The real value of Sheffield United

[ChrisBlade]

Having come away from today's match unsure whether to laugh or cry, I have been absolutely stunned by the difference in response from several of our own fans and the neutrals from home and abroad that have been texting me. I have to say that some of the reactions I have read on here have been bordering on ungrateful. There was a huge element of deflation at not winning a match we richly deserved to win, but that disappointment really should be infused with some perspective of who we and they are as clubs and not take on this childish toys-out-of-the-pram sense of personal entitlement that some posters have portrayed.

Anyway, what really struck me is how many neutrals have actually credited us with bringing a type of excitement to the Prem that they haven't seen at any stage since Leicester took the title. I have had several messages from fans of established mid-table sides or misfiring "big" clubs as well as from around Europe that basically have said that they wished that their team matched our set up (i.e. we have players that are genuinely ours over a long period of time and who embody an identity that goes against the entire ethos of modern football), that our way of playing creates deeply touching entertainment at both ends of the pitch and that I must be pinching myself as there is unlikely to be any side in the whole of Europe who radiates the kind of fun and togetherness we have week-in, week-out (maybe with the exception of Klopp's Liverpool).

Add in the view from Manchester, and I have decided that after six or seven hours of emotional bipolarity, I am now certain that happy laughter and pride is the order of the day. Must be a tough life if that game makes you bitter rather than just drained, proud and teary-eyed with the painful cruelty (but also beauty) of the game and Sheffield United.

The real value of Sheffield United?

We're currently single-handedly saving and propping up a somewhat over-hyped and stale global product by injecting a ton of unpredictable local colour and romance.

 

[Northyorksblade]

Multi likes required

 

[Groucho Blade]

Yep. I agree wholeheartedly with the OP. Disappointed not to have won that game but that is completely and utterly overshadowed by the pride I feel that my club, little old Sheffield United, is teaching the world how modern football can be played.

 

[TheDevonBlade]

What an excellent post .

 

[grafikhaus]

Agree ChrisBlade . A lot of the PL is stale and I find myself turning off MoTD when crap like Bournemouth, Watford, Palace and Burnley come on. Not necessarily the way they play, but who cares?

In the fullness of time, some may realise what CW/AK are building here - especially satisfying by realising that Wednesday are standing still. A couple of observations from yesterday:

Solskjær is building his own version of 'Busby Babes' at OT and deserves more time. By the end of this season, they'll be in the top six. He's got rid of dross like Smalling and injected some cracking youth into the team - but Phil Jones needs to go. Maguire? A (very) poor man's van Dijk, but they're stuck with him.

The 90th minute? I went from sheer ecstasy with our equaliser to the utter shit that is VAR. If that goal had been disallowed, I think I'd have walked away from football, never to return.

 

[Kev Gee]

Great post!
I think the loss of Egan and Henderson basically gifted Man U an opportunity at any point to get back into the match.
We should be proud of our team and managers efforts. But Wilder won't be happy with the manor of the goals we conceded. This is also why we are continually progressing. And long may that continue.

 

[Kop Cat]

Agree totally with the post, I am proud of our team today, even if we had lost, we are certainly lighting up the PL. The watching public are also coming round to "the Sheffield United way" yes even the less delusional O**S fans are reluctantly, grudgingly, giving us a little praise.
Also a proud man today, our 1st grandchild was born, welcome to the wonderful world of being a Blade.

 

[oohaah]

Having come away from today's match unsure whether to laugh or cry, I have been absolutely stunned by the difference in response from several of our own fans and the neutrals from home and abroad that have been texting me. I have to say that some of the reactions I have read on here have been bordering on ungrateful. There was a huge element of deflation at not winning a match we richly deserved to win, but that disappointment really should be infused with some perspective of who we and they are as clubs and not take on this childish toys-out-of-the-pram sense of personal entitlement that some posters have portrayed.

Anyway, what really struck me is how many neutrals have actually credited us with bringing a type of excitement to the Prem that they haven't seen at any stage since Leicester took the title. I have had several messages from fans of established mid-table sides or misfiring "big" clubs as well as from around Europe that basically have said that they wished that their team matched our set up (i.e. we have players that are genuinely ours over a long period of time and who embody an identity that goes against the entire ethos of modern football), that our way of playing creates deeply touching entertainment at both ends of the pitch and that I must be pinching myself as there is unlikely to be any side in the whole of Europe who radiates the kind of fun and togetherness we have week-in, week-out (maybe with the exception of Klopp's Liverpool).

