Sheffield United or Manchester City

[Loco Blade]

Used to watch City at Maine Road when a mate played for them and mix with their fans in Cheadle Hulme.

Those fans are still around but in general it's a very different vibe these days.

Yeh Stockport area has always been mostly City . You still see plenty of die hard blues but the touristy element and corporates are taking over . Season ticket is £800 at city compared to my £300 ( 60+) can see it getting on for £1000 before to long

 

[JJBlade]

Hi Stegosaurus here,

Man City

Comfy seats, nicer food, quieter atmosphere so if the game is a bit dull I can have a read of my book, guaranteed to be watching the best players in the world
(I would much rather watch Rodri and Grealish week in week out than Norwood and Fleck showing their skills).

Only place that somebody has been spotted reading a book this season, or any other season come to think of it, was at Bramall Lane.
Don't blame them one bit, but it would have been cheaper to read it at home

 

[Harrisblade]

Only place that somebody has been spotted reading a book this season, or any other season come to think of it, was at Bramall Lane.
Don't blame them one bit, but it would have been cheaper to read it at home

Wasn't she carer for the person who actuallu went.to watch the match?

 

[Carlton Blade]

Wasn't she carer for the person who actuallu went.to watch the match?

Don't let that ruin his cry wank narrative

 

[Carlton Blade]

Some of it is age, some having 2 young kids. I just don't watch much football on TV anymore. I'm certainly not going to go out of my way to watch attack v defence games which make up about 150 PL games per season

 

[JJBlade]

Wasn't she carer for the person who actuallu went.to watch the match?

Maybe HB, I don't know. Maybe she had absolutely zero interest in football, but even so, if I went to watch Eton play Harrow at Polo or Croquet I'd find something about the game to be of interest occasionally.

 

[Harrisblade]

Maybe HB, I don't know. Maybe she had absolutely zero interest in football, but even so, if I went to watch Eton play Harrow at Polo or Croquet I'd find something about the game to be of interest occasionally.

OK but to be fair to lots of people have absolutely no interest in football and after all, she was only ther at all because of her job.
Can't imagine for a minute that she"d go to her manager
and say "I'm not caring for my Client this afternoon because I don't like football - you'll have to find someone else to do it!"

 

[nopigfansintown]

I went to the Etihad for the first time. My memories were mixed. Firstly going on a decent Metolink journey to the ground - a genuinely brilliant bit of Manchester infrastructure Sheffield should be looking to emulate.

Then a long wait to get through the ridiculously robust security checks outside the ground before clambering up what seemed many flights of stairs to get to my seat. This wasn't great as I'm bad on my feet and there was no prior warning of such a mission. I arrived at my seat to watch what was essentially a game of subbuteo in a soulless, characterless bowl. The best bit of the game was the hilarious chants of the Blades fans in response to the lukewarm, 'celebratory' chants of nearby city fans. Maybe I'm unusual but I find City's football pretty tedious. Sidewards, backwards, one paced for the most part - then a bit of intricate quick interplay. Nothing new really. Carried out by a squad of many amazing players, absolutely. Dominant, absolutely. United were just containing which didn't add to a drab spectacle admittedly.

The trip back into town took an hour. For all their money the fans had minimal cover or other facilities to shelter from the pissing down rain provided by the club. Nowhere near enough to cater for the many fans patiently waiting .I talked to a bloke from Dundee in the queue. He'd driven down to take his son to see City for Christmas. It was impossible to miss the legions of tourists amongst the old school City fans we'd spoken to in the pubs in town.
There were still many people queued behind us in the rain waiting for trams at 18:00...not great.

I left thinking that City left their soul in Moss side. The last time I went to Man City away we drew 0-0 and their thugs kicked the shit out of our artists at Maine Road. We came away thinking we'd do well to survive our own kicking on the way back to the car that day... Still, it had a romance:- that indefinable, earthy, organic reek and resonance of being a proper football club. I would rather stay at Bramall Lane than become Man City. It's not even a debate for me. I don't think you have to be Man City to have good times and success by the way. It's not either/or. That's the path I'd like United to tread...

On the train home there was a guy from Barnsley, with a common as muck Barnsley accent - a season ticket holder there. He'd given up on Barnsley and taken up supporting them. He was showing off about how great they were. One of the saddest spectacles of humanity I've ever witnessed. I wouldn't give up my support for United to become him. No way.

 

[Houston_Blade]

On the train home there was a guy from Barnsley, with a common as muck Barnsley accent - a season ticket holder there. He'd given up on Barnsley and taken up supporting them. He was showing off about how great they were. One of the saddest spectacles of humanity I've ever witnessed. I wouldn't give up my support for United to become him. No way.

Sadly some of the lads who I used to go to Blades away games lost the plot with the club in the Adkins era and got City season tickets for a few years. They were home and away, 100% attendance Blades but the cheap tickets at the time at City and the availability meant that they did that for a few seasons.

I still give them abuse now if I see them around the Lane as they came back after the L1 promotion season.

 

[Numpty's Dusty Ruts.]

