Sharpening a Rusty Blade - Book II

[Amaroq]

Right.. uh, so, anyways...

[Amaroq]

Friday, 20th June, 2008.

The Euros continued apace, but I, like most Englishmen, had lost the stomach for it with the ignominous pair of defeats by Sven-Goran Ericksson's side. Speculation was ripe about whether the Swede would survive the embarassment, would turn in his resignation, or would be sacked by the F.A., and if the latter, who would manage them.

Rupert Wormwood wrote a piece of vitriol so rabid I was surprised didn't close with a call to lynch the manager, but for once his ire wasn't directed at me. I didn't like his style any more when I wasn't the target of it - certainly Sven hadn't changed his defense in an attempt to sabotage England's chances, it was clear after conceding three in the previous match that some form of change was needed.

On the pitch, Italy dispatched Turkey 1-0, the Azzuri contiuning their fine campaign on Fabrizio Miccoli's 20th-minute goal and a fine performance by defenseman Gianluca Zambrotta.

My spirits, at least, were lifted by the news on the financial front: the Sheffield United coffers had grown by tremendous amounts in the past two days.

First, the TV revenue for the 2008-09 season had arrived, a single lump sum totaling £13.75M. That almost equaled our entire income from the previous year, and all but guaranteed a profitable season this time around, even if we stumble straight back out of the Premier League in a single go.

Next, we sold Nick Smith to Celtic for £1M. The 18-year-old, widely considered a promising right winger, had been at Bramall Lane for less than ten months, without ever seeing action in the first team after I had brought him in on a free the previous summer. I had no idea he would be worth so much, and frankly I thought Celtic had overvalued him, as he doesn't have the pace to really excel on the wings.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 21st June, 2008.

I suffered another setback in my staff, as loyal physio Dennis Pettitt retired abruptly. The 57-year-old had been the head physio at Bramall Lane for many years, working tirelessly, and everyone at the club was sad to see him leave. He'd left a fine medical setup, however, having spent the past year mentoring Tom Mitchell in the art of physiotherapy, and leaving us with four solid physios in the department.

I took a minute Saturday afternoon to review our youth setup with assistant manager Stuart McCall and youth coach Mick Jones. Four players from our youth academy had caught his eye, and he recommended them all for a turn with our champion U-18 side.

S C Tim Mason, 15, England: The best of the bunch was striker Tim Mason, who appeared to have, even at his young age, the sort of physique one hopes for in a striker. If he could develop a step or two more of pace and a few inches of vertical leap, he'd be an excellent physical specimen. For his age, his technique is quite good, though his first touch needs a lot of work. Obviously, given how young he is, he has a lot of maturing to do in terms of understanding the game, honing his concentration and composure. Stuart McCall likes him a lot; I'm worried that his low determination may prevent him from ever reaching his potential.

F RC Martin Hunt, 16, England: Truly gifted at finding the net, this youngster looks like he'll be pressuring for a spot in the Reserves within a year or two. Like Mason, his first touch leaves a bit to be desired, but he is very impressive in his technical and mental development. Unfortunately, he seems to lack stamina and fitness, and Mick Jones warns that he shows less determination than Tim Mason, and has a habit of laziness as well.

F C Tom Baker, 16, England: On first glance, this forward doesn't impress as much as Mason or Hunt does. His technique is very weak, and he doesn't show particular composure or anticipation. He absolutely can't jump, and he isn't blindingly fast. However, a second look shows that he's hard working and determined, and he seems very keen to impress. Privately, I suspect he may last longer in our setup than either of the others.

D LC Chris Holland, 18, England: Older than the three attackers, Holland is a brilliant free kick taker, which must be the only reason Jones is recommending him. He lacks pace, he can't tackle, and I saw him muff his first touch on an absolutely docile pass rolling along the grasstop. Jones says that he's also shown good anticipation and sparks of real leadership potential; he reckons the young player will do well at the U-18 level. I doubt we'd be able to do more than sell him to a team around the Conference level.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 22nd June, 2008.

"We'll be happy to have you."

"I'm just glad of the opportunity to start, I'm tired of sitting on the bench."

"You'll get your chance, I promise you that."

