"Blades Business Crew Blades Business Crew (BBC) is a football hooligan firm linked to the English Football League club, Sheffield United F.C. The term 'Blades' is taken from the football club's nickname, """"The Blades"""". A notable former member of the Blades Business Crew is former Housemartins and Beautiful South front man Paul Heaton. In March 1998, a member of the firm was imprisoned for knocking out the linesman during a Division One game against Portsmouth. Though now not as active as they were in the 1980s and 1990s, the BBC have been the subject of numerous incidents of fan trouble"
"and semi-finals of the Football League Cup, and despite being eliminated they remained in contention for promotion to the Championship. United secured promotion back to the second tier of English football in the 2016–17 season under the management of lifelong fan and former Blades player Chris Wilder. The club was formed by members of the Sheffield United Cricket Club, formed in 1854 and the first English sports club to use 'United' in its name. Sheffield United's predominant nickname is ""The Blades"", a reference to Sheffield's status as the major producer of cutlery in the United Kingdom. United's original nickname was"
"following season, but lost on penalties to the eventually promoted Huddersfield Town in the semi final. In their early years, the club was nicknamed The Blades, a term used for any sporting team from the city of Sheffield, famous the world over for its cutlery and knives. That nickname has been retained by Wednesday's crosstown rivals, Sheffield United. Although it is widely assumed that the club's nickname changed to The Owls in 1899 after the club's move to Owlerton, it was not until 1912, when Wednesday player George Robertson presented the club with an owl mascot, that the name took"
"in fact ""The Cutlers"" from 1889–1912. City rivals Wednesday held the nickname ""The Blades"" in their early years, however in 1907 Wednesday officially became ""The Owls"", in reference to their new ground in Owlerton, and United would later claim ""The Blades"" nickname for themselves. Within Sheffield fans of the club are also referred to as 'Unitedites'. When Sheffield United purchased Chinese club Chengdu Wuniu in 2006, they redesigned the club crest in the style of the Sheffield United badge and renamed the team ""Chengdu Blades"". Sheffield United have played in red and white stripes for most of their history, but"
"Oxford Blades The Oxford Blades were an English ice hockey team based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. They competed in the English Premier Ice Hockey League during the 1998-99 season and folded halfway through the 1999-00 season. The Blades were formed after a year without senior men's hockey in the town. Following the dissolution of the Oxford City Stars, Mike Kellond created the Oxford Chill. Due to the failure of the Ice plant at Oxford, Kellond moved the team to Swindon where they became known as the Swindon Chill. Following a move back to the university-town, the club's concessions from the council"
"The Blades (aerobatic team) The Blades are a British civilian aerobatic team based at the Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire. They have been described as ""the world's only aerobatic airline"" and are the only full-time civilian aerobatic team in the United Kingdom. The Blades are a subsidiary of 2Excel Aviation. The team was founded in 2005 by Andy Offer, a former leader of the Red Arrows, and Chris Norton, a Royal Air Force wing commander. There are eight pilots including five full-time display performers. All of the pilots are former members of the Royal Air Force and the aerobatic team all"
"The Blades (aerobatic team) The Blades are a British civilian aerobatic team based at the Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire. They have been described as ""the world's only aerobatic airline"" and are the only full-time civilian aerobatic team in the United Kingdom. The Blades are a subsidiary of 2Excel Aviation. The team was founded in 2005 by Andy Offer, a former leader of the Red Arrows, and Chris Norton, a Royal Air Force wing commander. There are eight pilots including five full-time display performers. All of the pilots are former members of the Royal Air Force and the aerobatic team all"
"four-game winless run at the start of the season, finally managed to turn things around for the Blades. The club broke into the top two in mid-November and never left the automatic promotion places, eventually securing a return to the Championship on 8 April 2017. On 15 April they secured the League One title when Bolton Wanderers, their closest challenger, lost 1-0 at Oldham Athletic, the Blades becoming the fourth club to win all four tiers of professional English football after Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1988, Burnley in 1992, and Preston North End in 1996, all of them having won the"
"Sheffield United F.C. Sheffield United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The football club was formed in 1889 as an offshoot of Sheffield United Cricket Club, and are nicknamed The Blades due to Sheffield's history of steel production. The club have played their home games at Bramall Lane since their formation in 1889. Bramall Lane is an all-seater ground with a capacity of 32,702. Sheffield United won the original Football League in 1898 and the FA Cup"
"of the city and its environs, with branches of the official supporters' club running from Swinton, Kiveton Park, Retford and Eckington. Further afield, supporters groups also exist in Essex, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and Australia, amongst others. A 2013 study of posts on social networking site Twitter found that Blades fans have the most positive interactions with the official account of their club out of any in English football. Sheffield United were also found to have the most 'obsessed' fans in the 2006–07 Premier League, with supporters reportedly thinking about the team 110 times a day on average."
