Roygbiv
Well-Known Member
Nearly 60 votes were cast between the two sites and here are the results
Player Of The Season
HARRY MAGUIRE
(Runner up: Jamie Murphy)
Like everybody else Harry Maguire really suffered under David Weir. In those early months of the season the centre half looked slow, clumsy and prone to errors. It seemed that Maguire had gone backwards and talk of him getting a move to a club higher in the league seemed fanciful. It was only once Weir had gone and Nigel Clough came in that Maguire slowly started getting back to his best. By the time the New Year came Maguire was putting in some of his best performances in a Blades shirt and he only got better from there. The way he handled the likes of Christian Benteke and Darius Henderson during the cup run showed that he had the ability to handle a higher level and If he had started the season in the worst form of his United career then he ended it in the best.
Young Player Of The Season
HARRY MAGUIRE
(Runner up: Connor Coady)
When Maguire was made captain against Rotherham in April few Blades battered an eyelid. After all this was Maguire's 3rd full season at the heart of the United defence. The fact he is still only 21 often goes unnoticed due to the amount of games he’s played for the club. In fact that night against Rotherham he became United’s youngest ever captain since Curtis Woodhouse in 1999. Maguire’s career has really only just started but even at such a young age he played over 130 times for The Blades. Whilst United may have slowly deteriorated since he came into the side nobody can lay the blame at Harry Maguire who has been one of the few shining lights in these difficult past few years.
Most Improved Player
JAMIE MURPHY
(Runner up: Ryan Flynn)
Nigel Clough is probably more surprised by what Jamie Murphy has produced since Christmas than anyone. Back in October the new boss admitted that Murphy had shown ‘nothing’ to suggest he would be part of his long term plans. It seemed as though Murphy was a cert to be shown the door in January. The turnaround in the wingers fortunes started when he came on as an early sub in the cup game against Cambridge. In what was probably his last chance to impress the coaching staff he got a goal and showed enough for Clough to keep him in the squad for the time being at least. Murphy clearly still hadn't fully convinced Clough as even as late as January he found himself in and out of the team . Slowly though he managed to nail down a place in the side and by the time he was terrorising the Nottingham Forest defence in February he was showing everything that Blades fans had expected from him following his move from Motherwell a year previous. His performances levels just went higher and higher as United climbed the league and reached the Semi Finals of The FA Cup. Now there are concerns that his displays will have alerted other clubs and aside from Maguire he is probably our most valuable player. It really does seem a long time ago since he was sat on the bench at Cambridge unsure of whether he would play for United again.
Best Signing
STEFAN SCOUGALL
(Runner up: John Brayford)
Nigel Clough had told fans not to expect too much of his new signing from Livingston this season. He was dubbed as ‘one for the future’ and from Clough’s words it seemed he would only be used sparingly this season. If the managers aim was to lower expectations and take the pressure off Stefan Scougall then his plans were foiled after his superb debut performance when he came on as a sub against Fulham in January. Straight from his first touch he looked a class act. A lively, tenacious player who ran with the ball and caused all sorts of problems for a Premiership defence. His form from then on proved this wasn't a one off. Within weeks he had become a fans favorite as Blades fans took the small midfielder to their hearts nicknaming him the ‘Scottish Messi’. The way he has seamlessly adapted to English Football speaks volumes of his guts, professionalism and of course talent. Scougall is the sort of player who lines up against United and has our fans saying “I wish he was ours”. He is the sort of player United never normally sign. The fact he can only get better and stronger makes him one of the most exciting signings for many a year at Bramall Lane
Best Team Performance Of The Season
ASTON VILLA (a)
(Runner up: Hull City (Wembley))
A week before United’s trip to Villa Park their 8 match unbeaten run had come to end with a disappointing defeat away at Walsall. Few Blades thought United were in any sort of shape to cause an upset despite Paul Lamberts comments that he wasn't interested in the FA Cup. United though shocked everybody with their best result in the Cup for years and probably more importantly produced a superb display that showed what the players were capable of. This wasn't a smash and grab win, it was one that was fully deserved as United restricted their premiership opponents to very few chances. It’s debatable to say whether this was the turning point of United’s season as just 7 days later they lost at Notts County but it was a sign that Clough was starting to get the best out of players who looked to have had the fight knocked out of them.