I'd wasted no time investing two thirds of the Nick Smith proceeds into the acquisition of ambitious left winger Stewart Downing from Middlesbrough. Left wing had been the position I determined we were weakest at, and the 23-year-old had fallen out of favor at The Riverside Stadium, failing to make a single appearance last year. His last four seasons combined, he had just eight starts, but assuming I could get him into match shape, he should feature heavily this year.

The deal would be finalized on July 1st, and he would report to camp with my other players on the seventh. My only concern was the minimum fee release clause his agent had insisted on - he'd assured me it was "Just in case you get relegated," which may not have been a vote of confidence.

Souleymane Mamam's loan from Manchester United officially came to a close yesterday. He'd only played in eight matches, but what an impact he'd had, winning the Championship Player of the Month for April, a critical time as we battled for the promotion spots.

Souleymane Mamam, AMRC, 23: March 2008-June 2008: 1 seasons, 8 games, 4 goals, 2 assists, 1 MoM, 8.00

I celebrated the Downing contract by watching the Holland vs Norway match, as the Dutch, whom I've always favoured, battled back from an early penalty goal. Ruud van Nistelrooy equalized just before half-time, but the 1-1 match was decided in stoppage time when referee Domenico Messina awarded a penalty to the Oranje. Norway substitute Tommy Karlsen had pushed Andy van der Meyde in the area. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink stepped calmly to the spot, and put the Dutch in the Semi-Final, 2-1.

On Sunday, the Germans became the final team of the Semi-Final foursome with a clinical 1-0 victory over Croatia.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 27th June, 2008.

I noted the scores from the mid-week Semi-Finals with disinterest. France lost to Germany when an early red card to Mikael Silvestre crippled their chances; two goals proved enough for the Germans, and 2-0 was the result. In the other semi-final, it was Italy over Holland on penalties after 120 scoreless minutes.

Bah.

I had work to do.

Scout Kevin Randall retired on Wednesday. This retirement did not come as any sort of a surprise. He'd announced months earlier that he'd be retiring at the end of his contract, and had in fact been helping me search for a replacement. Wayne Broughton's contract was also expiring, so I was planning on hiring two scouts over the summer.

Cambridge scout Kit Carson was incredible, with a fine reputation for judging potential, and he absolutely aced the interview: he proved smart, insightful, and witty, and I had my assistant preparing an offer for him no more than five minutes after the interview wrap meeting.

I officially placed Chris Sedgwick and Chris Morgan on the transfer list. I'd tried shopping them around discreetly, but had been getting no bites - a reasonable offer might prise either from my grasp, especially after they'd each spent so much of last season on the disabled list.

Part of the reason I could bid adieu to Sedgwick was the completion of a deal for Birmingham winger Victor Sikora, who would cost us £1.0M at the July transfer window. The 30-year-old former Ajax player would bring much-needed pace to the position, I thought, along with plenty of top-flight experience, and he's equally adept from both sides.

York accepted a friendly at Bootham Crescent in the early part of the offseason, a fixture I thought would help us bring the entire squad up to match fitness. The official fixture list had been announced as well, and we drew a lucky break with a succession of easier ties in the early part of the year: away to Blackburn, home against Southampton, at Ipswich, and home against Bolton. Our first match against a top-five team wasn't until Chelsea in mid-September, which might give us some time to get comfortable in the top flight before we had our toughest matches.

In other news, ex-Sheffield loanee Lewis Guy found a home at Stoke City, who signed the 22-year-old striker from Newcastle for £1.2M. He'd only ever made one appearance in the top flight, spending most of the past four seasons on loan at the Championship level.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 30th June, 2008.

On Sunday, two early goals put Germany ahead of Italy in Vienna, and they weathered a determined comeback by the Azurri to win the European Championship 2-1 in front of nearly 62,000 fans.

In the English papers, the news was obscured by a story of much greater significance to Englishmen: England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson had been sacked from his role as manager by the Football Association. The F.A. stated that,

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">We are disappointed by the team's awful performance in the European Football Championship and feel that a new manager is required if the team is to improve in the future. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Speculation abounded over the next two days about who might replace him, and I think every manager in English football was put forth as a candidate at one point or another.

Well, except yours truly.

The English aren't yet desperate enough to turn to an American for help!

[aaberdeenn]

kutgw Roqy. Looking forwards to the new season.

