The curse of Utd

[Punk Blade]

Has anyone ever successfully conveyed the life of a Blade over the last 20+ years to a neutral fan?

It's impossible to explain 1994, 2007 and 2012 without being laughed at. I wouldn't mind if I could inflict the same on them and be indifferent to their reactions.

 

[8lade]

Most people just don't care beyond the boundaries of their own clubs, I remember trying to have a conversation with an Everton fan about the PL and all he wanted to talk about were their chances of getting a European place (and thought I did too). But then again, can you name any other teams who've suffered unfair treatment within football (off the top of your head)?

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

I think it's because all football clubs experience ups and downs in relation to the level of success they could reasonably expect given the club's size, financial circumstances etc.

Six years in the third division has been a low point for us, but others have experienced worse. We've had periods of relative success prior to that, and we will again.

There is no curse. We have as good a chance as any other club to live up to our potential.

 

[Punk Blade]

Most people just don't care beyond the boundaries of their own clubs, I remember trying to have a conversation with an Everton fan about the PL and all he wanted to talk about were their chances of getting a European place (and thought I did too). But then again, can you name any other teams who've suffered unfair treatment within football (off the top of your head)?

I was talking to a Liverpool fan tonight and he tried to equate Everton's domestic success in the 80s curtailed by Liverpool's hooliganism to our suffering by blatant cheating. I wish I could be a fan of another club for a day to look at us objectively.

 

[Kenilworth]

I wish I could be a fan of another club for a day to look at us objectively.

Fuck that.

They can keep their objectivity and shove it up where the sun don't shine.

 

[Bill puntin]

I certainly can't think of another team who as suffered like we have 94 was just unbelievable il never forget the look on Dave Bassetts face afterwards he new there was something very amiss

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

You need to go back a bit further back to begin to convince a reasonable outsider. 1968, 1981, 1994, 2007 - every 13 years we stay up if we win our final game, but lose and get relegated. Any statisticians out there able to explain the odds against that? If we need to win the last game of the 2019-20 season, will any of you have the nerve to attend? I have not come across fans of other clubs able to make a comparable case for a curse.

 

[Silent Blade]

You need to go back a bit further back to begin to convince a reasonable outsider. 1968, 1981, 1994, 2007 - every 13 years we stay up if we win our final game, but lose and get relegated. Any statisticians out there able to explain the odds against that? If we need to win the last game of the 2019-20 season, will any of you have the nerve to attend? I have not come across fans of other clubs able to make a comparable case for a curse.

I am nervous about 2020!

 

[bornablade]

You need to go back a bit further back to begin to convince a reasonable outsider. 1968, 1981, 1994, 2007 - every 13 years we stay up if we win our final game, but lose and get relegated. Any statisticians out there able to explain the odds against that? If we need to win the last game of the 2019-20 season, will any of you have the nerve to attend? I have not come across fans of other clubs able to make a comparable case for a curse.

I really thought we'd broke that curse in 2007 when we were 10 points clear of relegation in about February.. But the footballing gods had different ideas on the 13th May around about the 13th minute when Wigan opened the scoring.

Before 2020 we'll end up qualifying for Europe just as the government triggers Article 50 and all links with the continent are cut off. Another one to add to our list.

 

[finlaytheblade]

You need to go back a bit further back to begin to convince a reasonable outsider. 1968, 1981, 1994, 2007 - every 13 years we stay up if we win our final game, but lose and get relegated. Any statisticians out there able to explain the odds against that? If we need to win the last game of the 2019-20 season, will any of you have the nerve to attend? I have not come across fans of other clubs able to make a comparable case for a curse.

That's an amazing statistic didn't realise our demise happened every 13 years.

 

[SwissBlade]

Has anyone ever successfully conveyed the life of a Blade over the last 20+ years to a neutral fan?

It's impossible to explain 1994, 2007 and 2012 without being laughed at. I wouldn't mind if I could inflict the same on them and be indifferent to their reactions.

