Sharpening a Rusty Blade - Book III

Monday, 6th July, 2009.

My wife hates the smell of grass.

I love it.

It reminds me of the football pitches of my youth.

'Soccer' in America was a late summer, early fall sport, and I lived for it. I'd chase a ball as long as you were willing to kick it, and the smell always takes me back to those days, staying into twilight, my dad kicking the ball so high into the air that none of us was willing to play it, even after it had bounced once...

The summer of 2009 recalled those heady days of my youth.

The sense of anticipation was tangible throughout the camp. I told the lads that only a few positions were already filled, but that everybody else would be battling for a position in the first team.

For the manager and coaches, of course, the first day of training is an almost overwhelming experience. We had 64 players in camp, and over the next month we would have to shake out who belonged in the squad, who looked like Reserve material, and who needed to gain experience elsewhere - all the while working the phones to see if we could add any missing pieces of the puzzle.

This is Book III of Sharpening a Rusty Blade. If you'd rather start at the beginning of the tale without spoilers, you're looking for Sharpening a Rusty Blade - Book I. I might also recommend starting at the first post of Book II.

If you just want to jump straight in, welcome aboard! The early posts of this thread will fill in most of the back-story.

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Table of Comments

Book I:

Chapter 1: July 2004 (Page 1)

Chapter 2: January 2005 (Page 5)

Chapter 3: June 2005 (Page 9)

Interlude: World Cup 2006 (Page 16)

Chapter 4: June 2006 (Page 17)

Book II:

Chapter 5: April 2007 (Page 1)

Chapter 6: June 2007 (Page 3)

Chapter 7: July 2008 (Page 16)

Book III:

Chapter 8: July, 2009 (Page 1)

Interlude: World Cup 2010 (Page 12)

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Tuesday, 7th July, 2009.

Second Season Syndrome?

Excitement ran high at Bramall Lane yesterday as the players reported to their first training session of the 2009/10 season. For the 2,500 supporters who came out to show their support for the Premiership club, it was a first chance to see new signing Bruno Cheyrou, or to catch a glimpse of some of the hottest prospects from the youth system.

With Sheffield United returning all eleven starters from last season's twelfth-place finish, the fans have high hopes for the coming season. Most interviewed expect the team to duplicate their performance from last year, and achieve a safe mid-table position within the Premier League, and there was even talk of a top-ten finish.

The board have been more circumspect, downplaying the side's chances.

"We'll be happy just to stay up," cautioned chairman Derek Dooley, but after sensationally beating Arsenal 3-1 last year in a game that the Gunners absolutely had to win, optimism runs high among the Blades faithful.

More than one professional tout has marked the Blades as the 'team to watch' for the season, even a dark horse for a European spot, but there is a danger in overconfidence.

Can manager Ian Richards keep his side clear of 'second-season syndrome'?

Given what the American has accomplished in his first three seasons, few would bet against him, personally, but its a bit early to dust the trophy cabinet.

This squad still has its share of problems.

Up front, Florent Sinama-Pongolle failed to make much of a mark last season, scoring just four goals after his £3.1M January transfer. Peter Weatherson led the club in scoring, but is hardly a name that strikes fear into the hearts of Premiership goalkeepers.

The central midfield is clearly the club's strength, with Supporter's Player of the Year Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, summer signing Bruno Cheyrou, promising young Joe Newell, and stalwart defensive midfielder Mathieu Berson.

The wings, however, are a concern. Right wing Victor Sikora failed to contribute a single assist last season. Left wing Stewart Downing is discontented, and has made no secret of his desire to leave the club.

The defense has been inconsistent at best, at times looking unbeatable, but thrice conceding 5-0 defeats that underscored the gap between the home eleven and the top clubs of the Premiership. David Rozehnal has never really settled, captain Hayden Foxe will be exhausted after a summer full of international matches, and young Ben Hammond is disillusioned with his manager.

Goalkeeper, too, has been a question mark, with Allan McGregor capable of some brilliant performances, but equally capable of shipping five goals. New signing Gabriele Mattiussi was a troublemaker at A.C. Milan, and will need time to adjust to the English style, culture, and language.

Richards may be accounted a tactical genius in some circles, but to take this team to the next level, he needs better players - and the board's scandalous decision not to invest more in players this summer has doomed the club to mid-table mediocrity at best.

Rupert Wormwood has been the most cynical writer in the Sheffield media, but not even his doom and gloom could silence the burgeoning tide of optimism sweeping the Lane.

Book III. \o/ kutew. (the 'e' standing for excellent)

--

Is there anything planned once this trilogy has finished?

Why is there no chapter 8? I've only skimmed parts of the story, so have no idea whether it's deliberate.

Thank you, aab, glad you're along for the next chapter! No, no plans beyond Blade to announce at the moment.

HD - ummm, would you believe.. typesetter error? It must have been a problem at the printer's.

Wednesday, 8th July, 2009.

"You showed a lot of loyalty when Manchester City came calling," my elderly chairman said at the monthly board meeting, smiling like a round-faced cherub, "And we wanted to make sure you were justly rewarded."

It felt like Mr. Dooley was speaking for the record, not for me - we'd discussed the contract he was talking about the previous week, and the ink was already dry on my signature.

"We're all aware of the job you've done," he continued, "When you took over this club, we were down in League One, and you've earned promotion or safety every year you've been in charge.

"It only makes sense to compensate you at the level a Premier League manager deserves: I hope you'll be managing this club for years to come."

The contract had included a three-year extension beyond the one year I'd had remaining: a commitment though 2013. The incentive clauses seemed a bit silly to me: we may have finished 12th last season, but we weren't really going to challenge for a Champions League berth or the UEFA Cup title anytime soon!

The rest of the meeting amounted to a rubber stamp: we'd already discussed the important things in late June.

The transfer budget had been somewhat disappointing, but the sales we'd completed on the first of July had pushed it up to £7.2M, which was more than double what I'd spent on any single player previously.

The wage budget, too, had been increased, to £22M per-annum. With the balance of movement thus far this summer heading away from the team, our actual wage bill was down to £12.8M p/a, leaving plenty of room if I needed to bring in a big-name signing or two.

I'm not sure I'll ever quite understand the book-keeping system here. Last year, the television revenue counted against the bottom line for the 08-09 season, but this season's revenue had been applied to that season as well. In addition, the July 1st transfers were charged against June's bottom line.

It meant we could report great numbers: with the television revenue and the player sales, we'd turned a profit of £8.1M for the month of June, and by recording most of that revenue against the 08-09 fiscal year, the board were reporting a gross revenue of £53.6M for the year. Against operating expenses of £30.9M and a dividend of £7.4M, that left a net profit of £15.3M.

When I complained that that short-changed us for this season, General Manager Terry Robinson laughed.

"Welcome to the world of PLC finances, son."

He's Mr. Dooley's right-hand man, and where the chairman has a perennial optimism about the club's fortunes, Mr. Robinson keeps a tighter watch on the purse strings. I worried that he'd interfere, when I first started, but he's been good enough to leave me alone thus far.

As though all of that weren't confusing enough, the July transfers, minus taxation, had all been applied to this season, which left us with a profit of £2.3M already.

I finally had to jump to the bottom line, which was this: we had £25.1M in the bank, which is more than we'd had at this time last year, and we'd paid our debt down to £2.4M, which would be paid off in full by September, 2011.

Thursday, 9th July, 2009.

One thing I was working on this year was our corner routine. We hadn't looked dangerous on corners and free kicks all of last year, and I wanted to come up with something new for this season. Working with veteran assistant manager Stuart McCall, we'd come up with something that looked good on paper, but the proof would be on the pitch.

The only player missing from those opening workouts was Gareth Davies, who was restricted to light workouts, as he was still recovering from the hip surgery he'd sustained last year.

The promising 20-year-old was cleared to join the rest of the club in full training, today, but the news wasn't entirely good. A private e-mail from the physiotherapist he'd been seeing warned me that, although a short-term solution had been found, he still believed the young attacking midfielder would continue to have problems with the injury.

In other injury news, striker Peter Weatherson bruised his head in a training collision with Jamie Cooper, who was working hard to impress this summer. Our leading scorer with 15 goals last year, Weatherson would miss the opening friendly of the summer.

Today's national news, however, wasn't about that. In fact, it wasn't about Sheffield United at all. In an eagerly-awaited press conference, Liverpool had announced the hiring of Aston Villa manager Javier Clemente as their new skipper.

I was stunned. So was the Kop.

Clemente's recent record has been less than overwhelming. He'd taken Leeds United to 4th in the Championship in 2004/05, but in 2005/06, he got them relegated to League One - or halfway there, as he was sacked mid-season. He then took over an Everton club which had come 16th in the Premier League, and got them relegated to the Championship in the 2006/07 season, where he was unable to bring them back up. He inherited Aston Villa halfway through their 3rd-placed finish in 2007/08, but under his guidance last year, they plummeted from 3rd to 15th, with eight wins against twenty losses.

It was hardly a resume to recommend him, and the national press were as taken aback as I was.

Friday, 10th July, 2009.

"Can I speak to you a moment, boss?"

It was Jonathan Forte. The likable young winger stepped into my office, pulling the door behind him.

"I've been speaking with my agent," he started, taking a seat, "And I'd like you to consider an increase to my current pay deal.

"It was appropriate back when I was a young talent on a Championship side, but if I'm solidly in the rotation at a Premier League club, he thinks I deserve more. I'd love to sign a new deal, but if the club can't meet my needs, I may have to reluctantly move elsewhere."

It didn't come entirely out of the blue: with the wage budget increase, I was expecting similar demands from some of the less-well-paid players throughout the club. I told him I'd be speaking with his agent.

Sunday, 12th July, 2009. Friendly, at York City.

My managerial career took off at Bootham Crescent, where I guided the Minstermen to successive titles in the Conference National and League Two. Since I left, they've continued their meteoric promotion streak: a solid third-place finish in League One, last year, followed by a successful playoff campaign, has lifted them all the way to the Championship. Manager Chris Kinnear has been acclaimed a genius!

In each of the past five seasons, Sheffield United and York City had met at Bootham Crescent, a tradition that had started with a friendly I'd arranged my first summer at York. Of the four encounters, two had been draws, and two had been wins to Sheffield United - but this was a very different York team. They'd already played two friendlies this summer, with wins over Scottish side Peterhead and non-League Guiseley. This was their first home game of the season.

My starting lineup was unchanged from the end of the previous season: Allan McGregor was in goal, with Sean Dillon, captain Hayden Foxe, David Marek Rozehnal, and Keith McCormack left-to-right across my defensive line. Mathieu Berson would roam the defensive midfield, with Stewart Downing and Victor Sikora on the wings. Iain Hume and Supporter's Player of the Year Marc Bridge-Wilkinson were the attacking midfielders, with Florent Sinama-Pongolle at striker. On the substitutes' bench were all of the players who had York connections, plus a few other notables, who I intended to bring in wholesale at halftime.

The season started brightly, with a crowd of 842 on hand to enjoy a sunny summer Sunday at Bootham Crescent, including quite a number who had made the trip from Sheffield. The traveling supporters got what they were looking for in the third minute. David Rozehnal stepped in front David Murphy's pass on the York left wing, and the Czech defender launched a long ball down the wing. Florent Sinama-Pongolle had the pace to run it down, and he dribbled along the end line before sending a pass into the empty six. York central defender Kevin Eaton got a foot on it, but then Marc Bridge-Wilkinson arrived at the back post to hammer it home, banking it off the near post from eight yards from net. A mere 2:55 into the new season, we were up 1-0!

Just past the tenth minute, we earned a corner kick on the right sideline, and the Minstermen opted to pile ten men within nine yards of the net. The only problem with that strategy was that it left Bridge-Wilkinson unmarked at the eighteen. Stewart Downing played a quick low corner to him, and the Supporter's Player of the Year blasted it into traffic. It deflected off of York sweeper Kevin Muscat, and goalie Lee Baxter had no chance: it was 2-0.

We were in complete control, and had two close chances over the next half hour, with Victor Sikora's drought continued by Muscat's block, and Stewart Downing denied on a fine save by Baxter. Just before halftime, Iain Hume staked his claim for a first-team place, launching a fabulous strike from twenty five yards despite York having eleven men back. No keeper in the world could have saved the shot, a screamer which clipped in off the underside of the crossbar. It sent us to the locker room with a 3-0 halftime lead.

At the break, I brought the second unit on: Nick McDonald in goal, Joe Keenan, Steve Foster, Jamie Cooper, and Danny Payne across the back. Steve Newton would be the defensive midfield, with Jonathan Forte and Jon Paul McGovern on the wings. Up front, summer signing Bruno Cheyrou debuted in the playmaker role, with Joe Newell the shooter, and young Darren Gibson as the striker. For Keenan, Cooper, and McGovern, it was a return to Bootham Crescent

Just eight minutes into the second half, we added a fourth. Danny Payne took the corner, and tried to play it for a flick-on header from Jon Paul McGovern. It came in a bit too low for the Scot, so he tried to turn it with his chest. It bounced off him, then ricocheted off Michael Staley and squirted into the six. Joe Keenan didn't even let it bounce, volleying home with a powerful left foot from point blank range to make it 4-0. Ironically, it was his first goal at Bootham Crescent, despite playing for me there in League Two.

It was all but over as a match, but with positions in my starting XI at stake, my squad were still motivated to add goals. In the 55th, Joe Newell nearly got a goal on a quick break, but had his shot tipped over by Baxter. He got his goal five minutes later, on yet another corner kick. This time, Payne sent it towards the penalty spot, where Newell had gotten a half-step ahead of David Murphy. He hit it high and hard to goal, a shot Baxter needs to be able to stop if he's going to start in the Championship. He didn't, and it was 5-0.