Best Single Performance From A Player
RYAN FLYNN V ASTON VILLA
Runner up: (Jamie Murphy v Nottingham Forest
That win at Villa may not necessarily have been the turning point in United’s season but there is an argument to say that it was the turning point in Ryan Flynn’s United career. After a long spell out of the squad under Weir he had been brought back into the fold and under Clough had produced some decent displays. Against Villa though he produced a sensational display and one that United fans who had watched him for the past 3 years thought he was incapable of. His goal capped off a truly great performance from the Scotsman and from this game onwards he never looked back. He looked a totally different player from the one we’d seen previously and only Jamie Murphy can lay serious claim to being United’s most improved player this term.
Best Single Moment Of The Season
SCOUGALLS GOAL AT WEMBLEY
(Runners up: Porters cameo v Forest, Baxters goal at Wembley)
If Jose Baxter’s at Wembley goal saw United fans stand in guarded amazement, Scougall’s goal brought total euphoria. After dominating the first half against a poor looking Hull side, United had let their lead slip towards the end at the half. Many expected United to fold at this point after such a good start but before people had the chance to say “Same owd United” Jamie Murphy skinned his full back and set up Stefan Scougall to score a goal that will live on in United fans memories forever. That 15 minutes at half time was incredible. It really looked that we were going to do it. The fact we caved in the 2nd half to a hugely improved Hull was disappointing but for the first time United had gone to Wembley, turned up and gave the fans something to shout about. The ecstasy after Scougall’s goal that carried on throughout half time may have been all too short but the emotions will never be forgotten.
Best Goal Of The Season
JOSE BAXTER V OLDHAM
(Runner up: Ryan Flynn v Aston Villa)
In an otherwise poor United performance, Jose Baxter lit up Bramall lane with a stunning free kick against his former club. The strike displayed the talent Baxter has. Few other players in this league would be able to perform such a task.
Best Away Day
WEMBLEY
(Runner up:Villa Park)
Since 1993 Sheffield United have played at the national stadium 5 times. Up until this season our record has been abysmal with us losing every game and scoring just the one goal. This season United fans once again saw their team lose at Wembley but this was a different kettle of fish from our previous attempts. Whereas in the games before we haven't in any way turned up and barely registered a shot at goal, against Hull City we saw a United team take the game to a side far better than them and fight until the very last whistle. The applause that met Hull City's clinching goal was something that will be talked about for generations to come. This was the tale of a United side that had been castigated by all and was often said to be the worst in the history of the club showing just how dramatically they had improved under the stewardship of Nigel Clough. They may have once again suffered the Sheffield United curse of falling at the last hurdle but the reception they received from the fans for turning a truly depressing season into one that will live on for years to come showed that these players who had been mercilessly vilified just months before had won a place in the hearts of all Blades. It was a slightly surreal moment as the same players who had once looked like League Two players trudged off the pitch to the sort of applause none of them will have ever experienced. They are now a group of players who will go down in United's history for the right reasons.
Worst Away Day
CREWE
(Runner up: Rotherham)
The last time so many United fans left a game at half-time was last season at Portsmouth when a terrible first half display saw United’s slim automatic promotion hopes totally evaporate. This time though things were much more serious. United looked dead and buried and on their way down to the bottom tier. The fans who up until this point had been confident of survival now joined the pessimistic Blades who had been calling relegation for months. It was a truly horrible afternoon to be a Sheffield United fan
Worst Team Performance Of The Season
CREWE (a)
(Runner up: Hartlepool (h))
United’s performances under Clough up until this point had showed encouragement. There seemed more fight in the team and whilst you couldn't say he'd turned the ship around things looked brighter than they had at any time under Weir. The performance at Crewe however was as bad as United had been, and would get, all season. The defence were a total shambles but maybe the most worrying thing was that United hardly threatened against a team with the worst defensive record in the division. The signings Clough had made in January looked to have solved nothing and United were now actually in the exact same position as they were when David Weir was sacked.
Worst Signing
MARLON KING
(Runner up: Billy Paynter )
There were rumours that Marlon King wasn't actually a David Weir signing. He seemed to be around the club for ages without being offered a contract and at one point Weir said that he would not be signing King. Then suddenly he had signed and was thrust into a United side badly struggling for goals. His debut against Preston didn't change United’s fortunes but In fairness he did have a decent game against Wolves before notching his first goal and only goal against Crawley. He was then totally abysmal in Weir’s last game against Hartlepool and looked completely disinterested from then on. No Blade was sad when Clough released him and he served as another example of United’s seemingly aimless transfer policy.
