Sheffield United F.C.

Sheffield United

Full name	Sheffield United Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Blades, Red and White Wizards, Red and White Army[1]
Founded	22 March 1889 (1889-03-22)
Ground	Bramall Lane Sheffield
Ground Capacity	32,702
Chairman	Kevin McCabe Prince Abdullah Bin Musa'ad (Co-group Chairman) David Green (Football Club Chairman)
Manager	Nigel Clough
League	League One
2012–13	League One, 5th
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. They compete in League One, the third tier of English football.

Sheffield United are nicknamed The Blades because of Sheffield's history of steel production.^[1] They have played home games at Bramall Lane since the club's formation in 1889.

Sheffield United won the League in 1898 and the FA Cup in 1899, 1902, 1915 and 1925. They were beaten finalists in the FA Cup in 1901 and 1936, and reached the semi-finals in 1961, 1993, 1998 and 2003. They reached the semi-finals of the League Cup in 2003.

Sheffield United were promoted to the Premier League in 2006 but were relegated in 2007. They reached the Championship play-off final in 2009 but were relegated to the third tier of English football in 2011.

History

Sheffield United formed on 22 March 1889 at the Adelphi Hotel, Sheffield (now the site of the Crucible Theatre) by the President of the Cricket Club Sir Charles Clegg. The Wednesday had moved from Bramall Lane to their own ground at Olive Grove, and the tenants of Bramall Lane needed to create a new team to generate income. Sir Charles Clegg was incidentally also the president of The Wednesday. They were the first football club to use the name United.

Undoubtedly United's heyday was the 30-year period from 1895–1925, when they were champions of England in 1897–98 and runners up in 1896–97 and 1899–1900, and FA Cup winners in 1899, 1902, 1915 and 1925, finishing runners up in 1901, and also eleven years after their cup final win in 1936. United have not won a trophy since 1925, bar those associated with promotion from lower-leagues, though they did reach both domestic cup semi-finals and the First Division play-off final in the 2002–03 season, ultimately losing all three matches.

Their darkest days came between 1975 and 1981. After finishing sixth in the First Division at the end of the 1974–75 season, they were relegated to the Second Division the following season and three years after that setback they fell into the Third Division. They reached an absolute low in 1981 when they were relegated to the Fourth Division, but were champions in their first season in the league's basement division and two years afterwards they won promotion to the Second Division.

They did fall back into the Third Division in 1988, but new manager Dave Bassett masterminded a quick revival which launched the Blades towards one of the most successful eras in their history. Successive promotions in the aftermath of the 1988 relegation saw them return to the First Division in 1990 after a 14-year exile. They survived at this level for four seasons (being founder members of the new FA Premier League in 1992) and reached an FA Cup semi-final in the 1992–93 season before being relegated in 1994.

They would remain outside the top flight for the next 12 years, although they did qualify for the play-offs under Bassett's successor Howard Kendall in 1997 and caretaker manager Steve Thompson in 1998. They were struggling at the wrong end of Division One when Neil Warnock was appointed manager in December 1999, and a financial crisis was preventing the club from being able to boost their squad, but in 2002–03 they enjoyed their most successful season for a decade, reaching the semi-finals of both domestic cups and also reaching the Division One play-off final, where they were beaten 3–0 by Wolverhampton Wanderers. Three years later, however, Warnock delivered a Premier League return as the Blades finished runners-up in the rebranded Football League Championship. They lasted just one season back amongst the elite, before being relegated from the Premier League amidst the controversy surrounding Carlos Tevez, with Warnock resigning shortly afterwards.

The club struggled to come to terms with life back in the Championship, with a spiralling wage bill not being matched by the quality of the players brought in, and a succession of managers within a short period of time. Despite a brief flirtation with success as the team reached the 2009 play-off final under Kevin Blackwell, the club entered a period of decline. The 2010–11 season was a disaster, with the club employing three different managers in the space of a season, which ultimately ended in relegation to League One under Micky Adams, meaning they would play in the third tier of English football for the first time in 23 years, and only five years after gaining promotion to the Premiership. In the 2011–12 season, the club finished third in League One, narrowly missing out on automatic promotion to rivals Sheffield Wednesday, and entered the playoffs. With victory over Stevenage in the semi-final, United missed out on an immediate return to the Championship after suffering a penalty shootout defeat to Huddersfield Town. The Blades again made it to the League One playoffs in 2012–13 after a fifth-place finish, but were knocked out by eventual promotion winners Yeovil Town on an 85th-minute goal in the second leg of the semifinals.