"Bramall Lane since 1854 and was the first English sports club to use United in its name after a number of local clubs were unable to self-sustain and merged. The first English football club to be named United was Hanover United, formed in 1873. It has been suggested that some of The Blades original players came from an earlier amateur side called Norfolk F.C., who played in the Youdan Cup. The team was formed six days after a crowd of 22,688 paid to watch the FA Cup semi-final played at Bramall Lane between Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion,"
"Paul Blades Paul Andrew Blades (born 5 January 1965 in Peterborough) is an English former professional footballer. He was a defender who played for Derby County, Norwich City, Wolves and Rotherham United. Now Paul works for the health and safety side of Manstal Electrical in Birmingham. Blades attended Walton School in Peterborough. He began his career as a trainee at Derby County, making his league debut as a 17-year-old on 18 September 1982 in a 2–1 defeat at Leeds United. He remained with the club throughout the 1980s, enduring relegation to the Third Division in 1984 but also two successive"
"their last game 6–1 against Tottenham. They started the 1939–40 season brightly before World War II curtailed the campaign. The restart of League competition after the war came a year too late for The Blades as they won League North – a regional competition featuring the Northern clubs from the top two Divisions – in 1945–46. This good form carried over into the following year with a 6th-place finish, combined with reaching the FA Cup Quarter Finals. This good form was not to last, as the club were relegated again in 1948–49, and suffered the agony of missing out on"
"at United and as a result of the spectacular goals the Blades fans nicknamed Lake, Mike ""Zico"" Lake, after the famous Brazilian footballer Arthur Antunes Coimbra, better known as Zico. In particular, Lake is remembered at United for his long range goal against Southampton in a 4 - 2 victory at The Dell. The goal was also nominated for goal of the month and was described as a ""Brazilian bender"" by United's manager Dave Bassett. Lake also scored a second in the same match, again from long range, this time aided by a deflection. In search of regular first team"
"a dispute concerning pitch rent. As well as playing at Wednesday's former ground, United also took Wednesday's former nickname, the Blades, as their own. The first derby game took place on 15 December 1890, with Wednesday winning 2–1 at Olive Grove. The 1993 FA Cup semi-final match which took place at Wembley on 3 April 1993. Initially, it was announced that the match was scheduled to take place at Elland Road but this was met with dismay by both sets of fans. After a re-think, the Football Association decided to switch venue to Wembley. A crowd of 75,365 supporters made"
"went for experience to get the Blades up, signing veterans Ken McNaught, Peter Withe, Phil Thompson and Ray Lewington. This led the Blades to gain the nickname ""Dad's Army"" because of the combined ages of the 4 players signed (they were all in their 30s). Fans were unhappy that crowd favourite Edwards was dropped to the bench in favour of his ""aged"" colleagues. United's start was actually very bright that season however, and after a 3–0 win away to early season promotion favourites Portsmouth, were fancied for another climb to the top tier. However, injury and bad results saw the"
"5–5 in the second leg (7–6 on aggregate). Following their failure to gain promotion, Clough was sacked on 25 May 2015 and on 2 June 2015, former Scunthorpe United, Southampton and Reading boss Nigel Adkins was appointed as the new Blades manager. However, his appointment only lasted one season as the Blades (who were in 2nd place after the first five matches) ultimately finished in 11th place, the club's lowest finish in the third tier since 1983. Adkins was duly sacked on 12 May 2016 and quickly replaced by former Northampton Town manager and former Blades player Chris Wilder, who"
"league's basement division and two years afterwards they won promotion to the Second Division. They did fall back into the Third Division in 1988, but new manager Dave Bassett masterminded a quick revival which launched the Blades towards one of the most successful eras in their history. Successive promotions in the aftermath of the 1988 relegation saw them return to the First Division in 1990 after a 14-year exile. They survived at this level for four seasons (being founder members of the new FA Premier League in 1992 after peaking with a ninth-place finish in the last season of the"