Worst Single Performance From A Player
FEBIAN BRANDY V SHREWSBURY (a)
(Runner up: Febian Brandy v MK Dons (h) )
Brandy hadn't been fit enough to start in Clough’s first game against Crewe but was brought on as a sub in his second as United tried to fight back from going a goal down against fellow strugglers Shrewsbury. No more than 15 minutes later Brandy was sent off for a ridiculous act of petulance after being tackled by a Shrewsbury defender. Clough was furious with the winger who never started another game for United.
Most Disappointing player
FEBIAN BRANDY
(Runner up: Florent Cuvelier)
That sending off against Shrewsbury seems to be Brandy’s final act of note as a Sheffield United player. His Blades debut against Notts County had fans gushing about his positive play and he seemed to add much needed pace to a United side who had struggled for goals the season before. That was as good as it got for Brandy though. If he is sold in the summer his 2 most memorable acts as a United player will be that sending off against Shrewsbury and missing an open goal against MK Dons. He was also sent off in that game against MK Dons meaning his United career consists of 0 goals, 0 assists, and 2 red cards
Worst Single Moment Of The Season
FULL TIME WHISTLE AT CREWE
(Runner up: Selling Kevin McDonald)
The aftermath of the Crewe game was probably worse than the match itself. Looking at the league tables afterwards was a sobering moment for every Blade. We had just lost heavily to a team who just months previously we’d comfortably beat. Little did United fans know that the team was about to go on an incredible run of 10 straight wins that totally transformed their season. In years to come the defeat to Crewe will be talked about in the same breath as the fateful Port Vale game under Adrian Heath. It really was one of the lowest moments in the history of Sheffield United.
Worst Player
MARLON KING
(Runner up: Billy Paynter, Marcus Williams)
It’s surprising at just how bad Marlon King was. Just the year before he’d scored 13 in 27 in the Championship for Birmingham. If you forget all the baggage that came with him then you can see why many thought he would be an asset in League One. He never looked good enough though and more importantly he never looked interested enough. The fact he is still without a club despite being released from United back in December tells a story. The last we heard of him was that he had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving following a crash which left man with a fractured elbow.
Player Of The Season
HARRY MAGUIRE
(Runner up: Jamie Murphy)
Like everybody else Harry Maguire really suffered under David Weir. In those early months of the season the centre half looked slow, clumsy and prone to errors. It seemed that Maguire had gone backwards and talk of him getting a move to a club higher in the league seemed fanciful. It was only once Weir had gone and Nigel Clough came in that Maguire slowly started getting back to his best. By the time the New Year came Maguire was putting in some of his best performances in a Blades shirt and he only got better from there. The way he handled the likes of Christian Benteke and Darius Henderson during the cup run showed that he had the ability to handle a higher level and If he had started the season in the worst form of his United career then he ended it in the best.
Young Player Of The Season
HARRY MAGUIRE
(Runner up: Connor Coady)
When Maguire was made captain against Rotherham in April few Blades battered an eyelid. After all this was Maguire's 3rd full season at the heart of the United defence. The fact he is still only 21 often goes unnoticed due to the amount of games he’s played for the club. In fact that night against Rotherham he became United’s youngest ever captain since Curtis Woodhouse in 1999. Maguire’s career has really only just started but even at such a young age he played over 130 times for The Blades. Whilst United may have slowly deteriorated since he came into the side nobody can lay the blame at Harry Maguire who has been one of the few shining lights in these difficult past few years.
Most Improved Player
JAMIE MURPHY
(Runner up: Ryan Flynn)
Nigel Clough is probably more surprised by what Jamie Murphy has produced since Christmas than anyone. Back in October the new boss admitted that Murphy had shown ‘nothing’ to suggest he would be part of his long term plans. It seemed as though Murphy was a cert to be shown the door in January. The turnaround in the wingers fortunes started when he came on as an early sub in the cup game against Cambridge. In what was probably his last chance to impress the coaching staff he got a goal and showed enough for Clough to keep him in the squad for the time being at least. Murphy clearly still hadn't fully convinced Clough as even as late as January he found himself in and out of the team . Slowly though he managed to nail down a place in the side and by the time he was terrorising the Nottingham Forest defence in February he was showing everything that Blades fans had expected from him following his move from Motherwell a year previous. His performances levels just went higher and higher as United climbed the league and reached the Semi Finals of The FA Cup. Now there are concerns that his displays will have alerted other clubs and aside from Maguire he is probably our most valuable player. It really does seem a long time ago since he was sat on the bench at Cambridge unsure of whether he would play for United again.
