Blades boss Micky Adams could not prevent relegation
The Sheffield United board have accepted the blame for the team’s relegation from the Championship.
Principal owner Kevin McCabe, club chairman Chris Steer and chief executive Trevor Birch apologised to fans after the club slid into League One.
“The club has to hold its hands up and acknowledge that we got it wrong. We apologise to the fans that have so steadfastly stood by us,” said Mr Birch.
“We are a distance from the top flight and it may take some time to get back, there but this is the beginning of that exciting journey,” he said.
Sheffield United’s relegation was confirmed last weekend after a 2-2 home draw with South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley.
The result sees the club slip into the third tier for the first time since 1989.
Mr Birch said the club would undergo massive changes to ensure the club are competitive next season.
“Relegation means a significant drop in TV revenues and commercial hospitality and sponsorships,” he said.
“Costs will need to be reduced significantly with player wages facing the brunt of those cuts. It won’t be easy but we have to re-balance the squad budget which will inevitably mean a number of our higher earners moving on,” said Mr Birch.
Chris Morgan, Nick Montgomery, Darius Henderson and Ched Evans – a record £3m signing in 2009 – are likely to lead the exodus if United need to balance the books.
The statement on the club’s website gave a damning assessment of the club’s running since their Premier League relegation in 2007.
“We have relied too heavily on attempting short term solutions and, if anything, indulging managers with too many quick fixes and short term signings,” said Mr McCabe.
“In hindsight the over reliance and use of the loan market has had a debilitating rather than strengthening effect on the first team.”
Chris Steer said the board would work tirelessly to get the club back to where he feels it belongs.
“It hurts to be relegated and, as a lifelong Blade, I fully understand just how much our present position pains everyone,” he said.
“However long it may take, we have to build with a strong and coordinated structure. It must be underpinned with an unwavering, robust belief that we can take this historic club forward with renewed vigour and enthusiasm – and get back to winning ways.”
On April 3rd 1993, Sheffield’s two Premier League football clubs took over Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup Semi-final. Eighteen years later and Wednesday are struggling at the bottom of English football’s third tier. Their only saving grace? United may be joining them there next season.
There hasn't been much for Wednesday fans to cheer about in the past few years
Chris Waddle stands over the ball, 35 yards, a picture of calm in his blue and white stripes amongst 75,364 screaming Sheffield football fans. Two minutes in to the biggest Steel City Derby in history he runs up, swings his leg and the blue half of Wembley erupts.
Eighteen years on and fourteen thousand people sit quietly at Hillsborough Stadium. It is a Tuesday night and, ten minutes into the second half, Sheffield Wednesday trail Brentford 2-1.
Up in the Grandstand, the second-tier of the South Stand which was completed in 1996 for the European Championships, an 84-year-old man shuffles back to his seat.
“Scared you were going to miss our comeback?” Asks his long-term football friend.
“They closed the bar.” The old man scoffs, adjusts his flat cap and squints at the scoreboard.
“Bastards,” they mutter. Wednesday eventually lose the game 3-1. The result leaves them four points above the relegation zone – Wednesday have never dropped below the third tier.
Relegation Battles
Across the city, United aren’t having a much better season themselves. They are locked in a relegation battle and are currently four points behind Crystal Palace and safety. United fan Mike Hart, 21, gives a wry smile.
“It’s going to be hard. Crystal Palace know how to stay up,” he can’t resist the dig at Wednesday, who were relegated by Palace on the final day of last season.
It has been a long, painful fall from grace for both Sheffield clubs since that day at Wembley and they have often put their supporters through the maximum amount of pain.
United were relegated from the Premier League on the last day of the 1994 season and have spent every season but one since then in the second tier.
Their sole season back in the Premier League in 06/07 saw them throw away a ten point lead over West Ham, who overtook them in the final game with a victory over Manchester United.