The hosts nearly pegged one back, with prolific Paul Edwards hitting side netting after Jamie Cooper gave him too much space. Cooper was really struggling to keep up with him, and earned a yellow for a blatant foul a few minutes later.

Target man Noel Hunt came on in the final twenty-five minutes, and it looked like he got an assist shortly thereafter. He broke up the left wing, and at speed curled a fine cross into the six. Debutante midfielder Bruno Cheyrou headed home - but the whistle had blown. Cheyrou was ruled offsides, but it was still an impressive move from both players.

There was no further scoring, but we'd made our point, and thoroughly!

York 0, Sheffield United 5

----; Bridge-Wilkinson 3, 11, Hume 45, Keenan 53, Newell 60

MoM: Bridge-Wilkinson

Its early days yet, but two-goal hero Marc Bridge-Wilkinson appeared in mid-season form while earning Man of the Match.

York hadn't really looked like a Championship side, and if they couldn't mount a better performance than that, the Minstermen were in for a long, tough season. Still, I shook hands with my former chairman Steve Beck, and those of my players who remained - Gavin Atkinson, Kevin Butler, Alan Navarro, Michael Staley, and Paul Edwards. I wished them well - I could almost imagine seeing York in the Premiership!

The lads seemed happy to see me, as we all have fond memories of the two titles we'd won together.

No, no plans beyond Blade to announce at the moment.

That is a real shame.

Monday, 13th July, 2009.

I know that I shouldn't read too much into a win over a side just promoted from League One, but there was hardly a flaw anywhere in our game, and in fact I felt a bit guilty about so rudely abusing my former side, especially on their home turf. If I renew the rivalry next year, it might need to be with my second team.

The thing I was most pleased with was the success of the new corner routine. I didn't expect that much space once Premiership-quality defenses had time to study game film of it, but we'd scored three of our five goals from set pieces - as many as we'd had all last season!

Since 64 players makes a long squad rundown that tends to pass in a blur by the time you make it out of the defenders, I'm going to present the squad one position at a time, interspersed with the pre-season friendlies.

Goalkeepers:

GK Allan McGregor, 26, Scotland, uncapped:

38 games, 41 conceded, 14 clean sheets, 9 MoM, 7.32:

Though the Scot doesn't look like a phenomenal player, he's getting the job done, although I'm always on the lookout for a replacement. He is determined and brave, with good agility and reflexes, and solid throughout though unspectacular. His anticipation and command of the area leave a bit to be desired. Still, he's adequately filled the position, and its been difficult to find anybody who could even provide competition for him, let alone steal the starting job away. Though considered a candidate for the Scottish goalkeeping position as a youth, he's never once been capped at the senior international level.

GK Gabriele Mattiussi, 20, Italy, uncapped:

no appearances for A.C. Milan (Italy):

Replacing Steve Harper as the backup goalkeeper is a 20-year-old Italian with good concentration. He looks solid across the board in most of the other areas I care about - not too eccentric, reasonable positioning and decisions. His reflexes aren't great, and Stuart is concerned that his lack of English and low determination may prevent him from ever settling into the squad.

GK Stephen Cummins, 17, Ireland, 3 U-21 caps:

2 games, 0 conceded, 2 clean sheets, 7.00:

Signed from Shelbourne for £210k, this youngster looks like a real prospect. John Richards, whose judgment I trust, rates him as a player of immense quality who should be given the time to develop his fantastic ability. His concentration, teamwork, work rate, and jumping ability are all at the level required for international stardom. His reflexes are much better than Mattiussi's, and he doesn't have any weaknesses to his game, though he tends not to punch or rush off his line.

GK Adam Ryan, 18, England, uncapped:

2 games, 4 conceded, 1 clean sheet, 6.50:

In 24 non-competitive matches last season, this youngster conceded only 6 goals, notching 19 clean sheets. He has excellent agility, and the determination, bravery, and strength one would ask for. However, he hasn't done too well in developing his handling or reflexes - he's doing better in positioning and concentration. My coaches think he's not progressing much, and I certainly wouldn't expect him to step into the first team any time soon, but I still think he has plenty of potential. I'll try to loan him out to a League One side this year.

GK Nick McDonald, 19, England, uncapped:

1 game, 4 conceded, 0 clean sheets, 5.00 for York City (League One):

This young goalkeeper is well-rounded, showing modest quality in almost every aspect of his game without standing out in any aspect. He looks like a solid and dependable League One or Two keeper, but both John Richards and Stuart McCall are convinced that he's reached the limits of his ability, and will never really develop into a Premier League player. I'll try to sell him, or get him loan action in the Championship.

GK Colin Hatton, 18, England, uncapped:

No senior appearances:

Though he has phenomenal concentration, and fine balance and agility, Hatton's reflexes are awful and are not improving. Worse, his ball shy nature has turned into a major liability, and I worry that he might not even find a home in the Conference. He'll go directly on the transfer list.

GK Paul Stone, 18, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

I'm not convinced of Stone's long-term value to the club: his reflexes are better than Hatton's, and he shows fine teamwork, determination, and work ethic, but in most aspects of a goalkeeper's trade he's a bit below the pine. He's just come up from my youth system, and will earn a season in the U-18s or on loan, but I doubt he'll stick with the club beyond this season.

GK Simon Parker, 16, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

Honestly, a very similar player to Stone, a bit beneath the cut in most aspects, and needing to improve across the board to really stake a claim to a place in the side. He has one advantage over Stone: my scouts recommended him highly, which will earn him the right to three seasons with the U-18 programme.

GK Simon Fox, 17, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

The weakest keeper on the squad. His positioning is absolutely atrocious, and when combined with poor decision-making and a lack of concentration, he often looks like an outfield player stuck in goal by mistake. Given the depth of talent at the club, he won't ever get a chance to progress, and I think he'll go directly on the transfer list.

Wednesday, 15th July, 2009.

The squad's training focus was still intensely aerobic, and I started to see a few casualties. Simon Blake strained his neck in training, which would keep him out of at least two friendlies. It was an unlucky break for the 19-year-old winger, but he wasn't honestly going to challenge for a first-team place.

Today, we added a 16-year-old to the roster, attacking midfielder David Parker, who looked a likely sort.

AM C David Parker, 16, England:

schoolboy:

A speedy attacking midfielder with good concentration and exceptional bravery, he's also got a good first touch for such a young player. He'll need training in the other areas I expect him to do well with - he's not close to the technique or understanding of the game that he'll need, but my scouts were very excited to bring him in.

Negotiations with Jonathan Forte weren't going well - frankly, we were miles apart - but striker Tom Baker, now 17, signed his first professional contract.

Centre backs:

D C David Marek Rozehnal, 29, Czech Republic, 28 caps:

16 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

A hard-working team player who sees considerable action for the Czech national team, David is the most complete player on the squad. He has literally no weaknesses, and could do anything from taking a corner to making a long throw to hitting a shot from range. He's a very good marker, and fantastic in the air, and I hope he'll be a bulwark of our central defense for years to come.

D C Hayden Foxe, 32, Australia, 37 caps, 3 goals:

37 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 1 MoM, 7.16:

The captain of the team, and a regular starter for Australia, Foxe is noticeably on the downside of his career. He still has the balance, natural fitness, and jumping ability which characterized his game, and his composure under pressure is legendary. He still has the determination, and the ability to hit a free kick, but in some areas, noticeably the key techniques of tackling and marking, he's starting to look more like a Championship-calibre player.

D C Ben Hammond, 20, England, uncapped:

15 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.87:

This young player is quickly developing into the Premier League standard, and with his fine pace, decisions, tackling, and passing, he may be on his way to being the best central defender on the squad. He's certainly the best coverage player, and he shows fine concentration, anticipation, and aggression. He's currently unhappy with the amount of competition for a first team place, and out on loan to Leeds, but I suspect he just might earn a starting role when he returns, possibly displacing Foxe.

D C Steve Foster, 28, England, uncapped:

25 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.88:

Five years as Foxe's partner are likely coming to a close, as Foster played a reduced role last season, seeing much less action than the Australian. He's fantastic with his head, and a solid tackler who knows how to cover a man, but his average pace is almost a weakness at this level, and he's beginning to slip out of my plans. He is younger than either Foxe or Rozehnal, and as long as he's happy with the reduced role I'm happy to keep him on.

D C Jamie Cooper, 20, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.00:

I've never quite understood why this youngster feels he should be a first-team regular. He was one of my best developing players at York, and continued to improve here, but I wouldn't rate him anywhere near the Premier League yet. I love his determination, his stamina, and his strength, and he's got veins of ice - perfect composure in all situations. Unfortunately, he just doesn't have the pace, positioning, tackling, passing, or marking that I expect at this level - missing one or even two of those might be acceptable, but given his expectations, I've placed him on the transfer list in the hopes that the likable youngster can find a starting role elsewhere.

D C Ross "Russell" Crowe, 17, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

This youngster impresses in the air, with fine jumping and excellent headers which make him a natural center back. He has reasonable pace, stamina, and determination, and though the rest of his game needs work, from his passing and first touch (both awful) to his positioning and tacking (poor at best). His technique is woeful, but I hope that with two seasons at the U-18 level, he might mature into a good center back. He's left-footed, which would make him my only left-footed half.

SW/D C Paul Davis, 18, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

A determined, hard-working free kick specialist, who is equally deadly from the spot or from the 18, this young player is a real long shot to make it anywhere near the first team. I doubt he'll make it beyond the U-18s, as his technique, passing, positioning, and first touch are abysmal, and his mental development seems equally poor.

Friday, 17th July, 2009. Friendly, vs Leeds United.

The local rivalry with Leeds United had been in full swing when I took over Sheffield United, when both clubs were powerhouses in League One, but we've left them well behind, now. The rivalry has waned considerably with Leeds' inability to climb above 18th and 19th in the Championship. Their fans weren't enthusiastic about their chances at Bramall Lane, especially since we'd swept all three encounters with them during our promotion campaign in 2007-08. Our fans weren't interested, either, with their attention focused either on the derby against Wednesday next week, or on the Premier League kickoff looming on the horizon.

I made only a single change in our lineup for the home supporters. I wanted to give the fans the ability to see their favorite players, so it was Allan McGregor in goal, Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, David Rozehnal, and Keith McCormack in defense, Mathieu Berson at defensive midfield, Stewart Downing and Victor Sikora on the wings. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was the playmaker, and for his second-half goal against York, Joe Newell was awarded a start at attacking midfielder. Florent Sinama-Pongolle was again the striker.

Though it was as beautiful a day as you could ask for, with not a cloud in the sky, there were only a few fans scattered around Bramall Lane, which felt nearly empty with only 2,801 in attendance. I'd expected more, for rivals so despised. The match started out slowly, with the two sides feeling each other out. I'd let the lads go with the full intensity of a regular season match, which meant Danny Pugh, the Leeds left winger, picked up a knock relatively early.

We got on the board in the 17th minute, when Joe Newell teed the ball up for his partner, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson. Some 35 yards from goal, he couldn't pass up such a perfect feed, and launched a brilliant trademark curler to the top corner. It was a fabulous goal, worthy of the Champions League or even the World Cup, and utterly wasted on such a small crowd. It did at least give us a 1-0 lead.

I was glad to see that he was in such good form this season: that would be crucial to our hopes of getting a good start, but I got a bit of a scare on the half-hour mark, when Bridge-Wilkinson needed treatment from the physio. I asked anxiously, as new head physio Clive Goodyear came to the sideline, but he gave me a reassuring nod - the goalscorer would be able to continue.

In the 33rd minute, Sean Dillon played a fine ball for Florent Sinama-Pongolle down the left wing. He'd snuck in behind the fullback, and his shot from out wide curled in to the far post. It was a marvelous, stunning goal which showed the quality of the player, but a chorus of boos followed: the referee had blown his whistle, ruling the Frenchman offside on Dillon's pass which had started the move. It was a bad call. He'd been kept onside by the fullback on the far side, but it was pre-season for the officials, too, and the linesman was out of position to see clearly.

The crowd were entertaining themselves with a chorus of "The ref's a ****er..." when Newell slipped loose of his man and into the box. The 19-year-old pulled the trigger quickly, but Scott Carson, Leeds' regular keeper, made a nice save to keep it 1-0 at the break.

The only change I made at halftime was giving Gabriele Mattiussi his first appearance in goal. The rest of the side, I hoped to see through about 60 minutes in this, their second game. For Leeds, though it was their fourth friendly, five changes came through at the half. We couldn't take advantage in the first quarter hour, and it was still 1-0 at the hour mark.

The changes began then, and followed rapidly. First, I brought Noel Hunt and Robert Cousins on for Sinama-Pongolle and Newell. Juan Carlos Valerón, Nicky Thomson, and Steven White followed on the 67th minute for Bridge-Wilkinson, Downing, and Mathieu Berson respectively. In the 71st, winger Andy Lee came on the right, with young fullbacks Chris McKenzie and Jon Atherton on for their first appearances. Despite all the changes, the side were still playing crisply, and Leeds never looked like threatening. They were bringing in all manner of players themselves, and by the 75th minute had changed all eleven.

Just before that, at the 74th, Cousins nearly scored, with Hunt the provider from the left wing. The Irish striker's cross found the young attacking midfielder unmarked at the back post, but again Carson made a strong save to push it away. The goalkeeper was having a tremendous afternoon, but that save turned out to be his last touch. He was brought off for 19-year-old Ben French while we lined up the ensuing corner.

Nothing came of the corner, but a minute later, the counter-attack worked just like we draw it up on the whiteboard. McKenzie won possession with a header on the far sideline, and Hunt controlled it, laying it off for Nicky Thomson before lighting off upfield. The winger's pass found Hunt behind one of the central defenders at midfield. He raced forty yards untouched, drilling it past reserve keeper Ben French from 16 yards just as Dominic Day caught him. It was a fantastic goal from a forgotten player, and that made the final score 2-0.

