Sheffield United

Ben Meakin
Fan writer

A common refrain among Sheffield United fans this season has concerned the legacy of our recent years in the Premier League.

The Blades have spent three of the past five seasons receiving the riches of the top flight - with parachute payments coming during the seasons in the second tier. But what have we got to show for it?

A team worse than the one that got promoted. A miniscule budget relative to the level we're trying to compete at. And half the first-team squad out of contract this summer.

As of last week, as it announced that they had purchased land for a new training centre, the club finally has something it can point towards and say: "This wouldn’t have been possible without those years in the Premier League."

It's still early days development-wise, but this marks the end of a three-year search for a suitable location and should see the Blades move to more modern facilities over the next few years.

Crucially for a club that has had a lot of success in finding and developing youth players, this move also strengthens United's intentions to upgrade the academy to category one status.

This season has been humiliating on a weekly basis, even if we did enjoy 24 hours off the bottom of the table this weekend.

Having something like a new, modern training centre does make the bitter pill of this campaign slightly easier to swallow.

Ben Meakin can be found on BladesPod, external

As the Premier League heads into the business end of the season, statisticians Opta have been putting the remaining fixtures through their 'supercomputer' to predict who will finish where in the table at the end of the campaign.

Sheffield United, who currently sit bottom of the table on 14 points, are among a number of teams fighting to keep their place in the Premier League.

They next face Fulham on March 30, before a tough run of games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Brentford.

According to Opta, the Blades are likely to be relegated this season with a 20th place finish on 22.22 points.

But what do you think Sheffield United fans? Do you agree with the prediction or have you got faith Chris Wilder and the team can beat the 'supercomputer' and fight the relegation threat?

Have your say here

We asked for your thoughts on Saturday's game between Bournemouth and Sheffield United.

Here are some of your responses:

Bournemouth fans

Charl: When will Iraola realise we need a leader on the pitch to rally the players who seem to have forgotten the plan. No-one seemed to know what they were supposed to be doing. Schoolboy football, afraid to shoot and hopeless when they did. Play Scott from the start, he's quality.

Carl: Poor performance by Cherries, at least until the third. Solanke obviously is not match fit, mentally and physically. Only a few times he touched the ball and one time, he missed the penalty. He should not have been risked. Enes Unal has shown his quality and got his goal. Unal and Sinisterra deserve to be starting.

Caxtonia: I see Wolves are up to eighth in the Premier League. I wonder where the Cherries would be if Gary O'Neil had not been pushed out? What excuse will be forthcoming this week from the manager who was appointed in Gary's place?

Penguin: Typical Bournemouth - always a mistake and a bit of chaos, but also always willing to put a lot of effort into the game.

Sheff Utd fans

Green: A much better performance than against Arsenal. Really disappointed to concede the two goals like we did though. When we took McBurnie off, the ball was just coming straight back because there was no-one to hold it up.

David: Yet again, failure to defend set-piece situations cost us. We should have gone away with all the points. Still, a point is better than nothing. Off the bottom, but for how long?

James: Another pitiful collapse. Not as bad as some recently, but nothing here to give any sign of hope.

David: No-one mentions the injuries we have had this season. Half the team that started weren't fit enough to last 90 minutes, hence the drop in standards for the last 20 mins after enforced subs.

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions on Monday.

Martin in Derby: Only three Premier League clubs have panic sacked their managers this season: Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace. So far, none are better off, arguably worse off in Forest's case. What do you think of this strategy versus the boards who hold their nerve - a la Burnley, Luton, Everton, Brentford with the longer term learning and stability in mind?

Phil: It's a tough choice, Martin, but it certainly has not had the desired impact at Sheffield United and Forest with Chris Wilder returning and Nuno Espirito Santo being appointed at the City Ground. Far too early to make any considered judgement on Oliver Glasner at Palace.

Vincent Kompany had credit in the bank for taking Burnley up but it's been a miserable season and they seem simply resigned to going down and maybe letting him try again next season. There is no-one at Everton to make a decision on Sean Dyche even if they wanted to, which is very unlikely. Thomas Frank has done a top-class job at Brentford despite recent struggles while if the art of good management is getting the best out of what you have then Rob Edwards is doing incredibly well at Luton Town. They could still stay up.

There are considered reasons why they are all still in their jobs.

I think the prospect of relegation can induce panic and clubs must also weigh up whether there is anyone out there who could do any better. A very hard choice and only the final league table will tell if the right decision has been taken.

