The Curse and love of being a Blade

As a kid you get taken by your dad, uncle, aunt, sister or with your best friend at school to the lane for your very first footy match, you don't much know what is happening, you feel nervous and apprehensive.
As you walk to the ground you see lots of others doing the same, the noise, the smells, you start to feel something unusual.

You get into the ground and get taken to a spot to either sit or stand as the build up to the game starts, you still don't quite understand what all the fuss is about and perhaps wish you were back home playing with your Meccano, Leggo or finishing that Lightning Airfix kit.

Then the noise increases to a roar as the teams come out and you see for the first time the team in red and white stripes, the game begins and suddenly it has taken hold of you.

Every time a red and white shirted player the crowd roars with anticipation as that player bombs forward then all mayhem lets loose as the ball hits the back of the onion bag.

The crowd is jumping up and down cheering and you start to as well, still not quite sure why though, if you can see the goal that is. Throughout the game you start to watch one player and think he's alright, I like him and he's my favorite despite what other family and friends might say.

That's it you have caught the blades bug and the blades way, the meccano, leggo and airfix kits get shoved up into the loft for every other Saturday as there is only one place to be.

As the years pass and you enter the big wide world of adulthood you start to learn things about being a blade, there are happy times, sad times, optimistic times and depressing times, you still go to the games perhaps not with those that you once use to take you, but perhaps you are now taking someone of your own for the first time. These things can happen over a course of a few years, months or even weeks, you go through not only the ups and downs of life but also the ups and downs of following the blades, owners might come and go, managers might come and go but no matter what happens you know that in your heart of hearts it will always be red and white and always be a blade.

Gi'oer Diode. We love it really. We'd have nowhere to offload our frustration at all of lifes problems. Kinder than kicking the cat/dog.

I posted in length yesterday on a similar theme Diode. In our family there is no choice you are born a Blade. This goes back 4/5 Generations. Whilst doing a search of my family tree I was so thrilled to find in 1902 my Grandad Harrison (age 2) was living at 262 Bramhall Lane. Most of my early life was spent in Ghana but when on leave, my Grandad Ledger started taking me to reserve matches at age 3. My dad took me on the Kop from age 5 & it was only when reading the '25 Years Ago' article in the Green'un that I realised my first memories of particular games were in 1968 when the Blades beat both Swindon Town & SWFC 3 - 2. 'King' John Tudor coming on as a sub to score the winner against the Pigs as we came back from 2 - 1 down.

50 years on I still sit with my dad + brother + nephew & me best mate from school Stanny. My 10 year old daughter has started attending some games with I have to admit not the same level of enthusiasm.

With a trip to London coming up Saturday following a very disappointing trip to Headingley last night, I am faced with the probability of experiencing 4 defeats in 8 days. Add to that I will probably have spent almost £200 for this privilege. In what other walk of life can you put so much in & get so much heartache back??

When England lost to Croatia in the World Cup Semi final it was the 12th huge game on the trot that I had witnessed heartbreaking defeat.
World Cup semi v Germany
FA Cup Semi v Pigs
Euro 1996 Semi v Germany
Play Off Final v Crystal Palace
FA Cup Semi v Newcastle
League Cup Semi v Liverpool
FA Cup Semi v Arsenal
Play Off Final v Wolves
Play Off Final v Burnley
Play Off Final v Huddersfield
FA Cup Semi Final v Hull
World Cup Semi v Croatia

Apart from the England matches, I attended each of the other games & probably spent way over £1000 & shed some real tears after at least 4 of the games.

It really is a case of true & unconditional 'love' with a MASSIVE CURSE following Sheffield United Football Club.

Was looking at some old photo's last night of me and my dad, that was taken before I went to my first game, we were working on digging up the front garden of the house mum and dad had just bought, he didn't go but a school friends dad took us, just bought it all back when I saw the photo, the sights the sounds and everything else..
Despite all the pain and heartache of being a blade I always smile as I drive past the kop each morning on my way into work.

i also in my 50th year of following the Blades. i think
the game v Owls you refer to though was 1970. United gave away a two goal lead then John Tudor got the winner at the Kop End. strange that in those days United tended to do better playing towards the Bramall Lane end. good memories in general especially that season 1970-71 with those last two home fixtures against Cardiff and Watford.

Something has at least changed this season.

We’ve now got a red and a white shirted players. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by diode_blade

As a kid you get taken by your dad, uncle, aunt, sister or with your best friend at school to the lane for your very first footy match, you don't much know what is happening, you feel nervous and apprehensive.
As you walk to the ground you see lots of others doing the same, the noise, the smells, you start to feel something unusual.

You get into the ground and get taken to a spot to either sit or stand as the build up to the game starts, you still don't quite understand what all the fuss is about and perhaps wish you were back home playing with your Meccano, Leggo or finishing that Lightning Airfix kit.

Then the noise increases to a roar as the teams come out and you see for the first time the team in red and white stripes, the game begins and suddenly it has taken hold of you.

Every time a red and white shirted player the crowd roars with anticipation as that player bombs forward then all mayhem lets loose as the ball hits the back of the onion bag.

The crowd is jumping up and down cheering and you start to as well, still not quite sure why though, if you can see the goal that is. Throughout the game you start to watch one player and think he's alright, I like him and he's my favorite despite what other family and friends might say.

That's it you have caught the blades bug and the blades way, the meccano, leggo and airfix kits get shoved up into the loft for every other Saturday as there is only one place to be.

As the years pass and you enter the big wide world of adulthood you start to learn things about being a blade, there are happy times, sad times, optimistic times and depressing times, you still go to the games perhaps not with those that you once use to take you, but perhaps you are now taking someone of your own for the first time. These things can happen over a course of a few years, months or even weeks, you go through not only the ups and downs of life but also the ups and downs of following the blades, owners might come and go, managers might come and go but no matter what happens you know that in your heart of hearts it will always be red and white and always be a blade.

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Good post DB. One of my lads asked me why I’d imposed being a Blade on him. It was at the back end of the Adkins’s era and to be honest, we were both feeling a bit peed off and sorry for ourselves.

Pan forward 12 months to MKD away and he knew why. We’ve got a special club with brilliant fans that will back it to the hilt unlike the plastics of this world. Our highs are unbelievable, we just need somebody at the helm capable of harnessing the potential and we’ll have more of them, maybe even win a major trophy. Will most of us on here be around to see it happen? That’s the $6m question.