Truth not spin and the "Phipps Mafia"

A United View was out of the country for the last two weeks of May. When booking a holiday I obviously thought United wouldn't need a trip to Wembley to try and get out of League 1. I genuinely thought we had the resources and capability to gain automatic promotion. Make no excuses this was the weakest League One since we were relegated. How wrong I was.

Whilst I was away United made what, to many in the media and those from outside the club's support, was a surprising decision. Yet to most fans it didn't really shock. Even those who supported Clough and trusted him to put it right knew there was also a strong and vocal faction of support who'd had enough.

The timing has been criticised. Why wait until the end of May? The answer I think comes with what was happening that weekend. Given the geographical spread of our Boars of Directors and hectic business schedules, when would they be likely to have clear diaries to meet and hear Nigel Clough's plans, allowing for a period of reflection and looking forward? The same weekend they had hoped to be in the country to watch the Blades in the Play Off final.

I don't know what happened in that meeting - only those there and any they have shared the confidence of. But it has to be assumed that what was said was not convincing enough for the Board to commit the club's future in Clough's hands. I absolutely respect that and can understand why. As I wrote in a piece for The Star - prior to his departure - the case for Clough staying was based on a need for stability and the need for him to change. We can only assume that the manager wasn't for changing. A stubborn, self belief can only get you so far.

Following the announcement social media was awash with speculation and demands from fans. At times there were more dummies on the floor than at a coffee break at a ventriloquists convention. Reading twitter and Facebook to keep up to date left me wincing at some of the interaction I saw.

For me the the three stand out names in the betting market were Karl Robinson, Nigel Adkins and Mark Warburton. The other name I'd considered previously was Uwe Rosler who had found an opportunity present itself in another part of Yorkshire prior to the denouement of Clough's reign. All three of those names know what is required to get out of this division. All have managed teams playing positive football. Only two were readily available. Would any one take the step down from their current/previous status?

Adkins was that man. I have written, again for The Star, about how positively I viewed his appointment. To attract a manager who has delivered two promotions out of League One and a subsequent promotion to the top tier cannot be judged negatively. Yet in the den of the Internet trolls and the permanently aggrieved  (the comments section underneath the article) there was some lively debate. 

One commenter decided I was towing the party line - a member of the "Phipps Mafia". A fan happy to spout the rhetoric of the club and co-chairman. Another felt that I wasn't a big Blades fan as neither he or his mates had heard of me. That instantly invalidated my opinion it seems, but allows him to share his. But the big issue they seemed to have was that my piece was yet more spin and that it lacked a critical edge. I'm paraphrasing here.

Yet I struggle to see a negative issue with this appointment, so why look for one? He's the candidate that unified the opinions of a large proportion of a splintered fanbase. When other clubs' fans mocked and said "You'll never get him", it was a comment as much about their perception of Adkins status in the game as it was United's league position. 

Where criticism is valid I will offer it. I had concerns over the Clough appointment and have decried performances, even when results suggested there were few grounds for complaint. I have been criticised for negative stances as much as the positive ones. I'll support my club, but don't clap for the sake of it, nor when I feel it is undeserved. But it doesn't make me happy not to clap. It leaves me frustrated at what could/would/should be. That was the case for much of last season.

I'm sure for those who lurk on the comments pages, internet forums and social media waiting for the chance to pounce, always looking for the negatives, will find grounds to complain about our manager. Those who don't like spin will soon tire of a manager who loves to talk to the media without really saying very much. I've read comparisons with politicians and comments about saying a lot but little already. They will grow weary of his boundless positivity, a key aspect of his man-management techniques. That's because they're sat there waiting impatiently, picking away at the club like a crusty scab on their knee.

We all want to hear that the holes in the squad are being addressed, that players are being moved on, but many want to gorge on strawberries for a day, rather than have jam for weeks. Last season we were pleased by early activity in the summer, but it became a case of quantity over quality. This time the required additions are fewer in number and there is still time to have then in place whilst hopefully identifying ways to draw more incisive contributions from the players inherited.

I really hope that this appointment brings the success we crave. Whether it does or not there will be times the club and management make decisions that I don't agree with. At that point I will offer an opinion. But for now we can't judge. We need to be united as one. That's the truth, not spin.

The Time To Judge is Later

So that's the regular league season over. A United View has been quiet for a while, it's been hard to know what to write and even harder finding the time to write it. Watching United in recent months has been one of the most frustrating things I have done in that time.

