walker sell on clauses in 17/18 totalled more than 8 million alone. Our promotions have not been achieved based on huge owner led investment, but via selling big assets and reinvesting prudently.
Wilder's managerial record speaks for itself: three automatic promotions in four years amidst boardroom wrangling and tight finances at both clubs. He's never been sacked in 20 years and has been successfull where ever he's been. He also started in the Meadowhall league and climbed the divisions organically; a rarity in the modern game.
United's Shirecliffe based academy system
Key to everything we've done. Players created: Phil Jagielka, Matt Lowton, Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker, Kyle Naughton, Dominic Calvert Lewin, Stephen Quinn, Aaron Ramsdale, David Brooks amongst many others that have secured transfers to higher tiers.
Club anthem:
You fill up my senses,
Like a gallon of
Magnet,
Like a packet of
Woodbines,
Like a good pinch of snuff,
Like a night out in Sheffield,
Like a greasy
chip butty,
My Sheffield United,
Come thrill me again
Na na na na na...Ooooohh!
Annie's song (John Denver)
More info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greasy_Chip_Butty_Song