At Hillsborough, Wednesday fared better but on the turn of the Millennium a 3-3 draw with Arsenal consigned them to the second tier. A quick return was expected but massive debts and expensive, ineffective players saw them dive through the leagues, resulting in yet another relegation in 2003.
The Owls gained promotion again in 2005, with over 40,000 fans travelling to Cardiff to watch their 4-2 play-off victory over Hartlepool, just five years on Wednesdayites find themselves back in the third tier.
Holby City
Despite a decade of pain, the Sheffield clubs attract a combined 38,000 average attendance – more than Premier League giants Aston Villa, Everton and Tottenham – to watch poor quality football.
“We are fed up of coming down here on a Tuesday,” moans Bernard, 76. “I missed Holby City the other day, that’s better than watching Wednesday.”
It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon and Colchester United are today’s visitors to Hillsborough; why doesn’t Bernard do something else with his day?
“I can’t, I’m a Wednesdayite, I’ve been coming 60 years.” It is a force of habit for millions of people in England to watch football on a Saturday but that habit has been severely tested by Wednesday and the crowds are down to the hardcore. They are not looking for glory, they aren’t even looking for good football, they are just looking for a bit of honesty and effort on the pitch.
Rivalry
Rarely has there been anything to get excited about for Wednesday fans this season. The fixture list – dominated by smaller southern clubs – has been uninspiring, with no Steel City Derby to look forward to the season has missed a certain something.
“It is the ultimate rivalry,” says 41-year-old builder Martin, “we’re from the same city. Families have been split over this. There’s been riots. But at the end of the day it’s how you’re brought up in Sheffield. You’re either blue and white or red and white.”
“Personally I don’t buy anything red. We have laughs and jokes but when it comes to the football match, that’s it. Friendship goes out of the window. We are Sheffield Wednesday, they are the pigs.”
The competition between the two teams is relentless. In dark times for both clubs, the suffering of the other is one of few consolations. Andy is a 57-year-old electrician from Walkley, he has been watching Wednesday for 45 years and has never seen it as bad as it is now.
“The mood is really bad at the moment, I can’t see where our next point is coming from and if we don’t win the next two we’re doomed,” he sighs before cracking a smile. “The good thing is Sheff United are at the bottom nearly anyway, so it hasn’t been that bad a season.”
Fighting Children
Mike Hart was the first United fan to renew his season ticket last year
Over at Bramall Lane, the feeling is mutual. Mike Hart was the first person to renew his season ticket at The Blades last season. “Wednesday have had longer in the Premiership, they are an older club. United have always been the younger club, it’s like we’re two brothers fighting since we were born,” his voice starts to rise with the passion.
“The problem with Wednesday and United is we’re still toddlers, we’re still at it every season. We are so evenly matched and no Sheffield fan will admit that one way or the other.”
The weight of the rivalry can be overpowering in a city that many think is only built to sustain one. What makes it unique is that the clubs are so evenly matched. Wednesday will argue they have the trophies, European appearances; they have the bigger ground and historically higher average attendances and an infamously passionate away following.
United will argue that they have been top-dogs for over a decade now and the tide has well and truly shifted.
Wednesday fans retort that, despite their decline, a lone season in the top-flight shows United have an inability to make their dominance count.
If inward squabbling accounts partly for England’s fourth biggest city’s inability to sustain a serious challenge at the top of the country’s national sport, it may also account for the consistently huge levels of support.
Merger
People simply don’t want to give ammunition to the ‘other lot’ they run into in the pub. In a city fiercely proud of its traditions, the attendances of the two clubs are almost as important as results – that is why people turn up. The thought of sacrificing rivalry for one Sheffield mega-club is repulsive to Mike.
“Within five weeks you would have an FC Sheffield United and an FC Sheffield Wednesday in the Northern Counties league and they would have, six, seven, eight thousand fans going to watch them week-in week-out. Sheffield football is too proud and too passionate to let that happen.”
