Sheffield Utd - SAFC Blog

Sheffield Utd vs Sunderland: cup fever or fear of cup runs?

September 23, 2019 by Colin Randall

Monsieur Salut writes: most of us like a good cup run. We may not turn up in big numbers any more for games in the early rounds but interest builds as each obstacle is cleared. As Wembley looms and interest turns to excitement, we even start to care about winning something as mundane as the Checkatrade Trophy.

So to Bramall Lane and the Football League Cup third round tie at Sheffield United.

We naturally consider ours to be a bigger club than theirs and historically that is hardly a controversial belief. But as things stand, they are a Premier League side – on merit – and we are striving for promotion from two divisions lower.

How will it go?

Cardiff, Ipswich, Forest, Wolves and Sheffield Utd leave Villa, Fulham, Wednesday, Middlesbrough and SAFC standing

September 1, 2017September 1, 2017 by Colin Randall

Do we know owt about football?

That’s what I asked a couple of years ago, when I was comparing a pre-season poll with end-of season positions. And that’s more or less what the Mrs said when I showed her the graph I’d done to compare the current championship placings with our readers’ pre-season expectations.

Just as the last time, the expectation is nothing like the reality, although it must be said that this time around it’s still early days.

Reading at last? Norwich perhaps, or Derby, Leeds, ‘Boro and Sheffield? What’s your fancy?

June 28, 2017June 27, 2017 by Colin Randall

John McCormick. Here we go again – but this time it’s different

I was away last week and didn’t log on much, on account of having a temperamental handheld device (a tip – don’t drop your computer onto a tiled surface) and iffy connections courtesy of a not-so-local bar.

But log on I did, twice.

The first time, it was to find three quarters of our readers thought our chances of immediate promotion were scuppered.

On my second log-in Colin’s poll had closed and the number had dropped to 70%. That’s still quite a damning figure.

Me, I’m not so pessimistic.

Relegation watch: still looking at Watford, Bournemouth and Norwich, with Leicester hanging on

July 4, 2015July 4, 2015 by Colin Randall

John McCormick: getting ready, only a month to go

What a website! On 15th June, in response to my “who went down, who’s going down?” Dave left a comment which included:

“… I think Pearson will, at some point, have a big row with a player or a fan, and the team’s spirit that kept them up will dissipate…”

Two weeks later Leicester City’s website contained the following:

“…it has become clear to the Club that fundamental differences in perspective exist between us. Regrettably, the Club believes that the working relationship between Nigel and the Board is no longer viable…”

The effect on team spirit remains to be seen but as I said at the start, what a website!

A week ago I left you with a poll whose results were suggesting the targets of my dodgy numbers “relegation watch” would be the three promoted clubs and Leicester. Since then another couple of thousand votes have been cast but they didn’t make much difference, despite the turmoil at the Kingpower . Here are last Friday’s and this Friday’s results:

Relegation: it’s still Bournemouth and Watford. Can Leicester and Norwich relax?

June 27, 2015June 26, 2015 by Colin Randall

Strange, isn’t it? I spend Monday evening idly browsing the MLS (aka Major League Soccer) website trying to work out how it (the league, not the website) operates and then along comes David Millward with a piece about a football convention in the USA. I wonder if the fans he mixed with can get their heads around relegation and promotion better than I can handle the subtleties of the MLS.