Walsall (1981) H

[Lane Ender]

I think you mean these dark days, we haven't really got very far in the intervening 34 years, have we?

Can't agree with you there fella.

There's been some cracking days since weren't you at Darlington or Leicester the Sty when we won 3-1 to name a few

 

[Dkc]

More downs than ups, though, it has to be said.

 

[Lane Ender]

More downs than ups, though, it has to be said.

That's what you sign up for supporting teams like ours.
Follow Chelsea , Man Utd if you want constant success.

 

[oldblade]

More downs than ups, though, it has to be said.

Not true.

We were in the fourth division 34years ago. We are now in the third division, so therefore it is impossible for us to have had more downs than ups in that time!

 

[Dkc]

How you taken our seven play off failures into account?

 

[Blade82]

Football is a cycle for clubs like us, we'll alway be up and down the leagues which is why we buy into the drivel like Europe in 5 years & game changing etc.. We're desperate for the cycle to end. Wouldn't mind if our cycles include sort of success that Wigan, Pompey and brum have had but that ain't happening anytime soon

 

[Paulus]

I was there and for the first time in my life I went to the Washington for a pre match drink, I've never been back. Apart from the last 5 minutes I remember very little, I was just aware that 0-0 would do and I kept hoping we'd hold on. I remember the 10 or 15 minutes after the final whistle as I stayed on the kop and watched the boys on the pitch, heard the rumours of Swindon and dismissed them as wishful thinking and then sat on the stone floor as the stand slowly emptied. There was a reserve game at BDTBL during the week following the game which I went to where about 200 sorry souls hurled abuse at Martin Peters; it didn't help.

 

[Canterbury Blade]

We were forged in those years.. Experiencing as a youth (Clough speak) the 79 onward years makes you appreciate the good times. Yes they are few, but when they come they are pretty damn good.

The character of being a Blade is made by all that we have endured. I can't think of any team that has had the experience we have had over the last thirty odd years. (Though Rangers may come close)

I've said before Givens was bad, but Boxing Day, Stein at Chelsea, Wigan, pigs at Wembley, every play off final and selling anyone we have any worth for, are just as defining...

It's been a roller coaster, but it's been my United roller coaster and its what has made me appreciate what it's like to be a proper football man. Sheffield United will never be a prawn sandwich club and that's why I love em so.

As they sang back when I first started ' take my old wife too, but I can't help falling in love with you...' You know the rest..

I wouldn't swop us for anything.

 

[JJBlade]

Edit from my previous post:



You could say I'm a fucking jinx!

2020 looks like being a good year then. We've all had fair warning to go on a long holiday for the entire year.

 

[Darren]

I was there and for the first time in my life I went to the Washington for a pre match drink, I've never been back. Apart from the last 5 minutes I remember very little, I was just aware that 0-0 would do and I kept hoping we'd hold on. I remember the 10 or 15 minutes after the final whistle as I stayed on the kop and watched the boys on the pitch, heard the rumours of Swindon and dismissed them as wishful thinking and then sat on the stone floor as the stand slowly emptied. There was a reserve game at BDTBL during the week following the game which I went to where about 200 sorry souls hurled abuse at Martin Peters; it didn't help.

I think that was the County Cup game against Rotherham when we lost 0-2. Strangely, Givens played in that game - his last ever appearance.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

2020 looks like being a good year then. We've all had fair warning to go on a long holiday for the entire year.

Don't you lot take notice, its going to be 2019

 

[djbaldken]

I was there that day too. Like others I remember little except the last 5 min. Their pen was a nailed on cert and I just knew they'd score. Ours was dubious but as mentioned elsewhere I got the impression the ref was desperate to give it. Our regular Penalty taker was watching from the touchline, Tony Kenworthy. Not sure if he was suspended or injured. I have no doubt he would have scored. I was sure Givens would miss. So much so I could nt watch. I bent down and held my head in my hands. Only to have my fears confirmed by the agonising howls from grown men around me. That moment is imprinted on my mind. The rest is history.
I did enjoy our season in the lowest league though. Most away games were like home games. Scunthorpe being memorable. Blades took their kop only to be driven back by an enormous fat girl in a white top who from a distance looked like she could have taken Mike Tyson. Also Stevie Neville coming on as sub and lasting less than a minute , being sent off for a lunging tackle. Leaving the ground a fellow blade was so pissed he was laid flat out on the terrace unable to stand.
Then of course there was the amazing final match a Darlington. Never seen so many people in fancy dress.
Ahh the memories.

 

[Darren]

I was there that day too. Like others I remember little except the last 5 min. Their pen was a nailed on cert and I just knew they'd score. Ours was dubious but as mentioned elsewhere I got the impression the ref was desperate to give it. Our regular Penalty taker was watching from the touchline, Tony Kenworthy. Not sure if he was suspended or injured. I have no doubt he would have scored. I was sure Givens would miss. So much so I could nt watch. I bent down and held my head in my hands. Only to have my fears confirmed by the agonising howls from grown men around me. That moment is imprinted on my mind. The rest is history.
I did enjoy our season in the lowest league though. Most away games were like home games. Scunthorpe being memorable. Blades took their kop only to be driven back by an enormous fat girl in a white top who from a distance looked like she could have taken Mike Tyson. Also Stevie Neville coming on as sub and lasting less than a minute , being sent off for a lunging tackle. Leaving the ground a fellow blade was so pissed he was laid flat out on the terrace unable to stand.
Then of course there was the amazing final match a Darlington. Never seen so many people in fancy dress.
Ahh the memories.

