Balham Blade
S24SU Seer
Where are they now/what happened to them?
Sheffield United 2 (Shelton, Stead)
Manchester City 1 (Sturridge)
FA Cup 4th round, 27 January 2008
GK Paddy Kenny. Brought in by Warnock from previous club Bury for the princely sum of £45,000, Kenny went on to become one of the best goalkeepers outside the top flight. A knee injury in 2003/04 reduced his sweeper-keeper role to a more conventional shot-stopper one but he was virtually ever-present until his failed drugs test in 2009. A new contract signed while he was banned had a £750k release clause in which Warnock, now at QPR, activated in June 2010 to take Kenny to Rangers. Two seasons in the capital followed – including being the goalkeeper for the famous Agueroooooooo moment – before he linked up with Warnock again, this time at Leeds. Falling out of favour at Leeds, allegedly due to his birthday falling on the 17th and then-Leeds owner Massimo Cellino having a phobia of the number 17, Kenny had a series of unsuccessful short term spells at Bolton, Oldham, Ipswich, Bury, Rotherham and Northampton, making 4 appearances in three years before retiring in 2017. In an old-school moment he became a lorry driver after retiring but his firm was wound up in 2020; he is now a voice for hire on the football opinion circuit and can often be found baiting Sheffield Wednesday fans on Twitter.
DR Derek Geary. Signed from Stockport for £25k in 2004 after three months at the Hatters who he’d joined on a free from our South Barnsley neighbours. Geary would win round United’s fans with some wholehearted displays at full back. Stayed at the Lane for the rest of his playing and non-playing career; forced to retire at 29 after a serious knee injury. Probably best known for his ‘foul’ on 6’3” Rob Green when we lost at West Ham in the 2006/07 Premier League season, he is now our Acadamy Manager after a successful spell in charge of the U18s.
DC Leigh Bromby. Signed on a free from South Barnsley Midweek after coming through the ranks there. Made a remarkable 54 appearances in his first season at the Lane, mainly at right-back with his long throws being a particular favourite attacking tactic for Warnock and Blackwell. Sold to Watford for £600k four days after our cup victory over City, he was back on loan within 18 months but shortly after rejoining permanently in the summer of 2009 an offer to sign for boyhood club Leeds was too good to turn down so he moved to Elland Road for £250k. Now Head of Football Operations at Huddersfield and probably reflecting on the fact that Neil Warnock hasn’t changed one bit in nearly 20 years.
DC Chris Morgan. Muckanettles Chris was a proper old school centre half who made 278 appearances over a 7 year playing career at United. Retired after two years out with a cruciate ligament injury picked up against Coventry in 2010 he joined the coaching setup at Shirecliffe. An ill-fated 7 game spell in charge in 2013 saw us lose to Yeovil in the League One playoffs which at the time felt like a nadir. If only we’d known. Now a Mr 15% working for Stellar Sports whose clients include Jack Grealish, Nick Pope and Morgan Gibbs-White
DL Gray Naysmith. Signed in the summer of 2007 for £2m after being granted permission to talk to United as part of the deal which saw Phil Jagielka join Everton. Well-liked at United he epitomised Bryan Robson’s profligacy as we already had two competent left backs on the books in Chris Armstrong and Geary. Made 76 appearances for United over three years but missed the majority of his final season with a knee injury. Joined Huddersfield on a free in the summer of 2010 after rejecting a new deal at United, went from there to Aberdeen for his final season as a full-time player in 2012/13. After a player-coach then player-manager role at East Fife he hung up his boots to go into full time management with Queen of the South in December 2016. Has since held roles at Hearts as loan manager and Edinburgh City as manager, he’s now managing Scottish League Two side Stenhousemuir.
MR Keith Gillespie. Signed in 2005 ahead of our promotion season, Gillespie’s most memorable moment in a United shirt was his howitzer of a strike against Charlton in the Premier League, followed swiftly by his red card against Reading which remains the quickest received by a Premier League player at either twelve seconds (time on the pitch) or zero seconds (time the ball was in play). Became a bit part player after relegation as he struggled with form and fitness, he was released in January 2009 before joining former teammate Stuart McCall at Bradford for an unsuccessful 6 month spell. A season at Glentoran, two months at Darlington and two years at League of Ireland second tier side Longford Town brought the curtains down on his professional career. Opened up about his gambling and mental health struggles with his critically acclaimed autobiography How Not To Be A Football Millionaire in 2013 and is now a Mr 15% working for his own agency, One Two.
