Was walking out of Sheffield station just after 10am as the postponement alert came through. Luckily had only travelled from Derby and my Dad from York so not the longest of journeys, but still incredibly irritating. We made a bit of a day of it any way but had numerous Blades fans come over and agree what a shambles it was.
Talking of Derby, when I left home at 8am, there was still plenty of unthawed snow and ice from Friday on the ground. Arrived in Sheffield to see next to nothing. Derby's game was on today, yes a 3pm so more time, but also far more to do to get the game on.
I've got an email ready to go to SUFC with a list of queries around timings and decisions made that I don't expect an answer to but I wanted to highlight their failings today fall far wider than just the frozen pitch.
Temperatures in the area have been below freezing overnight for a few days in a row, this wasn't a sudden unexpected snap of cold weather, the forecast was clear. Sheffield United's own statement says "The referee was then called in at the earliest possible opportunity to assess the playing surface. After he arranged an inspection, he deemed there to be a player safety concern, and opted to call off the fixture at 10am."
So why then were supporters not advised that there was some doubt around the game at the two opportunities above?
Firstly when they decided there was enough risk that they needed to get the referee in and secondly when he arranged a full inspection. I wonder if OUFC were told about the above or whether they found out shortly before us out of the blue as well.
In a world where information is so easy to cascade, someone at Sheffield United decided to stay silent despite knowing the game was at risk.
It's worth noting that their X account has now deleted a "early start at BL" post that was published 47minutes before the postponement announcement.
If anyone wants to use my email as a template for their own complaint to SUFC, then drop me a message. Their own statement gives enough detail to make the majority just shrug and accept it but is carefully worded to avoid specifics or even take any ownership of potential failings.
As fans we really get treated woefully at times and this is yet another example.
I didn't know tickets could be returned before the the new date announcement.