Pride and passion are emphasised by the managers the clubs have turned to in a time of need – Mickey Adams is a Blade and Megson a combative former Wednesday player. Both are asking for their players to reward loyalty and United have got results against Nottingham Forest and Leeds in the past few weeks.
Finally, too, there is a glimmer of hope at Hillsborough. The sun is shining down as Wednesday’s players are applauded off at both half and full-time. They have battled hard against Colchester and got the home victory – over three months in the waiting – the crowd so desperately wanted.
The win leaves Wednesday fans smiling, laughing and joking while United fans, who had no game on this particular Saturday, will no doubt grimace as the scores come in. There are no thoughts about Holby City for the blue half of Sheffield this week – not until the next game, that is.
When Rotherham United pummelled Port Vale 5-0 on New Year’s Day to move to within four points of runaway leaders Chesterfield, they looked dead certs to earn promotion back to League One.
Fast-forward three months and now even the play-offs look an outside chance as the Millers were left to rue a hatful of missed chances in a 1-0 home defeat by lowly Morecambe.
Caretaker manager Andy Liddell was left furious after a second home defeat in five days left his side in tenth, albeit just two points off the play-off berths. More pertinently, they now lie seven points off the automatic promotion places, their target at the season’s start, after a run of just one win in eight games.
“It wasn’t a good enough performance,” said Liddell, who is in temporary charge following the departure of Ronnie Moore two weeks ago.
“We lacked tempo, quality and confidence which was surprising because all the staff here have worked hard trying to build the confidence up. We had a few half chances but overall we just weren’t good enough today.
“Nobody has tried more than we have to motivate the players and build their confidence. The players now have to take responsibility for their own performance and they will.”
Rotherham’s best chance arrived inside the first minute, when Johnny Mullins saw his header cleared off the line by Niall Cowperthwaite, but thereafter they were listless going forward.
22-goal top scorer Adam Le Fondre had a subdued afternoon but should have done better when drilling wide on his left foot from Ryan Taylor’s knock-down in the second-half.
Morecambe, who essentially secured their Football League status with this result, should have taken the lead on 11 minutes when a hopeful long ball by Will Haining landed perfectly for Phil Jevons, who saw his effort blocked by the legs of Rotherham goalkeeper Andy Warrington.
They lacked the pace and technical ability of Rotherham but were seldom troubled and eventually delivered a sucker punch. With eight minutes remaining, Jimmy Spencer’s curling finish from the edge of the penalty area beat Warrington and found the top corner.
Morecambe substitute Danny Carlton could have added a second goal moments later, but fired into the side-netting with Warrington off his line.
Despite this setback, Liddell refused to concede that automatic promotion was beyond his team, though he admitted it would be an uphill struggle.
“It is seven points but it isn’t mathematically impossible,” he said. “The players are making it very hard for themselves and I have told them that. Automatic promotion is a fantastic feeling and some of the players and staff have had it before, but at the moment we are making it hard.”
The Millers will hope to reignite their promotion push at Cheltenham Town next Saturday.
Rotherham United: Andy Warrington, Dale Tonge, Nick Fenton, Johnny Mullins, Tom Newey, Marcus Marshall, Danny Harrison (Jason Taylor 85’), Mark Bradley (Omar Daley 58’), Nicky Law, Adam Le Fondre, Ryan Taylor (Liam Henderson 72’) Substitutes not used: Jamie Annerson, Luke Ashworth, Stephen Brogan, Jamie Green
Morecambe: Barry Roche, Andy Holdsworth, Garry Hunter, Phil Jevons (Danny Carlton 69’), Jimmy Spencer, Chris McCready, Stewart Drummond, Kevan Hurst, Andy Parrish, Niall Cowperthwaite (Neil Wainwright 76’), Will Haining Substitutes not used: Jim Bentley, Chris Wraighte, Joe Anyon, Zac Aley
Gareth Barry will captain England in tomorrow’s friendly against Ghana at Wembley.
