Football Season Review

After suffering a late collapse in their previous league campaign to miss out on direct promotion and then missing out on promotion via the Play-offs after losing to Huddersfield aftera penalty shoot-out, the Blades entered the season to set things straight. They lost some of their key players from last season, such as Ched Evans, Matt Lowton and Stephen Quinn without properly replacing them, and rumours were strong that the financial situation of the club is such that they badly need to win promotion back to the Championship. Manager Danny Wilson worked with limited assets, but still had a strong core of players available, and the squad available to him was good enough to keep the Blades close to the top of the table during the majority of the season. Sheffield United even led the league going into the New Year, but a shock 3:2 home defeat to rock bottom side Hartlepool sparked an abysmal run of home form that eventually proved to being their undoing. Wilson's men were unable to score goals at home during the majority of the second half of the season, and were unable to break into the top two as a consequence. The board made the controversial decision to fire Wilson with only five games of the regular season remaining, and replaced him with the inexperienced reserve team coach and former player Chris Morgan. Morgan managed to collect four points from his first two home games in charge, beating Swindon and being denied a win against Brentford by a last gasp equaliser, but he obviously did not have Wilson's tactical knowledge, as the Blades looked very poor in the two away regular season games they played under him, losing them both and finishing fifth as a consequence. His side managed to overcome Yeovil in the first leg of the Play-off semi final with a 1:0 scoreline, but an early opener and a late winner condemned them to a 2:0 defeat at Huish Park, as yet another Sheffield United season ended in a Play-off heartbreak. The summer ahead of the Blades will be a very interesting one - if the rumours about their financial situation are true, they could struggle to keep the majority of their prizes assets, which would in turn make it difficult for them to push for promotion. The managerial question is also yet to be resolved - Morgan is understood to be in the frame, but the Blades could also opt for a more experienced manager, and a shortlist has been made. What is certain is that the people running the club really need to play their cards right during the summer, as the Blades could otherwise face the prospect of spending several more years in League One, which is not a division where a club of their size belongs.

Player of the Season: Harry Maguire