Like teaching a child to ride a bike without stabilisers, you encourage, you urge them on and they briefly succeed, with apparent ease, before crashing back to earth with a bump. Then it's as if they've forgotten what to do. You know they're capable, but they can't put all the different aspects together. Failure, another failure, then they manage a good start before a major wobble and they land with a bump.

The difference being that with a five year old you hide your frustrations. You keep consoling, keep smiling, keep encouraging. With your football team you vent. You rant in your seat, in the sanctity of the pub, on the radio, or on social media.

To be frank, this league season has been disappointing. There is no masking it. Whilst for many clubs 5th place and play-offs would be an acceptable achievement, for a club with United's resources, larger than any other club in the division, it is not good enough.

This isn't just arrogance or being dismissive of other clubs. It's about having seen what these players are capable of and not seeing them deliver it on a consistent basis. It's about seeing a team chopped and changed, yet consistently play without leadership, drive and urgency.

For a manager tasked with promotion it is now left to the fine margins of 270 minutes of football, maybe with another 60 minutes on top or a penalty shootout or two.

I could talk about squad size. I could write about comparisons with Bristol City. How the comments about the number of matches played don't fully stack up. I could question the number and extent of the club's injuries. I could pick apart the unbalanced squad and the manager's apparent inability to know his best eleven after 46 league games. But now is not the time. That post can come at the end of the month, hopefully with a theme of "in spite of all this....".

Nobody wants Nigel Clough to fail. By inference that would mean United have failed. I did not agree with recent calls for him to go. Those writing on Jim Phipps' Facebook wall and tweeting him demand change but if pushed would've struggled to suggest who should replace him. For me Clough has not failed until the season ends and promotion has not been achieved. Only when the final ball has been kicked, hopefully at Wembley can we say whether he has achieved his objective.

I really hope he proves me and the other doubters wrong, I really do. Just because we doubt, doesn't mean we don't support, don't shout, don't sing, don't encourage. Nothing stops that, but the cold hard facts of this season say we were the 5th best club in League 1. We have scored fewer goals than any of the team's around us. On average we have conceded at least a goal a game. Our run of form going into the play offs has been dire.

Previous play off heartache means nothing to this team, but it still burns hard into the collective memories of supporters. It can have no impact on the outcome, only in preparing fans' expectations. My concerns are only emanating from the recent past; the last 46 league games.

To cling to hope means to think of the great cup performances over the last 18 months and how the team have raised themselves. Three back to back results are required. Accepted they don't need to be 3 wins, but the last time we achieved that was February.

Thursday's team selection will be interesting as injured and rested players should return. Collins is once again available; the only fit centre back we have following his return from loan. The excellent ticket pricing should mean a decent crowd and a lot of noise; hopefully positive backing and a result to leave Swindon chasing the game at home.

Let's hope we can truly be saying Up the Blades in 3 weeks time.

Charting the World Cup - Part 2

With the internet awash with writers offering their opinion on the World Cup, here is another alternative view on events in Brazil, the TV coverage and social media reaction. The 2014 FIFA World Cup in graphs and charts.

You can look at Part 1 here

Double clicking on each graph will expand them to full size for better viewing. Enjoy!

Charting the World Cup - Part 1

A while ago on A United View I had a short lived series of posts Charting the Week in Football.  I used a series of Excel charts and graphs to tell the stories (sometimes) better than words can.

With the Internet awash with writers offering their opinion on the World Cup, I thought it was worth resurrecting the idea to offer an alternative view on events in Brazil, the TV coverage and social media reaction.

Clicking on the graph will open them up to be viewed full size. Enjoy!

The difficulty in supporting England

The World Cup is here. The four yearly jamboree of FIFA freeloading, in your face sponsorship from companies that show little interest in football for the other eleven months of the year and rampant patriotism demonstrated with St George's flags on houses, faces and over priced tat that wouldn't ordinarily be bought. 

In the midst of all the nonsense, bandwagon jumping and blather there is a football tournament. A colourful, exciting and fascinating one at that. And one that I love to watch. From my earliest memories of the wonderful free flowing football of Brazil, Tardelli's goal celebration and the Scumacher foul on Battiston in Spain 1982. 

Via the Hand of God, the free flying boot of Massing as it scythed down Cannigia, one fateful night in Turin, Houghton versus Italy, the French excelling on home soil in 98, Seaman lobbed by Ronaldinho over a pub breakfast, the colourful emergence of Africa, the cynicism of Suarez. World Cups bookmark my life and instil permanent memories of places, people and times. 

