ITV4 on Thursday night

Sheffield United 2 v Fenerbahce 1

Pre-Season Friendly

31 July 2014

Twitter @ball_sup

In my lifetime Sheffield United have come close to qualifying for mainstream UEFA European competitions "a few times".

How many & how close we'll never really know. Because of the ifs & buts of the qualification regulations. Most recently it's all hinged on whether we'd win FA Cup Semi Finals & maybe qualify even if we were beaten finalists. Hull City beat us in our last semi final & they are now in the 2014/15 Europa League.

Way back in 1974/75 we finished 6th in the old 1st Division. Qualification for the Inter Cities Fairs Cup was brilliantly complex. The main complication was that only one club from each city was allowed to qualify. Read that again.

If Liverpool & Everton finished above you in the league, you might still qualify as they both couldn't.

Suffice to say we went into that last game v Birmingham City at St Andrews feeling that a win would put us in Europe the next season. We didn't win.....

I was there that night. Blades who were there will probably remember it for all the wrong reasons. Including the violence on the terraces.

We didn't qualify then. We haven't qualified now. We're not on ITV4. But we did play Turkish giants Fenerbahce in a friendly. My sort of game that.

Fair play to SUFC & particularly director Selahattin Baki for pulling it off. Some of the gate receipts were donated to help the victims of the Soma mining disaster in Turkey. Now, I'm not against that.

But, I'm in my 50s, born & raised in Socialist Sheffield, worked all my life in public service. I'm for protecting essential industries. I'm for Worker's Rights. I prefer to support those proactively working & campaigning to PREVENT such disasters happening. Rather than those helping after the event.

Turkey has an appalling mine safety record.

I'm not against helping the victims in any way shape or form. But I am very much for beefing up Worker's Rights & Safety. I'd have liked to have seen some of the money go to campaigners such as The Confederation Of Progessive Trade Unions Of Turkey @diskinsesi

I put that point to Selahattin & Jim Phipps in the Blades hierarchy (via Twitter). They understood. But politely explained it wasn't going to happen. And we move on.....

Before the match I went in The Swim Inn Wetherspoons. I had Brains SA at 4.2% on cask.

It wasn't particularly appealing in the glass. Small thin white head but nice lacing down the glass.

No particular dominant smell. Maybe just a malty sweetness. Easy drinking. Simple pleasant bitter kick. Nothing really lingering in the finish. It was quite well suited to the Curry I had. A slight dryness on the palate (which I liked)

We then moved on to Sheffield Brewdog

I had Vics Secret at 6.3% on keg. I think it's single hopped maybe as part of the IPA is Dead series using a secret experimental Australian hop.

It was lovely & murky & unfiltered with a slightly off white head which died a bit quickly. The beer had very little aroma. Deep tongue numbing taste in the mouth almost anaesthetic.

Fruit burst maybe just maybe leaning towards cherries. Possibly tobacco in the taste mix somewhere. Hint of bubblegum. Felt quite chewy in the palate.

Quite a short bitter finish. Not too intense. The finish just sort of sat there. As an aftertaste I got sweetish tinned fruit salad.

I finished with Stone Brewing Wee Erky at 3.5% on keg.

Some webpages suggest it's a Brewdog collaboration. In general I'm a big fan of these powerful taste but lower abv beers.

Nice pale almost see through in the glass with a thin but consistent white head. Simple refreshing aroma. Biscuits & a hint of caramel on the palate. Pleasant taste without being palate busting.

Finish reminiscent of an English bitter. Quite long but not too powerful. Maybe my palate expected/hoped for a more powerful hop lead bitter finish.

Some citrus there I felt. I'd happily drink that as opposed to a blander but higher abv bitter.

Coming back to it...it had a pleasant but unusual balance. Any sweetness had an apricot quality - definitely not berry. And there is a nice bitterness kicking in.

Fenerbahce at The Lane .... oh my days.