As I have traditionally done at the end of the last few seasons; it is that time again when I write a review of the campaign and also compile a school report for the different sections of the club. I will look at how they have fared and what are the prospects for next season for each respective department of the club.
I will begin with the review and a breakdown of the board and manager/s.
Over the next week I will add to this with breakdowns of the players/squad at the club and do the same. Will look at contract situation (may be wrong with some of these so again come in if I have got any wrong) and what might happen to each are of the team.
Feel free to add comments/disagree/debate.....after each post I make.
I have graded the board, the manager, players and the fans; in a traditional school report style of A+ to F- (every player who started at least one league game).
However, I have had to grade players based on the games they did play so some players who played a lot more may still get a lower grade despite disproportionate number of games in comparison. Eg- Dimaio started 2 games to say 24 for Hill but may get a better mark for his performances in these 2 games compared to Hill over the course of the season (Hill may have had more than 2 decent games of course). If that makes sense?
Of course whilst I have seen all the home games; I have only seen a handful away so that needs factoring into my analysis.
If I have missed anyone then please say. Feel free to weigh in with critique, opinions and even in some cases agreements!
Season review
After the disappointment of the previous campaign; United knew they had to get the managerial appointment right. The board had opted to terminate Danny Wilson’s spell before the season had finished and with United still in the playoffs; gave Chris Morgan a chance to earn the job but in a short period he fared little better and the defeat at Huish Park was really poor and a limp end to a season that had seen United top at Christmas.
Before the managerial appointment experienced players such as Kitson, Cresswell and Robson were moved on; but as typical with United it was not a straight forward process in getting the new manager. Days turned into weeks and into months as speculation centered around a number of ‘candidates.’ Karl Robinson was linked again, as was Neil Warnock and it seemed the board were struggling somewhat. Embarrassing comments from Aussie manager Graham Arnold did not help the optimism of the fans that the board knew what they were doing with rumours ex manager Dave Bassett was involved in the process. It seemed they had settled on Stuart McCall and after numerous talks it seemed he would be the man but chose to stay at Motherwell; perhaps an indictment on the state of the United finances and the position around the club.
After this it seemed United were back to square one and linked now were Michael Appleton and more left field, former captain and now Port Vale coach, Robert Page. It seemed like the candidates were getting less and less exciting when all of a sudden out of the blue, literally in terms of coming from Everton, United approached and then quickly named David Weir. After months of somewhat embarrassing speculation and little belief there was any clear plan, it seemed United had got on the surface what seemed a decent appointment. True it was his first real job and granted he had only been involved in the top level of the game but he had a good reputation at Everton as a coach and had even been interviewed for the Toffees job before Bill Kenwright gave it to Roberto Martinez. Many fans even felt it was quite a coup. I was in favour and felt it was an ambitious and forward thinking move unlike that the board normally makes. His early interviews were positive and he very articulate in what he said and what he wanted.
Alarm bells probably should have been raised maybe when we signed a flurry of players only 2 weeks after he took charge. Were these really his signings or had Director of Football John Stephenson instigated such business? Fabian Brandy seemed an exciting signing offering pace and running and the likes of Stephen McGinn, Sean McGinty and Jasper Johns seemed young and hungry types who were low cost and risk captures. Lyle Taylor and Connor Coady came in too and you sensed there was a movement towards youth and energy after Wilson’s squad had been one that maybe saw too many players looking for one last pay cheque.
Many were optimistic that the side could mount a serious promotion charge and this belief was strengthened after an unbeaten pre season where the side were knocking the ball about and clearly trying to play a possession game. It was very different to the more direct side Wilson had employed last season (more attractive his first season with better players).
August
The opening day or night rather saw United face Notts County on Sky on a Friday night and a great team performance saw United deservedly win with a headed winner from Harry Maguire. United bossed the game helped by a red card for County with a new formation and shape seeing the highly influential Kevin McDonald played just behind the striker and the clear desire to keep the ball in all areas of the field. Even the maligned Marcus Williams and Daryl Westlake performed well. United fans leaving would have felt even more confident that they had got the right manager. Noone quite envisaged what was to follow. A poor performance saw a second successive defeat in two seasons to lower league Burton in the League cup and then United were well beaten at powerful Brentford. Rumours surfaced that star man McDonald was subject to a bid and a trigger in his contract had been activated. After days of speculation he eventually left the club. It seemed much of Weir’s plans with his shape and side revolved around McDonald and his departure seemed to throw a lot of his planning into smoke.