"season, the club were promoted to the Premier League as runners-up in The Championship. ""The Blades"" performed well in their expected relegation battle, and for a long time looked to be heading for survival. However, a turning point in the season occurred with victories for both West Ham United against Manchester United and Wigan Athletic, courtesy of an ex-""Blade"", on the final day of the season, condemning Warnock's side to relegation. Warnock claimed in his autobiography that minutes after the final game of the season, actor and ""Blades"" fan Sean Bean burst into his office, blaming Warnock for the team's"
"the Blades debut of future Manchester City, Everton and Bradford City player, Peter Beagrie, signed from Middlesbrough. The following season saw him trying to mix youth with talent, by giving debuts to future Blackburn star Chris Marsden and to Charlton Athletic and Grimsby Town legend Clive Mendonca, but results saw the club drop into the bottom half of the table, and McEwan tendered his resignation on New Years Day 1988 after an embarrassing 5–0 defeat at home to Oldham Athletic. Danny Bergara took charge as Caretaker Manager again for the match against Maidstone United in the FA Cup in January"
"for the Midlanders in total during a three-season spell. His final season saw the club qualify for the play-offs, but they lost to Bolton. Blades was sold after this failure to win promotion to third flight Rotherham United for £110,000, making him their record signing at the time. However, his second season saw the club relegated and he was released, whereupon he joined Conference side Hednesford Town. Paul Blades Paul Andrew Blades (born 5 January 1965 in Peterborough) is an English former professional footballer. He was a defender who played for Derby County, Norwich City, Wolves and Rotherham United. Now"
"renamed the club Chengdu Blades to reflect the new owner's nickname The Blades as well as changing the kits and badge while the reserve team were sent to Hong Kong and named ""Sheffield United (Hong Kong)"" to advertise its association with the owning company. Sheffield United’s unique international football model would continue with the purchase of Hungarian club Ferencvárosi TC and significant stakes with Australian team Central Coast Mariners FC, which were overseen by Group Executive Director, Michael Farnan who was responsible for the commercial development of the Sheffield United International Group. While this was going on the team's performance"
"the team was coached by a trainer and selected by a committee, Nicholson ran the club on a day-to-day basis, dealing with transfers and other finances, liaising with the Football Association and looking after the players general affairs. Regarded as one of the most respected men in football at the time he had a vast number of contacts throughout the game and was an expert in the rules, laws and regulations of the sport. Nicholson presided over the most successful period in The Blades history, winning four FA Cups in 1899, 1902, 1915 and 1925 (also reaching the final in"
"of both domestic cups and also reaching the Division One play-off final, where they were beaten 3–0 by Wolverhampton Wanderers. Three years later, however, Warnock delivered a Premier League return as the Blades finished runners-up in the rebranded Championship. They lasted just one season back amongst the elite, before being relegated from the Premier League amidst the controversy surrounding Carlos Tevez, the player who was controversially signed by West Ham United and whose performances played a big part in their remarkable escape from relegation. Neil Warnock resigned as manager after the Blades went down. The club struggled to come to"
"and promises his son a ticket for a game at Bramall Lane between Sheffield United and Manchester United. A scene in ""Batman Begins"" features a child wearing a 1990s Blades shirt. 2012 television drama Prisoners' Wives also references the club. Sheffield United are also referenced by Brian Blessed's character in a third series episode of the BBC post-apocalyptic drama series ""Survivors"" from the 1970s. Blessed's character also wears a Sheffield United scarf throughout. In 1990, the BBC produced a six-part documentary series named """"United"""" that followed the fortunes of the club towards the end of the 1989–90 season, in which"
