grafikhaus
Kraft durch Freude
So that’s it. Six long years in Division One, which began on August 6th, 2011 with a home win v. Oldham (2-0) and ended on 30th April, 2017 with a home win v. Chesterfield (3-2 ).
In that time, we’ve had six different managers (Danny Wilson, Chris Morgan [Caretaker – twice], David Weir, Nigel Clough, Nigel Adkins and Chris Wilder).
We’ve played 276 scheduled League games, plus two play-off semi-finals and one play-off final.
After being relegated from The Championship in 2010-11, hopes were high for a swift return. What was to follow defied even the bizarre events of the 2006-07 relegation from The Premier League (The ‘Tevez season’.)
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2011-12: A new manager in ex-Owl Danny Wilson was installed and was to remain in charge throughout the season. After a solid season – which included a ‘double’ over AFC Bournemouth – events unravelled in mid-April when star striker Ched Evans was jailed for 5 years for the alleged rape of a young girl in a hotel in North Wales. Despite repeatedly denying the charge, Evans still served half of his 5 year sentence and was later to be cleared of all charges.
Evans had scored 29 League goals from 30 starts, plus five in the FA Cup. The damage had been done and United faltered, only getting 2 points from the final 3 games. While we finished in sixth place – finishing with 90 points and seventeen points above seventh place ad getting into the play-offs – Sheffield Wednesday overtook us to finish in the second automatic promotion place, just three points above the Blades. United were also the highest-scoring team in all four divisions.
A two-leg semi-final against Stevenage saw us narrowly win 1-0 on aggregate and a place in the play-off final at Wembley against Huddersfield (who had finished in fourth place in the league and nine points behind the Blades. A dreadfully disappointing game ended 0-0 after extra time, with Huddersfield winning 8-7 on penalties.
Finishing position: 3rd. Lost in 2 leg play-off semi final.
Home crowd average (excluding play-off games) 18,702
Highest home crowd: 30,043 (v. Stevenage in League One, not play-offs, 28th April 2012)
Lowest home crowd: 15,783 (v. Colchester, September 17th, 2011)
Total home crowds (League only, not play-offs) 430,140
Away crowd average (excluding play-off games) 9,510
Highest away crowd: 36,364 (v. Sheffield Wednesday, 26th February 2012
Lowest away crowd: 4,572 (v. Colchester, March 13th, 2012)
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2012-13:With Danny Wilson still in charge, this was another solid season that saw The Blades there or thereabouts in the play-off places. However a late slump – just one win in the final eight League games – saw United finish in fourth place, a play-off semi-final v. Yeovil, Danny Wilson departed on April 10th with just the final five Leagues games and the play-offs remaining and Chris Morgan installed as caretaker manager.
Amid all this turmoil, it was hardly surprising that United narrowly won the home first leg against Yeovil 1-0, but by losing the second leg at Yeovil 2-0 United were facing a third season in Division One.
Finishing position: 5th. Lost in 2 leg play-off semi final.
Top scorer (League only): Dave Kitson – 11.
Home crowd average (excluding play-off games) 18,702
Highest home crowd: 23,431 (v. Brentford, April 16th 2013)
Lowest home crowd: 15,744 (v. Walsall, October 23rd 2012)
Total home crowds: 428,069
Away crowd average: (excluding play-off games) 7,423
Highest away crowd: 18,433 (v. Portsmouth, April 20th 2013)
Lowest away crowd: 3,064 (v. Bury, February 12th 2013)
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2013-14: In June 2013, David Weir signed a three-year deal to manage The Blades. Despite winning his first competitive game in charge, a 2–1 victory over Notts County, United struggled under his management and failed to win any of their following twelve matches, leading to growing pressure from the club’s fans for Weir to be sacked. After United were beaten at home by League Two side Hartlepool United, eliminating them from the Football League Trophy, Weir was sacked on 11 October 2013.
