Sheffield ??????? [Archive]

ChiTownPuma

13 Oct 2006, 11:41 PM

I've been a football fan for a while. However, I've followed the Mexican league because of easier access to games and I speak spanish. I've always known that football in England is the best and I catch as many games as I can. Recently, I decided to pick a favorite team. My grandfather came to the U.S. from Sheffield and I would like to pick either United or Wednesday as my favorite team. I don't want to make an uneducated decision so I'm asking for help. Which team and why?

SheffWedFan

14 Oct 2006, 01:55 AM

Well, I'm going to be biased and say Sheffield Wednesday, because they are my team - although to be perfectly fair, there aren't many reasons to support them at the moment.

Sheffield United are, by a long way, the better of the two teams right now. The have a charismatic manager, some decent players, solid fans, a nice ground, and have enjoyed some great cup runs in recent years. They wiped the floor with everyone except Reading in the Championship last year, and could very well remain in the EPL if they can (finally) string some results together.

Wednesday, though, and again I am very biased in this regard, are simply a better club. We have always been considered the more fashionable of the two sides. Hillsborough is a beautiful ground with a rich tradition, welcoming fans, and their games always have a superb atmosphere. As recently as the early 1990s we were among the elite of English football - we finished third in the League, reached both Cup finals, played in the UEFA Cup, and supplied players like Chris Woods, Chris Waddle, Des Walker and David Hirst to the England squad, not to mention other internationals like Roland Nilsson, John Sheridan, Paolo Di Canio, Nicolas Alexandersson, and of course the one-and-only John Harkes.

A combination of financial mismanagement and poor player-signing choices have put us where we are now: struggling at the bottom of the Championship, but I believe we have a great manager in Paul Sturrock, and have a good set of promising lads in our squad, not least of which is the young American talent Frankie Simek. We CAN get back to the top - it's just going to take some time, but the victory will be sweet when it comes.

So choose Wednesday. You know it makes sense :)

PS I suppose one other question to ask would be which part of Sheffield does your family come from? Traditionally, North Sheffielders are Wednesdayites, and South Sheffielders are Unitedites. (Although I buck that trend, being a South Sheffielder!)