I went to the Etihad for the first time. My memories were mixed. Firstly going on a decent Metolink journey to the ground - a genuinely brilliant bit of Manchester infrastructure Sheffield should be looking to emulate.

Then a long wait to get through the ridiculously robust security checks outside the ground before clambering up what seemed many flights of stairs to get to my seat. This wasn't great as I'm bad on my feet and there was no prior warning of such a mission. I arrived at my seat to watch what was essentially a game of subbuteo in a soulless, characterless bowl. The best bit of the game was the hilarious chants of the Blades fans in response to the lukewarm, 'celebratory' chants of nearby city fans. Maybe I'm unusual but I find City's football pretty tedious. Sidewards, backwards, one paced for the most part - then a bit of intricate quick interplay. Nothing new really. Carried out by a squad of many amazing players, absolutely. Dominant, absolutely. United were just containing which didn't add to a drab spectacle admittedly.

The trip back into town took an hour. For all their money the fans had minimal cover or other facilities to shelter from the pissing down rain provided by the club. Nowhere near enough to cater for the many fans patiently waiting .I talked to a bloke from Dundee in the queue. He'd driven down to take his son to see City for Christmas. It was impossible to miss the legions of tourists amongst the old school City fans we'd spoken to in the pubs in town.
There were still many people queued behind us in the rain waiting for trams at 18:00...not great.

I left thinking that City left their soul in Moss side. The last time I went to Man City away we drew 0-0 and their thugs kicked the shit out of our artists at Maine Road. We came away thinking we'd do well to survive our own kicking on the way back to the car that day... Still, it had a romance:- that indefinable, earthy, organic reek and resonance of being a proper football club. I would rather stay at Bramall Lane than become Man City. It's not even a debate for me. I don't think you have to be Man City to have good times and success by the way. It's not either/or. That's the path I'd like United to tread...

On the train home there was a guy from Barnsley, with a common as muck Barnsley accent - a season ticket holder there. He'd given up on Barnsley and taken up supporting them. He was showing off about how great they were. One of the saddest spectacles of humanity I've ever witnessed. I wouldn't give up my support for United to become him. No way.

Great post mate, and sums up that money can't buy happiness (although my dad did used to say "no, but tha can be miserable in comfort!").
I don't want a return to some of the stuff from the past, but for me one of the best things about football is it's "localness", daft rivalries, and shared experiences of people who sit/stand together through thick and thin (mainly thin for most of us!). Your "earthy, organic reek and resonance of being a proper football club". Without this, it becomes just just part of the entertainment industry, no different to going to the theatre, cinema, out for a meal or to the pub. I don't want being at BDTBL to be like these things (which I also enjoy), I want it to be loud and a little bit lairy, and to feel proud and excited at my club's little bits of glory when they do happen (and they will, again!). This is the soul of football - I was at that game at Maine Road all those years ago, and whilst I've never been to the Etihad I don't think I'd enjoy it half as much as that night. If we went the full corporate way, I think I'd do the opposite to the Barnsley fan on the train, and find a smaller "real" club to support instead (obviously with one exception!!).

 

[Alan Birchenall's hair]

You're picking on the wrong club. City still have 35,000 fans from the days of being the Manc team in Manure's shadow. I know some and they still do matchdays in the old way i.e. a day out with pub pre and post match, and awaydays on the train. They may have added a few more cosmopolitan fans with success, but they still have the heart of the club there. They have also regenerated some of the old shite areas around Gorton and Beswick with their ground and property developments etc. And they do the youth development pretty well.
In fact I love how they've stuck it to the entitled twats at Manure and especially Liverpool ('We're more than a club you know'). Just need someone to turn around Everton now and really stick it up the red scouser's shittters.
As for The Blades, this is what we've got, and we'll support it no matter what. But don't pretend you wouldn't like to watch Harland, De Bruyne, Silva etc. You know that's not true.......

 

[Charlieblade]

Well catering is better and cheaper than at the lane

All tha merchandise and think of the shame too. lol

 

[cahill]

In a bizarre way I feel sorry for City fans. They’ve lost their club. I lived near Maine road for three years 1983-86 and got on well both City and United fans. Just a soulless global brand now

 

[Northyorksblade]

Only place that somebody has been spotted reading a book this season, or any other season come to think of it, was at Bramall Lane.
Don't blame them one bit, but it would have been cheaper to read it at home

When my eldest daughter, aged about 30, decided if she couldn't beat 'em she'd join 'em, being the only one in our family not to follow the Blades and previously not having the slightest interest in football, she took a book with her in case she got bored. Twenty four years later you couldn't meet a more committed Blade.

 

[Gin&Juice]

Used to watch City at Maine Road when a mate played for them and mix with their fans in Cheadle Hulme.

Those fans are still around but in general it's a very different vibe these days.

Yeah. Going to watch City now is the complete opposite to Maine Road. Been a few times, taking clients and such to see the stars. It’s just painfully boring football, sanitised and whilst you do hear the mancunian accent, it’s mostly tourists you see and hear.