The Manchester City midfielder will wear the armband in the absence of the recently re-appointed John Terry, who has been released from the squad for Tuesday’s match.
Fabio Capello is set to name a much changed team for the game against the world cup quarter-finalists.
Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney and Michael Dawson have all been allowed to return to their clubs by the Italian manager.
It means a sell out Wembley crowd will likely witness a second string side, Capello giving the likes of Andy Carroll and Gary Cahill a chance to impress.
Rotherham United kept their automatic promotion hopes alive with a 0-0 draw against fellow high-flyers Bury at the Don Valley Stadium on Saturday.
The Millers climb up to fourth in the table despite failing to find the net as Gillingham were the only other team in the top seven to win.
There were plenty of chances for both sides in an entertaining stalemate.
Bury came into the game having scored more goals away from home than any other team in League Two this year and they had bagged 12 in their last five away from Gigg Lane.
The race for the League Two golden boot provided an intriguing subplot. Bury’s Ryan Lowe and Rotherham’s Adam Le Fondre are the league’s top scorers having scored 43 goals between them but both were left frustrated here.
Rotherham's Callum Kennedy prepares to send in a corner
It was Le Fondre who came closest to scoring after just three minutes when his goal-bound effort was hacked off the line by Tom Lees. It appeared as though the ball may have crossed the line but Rotherham manager Ronnie Moore later said his players were unsure.
Rotherham created two more golden chances from set-pieces in the first half but defenders John Mullins and Ryan Cresswell sent their efforts over the bar.
Bury’s slick passing game was disrupted by the tattered Don Valley pitch and Mullins and Cresswell were able to keep Lowe subdued. Young winger Kyle Bennett and classy midfielder Steven Schumacher were posing the Millers more problems with Bennett firing into the side netting just before half time.
The visitors started the second half brighter and should have taken the lead when Lees missed from six yards out. Schumacher was the architect and his inviting ball was fired wide when it looked easier to score.
Bury piled on the pressure but Schumacher could only rifle into the side netting and Andy Warrington then saved from a David Worrall drive.
The hosts fought back but Le Fondre couldn’t direct his lob over Cameron Belford. Nicky Law then found himself clean through but he clipped the ball wide when one-on-one with Belford. The game then subsided with the two teams seemingly accepting a point apiece.
Afterwards, Moore thought his side were unlucky not to come away with more than a point.
“I think we deserved to win the game. To be fair I think they had the best chance of the game when their centre half has put it wide, but we have had a lot of chances,” he said.
“We didn’t seem to get the break but we worked hard, chased everything but couldn’t get the icing on the cake.”
But Bury boss Alan Knill believed a draw was the right result.
“It’s a battling point and I think 0-0 is a fair result. Both teams had chances and both teams just lacked that bit of quality needed to take the three points,” he said.
“I would have taken a point before the game and it keeps them at five points behind us and we still have a game in hand. If you finish five points in front of Rotherham at the end of the season then that’s a pretty good season so that’s the aim, stay as far away as we can from them.”
Rotherham are yet to record a victory this month and next up is a difficult trip to local rivals and league leaders Chesterfield this Friday night. Rotherham United: 1. Andy Warrington, 23. Callum Kennedy, 5. Ryan Cresswell, 2. Dale Tonge, 17. John Mullins, 7. Nicky Law, 21. Marcus Marshall, 8. Jason Taylor (4. Danny Harrison 71’), 10. Adam Le Fondre, 22. Ian Thomas-Moore (26. Omar Daley 71’), 20. Ryan Taylor
Substitutes not used: 14. Luke Ashworth, 16. Paul Warne, 30. Jamie Annerson, 18. Mark Bradley, 27. Liam Henderson. Next fixture: Chesterfield (A) – Friday
Bury: 1. Cameron Belford, 2. Phil Picken, 16. Efe Sodje, 4. Tom Lees, 3. Joe Skarz, 6. Peter Sweeney, 17. Kyle Bennett (11. Andy Haworth 67’), 7. David Worrall, 8. Steven Schumacher, 15. Ryan Lowe, 10. Andy Bishop (18. Chris Holroyd 68’)
Substitutes not used: 20. Ritchie Branagan, 14. Michael Jones, 29. Max Harrop, 12. Lennell John-Lewis, 21. Andrai Jones Next Fixture: Torquay United (H) – Tuesday Attendance: 4,620
Wembley witnessed one of its biggest upsets of recent years as a late Obafemi Martins goal gave Birmingham victory over Arsenal in the Carling Cup Final.