Though I sent on Jamie Cooper and Ben Hammond for my two central defenders, Leeds never looked like threatening, and the result pleased everybody save the visitors.

Sheffield United 2, Leeds United 0

Bridge-Wilkinson 17, Hunt 76

MoM: Bridge-Wilkinson

For the second match in a row, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was the Man of the Match, and we had seven goals with none conceded in two matches against Championship sides.

For the last match in our Championship series, I'd start the second team - three friendlies against Premier League opposition would follow, providing a much better measuring-stick for our progress.

Saturday, 18th July, 2009.

With two easy victories to start the preseason, the supporters and media seemed content with the quality of the side, but I was too aware of our deficiencies to be satisfied. I was continually working the phones, looking for deals which might improve either our anemic offense - sixth worst in the Premiership last year, behind even relegated Spurs' - or the defense which had been so exposed in the 5-0 thumpings by Southampton, Blackburn, and Chelsea.

I was having no luck at it.

Left backs:

D L Sean Dillon, 24, Scotland, 5 U-21 caps:

32 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 MoM, 7.09:

Excellent determination, beautiful headers, and a natural leadership characterize our starting left back's game. He's a hard worker with good teamwork, marking, and defensive positioning. He looked a bit outclassed at times last year, especially by the top wingers at the big clubs, and I have him marked as one of the players I most need to replace to improve the squad. He looses concentration at times, and doesn't have the sort of pace and stamina that would let him recover from a mistake in the 85th minute. I'll be looking to replace him, but if I do he'll stay on as a useful number two.

D/DM LC Joe Keenan, 26, England, uncapped:

24 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, 0 MoM, 6.88:

Despite the fact that I brought him with me from York, this versatile left back feels I don't appreciate his contributions to the team. I've tried to transfer him, but nobody is interested in acquiring him: his middling pace is a real limitation at this level, and the only thing he really excels in are off-the-ball runs. Still, he has fine technique, crisp passes, and good marking. His concentration and teamwork are quite good, and he has creativity and acceleration. He's not up to Dillon's standard, and my ideal move would see him sold on and a new left back brought in front of the Scot.

DM L Brian Holmes, 19, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.00:

Hard-working, with good strength and concentration, this determined attacking fullback doesn't seem to be making the step up. He's still only around the League Two level in most aspects, and a loan to Peterborough in that division last year produced just ten mediocre substitute appearances. Given how much he'd have to progress in all areas, and especially how much work he'd have to do to bring his positioning and composure up to the Premier League level, I think I'm willing to sell him on. If I don't find a buyer, he'll spend the year in the Reserves learning to play left back.

D L Chris McKenzie, 18, Scotland, uncapped:

Youth academy:

This youngster is a real Jekyll and Hyde player. He has the strength, stamina, pace, balance, and acceleration that I'd expect out of a Premier League player, and his determination, work ethic and teamwork all suggest that he'll progress. He takes fine free kicks and penalties. But in some aspects he is absolutely wretched, and even phenomenal improvement in his technique, tackling, passing, and first touch would leave him seriously lacking. He loses his composure, makes bad decisions, and can't seem to anticipate play. If he could bring the latter up to the standard of the former, he'd be one of the world's best, and that was worth taking a flyer on... even if I doubt he'll be able to progress. A year in the U-18s will start his career.

Sunday, 19th July, 2009.

One issue did get sorted out, as Jonathan Forte finally agreed to terms on a new contract. It would pay him £0.5M per annum for three years, a solid paycheck for a 22-year-old winger on the fringes of the side.

The television schedule was announced for the first few months of the season, and 5 of our first 15 matches were selected for national TV, much to my shock, as that sort of coverage put us close to a par with the top teams. The big one in my mind was the first of the group, the August rematch away to Arsenal, who would doubtless be seeking payback for us beating them at the tail end of last season.

In other Arsenal news, former Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has been appointed the new head of the French national team. France are a solid first in their World Cup qualifying group, and haven't conceded a goal yet: anything less than reaching the Round of 16 would be considered a major disgrace.

Right backs:

D/M R Keith McCormack, 20, Ireland, 20 U-21 caps:

28 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 MoM, 7.00:

This promising fullback had a fine campaign last season, starting 25 games for us and adding 8 more appearances for the Ireland Under-21s. He has the anticipation, concentration, and decision making of a veteran, and his stamina and off the ball movement are at a high standard already. He's been working on his first touch, positioning, and composure, and showed the best improvement of any player I've seen last year. I think he's turning into a very good player already, and John thinks he hasn't even begun to scratch the surface of the player he could become!

D/DM RC Danny Payne, 22, England, uncapped:

28 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.07:

Splitting time with McCormack last year, Payne is a bit slower, with less stamina, but he's a better tackler, has good headers, and keeps his composure. As he showed with that wonderful free kick, he has the ability to finish if added to the attack, and he can bang them in from long range or the penalty spot. Though his first touch is a bit weak, his concentration wanders, and he isn't as brave as I would like in a defender, his versatility assures that he will see a number of starts this year.

D RC Mark Allen, 17, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.00:

Quick, hard-working, and aggressive, this lad is the best tackler of the right backs, and has fine stamina. He needs work on his marking and positioning, and his concentration and composure will be weaknesses throughout his career. Still, he's the best right back of the younger crowd, and I'd love to get him more action at the Reserve level. John, however, is concerned that he may never improve beyond his current level.

D/DM R Jon Atherton, 17, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

I greatly like this youth academy graduate, but I have to admit its for his personality more than his ability on the pitch. He's brave, hard working, determined, and aggressive, the sort of team player who leaves everything on the pitch every match, and inspires his teammates to do the same. If he could only play the game, he'd be captain material! Unfortunately, his pace is mediocre, and his technique is execrable. He can't dribble, and I mean at all, his passes are errant, he's doing well at marking if he's in the same postal code, and his first touch is more likely to go to the opposition than to himself. Its a real shame; I'm going to give him the U-18 starting role, because if he develops, WOW!, but I don't have much hope.

D/DM R Terry Moore, 18, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

A fairly average young player, promoted from the youth team this summer, I don't think he's really likely to develop into Premier League material. His decision-making is awful, and he's just about glued to the ground when it comes to aerial ability. He does have nice long throws, the determination to improve, and a bit of influence with his teammates, but a lot of work separates him from even reaching the Reserve level.

Tuesday, 21st July, 2009. Friendly, at Sheffield Wednesday.

The last game of our Yorkshire tour was a trip across town to Hillsborough to face our main rivals, Sheffield Wednesday. We'd beaten them in the playoffs en route to promotion from League One just after I'd taken over the club, a defeat which set them back two seasons, but Wednesday finally won the League One title last season to return to the Championship. They hadn't had much luck in the transfer market, as new manager Ian Holloway had been given little transfer budget: he would have to consolidate his position in the Championship with the players he had in hand.

I named a lineup containing all of our fringe and second team players. Young Italian number two Gabriele Mattiussi started in goal. Joe Keenan, Steve Foster, Ben Hammond, and Danny Payne were the back four. 20-year-old Steve Newton was the defensive midfielder. Jonathan Forte celebrated his new contract with a start on the left, while Graham Allen was on the right side. Up front, Bruno Cheyrou was the playmaker, with Robert Cousins the other attacking midfielder. I'd been planning on starting young Scottish striker Darren Gibson up front, but when he failed to show up for training the morning of the match, I knew I had to discipline him, and Peter Weatherson instead started as the lone striker in the 4-5-1.

The rivalry had faded with disuse a bit: only 2,277 showed up to the famous ground to witness the derby. Wednesday started bravely, and nearly got a goal from a corner kick in the fifth minute, but when Danny Payne curled a 25-yard free kick to the top-left corner - giving him a goal and two assists already in the pre-season! - I, my players, and even I would think the most die-hard of Wednesday supporters thought the match was all over.

It was not to be: the lads may have been caught napping a bit when Mikele Leigertwood's nice ball for Kevin Cronin slipped the winger behind Payne on the left wing. He lifted the ball into the box for Ryan Burns, but it carried past the midfielder to Scottish striker Steven MacLean. He'd netted 70 times in the past five season for our hosts, and he leaped in the air to try and jink past Ben Hammond with his left foot. It bounced away from him, but directly to the near post, where neither Hammond nor Allan McGregor could do anything about it, and Wednesday had levelled at 1-1, bringing the sparse crowd back to life.

Bruno Cheyrou was playing a fairly impressive game, given the playmaker role for the first time, and as he grew more comfortable with what I was asking him, he began to threaten Nicky Weaver's goal. Just before the half hour mark, the Frenchman launched a vicious strike from the eighteen, which Weaver barely got his fingertips to to send wide.

Shortly thereafter, Jonathan Forte picked up a bit of a knock, and I was reaching deep into the depth chart to replace the left winger with 16-year-old Steven Howard. Halftime came and went, with the score unchanged. In the 50th minute, Cheyrou had another glorious chance Graham Allen broke up the right side, and launched a cross to the far post. Cheyrou climbed above fullback Daniel Perry to meet it at the six, but his header hit the woodwork and bounced clear.

As the hour mark approached, I began making my first changes, with Juan Carlos Valerón replacing Cheyrou, and Chris Gray up front for the quiet Peter Weatherson. Valerón had only been on seven minutes when he had a beautiful chance, nicely set up in the box by Allen's low pass from the arc. The Spaniard had time and space, but blazed it over the bar, and although it was just a friendly, he was visibly angry with himself for missing it.

Three more changes followed, including Jon Paul McGovern for Allen, Tim Barnes for Steve Newton in the defensive midfield, and Nick McDonald in goal. The 71st minute saw the deadlock finally broken, and the move started with Paul Heckingbottom, who took a free kick out near the left sideline. He played it for Lee Peacock in the six at the near post, and he too victimized Hammond, taking one touch to try and control, but that first touch reached the goal mouth before he could add the shot - and when it crossed the line, it gave Wednesday a 1-2 lead.

A pre-season deficit struck me as a chance to work on our 3-5-2, and I made five more changes, with Iain Hume coming on as a forward, Gareth Davies as an attacking midfielder, and Jamie Cooper, Ross Crowe, and Mark Allen replaced my four defensemen wholesale. Our attack produced onslaught after onslaught on the Wednesday defense, with Hume in particular looking very dangerous, but nobody could find the telling shot, and the final whistle blew all too quickly.

Sheffield Wednesday 2, Sheffield United 1

MacLean 11, Peacock 71; Payne 8

MoM: Weaver (Wednesday GK)

"Congratulations, Ian," I said, shaking Holloway's hand after. "You'll have no problems staying up with that lot!"

Our first defeat of the summer had done little to endear any of my players to me. Payne's goal had been solid, and Hume had played very well in limited action, but Ben Hammond, whose training form had had me convinced he was ready to compete for a first team place, had taken a big step backwards, and Gabriele Mattiussi hadn't shown much in goal.

Wednesday, 22nd July, 2009.

"You can't call yourself a professional if you skip training," I scolded Darren Gibson. "I know you think you should be a first team regular: I'd have given you a chance to prove that against Wednesday. You were in my starting lineup! I scratched you when you didn't show up, and if you ever ditch a training session without permission again, I'll be fining you a week's wages."

Head bowed, the young striker acknowledged that his unprofessional behavior was unacceptable, and that he knew he deserved a warning. He promised it wouldn't happen again, and I was willing to consider that the end of the matter.

Defensive midfielders:

DM C Mathieu Berson, 29, France, 18 U-21 caps:

30 games, 0 goals, 4 assists, 0 MoM, 7.33:

Though he's not the fastest of players, the Frenchman has a fantastic understanding of the game. From anticipation and positioning to decision making and concentration, from bravery and aggression to tackling and team work, he's got it all. He has fine passing, and the stamina to last 120 minutes if needed, plus, added bonus, the ability to score from range. I love him.

His experienced back-ups remain Joe Keenan and Danny Payne, whom we've already discussed as fullbacks; one of the two will be available off the bench for almost any game. Still, I would love to bring in another veteran dedicated to be Berson's number two.

DM C Steve Newton, 20, England, uncapped:

2 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.50:

Despite a full season on loan to York City last year, Newton remains a long ways from contributing at the top level. He's got good passing and marking, works hard, and has great control of his headers, but other than that he's distinctly mediocre, failing to excel in any aspect, and I'm afraid that means he'll never be good enough for the Premiership. I'd like to find him a home at a League One or Championship side, where he can see more first-team action, and even John Richards thinks he has potential as yet untapped.

DM C Steven White, 17, England, uncapped:

6 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, 0 MoM, 7.50:

He had just established a place in the rotation as Berson's number two last year, when his season came to an abrupt end due to a torn hamstring. He's about to turn 18, and looks recovered from surgery, but the lost time has really set him back, to the point that I'd rate him behind Newton at this point. Key aspects of the mental game are lacking, notably his positioning, decision-making, and marking. He's a solid tackler, with determination, bravery, and agility, but John Richards is concerned that he's reached his potential, and he'll really need to improve this season to convince me that he belongs.

DM C Tim Barnes, 17, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 8.00:

With determination, natural fitness, teamwork, and leadership potential, this youngster really impressed my scouts. He hasn't shown much progress, and still has weaknesses, most noticeably in positioning, concentration, and winning headers, which make me agree with John Richards that it might be time to transfer-list him.

DM C Jonathan O'Connor, 17, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

If there's a weakest kitten in this litter it is this one, but my youth coaches singled him out as an exciting player for the future. Everyone thinks of him as quite promising. I'm certainly not seeing it: he's got a long way to go before I'd consider him for the first team, as only his work ethic is worth mentioning, but it'll be worth giving him a year in the U-18's to see if they're all right about him.

Thursday, 24th July, 2009.

