Deadbat
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The fans
I cannot say enough about the loyalty of our fans. To average over 21,000 fans in a 6th successive year at this level is incredible. They have backed them home and away and many away games were sold out long before the day of the game. We took the massive following to MK on the last away day of course. We took around or over 4,000 to Bolton, Port Vale, Oldham, Peterborough and 3,000 plus to Rochdale, Bury, Charlton and close to that figure just under 3,000 to Bradford and Chesterfield. Regularly away stands (sometimes 2 sides of the ground) were packed out with Blades fans. Of course, the fact we were winning helped.
Away from home we took a total of 55,942 at an average of 2,432 fans per away game. Tremendous support.
We had big home crowds for games against Oldham and Nothampton over Xmas and then big double header v Bolton and Scunthorpe. Crowds started to increase again as the season and promotion loomed with more big crowds against Charlton, Coventry and Bradford and then a full house for the last game v Chesterfield. What made it more impressive it that for the most part away teams barely brought a following. Only Bolton, Scunthorpe, Bradford brought over 2,000 to the Lane and only Oxford and Northampton over 1,000. So, 18 teams brought less than 500 and 8 less than 500 fans. Fleetwood at 133 and Walsall 178 were the lowest supported and they both won. Southend not far behind with 269 (just worse were Bury 234) who also won. Odd that teams not backed won at the Lane generally!
The final analysis at the Lane revealed the average crowd to be 21,891 with a lowest crowd of 17,410 (Southend) and highest of 31,003 (Chesterfield) and a total of 503,508 watching the Blades at home!
We had a much more positive atmosphere home and away. The crowd became a factor at the Lane again and helped us score a lot of late goals. This happened away also. You sense the belief on the field transferred to the terraces and everyone was positive again by and large.
Next season we will see even bigger crowds, home and away. Whether United fans can keep up the big away followings with some of the more expensive tickets they will be faced with remains to be seen. However, we will have some big local clubs coming here too and giving us bigger crowds/revenue. It seems United are set to sell even more season tickets as fans boosted by the excellent pricing keep coming back and we will have some newcomers too. I know a few who have bought a season ticket for the first time for a while. I expect around 25,000 + most weeks next year. The stupid segregation has not helped things and it about time we had some help from South Yorkshire police as we end up having a few thousand empty seats most games regardless of how many tickets are sold.
The main negative against the fans again has to be against a section whom have taken part in some ridiculous behaviour at away games with the usual flares/smoke bomb and this new one of going on the pitch after goals and after games (can excuse it at Northampton!). Going away is a release from work and everyday life but the reality is; this is really poor behaviour and slightly embarrassing and sadly from videos I have seen it is not all young kids who have had a few too many cold drinks. I would not want to really take my 9-year-old away for some of the stuff I seen on trains, pubs and in the ground. There are fans who buy beer to throw it around, don’t want to be anywhere near the seats they have (granted nobody sits down away anymore anywhere) and just in general act like utter knob heads. Be interesting to see if as we go to bigger grounds cities and teams (whose fans may not be too pleased if some our fans are giving it the big un every week) whether they act as much like pricks. That is the only low point. Some of the scenes and pictures/videos from MK seemed fairly good natured (setting off flares/smoke bomb apart – although you argue from some of the pictures/videos look impressive and that you could avoid the gathering of this sort of fans if you wanted).
The fans did actually keep off the pitch for the final game and then there were wild scenes down London Road as the road actually got closed due to the celebrating. Players jointed the fans around the city and you could see how United everyone was. The town hall and the bus tour was also another special evening.
For the most part the majority of our fans supported the team with fervour, passion and appropriately. The incredible passion and loyalty of the Blades fans is really something else and for us to get so many fans again continuing to back the side, make you realise even as a fan want potential we have if this juggernaut can be kept moving. United fans really do deserve the year of glory they have just had after so many let downs over the last 10 years or so since we came out of the Premier League.
Grade A
Deadbat’s Awards for 2016/17
Player of the Season : John Fleck Really close call this one. O’Connell and Basham have been excellent. Freeman has been superb also. You could make a case for Duffy, Coutts or Jake Wright also. Moore and Ebanks Landell made a big difference earlier in the season. However, for me its between Sharp and Fleck; for me Fleck just pips Sharp for his overall contribution and consistency but you can make a call for Sharp due to all his goals also.
Goal of the Season : Kieron Freeman at Swindon This season was all about the team and that is why I am going to Freeman’s goal at Swindon. It was 17 passes and patient football that involved much of the team. We were patient but then moved it quick when we could.
The strikes from Lafferty at Rochdale and Sharp against Shrewsbury were great shots though and rivalled the above.
Performance of the season : Bolton at Bramall Lane Ironically we may been ever better the previous week against Scunny but we had the performance and the result to go with it the week after as we beat Bolton quite comfortably. The performance against Bradford was excellent but the Bolton game was more important and a pivotal moment. We have blown away sides in the run in but that one game against our biggest rival showed we were going up to me.
Most improved player : Kieron Freeman / Paul Coutts Both players came out off the cold and had a resurgence that was unexpected. Both have been key men and are now an integral part of the future.
Biggest disappointment (player) Chris Hussey Clarke was a contender early on but finished the season well and Hussey was seen as a top left back but played poorly, lost his place and never returned. McNulty also never really did it again this year and will move on.
That’s it. You can wake up now. I hope that is comprehensive enough!
Have a good summer all!
