The Jessica Ennis Stand

[Houso]

Ditto, although I'm still cringing into shapes I didn't know were possible.

Why the flaming fuck was this not mentioned in the bloody article?

Framing it as "SUFC will honour Jess this season by..." would have been very easy and had the same impact without angering so many Blades and making us the object of such derision.

Let's hope the new comms and marketing bod doesn't bend over quite so easily.

 

[Bladesway]

First thought was that it wouldn't do any harm but the more you think about it the m0re you want to stick your head in the sand and pretend it never happened.

Wonderful achievement and she is a wonderful ambassador, for ATHLETICS. We are a football club. Bring her to a home match and show her round, milk the geniune applause and affection but for christs sake, does no one at BDTBL actually think before they act. Ah, they don't do they, thats why we are where we are.

 

[WhiteHawk]

Got to be a joke? Since when has the Bramall Lane stand been double tiered?

 

[Bladesman]

I think a certain Alan Hodgekinson deserves this honour but hey he never won a gold medal.

What a joke of a decision I thought it was an owl fan taking the piss when I heard this last night.

 

[TarquinDelouche]

"Look kids, a group of grown men leaping to conclusions and frothing at the mouth at half a story."

Don't worry guys, it's deadline day. You'll have plenty of time for genuine disappointment and anger later.

 

[Houso]

Wonderful achievement and she is a wonderful ambassador, for ATHLETICS. We are a football club. Bring her to a home match and show her round, milk the geniune applause and affection but for christs sake, does no one at BDTBL actually think before they act. Ah, they don't do they, thats why we are where we are.

And therein lies the rub. She wouldn't attend a United match without some emotional blackmail concealed as PR.

 

[SwissBlade]

Well done United.

Sheffield United are a Sheffield team (funnily enough) and this shows how proud the city and the club are of Wednesday.

For me it doesnt even matter if she is a Blade, its about recognition of an inspirational Sheffielder. And again, if it inspires other youngsters to see such recognition, then it's a great thing.

Incidentally asking how many times she's been to the lane is like asking how many times she posted a letter in the postbox in town before it got painted gold.

Of course, the usual suspects are straight onto this as a McCabe bashing exercise, I guess they want their bonus points for the day.

 

[Houso]

"Look kids, a group of grown men leaping to conclusions and frothing at the mouth at half a story."

Don't worry guys, it's deadline day. You'll have plenty of time for genuine disappointment and anger later.

To be fair Tarquers, the story is pretty much a complete story on our own official site....

 

[Houso]

Well done United.

Sheffield United are a Sheffield team (funnily enough) and this shows how proud the city and the club are of Wednesday.

For me it doesnt even matter if she is a Blade, its about recognition of an inspirational Sheffielder. And again, if it inspires other youngsters to see such recognition, then it's a great thing.

Incidentally asking how many times she's been to the lane is like asking how many times she posted a letter in the postbox in town before it got painted gold.

Of course, the usual suspects are straight onto this as a McCabe bashing exercise, I guess they want their bonus points for the day.

Where's the Helen Sharman stand Swiss?

 

[judge]

Who gives a shit ? Really ?

 

[shreds1975]

Interestingly this news was tweeted by a journalist last night, until he realised it had an embargo on the story until today. So United were basically holding the story back until transfer deadline day.......call me cynical but.....

And if it is only for one season it smacks of desperation even more. Here, we are going to name a stand after you, get a bit of reflective publicity and then when the Olympics excitement has died down next year we will take it away!

 

[bartman]

Well done United.


Incidentally asking how many times she's been to the lane is like asking how many times she posted a letter in the postbox in town before it got painted gold.

According to KM she won't be down tomorrow either for the 'unveling' or whatever they ca;; it. It will be her mum and someone else (sister I think he said but not 100% sure on that one). They are not sure when she will be able to come down to a game because she is too busy at the moment !!!!

 

[SwissBlade]

Where's the Helen Sharman stand Swiss?

Dunno, that was years ago. It's good that we're doing this now though.

 

[Bladesman]

True judge who really gives a shit what united do and what McCabe says.

 

[Micalijo]

Why not just extend the hotel to the enterprise centre and make even more money, a brick wall at that end would look good we could paint a crowd scene on it with the local graffiti artists helping out.