On 3 September 2013 it was confirmed that Saudi Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the royal House of Saud had bought a 50% stake in United's parent company 'Blades Leisure Ltd' for the fee of £1 with the promise of providing "substantial new capital" with the aim of returning the Blades to the Premier League as "quickly as possible".^[2][3]

Name origins and nicknames

The club was formed by members of the Sheffield United Cricket Club, itself formed in 1854 and the first English sports club to use 'United' in its name. Sheffield United's predominant nickname is "The Blades", a reference to Sheffield's status as the major producer of cutlery in the United Kingdom. Because of this, the nickname would also be used in reference to rivals Sheffield Wednesday. Another nickname used was "The Cutlers". In the early days, the two teams would be differentiated by the grounds they played at, with United being referred to as "Laneites" (in reference to Bramall Lane), while Wednesday would be called "Groveites", as they played at Olive Grove. In 1907, Wednesday came to be referred to as "The Owls", in reference to their new ground in Owlerton, meaning that United could claim the "Blades" nickname for themselves. Within Sheffield fans of the club are also sometimes referred to as 'Unitedites'.^[4]

When Sheffield United purchased Chinese club Chengdu Wuniu in 2006, they redesigned the club crest in the style of the Sheffield United badge and renamed the team "Chengdu Blades".

Kits, colours and crest

Sheffield United have played in red and white stripes for most of their history, but began playing in white shirts and blue shorts. They briefly played in narrow red stripes for the 1890–91 season, before returning to all white the following year. The stripes returned in the 1892–93 season, with black shorts replacing the blue in 1904. The shirts remained largely unchanged until collars were first removed in 1955, replaced by V-necks until the 1966–67 season (when white socks were also used), and from here on the neck style varied.

The traditional red and white striped remained until the 1974–75 season, when elements of black were added, until the 1979–81 and 82 season kit. This was white with a red breast, and with thin stripes down either side, and was created to accommodate the logo of the club's principal sponsor, Cantor's, a local furniture shop. This was to be replaced by a striped kit, with the sponsor Bentley's (1981–82) and Renault (1982–83) written vertically down a white stripe over the left-hand side. Stripes continued while the 1995–96 season, albeit with various aids to accommodate the sponsors, including a yellow square for Laver from 1988–92 (the 1990–92 shirt also featured narrow black stripes through each white stripe) and a black hoop, also for Laver in the 1994–95 season. Then came the diamond kit, which was so badly received that the club reverted to stripes the following season.^{[citation needed]} Since then, red and white stripes and black socks with varying trim have been the order of the day, with black shorts for all but the 2002–05 seasons, when white and then red were tried.^[5] The club also every few seasons opt to put thin black stripes between the red and white stripes. Sheffield United's home colours were the inspiration for the kit of Irish club, Derry City. In 1934, Derry City adopted the stripes, while Billy Gillespie was manager of the club, in recognition of Gillespie's achievements at Sheffield United.^[6]

The first time a crest appeared on the shirt was in the 1891–92 season, when a red crest appeared on the white shirt, but this disappeared the following season. United used the city of Sheffield's coat of arms from 1965–77, when a new crest was used, introduced by former manager Jimmy Sirrel, but designed apparently over 20 years previously by former player Jimmy Hagan.^{[citation needed]} This consisted of two white crossed swords, or blades, the club's nickname, with a Yorkshire Rose above, on a black background. This is surrounded by a red ring with "Sheffield United F.C." written around the top and "1889", the year the club was founded, underneath. This had been altered very slightly a few times, with a simple black embroidered crest appearing on shirts from 1987–90, and an all-white crest on a red-edged black shield for the 1992–99 seasons, but reverted to its original form in 2000.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Year	Kit Manufacturer	Main Shirt Sponsor	Secondary Sponsor
1973–75	Umbro	None	None
1975–79	Admiral
1979–81	Hobott	Cantor's
1981–82		Bentleys
1982–83		Renault
1983–85	Umbro	Simonds
1985–95		Arnold Laver
1995–97	Avec	Wards
1997–99	Le Coq Sportif
1999–00		Blades
2000–02	Patrick	Midas Games
2002–04	Le Coq Sportif	Desun
2004–06		HFS Loans
2006–07		Capital One
2007–08			Valad
2008–09		VisitMalta.com
2009–11	Macron		Capita
2011–12		Westfield Health (Home) Gilder Group/Volkswagen (Away)	Nexis Holdings PLC
2012–13		Westfield Health (Home) Redtooth (Away)	GCI Com
2013–		VSports (Home) Top Spring (Away)	Football Manager Shebang

