The Premier League has not been kind to Sheffield United so it’s understandable that there’s caution about a possible return
It was grim, there’s no getting away from that. Sheffield United’s pitiful previous season in the Premier League was a campaign everyone in red and white would want to forget. But the scars remain... it cut deep.
From fielding an under-cooked line-up in the opening day thanks to a desperately slow recruitment process, through the tortuous batterings that felt like they were being inflicted weekly, to the final day at Bramall Lane where a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham saw the ‘lap of appreciation’ feel more like a wake.
Delve into the memory banks (you really have to try hard) and there was the odd moment of joy. Ollie Norwood’s last minute penalty against Wolves in November to finally secure a win and a spirited display and victory at fellow strugglers Luton ... after that you are trying to pick at tiny morsels; occasions where the God-awful grind had been banished for just a very short time.
Oliver Norwood of Sheffield United celebrates with teammates after scoring a last minute winning penalty during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Bramall Lane on November 04, 2023 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)Oliver Norwood of Sheffield United celebrates with teammates after scoring a last minute winning penalty during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Bramall Lane on November 04, 2023 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Oliver Norwood of Sheffield United celebrates with teammates after scoring a last minute winning penalty during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Bramall Lane on November 04, 2023 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There was Gus Hamer’s equalising free kick against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground - they still lost 2-1. Jayden Bogle’s late equaliser against Man City and Erling Haaland’s missed penalty on the same day - they lost again to Rodri’s even later winner.
We had Cameron Archer’s double in what ended up being home draw with a poor Everton side (the second goal was deemed an OG by Jordan Pickford). Hamer putting United ahead at Tottenham only for the home side to score in the 98th and 100th minutes. A last minute penalty to get a draw at home to West Ham and going ahead twice at Old Trafford only to end up losing 4-2.
The fleeting good times more often than not, ended up in despair. Those memories are difficult to bring to the forefront of ones memory, less so are the four-nils, five-nils, six-nils...EIGHT-NILS!
You can still sense it now. Bramall Lane hasn’t quite felt the same. Some people might talk of a hangover from last season in terms of the atmosphere but at times it still feels more like the collective recovering of a trauma.
The LED board shows the 0-8 full time scoreline during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Newcastle United at Bramall Lane on September 24, 2023 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)The LED board shows the 0-8 full time scoreline during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Newcastle United at Bramall Lane on September 24, 2023 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
The LED board shows the 0-8 full time scoreline during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Newcastle United at Bramall Lane on September 24, 2023 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sheffield United’s Premier League misery
The modern day Premier League experience simply hasn’t been kind to Sheffield United.
The arrival of VAR and various grumbles when taking on some of the country’s big hitters threatened to ruin 2019/20 but some superb performances would chip away at any lingering animosity. However, Covid-19 stopped a swashbuckling Blades team in its tracks. Fans never saw their side beyond a 1-0 win over Norwich in March.
When football came back the momentum had been lost. Previously perfect Hawkeye let them down at Aston Villa and what looked like a charge for Europe ended up with a solid and very respectable ninth-placed finish. The following year, with no supporters to drive them on, the Blades were relegated again, going down with a whimper with Chris Wilder leaving in the middle of it.
So for all of the success that this current era has brought to the club, as far as the Premier League itself is concerned, all the fans really have to show for it is a seven-month period of mostly joy, over five years ago. And it’s got much more difficult since then, if you look at how most of the promoted teams have got on.
For that reason you can forgive anyone for not being especially keen on returning to the top flight. And there are many of those people. Ask around and few will tell you they would be genuinely looking forward to another campaign in a division that has become harder and harder to stay in unless you are blessed with swimming in an almost bottomless pit of cash. United’s new US-based owners are wealthy, but Scrooge McDuck, they are not.
Some may be concerned about what lies ahead. Many would prefer them not to go up at all.
It has led to a somewhat negative aura around the club. It’s still early but there’s little to no buzz about Saturday’s Wembley date with Sunderland thus far and to make matters worse, the club’s record down there is dire. Any negativity can be forgiven when all is taken into account.
But... and there’s always a but... times change, players change, managers change, owners change. This is a very different Sheffield United to last year.
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Changing times at Sheffield United
There’s no long-winded takeover bumbling along in the background causing recruitment problems. The new owners have their feet well and truly under the table now and should be ready to hit the ground running as soon as the final whistle blows at Wembley on Saturday, should the Blades overcome the Black Cats.
The team is different too. It feels like, albeit with important additions to be made in key areas, they are better set up to cope with the challenge of the top flight. They are more solid than before, impressive younger players have a year’s more experience. Others who failed to shine before have something to prove. It may not end up being pretty, but there appears to be more fight in them and that, almost more than anything else, stirs the Bramall Lane blood.
And the manager has changed too. Chris Wilder, by his own admission, has learned from all of his experiences and he will be desperate to show that he and his club belong on the big stage for a lot longer than has previously been the case. He’s already impressively rebuilt a team to take on this Championship challenge and he’ll relish the opportunity of another mini-rebuild to take on some of the best in the world should it arrive.
“When that door opens, you’re not taking that route of not stepping through it,” he said. “When that door opens, you have to take the opportunity. Because it’s so precious and you have to work so hard to get into that position.
“You have to step through. We’ve got an opportunity to do that. Looking into the future, what will be will be, in terms of the development and the ambition of the football club. But full focus, 100 per cent, is on making sure that if the door does open, we’re ready to step through it and then deal with whatever we have to deal with if that’s the case.”
The experience of the Premier League in recent times has largely been a horror-show for Sheffield United but that doesn’t mean it will be the case again. It’s up to the players to exorcise some of those demons, but until then - even if it’s not naturally the United way - optimism is needed in all areas. You might as well enjoy the ride.
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