Avoiding relegation would banish thoughts of Owls past

From style over substance, to winning over Sheffield United’s supporters due to his links with Wednesday, Nigel Clough has a challenge on his hands. Richard Hercock looks at five key issues.
Lyle TaylorLyle Taylor
Lyle Taylor

Avoid relegation

The fear of relegation to the fourth tier of English football was one of the major reasons why David Weir was sacked.

When you look at the quality within the Bramall Lane squad that would have been a crazy outcome to a season which started under such high optimism for rookie manager David Weir.

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But when the former Everton coach was sacked, it was due to a torrid run of results which saw United deep in the relegation zone and without a win since the opening weekend of the season.

Now new boss Nigel Clough’s first task is to bring stability to the Blades and that means climbing away from the bottom four and to mid-table.

Start winning

It may sound silly, but winning was the only thing missing under David Weir’s leadership.

For after beating Notts County 2-1 on August 2, United won plaudits for their stylish football even if it didn’t always reap the rewards it deserved.

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The first 45 minutes at Molineux sticks in the mind. United more than matched promotion favourites Wolverhampton Wanderers but could not find the cutting edge to deliver the goals.

Even when Weir departed, that old failing was there to see at Coventry City, Chris Morgan’s first match in caretaker charge.

United were woeful for the first 50 minutes, trailing 3-0, but then produced some exciting attacking football which should have at least brought a point.

Strikers

Sheffield United have never really replaced Ched Evans as their leading man.

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Players have come and go, Nick Blackman had the potential but was sold, while Shaun Miller was terribly unlucky to suffer cruciate ligament damage and only made his comeback last weekend after 10 months on the sidelines.

Things are looking up though, the Blades have Miller back and can call on the experience of verteran Marlon King too.

Also, Lyle Taylor is suddenly starting to look like the striker that ripped apart Scottish defences last year north of the border before his summer transfer to United.

His two goals at Coventry City saw him break his Blades duck and now he is playing down the middle in a 4-4-2 formation, rather than being stranded out wide. He looks a danger whenever he gets the ball and has a thunderbolt of a shot.

Style issues

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Danny Wilson took United to two play-offs playing a certain brand of attacking football.

Weir tried to change too much, too soon, wanting a slick measured passing game with the emphasis of retaining the ball.

The challenge for Clough now is to marry the two styles, and he can do worse than watch the dvds from United’s last three matches when Chris Morgan has been in charge.

Morgan has tried to retain the passing football favoured by Weir, yet bring back the gritty side of the game which was so successful for United.

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Blades fan will forgive most things, but they will not stay quiet and watch players who they do not believe are literally willing to spill blood in a red and white shirt. It’s now Clough’s challenge to remedy the style issues and develop a winning formula which can both entertain and, probably more importantly in S2, win football matches.

Win over fans

When Danny Wilson was unveiled as Blades boss, there was a car park protest from Unitedites furious that an ex-Wednesday guy could be put in charge at Bramall Lane.

At least Clough - who enjoyed a loan spell at Hillsborough - hasn’t had the same cautious welcome. Maybe that’s because Blades fans remember how Wilson turned things around at United and eventually won the doubters over.

Also, Clough only had a loan spell at Owls, Wilson was a revered player and former manager at Hillsborough who was always linked to ‘the old enemy’ from across the city.