For the first time in their 121-year history Sheffield United today begin the hunt for a third manager of the season – and it's not even Christmas. Gary Speed has left Bramall Lane to take over with Wales, just 18 games after replacing Kevin Blackwell, who was sacked three matches into the campaign. A stable season in South Yorkshire it is not.
This kind of managerial uncertainty isn't a problem entirely alien to the Blades. Nine full-time managers in the past 22 years may suggest a pretty stable record, but it's a far less comforting statistic when you consider that two managers – Neil Warnock and Dave Bassett – account for 15 of those seasons. This is a club that thrives on eras, craves them. And Speed's is over almost as soon as it had begun. But, aside from the unhelpful tumult caused by such chopping and changing, few in the red half of Sheffield will be too disappointed to see the 41-year-old go.
Though his appointment was greeted with cautious optimism, his record has hardly endeared him to those at Bramall Lane. Sixteen goals scored in 20 Championship games shows exactly where the achilles heel has been (though the goals-against column hardly makes stellar reading) and Speed, who has struggled to impose his desired style of play on the side, leaves the club one point clear of the relegation zone and just three from rock bottom. Indeed, his tenure struggles to stand up to those of his immediate predecessors....
John Ashdown.