Ground

Bramall Lane
A near-full capacity South Stand and adjacent Bramall Lane Stand at Bramall Lane
Location	Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Coordinates	53°22′13″N 1°28′15″W / 53.37028°N 1.47083°W / 53.37028; -1.47083Coordinates: 53°22′13″N 1°28′15″W / 53.37028°N 1.47083°W / 53.37028; -1.47083
Opened	30 April 1855
Owner	Sheffield United
Capacity	32,702[7]

Sheffield United play at Bramall Lane, near the centre of Sheffield. Bramall Lane is the oldest major league ground anywhere in the world, having hosted its first game in 1862,^[8] a match between Hallam and Sheffield Club. Bramall Lane also hosted the world's first ever floodlit football match on 14 October 1878 with two teams picked from the Sheffield Football Association. The power for the lights was provided by two generators. The crowd was 20,000 and the score 2–0. It was originally a cricket ground and the first important match played here was between Yorkshire and Sussex in 1855. A cricket club was formed in 1854 named Sheffield United Cricket Club and Bramall Lane was leased to the club by the Duke of Norfolk. The ground was opened with a cricket match on 30 April 1855. Yorkshire County Cricket Club also formed here, and played most of their games in Sheffield at Bramall Lane until the last match on 7 August 1973 against their old rivals, Lancashire.

The ground has seen expansion in recent years, and by 2006, on completion of a 3,000 seat corner stand,^[9] was an all-seater stadium holding 32,609.^[10] In March 2009 the club were officially granted permission to expand the stadium once again, over two phases. The first phase would have seen the Kop being extended to increase the grounds capacity up to approximately 37,000. It would also have seen the removal of the main supporting pillars and a giant screen installed as part of the stands roof. The second phase would have seen the Valad Stand (formerly Arnold Laver Stand) also extended, bringing the total capacity to a 40,000 all seater. The expansion would also have had a secondary focus of being available for selection for FIFA World Cup matches in 2018 or 2022, if England's bid were to be successful. However on 16 December 2009 the Football Association announced that should England's 2018/2022 World Cup bid be successful then any games played in Sheffield would be staged at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium. Following this Sheffield United's Chief Executive, Trevor Birch, made it known that all planned ground redevelopment had been put on hold until the club was able to regain and maintain Premiership status. With the club's relegation to League One in May 2011 any ground redevelopment would look unlikely in the near future.

Supporters

Sheffield United derives support from a broad cross-section of the community. The majority of football fans in the S2 postcode of the city (where the ground is located) are Sheffield United fans, particularly the Sharrow, Heeley, Highfield, Manor and Park Hill areas of the city. There are also a lot of supporters in the S3 areas, close to the city centre, S8 and around the Gleadless area, a strong contingent from the Dearne Valley, with a large supporters club from Swinton^[11] in particular. The club usually run two or three special student deals each season, and so also have a small student following, based in the suburbs of Crookes and Broomhall.

Rivalries

Sheffield United have numerous rivalries. The most notable rivalry is with their city neighbours Sheffield Wednesday, with whom they contest the Steel City derby (called so because of the steel industry the city of Sheffield is famous for). Some United supporters refer to Wednesday and their fans as 'pigs', and some Wednesday fans return the 'compliment'.^[12] Sheffield United's other rivals are mainly other teams from Yorkshire, such as Leeds United, Barnsley and Doncaster Rovers.^[13] West Ham United have also become fierce rivals due to the 'Tevez saga' and the following lawsuit charges.