Alongside that is the archive footage, seen initially in programmes like 100 Great Sporting Moments, showing footage as thrilling as that of Brazil in 1970, as shocking as the Battle of Santiago and as bewildering as the Zaire wall in 1974. Then there were the official films - I remember seeing G'ole! in the Gaumont Cinema in Sheffield. 

All knowledge enhanced by absorbing myself in Ladybird books, Panini albums and any books or magazine previews/reviews I could afford. The stadia, the cities and more importantly a World of players, at one time largely unknown, now recognisable and in one place.

In all bar one of these tournaments I have watched England have played a part. Sometimes major, sometimes minor. Watching the World Cup for me is about much more than national fervour, it is a feast of football styles to be savoured and absorbed, and over time my support of our national team has been on the wane.

I used to enjoy supporting my country. There used to be something special about watching England. That has been diluted by hangers on and the new football experts, that fill the pub with badly masked ignorance of the game and wider society. Supporting a country, not a team. Supporting a country, the football a by product. An excuse to be angry. An excuse for a fight.

At one time England were accessible to the fans. Matches taken around the country whilst the inaccessible, soulless bowl of Wembley was rebuilt to be filled with day tripping fans and a tuneless band creating artificial "atmosphere" and widespread annoyance. Matches are now played on Tuesday and Friday nights, for fans within the M25, unless you can afford the time off, the petrol, the tickets and the exorbitant Wembley experience. England South if you like.

Watching England as they toured the North and Midlands was largely a pleasurable experience. The joy I felt in the Old Trafford stands as Beckham struck home the perfect free kick in the last minute versus Greece is up there with my favourite moments in a football ground. But at times it was also an uncomfortable experience. 

Watching England put four past a poor Paraguay with my knees tucked under my chin at Anfield. Discomfort of a different kind as a large number of England supporters around me belted out "I'd rather be a Paki than a Turk" as we beat, not Turkey, but Liechtenstein at Old Trafford. Discomfort and disgust. I didn't want part of this "support". 

Alongside a racist undercurrent in the stands, the players became dislikable, fuelled by greed, ego and misplaced self belief. This led to behaviours and attitudes that I couldn't abide, never mind connect with. For some players, self-promotion was a bigger priority than their team's performance. All about the brand and image.

Then there was the Premier League, put in place to improve the quality of the national side, but only detrimental. Without a care. Eager not to dilute the brand, but "eager to help" by helping themselves through initiatives like the Elite Player Performance Plan. A mask of doing it for the national good barely hiding the dirty truth. 

A national team representing a Football Association, who have become - and who would have thought this possible - an even more spineless and out of touch body. Killing off, by long term euthanasia, their prestige cup competition. Inconsistent in their treatment of clubs and misdemeanours. Impotent against the monster they've created. Proposing a League Three to incorporate Premier League B teams that no fan I know wants or believes necessary.

This wasn't my England. This isn't a team whose organisers do right by me or my club.

This year it feels slightly different. England have a coach who I like, a coach who I want to succeed, one who isn't an overseas mercenary pepping up a retirement plan. I want him to succeed if only to stick two fingers up at critics who have a downer on him since day one, suggesting he was an uninspiring and under qualified selection. Boring. Yet they would prefer Harry Redknapp - a personality manager but with a relatively empty trophy cabinet whose only successes have come from financial excesses that could have killed clubs and very nearly did.

England's chances are being played down by a media that seem to have slipped unconsciously into recognising the reality, rather than their usual dream world of expectation and hype. 

The players are different, only Gerrard and Lampard remain of a seemingly untouchable, undroppable generation, who failed time and again on an international stage. A major finals without Ferdinand and Terry is a welcome change for me. 

In Phil Jagielka there is a player I saw develop over 6/7 years at my club. A player who we said would play for England, not quite knowing where or when as he played, centre back, right back, central midfield, right midfield and even pulled on the goalkeeper's gloves whilst a Blade. A player I can associate with. A player with grounding, without ego.

 

Alongside him another player who I have seen pull on my club's shirt, albeit for just a loan spell, in Gary Cahill - a local lad from Dronfield. If Kyle Walker had been fit there would have been one more.

There are the players who would have struggled to establish themselves with previous coaches, but show how players can still develop outside the Premier League - Ricky Lambert for example. And the exciting young talent picked on form and game changing capability - Sterling, Barkley, Oxlade Chamberlain.

Success for England partially vindicates the current system of player development, with many starting out at teams outside the Premier League and several others having benefited from loan spells in the Championship and League One. Alongside recent success at the Under 17 European Championships, there would be compelling arguments forming against recent FA proposals. 

