A torrid season for Sheffield’s football teams

Good afternoon readers — and welcome to our Monday briefing.

Sheffield, as everyone here knows, is the home of football. The two oldest football clubs in the world are based in the city and the first rules of the game were written here way back in 1858. Given Sheffield’s long standing association with “the beautiful game”, you might expect our teams to be doing better than they are: Sheffield United are currently rock bottom of the Premier League and Sheffield Wednesday are currently second bottom of the Championship. Both are staring at relegation. Why are they not performing as well as their fans would like and what could it cost the city if they are relegated? That’s our big story today.

As well as that we have a brilliant new mural in Walkley, some big news about the Abbeydale Picture House, and a lovely one bedroomed flat in Kelham Island.

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Catch up and coming up

What is Sheffield without Mr Sheffield? It’s a question we imagine everyone in the city has been wrestling with since August, when rare pony Mr Sheffield was cruelly snatched from his home in the dead of night. To the unenlightened, retrieving him might seem like an impossible task — after all, South Yorkshire Police quickly closed the case. However, a group of “volunteer private investigators” from Beauty’s Legacy, a charity dedicated to reuniting stolen animals with their owners, insist they will stop at nothing to bring him home. You can read that piece here.

Last week we sent out two great newsletters to our 2,121 paying members. In the first, Victoria talked about social media pile-ons, why Sheffield loves karaoke, and the morality of journalism in her latest editor’s edition. And in the second, Dan visited the middle-class Sheffield suburb of Nether Edge to find out whether the neighbourhood deserves to be named one of the 10 best places to live in the North by the Sunday Times. An extract from that second piece is below.

Everybody I spoke to said how much they loved Nether Edge. But most also accepted that it was changing; that an area that was already fairly middle class was becoming even more so. Some told me the area used to have many more students, but that they increasingly seem to be priced out. Could they be the canary in the coal mine? Could the sudden renown of Nether Edge lead to a new wave of gentrification? And if so, what impact could it have on a housing market which is already pushing some people out of the area?

This week we’ll send out two more, including one about a Sheffield war memorial which has spent the last 20 years in a storage deposit in Darnall. To fund a new way of doing journalism based on paying members rather than clickbait and stories about celebrities, please subscribe using the button below. It costs just £1.34 a week if you pay for 12 months up front (£70) — but be quick: prices will be going up to £89 a year on the 6th April, so the right time to lock in an incredible rate is now.

Editor’s note: On Friday The Tribune will celebrate its third birthday! Our first newsletter was sent out on Monday, 29 March, 2021, to around 200 people. This newsletter is going out to 23,000 people, more than 2,100 of whom are paying members. We have become way more successful than I ever thought possible and all of that is down to the astonishing support you have shown us since day one. If you want The Tribune to carry on serving the people of Sheffield for three more years, and hopefully beyond, please become a member today.

Boost your productivity and find community at Union St

From today's sponsor: Working from home full-time can leave you feeling isolated and distracted. But as little as one day a week working alongside others can boost your productivity – and your mood. Union St is a co-working space with community at its heart: members make genuine connections through shared lunches, cake breaks and discussion groups. There are flexible packages to meet your needs – from one day a week to five – with 50% off for those who get involved in supporting the community. Look at their website or book a tour of the city centre space to find out more. It’s just a block away from the Peace Gardens (map).

The big picture: Awesome artwork 🖼️

Sheffield has a brilliant street art scene, and it has just got a bit better. The latest large scale mural to go up is by Peachzz on South Street in Walkley and shows a bird feeding its chicks. As always, for all the latest on open air art in the city, check out Street Art Sheffield’s fantastic website.

This week’s weather 🌦

Our weather forecast comes from dedicated Sheffield weather service Steel City Skies, who say low pressure anchors to the west of the UK, with a cool and unsettled spring week ahead.

Monday 🌧 Cloudy and dull throughout with outbreaks of rain petering out to drizzle. Light SE breezes and highs of just 8°C.