Ahhh I forgot we DON'T make any money from the hotel, that goes to one of McCabe's companies

Like it Metal.

Does she realise that the best she can hope for in her stand is a few hundred away fans and a few students every now and again.

 

[Micalijo]

True judge who really gives a shit what united do and what McCabe says.

Top stuff Bladesman - quite right.

The main story here is that McCabe sidestepped the question about rent from Ltd to plc

 

[Oreyt]

Where's the Helen Sharman stand Swiss?

Good point. I'd say First Briton In Space rather outstrips Gold Medal In The Heptathlon.

 

[TopBoy]

As part of this re-branding will it bring wipe clean pictures of our Jess in the bogs?

 

[Uhtred]

Not taking anything away from Jessica what she's achieved is fantastic and she deserves all the praise and recognition but IMO they should be naming stands after people who have made huge contributions to the club. Just makes me wonder what other news is forth coming.........smoke screen????

 

[Bladesman]

News: Quinn, Harry, Collins and Doyle sold

 

[SwissBlade]

Top stuff Bladesman - quite right.

The main story here is that McCabe sidestepped the question about rent from Ltd to plc

Has it really though.

If the question was "are you naming the away stand after a sheffield olympian?" the answer is not really going to be anything to do with rent from the one part of the group to another...

Obsession mic!

 

[SwissBlade]

According to KM she won't be down tomorrow either for the 'unveling' or whatever they ca;; it. It will be her mum and someone else (sister I think he said but not 100% sure on that one). They are not sure when she will be able to come down to a game because she is too busy at the moment !!!!

And I understand that. Her life will have changed a bit recently.

However it would've bee good to get her down for the unveiling.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Some of the negativity on here.....lets be negative for the sake of being negative shall we.

Its a fecking name for a stand, thats all. The important thing is that we've done something to recognise the achievements of a local sporting hero. She's a winner.....unlike many of our past and present players. I think it's a nice gesture and at the end of the day all that matters is what Jess Ennis thinks of it. If she considers it an honour then its a good thing.

If you dont want to call it 'The Jessica Ennis Stand' then carry on calling it the Bramall Lane end. The stand naming police aren't going to arrest you for it!

 

[Houso]

Hmmmm, I'm now thinking it's permanent again and am back to being negative for the sake of it...

Mr McCabe added that the club was hoping to make a permanent recognition "of some kind" next year to pay tribute to all of the city's athletes who competed in the London 2012 Olympics.

 

[TarquinDelouche]

I don't remember similar gnashing of teeth over the Westfield Health Stand.

 

[bartman]

Has it really though.

If the question was "are you naming the away stand after a sheffield olympian?" the answer is not really going to be anything to do with rent from the one part of the group to another...

Obsession mic!

Toby Foster asked this specific question after discussing the naming of the stand. KM sidestepped and started talking about 'modern day thinking' in terms of business and encorageing investors in the football club anly rather than the whole business

 

[Houso]

I don't remember similar gnashing of teeth over the Westfield Health Stand.

££££££££

 

[Revolution]

I don't remember similar gnashing of teeth over the Westfield Health Stand.

Is Jessica paying for the stand to be named after her?

 

[TarquinDelouche]

So we're all agreed that it's perfectly acceptable to give a stand a shitty name if someone pays for it, but name it after an inspirational sporting heroine and it's cheap, opportunistic and cringeworthy?

 

[Houso]

So we're all agreed that it's perfectly acceptable that we can give a stand a shitty name if someone pays for it, but name it after an inspirational sporting heroine and it's cheap, opportunistic and cringeworthy?

Pretty much (although you do make a good point). For me it's about intentions, timing and the actual communication of such a strategy.

I think most Blades are willing to take the odd kick to the bollocks and swallow down some nasty tasting medicine if the people in charge are honest about it and it makes some sense both financially and on the pitch.

The timing of this whole move, coupled with the communication that it's to honour Jess rather than as we know to make some money is just so bloody cheap. And sadly, that's the word that we have become in recent years - cheap.

Everyone knows that it's for PR, and when Jess doesn't actually have all that much affiliation with the club, it comes across as us humping her leg for a bit of attention.