Having fewer players to pick from might have benefited Weir

David Weir would still be Sheffield United manager this morning if the Blades had been able to eke out just five more points despite their early-season struggles.

A meagre return of just one point a week would have seen the Bramall Lane board give Weir more time until Christmas to try to kick-start United’s season.

But a paltry five points from their first 10 League One games – plus defeats in both cup competitions to League Two opposition – made Weir’s job untenable.

On current form, United would have been heading for relegation back to the fourth tier of English football and that was unthinkable to the Blades.

“We were all committed to providing David with enough time,” said Blades director Jim Phipps, joint-owner Prince Abdullah’s principal adviser. “But watching the pace which we were putting points up as the season went on it was alarming to look at considering where you need to be just to avoid relegation.

“It could have been very different. We might have made it to Christmas and beyond if we were scoring three points every couple of weeks. If there was enough progress, even one point a week, it would have been a different story.

“We weren’t even getting one point a week. We got five points in 13 matches, that’s a devastating rate that had to be changed.

“We all knew there might be decisions to be made, going back a few weeks. We did see hopeful signs; my highlight of the season after the Notts County game was the first half against Wolves.

“We just petered out; they went 1-0 up and we played like there was no hope. In that first 45 minutes, I thought we showed potential against what might easily be the best club in the league.

“We were measuring up in every aspect apart from the most important way – that was the unsolvable puzzle.

“There’s been a lot of criticism of the system, whether there should have been two up front, more penetration into the box. There’s always a tension between the performance and the philosophy. We weren’t getting a performance that matched the philosophy, or the desired style. We weren’t able to make adjustments when that wasn’t happening quickly enough.”

Phipps accepts the huge influx of players at Bramall Lane this season has not helped Weir’s cause.

“Part of the issue goes to the amount of change that happened in these last couple of months,” he said. “Even our own transaction – it had some positive influences on the team, but maybe also the changes that came with that were more than could be absorbed in the time allowed. How many players did we start in the 13 games we played? At 26 or 27, it’s a lot compared to our competitors. There’s an inverse relationship as to who is where in the table. The smaller the number, the closer to 11, the better off you are in general.

“We didn’t get to our first XI fast enough and in the process we became demoralised and dropped in confidence.

“There’s so much pent-up desire in Sheffield to get back to the great football this city is about.

“I don’t have any stake in the cross-city rivalry, but everyone in Sheffield wants their teams to perform better. There’s a lot of frustration about that, which is evident everywhere you turn.

“I think we will see the lads respond to the new leadership brought in.

“I think they are tired of being where they are. I think they have tried very hard.

“I think sometimes the problem has been thinking too hard, not playing enough for joy. We will hit our stride and change our position in this league.”