Posters have left Bladesmad in their droves before, only to return at a later date but this time you get the feeling it’s serious.

So in case this is really it I wouldn’t like anything to happen without first posting a vote of thanks.

I was first introduced to Bladesmad in August 2009. In those days, whenever you logged on, night or day, there always seemed to be an intense discussion taking place between Darblade, SBT and Croatia with others joining in to give their views.

Paddy’s mockups were superb. Who can forget Megson as a donkey or Beattie as The Messiah. There were also some memorable threads including Quiffygate when a poster called Quiffy broke the news that we were about to sign James Beattie by saying Beattie had pulled up in a yellow Lamborghini at the petrol pump next to his Dad who asked him outright if he was signing - cue Bladesmad meltdown.

Then there was the the poster who broke the rumour about us being interested in Chris O’Grady (aka COG) by incorrectly listing his initials as COD. Cue a long thread full of fish puns and jokes.

That banter in the sites heyday was superb. There were some very witty posters and more than one reader said they had spat their morning coffee out whilst logging in and coming across a particularly funny post. We had a like button to show approval in those days. For some reason I always remember a thread where a new poster (ok it was me) asked people how they had chosen their tag names. Knowsnowt unexpectedly said his was because there was a chap who lived opposite called Nowt and he knew him!

There were tantrums and arguments (SBT v Woodward fan was worth the entrance money alone). Sadly we lost some very good posters to the Bramall Lane in the Sky and we sympathised, celebrated and supported fellow posters who notified us of divorces, engagements, births and illnesses. Someone once called it the Bladesmad family and they weren’t far wrong at times.

Gradually the site dwindled but was still entertaining with the BM regulars who have kept it going (you know who you are), but now it seems even they are off to pastures new.

Therefore it only really remains to offer my vote of thanks to the editor, mods and you the posters for everything that Bladesmad had to offer. In the words of a famous Blades midfielder ‘it’s been emotional’

UTB