Another poor performance saw them fortunate to get a draw at home to Colchester when a keeping error gave another goal to Maguire but United were well beaten at newly promoted Bradford. Many of the newcomers were looking out of their depth with Taylor and McGinty in particular not impressing. United looked powder puff up front and the defence that had been so solid last season was shipping goals. Just before the deadline United did bring in a couple of new players with Jose Baxter and Florent Cuvelier; both whom had impressed at this level in seasons past, coming in. These again seemed young footballers of the right type to move United on but another limp defeat at home to MK Dons in which the newcomers made their debut saw the first sign of genuine unrest at Weir and his methods. Febian Brandy’s open goal miss at the end followed by the MNK dons winner and Brandy’s stupid red card summed things up. In short United were passing the ball about but looking clueless and often barely having a shot in some games. They were losing the ball due to overplaying and thus conceding daft goals.
September
Just before United were due to play (and fortunately win on penalties) at Scunthorpe in the JPT; the rumours of a potential investment were suddenly confirmed and a statement was issued. HRH Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; a member of the Saudia Arabian royal family had bought 50% of the club and was to enter partnership with Kevin McCabe. It seemed too good to be true, especially when McCabe said his debts were being wrote off. Other new board members connected to the Prince were Selahattin Baki (Turkish) and Jim Phipps (American). A great deal of press surrounded the announcement and the interviews all seemed very positive. Despite this move it had come too late to make any serious changes in the transfer window although the additions of Baxter and Cuvelier had been thought to have been approved by the new owner/s. Rumours of moves for the Coventry striker pair Wilson and Clarke never materialised and United had to go with what they had. In front of the Prince and his associated United were well beaten at near neighbours Rotherham and he realised what a job he probably had on his hands. The disappointing performances continued as an awful performance saw defeat at struggling Carlisle and then another loss at home to Preston. To add to the controversy Weir had signed Marlon King splitting opinion amongst many fans due to his off the field shenanigans. The first calls for manager Weir to go came loud and clear. The Blades lost at Wolves and were now rock bottom.
October
A home draw with Crawley did little to ease the mood of the fans with the play slow, pedestrian and dull with a goal for King the only salvation. United did not look like scoring in most games and the players looked totally uncomfortable with what Weir was trying to get them to do. Players who had done well last season now looked to be really struggling. After a dismal defeat to Hartlepool in the JPT, Weir was roundly booed and his post match interview was that of a dead man walking. Sure enough days later the new owner (and McCabe) made their move and removed the probably relieved Weir from his post. Once again Chris Morgan was put in charge as the rumours of Weir’s successor did the rounds with worryingly the same unimpressive collection from the summer being mentioned again. One manager who was not available in the summer was Nigel Clough who had done a steady if not spectacular job at Derby and maybe had been a tad unfortunate to get the sack. It seemed that was the man United wanted and would wait if they had to as he sorted out compensation from his former employer.
A better second half instigated by Morgan’s more straight forward approach saw them nearly snatch a draw at Coventry and then they managed a hard working draw at high flying Peterborough. Finally a win (the first since the opening day) when they saw off Port Vale at the Lane. In the week that followed Clough was named bringing with him assistants Andy Garner, Darren Crosby and deciding to keep Morgan as part of his team. The Blades improvements had started under Morgan and continued when they beat Crewe in Clough’s first game. In came Aidy White and Simon Lappin on loan.
November
Clough was brought back down to earth as another stupid Brandy sending off contributed to the Blades losing 2-0 at Shrewsbury before they won at Colchester in the first round of the cup. Most would have no idea the significance of such a win with fans pointing to the poor league form and that the cup would be an unwelcome distraction with more game followed by the inevitable loss to a better side. A defeat in front of the watching Prince at home to Gillingham saw United firmly cemented in the relegation places but they bounced back with a scrappy 1-0 at a en equally poor Bristol City side. It at least showed the new found determination and desire not to get beaten and two further workmanlike draws at higher placed Walsall and Orient were an improvement. The side now were very much back to basics with a solid base coupled with more opportunities at the other end, even though the strike force remained a concern.