Sheffield United also have, along with many other sports teams across Yorkshire, a strong rivalry with Nottingham Forest.^[13] This can be attributed to the miners' strikes of the 1980s, where workers in the pits of Nottinghamshire did not join the strike (known locally as scabbing) while miners from Yorkshire did.

Famous supporters

Supporters of note include former managers Micky Adams,^[14] and Neil Warnock,^[15] actor Sean Bean,^[16] former Sports Minister Richard Caborn, MP,^[17] the singer Paul Heaton,^[18] musicians Joe Elliott, Antony Genn and Toddla T, television presenter Anna Walker^[19] and author G. P. Taylor.^[20] Olympic Laser Class Sailing gold medalist Paul Goodison has followed Sheffield United since he was a youngster,^[21][22] Alex Hammond (Sky Sports News presenter), athlete Jessica Ennis,^[23] boxer Kell Brook and cricketer Joe Root. Former player and current Oxford United manager Chris Wilder and Alan Hodgkinson, former Blades goalkeeper and the current goalkeeping coach at Oxford United.^[24] Michael Palin also grew up supporting the club.^[25]

Former Premier League and England striker Kevin Davies is an avid Sheffield United fan as are Spurs defenders Kyle Walker and Kyle Naughton. As a boy Argentinian legend Juan Sebastian Veron dreamed of playing for the Blades.^[26] Sky Sports presenter Charlie Webster is also a Blades supporter.^[27] Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary is also known to a Blades supporter, after he confessed his love for the club at the Reading festival in 2007, and again at a Sheffield Arena concert in 2011.^[28] Spector drummer Danny Blandy is also a Sheffield United fan.^[29] Sky Sports commentator (and formerly of ITV Sport and BBC Sport) John Rawling is also a Blades supporter, a fact mentioned many times on BBC Radio 5 Live's Fighting Talk. Peter Doherty, although a well known Queens Park Rangers fan, has also sang the "Greasy Chip Butty" song at a Babyshambles gig, at a local venue called The Leadmill.

Chants

Like many English clubs, Sheffield United supporters have a wide variety of chants and songs, the most famous of which is The Greasy Chip Butty Song.

Many are intended to berate Sheffield Wednesday, the most popular of which are (to the tune of 'Singing the Blues'): "Never felt more like Swinging a pig/from Hyde Park Flats to Wadsley Bridge/United! You've got me swinging a pig/As you do, as you do, as you do!" as well as (to the tune of 'Home on the Range') "No pigs fans in town/No Hillsborough to sadden my eyes/Jack Charlton is dead/and the pig's fans have fled/and the year is 1889!". Fans have also been known to sing "Are you Wednesday in disguise" to poorly-playing teams—an attempt to undermine both the opposition and Sheffield Wednesday.^[30]

Songs played before kick off at Bramall Lane include 'Meet Her at the Love Parade' by Da Hool, 'We took Pelham' by Deadly Avenger, 'United' by Judas Priest and 'If The Kids Are United' by Sham 69. These songs are known to fans as the 'Countdown To Kick-Off', with the teams originally entering the pitch to Adagio for Strings but now the Star Wars theme by John Williams.

Players

Current squad

As of 6 February 2014

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Mark Howard 3 DF Bob Harris 4 DF John Brayford (on loan from Cardiff City) 5 DF Harry Maguire 6 DF Matt Hill 7 MF Ryan Flynn 8 MF Michael Doyle (Captain) 9 FW Chris Porter 11 MF Jose Baxter 12 FW Shaun Miller 14 MF Stephen McGinn 15 DF Neill Collins 17 MF Conor Coady (on loan from Liverpool)

No. Position Player 18 FW Billy Paynter (on loan from Doncaster Rovers) 21 MF Stefan Scougall 23 FW Jamie Murphy 24 FW Joe Ironside 25 GK George Long 26 MF Callum McFadzean 27 MF Elliott Whitehouse 30 DF Jasper Johns 32 DF Terry Kennedy 34 GK George Willis 36 FW Diego De Girolamo 37 MF Dominic Calvert-Lewin 42 MF Conor Dimaio

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 2 DF Darryl Westlake (on loan at Mansfield Town) 10 FW Lyle Taylor (on loan at Partick Thistle) 16 MF Florent Cuvelier (on loan at Port Vale) 19 FW Febian Brandy (on loan at Walsall)