Kenworthy had been dropped by Martin "tactical genius" Peters!

 

[bertieblade]

I remember Cec coldwell sending Steve Neville, (the dwarf with the Afro hairstyle) on and motioning that ge should get into the penalty area and dive. It appeared that Cec thought it was our only way to score, but Neville never got anywhere near the penalty area, we subsequently had to rely on the ref, who awarded the penalty to stop himself from being lynched. As we all know in typical utd fashion we missed it.
Doubt there is a set of supporters who have put up with so much mismanagement and possible bad luck than the loyal blades, does beg the question as to how many supporters we would have, if we had someone like Shankley as manager and a chairman and board who had some foresight, football knowledge and willingness to do things for the benefit of SUFC as opposed to looking at the club as a cash cow

 

[Darren]

I remember Cec coldwell sending Steve Neville, (the dwarf with the Afro hairstyle) on and motioning that ge should get into the penalty area and dive. It appeared that Cec thought it was our only way to score, but Neville never got anywhere near the penalty area, we subsequently had to rely on the ref, who awarded the penalty to stop himself from being lynched. As we all know in typical utd fashion we missed it.
Doubt there is a set of supporters who have put up with so much mismanagement and possible bad luck than the loyal blades, does beg the question as to how many supporters we would have, if we had someone like Shankley as manager and a chairman and board who had some foresight, football knowledge and willingness to do things for the benefit of SUFC as opposed to looking at the club as a cash cow

Serious question. Do you really think people like McCabe. Brealey, Hassall and so on increased their wealth by getting involved with SUFC?

 

[bertieblade]

Brealey I doubt would have increased his wealth
Halsall possibly came out on a par,
.
McCabe will by no means have lost as much as he claims to gave done and has possibly made money as a result of the hotel deal, his company acquiring assets that were previously held by the football club and using sufc assets to gain inroads into China, Hungary and Australia to speculate and invest in property. The unfortunate decline in the global property market has obviously hit his pocket, but there is no doubt that he used utd to open doors, forge links and partially fund some of his excursions into the previously mentioned markets. Cannot blame him, but I very much doubt that a great proportion of his sufc related property / commercial deals were done for the sole benefit of SUFC.

 

[Revolution]

Serious question. Do you really think people like McCabe. Brealey, Hassall and so on increased their wealth by getting involved with SUFC?

Brearley - no
Hassall - no idea. If he did, not significantly
McCabe - it depends what the hotel and ground are worth when he disposes of them

 

[Darren]

Brearley - no
Hassall - no idea. If he did, not significantly
McCabe - it depends what the hotel and ground are worth when he disposes of them

McCabe has already written off millions of pounds that United owe him. I would be extremely surprised if he is not out of pocket when he finally packs it in.

 

[Revolution]

McCabe has already written off millions of pounds that United owe him. I would be extremely surprised if he is not out of pocket when he finally packs it in.

We shall see. I agree it is unlikely he's made any money.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

We shall see. I agree it is unlikely he's made any money.

Bet he's made a small fortune.



Started with a large fortune though.

 

[Silent Blade]

Kenworthy had been dropped by Martin "tactical genius" Peters!

Strange that a player who got dropped from the team is allowed to sit in the dugout next to Peters

 

[Revolution]

Strange that a player who got dropped from the team is allowed to sit in the dugout next to Peters

Kenworthy says he was fit to play and Peters left him out, telling the media he was injured. It's in his autobiography.

 

[Darren]

Kenworthy says he was fit to play and Peters left him out, telling the media he was injured. It's in his autobiography.

It was 34 years ago, and this may not be 100% accurate, but I have a strong memory that Peters said at the time Kenworthy had been dropped.

 

[Silent Blade]

Kenworthy says he was fit to play and Peters left him out, telling the media he was injured. It's in his autobiography.

I didnt go to the Walsall match as 1980-1987 were my "part-time" years because I was usually playing football on Saturdays. I did think about going to the Walsall game but I thought that we would be "ok" and decided to play in a 6 a side tournament at Manchester that day. At around 5 to 6pm I was in the changing rooms and saw my old schoolmate from Swansea who was elated on hearing the news about Swansea getting promotion to the 1st division. No one knew how the Blades had gone on so later in the evening (my team mate who is a Wendy fan was with me) I went to town to buy the Pink Un, I then looked at our result first and then looked at the scores of the other teams battling against relegation and I was dumbfounded! I said that I wont bother going to the Lane again! On seeing my Swansea mate that evening, we were saying that our beloved teams had gone into opposite directions (Swansea were in the 4th division in 1978!)

The following week looking at the Green Un middle pages, there was a photo of a dejected Stewart Houston leaving the pitch and a photo of Peters, Coldwell, Kenworthy and someone else in the home team dugout (Kenworthy was wearing a sheepskin coat, I think) just when Givens was about to take the penalty

 

[JJBlade]

Serious question. Do you really think people like McCabe. Brealey, Hassall and so on increased their wealth by getting involved with SUFC?

No ! And it serves them right, lack of foresight, lack of ambition therefore lack of profit.
Brearley in particular was on record in the "United TV series" as saying that football will become a commercial boom in the near future and any club not taking advantage of it will be left behind.

He then engineered a whip round where fans put £2.50 a month or whatever it was into the transfer kitty.
It was ambitious and enterprising stuff and after about 10 years we could afford Glyn Hodges.