Add in the view from Manchester, and I have decided that after six or seven hours of emotional bipolarity, I am now certain that happy laughter and pride is the order of the day. Must be a tough life if that game makes you bitter rather than just drained, proud and teary-eyed with the painful cruelty (but also beauty) of the game and Sheffield United.

The real value of Sheffield United?

We're currently single-handedly saving and propping up a somewhat over-hyped and stale global product by injecting a ton of unpredictable local colour and romance.

Superb post. Even if we had lost 3-2 I wouldn’t have been too deflated due to the quality of the performance, but the way the game panned out turned it into a classic. Can’t imagine there’s been a better game all season, forget all these daft 9-0 scorelines that was the real deal yesterday and the world was watching. Anybody not happy after that should pack it in.

 

[anglian blade]

Unfortunately some of the posters on here give you the impression that if they were having a threesome with Scarlet Johansson and Rachel Riley they would spend the complaining that they were both blondes and they really wanted at least one brunette.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Having come away from today's match unsure whether to laugh or cry, I have been absolutely stunned by the difference in response from several of our own fans and the neutrals from home and abroad that have been texting me. I have to say that some of the reactions I have read on here have been bordering on ungrateful. There was a huge element of deflation at not winning a match we richly deserved to win, but that disappointment really should be infused with some perspective of who we and they are as clubs and not take on this childish toys-out-of-the-pram sense of personal entitlement that some posters have portrayed.

Anyway, what really struck me is how many neutrals have actually credited us with bringing a type of excitement to the Prem that they haven't seen at any stage since Leicester took the title. I have had several messages from fans of established mid-table sides or misfiring "big" clubs as well as from around Europe that basically have said that they wished that their team matched our set up (i.e. we have players that are genuinely ours over a long period of time and who embody an identity that goes against the entire ethos of modern football), that our way of playing creates deeply touching entertainment at both ends of the pitch and that I must be pinching myself as there is unlikely to be any side in the whole of Europe who radiates the kind of fun and togetherness we have week-in, week-out (maybe with the exception of Klopp's Liverpool).

Add in the view from Manchester, and I have decided that after six or seven hours of emotional bipolarity, I am now certain that happy laughter and pride is the order of the day. Must be a tough life if that game makes you bitter rather than just drained, proud and teary-eyed with the painful cruelty (but also beauty) of the game and Sheffield United.

The real value of Sheffield United?

We're currently single-handedly saving and propping up a somewhat over-hyped and stale global product by injecting a ton of unpredictable local colour and romance.

If Carlsberg did posts....., nice one mate

 

[Rojoyblanco]

Agree totally with the post, I am proud of our team today, even if we had lost, we are certainly lighting up the PL. The watching public are also coming round to "the Sheffield United way" yes even the less delusional O**S fans are reluctantly, grudgingly, giving us a little praise.
Also a proud man today, our 1st grandchild was born, welcome to the wonderful world of being a Blade.

Congratulations. Hope you’ve got him a Blades babygrow!

 

[Speedracer]

Terrific post ChrisBlade, bang on mate.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Agree ChrisBlade . A lot of the PL is stale and I find myself turning off MoTD when crap like Bournemouth, Watford, Palace and Burnley come on. Not necessarily the way they play, but who cares
In the fullness of time, some may realise what CW/AK are building here - especially satisfying by realising that Wednesday are standing still. A couple of observations from yesterday:

Solskjær is building his own version of 'Busby Babes' at OT and deserves more time. By the end of this season, they'll be in the top six. He's got rid of dross like Smalling and injected some cracking youth into the team - but Phil Jones needs to go. Maguire? A (very) poor man's van Dijk, but they're stuck with him.

The 90th minute? I went from sheer ecstasy with our equaliser to the utter shit that is VAR. If that goal had been disallowed, I think I'd have walked away from football, never to return.

Add to that list Newcastle, Everton, West Ham, Palace and Southampton. These clubs have “stunk” the league out for years. Just doing enough to avoid relegation each season and never really troubling the top six either. The media think Chris Wilder would jump at the chance to join any of those teams. But they simply don’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as our Chrissie.

