The Pinch Podcast

As the Blades head into the final day of the season, Sam, David and Riley pick out some key performances from the past three games and agree on the team they don't want to face in the play-offs. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

A horrible run of three defeats on the bounce has put the Blades at the back of the queue for the automatic spots – David Taylor, Sam Parry and Riley Roberts pull it apart with one eye on leadership. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Sam, David and Riley cast their eye over one of the youngest squads in the Championship, zooming in on four players - as is Formline tradition - Seriki, Peck, Brooks and Cannon. There's also a bit of time to assess the Coventry game, and the elephant in the room, Riley's harsh ratings. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Sam, David and Riley review the previous four fixtures and look ahead to the four matches to come – plus points predictions, opposition run-ins and a hint of derby double revelry. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

United Voices 1.03 | In this latest episode of our United Voices series, Sam and David chat with artist Marty Griot. His work brings colour to matchdays and beyond, bleeding into its environment. We discuss past, present and future, as well as inspiration and aspiration, plus a quick catch-up about last week's defeat to table-toping Leeds United. thepinch.uk/ Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Which individuals could make the biggest impact in the final 13 games? That's the question we're debating on the latest podcast. Sam picks four, Riley picks four, and David adjudicates—no easy task when there is only one shared pick. As we arrive at the final four, we also discuss the question of whether you'd be buying or selling the Sheffield United performance dip. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

With new signings in the building, Sam, David and Riley deep-dive into the previous four matches, look ahead to Portsmouth and discuss AI player-trading Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Listen | Ben Brereton Diaz, Tom Canon, Jonjoe Kenny, Michael Keane and more - Sam, Riley and David assess the signings, the rumoured signings, and their aura. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

LISTEN | The Pinch podcast is back with the first Formline episode of 2025. In this episode, we discuss the trends of a difficult but not deadly festive period. Who's performed best? Who's performed worst? Has Tom Davies transformed Callum O'Hare's form? Has our xG data deviated that much from our baseline? Have performances dropped? Have we been unlucky? What might Brereton Diaz add? It's a biggie! Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Sheffield United don't cross much, but why? Sam, David and Riley discuss the trend and share thoughts on Rak-Sakyi's dip in form, our level of control and whether a regression is on the horizon. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

State of Play 1.02 | The Pinch pod is back to talk takeovers. Is it on? And if so, what happens next? What approach might would-be new owners take? What does it mean for Wilder, for transfers and for the fan experience? thepinch.uk/ Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Too often, we judge the competition over the early part of the season. We wanted to re-rate every team in the Championship to see who are the biggest threats and easiest targets. So we've predicted the final league table, hunch vs heft, man vs sim, and Sam vs Riley (adjudicated by David). Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Sam, David and Riley take a deep dive into the performances of Sydie Peck, Callum O'Hare, Alfie Gilchrist and Tyrese Campbell. With a long Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday slog ahead of the Blades, all four players will play a big part over the next few months. What can we expect? Is there room for improvement? Are they doing enough now? Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

LISTEN IN | Blades, fresh off the back of three wins in a row, take on the noisy neighbours for the first time in almost 5 years. Does form go out of the window? Do Wednesday pose a threat? Why Blades are rightful favourites, and does being the underdog make a difference? Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

In this episode, we're measuring the Blades's performances against a few different metrics to calculate the height of our ceiling and the depth of our floor. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Rise and Fall From firm favourites for the drop and pundit premonitions of getting ‘annihilated', to ninth in the top flight and discussions on whether the Blades could even make the Champions League, and finally to a post-lockdown descent into disappointment, departures and a merciful return to the Championship, our previous short stint in the Premier League was a hell of a ride.In the third and final part of this series, we look at our two seasons back in the big time – from dreamland to nightmare. Joining us is senior BBC journalist and former Sheffield United correspondent for Yorkshire Live, Nathan Hemmingham, who lifts the lid on Wilder's unique warmth, why our second season in the Premier League went wrong, and what it was like to cover football during COVID restrictions. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

