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Sunderland and Sheffield United are going head-to-head at Wembley later today in the hopes of securing promotion to the Premier League, but more importantly, which team has the best song?
Both Sunderland and Sheffield United are huge clubs with a long legacy in the game, and they’re both desperate to make it back to the top flight.
The Blades have tasted Premier League action more recently, of course, and could return at the first time of asking. That torrid play-off record United hold, though, with eight defeats in eight attempts, will need to be corrected today.
Sunderland have been away from the top flight for eight seasons now, but the Black Cats have already proven they’re a massive club that deserve to be back in the big time.
Thanks to the status of both sides, the songs being belted out at Wembley this afternoon will be instantly recognisable for most neutrals. But, which is the best?
Do Sunderland or Sheffield United have the better song?
Sunderland fans and players combined to sing the famous ‘Wise Men Say’ tune after the dramatic Championship play-off semi-final win over Coventry City; stunning scenes that made the hairs stand on end for even the most ardent neutral.
Sheffield United fans, meanwhile, will be ready to drown out the Mackems with their rendition of ‘Greasy Chip Butty’ on Saturday afternoon.
Ahead of the game, we took to Twitter/X to ask fans which song is better, and it was a tight battle that produced an interesting result.
239 votes were cast in total, and Sheffield United’s anthem came out narrowly on top with 56.1% (roughly 134) of the votes compared to Sunderland’s 43.9% (105 votes).
Of course, the real deciding factor in all of this will be which song reaches the highest volume at Wembley this afternoon.
- READ MORE: Five Championship play-off finalists who may be Premier League bound no matter the result at Wembley
Why do Sunderland and Sheffield United use those songs?
Sang to the tune of Elvis Presley’s famous song, ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’, Sunderland fans adapted this to suit their needs. It is thought this dates back to the 1970s.
The exact origins are unclear, but many say it was first sung after the death of Elvis himself, during a game against Hull City.
Interestingly, Hull now also sing the song, and one fan on Twitter even said, “Hull City do Wise Men Say better than Sunderland.” Controversial, but we’ll let the fans fight that one out.
Sunderland’s massive following at Wembley could make all the difference in the final on Saturday, and we can’t wait to hear this song blaring out from the crowd.
Meanwhile, Sheffield United fans adapted ‘Annie’s Song’ to become the anthemic ‘Greasy Chip Butty’, which has far much simpler origins.
Essentially, the song is an ode to life in Sheffield and the joys of a good, old-fashioned chip butty (a chip sandwich to those outside of Yorkshire).
It’s a pretty lighthearted, humorous chant in many ways, but when you hear tens of thousands of Blades fans in unison, it becomes a rousing experience.
On the day at Wembley, Sheffield United fans are seated in the lucky end of the ground, so keep an eye (and ear) on that East Stand for that haunting melody.