"7–0 victory over the Blades. New contracts and contract extensions. Players making their first team Sheffield United début in a fully competitive match. Players scoring their first goal for Sheffield United in a competitive fixture. First ever meeting of the two clubs in a competitive fixture. First ever visit to a stadium for a competitive fixture 2011–12 Sheffield United F.C. season Sheffield United Football Club (known as the Blades) participated in League One, the third level of English football for the first time in 23 years having been relegated from the Championship at the end of the previous season. It"
"September 2013 it was confirmed that Saudi Prince Abdullah bin Musa'ed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the royal House of Saud had bought a 50% stake in United's parent company 'Blades Leisure Ltd' for the fee of £1 with the promise of providing ""substantial new capital"" with the aim of returning the Blades to the Premier League as ""quickly as possible"". In 2014 the Blades began to be described by areas of the media as ""giant-killers"", having reached the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley, losing 5–3 to Hull City. In 2014–15 the team reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup"
"in itself is strongly associated with its steel industry heritage not least in sporting world, with the ice hockey team known as the Sheffield Steelers and one of the local football teams, Sheffield United being nicknamed 'The Blades'. Bramall Lane, Sheffield United's football ground, is within walking distance of Portland Works. Portland Works has recently come to be an area associated with the music and art scene. Bands such as Kimmy Yeah, Dosch and Big Eyes Family Players use Portland Works to practise, and there are studio facilities for use by other bands. As well as musicians, a number of"
"indifferent league results, and a mid-table finish. United (nicknamed the Blades) entered the FA Cup once more but were lucky to reach the first round proper, losing to Burton Swifts during qualifying only to see the Staffordshire club disqualified. They also competed in the Wharncliffe Charity Cup and the Sheffield Challenge Cup, in which they were beaten finalists for the second year in succession. The development of the playing squad continued with the signings of John Drummond and Billy Hendry from Preston North End, who brought experience and a solid professionalism. Harry Lilley was recruited in the early part of"
"terms with life back in the Championship, with a spiralling wage bill not being matched by the quality of the players brought in, and a succession of managers within a short period of time. The Blades did reach the Championship playoff final in 2009 under Kevin Blackwell, but a period of decline then set in. The 2010–11 season proved disastrous, with the club employing three different managers in the space of a season, which ultimately ended in relegation to League One under Micky Adams, meaning they would play in the third tier of English football for the first time since"
"describing it as ""insipid"" and ""embarrassing"" in an interview on BBC Radio Sheffield. Since then, the team went on a five-game unbeaten run drawing at Ipswich Town and winning four in a row against Plymouth Argyle, Coventry City, Norwich City and Barnsley to improve his chances of landing the job permanently. The 4-match winning streak ended to a 3–1 defeat against Preston North End. The team responded with a 3–0 victory against Leicester City, James Beattie scored his first hat-trick of the club in that game. In his first Sheffield derby as manager, the Blades showed much improved passion levels"
"season. While all of this was happening, ""the Blades"" played Wigan at Bramall Lane and needed only one point to stay up; however, with the score at 1–1, a penalty was awarded to Wigan in injury time at the end of the first half – David Unsworth converted. The scoreline remained the same till the final whistle, sending ""the Blades"" back to the Championship after only one season. There was a slight irony that, earlier on in the season, Unsworth, while playing for Sheffield United, missed a penalty which could have changed the situation at the end of the season."
"the Merseyside club at Bramall Lane. Another run of poor results followed until the Blades registered their most comprehensive victory of the season at the end of March, beating Burnley 8–1. For the second season in succession the highlights of the fixture list were the games against local rivals The Wednesday, with a record 22,900 supporters attending Bramall Lane to see the Blades record a 5–0 victory at the end of October. Just under a month later United lost the return fixture at Olive Grove 4–1 in front of a more modest crowd of just under 12,000. Source: Source: Source:"