We caught an unlucky break on Wednesday, when Marc Bridge-Wilkinson strained his neck. He'd miss one friendly match, but I was most worried that the injury setback would knock him out of the incredible form he'd been in already: it was as though he'd peaked too early.

Young Tim Mason, who had netted 8 goals and 6 assists last season for the Under-18s, broke his toe in training, a development that would see the 16-year-old miss at least two months.

With Steve Foster signed for one more season, I could afford to send Ben Hammond out for some more seasoning. He'd caught the eye of Leeds manager Neil Warnock in our friendly against them. A loan was quickly arranged: the 20-year-old would spend the first three months of the season at Elland Road.

Nationally, the new manager of Aston Villa was announced on Thursday. David Platt, the manager of Cardiff City, was rewarded for his one-season performance with the reigns at Villa Park. He'd taken over Cardiff late in their 15th-place 2007/08 Championship season and guided them to a playoff berth, 6th place, the next year. Though they were eliminated in the semi-finals, he certainly seemed a likely sort - and most important to Villa fans, he favoured a fairly aggressive 3-5-2 formation which should see more goals by Christmas than they'd had to celebrate all of last year.

Friday, 25th July, 2009.

Allan McGregor's contract was expiring at the end of the season, and though Stuart McCall thought we could easily replace him, I'd been having no luck bringing in a keeper I thought would represent an improvement over the 27-year-old Scot, so contract negotiations were underway.

Right wing:

AM RL Victor Sikora, 31, Holland, 7 caps, 0 goals:

30 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 1 MoM, 7.33:

I was very surprised that the Dutchman didn't contribute an assist last season. I'd thought, given his blazing pace, excellent stamina, and quality with either foot, that he'd fit right into the offense. He's creative, with good passing, fine off the ball movement, and the work rate to excel. Unfortunately, his extreme weakness in the air frequently prevented him from earning possession, which meant he didn't get to show off his dribbling or ability to shoot from range. I hope he'll break his duck this season; if he can't, I'll need to look for a replacement.

AM R Graham Allen, 22, England, uncapped:

15 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, 6.80:

Though he was considered quite promising as a youngster, Allen has never managed to live up to the hype. He's quite lazy, and that's reflected in his lack of stamina and his inability to influence his teammates. He's got great crossing, good dribbling, and the sort of off the ball movement that should make him a danger. He's not much better than Sikora in the air, however, and has only contributed four assists in the past two seasons.

AM R Jon Paul McGovern, 28, Scotland, uncapped:

3 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

A big part of my offense when I was at York, I purchased Jon from the Minstermen last season in part to keep him from languishing on the bench. Its ironic that he finds himself doing just that, third on my depth chart, which makes him basically emergency cover. He's a hard worker, with good dribbling skills, who can take a nice corner and convert a penalty, but aside from that he's mostly a League Two quality player, and has started only two matches at a higher level in the past six seasons.

M R Mark Kearney, 20, England, uncapped:

45 games, 14 goals, 0 assists, 1 MoM, 6.44 on loan with Port Vale (League Two):

A very determined young winger, whose quickness, strength, and work ethic are his best features. He's not really developing in any other area, but looks at least a reasonable League Two quality player, as evidenced by his 14-goal performance on a full season loan to Port Vale last year. He won't be better than a Reserve player and dire emergency cover this season.

AM R Andy Lee, 18, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

This good-natured young man is merely reasonable in many areas, without standing out in any single area. John Richards is certain that he's not progressing, and if there was anybody else who could play the right wing on the U-18 side, I'd take Richards' recommendation and move him along; he certainly won't stay with the club past the age of 18.

I'd scheduled three Reserve friendlies, to give the fringe players a place to show their skills, and the first of those was at home against Bolton Reserves today. Gary Phillips impressed with the first goal, set up by Nicky Thomson's long pass and a flick-on header from Peter Gardner. The 17-year-old attacking midfielder looked faster than he has on the training pitch, reaching it first to strike home from 15 yards. Gardner added a goal late, collecting the garbage after a half-cleared rebound by the Bolton keeper, and our lads won 2-0.

Saturday, 25th July, 2009. Friendly, vs Everton.

Our first match against Premier League opposition was against recently-promoted Everton. Nine times champions of England, the Liverpool side had been out of the top flight for the past two years, their first such bobble since 1954. They'd ended it by winning the Championship title and the automatic promotion that went with it: Iain Dowie had looked a much more competent manager for them than Javier Clemente had. We'd last met for a friendly last year, also at Bramall Lane, which we'd won 2-1 thanks to goals from Darren Gibson and Gareth Davies.

This year, the first team, minus Bridge-Wilkinson, would face them, which meant Allan McGregor in goal, Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, David Rozehnal, and Keith McCormack across the back four, and Mathieu Berson, in a good mood as ever, as the defensive midfielder. Stewart Downing looked to have recovered from last season's injury, and would roam the left wing with Victor Sikora on the right. Bruno Cheyrou started his second match in five days as the playmaker, with Iain Hume playing off of him, and Florent Sinama-Pongolle was the lone striker.

Everton started positively, in a 3-4-3 that promised an exciting, open match, and they even had the first opportunity, with Mark Adams finding a crease in the box to get to Christian Wilhelmsson pass, but the 19-year-old phenom shot well wide. Scant minutes later, Bruno Cheyrou's brilliant flick-on sprang Florent Sinama-Pongolle through the offsides trap, but the Frenchman's shot was saved by Richard Wright, a long-time Goodison Park veteran.

There were chances at both ends, and just past the quarter hour, Everton took the lead. Darren Bent played a great ball up the right wing for Wilhelmsson, who lifted a cross into the box. Several players went up for it, and McGregor barely got a hand on it. As he fell back to earth, the ball dropped, hit his back, and slowly trickled across the line for an 0-1 lead to the visitors!

Or so it seemed. Referee Graham Salisbury was waving the goal off, ruling Adams offside on the cross! Dowie argued the call, claiming it was passive offsides, and in the end Salisbury had to explain himself: he'd ruled that passive offsides didn't apply, as Adams' positioning constituted a "deceiving or distracting movement", violating that precept. The goal was struck, and it was 0-0 when the match resumed, to much applause from the Bramall Lane crowd.

It was as though the near-goal had served as a wake-up call to the lads: they began playing with a heart and intensity that seemed to overwhelm the visitors, and though we were unable to find the netting, we came close a dozen times. Sinama-Pongolle and Iain Hume had a brilliant chance, the latter getting to the rebound of the former's shot, but Wright made a magical double save to prevent them. Sinama-Pongolle hit the side netting, Stewart Downing's back-post header went just wide - by half-time Wright must have had a half-dozen saves, and the lads were starting to feel a bit hard-done by.

I made one change at half-time, putting Steven White on for Mathieu Berson, who had taken an elbow to the midriff, and wasn't recovering his breath. We renewed the onslaught just three minutes after the restart, with Sinama-Pongolle putting his countryman Cheyrou through on goal, but the 31-year-old tried some tricky step-over moves in the box, trying to fake the keeper into committing before he shot, and his dilly-dallying allowed half-time substitute Mark Wilson to catch him from behind and boot the ball well into the crowd.

After that, the rhythm of the second half was completely broken, as both manager made nearly constant substitutions. I literally made changes at six different points, with Dowie claiming a similar number of interruptions, and whether it was the constant interruptions, the lack of cohesion between the players, or a more defensive outlook from Everton, there were almost no further shots the entire half.

For completeness, I'll list my changes: Gabriele Mattiussi for Allan McGregor in goal; Jonathan Forte for Downing on the left wing; Juan Carlos Valerón for Cheyrou; Noel Hunt for Sinama-Pongolle; Joe Newell for Hume; Steve Foster for Hayden Foxe; Joe Keenan for Sean Dillon; Jon Atherton for Keith McCormack; and Andy Lee for Victor Sikora.

In the 77th minute, Hunt's flick-on put Newell through into space. He looked like shooting, but instead played a quick lob left to Valerón on the 18. He struck the ball on the half-volley, but Wright did brilliantly to turn the ball away, and though Newell claimed the rebound, Scott Collins nicked it away from him before he could shoot.

In the closing minutes, I switched to a 3-5-2, trying to penetrate the Everton defense, with Jamie Cooper on for David Rozehnal, and young Tom Baker replacing Keenan in the classic striker-for-defender change. The moves made little difference, and after two minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle blew, and 9,682 thoroughly bored fans trudged for the exits.

Sheffield United 0, Everton 0

----; ----

MoM: Wright (Everton GK)

I shook Richard Wright's hand after the match: without the 31-year-old's fantastic reflexes, this game could have finished 3-0 at least. I told him I could see why he'd earned 41 clean sheets in the Championship the past two years: he definitely belonged in the Premier League!

Sunday, 26th July, 2009.

One concern was crossed off my list after the match, when starting goalkeeper Allan McGregor signed a new contract which would keep him at the club through 2012. He'd agreed the same terms he was currently on, which was generous, considering that the club was down in League One when former management struck that deal, but I was glad to escape without further damage to the wage budget.

Maybe he was feeling threatened by my latest signing, 16-year-old goalkeeper Simon Parker. I'm not sure why I'm so keen on filling the youth programme with goalkeepers. I was a keeper myself, so I know how critical the position is - but its also hit-or-miss who might develop.

GK Simon Parker, 16, England, uncapped:

schoolboy:

Honestly, he doesn't have much to recommend him over the rest of my horde of young 'keepers, but scout Kit Carson saw him play at school, and was impressed; he has a great work ethic and real natural fitness, with reasonable reflexes. He'll need to work on his composure, anticipation, decisions, and positioning, but what young keeper doesn't?

Left wing:

AM L Stewart Downing, 25, England, 17 U-21 caps:

25 games, 2 goals, 11 assists, 1 MoM, 7.44:

The team leader in assists last year, I think Downing could be the solution to England's historical problems on the left. He's got good pace, and great technique: his corners are dangerous, he excels at free kicks, and he can hit a pass whether its on the ground or a big cross. His dribbling mystifies defenders, and his first touch is excellent. He's been a dramatically dynamic force on the left, and though he's currently "shocked that I don't consider him a first-team regular", I'm hoping to convince him of my happiness with his performance by giving him regular playing time this season.

AM L Jonathan Forte, 23, England, uncapped:

21 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, 7.00:

The team leader in assists in 2007-08, Forte was unlucky that Downing was available to steal his starting role away last season. He's a hard worker, with excellent off the ball runs and the pace to do well, but all of that doesn't make up for his many deficits: lack of bravery and concentration, with talents you could call 'average' at best, even in key areas like crossing and dribbling.

AM RL Simon Blake, 19, England, uncapped:

2 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

This youngster played almost 40 noncompetitive matches last season, with 4 goals, 8 assists, and a 7.49 average rating - which I hope implies a lot of talent. I like his determination, natural fitness, and off the ball movement in particular, but he's got a lot of work to do if he's going to reach a level to contribute beyond the Reserves. John Richards suggests transferring him, but until we have a better option on the bench, I think I'll keep him around.

AM LC Steven Howard, 16, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

A free kick specialist who also takes a fine corner, this left-footed winger was promoted from our youth academy. He's very aggressive, but I worry about his ability to contribute, as he seems to lose concentration, lacks creativity, and makes poor decisions, which, when combined with a weak first touch, make him more likely to be a liability than an asset in the long term.

AM L Nicky Thomson, 21, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

This speedy winger is transfer listed, but unwilling to move. Though I can't blame him for not wanting to leave the club, given the level of the clubs currently interested in him, I can't see him contributing above the Conference level. He's got pace, but honestly that's about it: the entire rest of his game lacks polish.

Monday, 27th July, 2009.

"I want a transfer."

Those are words no manager ever wants to hear, let alone from a young, developing star like Robert Cousins.

"I'm really not happy with 5 appearances in the last two years, and there are so many attacking midfielders on the club..."

This from a player I'd valued so highly, I paid £1.8M to bring him with me from York.

"Robert," I answered, "I really don't want to do that. I think you've a beautiful future, and I've been looking forward to working with you for years to come."

"Then why won't you play me?" He asked, almost plaintively. "I'm as good as Joe is, I know it!"

"You've had some bad luck with injuries, to be honest. I'm certainly planning on getting you plenty of action up front this year."

"Could you at least clarify my role in the club?"

"Very well. I'll promise you a rotational role: about a third of our matches this season."

The youngster left my office with a thoughtful look on his face, and I hoped he would be willing to accept what I'd told him: I already worried, with Darren Gibson upset, that I wasn't doing enough to nurture my young talent - and I firmly believe in building a squad through the youth program rather than the transfer market, not that I've been with a club long enough for that policy to bear fruit yet.

Attacking midfielder:

AM C Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, 30, England, uncapped:

33 games, 10 goals, 4 assists, 3 MoM, 7.42:

This cultured midfielder, two times Supporter's Player of the Year, is the creative hub of our offense, and the heart of the team. He has great long shots, and loves to bend them in from long range. His creative passing, dangerous free kicks, and lethal accuracy from the spot made him our most dangerous player: I hate using him as a corner taker because he's so dangerous from the eighteen. His technique is an inspiration to the younger players, and he can dribble and cross as well as any of my wingers. He's a bit weak in the air, and never the fastest player on the pitch, he's starting to lose a step as he approaches the later stages of his career.

AM/F RC Iain Hume, 25, Canada, 34 caps, 7 goals:

18 games, 3 goals, 1 assist, 1 MoM, 7.11:

This long-term Tranmere Rover shows some incredible talent as an attacking player. He can hit long range shots that little kids dream of, and with his pace, acceleration, balance, agility, and off the ball movement, he has no trouble getting open. His dribbling, first touch, and work ethic are also quite good, and that should more than make up for some of his shortcomings, noticeably his decision-making and composure. Though I expected him to produce more last season, he's quickly become a fan favorite. He'll get another chance to show what he can do this year, but if he continues to struggle, that'll be his last opportunity.