MC Gary Speed. Came to the Lane in the twilight of his career but still was frequently one of the better players on the pitch despite pushing 40. Joined United from Bolton in January 2007 initially on loan before sealing a £250k permanent move. A back injury in November 2008 forced his retirement from playing but he successfully moved into coaching then management, taking over at United after Kevin Blackwell’s sacking three games into the disastrous 2010/11 season. Maybe seeing the writing on the wall at the Lane, Speed left in December to take over the Welsh national team, leaving United to appoint Mickey ‘Alehouse’ Adams with disastrous consequences. In November 2011 Speed committed suicide, leaving his wife and two sons.
MC Stephen Quinn. The middle of the three Quinn brothers on United’s books at one stage (between older brother and reformed pig Alan and smack dealer Keith), Quinn made his league debut in the Premier League in 2006 and became a mainstay for the next five years. A victim of Kevin Blackwell’s rudimentary tactics (dubbed ‘Helpiton’ by Pinchy for his habit of aimlessly hooking the ball over his shoulder) he nevertheless always gave his all for the club. Left after the Huddersfield playoff final to join Hull for a fee rising to £200k. Part of a relatively successful Hull team with his time on Humberside including scoring against United in the 5-3 FA Cup semi-final win. Left Hull in 2015 to join Reading for an unsuccessful three year spell before moving to Burton in 2018. Teamed up again with ex-Burton manager Nicel Clough at Mansfield last season and is still there, including getting a brilliant red card against Northampton earlier this season. Capped 18 times by the Republic of Ireland.
ML Lee Martin. Joined United on loan from Manchester in January 2008 as his fifth of 6 loan moves away from Old Trafford. His appearance against City was one of only 9 he made in United colours as his spell at the Lane was hampered by a knee injury. Signed by Roy Keane’s Ipswich for £1.5m in July 2009 before being transfer listed at the end of his first season in Suffolk. Battled back into contention at the Tractor Boys after a loan spell at Charlton but was released in 2013, joining Millwall. Three years at the Den, two years at Gillingham, two at Exeter and two at Ebbsfleet as his career dropped through the divisions, he’s now at Dover in the National League South but has been booked in every appearance this season, including a sending off for two yellows against Chippenham.
FC Luton Shelton. A £1.7m signing from Helsingborg as Neil Warnock went shopping for foreign bargains during our Premier League season, Shelton was a flop at United. Scored once in 19 league appearances and his opener against City (assisted ably by a balloon) was one of only three other goals in red and white. Marginalised by Kevin Blackwell, he was sold to Norwegian side Vålerenga for £1m in the summer of 2008. A nomadic career followed with spells at AaB (Denmark), Karabükspor (Turkey), Volga Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) and Harbour View (USA). Diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2018, Shelton passed away due to the disease in 2021 at the age of 35. Remains Jamaica’s all time record goalscorer, poignantly with 35 goals.
FC Jon Stead. Signed by Warnock for £750k in January 2007, Stead’s wholehearted approach endeared him to United fans. Was never really first choice except for the three months after Rob Hulse’s broken leg, Stead left United for Ipswich in a £600k deal in September 2008. Like Lee Martin, Stead’s career was a steady decline from there: three seasons at Portman Road was followed by three at Bristol City, one at Huddersfield, two at Bradford, four at Notts County then two at Harrogate Town. In a small quirk of fate Stead is now an assistant to Blameless Neill Collins at Tampa Bay Rowdies in the States.
Subs
Billy Sharp (on for Stead, 49). He took the circuitous route but Sharp is back at the Lane. The City game was during his second spell at the club, having been signed by Robson from Scunthorpe for £1.5m in the summer of 2007. It wasn’t a successful time as he had to play second fiddle to James Beattie and he moved on to Doncaster for a club-record £1.15m fee in 2010. Spells at Forest, Readng, Southampton and Leeds followed before we paid £500k to bring him back from Elland Road in 2015. 21 league goals in Nigel Adkins’ ill-fated year in charge were followed by 30 in the Centurions title winning 2016/17 season under Chris Wilder and 23 in the 2018/19 promotion season. Scored United’s first goal in the 2019/20 Premier League campaign, equalising away at Bournemouth but would only score 5 more over the following two top flight seasons. 14 goals last season and two this have put him on 249 goals but he’s been there since December. Out of contract at the end of the season, it’s unclear what the future holds for a genuine United legend.