Best Signing
STEFAN SCOUGALL
(Runner up: John Brayford)
Nigel Clough had told fans not to expect too much of his new signing from Livingston this season. He was dubbed as ‘one for the future’ and from Clough’s words it seemed he would only be used sparingly this season. If the managers aim was to lower expectations and take the pressure off Stefan Scougall then his plans were foiled after his superb debut performance when he came on as a sub against Fulham in January. Straight from his first touch he looked a class act. A lively, tenacious player who ran with the ball and caused all sorts of problems for a Premiership defence. His form from then on proved this wasn't a one off. Within weeks he had become a fans favorite as Blades fans took the small midfielder to their hearts nicknaming him the ‘Scottish Messi’. The way he has seamlessly adapted to English Football speaks volumes of his guts, professionalism and of course talent. Scougall is the sort of player who lines up against United and has our fans saying “I wish he was ours”. He is the sort of player United never normally sign. The fact he can only get better and stronger makes him one of the most exciting signings for many a year at Bramall Lane
Best Team Performance Of The Season
ASTON VILLA (a)
(Runner up: Hull City (Wembley))
A week before United’s trip to Villa Park their 8 match unbeaten run had come to end with a disappointing defeat away at Walsall. Few Blades thought United were in any sort of shape to cause an upset despite Paul Lamberts comments that he wasn't interested in the FA Cup. United though shocked everybody with their best result in the Cup for years and probably more importantly produced a superb display that showed what the players were capable of. This wasn't a smash and grab win, it was one that was fully deserved as United restricted their premiership opponents to very few chances. It’s debatable to say whether this was the turning point of United’s season as just 7 days later they lost at Notts County but it was a sign that Clough was starting to get the best out of players who looked to have had the fight knocked out of them.
Best Single Performance From A Player
RYAN FLYNN V ASTON VILLA
Runner up: (Jamie Murphy v Nottingham Forest
That win at Villa may not necessarily have been the turning point in United’s season but there is an argument to say that it was the turning point in Ryan Flynn’s United career. After a long spell out of the squad under Weir he had been brought back into the fold and under Clough had produced some decent displays. Against Villa though he produced a sensational display and one that United fans who had watched him for the past 3 years thought he was incapable of. His goal capped off a truly great performance from the Scotsman and from this game onwards he never looked back. He looked a totally different player from the one we’d seen previously and only Jamie Murphy can lay serious claim to being United’s most improved player this term.
Best Single Moment Of The Season
SCOUGALLS GOAL AT WEMBLEY
(Runners up: Porters cameo v Forest, Baxters goal at Wembley)
If Jose Baxter’s at Wembley goal saw United fans stand in guarded amazement, Scougall’s goal brought total euphoria. After dominating the first half against a poor looking Hull side, United had let their lead slip towards the end at the half. Many expected United to fold at this point after such a good start but before people had the chance to say “Same owd United” Jamie Murphy skinned his full back and set up Stefan Scougall to score a goal that will live on in United fans memories forever. That 15 minutes at half time was incredible. It really looked that we were going to do it. The fact we caved in the 2nd half to a hugely improved Hull was disappointing but for the first time United had gone to Wembley, turned up and gave the fans something to shout about. The ecstasy after Scougall’s goal that carried on throughout half time may have been all too short but the emotions will never be forgotten.
Best Goal Of The Season
JOSE BAXTER V OLDHAM
(Runner up: Ryan Flynn v Aston Villa)
In an otherwise poor United performance, Jose Baxter lit up Bramall lane with a stunning free kick against his former club. The strike displayed the talent Baxter has. Few other players in this league would be able to perform such a task.
Best Away Day
WEMBLEY
(Runner up:Villa Park)
Since 1993 Sheffield United have played at the national stadium 5 times. Up until this season our record has been abysmal with us losing every game and scoring just the one goal. This season United fans once again saw their team lose at Wembley but this was a different kettle of fish from our previous attempts. Whereas in the games before we haven't in any way turned up and barely registered a shot at goal, against Hull City we saw a United team take the game to a side far better than them and fight until the very last whistle. The applause that met Hull City's clinching goal was something that will be talked about for generations to come. This was the tale of a United side that had been castigated by all and was often said to be the worst in the history of the club showing just how dramatically they had improved under the stewardship of Nigel Clough. They may have once again suffered the Sheffield United curse of falling at the last hurdle but the reception they received from the fans for turning a truly depressing season into one that will live on for years to come showed that these players who had been mercilessly vilified just months before had won a place in the hearts of all Blades. It was a slightly surreal moment as the same players who had once looked like League Two players trudged off the pitch to the sort of applause none of them will have ever experienced. They are now a group of players who will go down in United's history for the right reasons.