AM/F RC Joe Newell, 20, England, 2 U-21 caps:

25 games, 6 goals, 6 assists, 1 MoM, 7.25:

Nipping at his heels is Joe Newell, the runner up as Premiership Young Player of the Year last season. The 20-year-old is an incredible shooter, who can make a keeper miss from the spot, from anywhere in the box, or from 30 yards out. He's determined, but realistic, with good off the ball movement, and seems to have no real weaknesses. He seemed to struggle with the pressure of starting early last season, but when I reduced his playing time, he's come along well, and this season 2 goals and an assist in pre-season have him arguing for first team action yet again.

AM C Robert Cousins, 20, England, uncapped:

4 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.25:

Miscommunication about injuries and playing time may have cost me my relationship with this youngster, whom I've loved since having him at York City, where he was the 2006/07 Supporter's Player of the Year with 11 goals. He's fast and strong, with great concentration, and good determination. He plays nice headers, and can cross like a winger. Disturbingly, his injury history has given him a fear of injury that's causing him to work less hard and shy out of challenges. Still, John Richards still feels that he has shown a great deal of potential, and recommends that he be given his share of first team football in order to aid his development. I've promised him a rotational role this season, and am hoping to get him about 20 starts between League and Cup play.

AM LC Bruno Cheyrou, 31, France, 2 caps:

42 games, 6 goals, 13 assists, 4 MoM, 7.19 with Bristol City (Championship):

This cultured midfielder was brought in to supplement the youngsters in the side, and to provide another creative playmaker in case Bridge-Wilkinson is injured, or through a run of fixture congestion. He's very creative, with excellent passes, good decisions, and a fine first touch. He can drill laser shots from long range, and his determination in the face of adversity is inspirational. The cultured midfielder promises to be a great boon, and if he plays regularly, I may want to extend his contract beyond a single season.

AM C Juan Carlos Valerón, 33, Spain, 52 caps, 5 goals:

24 games, 1 goal, 6 assists, 0 MoM, 7.00:

I'm realizing I vastly overpaid for the flamboyant veteran. He still has the flair, creativity, and technique that defined his game in his prime, and his passing remains as crisp and precise as ever, but he's lost several steps, and just can't seem to win an aerial battle, which costs us possession if the lads don't play it to feet. When he's on, he can really change a match, but his lack of stamina meant that he only lasted ninety minutes once or twice last season, and I couldn't count on him to replace Bridge-Wilkinson.

AM C Phil Davidson, 20, England, uncapped:

2 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

Successfully retrained as an attacking midfielder, this promising Lancaster-born midfielder looks like he has the determination and anticipation to make a fine player someday. John Richards doesn't think he'll make it for Sheffield United, but I love the fact that he has no weaknesses, and is able to contribute both offensively and defensively. He'll replace John Melligan and Mike Flynn in the backup attacking midfield role, and should see plenty of action either on loan or in the Reserves.

AM C Gary Thomas, 18, England, uncapped:

4 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, 7.25:

A driven midfielder with tons of potential, pace to burn, and fantastic anticipation, this youngster had a fine season last year, getting his first professional goal, and learning the attacking midfield role. He still has a lot to learn, and he made tremendous strides, especially in his weakest areas, last season. He should see another year starting in the U-18s, but I definitely agree with John Richards, who thinks that he has the potential to become a very good player for the club.

AM C Mike Flynn, 28, Wales, uncapped:

12 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.92:

I knew he wasn't a serious candidate for playing time when I brought him to Bramall Lane, and was hoping that he'd provide a decent backup role thanks to his experience with relegation battles. That didn't materialize, and with the other attacking midfielders clamoring for opportunities, I realized I'd have to put the brave, hard-working team player on the transfer list, if he was to see any action this season.

AM C Gareth Davies, 20, England, uncapped:

15 games, 3 goals, 4 assists, 6.60 on loan to Stevenage (Conference National):

Once a central midfielder, this youngster showed good adaptability by picking up the attacking midfield role quickly. He has a solid base of skills, with no real weaknesses. John doesn't think he's good enough to remain at the club, and given the number of players in front of him for playing time, it might be time to consider offering him around, especially as his contract is expiring at the end of the season.

AM C David Parker, 16, England, uncapped: [

I]Youth academy[/i]:

This product of our youth program has electrifying pace, and the sort of bravery and concentration that you just can't teach. He needs a lot of work, and his inability to shoot from long range is troubling, given how much I ask my attacking midfielders to try that tactic, but he should certainly find the net frequently at the Under-18 level, which is all that I will ask of him this year.

AM RC Gary Phillips, 17, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

Whatever it is that my youth coaches saw to warrant promoting this lad escapes me. He doesn't seem to have any of the technical skills I'm looking for, makes habitually poor decisions, and doesn't have the pace to look dangerous. He's miserable in the air, and I don't think he'll ever amount to much of anything. Still, its cheap enough to give him a year in the U-18s to prove me wrong.

F RC Martin Hunt, 17, England, uncapped:

No appearances:

Lack of determination and plain laziness are preventing this affable youngster from progressing. He has a knack for goal, when he can get free, but the rest of his game is poor enough that he doesn't get much chance to show it: he netted only 3 times in 25 U-18 matches last season, a poor rate.

AM/F C Michael Harrison, 17, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.00:

Its sad to see a player with this much enthusiasm coupled with this much lack of talent. He goes all-out in every practice session, and has a clear passion for the game, but given his many weaknesses, he'd best seek a career in broadcasting or coaching: he won't make it as a professional footballer.

We'd also added a South African - physio, that is, 49-year-old Wayne Diesel, who had been working with the South African Olympic team. I switched us out of the rigorous pre-season training mode, to a more even split between aerobics and technique, but that didn't prevent two more injuries: Florent Sinama-Pongolle bruised his head challenging for a ball on Sunday, and Ian Hume strained his neck on Tuesday.

Wednesday, 29th July, 2009. Friendly, at Leicester.

Wednesday, we traveled the sixty miles south to Leicester to renew our rivalry with Stan Ternent's side, which had last been renewed in the 07-08 Championship season, when we'd beaten them both times. They'd placed second, behind Everton, last year, to earn promotion, and we were to provide them a taste of Premier League opposition before the start of the season. They'd had an impressive run so far in their pre-season, including a shock 3-0 victory over Bayern Leverkusen. The trip to Walkers Stadium was our last road trip of the pre-season, with the start of the season a mere nine days away.

I gave the nod to our second-string lineup, again. Gabriele Mattiussi got another chance in goal, with Joe Keenan, Steve Foster, Jamie Cooper, Danny Payne forming the defensive line. Young Steve Newton was the defensive midfielder. The left wing was Fabrice Fernandes, a former Southampton player available on a free, who was in on trial. Graham Allen manned the right side, with unhappy Robert Cousins and Joe Newell partnered in attack. Peter Weatherson was the striker despite a singularly unimpressive pre-season to date.

We started out very brightly, with Robert Cousins and Joe Newell both testing the City goalkeeper, Paddy Kenny, in the early going: he had three saves by the fifteenth minute, all against shots from beyond the eighteen. The Leicester defense stiffened a bit, thereafter, but we still spent most of the opening stanza in their half.

The half-hour mark was approaching when Mattiussi sent a long ball up the park. Peter Weatherson beat two defenders, including an aging Sol Campbell, to knock it down for Cousins. He lobbed a superb ball left to Newell, who was unmarked thirty yards from goal with Kenny out of position. He shot with his first touch, and honestly didn't get much on it, but the Irishman, who had started 166 games for Sheffield United earlier in his career, was unable to recover. It was a truly wonderful goal, and a thoroughly deserved 1-0 lead.

Danny Payne had picked up a yellow card, and not wanting to chance a suspension with Rob Styles the referee, I sent him off for Jon Atherton after the goal. At halftime, Weatherson came off for Noel Hunt, with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson getting a brief appearance for Newell, playing from the 45th minute through the 60th. Shortly after the restart, he nearly got a goal, with a vicious shot catching the side netting. In the 49th minute, Graham Allen took an elbow to the face, and had to leave the field for x-rays, which meant Andy Lee came onto the right wing.

Not much was happening in the second half. Hunt didn't help his chances of breaking into the starting lineup, with a succession of good chances followed by shots into the side-netting, or finishing in Kenny's arms. By the 70th minute, it was almost entirely a reserve lineup holding onto the lead: Stephen Cummins was in goal, with Paul Davis and Brian Holmes alongside Foster and Atherton in defense. Tim Barnes was the defensive midfielder, and Jonathan Forte had replaced Fabrice Fernandes, who had been unimpressive on the left. Mike Flynn and David Parker had taken over the attacking midfield duties.

It looked like the single goal would hold up, and the late portion of the match, which would have held such drama in a game which counted, was primarily about giving fringe players a chance to impress. Stephen McMullan, an 18-year-old City fullback, may have been trying a cross when he launched a ball into the six from 35 yards out on the 78th minute. It hung tantalizingly in the air for a moment, drifting past Cummins and into the top corner. The meager crowd of 2,836 was elated with the equalizer: it was 1-1.

A minute later, Hunt was scrambling in the Leicester box, trying to get onto the end of David Parker's low pass, when he was pushed by Matt Heath. Styles pointed to the spot, and Hunt had a chance to redeem himself with the penalty!

The Irishman drilled it with power, but he put it straight to reserve keeper Russel Vaughan, and the 20-year-old saved it.

Though there were still ten minutes left, plus stoppage time, that was the last real shot, and a 1-1 draw was the result.

Leicester 1, Sheffield United 1

McMullan 78; Newell 27

MoM: Vaughan (Leicester GK)

"Sorry, boss, I should have had that," Stephen Cummins apologised. That, as much as the goal conceded, caught my attention - at that age, I'd have avoided authority figures after a mistake.

"Its all right, lad," I said. "Learn what you can from it - but a goalkeeper's got to have a short memory. Put it behind you."

I did have a chuckle when I saw that Russell Vaughan was named Man of the Match for only fifteen minutes' work in goal: I'm sure "saved a penalty" sounded much more impressive to somebody who hadn't seen how laughably easy Noel Hunt's spot-kick had been to save.

The Irish striker's performance, poor already to that point, was making it nearly impossible to find a buyer for him.

Thursday, 30th June, 2009, afternoon.

There was bad news from the hospital, after. Graham Allen had fractured his jaw, which would keep the 22-year-old winger out for the first month of the season. It was an unlucky break. I'm sure every manager goes into pre-season matchups with the same prayer, "Please, just don't let anybody get hurt."

There was news from the Champions League as well: a little-known Slovakian side, MSK Zilina, had eliminated mighty Rangers, in Glasgow, with a 2-0 victory after holding Rangers to a 1-1 draw in Slovakia the previous week.

I was put in a bit better mood by Rupert Wormwood's usual cynicism, starting with his sensational headline.

Crisis at Bramall Lane?

The pre-season ebullience surrounding Ian Richards's side - the future had held nothing but promise three weeks ago - is fading fast. A loss and two draws, against sides just promoted from the Championship, gives no cause for optimism in a side which was theoretically ready to challenge Fulham, Newcastle, Charlton, and West Ham for a place in the top ten.

At this rate, it looks like the bookies have it right: this team is a 1000-to-1 longshot to win the title for a reason, and they appear more likely to battle Ipswich, Palace, Villa, and newly promoted West Brom, Everton, and Leicester to stave off relegation. Richards' continued lack of imagination, with the same stolid 4-5-1, will shortly bore the fans.

While it may have been acceptable when they were finding the net in the Championship, the lone striker seems incapable of producing goals against Premier League defending.

His habitual naysaying was becoming somewhat of a running joke, and it brought a bit of a smile to my face.

The fans, meanwhile, were excited about the signing of another relatively unknown goalkeeper.

GK Richard Thomas, 16, Wales, uncapped: 35 games, 14 conceded, 21 clean sheets, 2 MoM, 6.86 with Taffs Well (Wales):

It had cost £30,000 to pry this impressive youngster away from the Welsh club which had brought him up through the ranks. His concentration, aggression, and sheer physical ability look like he's a Premier League keeper already, and though he'll need to develop the usual areas - positioning, aerial ability, decisions - I wouldn't have been ashamed to start him in a League One side even at the tender age of 16, and he'd had a phenomenal season last year, only 15 and he hadn't conceded two goals in any game, and kept a clean sheet 60% of the time.

One letter to the editor praised me for 'my vision on signing the hotly-tipped youngster', and the hype caused The Star to interview him yesterday. His response showed composure and professionalism: he described himself as "Pleased but daunted by the fans' reaction," and he said he hoped to repay their faith in him by becoming an integral part of the Sheffield United first team in the future. I hope he can live up to all that promise!

The challenge will be how to groom him and Stephen Cummins sufficiently, at the same time. I plan to keep Thomas in the Under-18s, and have Cummins split time with Mattiussi in the Reserves and play the U-18 Cup matches.

Amaroq, I have to say I'm in awe of you. You've managed to keep a very high standard of writing through three books now, which is something many established authors struggle to do. All I can say is, wow, and KUTGW. Oh, and please don't wait two days (ok, 18 hours) between updates again...

Just superb as always mate. How far down the line does this story go?

Thank you very much, Anvar. I've tried to "keep it real"; I'm just gratified that you all have enjoyed it as much as you have.

I am, as I said in Book II, thinking of pursuing writing as a profession: the question is, what do I want to say?

p.s., so demanding! I post Saturday's 12 hours early, and then get heckled for posting Sunday's on my normal schedule? Tough crowd!

'deenn, I won't say for sure, because I want to keep some suspense to it, but I will say that we're currently more than a third of the way done but less than half way done with the story - enough time yet to see fruit from our youth programme.

Alright, if you've gone on to page 2, you have nobody but yourself to blame if you see spoilers.