Over recent years, when i've met people and we discuss football, they take an interest in United, just as i've taken interest in their clubs, for the banter etc.... Countless times i've heard the comments "things are looking good for you this season" and "you'll at least go up via the play offs".

Only 2 weeks ago, my Girlfriends brother in law was talking about coming to a game with me and he made the usual play offs comment when he saw we were 4th in the league.

Last day relegations are a mere footnote compared to the Play off disasters...

If it wasn't so painful, it would almost be satisfying to reel off the play off history of our great club, with such confidence of dates, times, players, managers, opposition, like a specialist subject on Mastermind... Oh yes '97 that was the year i got third degree burns to my face from sun burn as Don Hutchinson walked off clutching his shoulder, before Hopkins smashed one in from a mile out, the delayed cheer hitting us moments later, before hearing 'glad all over' ringing around the far end of the ground... and so the story of the play off hell begins...

Is it a curse? possibly, but most likely we're just a shit bunch of big game bottlers....

 

[bornablade]

Over recent years, when i've met people and we discuss football, they take an interest in United, just as i've taken interest in their clubs, for the banter etc.... Countless times i've heard the comments "things are looking good for you this season" and "you'll at least go up via the play offs".

Only 2 weeks ago, my Girlfriends brother in law was talking about coming to a game with me and he made the usual play offs comment when he saw we were 4th in the league.

Last day relegations are a mere footnote compared to the Play off disasters...

If it wasn't so painful, it would almost be satisfying to reel off the play off history of our great club, with such confidence of dates, times, players, managers, opposition, like a specialist subject on Mastermind... Oh yes '97 that was the year i got third degree burns to my face from sun burn as Don Hutchinson walked off clutching his shoulder, before Hopkins smashed one in from a mile out, the delayed cheer hitting us moments later, before hearing 'glad all over' ringing around the far end of the ground... and so the story of the play off hell begins...

Is it a curse? possibly, but most likely we're just a shit bunch of big game bottlers....

'We're just a shit bunch of big game bottles..'

Who are the 'WE' in this context. The players that 'bottled' it in 1997 are completely different to those who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the penalty shoot out against Huddersfield some 15 years later.

Where is the common denominator that links these shit bunch of big game bottlers?

Is it the board, the fans, the kicking out of Yorkshire cricket in the 1970's or is it something about the club that causes players to have a complete change of mind set and totally under perform on the big stage as soon as they arrive?

Let's hope that one day soon we do deliver on the big stage and starts a pattern of winning there on a regular basis.

 

[Fiery Blade]

I certainly can't think of another team who as suffered like we have 94 was just unbelievable il never forget the look on Dave Bassetts face afterwards he new there was something very amiss

I attended an 'Evening with Dave Bassett' last week and he was far from complimentary when talking about Hans Segars !

 

[Silvio Morris]

At the time in 1994, where I was working there was a couple of Everton ST holders.
They were obviously delighted to stay up... but felt there was something decidedly dodgy with the Wimbledon team that day.
The season after Wimbledon visited Goodison and took all 3 points, they assured me it was payback for the result the previous season.

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

That's an amazing statistic didn't realise our demise happened every 13 years.

Strange how these odd statistics happen. A friend of mine at work is a Southend United fan. They had a good November, going unbeaten. Then he mentioned that this didn't come as too much of a shock as they haven't been beaten in November for seven years!

 

[Kenilworth]

Over recent years, when i've met people and we discuss football, they take an interest in United, just as i've taken interest in their clubs, for the banter etc.... Countless times i've heard the comments "things are looking good for you this season" and "you'll at least go up via the play offs".

Only 2 weeks ago, my Girlfriends brother in law was talking about coming to a game with me and he made the usual play offs comment when he saw we were 4th in the league.

Last day relegations are a mere footnote compared to the Play off disasters...

If it wasn't so painful, it would almost be satisfying to reel off the play off history of our great club, with such confidence of dates, times, players, managers, opposition, like a specialist subject on Mastermind... Oh yes '97 that was the year i got third degree burns to my face from sun burn as Don Hutchinson walked off clutching his shoulder, before Hopkins smashed one in from a mile out, the delayed cheer hitting us moments later, before hearing 'glad all over' ringing around the far end of the ground... and so the story of the play off hell begins...