The Class of 18/19If you go to a pub in Ireland, you have to have a song. And if you don't have a song, you might as well not go to the pub at all. Wise words of warning from John Egan: but at the time he said this, there was no risk of silence in S2. Sheffield United's 2018/19 season was music to our ears. Part two of our trilogy of podcasts on the Chris Wilder 1.0 era sees the club established back in the Championship with a strong previous season. A wobble at the start (the usual) was rectified pretty quickly. Results went our way. Then a few more. And a few more. The odd loss here and there meant it was a race for second and a barely believable return to the top flight with our bunch of frees, outcasts and misfits. We were introduced to Zinedave Zigoldrick. We got Stearmaned. Billy Sharp scored goals. Basham arrived. We forgot the maths: the Premier League beckoned for Sheffield United.Joining us for this episode is Output Editor at Sky Sports and former deputy news editor at The Athletic, Kate Burlaga, who brings her usual poetry and prose to a fairytale period in the club's history. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Welcome to the Wildest Ride, a three-part podcast on Sheffield United from 2016-2021: a magical time that saw the Blades drag themselves from the middle of League One to the top half of the Premier League. Part one focuses on that first season, when Chris Wilder and Alan Knill arrived at a club on its knees, ripped up the rulebook and concocted a team of centurions. Join us to chart a course from the lap of dishonour to Billy Sharp atop the shoulders of fans on a sunny day in Northampton. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Listen now | Sam and Riley talk Swans and take stock of four summer recruits: Harry Souttar, Harrison Burrows, Callum O'Hare and Kieffer Moore. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Listen now | Would it lie to you? The Championship league table that is. In this episode of the Formline, we analyse the truths and lies of the league table as it stands, including a deep-dive into the good, bad and ugly of the season so far, Gustavo Hamer's form, plus a Pompey preview… Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Listen now | Game-state, chance creation, Oliver Arblaster and the 'problem' of left-hand side – David Taylor and Sam Parry analyse Sheffield United's Championship start Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

State of Play 1.01 | Sam, David, and guest, Craig Bradley, dive deep into the career and prospects of new goalkeeper, Mike Cooper. thepinch.uk/ Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

"Rak Sak and three smoking barrels..." – Sheffield United's four latest signings - Alfie Gilchrist, Harry Souttar, Tyrese Campbell and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Formline 1.04 | George Elek from the Not The Top 20 Podcast joins David and Sam talk Harrison Burrows, summer business, Chris Wilder and the Blades' opening fixtures against Preston North End.thepinch.uk/ 38e3b12fb589f25eea10a949bb8f6848c469d3ec Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Formline 1.03 | David Taylor, Sam Parry and Riley Roberts cover 4 reasons to be cheerful, a Preston preview, and some quick-fire questions ahead of the curtain raiser. thepinch.uk/ Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

United Voices 1.02 | Originally published on The Pinch last year, David Beeden discusses the Green'Un and his dad. thepinch.uk/ Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Formline 1.03 | David Taylor, Sam Parry and Riley Roberts discuss Sheffield United's latest four signings - Kieffer Moore, Callum O'Hare, Sam McCallum and Jamie Shackleton.thepinch.uk/ Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Formline 1.02 | David Taylor, Sam Parry and Riley Roberts discuss the probability of a seismic shift towards four-at-the-back and the legacy of 3-5-2. thepinch.uk/ Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

Formline 1.01 | David Taylor, Sam Parry and Riley Roberts put four Blades players under the spotlight: Trusty, Bogle, Hamer, Osula.thepinch.uk/ Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

United Voices 1.01 | Originally published on The Pinch last year, Tom O'Brien reads his story Pies, Poverty and Parasites, a tribute to a lifelong Blade.thepinch.uk/ Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe

An introduction to The Pinch Podcast – a good pinch of Sheffield United pod stuff in your ears every Friday. Get full access to The Pinch at www.thepinch.uk/subscribe