Why do you support Sheffield United?

[Champagneblade]

How did you get here?

I don’t suppose anyone did it for glory hunting! Unless you’re over 100 years old!

For me, my Grandfather was a United fan. I still remember him having a Blades mug even when he was in his late 70s when he passed. He used to go regularly but stopped going when we dropped to the 4th. I think he was born around 1904/05 so he would have at least been around for at least a couple of cup wins.

My Dad is still watching us and is 88 now. He’s more of a TV viewer now and stopped going maybe a couple of years ago.

I went to my first game in the late to mid-80s. A rather drab 0-0 at home to Ipswich when Burridge was the goalie. My first proper memory was with Bassett as Manager and what fun times they were.

I then continued to follow them home and away as part of the London Blades including heading to Trinidad and Tobago to watch them under Warnock.

Despite Bryan Robson being responsible for my commitment waining and moving to Asia, I’ve still watched closely from afar and attended when I’m back. My daughter has taken up the mantle, proudly wears her kit and tells her classmates that Messi and Ronaldo are neither the GOAT as Billy Sharp is!

So fairly traditional at first for me though my daughter can claim slightly less conventional.

How about you?

 

[DifferentClass]

Born into a Blades family... for better or worse

 

[JPBrods]

I support Sheffield United because I hate myself. It’s as simple as that.

 

[diode_blade]

My dad took me to the lane back in the early 70's to see the likes of Currie and all, that was it hooked.
I remember a blades annual or magazine I got, can't remember if it was Dearden or Hockey, but the article was about one of them eating daffodil's.

 

[HuddersfieldBlade]

Both my dads and mums family, except my dads sister are/were all blades. This sister supported Wednesday just to piss them off.

I started going to games in the late 70s, hardly glory hunting, got my 1st season in 87/88.

 

[raimond]

Low self esteem

 

[MojoMuffin]

Came home from primary school one day and my grandad had the old teletext scores on. Was my first introduction to football really and everyone in my class were sharing around Manchester United stickers. Said "I'm a Man U fan". Room went cold. My mum and grandad in unison said "No you're not. You're a blades fan".

Took me to my first few games shortly after, can't remember the specific matches but there was a period where we'd always go into the 90th min losing and Paddy Kenny would go up for the last corner. For some reason in my young mind it seemed it happened every week and we'd score from a corner right at the death. Fell in love from that point onward.

 

[The Fox]

I had no real family allegiances for either club but in the 70's and living on the North side of the city you basically passed Hillsborough to go anywhere , it wasn't special , it was a bit run down even then .
Going to Bramall lane was different and special , higher division , better players and exciting as a kid. It wasn't the players just the experience, the ground ,the crowd , the atmosphere of the place and going there was an event .

Once your hooked thats it but still love being at the lane on a match day ,nowt like it.

 

[Brian Deane]

My Dad, NSTFU about playing for the Blades just after WW2 and sitting at the same table a Jimmy Hagan pre match.
My Dad's version of events was that Jimmy's normal routine was to be the last one to arrive, inevitably everyone at the table then stood up until Jimmy sat down.

 

[SwissBlade]

No ambisshun

 

[Gin&Juice]

I used to support SC Freiburg before a cycling incident in 1981.

 

[Champagneblade]

Both my dads and mums family, except my dads sister are/were all blades. This sister supported Wednesday just to piss them off.

I started going to games in the late 70s, hardly glory hunting, got my 1st season in 87/88.

I’m more intrigued now you w for two Dads and Mums!

 

[nopigfansintown]

I was a football fan. Played all the time. I vaguely followed Liverpool due to Fowler and Mcmanaman. I watched or taped Italian football on Sundays (channel 4) , and avidly watched MOTD, the FA Cup and the other Freeview football. I only had a vague understanding that there were sizable local teams. The stuff on TV seemed like outer space or something, not something that was fairly close to my grasp.

There was more chance of plaiting fog than getting the money to go to a real match as we were poor and even then it was pretty expensive. My parents thought it was insane to spend that much money on football as they had no interest whatsoever. As luck would have it a mate's neighbour one day had two season ticket tickets to the last home game (iirc). He was going on holiday. A dead rubber - 0-0 Vs Grimsby. I instantly fell in love with it. The guy who agreed to take me and said mate was a lapsed Blade. We were too young to go by ourselves, and you could tell he wasn't that assed when we plucked up the bottle to knock and ask, but he took us anyway. He was the only other Blade we knew. Top bloke

Before the start of the next season he said "I'm going to be the mascot do you two want to help me and go for nowt". We went for a few years with him, grew out of it, and I've been a season ticket holder for around 20 years since. Props to Kevin McCabe for making it as affordable as possible. I know at least ten people that wouldn't be Blades if it weren't for his great ticket policies in that period, myself included.