Is it a curse? possibly, but most likely we're just a shit bunch of big game bottlers....

Wow!
That's amazing.






...... Swiss has a girlfriend

 

[TJB.]

Clearly I'm not as up on my United history as I thought I was, so please excuse me...but what happened in 1994?

I was 3 at the time, you see!

 

[SwissBlade]

Wow!
That's amazing.






...... Swiss has a girlfriend

She's more of carer

 

[Kenilworth]

She's more of carer

Sshh, then
Let's not talk about the Milk Bar, eh?

 

[Superblades]

Pretty much nailed on that the next few years we progress and just as things are looking great, we enter the 2019/20 season and the shit hits the fan again.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Clearly I'm not as up on my United history as I thought I was, so please excuse me...but what happened in 1994?

I was 3 at the time, you see!

We got relegated to fuck.

Lost 3-2 at Chelsea and some dodgy shit happened with Everton v Wimbledon allowing them both to stay up at our expense.

Summat like that, I was only 8 myself.

 

[Pollingtonblade]

We got relegated to fuck.

Lost 3-2 at Chelsea and some dodgy shit happened with Everton v Wimbledon allowing them both to stay up at our expense.

Summat like that, I was only 8 myself.

Wimbledon didn't stay up at our expense they were safe.

Think Silent Blade or Revolution have posted a chronological version of events on that day on here in the past.

To this day I have never re watched the Chelsea goals. Nor the Wigan ones.

 

[northsomersetblade]

won to

We got relegated to fuck.

Lost 3-2 at Chelsea and some dodgy shit happened with Everton v Wimbledon allowing them both to stay up at our expense.

Summat like that, I was only 8 myself.

A few of the cheeky chappies at Wimbledon got given some big brown paper bags full of nice things to make sure Everton won to stay up and we went down instead

 

[Pollingtonblade]

won to

A few of the cheeky chappies at Wimbledon got given some big brown paper bags full of nice things to make sure Everton won to stay up and we went down instead

If we'd have won we;d have stayed up.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Wimbledon didn't stay up at our expense they were safe.

Think Silent Blade or Revolution have posted a chronological version of events on that day on here in the past.

To this day I have never re watched the Chelsea goals. Nor the Wigan ones.

Wigan was utterly gut-wrenching. Danny Webber hitting the post, getting relegated by a single goal. I haven't had to re-watch it, it's fresh in the memory, in glorious HD.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Sheffield United is a football club for losers. Literally.

The bad luck/Footballing Gods stuff only ever comes into it because we fucking lose every single big game we ever play.

Think of all the best players we've had over the past 25 years and they've all been bottlers. Good when the pressure was off but could never perform when it REALLY mattered.

 

[northsomersetblade]

If we'd have won we;d have stayed up.

 

[west_yorks_blade]

We got relegated to fuck.

Lost 3-2 at Chelsea and some dodgy shit happened with Everton v Wimbledon allowing them both to stay up at our expense.

Summat like that, I was only 8 myself.

I Was at chelsea that day.

Journey home as miserable as all the ones back from North London (Wembley), with the added bonus of a tube full of braying Chelsea toss pots back to Kings Cross.

A disgrace what happened that day between Everton & Wimbledon, but we did't help ourselves by imploding as per.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Clearly I'm not as up on my United history as I thought I was, so please excuse me...but what happened in 1994?

I was 3 at the time, you see!

Final day of the PL season...

 

[tyke1889]

Clearly I'm not as up on my United history as I thought I was, so please excuse me...but what happened in 1994?

I was 3 at the time, you see!

From memory (which is really bad these days!) We had to win v Chelsea to be safe, we lost. Everton had to win v Wimbledon to stay up. They went 2 0 down but managed to win 3-2 thanks to some, allegedly, dodgy keeping by Hans Segers.