After this disastrous start, stalwart Chris Morgan was drafted in for three games to try to ‘steady the ship’. On 23 October 2013, Nigel Clough was appointed the new manager on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Clough’s tenure got off to a winning start as Sheffield United comfortably beat Crewe Alexandra 3–1 at Bramall Lane. Clough was named League One’s Manager of the Month for February 2014 after an improved run of form with four wins from five matches, including four clean sheets. On 9 March 2014, Clough’s side beat Charlton Athletic 2–0 to set up an FA Cup semi-final tie against Hull City at Wembley, this was United’s ninth consecutive win in all competitions with United climbing out of the League One relegation zone up to 11th in the table. In May 2014, Clough was named FA Cup Manager of the Season by the League Managers Association in recognition of United’s run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Despite this, the ‘bread and butter’ of promotion from League One was not achieved and United finished in 7th place – 7 points behind sixth-placed Peterborough and the first time in three years in League One that we’d failed to make the play-offs.
Finishing position: 7th.
Top scorer (League only): Chris Porter – 7.
Home crowd average 17,507
Highest home crowd: 21,659 (v. Wolves, March 22nd 2014)
Lowest home crowd: 14,796 (v. Walsall, November 26th 2013)
Total home crowds: 402,656
Away crowd average: 7,567
Highest away crowd: 20,417 (v. Wolves, September 28th 2013)
Lowest away crowd: 2,078 (v. Coventry, October 13th 2013)
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2014-15: Clough was to remain in charge for this entire season. He also led the Blades to the semi-finals of the League Cup after a 1-0 win over Southampton at Bramall Lane and this run ended in a tight 2-leg semi. These excellent records in the cups failed to translate into league form with United finishing in 5th place and secured a place in the play-offs. Losing to Swindon Town in the two-leg semi final (including an incredible 5-5 draw in the away leg, meaning an aggregate score of 6-7, the highest scoring aggregate in the history of the play-offs) consigned United to a fifth season in League One. On 25th May, 2015 Clough was dismissed.
Finishing position: Fifth. Lost in 2 leg play-off semi-final.
Top scorer (League only): Jamie Murphy - 11.
Home crowd average 19,805
Highest home crowd: 26,078 (v. Chesterfield, May 3rd 2015)
Lowest home crowd: 17,030 (v. MK Dons, December 2nd 2014)
Total home crowds: 455,521
Away crowd average: 7,333
Highest away crowd: 17,532 (v. Barnsley, April 4th 2015)
Lowest away crowd: 2,279 (v. Coventry, August 16th 2014)
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2015-16: On 2nd June 2015, Nigel Adkins, his assistant manager Andy Crosby and first team coach Dean Wilkins signed for United on a three-year deal. This proved to be a dreadfully-disappointing season, where eight embarrassing home defeats to teams such as Bury, Shrewsbury and Scunthorpe became the norm (we only won eleven out of 23 home league games). While opinion remains divided over the reigns of Danny Wilson and Nigel Clough, few would deny that Adkins’ tenure was a disaster. The lowest League finishing position since 1985 and early exits from the FA Cup, League Cup and even the much-derided Johnstone’s Trophy. After criticising the fans towards the end of the season, Adkins was sacked on May 12, 2016.
Finishing position: 11th
Top scorer (League only): Billy Sharp - 21.
Home crowd average 19,803
Highest home crowd: 24,777 (v. Bradford, December 28th, 2015)
Lowest home crowd: 17,623 (v. Colchester, September 15th 2015)
Total home crowds: 455,478
Away crowd average: 7,686
Highest away crowd: 19,317 (v. Bradford, September 20th 2015)
Lowest away crowd: 3,081 (v. Bury, February 16th 2016)
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2016-17: On 12th May, 2016 - the day Nigel Adkin was sacked - Chris Wilder was appointed manager on a three-year deal.
Wilder brought his assistant from Northampton, Alan Knill and Northampton’s head of sports science Matt Prestridge. The devastation of Adkins’ reign seemed to be a long-term remedial job for the new management team and sure enough, just one point from our first four games gave a feeling of ‘here we go again’. Less than two weeks after the previous season had ended, new boss Chris Wilder launched a dramatic re-building of the playing squad, releasing ten players, transfer-listing seven players and releasing three players who had been on loan.
By half-time in the fifth game – at home to Oxford –United were trailing 0-1. But something very special was about to happen. From Game 5 (the Oxford game), Wilder’s United embarked on a remarkable season, climbing from rock-bottom to the top of the table, a position they held for the final 22 games of the season, and promotion was secured on April 8th with an away win at Northampton, the title of Division One Champions was secured on 15th April with three games still to play and United went the final 17 games of the season without losing- winning the final seven games.