I will support England of course, they are more "my England" than any national team of recent years. But alongside it I will enjoy watching Belgium - at a first major finals since the days of Scifo, Vercauteren et al. I will be fascinated by the performance of the "lesser" South American teams in conditions that will help, whilst enjoying the scything front play from Sabella's Argentina.

A United View may be a little quiet for the next month or so. It will be ensconced in Brazil 2014. If anything happens at Bramall Lane I will be on it. But with a few posts drafted I will be back with an avalanche of thoughts and opinion in July. Enjoy the World Cup; I will. Oh, and come on Roy's Boys. 

Pride in the name of our club

I'm currently sat on a coach. Somewhere in Hertfordshire. It's just coming up to 7:30 and the sun is going down out of the window to my left. The radio is playing some tinny, unrecognisable pop track. My mate Steve is jolting himself awake from his slumbers every so often. Thankfully before his head lands on my right shoulder.

I am slightly hoarse and when I do speak, the odd word comes out with a slight squeak. I have a glow on my cheeks from a few beers in the sun, but more importantly pride in my team. Pride that no bitter and twisted Wednesdayite is going to downgrade or diminish. 

I believed that United would turn up today, when so often they have gone missing at Wembley. I believed that they would play with unity, pride and no shortage of passion. For forty five minutes they more than surpassed that.

They outfought and outplayed a lifeless Hull side and scored their first goals in three visits to new Wembley. 

As Jose Baxter opened the scoring within the first twenty minutes I was in shock. I celebrated like I've never celebrated before but felt kind of shell shocked. When Stefan Scougall added the second, straight after Hull had equalised, I hugged my mates and felt tears welling up.

I thought of my Nan, who passed away last August. I wished she had seen this. United outplaying a Premier League team, two divisions above us. They are performing at Wembley Nan. I pictured her sat in an armchair, holding her scarf, kicking every ball.

I thought of my Dad, back home listening to the radio. This, one Wembley trip too many to contemplate. I wished that he was stood next to me. 

I knew it could all change. It did. But for forty five minutes I felt on top of the world. At half time I saw and hugged a Blade I know from twitter. We stood in queues, wide eyed in wonder. We deserved this. We had lost concentration once and been punished, but that aside we had performed way above any expectations. 

We will tire, got to keep it solid for ten or fifteen minutes, we said. We have a chance then. 

In the end, neither happened. Facing an onslaught after positive half time changes by Steve Bruce we found ourselves 4-2 down and seemingly down and out. Then in the final 90 seconds of normal time we scored. We had a chance and nothing to lose.

Throwing caution to the wind in injury time time, Harry Maguire burst forward. His shot was blocked and Hull broke scoring a fifth goal. 

As one, the 32,000 Blades fans started applauding and cheering their team, with the Hull fans in raptures at the opposite end having sealed victory. It's something I've never seen or experienced before. Pride in the team. Pride in the club. Acknowledgment that we had lost, but by heck we had given it a go. And Hull knew it.

Ultimately the result is tinged with disappointment. When you lead 2-1 and eventually lose there is bound to be that emotion. But the fans lifted their arms, stuck out their chests and applauded the crestfallen players in red and white shirts.

Much has changed at Sheffield United in the last 7 months, most - if not all - of it for the better. We are a couple of players, a striker in particular, away from a successful side. The cup run, allied with the upturn in league form, makes the retention and recruitment of players an easier task.

Off the pitch the club is operating more efficiently and creatively, with communication much improved and a genuine unification of fans, players, staff and board members.

People left Wembley tonight in a positive mood. A seemingly hard concept for some fans of other clubs to consider. We had conceded five they said, what is there to be happy about? How little they know.

As the sun disappears beyond the horizon and the day is ending, it is clear that United are moving in a positive direction. And today is only the beginning.  

Fit to wear the shirt

With the new England World Cup shirts launched last week - available here from JD Sports http://www.jdsports.co.uk/page/england-football/ - I was asked to consider who I would like to see pull on the three lions emblazoned shirts in Brazil. Here's who I am looking forward to seeing.......

Adam Lallana

Adam Lallana has really grabbed the attention of football fans across the country in the last 12 months. He is a great example of how a player with natural talent bides their time before the deserved recognition comes along. Having joined the Saints Academy as a 12-year old in 2000 and played a key role in Southampton's FA Youth Cup squads of 2004–05 and 2005–06, when they reached the final and semi-final respectively.