[Amaroq]

Thanks. The board weren't:

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 1st July, 2008

I met with the board this morning to establish our targets for the upcoming season.

"Look," Derek Dooley told me, "We're very pleased with the work you've done so far, but we don't expect miracles, especially not on the budget we've given you."

"We can't expect you to do more than battle bravely against relegation," Terry Robinson said, as though finishing the chairman's thought. "If you can consolidate and keep the team up, that's great, but you'll have to do it with what you have at hand."

"Frankly, we wouldn't be surprised to be relegated, and battle our way back up two seasons from now," the chairman informed me.

I couldn't quite believe my ears - were they all but assuring me that if I could just keep it close, my job would be safe even if we were relegated?

I was still frustrated with the paltry transfer budget - up to £2.3M thanks to some of the player sales I'd completed, but still far from what I thought was needed to keep the team up.

We'd made a solid £14.0M for the past month, most of that by recognizing the television revenue as a single lump sum, and were sitting on a net of £16.8M for the season, since the stadium expansion costs had been categorized as 'last season' for tax purposes. The bank balance of £24.3M was plenty of money, and the healthiest the club had been in a long while - that TV revenue is a tremendous boon, even just a season's worth.

Still, if they weren't going to expect instant success, my job might not be on the line if we slipped back a division. And there was good news from Terry Robinson on the wage budget front.

"We've decided to increase the wage budget," he told me. "We're currently using about £4.8M per annum, and that might climb to £6.0M with the transfer you have incoming, which was prudent given the budget we'd allowed you. However, we'll be opening that up - you can bring the wage budget up as high as £20M per annum, with a maximum per player of £2M per annum if you can find a gamebreaker. See if you can get some of those free transfers."

With the Euros complete, Wayne Broughton's final search as a Sheffield United scout had come to its conclusion, and he came to the office to remove his things. Coach Scott Sellars was also packing his things, but as I had no replacement lined up for either him or for Niko Korvac, I asked Scott to stay on through the pre-season. He agreed.

Moving into Kevin Randall's office as Wayne moved out was our newest scout, Kit Carson. The 60-year-old former Cambridge scout had signed a five-year deal, costing us a mere £20,000 in compensation to acquire the services of a scout who might just be better than anyone currently on my staff.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 2nd July, 2008.

With the first of July, the transfer window opened, and that meant a number of transfers were officially complete - and the process of reshaping the club for the Premiership was officially underway.

AM L Stewart Downing, 23, England, 17 U-21 caps, 0 goals:

No appearances for Middlesbrough:

One player I rescued from purgatory was this explosive left wing, whose lack of determination had seen him sitting on the bench at Middlesbrough for the past three seasons - he didn't get to make a single appearance last year. My scouts saw his flawless technique combined with good pace, crossing, dribbling, and passing, and recommended him despite concerns about his ambition. He's certainly better than anybody currently on the roster, and represents a dramatic upgrade for the side over young Jonathan Forte; I expect him to start the majority of the matches, unless unable to due to fatigue. Middlesbrough were willing to part with him for £650,000, which was a real bargain: I'd have valued the former England Under-21 international at ten times that amount.

DM C Mathieu Berson, 28, France, uncapped:

19 games, 2 goals, 3 assists, 0 MoM, 7.26:

The French defensive midfielder spent six months on loan to Bramall Lane last season, and featured heavily in our drive to promotion, especially after the injury of Paul Thirlwell. His stamina and work rate are exceptional, and his positioning, anticipation, decision-making and tackling would make up for a lot of deficiencies. When he was on the roster, my coaches all agreed that he was the best player on the side, and I'm very pleased to steal him from Aston Villa on a free transfer; he's agreed to a contract through 2011, and might well rise to captain by the end of it.

AM RL Victor Sikora, 30, Holland, 7 caps, 0 goals:

19 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.58 at Birmingham:

Though not as impressive as Downing or Berson, this talented Dutchman has pace and acceleration, and can find the killer cross with regularity. His natural fitness leaves a lot to be desired, his concentration wavers, and he is either unwilling or unable to pursue a ball in the air, but his technical skills and reading of the game should make up for that. He's equally proficient with either foot, and can play on either wing as needed, versatility which I expect to find very useful. I paid £1.0M to bring him over from Birmingham, where he hadn't earned enough appearances to impress last season - but the year prior he'd posted a 7.46 rating with 8 goals and 11 assists in 35 matches for Dutch champions Ajax.

