Sheffield United board apologise to fans after club is relegated

THE three key figures in the Sheffield United boardroom have apologised to supporters after seeing the Blades suffer relegation to League One on Saturday.

The 2-2 draw with Barnsley and subsequent results elsewhere, sparked an immediate statement from the United board as Micky Adams’s side dropped out of the Championship.

Sheffield United’s three most senior figures, principal owner and chairman of the club’s parent company Kevin McCabe, football club chairman Chris Steer and chief executive Trevor Birch say they have reviewed recent events and are now to embark on a ‘root and branch’ review of all aspects to do with the club, both on and off the field.

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In their lengthy message to supporters, they apologised for the relegation, acknowledged that big mistakes had been made re frequent personnel changes and recognised that managers had been allowed to place too great an onus on expensive loan signings and short-term contract players instead of focusing on young talent.

The statement makes it clear that the financial implications of relegation could yet prove severe on the club and that any re-building job will have to be done by using the young talent currently within the club’s ranks.

Chief executive Birch said: “This season and last have been painful and there’s no avoiding the reality of failure. The club has to hold its hands up and acknowledge that we got it wrong.

“We apologise to the fans who have stood by the club. They deserve success and we will work like hell to build a solid foundation on which we can base a team capable of, not only promotion back to the Championship, but also to the Premier League.

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“Realistically we understand 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”

Birch accepts that with the Blades operating one of the division’s higher than average wage bills, relegation should never have been an issue.

”Even though we have run with a higher than average wage bill for players since relegation, and certainly one that was clearly sufficient for us not to expect to find ourselves relegated from the Championship, we have made mistakes and ultimately the board has to accept responsibility,” he added. ”We are all devastated at being relegated but we have to rule a line under that chapter in the club’s history, learn from our mistakes and move forward with confidence and optimism every day from here on in. We will undertake a root and branch review of all our operations.

”It is time for change and those changes will happen on many fronts as we build solid foundations across all aspects of the club. Relegation means a significant drop in TV revenues and commercial hospitality and sponsorships. Quite clearly 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.

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”It will be a journey for the fans, staff and players alike. We have renewed 10,000 season tickets which is a fantastic expression of support for Sheffield United FC and those supporters, together with our regular match attendees, will be at the core of the rejuvenation of this great club.”

For more on this story and for all the best reaction and analysis of Sheffield United’s relegation, don’t miss Monday’s Yorkshire Post.