The pulsating draw between Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town was one of the most exciting matches yesterday. The Owls remain in the frame for promotion from League 1, as do Sheffield United who won yesterday. But why are these two former Premiership clubs both languishing in League 1? It is a question we shall tackle in two articles, the first looking at the city of Sheffield itself.
The pulsating draw between Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town was one of the most exciting matches yesterday. The Owls remain in the frame for promotion from League 1, as do Sheffield United who won yesterday. But why are these two former Premiership clubs both languishing in League 1? It is a question we shall tackle in two articles, the first looking at the city of Sheffield itself.
In a parallel universe there may be only one club in Sheffield. Sheffield FC was formed in 1857 and is recognised by Fifa as the oldest football club in the world. The second was Hallam FC and the first derby between the two took place in 1860.
I have friends in Sheffield who are Blades and friends in Owls. Given that family tradition does not play a part in their cases, I have difficulty in working out why they support the team that they do. But I know that the allegiance is firece, the identity is strong and the rivalry intense. Because Sheffield is a traditional football city of a kind that is fast disappearing. In terms of a two club city in England, Liverpool is probably the best comparison.
With its population of more than half a million Sheffield is sometimes described as the most working class city in the UK. Despite a decline in the coal and steel industries, Sheffield still boasts a higher than average percentage of workers in the manufacturing sector. At one time it was known as the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire, although deputy prime minister Nick Clegg is now MP for its leafier areas. But is being working class such an advantage in the 21st century, particularly when it is combined with a certain geographical isolation?
The M1 and the Meadowhall shopping centre notwithstanding, Sheffield is encircled by hills and greenbelt areas that give it a topographical seclusion. To the west are the Peak District and the Pennines, to the east the Derbyshire dales.
Few large conurbations can boast the same local pride and community identity and such loyalties stretch to support for the clubs. Richard Caborn is a former sports minister and MP for Sheffield Central. He told Four Four Two, ‘The city has changed over the years. The [two] universities have helped the city modernise, but Sheffield is still working class and both clubs have incredibly loyal fans.’
But a strong social and geographical identity can have its downsides. Lee Strafford, the Sheffield Wednesday chairman, commented, ‘For too long, both clubs had local people in charge. They were very inward looking and they’ve suffered as a result.’
He continued, ‘Look at Manchester City. They’ve tracked down investors from overseas, and it’s paid off handsomely. If one of the Sheffield clubs had played their cards right they could be the ones sitting pretty in the Premier League with a 60,000-capacity stadium.’
Well, up to a point. Britain has one world city: London. But Manchester has a claim to be the country’s football capital. For example, during the week I overhead the lunch conversation of my builders. They were talking in Spanish about the two Manchester clubs. Manchester has at least a veneer of sophistication which a gritty city like Sheffield wouldn’t claim or want to have.
What the Sheffield clubs do have is the loyalty of their fans. They top the attendance tables in League One: Wednesday with an average to date of 19,620 (boosted by 28,600 yesterday), United with 18,214, well ahead of Charlton in third place with 16,892. However, both of them have atmospheric stadiums which are nevertheless in need of re-development (Bramall Lane is the oldest major professional arena in the world still staging matches).
Both clubs have also had individual challenges and this will be reviewed in a later article.