Michael Tonge (on for Shelton, 76). Burst onto the scene in 2002 with a brace against Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final and seemed to have the world at his feet. We turned down a rumoured £6m from the Scousers in the summer of 2003 and he ended up staying for a further five years before leaving for Stoke in 2008. Falling foul of Tony Pulis’s dislike of any form of technique he only made 12 appearances in the next five years, spending the majority of his time there on loan (Preston, Derby, Preston, Barnsley, Leeds). Joined up with Warnock again at Leeds in 2013 before finishing his career in League Two with Stevenage and Port Vale. Now a coach at Huddersfield’s academy.
Matt Gilgallon. Bought by Warnock’s January Premier League signings having joined from Leeds for £1.75m. Didn’t really play much in the top flight but became first choice in the Championship and was United’s player of the season in 2008/09. With his contract running down and with talks at an impasse United accepted a bid from then-Premier League side Sunderland in January 2010. Killa was again a bit-part player in the top flight making only 23 league appearances in his three-and-a-half years in the north-east and spending 2010/11 out on loan, first at Middlesbrough and then at Blackburn. Joined Rovers permanently when his Sunderland contract expired, making 57 appearances over three years before moving on to Bradford, then in League One. Moved north of the border after mutually terminating his Bantams contract, spending a year with Hamilton Academical before a short stints in India with Hyderabad and a final year at Buxton FC where he would have played alongside future world star Diego De Girolamo. Another one who’s now a Mr 15%, working for Palm Sports Management whose main player is United target Lewis O’Brien.
Chris Armstrong. The man unnecessarily and somewhat heartlessly replaced by Gary Naysmith, Stretch found his first team chances limited under first Bryan Robson and then Kevin Blackwell so opted for a move to Reading who paid United a fee rising to £800k for him. Made 47 league appearances for the Royals and won Player of the Season in his first year there but injury problems limited him after that. Was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2009 and retired in 2011 as a result. Made a semi-pro comeback in 2015 in his native North East with a view to going into coaching.
Lee Hendrie. Poison dwarf, the evil pixie. The less said the better about a man who siphoned a lot of money from United with only really a red card in the Burnley play-off final to show for it. Is now, bizarrely, one of Sky’s go-to summarisers for their Football League coverage despite lacking any form of tactical insight. Left United for Derby in a swap deal which saw Jordan Stewart move to the Lane and it’s not at all clear which club came off worse in that deal.
Sheffield United 2 (Shelton, Stead)
Manchester City 1 (Sturridge)
FA Cup 4th round, 27 January 2008
GK Paddy Kenny. Brought in by Warnock from previous club Bury for the princely sum of £45,000, Kenny went on to become one of the best goalkeepers outside the top flight. A knee injury in 2003/04 reduced his sweeper-keeper role to a more conventional shot-stopper one but he was virtually ever-present until his failed drugs test in 2009. A new contract signed while he was banned had a £750k release clause in which Warnock, now at QPR, activated in June 2010 to take Kenny to Rangers. Two seasons in the capital followed – including being the goalkeeper for the famous Agueroooooooo moment – before he linked up with Warnock again, this time at Leeds. Falling out of favour at Leeds, allegedly due to his birthday falling on the 17th and then-Leeds owner Massimo Cellino having a phobia of the number 17, Kenny had a series of unsuccessful short term spells at Bolton, Oldham, Ipswich, Bury, Rotherham and Northampton, making 4 appearances in three years before retiring in 2017. In an old-school moment he became a lorry driver after retiring but his firm was wound up in 2020; he is now a voice for hire on the football opinion circuit and can often be found baiting Sheffield Wednesday fans on Twitter.
DR Derek Geary. Signed from Stockport for £25k in 2004 after three months at the Hatters who he’d joined on a free from our South Barnsley neighbours. Geary would win round United’s fans with some wholehearted displays at full back. Stayed at the Lane for the rest of his playing and non-playing career; forced to retire at 29 after a serious knee injury. Probably best known for his ‘foul’ on 6’3” Rob Green when we lost at West Ham in the 2006/07 Premier League season, he is now our Acadamy Manager after a successful spell in charge of the U18s.
DC Leigh Bromby. Signed on a free from South Barnsley Midweek after coming through the ranks there. Made a remarkable 54 appearances in his first season at the Lane, mainly at right-back with his long throws being a particular favourite attacking tactic for Warnock and Blackwell. Sold to Watford for £600k four days after our cup victory over City, he was back on loan within 18 months but shortly after rejoining permanently in the summer of 2009 an offer to sign for boyhood club Leeds was too good to turn down so he moved to Elland Road for £250k. Now Head of Football Operations at Huddersfield and probably reflecting on the fact that Neil Warnock hasn’t changed one bit in nearly 20 years.
