The "Pigs"

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As others have said, I'm sure it started when they changed their badge in the early seventies. Someone pointed out that it looked more like a pig than an owl (it definitely has a pig's snout on it). They've been the pigs ever since.
 
In the great flood of 1864 many people sadly died. There is actually a list and many were children. There is even a list of pigs that died.
The flood was due to the Dale Dyke Dam bursting. Maybe this has something to do with the pig farm rumour.
The police report shows 258 pigs were lost. Just search Sheffield Flood 1864, there is a PDF.
 
Can any of the OAP's on here confirm if the "pig" insult was ever used before the early 70's?

Same as the "Hark Now hear" song.
I went to virtually every home game (but no away games) in the 79-80 season but I was mainly stood on the terrace. The first time I heard it was United singing it en masse loud and proud at the return Sheffield derby
at Easter 1980, although I switched to the Kop for that game.
 
Sheffsteel said:
Can any of the OAP's on here confirm if the "pig" insult was ever used before the early 70's?

Same as the "Hark Now hear" song.
I went to virtually every home game (but no away games) in the 79-80 season but I was mainly stood on the terrace. The first time I heard it was United singing it en masse loud and proud at the return Sheffield derby
at Easter 1980, although I switched to the Kop for that game.
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Back at Gleadless Valley, because one third of our input was from Bankwood (pig territory) and Herdings (even piggier) we called Pigfans, 'pigfans'. And that was from 1974-79. Hemsworth (the remaining third) was largely Blades. We did have some from Norton, but they were mainly posho rugger fans, hence unworthy and odd.

pommpey
 
northsomersetblade said:
I think it might have started with that badge...the rest is back filling urban myths. You definitely used to see it drawn on walls with the curly tail and snout in 1979. I see they introduced it in 73 according to Wikipedia
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Sorry to bring this up again but I’ve spoke to few older United and Wednesday fans recently and it’s been confirmed by older Owls and Blades the truth behind who are The Pigs.

I was only a kid when I went to my first ever football match in March 1975, which was the famous SU 3 West Ham 2 Tony Currie match. My uncle who took me to that match and his friends definitely referred to SW as “The Pigs” in 1975 and some of the Wednesdayites in the family had never heard it said before, this is a fact.

He said “The Pigs” was never used by either Sheffield before 1973/74 time.
Apparently SW produced their newly designed badge in 1973 which was an outline of an Owl.
It caught on during 1974 for naughty Blades to draw a curly tail and snout on their badge.
And thats when “The Pig” insult started being used.
I even remember me and my mates drawing the Owl badge with snout and curly tail at school in the late 70’s.

Honestly can’t personally remember any SW fans calling it us until the 80’s.
Probably response was “why are you calling us The Pigs, you should be The Pigs as your shirts are striped and coloured like bacon”.
So Wednesday fans started calling it us back.

Speak to any pensioners who went to both grounds and they’ll confirm it was never used in the 50’s or 60’s.
It started being used by Blades from 1973/ 74 ish because of Wednesdays new badge.

This is not another theory or old wives tale, it’s actual FACT. The others theories about pig farms, streaky bacon, and butchers aprons might be true but that’s not why “the pig” name started being used.
 
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Either way it's idiotic that both sets of fans use this ridiculous term.
 
They even the front to steal the Billy Sharp song & put Jordan Rhodes name on it !!! They’ve got more frigging faces than the town hall clock .


Custards the lot of em ,,, hybrid of a Cunt / Bastard
 
Bert said:
Either way it's idiotic that both sets of fans use this ridiculous term.
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True.

A history lesson

Football was relatively sedantry in the 50’s and 60’s.
Many Sheffielders used to go to Bramall Lane one week, then go to Hillsboro the week after. Fans mixed.
Then when television came on the scene football became more tribal, more passionate and nasty.
SW produced their new simplified badge in 1973, that easy to draw badge meant in the 70’s you used to see their badge grafittid everywhere. I remember even seeing a Owl badge drawn on the brick wall on John Street which some Blade had grafittid over to look like a pig.