Sheffield United came within minutes of claiming their fourth Premier League win of the season against Bournemouth, but they were forced to settle for a draw after Cherries forward Enes Unal scored in the 91st minute to level things up.

Former Blades striker Carl Asaba says he is "gutted" for Chris Wilder's team, who showed "commendable spirit" but find themselves still sitting bottom of the league.

"After the Arsenal match, you would've taken a point away at Bournemouth," he told BBC Radio Sheffield's Blades Heaven podcast.

"Nobody gave us a chance. Everyone was thinking it was going to be 3-0. I'm just gutted for the players and the manager. I think the spirit we've seen from the majority of the players was just so commendable.

"They give so much. Defensively, Oli McBurnie is our best header of the ball and when he came off, every ball they played into the box, they looked dangerous from.

"It's a good point away from home, but I just feel sorry because it should've been three. I do feel there's a couple of people who can do more to help their team-mates, but the majority on the pitch gave everything they had.

"Outstanding [George] Baldock, outstanding [Jack] Robinson, [Ollie] Arblaster was brilliant, [Ivo] Grbic is a time-wasting extraordinaire.

"All right, we're disappointed we didn't get the three points, but the spirit was there. They worked really hard and they have come away with a point. There's been games this season where they have worked really hard and come away with nothing.

"So that's a big, big point for them. We've got three weeks now, three positive weeks with something to build on and a performance to look back at and try to improve on."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris and former Tottenham defender Stephen Kelly both believe Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder should be planning ahead for a Championship promotion push next season.

The Blades missed the chance to move eight points from safety after conceding late to Bournemouth on Saturday and look all but doomed to relegation.

"They'll be really disappointed not to hold on to that," Kelly told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "You don't want to relegate teams but realistically you think of the points they have on the board at the moment - are they going to double that within the time they have? It's not going to happen.

"You feel sorry for them but it's about galvanising and building for next season. I'm sure Wilder's thinking 'right, what am I going to do? I'll pick the bones out of this squad, regroup, and see who has the mentality to get this team back up'.

"They'll want to have a better go at it next time."

Morris stated: "Bournemouth were definitely the better team but when you're 2-0 up with 15 minutes to go it's an absolute killer blow to not bring home the three points.

"Chris Wilder, for me, is the the one who needs to be in charge there looking at next season. He needs to be looking at that thinking 'can we bounce back to the Premier League?'

"He's done it before. I think Wilder's the one.

"You have to be dealing with the fact you're losing a lot of games but making sure you're not too down going into next season because he'll be thinking ahead."

• Did you know? Sheffield United had nine shots on target against Bournemouth, their most on record in a single Premier League game (since 2006-07).

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra match commentaries in full:

• Crystal Palace v Luton Town

• Arsenal v Brentford

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Enes Unal's late equaliser was harsh on Sheffield United, who responded to Monday's humiliation at home by Arsenal with a spirited showing on the south coast.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, the visitors looked short of confidence in the early stages as Bournemouth started on the front foot.

But Dominik Solanke's penalty miss appeared to breathe new life into Wilder's men, who were rewarded for their efforts when Gustavo Hamer beat Neto for his third Premier League goal.

Sheffield United had conceded 18 goals in their previous five top-flight matches, but they defended resolutely in the first half and appeared on course for three precious points after Jack Robinson capitalised on Neto's lapse in concentration to double their advantage.

However, it was one-way traffic after Dango Ouattara had halved the deficit with just over a quarter of an hour of normal time remaining, with Unal's last-gasp finish denying the Blades a precious victory.

The late goal was a bitter pill to swallow, but Wilder will be heartened by his team's display as he prepares to meet club owner Prince Abdullah in Riyadh next week.

Enes Unal's stoppage-time equaliser rescued a point for Bournemouth and denied Sheffield United a precious three points in their fight for Premier League survival.

The Turkey international, on loan from Getafe, headed in his first goal for the club in the first minute of added time, moments after having a header from a similar position cleared of the line.

The goal was harsh on Sheffield United, who were much improved from Monday's chastening defeat at home by Arsenal and had led 2-0 until the 74th minute at Vitality Stadium.

Gustavo Hamer opened the scoring in the first half after Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto had parried Jayden Bogle's low shot into his path, his goal coming 13 minutes after Dominik Solanke had skied an early penalty for the Cherries.