Lallana joined the first team squad in July 2006, but it was the beginning of the 2008–09 season before he became a regular. He played a key role in the Saint's march back up the leagues. For those of us following football outside the Premier League he was a noticeable prospect. To those who view through Premier League tinted spectacles his achievements were always going to be downgraded.

In 2009–10 he contributed 20 goals in all competitions, the first Southampton midfielder to score twenty goals in a season since Matthew Le Tissier's 30 in the 1994–95 season.

He was named in the League One Team of the Year for the 2010–11 season after scoring 11 goals that season. Along with Lambert and Kelvin Davis, he was one of three Southampton players named in the Championship Team of the Year for the 2011–12 season. He finished with 13 goals, 11 of which came in the league. Great returns from a midfielder who contributed much more in general play.

You would question whether his ambition and opportunities were being stunted by remaining at Southampton, but as the team progressed so did Lallana. If anything he was benefiting from being part of a non-fashionable team that were being relatively successful.

As the Saints established themselves as a top half Premier League team, Lallana's creative talents and significant contribution have been regularly highlighted to Premier League viewers. Whilst he isn't as high up the assists table as you might expect, it is his all round play that has contributed to Southampton's rise into the Top 10, where they look firmly established.

Timing is everything and Lallana's form led to him winning his first cap back in November. From a cold Wembley night and defeat to Chile, to a starting place in the Amazonian jungle. Not bad journey in just over six months. But it has taken a lot of hard work and a commitment to the Saints to get to the starting point.

Daniel Sturridge

For a player of such tender years, Sturridge has already picked up experience at a number of clubs. His youth career taking in Aston Villa and Coventry City before signing for Manchester City as a 13 year old. He continued his development at City and played in two FA Youth Cup finals. He made his first team debut in the 2007–08 season, becoming the only player ever to score in the FA Youth Cup, FA Cup and Premier League in the same season.

I remember him scoring his first goal for City in January 2008 in an FA Cup third round defeat at Bramall Lane, which he followed three days later with his first league goal on his full debut, against Derby County. Despite this immediate impact he found first team opportunities were sporadic, and he return to play for the youth team in the FA Youth Cup. City again reached the final, with Sturridge the leading scorer in the competition and scoring in the first leg.

With Sturridge's contract at Manchester City expired and lacking opportunities, he signed for Chelsea on a four-year contract on 3 July 2009. A tribunal decided an initial fee of £3.5 million, with additional payments based on appearances and international recognition and a sell-on clause. It seemed Chelsea had got a bargain, but yet again he was to be loaned out. This time Bolton the beneficiaries and 8 goals in 12 games quickly won over the Reebok Stadium fans, although not without quibbles.


Whenever you watched him, it was with a sense of joy and what he could do, but frustration at what he sometimes did. Capable of so much, but greed and over-confidence stopping him from achieving so much more.


Given Chelsea's lack of goal threat, his sale to Liverpool seemed an odd one. But no one could have envisaged the partnership with Luis Suarez would be so devastating. The understanding of movement and vision between the two has led to him being the leading English goalscorer in the Premier League and with an additional seven assists on top of his goal tally.


He may well frustrate this Summer, but he is one of the few England players who will do something unexpected and is guaranteed to excite.

The next three players all have links with my club - Sheffield United. One of the great things as a football fan is seeing a player with great promise at your club and knowing your team, sometimes your academy system has played a key role in their development and that you have seen a young player, grow and mature into an international class player.

Phil Jagielka

Jagielka made his way through the youth ranks at United before making his first team debut in the final League match of the 1999–2000 season versus Swindon Town whilst still a trainee. An athletic defender and midfielder, he showed a clear talent in all facets of his game. Equally comfortable taking the ball forward as well as strong in the tackle, his reading of the game was sharp for a player so young. He contributed spectacular and important goals as well.

If anything it was thought his versatility might count against him. With Neil Warnock keen to utilise him as cover, he looked equally comfortable in central midfield, central defence and right back. It took a while for him to find a settled position. He equally looked home in goal, taking the gloves for the final 34 minutes of a home match against Arsenal on 30 December 2006. With Paddy Kenny injured and with United 1–0 up, Jagielka kept the Gunners at bay pulling off a fabulous late save from Robin van Persie to secure victory. Such was the confidence Neil Warnock had in his defender-com-midfielder-cum keeper, he decided to go without a substitute goalkeeper on the bench in order to give himself more tactical options.

He was a key player and virtually ever present for the final three seasons of his time at Bramall Lane. I remember the excitement of watching a United player pull on an England Under 21 shirt at the KC Stadium, such international recognition for Blades players was all too rare. That "pride" continued as he developed his career at Everton and eventually to England recognition.

