Chase for Premier League riches has damaged Yorkshire game

The 67-year-old is a veteran of football in the Broad Acres, manager of Sheffield United two decades ago when they finished ninth behind eventual champions Leeds United and third-placed Sheffield Wednesday as the trio clinched their places in the inaugural Premier League line-up.

He then went on to manage Barnsley – the Oakwell club, along with Bradford City and Hull City enjoying time in the top flight – before a brief spell at Elland Road working with Dennis Wise.

So the manager who made his name in charge of Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang is well placed to give his verdict on the demise of Yorkshire football over the last 20 years.

The final 1992 league table has Leeds United at the top, Sheffield Wednesday in third and Bassett’s United in 9th spot.

How Yorkshire football could do with another season like that as we prepare to enter a third season running without a White Rose representative in the top flight.

“Leeds, Wednesday and United were all there – four derbies each season – and football in Yorkshire was thriving,” recalled Bassett as he looked back at the strength of Yorkshire football during the 1992 season. “It’s amazing when you look at all the clubs and see where they are now and what has happened.

“Why haven’t they all built on what they had and stayed in the Premier League? All three clubs were capable of doing that, but due to mismanagement and decisions which were made, the clubs have suffered.

“It’s crazy. For Bradford, Barnsley and Hull to get up there was great, but you expect Leeds and the two Sheffield clubs to be in the top division.

“All three clubs were in the Premier League when it first started, but it just shows what can happen if you get relegated.

“There’s a lot of teams in the Championship now, like West Ham and Nottingham Forest, who think they are still Premier League clubs but there is no divine right.

“If the people who direct the club don’t make the right decisions, appoint the wrong manager and he does a rubbish job, buys the wrong players and doesn’t get the best out of them, then you have a recipe for disaster.”

In that 1991-92 season, the Blades had started poorly, winning just three times in 18 matches – one of those a League Cup win – by the time of the first Steel City derby on November 17 at Bramall Lane.

But a 2-0 derby win – they would go on to complete the double – kick-started their season, following it up with a win away to Tottenham.

Beating their close neighbours and, more importantly, an Owls team that would eventually go on to challenge for the title alongside Leeds and Manchester United, clearly gave the Blades a boost.

Bassett acknowledges that was a major turning point in their season, and with many of his players born and bred in Sheffield, he had a side with plenty of grit.

“We did the double over Wednesday, but they finished third in the table,” said Bassett. “It was a good season for the Blades, we had our usual slow start and didn’t get going at first.

“When we beat Wednesday at the Lane, we weren’t in the best of form but it was a good turning point for us, that’s for sure.

“After Christmas we went on a good run, but we were indifferent in the early part like losing at home to Notts County.

“We won at Wednesday, Everton, Notts County and really got into our stride. We seemed to gain confidence as the season went on.

“We had a good bunch of players, Brian Deane could get a goal, good goalkeepers in Simon Tracey and Alan Kelly, we had good times.

“The players weren’t big-hitters or probably household names at that stage, but they all gelled together.

“Players like Dane Whitehouse, Mitch Ward, Carl Bradshaw, Sheffield boys, we had a good mixture and some good characters in the dressing room.

“They were all decent blokes who worked hard at their game and wanted to improve.”

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