The football clubs embody the city...

[Isar]

I am Sheffield born and brought up on a council estate, I have very fond memories of growing up in Sheffield and proud of my Yorkshire roots. I did move away from Sheffield when I was 20, and due to the paths my life took I never really returned to live there again. My only visits to Sheffield have been to watch the Blades or visit my sister who still lives there.
I think Sheffield took a long time to recover from the industrial decline of the 80s, and it was always going to be difficult for a city like Sheffield to recover, the whole history of Sheffield is founded on steel and coal, heavy industries. Large areas of the city where occupied by these industries and the supporting services.
Sheffield people are great, very outgoing and friendly, I have had visitors with me to Sheffield who have commented on the welcoming feeling in Sheffield.
I do feel that Sheffield as a city would feel some commercial benefit of a successful football club.
Sheffield football fans are very loyal to their clubs and considering the lack of continued success over the last 50 years or so, they have supported the clubs in good numbers.

 

[Numpty's Dusty Ruts.]

I don't agree with your last bit though. I think the much bigger issue both locally and nationally is years of Tory failure. We've certainly seen much development in Sheffield in recent years also, some of that is in partnership with the Council. I will refrain from going into more politics, but won't just say nothing either when people come out with views that I don't agree on, whether that's the merits of United or the political party I happen to be a member of!

I think you've misinterpreted me! I should have put "tiresome " ironically!! Totally agree about Tory failure but didn't want this post to turn into one of those political rants where people end up insulting each other, and Foxy and Linz end up closing it all down because some people can't agree to disagree!! We're on the same side mate, happy New Year!

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Think we’re drifting away from the thread of the conversation a little bit. The fact of the matter remains. If the city of Sheffield had consistent presence in the top flight of English football the tangible benefits to the city would be immense. Simply by having higher profile nationally and internationally would set the ball rolling. Let’s face it, even though Sheffield is one of England’s major core cities, it is still one of the best kept secrets in the country, never mind the world.
Not that I’d want to big up the pigs, but if both clubs were in the Prem and there was sell out crowds at both grounds every fucking week! It stands to reason Sheffield would benefit from 3 to 4 away fans coming into a city they’d probably never consider visiting if it wasn’t for football.
This is all without mentioning the obvious worldwide TV and media interest. We’ve only just dipped our toe into the Premier league pond for a season a half. But the exposure that SUFC and in turn Sheffield has had is quite extraordinary.
Just think how differently the city would be viewed if we had a team in the so called “best league in the world” for say 10, 15 or 20 years?

 

[Vikkster]

I wrote a negative post about industry and commerce aspect of Sheffield.
The city leaders think small time and the people are generally pessimistic regards big ideas and success....so this becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.

I think our lack of commercial success is down to geography and capatalism.
Take IKEA, their business plan to to have their stores next to the motorway covering all major cities.
We have Manchester 30 miles to the west, Leeds 30 mile to the north and Nottingham 30 mile to the south.
Therefore for many years they by passed Sheffield because we were already covered by several IKEAS 30 mile away.

So we do have other big cities close by.
Hence regards investment it’s easy to be overlooked and go to Manchester, Leeds and Nottingham instead.

Im now in my 50’s and over the decades I’ve worked with loads of outsiders (most were ex students) who decided to lay roots in and around Sheffield.
I ask “what’s the attraction of living in Sheffield” and always tended to receive similar positive comments like.

1: Location: Regards national travel the location is fantastic....virtually the dead centre of England and next to the motorway.
2: Green city: Sheffield has loads of parks and trees in every street. Outsiders are often shocked at how green Sheffield is.
3: Beautiful countryside: They always say we don’t realise how lucky we are to be able to drive just 20 minutes and be surrounded by countryside.
4: The special village atmosphere: Many have commented that Sheffield has the facilties of a large city but the intimate feel of a small town.
Someone said that it might be the hilly terrain forming natural boundaries but Sheffield does feel like a collection of villages.
5: Low crime rate. Ive worked with people who use to live in Manchester and Liverpool and say that crime wise Sheffield has a much much safer vibe.
6: Friendly people. Outsiders used to comment then when you catch a bus in Sheffield you always have strangers talking to you. They say they’ve never experienced it any where else.

