McCabe considers options for Blades as fans protest over possibility of Wilson

McCabe, who is desperate to revive his club’s fortunes following relegation to League One, plans to unveil a new manager at noon today.

However, Blades supporters on internet forums were protesting angrily last night at the possible arrival of Danny Wilson – the former manager of bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

Wilson, 51, spent three years as a player at Hillsborough in the early Nineties before returning as manager for a two-year spell that ended in relegation from the Premier League in 2000. No other manager has previously crossed the Steel City divide.

But McCabe, who sacked manager Micky Adams, a lifelong Blades supporter, two weeks ago is still tempted to turn to Wilson ahead of both Mark Robins and Keith Hill, who also reached the final stage of the interviewing process.

McCabe could also try to pacify unhappy supporters by appointing club captain Chris Morgan – who played under Wilson at Barnsley – as a key member of the new backroom team.

Wilson, ironically, had been sounded out about the possibility of a return to Barnsley but opted instead to speak to the Blades.

Out of football since quitting Swindon Town in March, the former Northern Ireland international has found it hard to eclipse the achievement of leading Barnsley into the Premier League back in 1997. He has been relegated with both Hartlepool United and Milton Keynes Dons in the last decade but was unlucky to miss out on promotion to the Championship with Swindon two seasons ago.

Whoever comes in will be expected to use the club’s pool of young talent as part of the club’s rebuilding process.

Last night, the Yorkshire Post learnt that talented striker Jordan Slew is wanted by Premier League Fulham. Having burst onto the scene during last season’s troubled campaign, the youngster has impressed a number of top-flight clubs and the Londoners are believed to have already made an enquiry.

The Blades have also gone out of their way to pursue both Robins and Hill.

Robins was interviewed twice in the last seven days and met McCabe’s director son Simon on Monday night when attending the second leg of the FA Youth Cup final at Old Trafford. Hill, meanwhile, was granted permission to speak to both the Blades and Barnsley by League One Rochdale.

The Tykes dropped their interest in Hill last week, apparently due to wage demands, and have been blocked in a move for Leyton Orient’s Russell Slade.

Dust is also yet to settle on Robins’ departure from Oakwell following a post-season disagreement with club owner Patrick Cryne over budget cuts.

Although Robins waited four days before speaking to the Blades, the timing of his exit sparked rumours of interest in the Blades job. Bizarrely, the Tykes issued a veiled criticism of Robins’ management style last night describing his football as ‘staid and defensive.’

It was part of a statement on the club’s official website designed to update supporters on the club’s search for a new manager but it also pledged to improve the ‘football product’ on offer at Oakwell next season.

Robins, 41, had spent nearly two years at Oakwell steering the Tykes to their highest league finish for a decade this season.

“We need for our club a manager who is a good motivator, a communicator and has a football philosophy that will excite our fans and get results,” read the statement. “That is what the board is determined to achieve. We must not get disappointed if we get the knock-back at this stage in the process. If we stay patient we can get someone who will revitalise our efforts off the field and the relationship with the fans.

“The most common view expressed by fans to board members, echoed in press letters and websites, is that our football has become staid and defensive,” it added. “Put frankly, we have been in a rut, which is not good for our business or our fans’ enjoyment of games. We must do better for our fans in terms of the football product.”