To answer you question, 'what has happened to Sheffield United' - it's simple really. We've sold off our best players and not replaced them with players of a good enough quality. That's it really. It's been going on for about 3 years - starting with the sale of James Beattie. (Some fans would say it's been going on for ever - but you were asking about our latest dip in fortunes - and that really began the season after we dipped out of the Prem).
By the way, Warnock didn't leave us for QPR - he was not retained by the club following our relegation. The Chairman, Mr Kevin McCabe, (on the UK's top rich list btw), felt that Warnock wasn't the right man, in hindsight, to have led us in the Prem. Warnock joined Palace after us - and after a promising start he really achieved nothing there - then he slips out of there when administration was threatening and somehow joined QPR.
After Warnock left United McCabe brings in that most celebrated of football managers - Bryan Robson. He wanted the 'big name' to help with his international business and Robson is a big name - but not a good manager. He gives Robson a load of dosh at first - and it's all looking good - but then we realise that Robson can't manage and the fans protest against him and shout him out.
And it goes on from there really. Robson was showed up to be the non-manager we thought he was. Blackwell is brought in as the cheap desperate option - and he did ok to be fair - although the football was absolutely awful. McCabe let's Blackwell recruit players all last summer and then sacks him 2 games in to last season after picking up just 1 point from the first 2 games, v Cardiff away and QPR at home. He puts Gary Speed in charge - another big name - and another useless manager - although it would be fairer to say Speed was untried as a manager - but now we've tried him we know he's useless - and Wales are finding out at their leisure. Speed bottles it and runs off to manage Wales - the guy John Carver, who was Speed's assistant gets 3 games as caretaker, then he's sent packing and Micky Adams, a big Blade himself, is appointed. The fans like this because they think it's going to be Warnock mark 2 because he was a Blade as well. Some fans even think it's important. It isn't. In fact, it got in the way, because Adams, by all accounts, ripped into players for not giving their all for the club he loves - and he managed to fall out with a lot of folks in a short space of time.
The football improved under Adams it has to be said. At least the players looked like they were trying. But 2 fundamentals of football seemed to escape us: 1 Score goals 2 Don't let goals in. I'm afraid we couldn't do either. The main problem has been the attack - but Adams signing of the central defender Collins didn't look particularly inspired - and stick a dodgy goalkeeper behind him and you've got the perfect recipe for a defeat.
So, Adams gets the chop and McCabe gets us all excited by hinting that good managers, like Di Matteo and Hughton, may be on their way as replacements. Then he unveils Danny Wilson. That's a bit like thinking you've won a million on the lottery and getting a tenner instead. Not that there's anything wrong with winning a tenner - but when you thought it was going to be a million it's a tad disappointing.
The fact that Wilson has played and managed another Sheffield team has made this appointment one of the strangest and most controversial of all time. Wilson will have to be very good, very soon, if he is to avoid being hounded out of the club. It is unfair imo that some fans are dead set against him from the start - but he's taking the wrath of fans who have been let down and disappointed time and time again by McCabe - and Wilson is the focus of all this - even though the lad hasn't done a thing wrong and will probably do a lot right imo.
With a bit of luck Sheff Utd might get rid of the dross, bring in a few adequate replacements, blend some of the promising youngsters into the first team and make a challenge to get back to the Championship. But the club needs a major overhaul - root and branch surgery. And that's not a quick fix in my view. And the problem is, the fans won't be patient with any manager - not least this one.
So, we may not have finished our free-fall just yet.
