Sheffield United boss’s message to supporters after concerns raised about Bramall Lane atmosphere
Midway through the second half, with his side 3-2 down at home to Blackpool and toiling, one Sheffield United fan decided to try and take matters into his own hands and rouse those around him in the Tony Currie Stand.
Rising from his seat, with arms aloft, he launched into song and gestured for support. After exchanging words with a fellow fan, he continued his one-man crusade. A small flurry of chants ensued; minutes later, the fan – presumably admitting defeat in his efforts – was sat down again.
He wasn’t alone in trying to rally the crowd. John Egan did so too, gesturing to the Kop with his arms to try and lift the atmosphere. He received in return what looked like a few choice words from those behind Wes Foderingham’s goal.
The noise which greeted Ollie Norwood’s 98th-minute equaliser felt like the roof was coming off Bramall Lane but otherwise – even at 2-0 and, as things stood, back at the top of the league – the atmosphere was flat. “Players need to give [the fans] something to shout about,” was one supporter’s view on Twitter. United, to recap, were top of the table and 2-0 up at home.
Cliches about fans being the “12th man” – the day United put ‘the fans’, as one other Championship club does, on the teamsheet at No.12 is the day the game may officially be gone – are never in short supply in football but at Bramall Lane, it can be the case. Opposition players have privately spoken previously about not being to hear each other when the volume is really ramped up, and it is no coincidence that United struggled so badly in the Premier League when their games went behind closed doors and essentially became reality TV shows.
Boss Paul Heckingbottom has spoken previously about hoping to raise the atmosphere levels at home to match those seen – and heard – when United travel away from home. Not many teams make as much noise at home as on the road, but so far this season vociferous home support at Middlesbrough, Luton Town and Stoke – to name but three – has made the difference against United.
It's an age-old debate; do players get the crowd going, or does the crowd sometimes need to motivate the players?
"You always want atmosphere,” Heckingbottom told The Star after the Blackpool draw. “I want more from every fan, just like every player. That's my job, to always try and get more.
"There was a moment when I thought the fans were great. It might have been when Rhian [Brewster] missed the penalty. We were losing the game 3-2 and all of a sudden, they started again. That's what I'm after from the fans.
"There's been many times when the opposition are talking about the atmosphere and it goes both ways. "It's not just turning up and saying: 'Go on then, entertain me.' Sometimes the players need the help, the team needs the help.
“The point you raise is good and correct.
"The fans don't half help the players. We try to play in a way which is entertaining and we enjoy it. We take risks and we want an all-action game.
"I watch some Championship games and I don't enjoy them. So I'm pleased and proud about how we try and approach the games but it's not always going to work and you need help. It’s not always going to be the squad of players you put out there who’ll win you games. Sometimes, the fans can help that as well.”
