“It seemed trite to complain about things as everyone was in a celebratory mood, but when I hear some topics have bothered other people too, I thought I’d air them!”

Nine days have now passed since that euphoric day at Wembley. I’ve listened to every SAFC podcast on the match and weekend. I’ve scrolled through all the blogs and comments. I’ve immersed myself in the pure joy that it has brought to everyone who follows this huge club. I didn’t want to consider what happens next; I was happy reliving the experience that was only heightened by the eight years of mostly misery we’ve all had to endure.

But as the rumour transfer mill slowly cranks back into action, and the new strip discussions start to excite and ignite the fanbase in preparation for our return to the Premier League, I thought I’d share my final thoughts on last week – not all happy – just things to get off my chest, before I start to turn my thoughts to the new season.

It seemed trite to complain about things as everyone was in a celebratory mood, but when I hear some topics have bothered other people too, I thought I’d air them. Who knows – maybe I allow you to think, ‘Thank goodness it wasn’t just me who thought that!’

First off – Wilder. Fancy coming out to lead his team in a Wembley final dressed like that! Regis looked very smart and right on the money. Even Alex Neil rushed to get changed into his tracksuit after the initial formalities. Wilder looked a mess.

Then there’s the Sheffield support. What on earth went on there? They are a big club, one of football’s founding members, but there were empty seats galore in their end. A very poor showing.

I’ve been on some Sheffield fan sites recently, and to be fair, a lot of them were complimentary towards our fans. I’m sure there were many negative comments I missed! But I heard someone on a podcast yesterday mention something that I’d noticed also on Wembley Way about some Sheffield fans. Several groups were chanting ‘Shearer’. Very odd, I thought. Their focus was to aggravate us, as opposed to backing their own team. One or two of the groups chanting this that I’d noticed were not wearing any colours (always suspicious, I think!). Were there Mags fans there who came to disrupt? In general, I thought our fans totally outshone them in every department. I read one of their fans saying that as soon as they saw our flags and tifo, they knew we wanted it more than them.

Another gripe, now that the dust has settled, is the Sky Sports commentary and also that of TalkSport. My brother in Canada could only listen to commentary by TalkSport, and he got a view of the game that we had been totally dominated and must have been lucky to get the win. When he’d got home and watched the game, he was totally flabbergasted to see that in fact we were the aggressors for much of the game, with them catching us on the counterattack.

Don’t get me wrong – we did the same against Coventry – but the commentary for those games suggested that the Sky Blues were the better team. When a team does it to us, they are the better team! We can’t win! Well – except we did!

As for Sky, the same complaint. Hang your heads in shame. These people have a narrative to follow, and they’ll try and fit their narrative into the commentary by hook or by crook, even if it totally turns the game on its head as far as the viewers are concerned.

What a relief when I watched the full 90 minutes (for the fifth time) on my phone to the tones of Danny Collins and Frankie Francis. Common sense at last! I’ve also heard Nick Barnes and Gary Bennett, and they too, of course, offered an excellent, balanced view of the game. I doubt even BBC Sheffield’s match commentary could have been as biased as Sky and TalkSport.

So there – I’m done! Following the ecstasy, the summer and new season beckon for me now. Bring it on. Now it begins.

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