His two and a half year tenure at Bramall Lane came to an abrupt end on Saturday when Kevin McCabe and Trevor Birch decided to give the 51-year-old the boot.
He joined the Blades when we were in a real mess when Bryan Robson left us teetering over the drop. The former Leeds boss steered United away from the wrong end of the table up towards the play-offs, but his side missed narrowly missed out on the final day at Southampton.
After coming in mid-season and pulling off wonders, he then had a full season ahead of him. Blackwell, a former assistant to Neil Warnock, took the Blades to a play-off final and broke a club record for going unbeaten in away games. United, who drew 0:0 with Crystal Palace on the final day, finished third, with Birmingham City pipping us to the final automatic spot, leaving the Blades resigned to a play-off spot. Greg Halford's headed goal in the second-leg against Preston meant Utd went to Wembley, but the heartache in play-off finals continued.
Kevin Blackwell actually tendered his position as manager of Sheffield United, but was persuaded to stay on by Chairman Kevin McCabe. Last season was hampered by injuries. Blackwell used just under 40 players in one season, including FIVE goalkeepers. That's instability!
There's no doubt he had his hands tied behind his back, but his head was called for many a times last season after finishing eighth, but McCabe and Co backed Blackwell, however, not financially. Blackwell brought in seven players before his time as Blades boss was ended this weekend, but none of the acquisitions were for a cash fee.
There's no doubt that Blackie will get another job at this level, and he was, at times, arguably harshly criticised, but his reign was untenable when chants of "Blackwell out" echoed around Bramall Lane at full-time against QPR on Saturday.
I'm sure fellow Blades fans would join in with our thanks to the 51-year-old for his services to the club, and we wish him the very best for the future.
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