How Sheffield Wednesday became the beautiful losers of the 90's..

[@owlstalk]

 

Johan Cruyff’s Holland or Jimmy the ‘Whirlwind’ White may bristle at the notion but there is a heroic kind of glory in losing beautifully and without compromise.

It is a virtuous trait that even seven lost finals between them cannot diminish because their greater achievement was to illuminate what was aesthetically possible in the sporting arena and by doing so they secured a permanent place in all of our hearts. Surely this is a more meaningful legacy than lifting mere silverware?

 

To put the Sheffield Wednesday side of the early nineties alongside such company is admittedly a stretch but in the 1992/93 season, the Owls similarly thrilled us before falling at the last. They briefly flirted with winning the inaugural Premier League title. They reached both domestic finals.

 

For a sustained spell they played as superheroes before reverting to being mortal when it mattered the most and this alone is enough to have them compared to the Dutch ‘beautiful losers’ (Cruyff’s words) or White’s extravagantly natural but ill-fated snooker. They reached for the stars then tripped up on a shoelace and because of this neutrals fell hopelessly in love with them, an affection that lasts to this day.


Full Story - https://thefootballfaithful.com/how-waddle-and-the-owls-became-the-beautiful-losers-of-the-nineties/

[airborne_rat_of_s6]

1 hour ago, @owlstalk said:

 

Johan Cruyff’s Holland or Jimmy the ‘Whirlwind’ White may bristle at the notion but there is a heroic kind of glory in losing beautifully and without compromise.

It is a virtuous trait that even seven lost finals between them cannot diminish because their greater achievement was to illuminate what was aesthetically possible in the sporting arena and by doing so they secured a permanent place in all of our hearts. Surely this is a more meaningful legacy than lifting mere silverware?

 

To put the Sheffield Wednesday side of the early nineties alongside such company is admittedly a stretch but in the 1992/93 season, the Owls similarly thrilled us before falling at the last. They briefly flirted with winning the inaugural Premier League title. They reached both domestic finals.

 

For a sustained spell they played as superheroes before reverting to being mortal when it mattered the most and this alone is enough to have them compared to the Dutch ‘beautiful losers’ (Cruyff’s words) or White’s extravagantly natural but ill-fated snooker. They reached for the stars then tripped up on a shoelace and because of this neutrals fell hopelessly in love with them, an affection that lasts to this day.


Full Story - https://thefootballfaithful.com/how-waddle-and-the-owls-became-the-beautiful-losers-of-the-nineties/

Good article that. What we would give for a side half as good or half as committed; a proper team that rode their luck and generally did well as a result. Few of the current "stars" should look themselves in the mirror and ask themselves, have I done all I could have to win? 

[Weshallovercome]

Enjoyed reading that, ta.