 

[Baaaaaaa Blades]

great OP
it is just so great to be able to watch this team play brilliant football in a great atmosphere with a great manager -it really is Roy of the Rovers stuff
every single game just seems like the gift that keeps giving !
before long we will have a world wide fan base and the greasy chip butty song being sang in many different languages !

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

PRICELESS

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Yep. I agree wholeheartedly with the OP. Disappointed not to have won that game but that is completely and utterly overshadowed by the pride I feel that my club, little old Sheffield United, is teaching the world how modern football can be played.

Have a like.

Disappointed not to have won that game but that is completely and utterly overshadowed by the pride I feel that my club, little old Sheffield United, is teaching the world how modern football can be played.

 

[ChrisBlade]

The 90th minute? I went from sheer ecstasy with our equaliser to the utter shit that is VAR. If that goal had been disallowed, I think I'd have walked away from football, never to return.

Grafikhaus, those were my exact thoughts. Making things worse was the fact that McBurnie's control of a sideways pass was so effortless that you almost felt he must have used his arm to keep it in line with his later shot. So I was bracing myself for it to be chalked off...

Incidentally, I probably should now retire my account based on this "like" count. Not sure I have a touch of Chris Wilder in me that allows me to constantly hit the spot and just keep pushing for greater heights the week after...

 

[TCsLoveChild]

Agree ChrisBlade . A lot of the PL is stale and I find myself turning off MoTD when crap like Bournemouth, Watford, Palace and Burnley come on. Not necessarily the way they play, but who cares?

In the fullness of time, some may realise what CW/AK are building here - especially satisfying by realising that Wednesday are standing still. A couple of observations from yesterday:

Solskjær is building his own version of 'Busby Babes' at OT and deserves more time. By the end of this season, they'll be in the top six. He's got rid of dross like Smalling and injected some cracking youth into the team - but Phil Jones needs to go. Maguire? A (very) poor man's van Dijk, but they're stuck with him.

The 90th minute? I went from sheer ecstasy with our equaliser to the utter shit that is VAR. If that goal had been disallowed, I think I'd have walked away from football, never to return.

Quote in the Guardian today say Sheffield United have spent less in their entire history than Manchester United spent on 2 defenders last summer. What a time to be a Blade UTB

 

[gordoncharles]

Solskjær is building his own version of 'Busby Babes' at OT

I doubt it. There's a couple of kids who've come in and played a handful of games and done reasonably well (the left back was dreadful till he scored by the way). McTominay is the new Darren Fletcher, not the new Roy Keane, and Rashford is useful but not a world class striker.

What's lost in our meltdown is that, as ever, they're still reliant on their goalkeeper to keep in games. He's their one world class player.

Their side is terrible by Manchester United's standards, the worst in over 30 years despite spending - what - a billion quid on it? And with the eye-watering cost of some of their "free" transfers to add to that.

They'll be incredibly fortunate if more than one of their youngsters turns out to be of the level they should be at, which is the European elite.

Right now they're merely Europa League contenders and that's not likely to change for a while. They could give their current manager more time and you never know, but the chances are they'll fall even further behind if they do.

I never expected it, I thought Moyes was a glitch. I never thought I'd ever be gutted about only taking a point off a Manchester United side.

 

[Yoonited]

Having come away from today's match unsure whether to laugh or cry, I have been absolutely stunned by the difference in response from several of our own fans and the neutrals from home and abroad that have been texting me. I have to say that some of the reactions I have read on here have been bordering on ungrateful. There was a huge element of deflation at not winning a match we richly deserved to win, but that disappointment really should be infused with some perspective of who we and they are as clubs and not take on this childish toys-out-of-the-pram sense of personal entitlement that some posters have portrayed.

Anyway, what really struck me is how many neutrals have actually credited us with bringing a type of excitement to the Prem that they haven't seen at any stage since Leicester took the title. I have had several messages from fans of established mid-table sides or misfiring "big" clubs as well as from around Europe that basically have said that they wished that their team matched our set up (i.e. we have players that are genuinely ours over a long period of time and who embody an identity that goes against the entire ethos of modern football), that our way of playing creates deeply touching entertainment at both ends of the pitch and that I must be pinching myself as there is unlikely to be any side in the whole of Europe who radiates the kind of fun and togetherness we have week-in, week-out (maybe with the exception of Klopp's Liverpool).