December
Another win in the cup at Cambridge on TV was a sign in the right direction with the improving Murphy the key man. United then bear Swindon with Baxter scoring an important winner and there was real signs of life. A draw at Stevenage should have been bettered as United dominated before two wildly fluctuating performances at the Lane against Oldham and then Tranmere heralded two more unbeaten games and four more points.
January
Despite the improvements, defeat at Walsall saw united still in real trouble but away from the league a very impressive performance at Aston Villa saw a shock 3rd round win with the much improved Murphy and match winner Flynn impressive in a really committed and together team performance in front of over 6,000 Blades fans. Still it was very much a case of one step forward, two back as another awful performance at Notts County saw a defeat in front of another large Blades following. A draw with Bradford saw a much better performance but United had thrown away a two goal lead. Further changes to the personnel came when out went King, Brandy (back to Walsall), Lyle Taylor (on loan back to Scotland) and Tony McMahon and in came two new full backs Bob Harris (in exchange from Blackpool) and John Brayford, on loan from Cardiff. Both impressed in another battling cup performance which saw them draw with Fulham at the Lane despite a stupid red card from Michael Doyle. Also impressing was another newcomer the diminutive Stefan Scougall signed from Livingston. His performance as a second half substitute really heartened the fans.
February
It seemed United had turned the corner but an awful performance at Crewe when the side (full of the new signings) were well beaten. At this moment many United fans feared they would go down and could not see a way out. It marked a real pivotal moment as the following Tuesday United went to Fulham and deservedly beat the Premier League side with a late Shaun Miller strike at the end of extra time in front of the jubilant Blades fans. After this United then beat Shrewsbury at home and then the cup run continued with a brilliant performance and comeback against high flying Forest in front of an intimidating and almost full Bramall Lane. Porter scored two and the much maligned forward had suddenly become somewhat of a talisman. It seemed the belief was back and a hard working win at Gillingham followed with another former Clough man Ben Davies now aboard too. Further wins against lowly Colchester and also Bristol City saw United finally out of the bottom four and they would not go back into such a position of danger. The new signings had been impressive with Brayford quickly becoming a cult hero but it was as much about the improvements in existing players such as the returning Mark Howard and more so the wing duo of Flynn and Murphy. United now finally looked like scoring goals and even though the formation seemed negative; often with Baxter as a false striker, they broke at speed and were creating chances. They also looked far more solid and together then they had all season.
March
Wins became the norm as MK Dons were beaten thanks to a first goal from Scougall and then United saw off Peterborough with Davies scoring a beautiful free kick and Porter sealing the game. Next up was Charlton in the big cup quarter final. The visitors had seen off city rivals Wednesday but in front of a near capacity Bramall Lane, they were swept aside as goals from Flynn and Brayford saw United fans in dream land and back at Wembley. United’s momentum continued and suddenly it was 10 wins in a row as Carlisle were beaten. The run had to end and it did with a hard earned draw at Preston who looked a powerful side. A defeat followed days later spoiling somewhat the 125th anniversary as another big and strong side, Wolves, saw off United. Still they got back on with it and won at Crawley with Coady scoring two opportunistic goals. Suddenly there was genuine talk of the playoffs but an unlucky defeat at Swindon when United were pressing for a winner saw this dream all but over.
April
Three successive home fixtures against 3 of the top 4 was probably not the ideal preparation for an FA Cup semi final but United fared well, drawing with a very good Brentford side, a less impressive Orient and then with a much weaker side seeing off local rivals Rotherham at the Lane thanks to a late penalty. The match was one many Millers had been very confident of winning and manager Steve Evans’ post match comments summed up how disappointed they were that United had ended the automatic promotion hopes of his side. To the semi final and in front of over 32,000 Blades, United did the unthinkable and scored (three times) and led twice and gave a superb first half performance. However they were undone by a fast and improved Hull side who swept them aside after the break. Still United nearly forced extra time and the fact the fans gave them a standing ovation even when Hull sealed the game summed up the efforts of the side. It had been representative of a hugely different and improved side since Clough had taken over. A tired United managed to squeak by a poor Stevenage and get a point at Tranmere before they came back to win at Port Vale. The final away game at Oldham saw a late point gained with Muprhy and Porter combining for the second successive away game.