Finishing position: 1st (Champions)
Top scorer (League only): Billy Sharp - 30
Home crowd average 21,892
Highest home crowd: 31,003 (v. Chesterfield, 30th April 2017)
Lowest home crowd: 17,410 (v. Southend, August 16th, 2016)
Total home crowds: 503,508
Away crowd average: 9,062
Highest away crowd: 20,972 (v. Bradford, October 22nd, 2016)
Lowest away crowd: 4,004 (v. Fleetwood, October 1st 2016)
The manager:
In my 55 years of watching the Blades, Wilder is shaping up to be ‘one of the greats’. John Harris was very good, but it was a different game back then. Neil Warnock gave me some of the best times in memory but Dave Bassett was very similar to Chris Wilder – a guy who really knows what is required to build a team with spirit, ability and ‘never say die’ character. Also an honourable mention to Wilder’s ‘right-hand man’ Alan Knill.
The fans:
Utterly superb. We’ve stuck by this team through thin and thinner – both home and away. Now we are reaping the rewards. For the level of the third tier, our crowds have stood out with their numbers and passion.
Season comparison
It’s good to compare how this season (2016-17) compares to our previously most successful on at this level – 2011-12
Position chart
On 31st December 2016, United beat Northampton 1-0 at home (game 24) and took the pole position in the division – a place they remained in for the rest of the season.
As testament to the vastly-improved levels of fitness and determination, United scored more goals in the second-half of games than any other team in the top four English divisions.
Other notable achievements and records in 2016-17:
· The Blades beat Leyton Orient 6-0 in the first round of the FA Cup - United’s biggest-ever FA Cup win.
· 17 different scorers in League games.
· United joined Wolves, Burnley and Preston as the only teams to be Champions of each of the top four English divisions.
· Promoted as League One Champions - with three games of the season left - after 6 seasons in the third tier.
· Highest scorers in all four English divisions - and achieved with only one own-goal!
· One red card all season.
· Highest points total in our history - (previously was 96 in 1981-82).
· Highest number of wins in a season in our history (46 games).
· Chris Wilder’s win % is over 60% (the best in our history).
· In the previous season (2015-16), Wilder’s Northampton won 99 points in the season, so his teams have won 199 points in 2 seasons!
In that time, we’ve had six different managers (Danny Wilson, Chris Morgan [Caretaker – twice], David Weir, Nigel Clough, Nigel Adkins and Chris Wilder).
We’ve played 276 scheduled League games, plus two play-off semi-finals and one play-off final.
After being relegated from The Championship in 2010-11, hopes were high for a swift return. What was to follow defied even the bizarre events of the 2006-07 relegation from The Premier League (The ‘Tevez season’.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011-12: A new manager in ex-Owl Danny Wilson was installed and was to remain in charge throughout the season. After a solid season – which included a ‘double’ over AFC Bournemouth – events unravelled in mid-April when star striker Ched Evans was jailed for 5 years for the alleged rape of a young girl in a hotel in North Wales. Despite repeatedly denying the charge, Evans still served half of his 5 year sentence and was later to be cleared of all charges.
Evans had scored 29 League goals from 30 starts, plus five in the FA Cup. The damage had been done and United faltered, only getting 2 points from the final 3 games. While we finished in sixth place – finishing with 90 points and seventeen points above seventh place ad getting into the play-offs – Sheffield Wednesday overtook us to finish in the second automatic promotion place, just three points above the Blades. United were also the highest-scoring team in all four divisions.
A two-leg semi-final against Stevenage saw us narrowly win 1-0 on aggregate and a place in the play-off final at Wembley against Huddersfield (who had finished in fourth place in the league and nine points behind the Blades. A dreadfully disappointing game ended 0-0 after extra time, with Huddersfield winning 8-7 on penalties.
Finishing position: 3rd. Lost in 2 leg play-off semi final.
