The Sheffield United Hodcast

Well. It’s a bleak time. Or certainly feels that way. The world seems to get madder day by day and you’re not quite sure where the next ray of sunshine will come from. But don’t worry, you’ve always got Sheffield United…

In this episode of the Hodcast Jonny and I explore United’s consistently inconsistent form over the last few games.we rattle through the win against Blackburn, the “heroic” defeat to the Wolves and the abject performance at Stoke.

We’ve kept this one brief as the performances have had little to shout about. As always huge thanks to anyone who has helped us out and to Shaun for his singing. Up the Blades!

Well, it’s been an interesting opening to the season… we have to admit that much. Whether you're an optimist, a realist, or a pessimist, there has been plenty for us as Blades fans to discuss and dissect.

In this episode, we cover the back-to-back games in Wales against the Swans and the Bluebirds. We briefly touch on the Blackburn cup tie (the first flashes of Donovan’s silky skills), the wild win over Bolton, and that deeply frustrating defeat to the Canaries.

Jonny and I also chat about the transfer window: can you ever just be whelmed?

And we take a quick look at the "Blades in America" update from the owners.

Thanks as always to Shaun and Lee for their help, and to everyone for listening!

In this episode of the Sheffield United Hodcast, we reflect on the bore-draw home game with Birmingham City. I force Jonny to give some player ratings which he found incredibly difficult to do such was the dullness of this one. We talk briefly about the nonsense in the boardroom and then we get onto the more interesting topic of our preseason thoughts and predictions. We assembled the crew again this time to get their takes and I’ve included a small table at the end for anyone interested! Huge thanks to:

• Chris (Dem Blades)
• Tyrone (Away Blade Blog)
• Scott (The Other Side)
• Lee (Our resident pessimist)
• Peter (Our resident optimist)
• Shaun (Our Editor-in-Chief)
• Big Lee (Our dad)
• Will (Nutritionist to the players of the future)

My mate’s dad once described someone as “not a glass half-full, nor a glass half-empty, but the glass is dead kinda guy…” As bleak as that sounds, it’s still not quite as miserable as our beloved Blades’ playoff record.

Jonny and I undertook some exposure therapy and released this edition of the Hodcast.

We reminisce over such lows as Palace at Wembley in '97, the meltdown at the Millenium in '03, Yeovil in 2013 and we even talk about THAT match, last season.

Everyone gets excited about qualifying for the playoffs. However, when WE qualify for the playoffs, I think it’s fair to say that every United fan of a certain age gets that feeling of uneasy, pessimistic anxiety rising in their stomach.

So join us for a nice episode of suffering and misery. If it's not enough for you, there's also an accompanying article written for Chris at DemBlades here: https://substack.com/@demblades?r=2eup97&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=stories&shareImageVariant=image

In this well-overdue episode of the Hodcast, we finally wrap up our end-of-season review for United.

To keep things moving (and to stop this from becoming a 60-minute shouting match between Jonny and me), we brought in reinforcements. We’ve averaged out the scores from a massive panel of guests, including:

• Chris (Dem Blades)
• Tyrone (Away Blade Blog)
• Scott (The Other Side)
• Lee (Our resident pessimist)
• Peter (Our resident optimist)
• Shaun (Our Editor-in-Chief)

Every player gets a grade out of ten, and don't worry, we didn't make Jonny recount his scores from every single match. We also briefly outline our plans for the summer and, in a display of extreme brevity, use exactly three words each to sum up the final four matches of the season.

For the fellow "spreadsheet nerds" out there, I’ve included the full breakdown of player scores on our Substack page for you to pore over at your leisure.

Thanks to everyone for listening and for all your feedback this year. Up the Blades!

Substack Link: https://open.substack.com/pub/matt789255/p/end-of-season-ratings?r=2eup97&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

In this episode of The Hodcast, we’re flying through a chaotic four-game stretch at breakneck speed. It was going to be called ‘On the Beach’ but after Saturday’s victory, we were feeling a tad more generous.

We dissect the “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” collapse against Wrexham (everyone’s favorite Disney heartthrobs) and the mind-boggling 3-3 draw with the Swans a result that saw United hit a grim milestone of 29 points dropped from winning positions this season.

We also look at the experimental lineup at Bristol that likely signaled the end for several players at the Lane, before finally basking in the glory of our turnaround mauling of the Tigers. Plus, we look ahead to the final run-in and talk summer transfer targets. Huge thanks to Shaun for his editing wizardry and anyone who has given us a listen. Up the Blades!

In this episode of the Hodcast, we pick through a mixed bag of recent United performances. We review the turgid "boredraw" at Bramall Lane, discussing the unwelcome return of "crab football" and why the Blades looked so unsure of themselves against the Baggies. We take a look back at a Jekyll and Hyde performance at Carrow Road a ground that had been a happy hunting ground for United until this latest trip. Finally we explore a spirited display at St Andrew’s, where ten men rallied to earn a hard-fought point against Tom Brady’s Blues. Jonny hands out his player ratings highlighting the standout performers and those who had games to forget and we preview this weekend’s clash against the "Disney heartthrobs," Wrexham AFC. As always, a huge thanks to Shaun for the editing and the vocals, and to everyone for listening. Up the Blades!

Well… it wouldn’t be Sheffield United if it was straightforward.

This time we fully indulge in some glorious schadenfreude as the Blades officially send Wednesday down. There’s derby delight, a touch of pettiness, and absolutely no sympathy as we enjoy their misery just a little bit more than we probably should.

On the pitch, we dissect a valiant but ultimately fruitless effort against Coventry, plenty of heart, plenty of fight, but nothing to show for it when the final whistle blew. One of those performances that keeps you believing… even in defeat.

Thankfully, normal service resumed with a routine demolition of QPR, restoring calm, confidence and just enough optimism to drag us back in again.

Season over? Season back on? With United, it’s never just one or the other.

This week on the Hodcast, it’s all about derby week.

Matt and Jonny are joined by Chris from Dem Blades and Scott as we build up to Sunday’s Steel City showdown between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday.

While it’s a Blades pod at heart, we’re not ducking the debate, because Scott is firmly in the blue-and-white camp, bringing the Wednesday perspective to the table. That means proper back-and-forth, honest rivalry chat, and no shortage of strong opinions as we go head-to-head ahead of the big one.

Before we look forward, we look back, reliving the highs and lows of derbies past. From unforgettable United victories that sent Bramall Lane into raptures, to the painful afternoons we’d rather forget, we revisit the goals, the drama, the flashpoints and the moments that define this fierce Sheffield rivalry. And with Scott in the mix, you’ll also hear how those same moments felt from the other side of the city.

We round things off by turning our attention to Sunday, what United need to do, where the game could be won or lost, and of course, everyone’s predictions.

Red and white passion. Blue and white pushback.

It’s derby week on the Hodcast, and it’s one you won’t want to miss.

In this episode of the Hodcast, we look back on a hard-fought and well-earned point at Millwall, breaking down the grit and discipline that saw the Blades come away with a draw. We then turn our attention to the routine hammering handed out to Oxford, reliving a dominant performance that had Bramall Lane rocking. There’s also an honest reflection on the plucky defeat to a very good Middlesbrough side, a game full of effort and positives despite the result.

We round things off with a brief Pompey preview and take stock of how the transfer window shaped up for the Blades.

Huge thanks to Shaun as always, and up the Blades! 🔴⚪⚔️