Sheffield United
Blades boss Neil Warnock
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Tuesday, 01, Aug 2006 04:31
Relegated with the last kick of the 1993/94 season, Sheffield United did not envisage spending 12 years scraping around in the Championship.
A couple of play-off final defeats aside, they by and large looked ordinary over much of this period too - and effervescent manager Neil Warnock's head would certainly have rolled if the Blades had not attained what was an eventually convincing promotion last season.
A magnificent start to the campaign - winning all bar one of their first 11 games with style not usually seen in what has been more of a grafting side in recent years - and a solid, consistent finish were the keys to their success as a late challenge from Leeds was fended off with relative ease.
A wobble after Christmas seemed to coincide with Warnock's obsession with collecting do-a-job Championship strikers, duly rotated with little success, and his determination to compromise on flair to some extent as the finishing line loomed.
If the season had lasted for ten more matches then things might have been fraught.
But for now the Blades are back, and the likes of Phil Jagielka, Michael Tonge and Paul Ifill provide a decent platform for what should at least be a high-octane battle to avoid relegation.
Facts
Formed: 1889
Home: Bramall Lane, capacity 33,000
Nickname: The Blades
Adult 2006/07 season ticket prices: £349 - £459
Pedigree
Division One Champions: 1 - 1898
FA Cup winners: 4 - 1899, 1902, 1915, 1925
People
Chairman: Terry Robinson
Manager: Neil Warnock
Assistant coach: Stuart McCall
Team captain: Chris Morgan
Last season
Championship: 1st - P 46 W 26 D 12 L 8 GF 76 GA 46 GD +30 PTS - 90
FA Cup: Third round - lost 2-1 to Colchester at Bramall Lane
League Cup: Second round - lost 4-3 to Shrewsbury on penalties after a 0-0 draw
Major summer ins
Claude Davis - in from Preston - £3 million
Rob Hulse - in from Leeds - £2.2 million
Mikele Leigertwood - in from Crystal Palace - £600,000
Chris Lucketti - in from Preston - £300,000
Lie Tie - in from Everton - Free
Ian Bennett - in from Leeds - Free
David Sommeil - in from Manchester City - Free
Christian Nade - in from Troyes - Free
Major summer outs
Luke Beckett - Huddersfield - undisclosed
Phil Barnes - Grimsby - undisclosed
Simon Francis - Southend - undisclosed
Five players released including former Palace and Watford striker Bruce Dyer
Unheralded stars
Chris Morgan and Alan Quinn
Morgan, the club captain, comes straight from the time-honoured Yorkshire mould of gritty, no-nonsense central defenders - no apologies for the cliche here, as the former Barnsley player epitomises the work ethic and sheer drive which courses through Neil Warnock's side.
As a young member of Barnsley's squad when Danny Wilson's men made an unlikely Premiership cameo in the late 90s, he has experience of the big stage.
And since joining the Blades in 2003 he has become the lynchpin of a team which relies on a solid bedrock. His previous campaign in the top flight may have marked him down as a whipping boy, but the Chris Morgan of 2006 is a winner.
One of a surprising number of players to bridge the divide between Hillsborough and Bramall Lane in recent years, Irish international Alan Quinn appears to be finally fulfilling some of the predictions made for him as a youngster at Wednesday.
The energetic 27-year-old midfielder appeared to lose his way on the other side of the city and was thus a bargain capture for Warnock in 2003 - but is now an important member of the squad, possessing a keen eye for goal and boundless energy down either flank or in the centre.
Starlet
Michael Tonge
United's Premiership return heralds a superb chance for this much-vaunted youngster to finally become a household name.
Linked almost endlessly with top-flight moves over the last four seasons, the 23-year-old has sown doubts in suitors' minds with a frustrating inconsistency which tempers the fact that he is, on his day, quite brilliant.
Formerly a Manchester United trainee, his early years were mainly spent tormenting opponents on the flanks with his quick feet, deftness of touch and ability to produce a teasing final ball - but with his increased maturity has come a berth in the centre as Warnock looks to coax out his ability to control a game on a regular basis.
He found himself benched for periods of last season - notably during the winter when Warnock opted for a grittier outlook - but became an increasingly important part of the team as the side negotiated a tricky run-in with relative comfort.
Liverpool have long been admirers of Tonge, who can be devastating when given the opportunity to let fly from range, and may be tempted to firm up a long-standing interest if he seizes the day for the Blades in 2006/7.
Predictions
League position: 19th.
Passionate, committed - and with more flair than given credit for, should Warnock choose to deploy it. But save for two or three individuals this side is well short of the quality required to stay up. Need further investment quickly on top of the signings already made, and to make Bramall Lane into a fortress.
Chances of managerial change: You never quite know.
Warnock flirted with the idea of joining Portsmouth last season and, while his love for the Blades verges on the evangelical, has shown discontent fans' lack of patience in the past. A poor start would put him under pressure - especially as he openly admits that he would not be at the Lane today had promotion not finally been achieved.
Top scorer: Hulse.
Of United's legion of useful-ish strikers it will surely be £2.2 million signing Rob Hulse who is entrusted with leading the line week in, week out - and he'll probably have to score the goals, too.
Player most likely to rock the boat: Jagielka.
None spring to mind instantly, though the excellent Phil Jagielka may find his head turned by attention from bigger clubs if he starts the season well - and bids for him have been turned down in the past.
Nick Ames.