AM C Mike Flynn, 27, Wales, uncapped:

26 games, 3 goals, 4 assists, 2 MoM, 6.60 with Walsall (League One) and Bury (Conference):

This experienced Welshman was willing to sign a contract in purely a backup role, deep on the depth chart but available in case of injury to any of my more established players. He's relatively steady, without any particular standout traits, but hard working, brave, and with good teamwork that I hope can offset the lack of technical brilliance and physical ability which have kept him from ever rising above League One in his career. I may loan him out to the League One level for the early part of the season to keep him in shape.

AM L Laurent Robert, 33, France, 9 caps, 1 goal:

51 games, 4 goals, 3 assists, 3 MoM, 6.41 with Swansea (League One):

The free transfer of this older Frenchman had looked much better in the middle of last season when I arranged it: he'd been on form for Swansea, looking much more like the winger who had excelled for Newcastle, scoring 24 goals in five seasons in the Premier League. Now, his skills were in clear decline, and with Downing and Sikora on the books, he was deep on the depth chart. He still takes excellent free kicks and corners, and can hit the long shot when asked, but his pace and dribbling aren't even average, and his positioning and stamina are well below standard. Worse, the fans are very worried that his signing may disrupt the harmony of the locker room. That's unfortunate, as one of the reasons I'd signed him was to add a veteran with Premier League experience to help steady the others.

M C Phil Davidson, 19, England, uncapped:

36 games, 6 goals, 0 assists, 2 MoM, 6.56 at Queen of Sth:

The £65,000 signing of this young central midfielder might have been a bit dishonest, as he was a player I didn't expect to ever fit into my senior side. I viewed him, at least at first, as a saleable asset, a youngster with too much potential to pass up, even if a natural central midfielder doesn't work with my preferred 4-5-1. He has great anticipation, a professional attitude, and determination to improve himself - which is impressive, as he is already quite mature for a player of his age, with good technique, and an understanding of the game which will stand him in good stead through his career. If he can improve over two years with our coaches, he'll be a tremendous asset.

S C Peter Gardner, 19, England, uncapped:

35 games, 14 goals, 0 assists, 2 MoM, 7.11 at Bangor City:

I didn't want to neglect the youth setup for my short-term needs, and with Chris Gray and Billy Sharp potentially on the transfer block, I wanted to bring in a young striker. Peter Gardner had 35 goals in 3 seasons for Bangor City, with the pace and physique to compete at the Premier League level. His determination to succeed may help him develop to his full potential, and he's reasonably able to make decisions, make off the ball runs, and find the net, especially for one so young. At a cost of £22,000, he hardly registered at all.

With the influx of new players - none of whom had actually arrived yet, as players didn't have to report until July 7th - there were also some players whose term as Blades had officially come to a close.

Jack Lester was the most signficant of these, the 32-year-old forward having been with the club for 5 seasons, scoring 44 goals in fully 177 matches. However, his playing time had dropped off dramatically last season, with only a few flashes of his former glory, and I didn't expect him to be able to contribute at the Premier League level, and certainly not to the level his salary commanded.

Jack Lester, FC, 32: July 2003-June 2008: 5 seasons, 177 games, 44 goals, 9 assists, 4 MoM, 6.90

Captain Eric Deloumeaux also departed Bramall Lane. The 35-year-old had played heavily during our League One promotion campaign, but clearly overworked himself, as he missed most of last season's campaign with injury, playing only six matches.

Eric Deloumeaux, D/DMRC, 35: July 2006-June 2008: 2 seasons, 62 games, 2 goals, 5 assists, 4 MoM, 7.16

The third player leaving was 17-year-old striker Danny Lea, whose significant injury had set him back at least a year's worth of development. I didn't see a need to wait while he recovered, and hoped the affable youngster would find a home with some other club.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 4th July, 2008.

Though the national news remained focused on the vacant England position, the Yorkshire news was focused on us, our recent signings, and our chances of staying up. While The Star judged Stewart Downing to be "An explosive player who will add a dangerous aspect to the Blades attack," the consensus on Laurent Robert was that his signing was an unnecessary risk, especially given the other two wingers I'd brought in.