Many students from out of town...fall in love with the city and end up staying. Think it’s important to appreciate that Sheffield does have qualities.

This is bang on, stoo bloody whinging about crap Shef

I wrote a negative post about industry and commerce aspect of Sheffield.
The city leaders think small time and the people are generally pessimistic regards big ideas and success....so this becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.

I think our lack of commercial success is down to geography and capatalism.
Take IKEA, their business plan to to have their stores next to the motorway covering all major cities.
We have Manchester 30 miles to the west, Leeds 30 mile to the north and Nottingham 30 mile to the south.
Therefore for many years they by passed Sheffield because we were already covered by several IKEAS 30 mile away.

So we do have other big cities close by.
Hence regards investment it’s easy to be overlooked and go to Manchester, Leeds and Nottingham instead.

Im now in my 50’s and over the decades I’ve worked with loads of outsiders (most were ex students) who decided to lay roots in and around Sheffield.
I ask “what’s the attraction of living in Sheffield” and always tended to receive similar positive comments like.

1: Location: Regards national travel the location is fantastic....virtually the dead centre of England and next to the motorway.
2: Green city: Sheffield has loads of parks and trees in every street. Outsiders are often shocked at how green Sheffield is.
3: Beautiful countryside: They always say we don’t realise how lucky we are to be able to drive just 20 minutes and be surrounded by countryside.
4: The special village atmosphere: Many have commented that Sheffield has the facilties of a large city but the intimate feel of a small town.
Someone said that it might be the hilly terrain forming natural boundaries but Sheffield does feel like a collection of villages.
5: Low crime rate. Ive worked with people who use to live in Manchester and Liverpool and say that crime wise Sheffield has a much much safer vibe.
6: Friendly people. Outsiders used to comment then when you catch a bus in Sheffield you always have strangers talking to you. They say they’ve never experienced it any where else.

Many students from out of town...fall in love with the city and end up staying. Think it’s important to appreciate that Sheffield does have qualities.

This is bang on, i bloody love Sheffield

 

[Vikkster]

When ever I was working away the hotel bar was where you meet other people who were probably staying one night, most of the time the subject of who you supported came up, usually from me, people didn't laugh at who you supported but I always told them the best fans in the country were Sheffield football fans, this did make them laugh, I explained the rubbish served up over decades and the Sheffield fans still turned up, no 'extras' because of our years of success, no just locals, I used to add our crowds together and say now tell me how many cities can compare success /crowds with that, sorry to sound like I'm bumming up Wednesday fans but this is about Sheffield football fans, I am a very, very proud sheffielder.
P. S. no I haven't 'bummed' any Wednesday fans

Get in

 

[Penny Black tart]

Leeds city centre is light years ahead of Sheffield and the amount of new housing/urban living along the canal is brilliant, go have a look, Sheffield has the river Don and has never capitalised on it, Sheffield has a wonderful centre, now look at it, it's a mess.

i have worked on the housing business in Leeds and let me tell you they went daft with high rises and apartments and loads are stood empty and many investors have seen huge downturn in values and rent yields, and look at some of the bright modern offices hotels and flats along the Don in Sheffield city centre, it’s not all gloom.

 

[robbiez666]

The lack of a national football museum is laughable. I mean, the council would rather chuck money at the woeful National Videogame Museum. Football is the most popular sport in the world. It could be a huge tourist attraction. But no.

 

[Penny Black tart]

And yet Liverpool is still a hundred times better than Sheffield, It has completely re-invented itself, it's not known for it's left wing militant image anymore and hasn't allowed it to blight their future by half heartedly continuing with it.
Liverpool's skyline is impressive and it has more beautiful Georgian and Victorian buildings than any other city outside of London, so the so called militants didn't do that good a job of destroying it, unlike a real left wing, backward, silently militant mob that we've had in charge for most of our lives.