Tuesday 🌦 Some tentative cloud breaks later in the morning, before further rain spreads north by evening. Light SE winds and milder with 11°C the high.

Wednesday 🌦 Unsettled and windier from the south with frequent showers in between brief brighter periods. Temperatures sneaking into double digits, 11°C the high.

Thursday 🌦 Little change with the low to the west, so expect further showers and breezy conditions from the south. Highs of 11°C.

Good Friday 🌦 Again, very little to separate the days with bright or sunny periods interrupted by blustery sharp showers. Still rather windy, with highs of 13°C.

Outlook: Lighter winds as the low fills for the Easter weekend, with sunshine and showers the favoured outlook. Temperatures around average.

To see the full forecast and keep up to date with any changes to the outlook, follow Steel City Skies on Facebook.

The big story: A torrid season for Sheffield’s football teams

Top line: While England’s narrow friendly defeat against Brazil on Saturday ended in disappointment, this weekend’s international break did provide some blessed relief for the supporters of Sheffield’s two great football teams — it at least meant that neither the Owls nor the Blades could lose. For a city as steeped in the beautiful game as Sheffield is, why are our football teams performing so poorly?

Since being promoted back to the Premier League last year, Sheffield United have endured a torrid season back in the top flight of English football. They are currently bottom of the league and earlier this season they sacked their manager that got them promoted. But things can always get worse. After turning to highly successful former manager Chris Wilder, they have lost each of their last three home games by five goals or more.

Things aren’t looking any rosier in Hillsborough. After being promoted in glorious circumstances last year, Sheffield Wednesday have endured a similar season to their city rivals back in the second tier of English football. They parted company with their promotion winning manager before the season had even started, and then sacked his replacement after just 10 games. Things have improved under new manager Danny Röhl, but they still have a huge fight on their hands to avoid relegation. The only team they’re currently doing better than are another South Yorkshire club — Rotherham United.

But this isn’t just about football fans in this city feeling bad. Having successful teams has a measurable economic effect. When United were promoted to the Premier League in 2019, experts at Sheffield Hallam University said it would be worth £5 million to the wider city in terms of increased spending in Sheffield’s shops, bars, restaurants and hotels. High profile football teams, such as those in Manchester and Liverpool, help put cities on the map and attract fans and tourists.

Owners in the crosshairs: Wednesday have been owned by Dejphon Chansiri, a Thai businessman whose family owns the biggest canned tuna firm in the world, since 2014. But many fans are now demanding he leave the club, after a string of questionable decisions left the club facing a second relegation back to League One in four seasons. The first came after the club was docked points for including the sale of their Hillsborough stadium in their 2017-18 accounts, despite the ground being sold a year later. Then, after promotion winning manager Darren Moore left the club before this season had even started, Mr Chansiri published a statement on the club’s website saying he would not put any more of his own money into the club until “selfish” fans stopped abusing him. 

United have been owned outright by Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family, since 2019. He only won full control of the club from previous owner Kevin McCabe after a bitter court battle five years ago, and is already trying to sell it. But finding a credible buyer isn’t straightforward. The last person who made an offer, Nigerian Dozy Mmobuosi, stands accused of being a fraudster who invented his company “out of thin air”.

The government has just announced plans to create an Independent Football Regulator (IFR) for the professional men's game, which would introduce stronger tests for owners and directors to stop clubs falling into the wrong hands. However, the Premier League say they have serious concerns about the IFR and believe it could “weaken the competitiveness and appeal of English football”.

But maybe it’s not all bad. The non-league game in Sheffield is in better shape. Sheffield FC, the oldest football club in the world, are currently in fine form and recently unveiled plans for a new 5,000 capacity ground at Meadowhead (see below), while Hallam FC, the second oldest football club in the world, were promoted to the Northern Counties Premier Division in 2022 and regularly attract crowds of over 1,000 spectators at their historic Sandygate ground.