Thursday, 30th June, 2009, evening.

For those of you just joining the tale, I'm an American. I left my home in California at the age of 30 to come manage a football team in England - starting at the bottom, with the Lancaster Dolly Blues, the only club willing to employ me.

It was a rough time, semi-pro players, awful pitches, and by the midway point of my first season, I could tell it was going to be very difficult to bring the side to any sort of glory. When Steve Beck offered me the position at York City, I wasted no time accepting.

The first year was nice, with a decent run in the F.A. Cup, but the second year was the stuff of magic. Led by the creative Jamaican genius of Tappa Whitmore, we made it all the way to the Fourth Round of the F.A. Cup, and won the Conference.

Our first year in the League was equally successful, with the club a point away from clinching the title when Derek Dooley offered me the Sheffield United post.

It was a dream opportunity - as much as I wanted to lift the trophy with the lads after all their hard work, I couldn't turn it down.

I haven't regretted it.

We won miraculous playoff victories both that year and the following: straight promotion in two seasons took us from League One to the Premiership, and if last season was a bit of drudge work, keeping us safely from relegation, so be it. I'd committed to the Blades in a way that I hadn't committed previously, and when Manchester City came calling late last year, I said "No" without reservation.

Now I'm not saying I wouldn't be tempted if offered the keys to Anfield or Old Trafford .. but it would take an offer of that magnitude to budge me out of the comfortable confines of Bramall Lane.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Club Year League W D L GF GA GD Place

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Lancaster 04-05 Conf Nrth 6 8 5 15 15 + 0 n/a

York City 04-05 Conf Nat 7 6 7 27 26 + 1 13th

York City 05-06 Conf Nat 29 7 6 73 33 +40 1st

York City 06-07 League 2 26 7 11 62 33 +29 1st

Sheffield United 06-07 League 1 2 2 1 7 4 + 3 3rd *

Sheffield United 07-08 Champ. 28 14 7 89 35 +54 3rd *

Sheffield United 08-09 Premier 13 9 16 38 50 -12 12th

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Totals: 225 games 111 61 53 311 196 +115

* - won promotion via playoffs.</pre>

In the Premiership, Chelsea have been the major force, winning the last three titles on the backs of Roman Abramovich's wallet. Only one success has eluded José Mourinho: the Champions League, where unexpected stumbles have doomed each attempt. Bayern München, Juventus, and now Inter Milan had all hoisted the European title, while the Blues have failed in succession.

The troubles of Manchester United were worth noting: though the Supporter's Trust saved them from the Glazer takeover bid, it hasn't been roses since Sir Alex retired. Fourth and fifth place the past two seasons had merited UEFA Cup berths, and deprived of the Champions League revenue, there was talk that they might have to consider selling a Rooney or a Ronaldo.

Last year's Premier League table:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Team Pts W D L GF GA GD Qualification

C 1 Chelsea 96 30 6 2 87 22 +65 Champions League

2 Arsenal 87 27 6 5 89 26 +63 Champions League

3 Middlesbrough 81 24 9 5 57 28 +29 Champions League

4 Liverpool 79 25 4 9 80 37 +43 Champions League

5 Manchester United 76 23 7 8 66 27 +39 UEFA Cup

6 Blackburn 62 17 11 10 59 32 +17 UEFA Cup

7 West Ham United 61 17 10 11 64 58 + 6 UEFA Cup

8 Manchester City 57 15 12 11 48 48 0 Inter-Toto Cup

9 Charlton Athletic 56 15 11 12 54 46 + 8 Inter-Toto Cup

10 Newcastle United 55 14 13 11 50 48 + 2

11 Fulham 53 16 5 17 53 57 - 4

12 Sheffield United 48 13 9 16 38 50 -12

13 Southampton 42 12 6 20 46 63 -17

14 Portsmouth 40 10 10 18 45 62 -17

15 Aston Villa 34 8 10 20 19 47 -28

16 Crystal Palace 33 7 12 19 32 59 -27

17 Ipswich 31 8 7 23 28 60 -32

------------------------------------------------------------------------

R 18 Sunderland 26 5 11 22 30 64 -34 Relegated

R 19 Tottenham 24 5 9 24 40 79 -39 Relegated

R 20 Bolton 11 1 8 29 17 79 -62 Relegated</pre>

That's all ancient history now - pre-season results and media knives notwithstanding, I'm optimistic for the year to come.

Strikers:

S C Florent Sinama-Pongolle, 24, France, 1 cap, 0 goals: 11 games, 4 goals, 1 assist, 0 MoM, 7.45:

An electrifying striker who fits my system perfectly, I'm expecting this cultured striker to have a breakout season as our starter this year. He is a brilliant shooter, with great pace, the stamina to run all day, and the ability to hit the net from 35 yards. His first touch is flawless, his technique is impeccable, and his off the ball runs are wonderful. Whether dribbling to set himself up, or passing to the feet of his teammates, he's a gift to watch. Composure, concentration, creativity, positioning, decision-making, anticipation... he has it all. The only thing I'd count as a weakness is his ability in the air. He's certainly not a target man, but I'm not asking him to be: I'm asking him to score twenty goals.

S C Peter Weatherson, 29, England, uncapped: 31 games, 15 goals, 2 assists, 1 MoM, 7.23:

Our leading scorer last season, Weatherson will still see significant action this year in support of Sinama-Pongolle. He's a clinical finisher, deadly from the spot, and has an impressive vertical leap. He's a good team player and a hard worker, determined to do well no matter the scoreline, though his concentration can waver in some games, and I worry that he may be unhappy with the reduction in his role.

S C Noel Hunt, 26, Ireland, 15 caps, 2 goals: 16 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, 0 MoM, 6.88:

The prototype tall striker, great in the air, brave, with excellent positional skills and the strength to box players out, Hunt scores most of his goals through the air. He entered last season as the starting striker, but failed to ever find his stride, and scored but once before finishing the season on loan to Millwall, where he netted 5 times in 12 games - I suspect the Premiership is just beyond him. He is quick, with the creativity to open things up for those around him with flick-on headers. His lack of determination is a real character flaw, however, and it may be that as much as anything which limits his ability to contribute. He's becoming quite disgruntled, and hasn't spoken to me in weeks, but I haven't been able to find a buyer willing to take him off my hands.

S C Darren Gibson, 19, Scotland, 4 U-21 caps: 12 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

This determined forward has become convinced that he deserves a first team spot at about the same time that I've become convinced that he doesn't. Hunt is much stronger in most areas, though the Scot can finish chances at feet more easily, and has great concentration and control of his headers. Given his unhappiness, and John Richards's continuing assessment that he's not progressing, I've placed him on the transfer list.

S C Peter Gardner, 20, England, uncapped: 1 game, 1 goal, 0 assists, 7.00:

He scored 7 goals in 35 games while on loan to Mansfield in League Two, which should give you some idea how far he is from the Premier League. He has physical attributes to rival Weatherson, and the determination and work ethic to make good on his potential, but he's been with the club for two seasons and isn't really showing signs of turning into a Premier League player. I'll be offering him on the transfer list.

S C Chris Gray, 19, England, uncapped: No appearances:

Phenomenal concentration remains the only standout characteristic of this injury-prone striker, and both John and I are out of patience waiting for him to develop. He's not a particularly accurate shooter, and he's miserable in the air. Though I'll be transfer listing him, I doubt anybody will be willing to pay to acquire his services.

S C Tim Mason, 16, England, uncapped: No appearances:

Hard working and aggressive, this youngster isn't really showing signs of overcoming his technical and mental inadequacies. I don't find it likely that he'll develop, and John recommends that we transfer list him, or even consider releasing him on a free. For now, he's not costing much to keep in the U-18s, but I think it would do his career good to find a better home.

F C Tom Baker, 17, England, uncapped: schoolboy:

He remains one of the worst youth candidates in the club's system, and though he's reluctant to leave the club, I think that may be simple fear that he won't find anywhere else to land. He certainly has no future here: he can't shoot, he can't jump, and he doesn't have the requisite abilities to retrain at any other position. Good teamwork can't carry you in that circumstance!

F RC Scott Lee, 16, England, uncapped: schoolboy:

He looks as poor as Mason and Baker, honestly, and despite the assurances of the youth coaches that there's some potential there, I'm not seeing it. At least he can jump, and he has some ability to move off the ball, but there's little else measuring as a redeeming factor - save that he can start for the U-18s and doesn't cost us much of anything.

Friday, 31st July, 2009.

Leicester to steal Stewart?

Reports from Bramall Lane today are that Leicester City have snuck in with a £3.4M offer for unsettled left winger Stewart Downing, who led the club in assists last year.

Manager Ian Richards has previously made it clear that he isn't interested in selling the winger at any price, but an interview with Terry Robinson revealed that Downing has a minimum release fee clause in his contract, and it is believed that canny City manager Stan Ternent has met that price.

The Blades have responded by offering him an improved contract - one without a minimum fee clause! - but given Downing's feeling that he isn't a first team regular here, it is doubtful that he'll be at Bramall Lane when they kick off the season against Aston Villa eight days from today.

I was devastated: the 25-year-old left wing was one of the players I rated very highly, and it would be nigh-on-to-impossible to replace him just before the start of the season.

If he left, I'd probably make an immediate offer to trialist Fabrice Fernandes, who hadn't impressed in his one pre-season appearance, but given the trouble I'd had bringing new players in this summer, the one thing I didn't want was to lose one of my best!

I set the paper aside, and inked my signature across the bottom of two new contracts, one for Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, who had certainly earned a raise, and the other for Robert Cousins, who had suggested that a raise and an explicit promise of a rotational role would alleviate his remaining concerns. Bridge-Wilkinson I thought was cheap at a price of £3M over 4 seasons, while Cousins' demands were small change to the club's pocketbook. If only either of them could play on the left!

I broke off negotiations with Graham Allen, who seemed to want a promise of playing time beyond the rotational role I was willing to offer him, and added a new left winger, Chris Rowe, on a free transfer. The deal had been arranged before I knew of the Liecester bid, and he certainly wouldn't solve the club's problem if Downing left.

AM L Chris Rowe, 18, England, uncapped: schoolboy:

This promising young winger does't offer much in the short-term, but blazing pace, determination, and good teamwork go a ways towards earning him a spot in the U-18s, where he'll battle for playing time. He needs a lot of work on his technique, however, before he could consider having a go at the senior side.

Of far more interest - that is to say, still next to none - was the Under-18s Cup draw, which saw us away to Notts County, a League Two side. A one-paragraph addition to the bottom of the cup draw article gave space for Under-18 keeper Colin Hatton to vent.

"I'm bitterly disappointed that Ian Richards has decided to offer me to other clubs. I definitely want to stay, but Richards has made it clear that I'm no longer wanted at Sheffield United."

The only thing I couldn't understand was why the press was making a big deal about it: he's an 18-year-old goalkeeper whose never appeared for the senior side!

In the last piece of action for the month, the Reserves struggled to a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa Reserves. Jamie Cooper played quite well, going 88 minutes and earning Man of the Match, but it was a dreary affair with more yellow cards (six, courtesy of Rob Styles) than shots (five, combined, between both sides, only two of which were on target). Nobody else particularly impressed, which was unsurprising: the players involved were my third choice at their positions, at best.

Saturday, 1st August, 2009.

"Honestly, we're not too happy with this off-season."

It was the monthly review with the board, and my one-legged chairman Derek Dooley was expressing the displeasure that he and General Manager Terry Robinson felt, using his cane to emphasize his point.

"We'd really hoped you would strengthen the squad with the transfer budget we made available, one or two big signings to build excitement for the season. Couple that with the poor performances in July, and I'm afraid ticket sales are quite down for this year."

I wanted to defend myself, to say 'nobody wants to sign for us - or at least, nobody who could improve the side', but I knew that would sound defensive. I held my tongue.

"And that bit with the minimum-fee release clause," Terry Robinson added. "You have to be on top of that sort of thing: we should never have set a clause so low for a player so talented. We'll be lucky to repair the damage, and it'll be impossible to replace him with a player of equal quality for the same price."

"Still," Derek Dooley cut in before the critique could get too personal, "We're mindful of all you've done for the club, and we're still pleased with your performance. I know its a tough market, especially for players who would help improve the squad, and we think we have something that should help."

Robinson showed me the finances for the month: We'd lost another £0.6M for the month, which meant that the season's profits - with no TV revenue in them - were a mere £1.8M, but the balance was a healthy £24.6M.

I didn't see where he was going with it, so it came as a complete surprise when Mister Dooley finished the section by saying, "And that's why were pleased to announce an increase in the transfer budget. We're going to give you another £3.6M, and maybe that'll help you attract some top players."

That moved us up to a total transfer budget of £10.75M, the largest figure I'd ever had at my disposal.

"And don't forget," Terry added, "You can bring in a few players on domestic loan during the transfer window."

All in all, it had gone well. Hadn't it?

Saturday, 1st August, 2009. Friendly, vs Fulham.

The final friendly of the summer was a home tie against fellow mid-table side Fulham. The Cottagers were entering their ninth consecutive season in the Premier League, and coming off an 11th place finish, just ahead of us in last year's table. They'd be a good measuring stick for the side, I figured, especially considering that the home side had won each of the matches last season (3-2 at Bramall Lane, 0-2 at Craven Cottage). Manager Micky Adams, hired in 2005, was a model of consistency: under his guidance the club had come no higher than 9th and no lower than 12th the past four seasons.

I'd intended to roll out my entire starting lineup, but due to some training-camp injuries and associated tiredness, two of my attacking stars were unavailable. The defensive unit was intact, with Allan McGregor in goal, Sean Dillon, captain Hayden Foxe, David Marek Rozehnal, and Keith McCormack across the back and Mathieu Berson the holding midfielder. Stewart Downing, in possibly his last match at Bramall Lane, was on the left wing, with Victor Sikora on the right. Mark Bridge-Wilkinson and Bruno Cheyrou were partnered together for the first time, with Hume absent. Due to injuries and general tiredness among my first choice strikers, disgruntled youth Darren Gibson was starting up front.