I travel with work and also commented on a post about Leeds, and I kid you not Sheffield skyline is a match for Liverpool’s, consider if Sheffield was flat then you’d see an whole different skyline

 

[Penny Black tart]

The lack of an airport has surely done the city in, in the modern era. Everywhere else has one bar us, cant be good for attracting global / european business / investment to the area. Even Donny airport is a good 45-60 mins away, more if the traffics against you! that and a lack of marketing of what the city could / can offer also must be a reason. Late 90's we had the best sports facilities in the country, rarely got mentioned. Nowadays places like Kelham Island should be a goldmine but they remain a secret.
Im in my early 40's but its always seemed like the city is behind others in the county, London (clearly head and shoulders the best place!), Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, York, Leeds, Newcastle and potentially Nottingham (although not been there for years) are way way out in front of Sheffield.

Sheffield is too hilly for any decent size airport

 

[TJB.]

The lack of a national football museum is laughable. I mean, the council would rather chuck money at the woeful National Videogame Museum. Football is the most popular sport in the world. It could be a huge tourist attraction. But no.

The Mancs got it.

 

[Penny Black tart]

It's not that affluent though is it
Not really, not when compared to the creme de la creme of other cities.
There are apartments in Manchester that cost £4 million
There are apartments in Newcastle that cost £3.5 million
There are apartments in Liverpool that cost £2 million
There are apartments in Leeds that cost £1.8 million and there are £5 million houses all over the place in various suburbs.

£2 million in Sheffield buys you a 7 bedroom Manor House in the affluent South West.
It's affluent for Sheffield but that doesn't say much really.

Stop painting it so bloody bad, my friend owns a penthouse near the canal in Leeds and a few years ago paid about £250k, it’s now stood empty cos the values in Leeds plummeted as far too many are empty, Sheffield is playing catch up but we are seeing larger higher buildings in Sheffield and like I said elsewhere if our centre was flat rather than hilly they’d stand out a lot more

 

[Penny Black tart]

I get that mate, but I don't agree with some of the stuff on here, so I'll defend the Council to a greater extent. Manchester is a bigger city to Sheffield, more presence and appeal and didn't suffer like Sheffield did in the same way in my view due to the closer of pits and steel not been the industry it was. Leeds is a better comparison, but again Leeds has different demographics and a different economy to Sheffield. Whether Sheffield could have remarketted itself like Leeds has done as the financial centre for the north I don't know, but I'd guess some of that infrastructure was there in the first place. Sheffield as far as I can rememeber is reliant on public sector work more than most other cities, that's another factor.

Manchester isn’t a bigger city than Sheffield, it’s much smaller unless you talking greater Manchester but as someone else says greater Manchester should be compared with South Yorkshire not Sheffield. In fact Salford almost comparable with Manchester.

 

[JJBlade]

Stop painting it so bloody bad, my friend owns a penthouse near the canal in Leeds and a few years ago paid about £250k, it’s now stood empty cos the values in Leeds plummeted as far too many are empty, Sheffield is playing catch up but we are seeing larger higher buildings in Sheffield and like I said elsewhere if our centre was flat rather than hilly they’d stand out a lot more

Ahhh it's the hills now is it ?

A bit like Rome, Rio, Hong Kong, San Francisco are all unnoticeable because of the hills.

Tall buildings also aren't the answer

The tallest building in Sheffield is St Paul's Tower

It looked excellent when the architect drew it, but one set of cutbacks after another and it now looks like a taller version of the dozen blocks of flats they knocked down on Norfolk Park.

We're now getting "Kings Tower" apparently on the old Primark site.

Looks ok, but won't be by the time building work starts

 

[Penny Black tart]

Surprisingly I think Sheffield is a bigger city and more populated than Manchester it’s just people assume greater Manchester as a whole which is a city region like South Yorkshire for instance and I think Leeds is slightly bigger than both tbh but get what you mean as an economy etc they excel more

Leeds as always in actual size been slightly smaller than Sheffield but larger in population, but Leeds ate up many surrounding areas all the way up to the airport, but you travel from Halfway to Stocksbridge you’ll see how big Sheffield is

 

[Penny Black tart]

Ahhh it's the hills now is it ?

A bit like Rome, Rio, Hong Kong, San Francisco are all unnoticeable because of the hills.