May
The season ended with a comeback from behind, now a trademark of Clough’s sides; at home to Coventry as they ended with a win. It had been 8 games unbeaten which along with the run to get away from trouble and the cup exploits showed what a turnaround it had been.
Summary
United's season could be very much split into two. To associate it as an unmitigated disaster under the tenure of Weir and a great success under Clough paints it in simplistic terms but is very accurate. It has been an odd 12 months. Wilson was removed, we then struggled to bring a new manager in and it all seemed a bit aimless. We kind of stumbled on Weir rather than any real plan but it seemed a decent and innovative appointment. It went horribly wrong. His signings did not work; he could not motivate the players and tried to change too much too soon (more on this on my managerial analysis). It was spectacularly bad and matched the likes of Heath and Peters for sheer ineptitude. sure losing McDonald and some experienced players did not help but the side were better than this in a generally poor division. The new ownership gave fans a boost but nothing tangible happened straight away with results on the pitch still awful. Most felt Weir had to go and whilst those outside the game (who had not seen us week in, week out) said it was another change and that the board had lost the plot; the reality was to borrow a phrase from our new American spokesman Jim Phipps, a 'no brainer.' He had to go or the team would be relegated. There had been nothing to suggest that would not happen.
I will be honest and say I was not too excited by Nigel Clough. So I got the Weir one and the Clough one wrong. I felt he had done little to impress so far and Derby fans' that spoke of Clough were equally mixed. Still for where we are in the league and considering who we had been linked with before, it still had to be improvement; certainly on Weir. Things gradually changed with Morgan's short spell more effective this time and gradually we started to win games. However we did lose quite a few games and still looked bereft of attacking threats. We got some really good results in the cup and slowly you could see things happened. Still a defeat at Crewe even had many (myself including) suggesting were things that much better (at least in terms of league placing)? The cup run continued and the league form turned around and we had an incredible spell from February to the end of March where we won 10 straight league games (many Saturday-midweek) and got through to the Semi Final of the Cup with two great Lane days against Forest and then Charlton. The club seemed to have turned around and Clough has to take enormous credit for that. There was a new openness and whilst the new owner had not really invested anything significant yet, the noises were generally more positive all around. We signed some exciting new players that gave us running and pace that we had not before and he turned around previously poor looking players. He also instilled a togetherness in the squad that we did not have before jettisoning players who maybe did not want to stay and fight for their place and making it a smaller (some felt this as foolish at the time - myself included again!) and more close knit squad but where organisation and togetherness was key. Suddenly United were safe and had an outside shot of the playoffs. The semi final brought defeat but a genuinely great day for many Blades and a much improved Wembley display. The top six chance was slim and it went over the Easter weekend but United finished the season in such a way that confidence has to be high again.
We will not walk the league next season by a long stretch but equally I would be amazed if we were near the bottom or even in the bottom half. We finished not far off the playoffs and thus with the right signings (strikers and more strikers) and retentions (Maguire, Murphy) and loan extensions (Coady, Brayford) we can reasonably entertain a top 6 place and that knows maybe even higher. Clough has brought belief but we must have a good summer, make the right additions and ensure we start well. Another poor start or lacklustre beginning and it could be another season down the drain. We have to ensure the players show the form of the great run but take it on and that with a better cutting edge and even dare I say it more physical (stronger) additions we can kick on. It looks wide open next season but we have said that before and still have a big gap to come near the level of Brentford and Wolves (points margin and how the performed against us) but hopefully no team will run away and if we are organised, hard to beat and with a better goal threat we should win a lot more than we lose and have a decent season. I do want to see some proper investment (not silly but forward thinking) in 4 or 5 players this summer and it will be interesting to see how much investment the new owners put in to show 'their bona fide'ies' so to speak!