It was always going to be difficult to make that breakthrough with Ferdinand and Terry in situ and Jagielka had to be patient. That patience has now paid off with Jagielka holding off the clamour for young pretenders like Smalling and Jones. Moyes clearly recognised the importance of Jagielka naming him Everton captain, a role extolled by Roberto Martínez on taking over who stated that Jagielka would make a "phenomenal captain".

Now he needs to transfer that leadership and defensive strength to the pitch, in a white shirt in Brazil. Having missed the 2010 World Cup and remained on the bench throughout Euro 2012, this is Jagielka's moment.

Kyle Walker

Sometimes you see a player for the first time and you think "they will play for England". Kyle Walker was just that player. In a short spell in the United first team you could see that he would be wearing the three lions at a future date. As his namesake Kyle Naughton made an immediate and exciting impact, talk was of the England Youth international waiting for his chance behind him.


Coming from a Blades supporting family, Walker joined United aged seven after being recommended by the local Football Unites, Racism Divides project. He progressed through the ranks to become a regular fixture in the reserves by 2008.

After a loan spell at Northampton he made his full debut for Sheffield United on 13 January 2009, starting in a third round FA Cup tie against Leyton Orient. With injuries, Walker was included in the starting line-up for the crucial last two games of the season, making his full league debut for the club on 25 April 2009 against Swansea City. He was magnificent and retained his place for an ultimately unsuccessful play–off campaign. Yet after an all too brief spell in red and white he was gone.

That summer Walker left United to join Tottenham Hotspur along with the aforementioned Kyle Naughton, a right back who had established himself as an attacking overlapping defender in the United first team. Although Naughton was valued higher in the deal, Walker was seen as the one with most potential. He was loaned back to United for the duration of the 2009–10 season as part of the deal and was an accomplished Championship right back for the first half of the season but was unexpectedly recalled back to Spurs after 6 months.

A hugely successful loan spell at Villa followed, demonstrating he was clear Premier League class. Finally he got his chance at White Hart Lane and grabbed it with both hands. Soon he was challenging Glen Johnson for the England right back slot.

He has his detractors and a player with such attacking verve, will always find himself culpable defensively. But you don't win the PFA Young Player of the Year, beating the likes of Sergio Agüero, Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gareth Bale without good reason.

Injury led him to miss Euro 2012 and I hope that the pain killing injections he is currently taking for his pelvic injury, stave off an operation and enable him to take the field in Manaus on 14th June.

Gary Cahill

Gary Cahill didn't come through the Bramall Lane ranks, he even supports the other team in Sheffield, but he made a hugely positive impact on United fans during a three month loan spell from Aston Villa. Accomplished and calm he was a strong presence in the heart of the Blades defence.

There were many similarities with what we saw with Jagielka. Athletic, great vision and the ability to provide a goal threat as well.

It was surprising that Villa were willing to sell him 12 months later, unfortunately he was always going to remain in the Premier League and that ruled out any interest from United. He moved to Bolton Wanderers and became a firm favourite with Wanderers fans. Being married to a Bolton fan I closely followed his progress and it seemed that as well as he was playing, he was never going to get the credit his performances deserved, unless he moved from the Reebok.

The move to Chelsea did just that and Champions League success followed. Firmly established in the Chelsea defence and starting outshine the fading John Terry, his star was rising. Unfortunately, a broken jaw in the final warm up game robbed him of his chance to play at Euro 2012 and so like Jagielka and Walker this should be Cahill's moment. To see Cahill and Jagielka paired in defence, with Walker at right back will delight Blades fans everywhere.

It was 125 years ago today

It was 125 years ago today that cricket let the footballers play. And Sheffield United Cricket Club spawned Sheffield United Football Club. The original United.

 

The detailed story of Sheffield United's 125 years can be told by better men than me. (Club Historian John Garrett and author Denis Clareborough, to name but two). But it won't stop me trying to sum up 125 years of the Blades; or the Cutlers as they were originally known.

 

Temporary highs and lengthy lows. Senses filled, and then drained away. It is easy to dwell on the negatives. Of missed opportunities, unfulfilled ambition and a failure to match the club's resources and support with the craved for success on the pitch.

 

The modern day Sheffield United have spent too long trophy-less, too little time in the top division and rarely challenging at English football's summit. 

Three, maybe four generations of Blades fans without anything to show for their support but the mental scars of missing out on European football by a point, lost FA Cup and League Cup Semi-Finals and repeated Play Off final heartbreak. Haunted by the ghosts of the past, treading warily when those paths are crossed again.