Add in the view from Manchester, and I have decided that after six or seven hours of emotional bipolarity, I am now certain that happy laughter and pride is the order of the day. Must be a tough life if that game makes you bitter rather than just drained, proud and teary-eyed with the painful cruelty (but also beauty) of the game and Sheffield United.

The real value of Sheffield United?

We're currently single-handedly saving and propping up a somewhat over-hyped and stale global product by injecting a ton of unpredictable local colour and romance.

We are Poetry in motion Not unlike your cohesive and we'll thunked post mate.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Hope this is readable, can’t expand it any more, a problem I’ve had all my adult life....

 

[super_pig]

Unfortunately some of the posters on here give you the impression that if they were having a threesome with Scarlet Johansson and Rachel Riley they would spend the complaining that they were both blondes and they really wanted at least one brunette.

i'd want two. never rated blondes.
where were we??

 

[diode_blade]

Great post ChrisBlade.

 

[Hartley Hare]

Yep, great post Chris all makes good sense to me.

HH

 

[Grecian2000]

I must be pinching myself

Heard someone asking CW on 5 Live prior to the game if he had to "pinch himself" at what was happening.
Is it me, or is this as stupid an expression as exists in the language? Has anyone EVER actually "pinched themselves" because something out of the ordinary has happened?
If we take the lead at the Etihad, will the away end simply be awash with cries of anguish as we ask the bloke next to us to "pinch me"?

 

[west_yorks_blade]

Heard someone asking CW on 5 Live prior to the game if he had to "pinch himself" at what was happening.
Is it me, or is this as stupid an expression as exists in the language? Has anyone EVER actually "pinched themselves" because something out of the ordinary has happened?
If we take the lead at the Etihad, will the away end simply be awash with cries of anguish as we ask the bloke next to us to "pinch me"?

And yet I pinch ladies bottoms on crowded trains and pubs and I get put on the sex offenders register - so unfair.

 

[PokerBlade]

Been chatting to a Spurs season ticket holder today who's raving about us. Couldn't believe how good we were against them and was amazed we were even better last night. People aren't just impressed by the resuts, they're impressed by the style of football, they're seeing us tactically better the sides we play. There were times last night that Man U were chasing shadows while we knocked it about.

Let's be fair, it would've been absolute robbery if we'd lost last night. They had one shot in the entire first half and I'm pretty sure that was curling wide even if it weren't a comfortable stop for Moore. From that perspective, we should probably be winning the game. But there's only so disappointed I can be with a performance of that quality and especially finishing with a point against a side that, in my lifetime at least, I've seen seemingly lifting a trophy almost every year. They had one option and that was to throw everything into attack and they have the quality to pull goals out from nowhere when they do that. I can only shrug and move on.

Ignoring a seven minute spell where the damage was done that was, and I'm not exaggerating, the single best performance I've ever seen from the Blades. Maybe not the result, definitely not in terms of impact, but in the sense of quality of football played I was in utter disbelief at how good we were. The strength, the skill, the passing, the movement, it was all the very highest level.

When I came out of the ground I said forget about the result for a minute, all I want is to be able to watch games like that.

 

[DronnieBlade]

The depth of quality overall in the PL this season is as low as I can ever remember.

Don’t dismiss this as a significant reason we are doing so well.

For the record, our quality is another reason .

UTB

 

[Speedracer]

My first reaction is disappointment at two points dropped, because make no mistake about it the 10/15 minutes they were better than us was no comparison to the rest of the game, we absolutely battered them. But I was so proud of every one of them last night, in patches we played some of the best football ever seen at The 'Lane. We no longer have a team made up from lower league players, they have made such strides & deserve to have at least equal billing with the so-called superstars at other clubs. They have tackled every challenge head on with hard work & honesty, & deserve all the platitudes showering down upon them now.
I absolutely love this club.

 

[WalkelyFan]

Unfortunately some of the posters on here give you the impression that if they were having a threesome with Scarlet Johansson and Rachel Riley they would spend the complaining that they were both blondes and they really wanted at least one brunette.

Not Rachel Riley.