Tall buildings also aren't the answer

The tallest building in Sheffield is St Paul's Tower

It looked excellent when the architect drew it, but one set of cutbacks after another and it now looks like a taller version of the dozen blocks of flats they knocked down on Norfolk Park.

We're now getting "Kings Tower" apparently on the old Primark site.

Looks ok, but won't be by the time building work starts

Neggy nickers!! I’ve seen the new one opposite Bankers draft it looks good, and Saint Pauls doesn’t look bad at all. The China town tower also looks modern.

 

[Booker4]

Manchester isn’t a bigger city than Sheffield, it’s much smaller unless you talking greater Manchester but as someone else says greater Manchester should be compared with South Yorkshire not Sheffield. In fact Salford almost comparable with Manchester.

It's semantics that Penny. There's no visible boundary other than signs. Greater Manchester is huge, with just two big teams. We have two teams for a population that is probably a 5th of greater Manchester is and just beyond even if that does include the likes of Bury, Rochdale, Warrington where they draw all the glory supporters from. I don't think many people from Donny or Barnsley support United or Wednesday, may be wrong there, but we're not big enough to draw that glory support. Leeds get support from Barnsley and so many parts of West Yorkshire as a comparison.

 

[sitwell]

Im Sheffield born and bred as are my parents and grandparents. I love the place but was driven out by the totally inept joke of a council 20 years ago and nothing has changed since. My business is based there but only because Im too lazy to move ,despite double the amount of businesses I deal with being based in Leeds ,in fact only a tenth of my customers are based in Sheffield. The wedding cake ,the hole in the road ,the eggbox ,not the greatest looking buildings but iconic and unique ,Sheffield FC iconic and unique all destroyed or ignored meaning we have no living history just drabness as they covert it to Milton Keynes with hills. Its disgusting what that council get away with and have done for almost all my lifetime. The city centre is just a fucking embarrassment nowadays. City on the move my arse.

 

[Penny Black tart]

It all depends on how you count and crunch the numbers. The City of Sheffield is actually 4th largest in England, however as a conurbation/urban area/metropolitan region etc etc we are up there, sure, but not on a par with Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool etc.

The thing is, we should be more or less on a par with places like Newcastle, Nottingham, Bristol but alas (and it saddens me to say) we are even light years behind these places in terms of economy and commerce - not to mention eateries, hospitality and night life. Unfortunately we are more on a par with market towns like Derby and Stoke than we are with the 'big' cities.

A lot of this I blame on the piggy labour city council of the late 80s.... Clive Betts, Blunkett etc. When I was growing up in the 60s and 70s Sheffield really was how it was described in the Full Monty Showreel - A city on the move! My jobs have taken me all over the world and particularly many other cities in the UK over the years. I watched all these other 'big cities' (maybe Liverpool apart) go from strength to strength while Sheffield just declined along with the once great steel industry. As all the blue chip, banking and IT companies drove straight on past us up the M1 to Leeds, we were destroying our City Centre with out of town shopping malls and the World Student Games.

I think Sheffield’s pub scene is way in front of Leeds Newcastle and Bristol and Nottingham and Leicester, don’t really know Manchester apart from Picadilly and there’s no pubs to say much about on there. I like Liverpool having sampled it twice last season.

 

[Penny Black tart]

It's semantics that Penny. There's no visible boundary other than signs. Greater Manchester is huge, with just two big teams. We have two teams for a population that is probably a 5th of greater Manchester is and just beyond even if that does include the likes of Bury, Rochdale, Warrington where they draw all the glory supporters from. I don't think many people from Donny or Barnsley support United or Wednesday, may be wrong there, but we're not big enough to draw that glory support. Leeds get support from Barnsley and so many parts of West Yorkshire as a comparison.

There are a lot of blades in Rotherham and Doncaster. Look at Leeds it’s comparable to Sheffield but just one team and surrounded by towns like Wakefield pudsey pontefract castleford harrogate wetherby with no teams.