No. Position Player 20 DF Sean McGinty (on loan at Northampton Town) 35 FW Jake Eyre (on loan at Stocksbridge Park Steels) — FW Jahmal Smith (on loan at Harrogate Town)

Former players

Player of the Year

Last five winners

Year	Position	Name
2008–09	Defender	Matthew Kilgallon
2009–10	Midfielder	Nick Montgomery
2010–11	Midfielder	Stephen Quinn
2011–12	Defender	Harry Maguire
2012–13	Defender	Harry Maguire

A 'Player of the Year' award has been presented since 1967 to recognise the player who has made the greatest contribution to the club over the course of the season.^[31] Initially organised by the Official Supporters Club the award was voted for by their members although it was presented as an official club award. In recent years the award has been presented at a gala 'End of Season' award ceremony and dinner, usually held at the end of April, and voting has been widened to include a broader section of the club's fanbase. The first winner of the award was long serving goalkeeper Alan Hodgkinson and the most recent recipient is defender Harry Maguire.^[31] The player with the most award wins is striker Alan Woodward who was named winner on four separate occasions between 1970 and 1978, whilst defender Phil Jagielka was presented with the award in three consecutive seasons in 2005, 2006 and 2007.^[31] The longest gap between wins by a player is seven years; Keith Edwards had two spells with the club and won the award during both, in 1977 and 1984.^[31]

Academy and Reserves

Academy

Sheffield United's Academy is responsible for youth development at the club. It has produced such players as Tottenham Hotspur defender Kyle Walker and Everton defender Phil Jagielka, both England internationals, and also Tottenham Hotspur defender Kyle Naughton and Aston Villa full back Matt Lowton. United first team players Harry Maguire and George Long are also products of the Club's youth system. The Academy building and training facilities in the Sheffield suburb of Shirecliffe were opened in 2002 by then Minister for Sport Richard Caborn.^[32] Sheffield United Academy U18s currently play in the FA Premier Academy League U18s Group D at the Shirecliffe ground at Firshill Crescent, and finished as runners-up in the 2011 FA Youth Cup.^[33]

Reserves

Sheffield United Reserves currently compete in the Central League Central Division, playing in the nearby Derbyshire town of Dronfield at the 'Coach and Horses ground', Sheffield F.C.'s home ground. The club have fielded a reserve team since 1893, when the reserves played in 'Sheffield League Division One'.^[34]

Non-playing staff

Coaching staff and support staff Role Name Manager Nigel Clough Assistant Manager Gary Crosby First-team Coach Andy Garner Under–21 Coach Chris Morgan Fitness coach Dave Morrison Fitness coach Lee McMahon Goalkeeping coach Darren Ward Academy manager Nick Cox Head of academy coaching Vacant Head of academy recruitment Tony Walmsley Professional development phase lead coach Travis Binnion Professional development coach John Dungworth Youth development phase leader John Pemberton Jr. (acting) Sports science and medical Tony Denton Head of education George Delves Performance analyst Mike Allen Physiotherapist Ritson Lloyd Kit manager Carl Hopwood Masseur Luke Smith

Chairman and directors Role Name Chairmen (Plc) Abdullah bin Musa'ed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (50%) Kevin McCabe (50%) Chairman (Football Club) David Green Director (Football Club) Scott McCabe Vice President Mike Blundell Vice President Ian Cameron Vice President Martin Green Vice President Andrew Laver Vice President Martin Ross Vice President Christopher Steer Operations Director Dave McCarthy Head of Football Operations John Stephenson Finance Director Craig Burns Commercial Director Steve Coakley Head of Group Coordination Carl Shieber Director (Plc) Prince Abdulraham Bin Abdullah Director (Plc) Selahattin Baki Director (Plc) James Phipps Director (Plc) Jeremy Tutton

Managerial history

Early Days

Last five managers

Years	Name
2011–13	Danny Wilson
2013	Chris Morgan (acting)
2013	David Weir
2013	Chris Morgan (acting)
2013–	Nigel Clough