DC Chris Morgan. Muckanettles Chris was a proper old school centre half who made 278 appearances over a 7 year playing career at United. Retired after two years out with a cruciate ligament injury picked up against Coventry in 2010 he joined the coaching setup at Shirecliffe. An ill-fated 7 game spell in charge in 2013 saw us lose to Yeovil in the League One playoffs which at the time felt like a nadir. If only we’d known. Now a Mr 15% working for Stellar Sports whose clients include Jack Grealish, Nick Pope and Morgan Gibbs-White
DL Gray Naysmith. Signed in the summer of 2007 for £2m after being granted permission to talk to United as part of the deal which saw Phil Jagielka join Everton. Well-liked at United he epitomised Bryan Robson’s profligacy as we already had two competent left backs on the books in Chris Armstrong and Geary. Made 76 appearances for United over three years but missed the majority of his final season with a knee injury. Joined Huddersfield on a free in the summer of 2010 after rejecting a new deal at United, went from there to Aberdeen for his final season as a full-time player in 2012/13. After a player-coach then player-manager role at East Fife he hung up his boots to go into full time management with Queen of the South in December 2016. Has since held roles at Hearts as loan manager and Edinburgh City as manager, he’s now managing Scottish League Two side Stenhousemuir.
MR Keith Gillespie. Signed in 2005 ahead of our promotion season, Gillespie’s most memorable moment in a United shirt was his howitzer of a strike against Charlton in the Premier League, followed swiftly by his red card against Reading which remains the quickest received by a Premier League player at either twelve seconds (time on the pitch) or zero seconds (time the ball was in play). Became a bit part player after relegation as he struggled with form and fitness, he was released in January 2009 before joining former teammate Stuart McCall at Bradford for an unsuccessful 6 month spell. A season at Glentoran, two months at Darlington and two years at League of Ireland second tier side Longford Town brought the curtains down on his professional career. Opened up about his gambling and mental health struggles with his critically acclaimed autobiography How Not To Be A Football Millionaire in 2013 and is now a Mr 15% working for his own agency, One Two.
MC Gary Speed. Came to the Lane in the twilight of his career but still was frequently one of the better players on the pitch despite pushing 40. Joined United from Bolton in January 2007 initially on loan before sealing a £250k permanent move. A back injury in November 2008 forced his retirement from playing but he successfully moved into coaching then management, taking over at United after Kevin Blackwell’s sacking three games into the disastrous 2010/11 season. Maybe seeing the writing on the wall at the Lane, Speed left in December to take over the Welsh national team, leaving United to appoint Mickey ‘Alehouse’ Adams with disastrous consequences. In November 2011 Speed committed suicide, leaving his wife and two sons.
MC Stephen Quinn. The middle of the three Quinn brothers on United’s books at one stage (between older brother and reformed pig Alan and smack dealer Keith), Quinn made his league debut in the Premier League in 2006 and became a mainstay for the next five years. A victim of Kevin Blackwell’s rudimentary tactics (dubbed ‘Helpiton’ by Pinchy for his habit of aimlessly hooking the ball over his shoulder) he nevertheless always gave his all for the club. Left after the Huddersfield playoff final to join Hull for a fee rising to £200k. Part of a relatively successful Hull team with his time on Humberside including scoring against United in the 5-3 FA Cup semi-final win. Left Hull in 2015 to join Reading for an unsuccessful three year spell before moving to Burton in 2018. Teamed up again with ex-Burton manager Nicel Clough at Mansfield last season and is still there, including getting a brilliant red card against Northampton earlier this season. Capped 18 times by the Republic of Ireland.
ML Lee Martin. Joined United on loan from Manchester in January 2008 as his fifth of 6 loan moves away from Old Trafford. His appearance against City was one of only 9 he made in United colours as his spell at the Lane was hampered by a knee injury. Signed by Roy Keane’s Ipswich for £1.5m in July 2009 before being transfer listed at the end of his first season in Suffolk. Battled back into contention at the Tractor Boys after a loan spell at Charlton but was released in 2013, joining Millwall. Three years at the Den, two years at Gillingham, two at Exeter and two at Ebbsfleet as his career dropped through the divisions, he’s now at Dover in the National League South but has been booked in every appearance this season, including a sending off for two yellows against Chippenham.