Up the Blades
Twitter - @Deadbat_DB
I cannot say enough about the loyalty of our fans. To average over 21,000 fans in a 6th successive year at this level is incredible. They have backed them home and away and many away games were sold out long before the day of the game. We took the massive following to MK on the last away day of course. We took around or over 4,000 to Bolton, Port Vale, Oldham, Peterborough and 3,000 plus to Rochdale, Bury, Charlton and close to that figure just under 3,000 to Bradford and Chesterfield. Regularly away stands (sometimes 2 sides of the ground) were packed out with Blades fans. Of course, the fact we were winning helped.
Away from home we took a total of 55,942 at an average of 2,432 fans per away game. Tremendous support.
We had big home crowds for games against Oldham and Nothampton over Xmas and then big double header v Bolton and Scunthorpe. Crowds started to increase again as the season and promotion loomed with more big crowds against Charlton, Coventry and Bradford and then a full house for the last game v Chesterfield. What made it more impressive it that for the most part away teams barely brought a following. Only Bolton, Scunthorpe, Bradford brought over 2,000 to the Lane and only Oxford and Northampton over 1,000. So, 18 teams brought less than 500 and 8 less than 500 fans. Fleetwood at 133 and Walsall 178 were the lowest supported and they both won. Southend not far behind with 269 (just worse were Bury 234) who also won. Odd that teams not backed won at the Lane generally!
The final analysis at the Lane revealed the average crowd to be 21,891 with a lowest crowd of 17,410 (Southend) and highest of 31,003 (Chesterfield) and a total of 503,508 watching the Blades at home!
We had a much more positive atmosphere home and away. The crowd became a factor at the Lane again and helped us score a lot of late goals. This happened away also. You sense the belief on the field transferred to the terraces and everyone was positive again by and large.
Next season we will see even bigger crowds, home and away. Whether United fans can keep up the big away followings with some of the more expensive tickets they will be faced with remains to be seen. However, we will have some big local clubs coming here too and giving us bigger crowds/revenue. It seems United are set to sell even more season tickets as fans boosted by the excellent pricing keep coming back and we will have some newcomers too. I know a few who have bought a season ticket for the first time for a while. I expect around 25,000 + most weeks next year. The stupid segregation has not helped things and it about time we had some help from South Yorkshire police as we end up having a few thousand empty seats most games regardless of how many tickets are sold.
The main negative against the fans again has to be against a section whom have taken part in some ridiculous behaviour at away games with the usual flares/smoke bomb and this new one of going on the pitch after goals and after games (can excuse it at Northampton!). Going away is a release from work and everyday life but the reality is; this is really poor behaviour and slightly embarrassing and sadly from videos I have seen it is not all young kids who have had a few too many cold drinks. I would not want to really take my 9-year-old away for some of the stuff I seen on trains, pubs and in the ground. There are fans who buy beer to throw it around, don’t want to be anywhere near the seats they have (granted nobody sits down away anymore anywhere) and just in general act like utter knob heads. Be interesting to see if as we go to bigger grounds cities and teams (whose fans may not be too pleased if some our fans are giving it the big un every week) whether they act as much like pricks. That is the only low point. Some of the scenes and pictures/videos from MK seemed fairly good natured (setting off flares/smoke bomb apart – although you argue from some of the pictures/videos look impressive and that you could avoid the gathering of this sort of fans if you wanted).
The fans did actually keep off the pitch for the final game and then there were wild scenes down London Road as the road actually got closed due to the celebrating. Players jointed the fans around the city and you could see how United everyone was. The town hall and the bus tour was also another special evening.
For the most part the majority of our fans supported the team with fervour, passion and appropriately. The incredible passion and loyalty of the Blades fans is really something else and for us to get so many fans again continuing to back the side, make you realise even as a fan want potential we have if this juggernaut can be kept moving. United fans really do deserve the year of glory they have just had after so many let downs over the last 10 years or so since we came out of the Premier League.
Grade A
Deadbat’s Awards for 2016/17
Player of the Season : John Fleck Really close call this one. O’Connell and Basham have been excellent. Freeman has been superb also. You could make a case for Duffy, Coutts or Jake Wright also. Moore and Ebanks Landell made a big difference earlier in the season. However, for me its between Sharp and Fleck; for me Fleck just pips Sharp for his overall contribution and consistency but you can make a call for Sharp due to all his goals also.
Goal of the Season : Kieron Freeman at Swindon This season was all about the team and that is why I am going to Freeman’s goal at Swindon. It was 17 passes and patient football that involved much of the team. We were patient but then moved it quick when we could.
The strikes from Lafferty at Rochdale and Sharp against Shrewsbury were great shots though and rivalled the above.
Performance of the season : Bolton at Bramall Lane Ironically we may been ever better the previous week against Scunny but we had the performance and the result to go with it the week after as we beat Bolton quite comfortably. The performance against Bradford was excellent but the Bolton game was more important and a pivotal moment. We have blown away sides in the run in but that one game against our biggest rival showed we were going up to me.
Most improved player : Kieron Freeman / Paul Coutts Both players came out off the cold and had a resurgence that was unexpected. Both have been key men and are now an integral part of the future.
Biggest disappointment (player) Chris Hussey Clarke was a contender early on but finished the season well and Hussey was seen as a top left back but played poorly, lost his place and never returned. McNulty also never really did it again this year and will move on.
That’s it. You can wake up now. I hope that is comprehensive enough!
Have a good summer all!
Up the Blades
Twitter - @Deadbat_DB
