Curran:Owls were less than wise with transfers

“Bad management. End of story,” he says.

Coming from such a legend of Sheffield’s rich footballing past, the damning verdict is hard to ignore.

Curran, a mercurial winger, was the ‘hero’ or the ‘villain’ (depending on your allegiances) when the two Sheffield clubs last met in the third tier of English football just over three decades ago.

He scored for Wednesday in the ‘Boxing Day massacre’ at Hillsborough in 1979 and bagged a stunning equaliser in the drawn return fixture at Bramall Lane.

When he quit Wednesday to join United in the summer of 1982, it shook both sets of supporters to the core.

Now 56, Curran remains a ‘Wednesdayite’. He spent just one season with the Blades and says he only went there to annoy Jack Charlton, his manager at Hillsborough.

Thirty years on, he is disappointed that the Sheffield derby is again a League One fixture, especially as both clubs have since been in the Premier League.

Making matters worse, one of the men he holds responsible for Wednesday’s decline is now at United – former Owls manager Danny Wilson.

According to Curran, the Owls hit the skids during the five year spell that followed the sacking of manager Trevor Francis in 1995.

“It was bad management that led to Sheffield Wednesday being relegated,” says Curran. “Both David Pleat and Danny Wilson had millions to spend and did not spend it wisely. They didn’t intend to do it but they brought in the wrong players. Only a manager who brings in the right players and can handle the pressure will be successful at Sheffield Wednesday.”

The irony of Wilson now being in charge of United is not lost on Curran who can speak from personal experience about the pitfalls of crossing Sheffield’s footballing divide.

“To tell you the truth, I only joined United to upset Jack Charlton,” he confesses. “That’s all I did it for. We fell out after I told him that we needed three new players – a goalkeeper, a centre-back, and a centre-forward.

“He told me to keep my nose out of transfer dealings so I left and joined United, but he left that summer too. What happened when Howard Wilkinson took over as manager? He signed three new players – Martin Hodge (a goalkeeper), Mick Lyons (a centre-back), and Lee Chapman (a centre-forward) – and the club won promotion. You have to laugh.”

Wilson’s appointment this summer sparked a protest in the Bramall Lane car park.

“Football is about opinions and I think Danny will eventually look back on his move as a bad decision,” says Curran. “I made the same mistake as a player. The fans made it tough for me and so did some of the players.

“The Sheffield United fans didn’t want Danny when he was appointed this summer and they will be on his back as soon as results are not going well. Trust me, it won’t be gentle stuff, some of it will be aggressive. If he doesn’t keep getting results, he will find it tougher than anyone else at the club – and that is a shame because you couldn’t wish to meet a nicer guy.”

As Curran dropped down a dvision to join United, he never went through the ordeal of a game against Wednesday.

However, when Wilson steps into the dug-out this weekend, he will be treading new ground after becoming the first manager to swap sides, albeit with an 11-year gap.

“I think he is in for a rough ride from both sets of supporters,” predicts Curran. “If Wednesday get the result, United fans will give him stick. If United win, he will get stick from the Wednesday fans – but he knew all this when he took the job. You are only as good as your last game and it’s all about winning.”

Wilson enjoyed five victories in his first six games as United manager but results have dipped recently with three defeats in the last four games. Wednesday, meanwhile, are second in the table after making their best start to a season for 30 years.

“I admire (Wednesday’s manager) Gary Megson and he doesn’t need any advice from me,” says Curran. “They are in a great position but it’s a marathon not a sprint. I will have to go for Wednesday to win this weekend because they have turned it around in recent weeks while United have gone two or three without winning. On current form, Wednesday are the favourites. I don’t think they have anything to fear.”

Reflecting on the rise and fall of the clubs in recent years, Curran says: “I never thought I would see another derby in the third division once both clubs got into the Premier League (1993-94) – but that’s what you get from bad management.”

Curran, who had spells in management at non-league Goole and Mossley, applied several times to become manager of Wednesday yet missed out on the job. He now coaches youngsters at neighbours Doncaster Rovers and is currently recovering from an ankle operation.