At its formation in 1889 United did not employ what would today be termed a manager, the side was coached by a trainer and a football committee selected the team and decided upon tactics (this was a continuation of the structure of Sheffield United Cricket Club from which the football team had been formed.)^[35] They did appoint Joseph Wostinholm to the position of club secretary and he was responsible for the day to day running of the club, matchday organisation and dealing with players and contracts. Wostinholm oversaw a period of rapid growth for the team, culminating in 1899 when United won their one and only First Division championship, after which he retired.^[35] Wostinholm was replaced by John Nicholson as secretary and he would remain in post for over 30 years until his death in 1932. Nicholson presided over the most successful period in the club's history as United became a leading force in English football, winning the FA Cup four times and regularly challenged at the top of the league but a second Division One title for the club eluded him.^[36]

A new era

Following the death of John Nicholson (who died whilst travelling to an away match in Birmingham)^[36] the United board turned to Chesterfield manager Teddy Davison to become the club's first real manager.^[37] The team were in decline however and were soon relegated for the first time in their history. Davison gradually rebuilt the side with astute signings and young players and regained top flight status but the clubs post-war financial problems would hamper team building for years to come. Davison retired in 1952 and prompted the club to appoint Rotherham United manager Reg Freeman as his successor. Freeman stabilised the team but fell ill and died in 1955^[38] after which united turned to the inexperienced Joe Mercer but he struggled to cope with a team in decline and departed for Aston Villa in 1958.^[39] United then appointed Chester manager John Harris who inherited a talented but under performing side which he transformed into a promotion team, returning to Division One in 1961.^[40] Harris built a side based on local players and stabilised them in the top flight but financial issues soon prompted the sale of key players and United were eventually relegated once more. Harris opted to 'move upstairs' to become 'General Manager'^[40] and handed the role of team manager to Arthur Rowley but he was sacked after one season following disappointing results.^[41] Harris returned as manager and guided the side to promotion once more but after a good start back in the top flight Harris' confidence faded and he stepped down in 1973 to 'move upstairs' for the second time.^[40]

Rapid decline

Experienced Blackburn Rovers manager Ken Furphy was the man United turned to replace John Harris.^[42] He initially did well but the team was ageing and there was little money to replace players. After a good finish in his first season a disastrous string of results the following year led to Furphy being sacked in October 1975.^[42] Jimmy Sirrel was recruited from Notts County but he proved unpopular with both the players and fans and could not halt the decline, overseeing relegation and then being sacked in September 1977 with United at the bottom of Division Two.^[41] The ambitious and colourful Harry Haslam was handed the reigns and although many of his ideas were ahead of their time he built an ageing side based on 'star' players at the end of their career.^[43] Now in the Third Division performances deteriorated still further and Haslam stepped down due to illness in January 1981.^[43] World Cup winner and then United player Martin Peters was promoted to the position of manager but United were relegated to Division Four at the end of the season and Peters resigned.^[39]

Moving on up

With a new ambitious board in place United recruited Ian Porterfield as manager in June 1981.^[44] He had an immediate impact, winning the Division Four championship in his first season and taking the club back into the second tier two years later on a meagre budget.^[44] Despite this many fans were unhappy with the style of football and Porterfield was sacked in 1986 following supporter protests.^[44] Coach Billy McEwan was promoted to the position of manager but failed to improve the standard of play and with attendances falling and the team in danger of relegation once more he was sacked in January 1988.^[45] United now turned to the colourful character of Dave Bassett who had most recently had a short, unsuccessful spell as manager of Watford.^[46] It was to prove an astute appointment as although he could not prevent relegation in his first season he built a solid, hard working team on a small budget and won back to back promotions, returning the club to the top flight and achieving regular mid-table finishes.^[46] With the formation of the Premier League United's old financial problems and willingness to sell star players without replacing them meant the side eventually succumbed to relegation and when an immediate return was not forthcoming Basset was sacked in December 1995.^[46]

Comings and goings

The following years proved a turbulent time for United as they chased the ambition of Premiership football. Experienced Howard Kendall was recruited as manager and undertook a complete rebuilding of the side but left in June 1997 to take over at Everton.^[45] Player-coach Nigel Spackman was promoted to replace Kendall but after initial promise he quit after only eight months citing boardroom interference.^[47] This was to become a recurring theme and replacement Steve Bruce would leave after only one season citing the same reasons.^[37] Adrian Heath then proved a disastrous appointment and lasted only six months before being sacked with United looking more likely to be relegated than promoted.^[43] The Blades then turned to experienced lower league manager Neil Warnock who managed to stave off relegation and began to rebuild the side on a meagre budget.^[48] Warnock proved a divisive figure with fans but after a number of mid-table finishes he achieved promotion back to the Premiership in 2006 but the side were relegated the following season, prompting the board not to renew Warnock's contract.^[48]