Solanke won the spot-kick after being caught late by Tom Davies but slipped in the run-up, the ball sailing high over the crossbar after hitting the striker's standing foot.

The visitors were gifted a second goal midway through the second period when Neto punched a corner into the head of Solanke and it fell into the path of Robinson, whose close-range shot struck the inside of the post on its way over the line.

Solanke had a goal disallowed by the video assistant referee after handling the ball inside the six-yard area, and Dango Ouattara's emphatic header gave the Cherries hope before Unal completed the fightback.

Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?

Bournemouth fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

How did you rate the side's performance, Blades fans?

Follow all of the reaction here

There are five games being played in the Premier League on Saturday and we will bring you every moment.

Listen to radio commentaries and follow live text updates here

All times are GMT

Image source, BBC Sport

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.

For this weekend's games, he takes on The Zutons frontman Dave McCabe, who supports Liverpool, and Better Joy's Bria Keely, who is a Manchester City fan.

Sutton's prediction: 3-0

Bournemouth did not have it all their own way when they beat Burnley last week but I am expecting them to find it a lot easier against Sheffield United.

If things don't go well for them, Cherries fans can blame me, because I am triple-captaining their striker Dominic Solanke in my fantasy football team this weekend.

After this game, they play another side from the bottom three, Luton, at home in a rearranged game on Wednesday. So, my thinking is they have a chance of a cricket score in the next few days... but, because I am captaining him, Solanke probably won't score and will get injured too, while Bournemouth will lose.

Something will have to go badly wrong if they are beaten here, though. Blades boss Chris Wilder said his players were 'broken' after their latest heavy defeat, 6-0 at home to Arsenal on Monday. Being kind, this has been a season to forget for them.

Like Burnley, the Blades have often been outclassed to the point where it has become embarrassing for their fans.

I know what that feels like because I live near Norwich and my old club's past two top-flight campaigns have been so disappointing - the Canaries finished last in 2019-20 and 2021-22 - that some of their supporters would rather have stayed in the Championship.

Similarly, it has not been a pleasant experience for Sheffield United fans seeing their team humiliated week in, week out, which is what has happened. It's been a desperate campaign so far, and I don't see it improving now.

Dave's prediction: 3-1

Bria's prediction: 2-0

Read the rest of their predictions here

Will Sheffield United's challenging season prompt a hangover next season?

Blades fan Ben Humphries has been speaking to The Football News Show about changes that may be needed to shift the mental blemish relegation could deliver.

Watch a clip above or The Football News Show in full here

Is getting promoted to the Premier League too easy if you've just been relegated?

Daniel Storey from the i Newspaper has been telling The Football News Show about a problem brewing in winning promotion and battling the drop.

Watch The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer here

It's been a testing week for Sheffield United, with manager Chris Wilder telling media on Thursday he is taking on one of his toughest spells in management.

The Blades Heaven team - including former striker Carl Asaba - have been looking at what can be done to improve matters.

Listen to the whole episode on BBC Sounds

Chris Wilder has been speaking to the media before Sheffield United's Premier League game against Bournemouth on Monday.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Wilder said he "can't bury the players" after their hefty defeat to Arsenal on Monday but added "it was a really disappointing performance and result so we have to own that".

• In response to how he's motivating his players off the back of that defeat: "It’s a difficult time for everybody. We all love the football club and everyone connected to it is not enjoying this part of our recent history. We can’t be jumping through hoops. Of course the mood is going to be sombre. Football tests your resolve and psychology and it will test you all the way through your career. We’ll have better days and brighter days but you have to dig in and show you’re up for the fight."

• He said he doesn't "want selfish players or victims" and that apart from defender Jack Robinson, "there’s not many players that can say they’ve played to their maximum level".

• On conceding so many goals: "You need to to give yourself an opportunity in games and it’s quickly gone in some games from one goal, to two, three or four and that’s incredibly disappointing."

• He said this period of time as the hardest of his career "without a shadow of a doubt" and added: "I’ve never asked the supporters for help and I never will because it’s up to us to fire them up. The fans are outstanding and I think they’re making the shirt incredibly light for the players."

• Reflecting on why they have struggled to find consistency: "We have been incredibly harshly impacted in terms of injuries. There’s got to be a touch of sympathy in terms of stability and consistency that we’ve not had. Every team needs it but promoted teams really need it to give them a chance."