Worst Away Day
CREWE
(Runner up: Rotherham)
The last time so many United fans left a game at half-time was last season at Portsmouth when a terrible first half display saw United’s slim automatic promotion hopes totally evaporate. This time though things were much more serious. United looked dead and buried and on their way down to the bottom tier. The fans who up until this point had been confident of survival now joined the pessimistic Blades who had been calling relegation for months. It was a truly horrible afternoon to be a Sheffield United fan
Worst Team Performance Of The Season
CREWE (a)
(Runner up: Hartlepool (h))
United’s performances under Clough up until this point had showed encouragement. There seemed more fight in the team and whilst you couldn't say he'd turned the ship around things looked brighter than they had at any time under Weir. The performance at Crewe however was as bad as United had been, and would get, all season. The defence were a total shambles but maybe the most worrying thing was that United hardly threatened against a team with the worst defensive record in the division. The signings Clough had made in January looked to have solved nothing and United were now actually in the exact same position as they were when David Weir was sacked.
Worst Signing
MARLON KING
(Runner up: Billy Paynter )
There were rumours that Marlon King wasn't actually a David Weir signing. He seemed to be around the club for ages without being offered a contract and at one point Weir said that he would not be signing King. Then suddenly he had signed and was thrust into a United side badly struggling for goals. His debut against Preston didn't change United’s fortunes but In fairness he did have a decent game against Wolves before notching his first goal and only goal against Crawley. He was then totally abysmal in Weir’s last game against Hartlepool and looked completely disinterested from then on. No Blade was sad when Clough released him and he served as another example of United’s seemingly aimless transfer policy.
Worst Single Performance From A Player
FEBIAN BRANDY V SHREWSBURY (a)
(Runner up: Febian Brandy v MK Dons (h) )
Brandy hadn't been fit enough to start in Clough’s first game against Crewe but was brought on as a sub in his second as United tried to fight back from going a goal down against fellow strugglers Shrewsbury. No more than 15 minutes later Brandy was sent off for a ridiculous act of petulance after being tackled by a Shrewsbury defender. Clough was furious with the winger who never started another game for United.
Most Disappointing player
FEBIAN BRANDY
(Runner up: Florent Cuvelier)
That sending off against Shrewsbury seems to be Brandy’s final act of note as a Sheffield United player. His Blades debut against Notts County had fans gushing about his positive play and he seemed to add much needed pace to a United side who had struggled for goals the season before. That was as good as it got for Brandy though. If he is sold in the summer his 2 most memorable acts as a United player will be that sending off against Shrewsbury and missing an open goal against MK Dons. He was also sent off in that game against MK Dons meaning his United career consists of 0 goals, 0 assists, and 2 red cards
Worst Single Moment Of The Season
FULL TIME WHISTLE AT CREWE
(Runner up: Selling Kevin McDonald)
The aftermath of the Crewe game was probably worse than the match itself. Looking at the league tables afterwards was a sobering moment for every Blade. We had just lost heavily to a team who just months previously we’d comfortably beat. Little did United fans know that the team was about to go on an incredible run of 10 straight wins that totally transformed their season. In years to come the defeat to Crewe will be talked about in the same breath as the fateful Port Vale game under Adrian Heath. It really was one of the lowest moments in the history of Sheffield United.
Worst Player
MARLON KING
(Runner up: Billy Paynter, Marcus Williams)
It’s surprising at just how bad Marlon King was. Just the year before he’d scored 13 in 27 in the Championship for Birmingham. If you forget all the baggage that came with him then you can see why many thought he would be an asset in League One. He never looked good enough though and more importantly he never looked interested enough. The fact he is still without a club despite being released from United back in December tells a story. The last we heard of him was that he had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving following a crash which left man with a fractured elbow.
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the only thing i cant agree with is the "worst single moment of the season" been the full time whistle at crewe,i would have thought that was one of the best single moments of the season