 

Yet supporting Sheffield United Football Club in the early years was a joy in comparison. Those early supporters; all bushy moustaches, suit jackets and flat caps, enjoying a league title within 10 years of the club being formed, runner up twice more and four FA Cup victories in the club's first 40 years in existence. How little did they know? They never had it so good. We have never had it so good since.

 

But then we forget that those generations of Blades supporting families since have had much pleasure. Not the full blown success of those early years, but memorable moments all the same.

 

We have seen great players, arguably under-rated and lacking the due acclaim given to their peers elsewhere. We saw Hagan's trickery, Shaw's calm assurance and leadership, Woodward's wing play and stood in awe watching Tony Currie do magic.

 

We saw Edwards and Deane score goals by the hatful, whilst Jagielka and Walker show future international promise. Many more became heroes for their passion, their ability and quality, their value, their off pitch endeavours, or for their bravery in the face of adversity.

 

We have seen quality goals by quality players. Exquisite lobs from magic left foots, beautifully judged chips from near the halfway line, thirty yard net busters, bullet headers and the finales to exquisite build up play.

 

And then there were the cheeky goals; sneaking up and robbing the unaware keeper, or bouncing a throw-in off a retreating goalie's back to curl the ball into the empty net. Goals that if scored by others at more revered clubs would be repeated time and time again on TV for their quality or sheer impudence.

 

As much as the lack of recognition of our club and our players frustrates, we can feel a sense of pleasure that we saw those moments and they are our wonderful memories, our players, and the goals - our special secret.

 

We saw great cup ties and many a shock. Often made special by the glow of the floodlights. Shoot-out joy and Champions turned over. World class internationals with heads in hands. Heroes in red and white stripes hoisted high by joyous fans. Players individually good, collectively exceptional.

 

We have seen a game abandoned in extraordinary circumstances, drifting away down Shoreham Street, sporting vacant stares in disbelief. We have seen our team threaten to walk off the pitch at Highbury, and frequently not turn up at Wembley.

 

We have seen rogue owners; those with unclear motives, the chancers, Interpol's wanted, but survived their clutches with our club intact. We have been lucky compared to some, although it never felt like it at the time.

 

The good, the bad and the ugly of the beautiful game. The good, the bad and the ugly of our special love.

 

The ground remains. Much changed. But still Beautiful Downtown Bramall Lane. The oldest professional football ground still in use. Cricket long gone, all sides much changed. Fans in seats where once on terracing they stood. 

The support unwavering, the songs sung with fervent passion. Nowhere like the Lane with a full house. Such noise. Goosebumps. Senses filled.

 

And where are we today? As ever, full of hope for a better future. With a new found belief in our club and the direction we are moving. A sense of pride returning and a trip to Wembley on the horizon. 

United enters its 126th year in the Third Division, but with hope that come its 130th things might look much different. Much better. And if they don't? Then we just carry on as ever. Regardless. United.

 

Up the Blades!

 

Cup Matters

 

 

In recent years there have been plenty of reports and comment articles on the death of the FA Cup. In many ways those reports are premature. However there are times that you feel that the guardians of the Cup are determined to find new ways to inflict hurt on it year after year. The FA, in its own way seems to be putting the FA Cup through a long term form of euthanasia.

 

The FA call it "The most famous domestic cup competition in the world", which sounds great until you realise the status afforded to cup competitions in other major footballing powerhouses. With the odd exception, say the Coupe De France which has ten times the number of participants of the FA Cup, cup competitions in Europe are second class, midweek affairs with low crowds and little interest. It seems that the FA is set on a path of downgrading their own competition to that of the Coppa Italia or the Cofidis Cup in Belgium.

 

Yet on Sunday, one match shows just what makes the FA Cup important, why it is such a vital part of the footballing schedule. It was the fourth pick by the television companies, given an awful High Noon Sunday slot. It is probably the least attractive to fans looking in from the outside, obsessed with the Premier League and the big name players. You may not see the pretty football that many crave, you may not see teh most technically gifted players, yet it will probably be the only game where you see two full strength sides playing, where both teams see cup progressions as important, if not more important than what follows in the league. Sheffield United v Charlton should attract a capacity crowd of near 30,000 generating a raucous and vibrant atmosphere. The only empty seats being the result of over stringent segregation demands.