* After I'd been to a few matches a twist of fate. I won two tickets to pigs Vs Arsenal in a school writing competition. I went to the sty and without the necessary lexicon to articulate myself at the time...essentially thought they were a bunch of pretentious c's BDTBL, the more earthy atmosphere and you set of weirdos drew me in.

 

[SW12 to S12 to S18]

Was told that that's who our family supported by my mother, ( who had no interest in sport), after being asked on my first day at school which team is supported.
Grandad saw us win the Cup.
UTB.

 

[Aganarama]

Family - being brought up in Sheffield.
Since moving away and having become a parent, I've made sure my kids haven't had a choice .

 

[Silent Blade]

On my mother's side...


My mum's 6 brothers were all Wendy (They lived in Hartley Brook Road) but two of them were regulars at S6. Their dad (my grandfather who died before I was born) was a Blade from the 1920s, but often went to watch both Sheffield teams and started to lean toward Wendy because my Uncle Pete (1927-2009) fell in love with Wendy since they played Man City in the FA Cup in 1934 (attendance 72,841). My grandfather did try to get a ticket for our FA cup final against Arsenal in 1936 but didnt get it. My Uncle Pete told me that his maternal grandfather (1869-1954) was a Blade from the 1890s but am not sure if he attended any of the 6 FA Cup finals that involved us. My mum's only sister (the eldest of the 8 children) married a Blade.

On my father's side....


None of the family were interested in football until Fred Jessop joined the Blades from Derby during the 1937-38 season. Fred lived in Dronfield and his son was in the same class at school as my dad. This was how my dad became a Blade, his brother Tony wasnt interested in football but took his youngest brother Ronnie to both Blades and Wendy home games from the late 1950s but Ronnie noticed that my dad got more animated in matches at Bramall Lane so he decided to become a committed Blade. My dad's sister Joan's older son is a committed Blade and still goes to matches but her younger son chose Wendy but I dont think he often goes to matches at S6. My son is a Blade and his wife was already a Blade when they first met.

 

[Silent Blade]

My dad took me to the lane back in the early 70's to see the likes of Currie and all, that was it hooked.
I remember a blades annual or magazine I got, can't remember if it was Dearden or Hockey, but the article was about one of them eating daffodil's.

It was Hockey who ate the daffodils when he was a Birmingham player.

 

[Cam26utb]

when I was about 11-12 i went to a quid a kid match with friends against Boston utd in league cup 2004ish Ian Ross scored we won 1-0 I loved it an got half season ticket for that Christmas been going ever since

 

[Jon B]

Family. Although we lived in walking distance of Hillsborough and as our friends were Wednesdayites used to also go to games down there with them. At the time, post '66 World Cup, Hillsborough was a top venue. Yes, it was long ago.

At the time United and Wednesday were seemingly well established top flight clubs. My first season was just after the sales of Jones and Birchenall, so ended in relegation. The first of the downs and ups.

 

[Sandygate Blade]

My Dad was a Blade and I followed in his footsteps even though we lived in Sheffield 6. First game aged 7 in 1966 but started going regular in 1971. Can claim to have seen the Blades at the top of all 4 Divisions.

 

[calcalcal]

My story is a lot more recent than most

As a kid I grew up liking Liverpool. I like red. Liverpool are the reddest team. My family were all man u so that caused some banter
Then I moved away in my early 20s and lost interest. Lived in west country got into darts and rugby etc.
Then I came back and my best mate (die hard blade) invited me to a few games as id had a rough time.
Became hooked
Its a way of life
And nobody can call me a glory supporter

 

[Northernsoulblade]

My grandma bless her cliffe lass clipper on the trams hard as nails wasn’t going to let me a Wendy

 

[Shadota]

My dad started bringing me in the mid-90s, a year or 2 after we'd been relegated from the Premiership. I seem to remember a game where Brett Angel scored and we won 1-0, I think was against Port Vale, in 95 or 96. I was gradually drawn in from there.

Wouldn't change it for anything.

 

[MayorOJC]

Weirdly fell in love after watching us lose 3-0 to Wolves in the play-off final as a neutral. Just seemed like a team of people you'd meet down at the pub, managed by a psychopath - yet on the edge of the premier league. Refused my family's team (Barnsley) and supported the Blades ever since.

 

[s20Blade]

Because I am a football cuckold.

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Because I am a football cuckold.

A football, what?

ELI5.

 

[Bladesman]

Weirdly fell in love after watching us lose 3-0 to Wolves in the play-off final as a neutral. Just seemed like a team of people you'd meet down at the pub, managed by a psychopath - yet on the edge of the premier league. Refused my family's team (Barnsley) and supported the Blades ever since.

You became a fan off the back of that play-off final? Bloody hell.

 

[MayorOJC]

You became a fan off the back of that play-off final? Bloody hell.

Start as you mean to go on

 

[grena blade]

Dad was a blade and also all the cool kids supported United

 

[Revolution]

Had no choice. Born into it.