Home crowd average (excluding play-off games) 18,702
Highest home crowd: 30,043 (v. Stevenage in League One, not play-offs, 28th April 2012)
Lowest home crowd: 15,783 (v. Colchester, September 17th, 2011)
Total home crowds (League only, not play-offs) 430,140
Away crowd average (excluding play-off games) 9,510
Highest away crowd: 36,364 (v. Sheffield Wednesday, 26th February 2012
Lowest away crowd: 4,572 (v. Colchester, March 13th, 2012)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012-13:With Danny Wilson still in charge, this was another solid season that saw The Blades there or thereabouts in the play-off places. However a late slump – just one win in the final eight League games – saw United finish in fourth place, a play-off semi-final v. Yeovil, Danny Wilson departed on April 10th with just the final five Leagues games and the play-offs remaining and Chris Morgan installed as caretaker manager.
Amid all this turmoil, it was hardly surprising that United narrowly won the home first leg against Yeovil 1-0, but by losing the second leg at Yeovil 2-0 United were facing a third season in Division One.
Finishing position: 5th. Lost in 2 leg play-off semi final.
Top scorer (League only): Dave Kitson – 11.
Home crowd average (excluding play-off games) 18,702
Highest home crowd: 23,431 (v. Brentford, April 16th 2013)
Lowest home crowd: 15,744 (v. Walsall, October 23rd 2012)
Total home crowds: 428,069
Away crowd average: (excluding play-off games) 7,423
Highest away crowd: 18,433 (v. Portsmouth, April 20th 2013)
Lowest away crowd: 3,064 (v. Bury, February 12th 2013)
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2013-14: In June 2013, David Weir signed a three-year deal to manage The Blades. Despite winning his first competitive game in charge, a 2–1 victory over Notts County, United struggled under his management and failed to win any of their following twelve matches, leading to growing pressure from the club’s fans for Weir to be sacked. After United were beaten at home by League Two side Hartlepool United, eliminating them from the Football League Trophy, Weir was sacked on 11 October 2013.
After this disastrous start, stalwart Chris Morgan was drafted in for three games to try to ‘steady the ship’. On 23 October 2013, Nigel Clough was appointed the new manager on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Clough’s tenure got off to a winning start as Sheffield United comfortably beat Crewe Alexandra 3–1 at Bramall Lane. Clough was named League One’s Manager of the Month for February 2014 after an improved run of form with four wins from five matches, including four clean sheets. On 9 March 2014, Clough’s side beat Charlton Athletic 2–0 to set up an FA Cup semi-final tie against Hull City at Wembley, this was United’s ninth consecutive win in all competitions with United climbing out of the League One relegation zone up to 11th in the table. In May 2014, Clough was named FA Cup Manager of the Season by the League Managers Association in recognition of United’s run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Despite this, the ‘bread and butter’ of promotion from League One was not achieved and United finished in 7th place – 7 points behind sixth-placed Peterborough and the first time in three years in League One that we’d failed to make the play-offs.
Finishing position: 7th.
Top scorer (League only): Chris Porter – 7.
Home crowd average 17,507
Highest home crowd: 21,659 (v. Wolves, March 22nd 2014)
Lowest home crowd: 14,796 (v. Walsall, November 26th 2013)
Total home crowds: 402,656
Away crowd average: 7,567
Highest away crowd: 20,417 (v. Wolves, September 28th 2013)
Lowest away crowd: 2,078 (v. Coventry, October 13th 2013)
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2014-15: Clough was to remain in charge for this entire season. He also led the Blades to the semi-finals of the League Cup after a 1-0 win over Southampton at Bramall Lane and this run ended in a tight 2-leg semi. These excellent records in the cups failed to translate into league form with United finishing in 5th place and secured a place in the play-offs. Losing to Swindon Town in the two-leg semi final (including an incredible 5-5 draw in the away leg, meaning an aggregate score of 6-7, the highest scoring aggregate in the history of the play-offs) consigned United to a fifth season in League One. On 25th May, 2015 Clough was dismissed.
Finishing position: Fifth. Lost in 2 leg play-off semi-final.
Top scorer (League only): Jamie Murphy - 11.
Home crowd average 19,805
Highest home crowd: 26,078 (v. Chesterfield, May 3rd 2015)
Lowest home crowd: 17,030 (v. MK Dons, December 2nd 2014)
Total home crowds: 455,521
Away crowd average: 7,333
Highest away crowd: 17,532 (v. Barnsley, April 4th 2015)
Lowest away crowd: 2,279 (v. Coventry, August 16th 2014)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015-16: On 2nd June 2015, Nigel Adkins, his assistant manager Andy Crosby and first team coach Dean Wilkins signed for United on a three-year deal. This proved to be a dreadfully-disappointing season, where eight embarrassing home defeats to teams such as Bury, Shrewsbury and Scunthorpe became the norm (we only won eleven out of 23 home league games). While opinion remains divided over the reigns of Danny Wilson and Nigel Clough, few would deny that Adkins’ tenure was a disaster. The lowest League finishing position since 1985 and early exits from the FA Cup, League Cup and even the much-derided Johnstone’s Trophy. After criticising the fans towards the end of the season, Adkins was sacked on May 12, 2016.