What would you do if you saw graffiti everywhere in the shape of their Owl badge?
Remember grafitti was much more widespread in the 70’s than what it is now.
Maybe draw a SU badge next to it? But our badge was difficult to draw and not so easily recognisable.
How about cross it out?
No, some Blades, simply grafittid a snout over the beak and drew in a curly tail.
I also remember seeing OWLS graffiti and some Blade would add an F before it spelling “FOWLS”
The simplified Owls badge seemed to be on toilet wall in every city centre pub, so Blades would always add a curly tail and snout.

It basically the grafitti culture and the easy of drawing their simplified badge that lead to us to calling them PIGS from 1974.
 
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Sheffsteel said:
Can any of the OAP's on here confirm if the "pig" insult was ever used before the early 70's?
Click to expand...

No. As has been been pointed out by others before, the "pig" moniker came about in the 70's when Jack Charlton came along. Big Jack became Pig Jack and they copied it about 10 years later without ever understanding it's origin (no surprise there).. Forget the rest of the anecdotes, they're all bollocks, this is the real reason. End of.
 
Sheffsteel said:
Sorry to bring this up again but I’ve spoke to few older United and Wednesday fans recently and it’s been confirmed by older Owls and Blades the truth behind who are The Pigs.

I was only a kid when I went to my first ever football match in March 1975, which was the famous SU 3 West Ham 2 Tony Currie match. My uncle who took me to that match and his friends definitely referred to SW as “The Pigs” in 1975 and some of the Wednesdayites in the family had never heard it said before, this is a fact.

He said “The Pigs” was never used by either Sheffield before 1973/74 time.
Apparently SW produced their newly designed badge in 1973 which was an outline of an Owl.
It caught on during 1974 for naughty Blades to draw a curly tail and snout on their badge.
And thats when “The Pig” insult started being used.
I even remember me and my mates drawing the Owl badge with snout and curly tail at school in the late 70’s.

Honestly can’t personally remember any SW fans calling it us until the 80’s.
Probably response was “why are you calling us The Pigs, you should be The Pigs as your shirts are striped and coloured like bacon”.
So Wednesday fans started calling it us back.

Speak to any pensioners who went to both grounds and they’ll confirm it was never used in the 50’s or 60’s.
It started being used by Blades from 1973/ 74 ish because of Wednesdays new badge.

This is not another theory or old wives tale, it’s actual FACT. The others theories about pig farms, streaky bacon, and butchers aprons might be true but that’s not why “the pig” name started being used.
Click to expand...
Spot on .
 



I have heard numerous stories.

What Wednesday fans say:

- Wednesday played at Bramall Lane first, and so the Blades are the "pig iron"
- United kit looks like streaky bacon

What United fans say:

- Hillsborough was built on a pig farm
- Wednesday kit looks like Butcher aprons
- Blades began using the term after the creation of Wednesdays new badge.

Don't know about anyone else but that looks like 3-2 to me.

Mildly immature of me but there we have it, conclusive proof Wednesday are the pigs. :)
 
Tunstall Fred said:
Didn't they also put them free coaches/trains to away matches?
Click to expand...
Not sure. Will ask my workmate tomorrow. I was at a school in Berkshire when that happened. I remember receiving a letter from my mum saying that Nip Hague (well known Blade in Dronfield who hated anything blue) broke his tv after seeing the "Save our Owls" band in New Faces programme
 
Silent Blade said:
Not sure. Will ask my workmate tomorrow. I was at a school in Berkshire when that happened. I remember receiving a letter from my mum saying that Nip Hague (well known Blade in Dronfield who hated anything blue) broke his tv after seeing the "Save our Owls" band in New Faces programme
Click to expand...

Seem to recall a night match at York,they did it,probably wrong,and just my hatred of them colouring my memory
 
Barney said:
I have heard numerous stories.