Bottom line: Sheffield having one Premier League team and one Championship team is actually pretty good. But as the birthplace of football, it still feels a bit underwhelming. Football isn’t just a game, it’s also about identity and pride and whether you’re an Owl or Blade or neither, we all have a stake in the success or otherwise of the city’s football teams. Hopefully both teams’ results can improve before the end of the season — though avoiding the drop will be an uphill struggle, especially for United.

The Weekly Whitworth ✍️

Our cartoonist James Whitworth with his own take on Supertram being brought back into public ownership for the first time in 27 years. The 30-year-old network had been operated by private company Stagecoach since 1997, but South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said the time was right to bring it back into public hands. “Today is a historic day for South Yorkshire,” he added.

Your Tribune briefing 🗞️

🏚️ Only a month ago, the Abbeydale Picture House abruptly shut its doors to the public, with tenant Creative Arts Development Space (CADS) explaining it was unable to pay for vital work needed to make the roof safe from collapse. Thankfully, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has swooped in, handing CADS £300,000 towards purchasing the building and carrying out the repairs. CADS founder Steve Rimmer told the BBC it would make a "huge difference" and that he was "thankful and excited" to be able to take the first step towards making the building a thriving venue once more.

⚽ The world’s oldest football club, Sheffield FC, has filed a planning application for a new 5,000-capacity stadium at the former Sheffield Transport Sports Club site in Meadowhead. If approved, the stadium would also be home to the Sheffield Eagles rugby league side, who are partnering with Sheffield FC on the project, as well as a cricket pavilion and football museum. Sheffield FC chairman Richard Tims promised the site will be “grounded firmly in the unique history and heritage of both clubs, including Sheffield's status as the ‘Home of Football’.”

🏫 The UK’s 20 biggest university cities have more than 1.3 million students — but only 500,000 beds for them to sleep in. While the problem in Sheffield is far less extreme than in places like London, Glasgow and Bristol, reports the Times, there are still 5 Sheffield students vying for every three beds. Jacqui Daly, of estate agent Savills, notes that some students are being placed in hotels or encouraged to live at home due to a lack of appropriate housing.

Home of the week 🏡

This beautiful one-bedroom flat is part of housebuilder Citu’s new sustainable Cutlers Gardens development in supercool Kelham Island and is full of Scandi design and natural light. It is on the market for £195,000.

Tribune Tips: If you want to tell us about a story or give us some information, please email editor@sheffieldtribune.co.uk. We are always happy to speak to people off the record in the first instance, and we will treat your information with confidence and sensitivity.

Things to do 📆

Gardens 🌸 On Tuesday, this month’s guided public tour of Botanical Gardens focuses on the history of the stunning 19th century site. People, Plants and Pavilions will set off at 1pm at the top of the Thompson Road Drive, near the Dorothy Fox Education Centre, and will take one hour. There is no need to book — you can just turn up. The tour is free but the Friends of the Sheffield Botanical Gardens encourage participants to make a £3 donation to the gardens.

Music 🎸 Indie popsters Mr Ben & the Bens come to Sidney and Matilda on Wednesday as part of a UK tour promoting their latest album Small Wide World. Originally from Lancaster but now Sheffield-based (they also record on Sheffield-based label Bingo), they are firm favourites on BBC 6 Music and recently recorded a session for DJ Marc Riley’s programme. Support on the night comes from Adam Hopper and The Wimps. Doors open at 8pm and tickets are £12.

Books 📚 On Wednesday, join Juno Books at City of Sanctuary for a lively chat between Kerry Hudson and Beverley Ward, where they'll discuss motherhood, childhood, feminism and class. In Newborn, prizewinning writer Kerry Hudson navigates trying to build a nourishing, safe and loving family without a blueprint to work from. Beverley Ward is a writer, facilitator, coach and owner of Sheffield’s Writers Workshop. Tickets are £5 and the event runs from 6.30pm-9pm.