Finishing position: 11th
Top scorer (League only): Billy Sharp - 21.
Home crowd average 19,803
Highest home crowd: 24,777 (v. Bradford, December 28th, 2015)
Lowest home crowd: 17,623 (v. Colchester, September 15th 2015)
Total home crowds: 455,478
Away crowd average: 7,686
Highest away crowd: 19,317 (v. Bradford, September 20th 2015)
Lowest away crowd: 3,081 (v. Bury, February 16th 2016)
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2016-17: On 12th May, 2016 - the day Nigel Adkin was sacked - Chris Wilder was appointed manager on a three-year deal.
Wilder brought his assistant from Northampton, Alan Knill and Northampton’s head of sports science Matt Prestridge. The devastation of Adkins’ reign seemed to be a long-term remedial job for the new management team and sure enough, just one point from our first four games gave a feeling of ‘here we go again’. Less than two weeks after the previous season had ended, new boss Chris Wilder launched a dramatic re-building of the playing squad, releasing ten players, transfer-listing seven players and releasing three players who had been on loan.
By half-time in the fifth game – at home to Oxford –United were trailing 0-1. But something very special was about to happen. From Game 5 (the Oxford game), Wilder’s United embarked on a remarkable season, climbing from rock-bottom to the top of the table, a position they held for the final 22 games of the season, and promotion was secured on April 8th with an away win at Northampton, the title of Division One Champions was secured on 15th April with three games still to play and United went the final 17 games of the season without losing- winning the final seven games.
Finishing position: 1st (Champions)
Top scorer (League only): Billy Sharp - 30
Home crowd average 21,892
Highest home crowd: 31,003 (v. Chesterfield, 30th April 2017)
Lowest home crowd: 17,410 (v. Southend, August 16th, 2016)
Total home crowds: 503,508
Away crowd average: 9,062
Highest away crowd: 20,972 (v. Bradford, October 22nd, 2016)
Lowest away crowd: 4,004 (v. Fleetwood, October 1st 2016)
The manager:
In my 55 years of watching the Blades, Wilder is shaping up to be ‘one of the greats’. John Harris was very good, but it was a different game back then. Neil Warnock gave me some of the best times in memory but Dave Bassett was very similar to Chris Wilder – a guy who really knows what is required to build a team with spirit, ability and ‘never say die’ character. Also an honourable mention to Wilder’s ‘right-hand man’ Alan Knill.
The fans:
Utterly superb. We’ve stuck by this team through thin and thinner – both home and away. Now we are reaping the rewards. For the level of the third tier, our crowds have stood out with their numbers and passion.
Season comparison
It’s good to compare how this season (2016-17) compares to our previously most successful on at this level – 2011-12
Position chart
On 31st December 2016, United beat Northampton 1-0 at home (game 24) and took the pole position in the division – a place they remained in for the rest of the season.
As testament to the vastly-improved levels of fitness and determination, United scored more goals in the second-half of games than any other team in the top four English divisions.
Other notable achievements and records in 2016-17:
· The Blades beat Leyton Orient 6-0 in the first round of the FA Cup - United’s biggest-ever FA Cup win.
· 17 different scorers in League games.
· United joined Wolves, Burnley and Preston as the only teams to be Champions of each of the top four English divisions.
· Promoted as League One Champions - with three games of the season left - after 6 seasons in the third tier.
· Highest scorers in all four English divisions - and achieved with only one own-goal!
· One red card all season.
· Highest points total in our history - (previously was 96 in 1981-82).
· Highest number of wins in a season in our history (46 games).
· Chris Wilder’s win % is over 60% (the best in our history).
· In the previous season (2015-16), Wilder’s Northampton won 99 points in the season, so his teams have won 199 points in 2 seasons!
...i feel a twat now 