Just like Adrian Heath, the appointment of Bryan Robson in 2007 proved an unpopular and unsuccessful one and he was sacked after less than a year following poor results and intense fan pressure.^[44] Former assistant manager Kevin Blackwell was appointed as Robson's replacement^[49] but despite reaching the play off finals in his first full season the team was obviously in decline and he was sacked after only two games of the 2010–11 season. Worse was to come however as player-coach Gary Speed was briefly promoted to manager but left after only a few months to take over the Welsh national side. Micky Adams then became the third full-time manager of the season and oversaw a disastrous run of results which saw United relegated and Adams sacked after only six months in charge. With United in the third tier once more Danny Wilson was appointed as manager in June 2011, despite protests from United fans over his previous association with cross-town rivals Sheffield Wednesday.^[50] Wilson guided the club to the League One play off final in his first full season in charge, only to lose to Huddersfield Town. Despite the club challenging for promotion the following season, a poor run of results led to Wilson's departure in April 2013,^[51] being replaced by Chris Morgan until the end of the season.^[51] After a long search for a new boss former Scotland defender David Weir was appointed as Wilson's long-term replacement.^[52] Weir's tenure was short-lived however as he was sacked in October of the same year having won only one of thirteen games in charge.^[53] After Chris Morgan had overseen the team for a brief time, Nigel Clough was appointed as Weir's permanent successor in October 2013.^[54]

League history

1892–1893 Division 2 1893–1934 Division 1 1934–1939 Division 2 1946–1949 Division 1 1949–1953 Division 2 1953–1956 Division 1

1956–1961 Division 2 1961–1968 Division 1 1968–1971 Division 2 1971–1976 Division 1 1976–1979 Division 2 1979–1981 Division 3

1981–1982 Division 4 1982–1984 Division 3 1984–1988 Division 2 1988–1989 Division 3 1989–1990 Division 2 1990–1992 Division 1

1992–1994 Premier League 1994–2004 Division 1 2004–2006 Championship 2006–2007 Premier League 2007–2011 Championship 2011– League 1

• Seasons spent at Level 1 of the football league system: 60
• Seasons spent at Level 2 of the football league system: 42
• Seasons spent at Level 3 of the football league system: 6
• Seasons spent at Level 4 of the football league system: 1

Sheffield United: League Standings for last 10 Seasons

Season	League	Pos	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
2003–04	Division One	8	46	20	11	15	65	56	71
2004–05	Championship	8	46	18	13	15	57	56	67
2005–06	Championship	2	46	26	12	8	76	46	90
2006–07	Premier League	18	38	10	8	20	32	55	38
2007–08	Championship	9	46	17	15	14	56	51	66
2008–09	Championship	3	46	22	14	10	64	39	80
2009–10	Championship	8	46	17	14	15	62	55	65
2010–11	Championship	23	46	11	9	26	44	79	42
2011–12	League One	3	46	27	9	10	92	51	90
2012–13	League One	5	46	19	18	9	56	42	75

Pos = Position; P = Played; W = Won; D = Drawn; L = Lost; F = Goals For; A = Goals Against; Pts = Points

Honours

• Division One/Premier League
  • Champions: 1897–98
  • Runners-up: 1896–97, 1899–1900

• Football League North (Wartime – Joint Division One League with Football League South)
  • Champions: 1945–46

• Division Two/Championship
  • Champions: 1952–53
  • Runners-up: 1892–93, 1938–39, 1960–61, 1970–71, 1989–90, 2005–06