• He added that "there’s certainly a lot of work to do in a short period of time," if they are to improve their performances and become defensively stronger.

• On Saturday's opponents Bournemouth: "They’re a good solid club and they’ve got a lot of talent in the team. If they were watching Monday night then they will be expecting a pretty straight forward and comfortable home win. We have to accept that and we have to do our best to make sure that isn’t the way it goes."

Follow Thursday's live Premier League news conferences here

Here are the key facts and figures before Saturday's game between Bournemouth and Sheffield United in the Premier League.

• Bournemouth have won two of their past three league meetings with Sheffield United (D1), more than their first 16 against them before this (W1 D5 L10).

• Sheffield United have lost just one of their nine previous league visits to Bournemouth (W5 D3), although that was the most recent, going down 2-1 in the Championship in October 2021.

• Since their return to the competition last season, Bournemouth are unbeaten in all seven of their Premier League games against promoted sides (W5 D2), winning the past four in a row including all three so far this term.

• Bournemouth's 2-0 win against Burnley last time out ended a seven-game winless run in the Premier League. Their first win of the campaign also came against the Clarets, and also ended a long run without a win (13), kick-starting a run that saw them win seven times in nine games (D1 L1).

• Away from home in the Premier League this season, Sheffield United have won the fewest games (1), earned the fewest points (5), suffered the most defeats (10), scored the fewest goals (10) and conceded the most goals (30) of any side.

• Sheffield United have conceded 72 goals in their 27 Premier League matches this season, the most by any side in any of England’s top four divisions at this stage of a season since Doncaster Rovers in 1997-98 in the fourth tier (73).

Ben Meakin
Fan writer

Chris Wilder assumed a near-impossible task when he was reappointed as boss last year, with the club lurching towards inevitable relegation.

However, after a fourth straight home game where Sheffield United have conceded five or more goals, it's fair to ask a few questions of the manager.

Neither Wilder nor Paul Heckingbottom are wholly responsible for the mess of this season - that falls squarely on our woeful summer business - but at the same time, fans deserve better than what we’re paying to witness.

As with the end of Heckingbottom's tenure, early sparks of organisation and competitiveness have evaporated into a series of mismatches rarely - if ever - witnessed in the history of English league football.

Like Heckingbottom, Wilder may not have a strong hand of cards to play - but he's still playing them badly.

We saw Luton Town's Alfie Doughty obliterate an out-of-position Auston Trusty down our left on Boxing Day - yet Wilder thought that repeating the tactic against Bukayo Saka would yield positive results. It did not.

We've also gone back to the dog days of Heckingbottom where the team would be set up ultra-defensively - and sit ultra-deep - yet still allow chance after chance and unfathomable amounts of space to the opposition.

Yes, Arsenal are an elite side – but they’re also the fourth team in a row to absolutely dismantle us on our home patch.

There doesn’t seem to be any plan for how we intend to play, with or without the ball. The players are unquestionably not cut out for this league – but a manager's job is to mould a team into more than the sum of its parts.

Wilder's United - like Heckingbottom's before him - look like a rabble and reflect the stagnant malaise that is our ownership situation.

The end of the season can’t come soon enough.

Ben Meakin can be found on BladesPod, external

Image source, Getty Images

Sheffield United fan Ben Humphries from the TravellingBlade YouTube channel, external has been speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live about the club's struggles this season.

Speaking about Monday's 6-0 loss to Arsenal he said: "The defence may as well have not been on the pitch, I think in the case of Arsenal's second goal it would have been better if the defence weren't on the pitch because we put it in our own net.

"The players this season are absolutely shot to bits, both mentally and physically, and they simply aren't good enough for this level.

"It's reached a point where I'm no longer even particularly angry at them, my anger's more at the board in the way that they set us up to fail this season. We were so ill-prepared coming into this season, the players have probably done as well as they could do. It's just they're this short of the quality required to put in a decent performance at this level."

The Blades have lost 20 of their 27 Premier League games this season, conceding a total of 72 goals.

Humphries added: "This season has been absolutely pathetic, the way we've been set up, selling our best players about a week before the start of the season and scrambling around for inferior replacements while the season is still happening.

"Trying to change manager hasn't worked, we thought we were going to get better, we did for a little bit, but now we're back to getting hammered every week.

"You see the players just trudging back to the halfway line looking almost a bit disinterested at times, that is why everyone is really cheesed off to put it very politely."