Watford 3 Sheffield United 0: Blades chief considers quitting as dream turns into nightmare

What should have been a ‘dream’ job for the lifelong Blades fanatic has turned into a nightmare and only a spectacular run of results in the last nine games will save the club from relegation to League One.

After finally ending his 14-game wait for a victory against Nottingham Forest last week, Adams saw his side reduced to nine men against Watford with striker Darius Henderson and midfielder Lee Williamson both taking early baths.

Defeat was inevitable after that but the Blades showed enough fight and spirit to keep the scoreline respectable.

However, whether Adams will want to stay on for another season, regardless of what happens in the next nine games, remains to be seen.

The former Leicester City and Coventry City manager has never been under any illusions about the size of the task at Bramall Lane and has the full support of chairman Kevin McCabe and chief executive Trevor Birch.

But as the club heads towards the third tier – just four years after living the high life in the Premier League – Adams, who took charge less than three months ago, came clean about his gut feelings for the club’s future.

“People might not want to hear it – but we might have to take a hit and go down to rebuild,” he said. “It’s really sad for me to say and I don’t like saying it. But I don’t want you to report that we have given up – I am not saying that.”

Asked if he would consider quitting as the walls come tumbling down, Adams said: “I have got to be honest with myself and say ‘yes’.

“I am not saying I am going to quit, I am saying I would ‘consider it’ if things don’t improve because I came here with my eyes wide open and they are gradually shutting. I am just disappointed that I have not been able to turn it around.”

It would be a harsh critic who pointed an accusing finger of blame at Adams for the club’s current crisis.

In truth, the Blades are paying a price for wasting the money they banked in the Premier League, investing heavily in a property market that was about to collapse, and making woefully bad moves managerially.

Why any club would opt to sack a manager just two games into a new season – as the Blades did with Kevin Blackwell, for example – is hard to understand.

On Saturday, Adams reserved his criticism for referee Dean Whitestone but that spared Henderson and Williamson the embarrassment of any responsibility for this latest defeat.

Neither player should look back on their contribution with pride and both, with just a smidgeon of common sense, would have been able to stay on the field.

Henderson, already booked for a challenge on midfielder John Eustace, should have been treading more carefully in his first appearance of the season.

Yet the striker still lunged for a ball in the penalty area and left Watford defender Lee Hodson lying on a stretcher.

Williamson barged into Watford’s Lloyd Doyley with no apparent intention of winning the ball and referee Whitestone issued a straight red card.

From the first whistle, Williamson looked angry – pushing his studs into the chest of a Watford player on the floor and also body-checking Hodson off the ball. The fact that Henderson and Williamson are both former Watford players may have been a psychological factor.

Henderson was a shock inclusion in the Blades side after having spent the season on the sidelines with a hip injury.

He was booked after just 14 minutes for an innoccous looking challenge in the air with Eustace but that set the tone for the rest of the game.

When Williamson followed Henderson down the tunnel, Adams’s protests to the fourth official included a reference to ‘jobs on the line.’

Henderson’s return alongside Sam Vokes had initially given the attack a more imposing feel but it was at the back where the cracks appeared.

Only 10 minutes had gone when Watford were gifted an opening goal – thanks to a horrible mistake by Neill Collins.

The Blades defender attempted to knock a cross out for a corner but succeeded only in slicing the ball towards goalkeeper Steve Simonsen at bullet speed.

Simonsen produced a great reaction save but left striker Danny Graham with a simple header from two yards.

The Blades played for nearly an hour in a 4-3-1 formation so it was merely a damage limitation exercise. Let down by two team-mates, those who remained showed bigger hearts and certainly greater intelligence.

Simonsen spilled a cross but Graham was unable to get enough power on the ball to turn it home.

Graham was inches away from turning home Deeney’s cross and Doyley wasted another golden opportunity in first-half stoppage time.

The Blades managed to survive for 12 minutes after the break but were under constant pressure.

It was no surprise when Watford got a second goal – Martin Taylor scoring at a corner after Simonsen tipped a header from Adam Thompson against the crossbar.

The 1,000 supporters who had travelled down from Sheffield were doing their best to offer vocal assistance but the team was basically a sitting duck.

Watford had to wait until the 87th minute before finding the target again – Eustace’s high ball picking out Ross Jenkins who beat Nosworthy and Collins to head home.

The Blades are likely to appeal against Williamson’s red card but, under FA rules, cannot contest a dismissal awarded for two yellows.

As for manager Adams, his future remains in doubt with the Blades’ future in the Championship just as uncertain.

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