• Division Three/League One
  • Runners-up: 1988–89

• Division Four/League Two
  • Champions: 1981–82

• FA Cup
  • Winners: 1899, 1902, 1915, 1925
  • Runners-up: 1901, 1936

Club records

• Record League victory: 10–0 away v Port Vale, Division Two, 10 December 1892 and 10–0 home v Burnley, Division One, 19 January 1929^[55]
• Record Cup victory: 6–1 on 3 occasions. the last being at home v Lincoln City, League Cup 1st round, 22 August 2000
• Record League defeat: 3–10 away v Middlesbrough, Division One, 18 November 1933
• Record Cup defeat: 0–13 home v Bolton Wanderers, FA Cup 2nd round, 1 February 1890^[55]
• Highest home attendance: 68,287 v Leeds United, FA Cup 5th round, 15 February 1936^[55]
• Most league appearances: Joe Shaw made 631 appearances between 1948–1966^[55]
• Most goals scored overall: Harry Johnson scored 201 goals in 313 games between 1919–1930
• Most goals scored in a Season: Jimmy Dunne 41 goals from 41 appearances, Division One, 1930–31
• Record Transfer Fee Paid: £4 million for James Beattie to Everton on 4 August 2007^[55]
• Record Transfer Fee Received: £8 million for Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker (combined fee) from Tottenham Hotspur in July 2009^[55]

In media and popular culture

United were, along with Arsenal, the first team to be featured in a live radio commentary.^[56] The Division One fixture between the two sides on 22 January 1927 was broadcast by the BBC.^[56] Club captain Billy Gillespie scored United's goal in the 1–1 draw and listeners were provided with a numbered map of the pitch via the Radio Times to aid their understanding of where play was taking place.^[56] The area in front of the goalkeeper was numbered 1, with the game providing the first use of the phrase "back to square one."^[56]

A number of films and television programmes have included references to Sheffield United over the past few decades. The 1996 film When Saturday Comes stars (real-life United fan himself) Sean Bean as a part-time Hallam FC player who is scouted by Sheffield United, who then goes on to play in a FA Cup semi-final. The character 'Gaz' in British comedy The Full Monty is seen wearing a replica United shirt at one part of the film, and promises his son a ticket for a game at Bramall Lane between Sheffield United & Manchester United. A scene in Batman Begins features a child wearing a 1990s Blades shirt.^[57] 2012 television drama Prisoners' Wives also references the club.

In 1990, the BBC produced a six-part documentary series named "United" that followed the fortunes of the club towards the end of the 1989–90 season, in which they achieved automatic promotion to the top flight of English football.^[58]

International links

As Group Executive Director, Michael Farnan is responsible for the commercial development of the Sheffield United International Group. Sheffield United’s unique international football model began with the club purchasing high profile foreign teams in China and Hungary as well as becoming a major stakeholder with a leading Australian A-League side.

In January 2006, Sheffield United became the first foreign club to take over a Chinese team^[59] when they purchased the football club Chengdu Wuniu, based in the city of Chengdu, China.^[60] The club was renamed the Chengdu Blades, after their new owners. Sheffield United shirts are now sold in China, and Chengdu shirts are now sold in Sheffield, increasing revenue streams for both clubs.

In February 2008, Kevin McCabe, the club's chairman, finalised an agreement with Budapest-based Ferencváros to buy its football team, and also negotiated with the Hungarian government to purchase and develop the ground around Stadion Albert Flórián.^[61] The development of a new all-seater football stadium with a capacity of 25,000 has been started. A match was played in Budapest to celebrate the link-up.^[62]

The Blades also have operating/business and exchange of ideas links with Central Coast Mariners^[63] of Australia and White Star Woluwé^[64] of Belgium.

Affiliated clubs

• Arklow Town^[65]
• Buxton^[66]
• Central Coast Mariners^[67]
• Chengdu Blades
• Estudiantes^[68]
• São Paulo^[69]
• Strindheim IL^[70]
• Tata Football Academy^[71]
• White Star Woluwé^[72]

Bibliography

• Matthews, Tony (15 December 2003). The Official Encyclopaedia of Sheffield United Football Club. Britespot Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-904103-19-7. 
• Clarebrough, Denis (30 September 1997). Sheffield United Football Club. Chalford Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-1059-8. 
• Armstrong, Gary; Garrett, John (1 December 2007). Sheffield United Football Club – The Biography. Hallamshire Publications Ltd. ISBN 1-874718-65-2.  Cite uses deprecated parameters (help)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sheffield United FC.

• Official website (English)
• Sheffield United F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results – Upcoming fixtures – Club statistics

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