The Blades have changed - is it enough?

BBC News

23-07-2025

Sheffield United are at a transition point in their history. There is a new transfer methodology, a new manager, and a new style of play.Upon the appointment of Ruben Selles, the new-ish board asked for patience. But things have altered at Sheffield United and patience is a rare commodity in football anyway.There is a theme either from the terraces, phone in callers, podcasters and bloggers that achieving 92 points last season wasn't enough. Literally, as it turned out, and figuratively.No longer happy to enjoy the ride, some – insert your own percentage of the fan base – wanted more substance and more style. Is it entitlement? No. Arrogance? Not in my opinion. A sign of the progression the club had made? Yes, definitely.It reminds me of an irate caller to our post match phone in, Praise or Grumble, who said: "We should be beating teams like this?" Me: "You did".The call took place minutes after Chris Wilder's side had earned a narrow 1-0 win at Luton, a side also relegated from the Premier League in 2024 and on their way to a second drop.Blades fans have become accustomed to success, relatively speaking, in the past nine years.They have not finished lower than fifth in the Championship table in the past six years; that heady run also includes three seasons in the Premier League and a brief flirtation with the idea of European football.It's a far cry from 2016 when they finished 11th in League One, their lowest finish in 33 years. It leads me to a discussion point on Football Heaven this week: Did the Blades 'fail' by not going up? In the zero sum game that football is, yes, but it came after one mad, winless week in April and 20 mad minutes at Wembley against Sunderland. Plus the extraordinary seasons of centurions Leeds and Burnley.David, a Blades caller who called this week, said: "I think 92 points for that squad is pretty much par for the course." The caller's rational dissection of last season failed to acknowledge until prompted the difficulties in squad building of the previous summer and the lack of depth that didn't arrive until the January, at which point the Blades were top.And that leads me back to Selles, who has taken a job with no real margin for error.In my opinion he's made a good start, if pre-season is any gauge at all. When 'on it' there is an intensity about their play, they press higher up the pitch, and there is a fluidity of movement in attack that's been good to watch. It's not yet judgeable as better or worse, but different. And it's pre-season.But concerns persists for many about who may be sold from last seasons squad and whether the new, computer driven, recruitment model will find adequate replacements should it be required. Achieving promotion, with a perception of 'style' under the watchful eyes of an increasingly expectant fan base is Selles biggest challenge yet.