Martins enabled Blues to win only the second major trophy in their history when he cashed in on a defensive error with only one minute of normal time remaining to seal a 2-1 win. He said that he is in “dreamland” after scoring the last gasp Carling Cup final. “The fans are very happy that we’ve won, and winning a trophy is one of the best feelings in the world,” he said.
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish hailed Birmingham’s success as his “greatest achievement” as a manager.
“To come to England for a club like Birmingham to beat the might of Arsenal is a dream come true.
“It is especially so for the fans who have had a long wait, those long-suffering Blues fans.”
The Blues took the lead through an early Nicola Zigic strike before Robin Van Persie pulled the Gunners level. But a goalkeeping blunder by 20 year old goalkeeper Szczesny allowed Martins to bundle home a last minute winner, giving Birmingham fans a day to remember.
He was caught on camera delivering an elbow to McCarthy’s head, early in United’s 4-0 victory. The referee, Mark Clattenburg, gave a free-kick but did not show a red card.
Clattenburg’s report will be unveiled by the Football Association this morning, which will confirm whether he saw the incident clearly.
If Rooney ends up facing a violent conduct charge, the North-East official will have to come up with a plausible explanation about why he gave a free-kick for an incident he did not see.
The former Everton striker could still be free to face Chelsea if he decides to appeal against a charge – which is possible, considering Clattenburg’s decision not to book Rooney for the challenge – even if it raises the possibility of an extra match suspension for a frivolous appeal.
Nick Clegg has enjoyed a kick-about on a visit to an inner city football project in Sheffield.
Clegg is spending the whole day in Sheffield
The Deputy Prime Minister met staff and youngsters involved in the Kickz scheme run by Sheffield United FC.
The DPM failed to hit the back of the net when he took part in a penalty shoot-out with youngsters at the scheme.Around 600 children are currently involved in Kickz, which works to keep them occupied, off the streets and out of trouble.
Sue Beeley, head of community at Sheffield United, said: “This is all about building safer, stronger communities.
“A lot of the kids on this project come from very difficult backgrounds. We use sport, dance and music to attract the kids to our youth club.”
The project also has its serious side, educating the youngsters about guns and knife crime as well as assisting with school work and job applications.
It is funded by a range of organisations including the Premier League and Sheffield City Council.
Later Mr Clegg, a Sheffield MP, will take part in his first Town Hall public meeting since last year’s General Election.The event, hosted by the Sheffield Star newspaper, could see Mr Clegg face tough questions from voters about the Coalition Government’s policies.
Sports coaches who wear suits on match days and tracksuits on training days are more likely to get the best out of their teams, according to new research.
Sports scientists at the University of Portsmouth studied the effect a coach’s appearance had on the players’ impressions of their competence.
Dr Richard Thelwell said: “We have found that the clothing that coaches wear can have a direct effect on the players’ perceptions of the coach’s ability.’
The study, published in the International Journal of Sport Psychology found that those that dressed in suits were seen as strategic, wheras tracksuits gave an impression of motivational skills.
Dr Thelwell suggested a combination of the two styles was ideal for success, saying ”Players look to their coach to provide technical skills, to motivate them and to lead them.A coach in a suit suggests strategic prowess which is obviously ideal for a match. However, when wearing sporting attire, they were perceived to be more technically competent than those in a suit.”
