Request from a distant Sheffield United fan...

[eca03adb]

A rundown for our Sheffield friend:
Our season starts in late August and runs til late February including playoffs (a finals series). The Mariners are the defending premiers and will play in the Asian Champions League in 2009 (during the A-League offseason), rivals are Newcastle and Sydney, the team plays out of Bluetounge Central Coast Stadium (a three sided stadium open to the water). The A-League is an 8 team competition between Adelaide United, Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle United Jets, Perth Glory, Queensland Roar, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix (from New Zealand) - the Australian clubs (all bar Wellington) play in a youth league commencing next season, Expansion will eventually happen but not this year - Gold Coast Galaxy and Northern Thunder were two candidates for this season but the Football Federation Australia said no, perhaps 2009-10, Canberra, a second team in Victoria, Wollongong and Tasmania have expressed an interest.

Thanks mate! Nice to get some idea of how footy is shaping up down there!  Can only hope that things go from strength to strength for the A-League (and more importantly the Mariners!) - and hope for a long and successful partnership between our two clubs!  We've had some good links with Australian players over the years (Carl Veart, Dougie Hodgson, Shaun Murphy among others and now David Carney) and even one of our biggest Legends Brian Deane went down there not long ago (albeit past his best by then and to your rival i think?  :)...

thanks for all the info and feedback Marinators! Hope we see success on the pitch in both our clubs soon!

We have just one last game this season, away at Southampton (thats going to be a long 5-6hr coach journey for us!!) on Sunday 4th May and, unbelievabley, we can STILL make the play-offs after we won Bristol City 2-1 with 30,000 Blades packed into Bramall Lane on staurday!! Amazing that despite a poor start under Bryan Robson, Kevin Blackwell has come in as manager (when we were just 4 points above relegation!) and since then we've improved massively, won 8 out of last 10 games and now we're just 90 mins away from the play-offs! Long shot still but whilst its still possible im praying we can do it!!!

UP THE BLADES & THE MARINERS!!

verhead: verhead: verhead: verhead:

 

[skilbeck]

good luck Sheffield United. Ive support 2 teams this season where it is/has come down to luck in the final game or games in order for premiership success. I wouldnt rule out promotion yet

You should start up a Sheffield United thread in the overseas football section where you can keep us up to date with your club

 

[eca03adb]

good luck Sheffield United. Ive support 2 teams this season where it is/has come down to luck in the final game or games in order for premiership success. I wouldnt rule out promotion yet

You should start up a Sheffield United thread in the overseas football section where you can keep us up to date with your club

Cheers!!  We do need quite a bit of luck but if anyone deserves some (especially since last years goings on with W*st H*m and Tevez), then its us!!

Yeah i'll definitely think about posting in the overseas thread! Just to keep anyone who might be interested informed about the Blades - hopefully i might need to inform you about the PO's next week but if not it'll probably be when the new season starts in August as our is just finishing now! (No footy for 3 months! Damn you England and your rubbish national team!!)

Good luck for the new season!

"You fill up my senses,
Like a Gallon of magnet,
Like a packet of woodbine,
Like a good pinch of snuff,
Like a night out in Sheffield,
Like a greasy chip buttie,
Like Sheffield United,
Come Fill Me Again...
Na Na Na Na Naaaaa Na...Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh"

 

[Omni]

Carl Veart actually scored the first ever A-League goal playing for Adelaide United
Brian Deane went to Perth and sucked - Perth aren't our rivals, they're nobody's rivals apart from Wellington as they race for the wooden spoon.

Blackwell is a good manager - he does have the dubious honour of leading two clubs to relegation in one season (Leeds & Luton) but not exactly his fault.

 

[rosko]

I'll be cheering for the Blades this weekend... Hopefully we will get some vision of the game.. 

 

[Penrith9103]

eca03adb, good to have you on board.
I'm sure we can pinch a few of your chants.
What is the talk like amongst the fans about this partnership?.I know we all think that this is a good idea.
Can we expect to see any of your younger players coming down here to play in a Yellow jersey??

 

[Paolo]

eca03adb, good to have you on board.
I'm sure we can pinch a few of your chants.
What is the talk like amongst the fans about this partnership?.I know we all think that this is a good idea.

all????
Since when did you speak for everyone?

 

[eca03adb]

eca03adb, good to have you on board.
I'm sure we can pinch a few of your chants.
What is the talk like amongst the fans about this partnership?.I know we all think that this is a good idea.
Can we expect to see any of your younger players coming down here to play in a Yellow jersey??

Cheers mate!

People are (generally) very positive about the link-up with the Mariners, we've had a few partnerships arranged now (as i might have mentioned beofre) with Chengdu who we own in China, White Star Wvoule (?) in Belgium, Sao Paulo of Brazil, Inter Milan, a Finnish side, possibly a Dutch side, and you guys too! All bodes well for the future in my opinion - some people are a bit short-sighted about it and expect instant results, but on the whole people can see that in the future it gives us a wider network of players and broadens our access to a pool of talent across the globe.  It also allows us to switch/loan players at various stages in order to develop both players and clubs.

I think the first signs of the agreement will be seen more on the Mariners side to be honest!  I would expect a few youngsters to be heading to Australia within the next year, probably the likes of Robertson and Annerson who have been on loan to clubs in the UK but aren't being risked in our 1st team yet.

I think the benefits to us are more likely to be longer term, and it wouldn't surprise me if some of the 'perks' on our part would be the scouting of potential transfer targets who may be of interest to SUFC - i.e. players from other A-League clubs who may be able to make it in Sheffield, rather than just Mariner players.  That way, any players who are going to leave for England anyway are more likely to join us (hopefully) rather than anyone else.

Would love to see us playing a friendly every so often too! Although i think the travel costs would probably mean its not going to be a regular occurance!!!

Very much intereted as to how all these link-ups will start to bear fruit, and hopefully benefit us both at each side of the world!!

And yes it'd be great if we could hear that you guys had adopted our 'greasy chip butty' song! (for those who are interested - its sung to John Denvers 'Annie's Song' and is our trademark anthem and well reknowned across England - the Blades are quite well thought of in terms of fans and the atmosphere we create - voted 2nd best in England behind only Pompey last season!)

UP THE BLADES!!!

 

[Hagar the Horrible]

When you consider that the bouncy was adopted in the Bobstand during the Rangers occupation of Spirit, never say never about the greasy chip butty song.