Things brightly for us, and in the fifth minute Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's free kick from midfield looked to have played Darren Gibson into the box, but Dean Leacock was able to dispossess the Scot before he could shoot. With Bruno Cheyrou and Bridge-Wilkinson partnered up front, the creativity was amazing, and in the 8th minute they produced an eye-opening combination. Gibson started it by playing a short pass to Cheyrou in midfield, and then streaking goalward. The Frenchman played it to Bridge-Wilkinson, who knocked a one-time wall pass to space in front of Gibson. The young Scot reached it before onrushing goalkeeper Robert Hunter could close the gap, rounded the 19-year-old keeper, and slotted it home. It gave us an early 1-0 lead, and brought joy to the crowd of 12,857.

I felt good about everything: Cheyrou looked like an amazing summer acquisition, and I mentally scoffed at Rupert Wormwood's dire prognostications, imagining a 2-0 or 3-0 finish at the end of the afternoon. The optimism of those early moments made the rest of the afternoon stand in stark contrast.

We were outplayed.

We weren't just outplayed, we were dominated.

From Gibson's goal to the final whistle, Fulham completely outplayed us: over the next seventy minutes we managed not a single shot. We were lucky through halftime: on the half hour, a loose ball fell to Claus Jensen wide open fifteen yards from goal, but he couldn't get anything on it, and it was an easy save for Allan McGregor. Shortly thereafter, John Kennedy powered a header over after Park Ji-Sung put a dangerous cross into the box, and at the intermission we still led 1-0.

I tried to rally the troops with a clever halftime speech, but it was a pre-season friendly: it didn't matter, and my players knew it. The visitor's control grew ever more ironclad as the second half progressed, and as the hour mark approached, the equalizer looked inevitable. American winger DaMarcus Beasley nearly got it, when a gorgeous long cross from Stephen Carr found his right foot at the back post, some six yards from goal, but McGregor denied him with an incredible save.

I needed to make a change, any change, and the move I made was bringing Peter Garnder and Joe Newell on for Gibson and Bridge-Wilkinson, shifting to an utterly defensive stance. It made no difference: Fulham scored in the 67th minute. Jensen started the move with a long ball down the left sideline. Kennedy outran Keith McCormack to keep it in play with two great touches, first at the touchline, then at the byline. He launched the cross before McCormack could close him down, and at the far corner of the six, Ji-Sung climbed above Dillon to head home the equalizer.

Tactically, I felt like a bug pinned beneath a cat's paw: twist and squirm though I might, there was no escape. I switched to the more aggressive 'patient buildup', letting the fullbacks and defensive midfielder range forward a bit, and giving them license to hold the ball longer. I hoped slowing the play down might take the wind out of the Fulham sails. It did seem to help, and the succession of substitutions: Jonathan Forte on the left wing just before the goal, Gareth Davies, Mark Kearney and Joe Keenan with fifteen minutes left, and Steve Newton, Steve Foster, and Danny Payne in the late going, also seemed to be slowing things down. We even had two shots, our first since the opening ten minutes, but neither troubled Hunter.

Injury time came, and it looked like the match might end a draw when Danny Payne lined up a free kick forty yards from the Fulham goal. He played it into the box, and Beasley stepped in front to chest it down, and launched a long ball for James Bradley, in the space Payne had vacated. The seventeen-year-old controlled it at the midfield line, sent a low ball for Clinton Morrison, and took off upfield as the Irish striker launched a long ball into space for him. Bradley chased it down at the eighteen, closed to 12 yards, and drilled it past McGregor to give Fulham a dramatic 1-2 victory.

Sheffield United 1, Fulham 2

Gibson 8; Ji-Sung 67, Bradley 90

MoM: Ji-Sung (Fulham AMR)

We'd been thoroughly outmatched in this contest, and the 1-2 scoreline and last-second heroics made the match seem much closer than it was. Without some fine play by Allan McGregor, the score could have been 1-4 or worse.

Sunday, 2nd August, 2009.

"I've decided, boss." Stewart Downing was in my office Sunday morning. "I thought you should hear it from me first."

As soon as I heard those words, I knew the rest was a formality.

"You know I really want to break into the England side, and I think you rotate the wingers too often; I want to play almost every match, I think that's what it takes to get noticed. You ask us to play very defensive, and I'm really a pure attacking player: I want to go somewhere where they'll play me as such.

"I'm sorry, I know it leaves you guys in a lurch to leave like this, but at least you've got a month of transfer window to find a replacement."

There was no talking him out of it: he'd signed the papers before coming to see me, and I found myself shaking his hand and wishing him well.

Stewart Downing, AML, 25: July 2008-August 2009: 1 season, 25 games, 2 goals, 11 assists, 1 MoM, 7.44

The price, £3.4M, was a record transfer fee received for Sheffield United, and the most I'd ever received for a player, bringing our total available balance up to a whopping £14.0M.

I'd still rather have the fantastic young winger.

His place on the roster, if not in the fans' hearts or mine, was taken by Nigerian center back Abubakar Shittu, who had joined us from Rancher Bees on a free transfer.

D C Abubuakar Shittu, 19, Nigeria, 2 caps, 1 goal: No appearances:

A product of the Nigerian youth system, we'd been lucky to get a conditional work permit granted through 2013 for this central defender. He has Premier League pace and acceleration, and great anticipation of the game. He doesn't appear fantastic in other areas - he doesn't jump particularly well, and I'm worried about his determination and composure, but if he can develop to match his pace, he'll be a powerful defender.

On the pitch, Chelsea beat Manchester United to win the Charity Shield, 2-1. Landon Donovan and Ruud van Nistelrooy had the match knotted at one apiece before Frank Lampard scored the game-winner in the 87th minute. He found space at the near post to pick up Aliaksandr Hleb's fine pass, and had no trouble beating Tim Howard for his 81st professional goal. It was the third straight season Chelsea had lifted the Shield, and served notice that they weren't going to be easy to knock off their Premier League throne.

Monday, 3rd August, 2009.

Downing Deserts

Leicester City today announced the signing of left winger Stewart Downing, a key part of the Blades' offense last year with a team-leading eleven assists.

The 25-year-old, who is still awaiting his first international call-up, avoided the temptation to make any jabs at his former employers in the press conference, saying only that he was "really enthusiastic about the prospect of playing for such a well-supported club."

Despite a club-record £3.4M fee, his departure comes as a real blow to the aspirations of manager Ian Richards. With Victor Sikora already struggling on the right, the American is left without adequate cover on the wings, and insufficient time to find a replacement before the season starts.

The loss may mean the difference between solid mid-table safety and the battle for relegation...

Oh dear, it doesn't become any easier, does it.

Bah! If you wanted easy, you wanted a different story.

Wednesday, 5th August, 2009.

I was depressed to the point of despondence as the week started. The mood in camp was somber: we hadn't won a match in our last four, and we'd lost a key player - and as though on cue, a series of cloudy days followed, their grey matching the collective mood.

There was still work to do, however, and I kept the players working hard as the first match approached. Personally, I made a half-hearted attempt at working the phones, but most of my time I spent beating myself up: it was my fault, for agreeing the stupid minimum-fee clause, and there was no sidestepping that.

My calls did result in several other farewells, as I shuffled some of the fringe players off the squad, and sent others out on loan.

Left winger Nicky Thomson left to join the top Welsh side, TNS, and was registered in time for Thursday's UEFA Cup tie against Romanian side FC Universitatea Cariova. He brought in £50,000.

Nicky Thomson, AML, 21: July 2007-August 2009: 2 seasons, 1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00

Defensive midfielder Tim Barnes signed with Dutch side Feyenoord, with the deal bringing us £200,000 and an agreement that the Dutch side would play a friendly at Bramall Lane next summer.

Tim Barnes, DMC, 17: August 2008-August 2009: 1 season, 1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 8.00

The youngster was reportedly delighted to be working with Ruud Gillit, and couldn't wait to break into the first-team setup. I wished him the best of luck.

In Wednesday's Champions League action, both English sides comported themselves well. Liverpool manhandled Linfield 3-0 on the strength of a Jérémie Aliadière brace, and Middlesbrough beat Anderlecht 1-0.

Celtic, however were shocked in Glasgow, 2-0, by Slovakian side MSK Zilina, setting up a desperation second leg for the Scottish XI- the little Slovak club looked to be on the verge of knocking out both Glasgow clubs in rapid succession!

Friday, 7th August, 2009.

I had £14 million to spend, and nobody seemed interested in my money. I was having no luck, despite putting in offers for half a dozen players. I'd become so morose, my wife was accusing me of sulking, and the players seemed infected by the same malaise. Bramall Lane was an almost unhealthy place, with a funeral atmosphere.

On Thursday, Noel Hunt scored the only goal of a quiet Reserve friendly in Wolverhampton. Jon Paul McGovern played a great game, getting the assist, and was robbed not to have been named Man of the Match. The match had a slight cost, as Juan Carlos Valerón strained his neck in the final minutes, and would miss Saturday's senior season opener.

Friday, a number of players left on loan: 17-year-old striker Tom Baker joined Conference National side Kidderminster Harriers on loan through the season's close, and 17-year-old attacking midfielder Michael Harrison joined Gravesend and Northfleet, of the same league, on a similar deal. Gareth Davies went to Boston United in League Two, where he would face Martin Hunt, who had joined Cambridge. Goalkeeper Adam Ryan found himself in League One, where he would ply his trade with Blackpool.

The final friendly of the pre-season was a 4-0 shellacking of the Chelsea U-18's by our lads. David Parker was Man of the Match with a goal, 16-year-old Scott Lee netted his first, and 17-year-old trialist Michael Field made his case for a contract by scoring the opener. The final goal came on an own-goal by the disorganized Chelsea defense.

In the last stages of pre-season, a team ought to be building momentum towards the season start. We were building momentum, all right, but not even the junior sides' successes could counteract the feeling that our momentum was not in a positive direction.

Saturday, 8th August, 2009. Premier League - Game 1, vs Aston Villa.

I awoke the morning of the season opener with a heavy heart and a sense of foreboding. The summer had not gone well, and I was concerned. Last year, Aston Villa had been a lightweight, with Javier Clemente's conservative tactics producing only 19 goals from 38 games, fewer than any club save Bolton. That had gotten them through the Champions League group stages before a 2-0 aggregate defeat to Barcelona, but 15th in the League had not renewed their European aspirations. New manager David Platt seemed to have installed a 3-5-2 which suited both fans and club more, and Villa had gone the entire preseason undefeated, with a win in Antwerp the highlight.

I had some interesting decisions to make regarding the starting lineup, and in particular I was contemplating whether to play Cheyrou on the left wing or Newell on the right. I decided against, for this match, and went for something a bit more traditional in selecting the eleven who would fill out our counterattacking 4-5-1. Allan McGregor was the keeper. Sean Dillon was my left back. With Hayden Foxe out on international duty with Australia, Steve Foster joined David Rozehnal in central defense. Keith McCormack opened the season at right back. Mathieu Berson remained the defensive midfielder. Jonathan Forte stepped into the void left by Downing on the left wing, with Victor Sikora still looking for his first-ever Blades assist on the right. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was the playmaker, and I partnered him with Iain Hume. Dynamic Florent Sinama-Pongolle was the lone striker.

32,916 cheering fans greeted us as we took the field, and clearly the Bramall Lane faithful, ever the optimists, didn't share my pessimism. In fact, my fears looked utterly misplaced in the first half-hour. In the 7th minute, David Marek Rozehnal's long ball over top of everyone freed the speedy Florent Sinama-Pongolle behind the Villa defense. He tried to chip Villa netminder Morgan De Sanctis, but the veteran keeper managed to backpedal and tip it over. Right on 20 minutes, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson stood over a dangerous free kick from 23 yards, off to the left, but he curled it into the side netting, just missing the near post.

We were controlling play, and in the 33rd minute, Iain Hume launched a long clearance from our own half. Pacey Sinama-Pongolle tracked it down just a half step clear of Villa captain Olof Mellberg, and shot it under the torso of De Sanctis, who threw himself at the striker's feet in desperation. He could do nothing about it, and the Frenchman had his first goal of the season. A roar erupted from the crowd as it rolled into the net and put us ahead 1-0.

Darius Vassell nearly pegged us back immediately, as Villa had a great passing buildup which set the 29-year-old free of Steve Foster on the right. Lickily, his shot went wide, and we escaped to halftime with the lead. In apparent control, I had no desire to make any changes, and I was starting to write off my sense of impending doom as new-season jitters.

We came out just as brightly to start the second half, and I was really beginning to relax in the 54th minute as Victor Sikora took a throw-in deep down the right sideline. Brazilian forward Dagoberto nicked it away, and Villa took off on a quick counter, a tactic which looked all too familiar. Vassell's lovely ball put winger Daniel Bierofka into the area wide left of McGregor's goal. Rozehnal stuck out his leg, and the German made his fall look a bit more spectacular than it had to be. It was a dubious decision, but referee Steve Dunn pointed to the spot!

Rozehnal received a yellow, not for the tackle, but for pushing Liam Miller away in disgust afterwards as the veteran Irish midfielder said something to him. Steed Malbranque, acquired from Manchester United for £11.5M last summer to help Villa's European campaign, stepped to the spot, and buried it coolly to McGregor's left to put Villa level at one apiece.