The Star article did contain an interview with the French international, and commented

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The 33-year-old left winger condemned the supporters for pre-judging him, and stated that he was keen to start playing and repay the faith shown in him by manager Ian Richards. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

However, Rupert Wormwood's editorial on the subject was inevitably critical, including the choice line

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The signing of such a known malcontent, a poison to the locker room in Paris, Newcastle, and Swansea, simply demonstrates the inexperience of manager Ian Richards at the highest levels. Though all is roses between the two now, by the January transfer window, with the team battling relegation, Robert will be on the market, but nobody will purchase him. There's a reason a player once valued at £10.5M by Newcastle went on a free transfer to a League One side at the end of his last contract - and the fact that Swansea didn't fight to keep him should say it all. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I ignored it as best as I could, and focused on the task at hand, namely signing another winger, young Simon Blake.

AM RL Simon Blake, 18, England, uncapped:

2 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, 7.00 with Chelsea:

This talented 18-year-old was a product of the Chelsea youth system, and he scored a goal in his first start during the group stages of the Champions League last season, adding 5 goals in 41 youth and Reserve matches for the London side. He's quick, with great natural fitness and an instinct off the ball that has to be seen to be believed. He expresses great determination both on the pitch and if you speak to him, and though his technical and mental development leaves a bit to be desired - his choices especially leave a lot to be desired - my scouts all agreed that he had potential, and were unsure why the Blues weren't offering him a contract. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I snapped him up through 2012 on a free transfer. I love his versatility, which will make him an asset off the bench; he should challenge Robert and Allen for a role there over the next two or three years.

I was also finalising the paperwork on a contract for goalkeeper Steve Harper. I hoped to bring in the older man to provide competition for Allan McGregor, and a veteran backup if the Scot, as I expected he would, saw off the challenge.

[Amaroq]

Okay, for those of you with a long download ahead of you, here's a double-dose of Blade action...

[Amaroq]

Monday, 7th July, 2008.

All too soon, my players were reporting for pre-season - it felt like we'd just won promotion yesterday!

Luckily, England appointed a new manager today, well overshadowing the local excitement at our first day of training for the new season. Gary Megson was the unanimous choice of the FA's selection committee, and his first task would be ensuring that England qualified for the 2010 World Cup. Megson had overseen West Bromwich Albion, saving them from relegation from the Premier League in the 2004-05 season before suffering last place in 2005-06. In January of 2007, he had West Brom in the top two of the Championship when he took over at Sunderland, a position he held less than 12 months. He guided them to 10th that season, but was fired in December of the same year with the team battling relegation.

That less-than-stellar record made him a highly debatable choice for the management of one of the world's best international team, and many managers with higher pedigrees were overlooked - or chose to go elsewhere, as José Mourinho was named the new Portugal boss. In a controversial move, he had agreed to coach the international side while remaining manager at Chelsea. In the past four years, he'd guided them to three titles and a runner-up slot, so the rest of the Premiership managers - myself included! - were hoping the pundits were right, that this would distract him a bit from running the club.

Still, there wasn't much time to chat about it: it was a busy day for the coaching staff and I as we got everything ready. We started with a rigorous pre-season training regime, trying to burn off some of the fat which the less-disciplined players had acquired in the off-season, and regain the stamina which was the usual hallmark of my teams.

It met with the usual grumbling, which I answered with my usual stoicism. I can't even count the number of times the final 15 minutes of matches - and extra-time! - have been critical during my career.

Steve Harper had signed the contract I'd faxed to him Sunday around 10:00pm, and was able to report on time with the other players.

GK Steve Harper, 33, England, uncapped:

28 games, 40 conceded, 9 clean sheets, 2 MoM, 7.07 on two loan stints to Hull and Leeds last season:

Another Newcastle reject taken up on a free transfer, its my hope that Harper will provide a veteran backup for Allan McGregor in case of injury. If his presence on the roster spurs the Scot to better performances, even better. He isn't the most athletic of keepers, but he has reasonable reflexes, and he's reliable - none of the eccentricity that many of the more flamboyant keepers seem to display. In other words, exactly the sort of man you'd want for this position.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 9th July, 2008.