 

[Penny Black tart]

Im Sheffield born and bred as are my parents and grandparents. I love the place but was driven out by the totally inept joke of a council 20 years ago and nothing has changed since. My business is based there but only because Im too lazy to move ,despite double the amount of businesses I deal with being based in Leeds ,in fact only a tenth of my customers are based in Sheffield. The wedding cake ,the hole in the road ,the eggbox ,not the greatest looking buildings but iconic and unique ,Sheffield FC iconic and unique all destroyed or ignored meaning we have no living history just drabness as they covert it to Milton Keynes with hills. Its disgusting what that council get away with and have done for almost all my lifetime. The city centre is just a fucking embarrassment nowadays. City on the move my arse.

My other half loves Sheffield around St Pauls, Peace gardens, Winter gardens, Leopoldo square etc, he’s from down south.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Instead of fixating about Manchester or Leeds. I wish Sheffield would look to Liverpool more, as a path to follow on how to regenerate itself. Both Merseyside and South Yorkshire were on their uppers all through the 80s. It didn’t help that the twin socialist citadels of Liverpool and Sheffield were hated (righty or wrongly) by the Thatcher government.
But having worked over in Liverpool a few years ago, you couldn’t help but to admire how it has brought prosperity back to a city that was on it’s arse just like Sheffield.
Yes Sheffield is belatedly having a go, but unfortunately it doesn’t have a worldwide icons like Liverpool FC or the Beatles to pull on.

 

[sitwell]

My other half loves Sheffield around St Pauls, Peace gardens, Winter gardens, Leopoldo square etc, he’s from down south.

Personal view ,but its interesting that he doesnt come from here ,not many from my era who grew up here will be impressed with any of those in my opinion.

 

[Maidenhead]

Successive Labour councilors running the Town Hall, in the past tells you everything you need to know.

Not really.

By and large Leeds has nearly always had a Labour council and in my life time has come from way behind Sheffield to be absolutely miles in front.

It's about the people, not the party.

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

No it's about the Thatcher years when the country changed from coal mining and manufacturing to banking took the motor way to Leeds and closed the Totley tunnel ....

 

[sitwell]

No it's about the Thatcher years when the country changed from coal mining and manufacturing to banking took the motor way to Leeds and closed the Totley tunnel ....

The Totley Tunnel is closed ? And the motorway doesnt come to Sheffield ?

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

Read your history son....

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Not really.

By and large Leeds has nearly always had a Labour council and in my life time has come from way behind Sheffield to be absolutely miles in front.

It's about the people, not the party.

As we know there are different shades of Labour. But Leeds always seems to be a more pro-active city. Whereas Sheffield come across as be more cap in hand.

 

[Webding]

You’re all missing the point in terms of measuring the place based on populations and boundaries. Manchester and Leeds (and even Newcastle, Nottingham etc) have bigger city centres, with more going for them (i.e. not just one long street with a few things off it). And greater Manchester is huge compared to the Sheffield urban area, comparisons there are daft.

I think Sheffield’s pub scene is way in front of Leeds Newcastle and Bristol and Nottingham and Leicester, don’t really know Manchester apart from Picadilly and there’s no pubs to say much about on there. I like Liverpool having sampled it twice last season.

Again, the difference is that these places have good boozers in and around the centre; most of Sheffield’s best watering holes aren’t, with the best drinking areas miles away from each other.

Oh, and a five minute walk from Piccadilly, you have as many boozers, hipster pubs and poncy bars as you want in the northern quarter and beyond.

But again, I still love Sheffield and its people more than all these places... and while investors don’t so much, a lot of normal outsiders do too. The smallness and unassuming nature can work in its favour for casual visiting, and its just got a friendlier feel.

 

[Numpty's Dusty Ruts.]

It's all irrelevant. It doesn't matter. Sheffield is Sheffield, Leeds is Leeds, yawn.
Outside football, it dunt matter. We're all downtrodden Northerners. Manc and Leeds are full of shitty bits too. Just that their better bits are a bit better than ours. We'd do better to stick together!!!

 

[Trumpton]

No it's about the Thatcher years when the country changed from coal mining and manufacturing to banking took the motor way to Leeds and closed the Totley tunnel ....

You mean the Woodhead tunnel Benny? and the M67 to nowhere?