 

Over 5,000 Charlton fans will make the journey North, a tremendous effort for a match scheduled by television at a time, when there isn't a train out of London to get them to Sheffield for kick off. There are difficulties for local fans as well; with those playing or running Sunday league teams, managing junior football clubs or with sons and daughters taking part all affected. With park pitches unplayable for weeks following recent weather, another postponement is hard to justify or consider. But hey, why should the FA care about the grassroots of the game when they have their TV dollar in their pocket? Why should they care about the fans?

 

We already see matches moved to days and kick off times that make it difficult for fans to attend. Or if they do, it is damn near impossible for them to get home again. This does not just apply to the FA Cup, but there are glaring examples such as Coventry City's Third Round tie at Arsenal being played on a Friday night, to suit television schedules. Then there was moving the final to a 5:15 kick off to maximise the domestic/global television audiences. The FA were quick to claim that the 2012 final achieved the highest peak viewing figure The FA Cup Final had achieved under the current TV deal and a higher audience than that of Bayern Munich v Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League Final. Note the emphasis on "Current" i.e. the best for 5 years.

 

The move driven by UEFA rules on stadium usage prior to a Champions League final left the FA Cup as the denouement of a day of Premier League fixtures. So the final became just another TV game and those who had been at matches may have missed the final travelling back from supporting their team. No longer was the cup final a match everyone had the chance to watch, regardless of who they support.The global media market that the FA are striving to maximise actually found it more difficult to watch the game as a result, as matches slipped into the early hours of the morning in Asia and Australia.

 

Then the following year they used this same justification for keeping a 5:15 kick off when Manchester City and Wigan Athletic fans would have to miss the end of the match to be sure of getting the last trains North. The FA statement at the time was widely vilified, stating that " 5.15pm is a regular kick-off time in the football calendar" and that "This time was agreed with major stakeholders and broadcasters and has been used across the game for a number of years for televised matches". So they said that they had consulted with stakeholders, except they hadn't. Yet again the forgotten stakeholders of football - the fans - were ignored.

 

Many pinpoint 2000 as the turning point when the FA's grimly held belief in their ability to win the World Cup bidding process, led to them allowing Manchester United to withdraw from the competition to curry favour with FIFA and their bloated and expendable World Club Cup. Yet it goes back further than that. The move to play Semi Finals at Wembley in 1991 was the first steps on the road of devaluation. Arsenal and Tottenham playing there to cope with demand for tickets.

 

And Sheffield United fans played a part in the long term switch. When the North London Derby was again moved to Wembley in 1993, the people of Sheffield complained en masse that an Elland Road semi final would leave many fans ticketless and the opportunity to host a match in a stadium such as Wembley should be afforded to all. Although it didn't become established for another 12 years, the seeds were sown.

 

Having said that every other game seems to get played at Wembley these days. I have been twice to new Wembley for play off finals that could have easily been hosted at Old Trafford and would have proved more convenient and accessible for fans of both clubs involved. It has reached the stage where many would view the Championship Play Off Final as the biggest match to be played at Wembley each year. A sad state of affairs.

 

Then there is drawing the next round ties, before the current round of matches has been completed; on a Sunday afternoonbetween live games. How long before the draw is all pre-planned and your route to Wembley is shown as a series of if's and or's?

 

Despite all these negatives, the average attendance at this year's FA Cup third round ties was at a 30 year high. Bigger grounds and those red and blue plastic seats highlight the gaps much more clearly than dark coats on grey terrace steps. The fans are coming despite of the FA and their machinations. Sadly this will make them think their meddling is vindicated. I want the FA Cup to survive and succeed, but I also want the FA to realise how their ever desperate actions are killing off people's interest.

 

This is not some romantic paean to muddy pitches, Ronnie Radford, Bacofoil cups, pitch invasions and Cup Final Grandstand. This is more about remembering that once upon a time, not very long ago, the FA Cup mattered to all. Now it seemingly matters to a lot less. Football is all about money not glory - in Sheffield United and Charlton there are two teams that might keep some of those old fashioned football values alive.

 

They aren't fielding weakened sides with one eye on Champions League matches, neither are they battling to save themselves from the "disaster" of losing Premier League status, neither are they playing to make another £750,000 (the current reward for a position higher finish in the Premier League).

 

Charlton Athletic are in a relegation dogfight, but tell Chris Powell, the team and their fans that Sunday isn't important. Momentum and success can lead to more positivity - just look at what the Cup run has done to the Blades' confidence. United and Charlton will be fielding full strength teams, respecting each other, the competition and playing their hearts out for a trip to Wembley (albeit a round too early), because it still matters. If only that view was more widely shared.