 

[Badger Blade]

In a bizarre way I feel sorry for City fans. They’ve lost their club. I lived near Maine road for three years 1983-86 and got on well both City and United fans. Just a soulless global brand now

The kids are all over it from sodding FIFA on their Playstations, Match of the Day, Sky, TV ads etc. It just gets rammed down their throats and especially for kids whose parents have no allegiances, they'll jump on the bandwagon of whichever club looks the most appealing and has the brand that the kids like. When I was a kid it was Man United, now its City and Liverpool.

My youngest nephew is 7 and lives in Sweden. He asked for a Haaland shirt for Christmas and promptly got one and is obsessed with all the players. I got him some Panini stickers and he was jumping around the room when De Bruyne came out of one of the packs. He's asked to go and watch them and it just typifies what Man City have turned into and its a tourist attraction. Maybe from his perspective, now Ibrahimovic has retired, the Scandinavians need a decent player to latch onto and it's Haaland. Never mind the fact that Djurgarden and Hammarby play 10 minutes up the road from where they live - not remotely interested.

Now that Barcelona are away from the Nou Camp, you can see all the empty seats at the old Olympic Stadium. The day trippers don't want to know.

I'd just like us to have a decent tilt at Premier League football, like 5 or 6 years, a dart at a League Cup for example, nothing nuts, late 90's Leicester would do me.

 

[Not_a_Cheat]

I just read the 'View from' and some of the responses. Our views are so different it begs the question, who would you rather be? Manchester City, a team full of highly paid, highly skilled international footballers with no real affinity to the club, but a team that regularly wins everything. A stadium that's a thing of beauty in its design and facilities, and big enough to cater for the few thousand old school fans plus thousands of day trippers, prawn sandwich fans and plastics? Enjoy a sanitized match day with American style entertainment on view, not many of the old songs and being surrounded by a sea of followers in their brand new shirts and bag of merchandise from the club shop?

Or would you rather be a Blade? Years of turmoil behind the scenes, a few seasons flirting with success, without winning anything of note, and having to be content with memories like Jags in goal and us beating Arsenal? Bouncing Day Massacre etc.? Having the frustration of seasons like this one where our best player walked out on us just before the season started and us taking an age to try and rectify it? Bogs with no roof, pillars on the kop and shitty, overpriced catering? Even the fans aren't the same, dinosaurs like me look at it different to the younger lot but at the end of it all, what would you rather be?

Me? 100% Blade, whether it's 4th division or 1st division (Premier League) I'd rather us keep our identity, not sell out to the corporate world but rather be what we are. An honest bunch from a once thriving steel town that can give anybody a game on any day. Football's changed, the sooner the Super League happens the better as if it does, practice sessions like yesterday shouldn't happen, we should have a more evenly balanced league where games are won or lost on something other than how much cash you have.

So what is it, Battling Blade or Pampered Wanky Manc?

Have a Happy New Year all of you, friends and foes alike as we're all Blades in 'ere.

UTBFTP

So if the city owners get bored, stop bankrolling tyem, allow the stadium to go into disrepair and decide Sheffield United are a great project, and to become the greatest team in the world while city drop three divisions and success becomes a distant memory, are you ditching the now immensely rich, trophy winning Blades and supporting city?

See the question is unfair, whatever will be, will be, and because we support our team, whether shit, or newly crowned world beaters...

What happens at ownership level is not our choice, and preferring NOT to be bought by a wealthy individual, so we CAN compete beyond being cut adrift at the bottom of the PL or sitting midtable in the championship is simply ridiculous. I expect you are an employee rather than an entrepreneur, no problem there, most of us are or were employed, not the employer. But NO ambition or desire for improvement in life is pretty frankly disgusting IMHO.

 

[LurkerBlade]

I had the "joy" of being in the home end at the Etihad at the weekend.

Wonderful stadium, decent food and drink (chips were actually warm!)

Fans around me were a mixed bag, some old school drunks who moaned about everything but had obviously been coming for years, some "tourist" fans it seemed who sang along with all the terrible songs they had, an a fair few tin pot fans who just banged on about the bladed (negative, always fouling etc etc. The outcry when Souza won the ball back with his shoulder by being to strong was hilarious!)

Even with all of that I would choose the Blades everyday of the week, passion, pride and genuinely believe we make a difference some times to the matches.

Felt like it wouldn't have changed anything if their fans hadn't been there.

 

[JJBlade]

OK but to be fair to lots of people have absolutely no interest in football and after all, she was only ther at all because of her job.
Can't imagine for a minute that she"d go to her manager
and say "I'm not caring for my Client this afternoon because I don't like football - you'll have to find someone else to do it!"

I would if it involved having to take him to watch Wendy.

 

[Harrisblade]

I would if it involved having to take him to watch Wendy.

 

[I should coco]

But NO ambition or desire for improvement in life is pretty frankly disgusting IMHO.

I don't come on here much these days, but to find its now a near crime, to just be happy with your lot, is a surprise.

Yoof, eh?