My sense of foreboding grew palpable: I just knew this was going to end badly, though I tried to hide it from the players. They seemed to be settling down, playing solid defense, and in fact in the 63rd minute, Iain Hume had a chance from 20 yards, but blazed it high into the stand. My inner Cassandra was unsurprised when Victor Sikora came limping off, and I had to send Joe Newell in to play the right wing. He's competent on the wing, and in fact thinks of himself as a winger rather than an attacking midfielder - its where he played when he lined up for the England U-19 and U-21 sides - but I haven't once asked him to play there.

He hadn't been on four minutes when Villa earned a throw-in on the left side. Dagoberto passed right to Adam Drury, who fed Malbranque in the area. He had Vassell ahead and left of him, standing in a way that 'picked' three defenders, preventing them from interposing themselves. Malbranque stepped to the right, where he had a clear shot to goal, and hammered it to the top corner. I was screaming for obstruction, but Dunn was having none of it, and Villa had taken a 1-2 lead.

I switched to the patient buildup, allowing the lads more freedom to range forward, but now Villa were content to pull ten or even eleven back to defend, and even bringing Hume off to get the creative Bruno Cheyrou his debut didn't seem to be helping. With fifteen minutes left, I took Sinama-Pongolle off for Weatherson, switching to a 3-5-2 with Newell up front and Keith McCormack pushing up to the right wing position. Those changes nearly found the equalizer only two minutes after I made them, when Newell's cross from the right found Weatherson at the back post. He didn't get everything on the header, and De Sanctis was able to push it away.

Ten tense minutes passed, but Dunn blew the whistle just about every twenty seconds, utterly disrupting any rhythm the match had. My foreboding had blossomed into full-fledged fatalism when Weatherson's corner kick found Sean Dillon in the area. Dagoberto hacked his legs out from under him, and when Dunn failed to blow the whistle, the refereeing travesty was complete. Every Blade supporter in the place was screaming for a penalty, but none given.

Stoppage time passed to a rousing Bramall Lane chorus of

.. He's blind!

.. He's deaf!

.. We hate the ****ing ref!

..

.. We hate the ref...

.. The ****'ing ref.

In the final seconds, Newell's 25-yard half chance failed to trouble De Sanctis, and we'd gone to defeat in our first match of the new season.

Sheffield United 1, Aston Villa 2

Sinama-Pongolle 33; Malbranque pen 55, 67

MoM: Malbranque (Villa MR)

My players afterwards were furious for the referee, for everything from the penalties given or not given to some of the offsides calls and fouls given in the final ten minutes of the match.

I could only agree with them, but even so we'd outshot Villa more than two to one, had seven corners to their two, and despite the refereeing we'd had every chance to put them away in the first half. We had no-one to blame but ourselves.

Ouch, thats tough loss there... Hope Ian could find that one player who breaks out and becomes world beater that every FM player gets . Or he already has that player but he didn't break out yet.

Thanks, Kairyu. I've been playing by or very close to the LLaMa standard, so its made that world beater all the more elusive!

Monday, 10th August, 2009.

Highway Robbery

was the title of Rupert Wormwood's article, and for once I had drawn none of his ire, with our match propping up an entire column lamenting the "plight of refereeing in the modern game."

I flipped further into the back of the sports section, where I noted the following article:

Fans of Sheffield United are said to be delighted to see Chris Brown join them from UWIC Inter Cardiff, declaring that he is definitely one for the future. The goalkeeper is unlikely to break into the first team straight away, but the club shop are already claiming that lots of kids are asking for the name Brown to be put on the back of their shirts, such is his growing reputation.

GK Chris Brown, 15, Wales, uncapped: 38 games, 52 conceded, 4 clean sheets, 2 MoM, 6.47 for UWIC (Wales):

One of the best young goalkeepers I've yet seen, I couldn't resist adding him to the notable congestion I've acquired at that position. His concentration, determination, and work ethic combine with his leadership potential to make a real potential captain, and his cat-like reflexes and stellar acceleration show his potential. He made a fine one-on-one save in front of Spencer Field, and he started 38 games for UWIC last year, stepping into their starting lineup at the tender age of 14.

Yes, that gave us four young goalkeepers who looked like the real deal: Brown, Cummins, Thomas, and Parker. I had no idea how I was going to get playing time for all of them - but I'd rather have that problem than the opposite!

We'd also added Michael Field, who had agreed a full-time contract, bringing his trial with us to a close.

SC Michael Field, 17, England, uncapped: No appearances for Newcastle:

I've been very impressed with his decision-making, and though his pace would only be average for a Premier League player, he has good concentration and teamwork. He's very consistent across the board, and if he can make a steady improvement over the next year or two, he's worth taking the time to nurture.

They would be taking the place of five players who had gone out on loan. Darren Gibson joined Bolton in their quest to regain the Premier League. After three matches, they're currently 7th in the Championship, just outside of the playoff zone. The Scottish prospect declared himself delighted, but it looked like it might spell the end of his relationship with our club.

Peter Gardner was going to Stockport, where the 20-year-old hoped to gain some first team experience in League One. Goalkeeper Nick McDonald and winger Mark Kearney would be plying their trade in the same division, McDonald at Welsh side Wrexham, with Kearney at Crewe. Further down the League structure, Chris Gray joined League Two side Cheltenham.

Wednesday, 12th August, 2009.

Hamill for Left?

Sheffield United today announced the signing of their new left winger, Joe Hamill, a refugee from Bolton, for £350,000.

Certainly it was a cut-rate price for the 25-year-old, but the move has left Blades fans asking the obvious question. How is a winger who couldn't make the starting lineup for last year's Bolton side, which won just a single game, going to answer their team's gaping void at left wing?

The 25-year-old left winger, who was frozen out at Reebok Stadium, spoke of his joy at completing the move. 'I'm relishing the opportunity of playing regular first-team football,' he said, though reports are that manager Ian Richards has only promised him a rotational role.

I didn't know if he'd be the answer on the left, but it struck me as a simple case of 'better than nothing'.

AM L Joe Hamill, 25, Scotland, 8 U-21 caps, 1 U-21 goal: 17 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, 6.71 with Bolton:

A fine dribbler with great determination and an excellent work ethic, Hamill has a knack for making the creative pass or sending in a solid cross. He takes a good corner, and his natural fitness may be second to none on the squad. In many other respects he appears merely average, which may explain why he wasn't starting for Bolton, but he'll provide some much-needed depth on the left side.

On the other side of the coin, Newcastle came in with an offer of £4.6M for Florent Sinama-Pongolle.

I told them no.

I didn't want to sell players: we were a buying club in a seller's market, which was altogether unfortunate.

I did accept Fulham's offer of £625,000 and a friendly for 17-year-old defender Mark Allen, who though he looked promising seemed to have a lot of growing to do.

Mark Allen, DRC, 17: August 2008-August 2009: 1 season1, 1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.00.

Colin Hatton, unable to ever recover from his ball-shy nature, also left the club to join Barnet, down in League Two, on a permanent move which would help to free up some space in my goalkeeping log-jam.

Wednesday was an international date, and Hayden Foxe played well in the Asian/Oceania Challenge Cup, where he led Australia to 2-0 victory over Japan. Admittedly, the Oceania squad were somewhat assisted Yuki Ito's second yellow card in the 36th minute, which left Japan on ten men for the remainder.

Canada overcame a one-goal halftime deficit to beat Trinidad & Tobago 3-1 in a World Cup qualifying match. Iain Hume had an excellent game, earning his 35th cap, but striker Rob Friend was the hero with a pair of goals. Coupled with Mexico's loss to Jamaica, that valuted Canada back into the playoff-spinning fourth place of the CONCACAF region.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF

1 U.S.A. 11 3 2 1 + 8

2 Jamaica 9 2 3 1 + 1

3 Honduras 9 2 3 1 0

-----------------------------------

4 Canada 7 2 1 3 - 3

-----------------------------------

5 Mexico 6 1 3 2 - 2

6 Trinidad & T 5 1 2 3 - 4</pre>

Javier Clemente's astonishing career path continued: he was announced as the new manager of Argentina, which left him splitting time between one of the most prestigious clubs in England and one of the most prestigious nations, despite an atrocious performance with Villa last season.

Setting the paper aside, I gave myself a mental kick up the backside for wasting a week on self-pity, forced a smile, and willed myself back to work.

It sounds so much easier than it was.

Friday, 14th August, 2009.

"I don't expect to play straight away, but I hope that if I get my head down and work hard, the manager will reward me with a first-team place soon enough."

I'd made my biggest signing of the off-season so far, splashing out £2.4M for 17-year-old Fulham striker James Bradley, the same speedy youth who had scored the game winner against us in our friendly against the Cottagers.

S C James Bradley, 17, England, uncapped: No appearances for Fulham:

With his pace and acceleration, this young striker can only be called 'explosive', and I was happpy to add him to the youth ranks. He's brave, he has solid heading ability, and he takes a good penalty. There are plenty of weaknesses in his game, however, which made a transfer fee of £2.4M a big risk for an untried, unproven player who would just go straight into the U-18s.

Our struggles on the wings worsened a bit, with Jon Paul McGovern pulling his groin in training. It would rule him out for three weeks with the course of physiotherapy that Martin Baverstock recommended.

Saturday, 15th August, 2009. Premier League - Game 2, at Southampton.

"Listen up, lads.

"I know we all feel hard-done by last week.

"Yes, we lost a game we should have won. But we have nobody to look to but ourselves.

"We were the better team, and we had plenty of chances to put that game away in the first half. We didn't take them, and we paid the price.

"Not today.

"Today, I want each of you to look to yourself: leave everything out there, and make sure we walk off the pitch with nothing to regret."

It had been a busy week. The weather had improved, but it didn't seem anything had pulled us out of our downward spiral. Though we'd beaten them at home last season, a trip to Southampton wouldn't be easy. They'd beaten us 5-0 on our last trip to St. Mary's Stadium, and I was determined not to offer a repeat. They'd placed 13th, last year, six points behind us and ending a string of three straight top-ten finishes - but they'd started their 33rd consecutive season in the top flight with a 2-1 win against Portsmouth.

I named the strongest lineup I could offer. Allan McGregor's confidence looked shaky at best, but he was in goal, and his defense saw only one change, with Sean Dillon, Steve Foster, and David Rozehnal joined by Danny Payne at right back. Mathieu Berson would run the midfield from the back. On the left wing, I was down to experiment: I tried creative summer signing Bruno Cheyrou as a winger. Victor Sikora was on the right, and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson the playmaker. I kept my promise to Robert Cousins, giving him an early start, and Florent Sinama-Pongolle, the goalscorer from the first match, was again up front.

Southampton came out in a 4-5-1 of their own, with giant Peter Crouch up front. They looked the stronger side from the opening minutes, and only three minutes in, Jelle Van Damme, a Belgian left back, launched a great cross into the box, where Eric Djemba Djemba's header flashed over the bar. They were mounting a constant pressure, leading to several corner kicks in the early going. Each corner put my heart in my mouth, worried that it would find Crouch, but each was dealt with in turn by competent defending, including a fine tackle by Sean Dillon in the box.

In the 18th minute, we launched a counter-attack, with Robert Cousins playing a fine pass up the right wing for Victor Sikora. The Belgian veteran kept it in bounds at the touchline, then whipped a low cross in for Cousins. The 20-year-old jumped ahead of Sebastian Wallis-Taylor, a mere three feet from goal at the near post, and nodded it goalward, only to see it hit the woodwork and bounce clear!

Southampton resumed their home-side dominance, and by the half-hour they had earned six corner kicks. Again, we were able to cope competently. As the half approached, the hosts seemed to tired, and Cousins was again able to create movement, sending Sikora up the right side. This time the cross found Florent Sinama-Pongolle, whose wicked shot was blocked out by Danny Mills.

That was enough to see the match scoreless to halftime, and the lads were beginning to believe that they could win it: for all that Southampton had those many corner kicks, we had had the better of the chances. The restart saw not one but two more corner kicks, bringing Southampton's total to nine, but Dillon cleared the first, and David Rozehnal's header cleared the second.

In the 49th minute, Danny Payne's header started a counterattack. Cousins had overlapped Sikora to the right wing, and he found Sinama-Pongolle. The cultured French forward sent a long ball for Bruno Cheyrou up the left wing, and he in turn played a low pass forward to Cousins. Four defenders were closing in on the youngster as he shot from 30 yards, and Iain Turner did well to turn it away. The rebound fell directly to Sinama-Pongolle, and he put put it home from 12 yards to put us ahead 1-0.

Matthew Oakley struck the post with a curling shot from 25 yards right on the hour mark, but though it drew the crowd of 26,633 to their feet, it bounced harmlessly away. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was carrying a yellow card and visibly tiring, so in the 62nd minute I brought him off, letting Joe Keenan play left wing, and moving Cheyrou up to the attacking midfield, a piece of tactical flexibility I'd not had before.

By the 70th minute, Joe Newell had replaced Cousins, and Noel Hunt was on for Sinama-Pongolle up front. They were instrumental to our second goal in the 77th minute, when Newell fed Cheyrou from the right. The Frenchman had plenty of space and looked set to shoot, but instead played it ahead for Hunt, whose marker had been charging Cheyrou down. The Irishman slotted it home from just inside the 18, equaling his goal production from all of last season and putting us up 2-0!

Hunt nearly made it a double shortly after the restart, thanks to Newell's long pass putting him behind the Southampton defense, but this time Turner made the save. The hosts threw everyone forward in the final ten minutes, but solid defending held them at bay, and when the final whistle blew, we'd proved that we could win without Stewart Downing.

Southampton 0, Sheffield United 2

----; Sinama-Pongolle 49, Hunt 77

MoM: Dillon

Sean Dillon's Man of the Match was the just reward for a player who had made every tackle he'd attempted on the afternoon; he'd been instrumental in defending the numerous corner kicks from his role on the near post, and it was a reminder that even players at those locations I'm looking to upgrade have their strengths.

Seems to be a lot of kids buying goalkeeper shirts.

Hey, as long as the financial guys are happy with me..