FC Luton Shelton. A £1.7m signing from Helsingborg as Neil Warnock went shopping for foreign bargains during our Premier League season, Shelton was a flop at United. Scored once in 19 league appearances and his opener against City (assisted ably by a balloon) was one of only three other goals in red and white. Marginalised by Kevin Blackwell, he was sold to Norwegian side Vålerenga for £1m in the summer of 2008. A nomadic career followed with spells at AaB (Denmark), Karabükspor (Turkey), Volga Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) and Harbour View (USA). Diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2018, Shelton passed away due to the disease in 2021 at the age of 35. Remains Jamaica’s all time record goalscorer, poignantly with 35 goals.
FC Jon Stead. Signed by Warnock for £750k in January 2007, Stead’s wholehearted approach endeared him to United fans. Was never really first choice except for the three months after Rob Hulse’s broken leg, Stead left United for Ipswich in a £600k deal in September 2008. Like Lee Martin, Stead’s career was a steady decline from there: three seasons at Portman Road was followed by three at Bristol City, one at Huddersfield, two at Bradford, four at Notts County then two at Harrogate Town. In a small quirk of fate Stead is now an assistant to Blameless Neill Collins at Tampa Bay Rowdies in the States.
Subs
Billy Sharp (on for Stead, 49). He took the circuitous route but Sharp is back at the Lane. The City game was during his second spell at the club, having been signed by Robson from Scunthorpe for £1.5m in the summer of 2007. It wasn’t a successful time as he had to play second fiddle to James Beattie and he moved on to Doncaster for a club-record £1.15m fee in 2010. Spells at Forest, Readng, Southampton and Leeds followed before we paid £500k to bring him back from Elland Road in 2015. 21 league goals in Nigel Adkins’ ill-fated year in charge were followed by 30 in the Centurions title winning 2016/17 season under Chris Wilder and 23 in the 2018/19 promotion season. Scored United’s first goal in the 2019/20 Premier League campaign, equalising away at Bournemouth but would only score 5 more over the following two top flight seasons. 14 goals last season and two this have put him on 249 goals but he’s been there since December. Out of contract at the end of the season, it’s unclear what the future holds for a genuine United legend.
Michael Tonge (on for Shelton, 76). Burst onto the scene in 2002 with a brace against Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final and seemed to have the world at his feet. We turned down a rumoured £6m from the Scousers in the summer of 2003 and he ended up staying for a further five years before leaving for Stoke in 2008. Falling foul of Tony Pulis’s dislike of any form of technique he only made 12 appearances in the next five years, spending the majority of his time there on loan (Preston, Derby, Preston, Barnsley, Leeds). Joined up with Warnock again at Leeds in 2013 before finishing his career in League Two with Stevenage and Port Vale. Now a coach at Huddersfield’s academy.
Matt Gilgallon. Bought by Warnock’s January Premier League signings having joined from Leeds for £1.75m. Didn’t really play much in the top flight but became first choice in the Championship and was United’s player of the season in 2008/09. With his contract running down and with talks at an impasse United accepted a bid from then-Premier League side Sunderland in January 2010. Killa was again a bit-part player in the top flight making only 23 league appearances in his three-and-a-half years in the north-east and spending 2010/11 out on loan, first at Middlesbrough and then at Blackburn. Joined Rovers permanently when his Sunderland contract expired, making 57 appearances over three years before moving on to Bradford, then in League One. Moved north of the border after mutually terminating his Bantams contract, spending a year with Hamilton Academical before a short stints in India with Hyderabad and a final year at Buxton FC where he would have played alongside future world star Diego De Girolamo. Another one who’s now a Mr 15%, working for Palm Sports Management whose main player is United target Lewis O’Brien.
Chris Armstrong. The man unnecessarily and somewhat heartlessly replaced by Gary Naysmith, Stretch found his first team chances limited under first Bryan Robson and then Kevin Blackwell so opted for a move to Reading who paid United a fee rising to £800k for him. Made 47 league appearances for the Royals and won Player of the Season in his first year there but injury problems limited him after that. Was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2009 and retired in 2011 as a result. Made a semi-pro comeback in 2015 in his native North East with a view to going into coaching.
Lee Hendrie. Poison dwarf, the evil pixie. The less said the better about a man who siphoned a lot of money from United with only really a red card in the Burnley play-off final to show for it. Is now, bizarrely, one of Sky’s go-to summarisers for their Football League coverage despite lacking any form of tactical insight. Left United for Derby in a swap deal which saw Jordan Stewart move to the Lane and it’s not at all clear which club came off worse in that deal.
