The Decline

[Danish]

Our massive fall from grace, when did it start ?

When we hear it reported in the media, its quoted more often than not to be 10 years of pain and struggle. However, it seems to have been 10 years for the last four or five !

I would say the cracks started to appear after the two cup finals in 93. I felt the team was ripped apart far too quickly. We seemed to never fully recover.

[horwichowl]

Our massive fall from grace, when did it start ?

When we hear it reported in the media, its quoted more often than not to be 10 years of pain and struggle. However, it seems to have been 10 years for the last four or five !

I would say the cracks started to appear after the two cup finals in 93. I felt the team was ripped apart far too quickly. We seemed to never fully recover.

I would say after the two cup finals in 1993 myself and agree the team was ripped apart too soon.

I also believe that Trevor Francis lost us the cup final (the first one not the replay) as Arsenal were out on their feet in extra time and we never exploited that imo. I will always remember walking away from the stadium amongst Arsenal fans saying similar.

If we had won the FA Cup who knows what might have been, however thats another story and we have to deal with what we now have.

[@owlstalk]

Trevor Francis - took over a successful team, bought some dross, tried to change the changing room atmosphere from fun to discipline and completely lost the plot eventually

The drubbing at home by Nottingham Forest summed it up - Wednesday fans cheering forest on to score another so we could get rid of Tricky Trev

Whichever way you look at it - Francis walking in and taking over a prime football team and taking it from cup finals to the state he left it in says it all

[Guest Sheff Owl]

One thing is Danny Wilson should have immediately been sacked straight after the Newcastle game 8-0.

[vulva]

Derby County away, 3-1 up, in injury time. We drew 3-3. I don't think we've ever recovered.

[Danish]

Trevor Francis - took over a successful team, bought some dross, tried to change the changing room atmosphere from fun to discipline and completely lost the plot eventually

The drubbing at home by Nottingham Forest summed it up - Wednesday fans cheering forest on to score another so we could get rid of Tricky Trev

Whichever way you look at it - Francis walking in and taking over a prime football team and taking it from cup finals to the state he left it in says it all

I agree. I was only 10 years old in 93 so some on here will be able to offer more on this subject.

However, it is my understanding that we had a team that could kick on and with one or two new additions could have continued to compete with the best in England.

I was wondering though, around the time Big Ron left and Tricky Trev took over, was anyone else in the frame for the job at S6 ?

[Guest barrowowl]

The decline started when Big Ron left, Francis rode the wave for a season but was never ever anywhere near being a good manager.

[Stokey]

One thing is Danny Wilson should have immediately been sacked straight after the Newcastle game 8-0.

He should never have been hired in the first place.

[eightbelow]

The decline started when Big Ron left, Francis rode the wave for a season but was never ever anywhere near being a good manager.

So the decline started when Atkinson left, this would mean our time in the spotlight was 1 season in the second division.

I cant see how the decline can have startred under Francis, multiple Wembley appearances et al.. The decline in my opinion was kicked off by not firing Wilson after the battering at Newcastle, if he had gone then we would have stayed up and would in all probability still be in the premier league now.

[Guest AMB]

I was only a young'un when we was in the cup finals, but seasons after we was still competitive around the top 8, so surely that shows we was still a decent team. I think the season before we got releged to Division 1 looks like the season it all turned...

We as a club could have tried to improve on a bottom 6 finish that season? But we didn't and went down the following season...

[torryowl]

imo the decline set in with the bosman ruling which the club never used to there advantage ,look at the players we signed for large amounts waddle,walker,de bilde ,sibon ,atherton,nolan,sedloski,rudi,carbone.di canio,stefanavic jonk etc etc chuck in the 4 million we wasted on the jocks wages and what did we get back in resales more or less sod all that is why we are so much in debt ....

[i used to be sc_owl]

Several factors...

-> not signing Cantona

-> not winning either of the Cup's in 1993.

-> poor penalty call in Kaiserslauten

-> 3-1/3-3 v Derby

-> not beating Arsenal at Highbury in the relegation season despite leading

-> not backing Di Canio

-> Di Canio doing something rather silly when Alcock sent him off

-> putting Beni on the subs bench against Southampton

-> not sacking Wilson after the 8-0 v Newcastle

That's just a few off the top of my head.

There wasn't one act or event that triggered the decline. It was a drip-drip series of events that led to our fall.

[sheffield_dave]

Not backing Di Canio was the big one for me.

There are other events that happened before then, but we were still a sustainable mid table Premiership side in spite of them.

As soon as we forced Di Canio out of the club, Carbone's exit was inevitable, and sure enough as soon as they left we went down.

[Guest sheridan's2penalties]

Not backing Di Canio was the big one for me.

There are other events that happened before then, but we were still a sustainable mid table Premiership side in spite of them.

As soon as we forced Di Canio out of the club, Carbone's exit was inevitable, and sure enough as soon as they left we went down.

The contrast between the way Man U dealt with Cantona, who karate kicked a fan in the crowd, and the way we dealt with Di Canio, who pushed a referee, says it all as to why they are where they are now, and we are where we are now.