What Wednesday fans say:

- Wednesday played at Bramall Lane first, and so the Blades are the "pig iron"
- United kit looks like streaky bacon

What United fans say:

- Hillsborough was built on a pig farm
- Wednesday kit looks like Butcher aprons
- Blades began using the term after the creation of Wednesdays new badge.

Don't know about anyone else but that looks like 3-2 to me.

Mildly immature of me but there we have it, conclusive proof Wednesday are the pigs. :)
Click to expand...

But the important issue about those theories is why was PIG never ever used in the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s?
Ask any old knowledgable Blade or Owl and if they are honest they’ll confirm the term started being used in the mid 70’s.
So why would it start at that time? There are still currently plenty of older fans around who can confirm the truth.
The other theories about pig farms, aprons might be true but that’s not how the term originated.
 
They're are pigs, every time they go to watch that shower, they're happy to sit in a shit sty, same as real pigs!
 
Sheffsteel said:
But the important issue about those theories is why was PIG never ever used in the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s?
Ask any old knowledgable Blade or Owl and if they are honest they’ll confirm the term started being used in the mid 70’s.
So why would it start at that time? There are still currently plenty of older fans around who can confirm the truth.
The other theories about pig farms, aprons might be true but that’s not how the term originated.
Click to expand...
Yep, I think it originated as you said, before the other stories started being spouted from both sides.

Edit: One more story I have heard is that way way back in the day Wednesday fans used to make a collective grunting sound to show support for the players as they walked on to the field. It wasn't meant to sound like piggy grunts from their point of view of course.
 
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Barney said:
I have heard numerous stories.

What Wednesday fans say:

- Wednesday played at Bramall Lane first, and so the Blades are the "pig iron"
- United kit looks like streaky bacon

What United fans say:

- Hillsborough was built on a pig farm
- Wednesday kit looks like Butcher aprons
- Blades began using the term after the creation of Wednesdays new badge.

Don't know about anyone else but that looks like 3-2 to me.

Mildly immature of me but there we have it, conclusive proof Wednesday are the pigs. :)
Click to expand...
The pig farm bullshit is in fact bullshit
 
Best to ignore the cunts. These are the vermin who tweeted about Billy Sharps son and Couttsie's leg. That's what you expect from scutters from Parson Cross and Southey Green.

Radders said:
As others have said, I'm sure it started when they changed their badge in the early seventies. Someone pointed out that it looked more like a pig than an owl (it definitely has a pig's snout on it). They've been the pigs ever since.
Click to expand...

Given their utterly shit new 'badge', are they The Boops?

upload_2018-1-1_11-48-34.png
 
Sheffsteel said:
Sorry to bring this up again but I’ve spoke to few older United and Wednesday fans recently and it’s been confirmed by older Owls and Blades the truth behind who are The Pigs.

I was only a kid when I went to my first ever football match in March 1975, which was the famous SU 3 West Ham 2 Tony Currie match. My uncle who took me to that match and his friends definitely referred to SW as “The Pigs” in 1975 and some of the Wednesdayites in the family had never heard it said before, this is a fact.

He said “The Pigs” was never used by either Sheffield before 1973/74 time.
Apparently SW produced their newly designed badge in 1973 which was an outline of an Owl.
It caught on during 1974 for naughty Blades to draw a curly tail and snout on their badge.
And thats when “The Pig” insult started being used.
I even remember me and my mates drawing the Owl badge with snout and curly tail at school in the late 70’s.

Honestly can’t personally remember any SW fans calling it us until the 80’s.
Probably response was “why are you calling us The Pigs, you should be The Pigs as your shirts are striped and coloured like bacon”.
So Wednesday fans started calling it us back.

Speak to any pensioners who went to both grounds and they’ll confirm it was never used in the 50’s or 60’s.
It started being used by Blades from 1973/ 74 ish because of Wednesdays new badge.

This is not another theory or old wives tale, it’s actual FACT. The others theories about pig farms, streaky bacon, and butchers aprons might be true but that’s not why “the pig” name started being used.
Click to expand...
bang on ;)
 



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