The expansion to Bramall Lane, increasing our stadium capacity to a 33,000 all-seater, was completed on Tuesday. Its looking very good, and should be open to that capacity for our first home friendly on Sunday - not that anybody expects a sell-out crowd for a friendly against Charlton Athletic.

As the lads ran off their summer softness, I got down to work with Stuart McCall and tactical genius Craig Shields to adjust our 4-5-1 for our first Premier League campaign. One of the adjustments we made was deepening the defensive line a bit in our deepest, most defensive tactic, also bringing the attacking midfielders back to a traditional central midfield role in that situation.

In addition, we made adjustments around set pieces and throw-ins for every tactic, hoping to find a bit of an edge there. We hadn't been particularly dangerous, even on corner kicks, and I knew a change was needed.

I'd been experimenting on paper with some assymetric tactics, which I didn't feel confident breaking out into common usage just now, but they were definitely in the back of my mind for a potential remedy if the season turned sour.

I asked McCall to assess the squad after the first two days of training, and he told me, "Honestly, boss, I think we have absolutely no chance of avoiding relegation unless the squad is strengthened in every department. If you compare our current squad to some of the other Premier League sides, we just don't have real strength in depth."

I had to concur, but it wasn't like the board were giving me the budget to do much about it.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 11th July, 2008.

I hoped to address the strength-of-squad issue by bringing in more Bosmans, but was having real difficulty finding anybody willing to join the squad.

Negotiations with out-of-work Sándor Torghelle had broken down, the 26-year-old Hungarian striker refusing to sign a permanent contract with us. He did agree to come in on a trial, however, a mutually beneficent arrangement as the player would build towards match shape and might receive some playing time to demonstrate to other clubs his value, while I hoped that he would be convinced to stay by the quality of our facilities and staff.

Speaking of which, the staff was also joined by Crewe Alexandra physio Steve Walker, whom I had prised away from the League One side - they'd been relegated from the Championship last year - with the offer to work with a Premier League team that was clearly on the rise rather than an organization yo-yo'ing between League and Championship.

I started my annual full-squad review with a comparison of my goalkeepers.

Goalkeepers:

GK Allan McGregor, 26, Scotland, uncapped:

49 games, 37 conceded, 20 clean sheets, 8 MoM, 7.08:

I thought of upgrading at goalkeeper for our Championship season, but McGregor proved the anchor of the league's best defense. A product of the Rangers youth system, and capped at the U-21 level, McGregor has been a solid keeper the past two seasons in League One and the Championship. He is determined and brave, with good agility and reflexes, and solid throughout though unspectacular. I'm worried about his ability to step up to the Premier League level: his anticipation and command of the area leave a bit to be desired, and his decision-making, though adequate, is not ideal. Still, he's certainly earned the right to at least have me give him a go.

GK Steve Harper, 33, England, uncapped:

28 games, 40 conceded, 9 clean sheets, 2 MoM, 7.07 on loan to Hull, Leeds (Championship):

A long-time Newcastle player who only made 35 career Premier League appearances, I picked Harper up to provide an experienced backup for McGregor. He's agile and determined, with a solid, professional temperament. Some of his fundamentals are mildly better than the Scot's, for example his anticipation, positioning, and decisions, but in most ways he's simply a competent Championship-level keeper.

GK Nick McDonald, 18, England, uncapped:

1 game, 2 conceded, 0 clean sheets, 6.00:

This young goalkeeper is very well-rounded, showing modest quality in almost every aspect of his game without standing out in any one. He has good concentration, especially for a youth, while his rushing out leaves a bit to be desired. I liked his attitude while I was at York, and I think he's solid and dependable. However, Stuart McCall is not convinced, and worries that he hasn't progressed in the manner Stuart would have liked.

GK Adam Ryan, 17, England, uncapped:

No appearances; 31 Under-18 starts for WBA:

This promising youngster has all of the physical aspects one could look for in a young keeper, especially agility and strength. He has shown some mental maturity for one so young, proving especially brave and determined. He needs some work on the true goalkeeping attributes, but I'm willing to undertake a developmental project. I certainly wouldn't expect him to step into the first team any time soon, but he's got plenty of potential.

GK Colin Hatton, 17, England, uncapped:

0 senior appearances, but 29 games w/14 clean sheets at U-18/Reserve level:

Last year's U-18 keeper, Hatton has phenomenal concentration, and all the natural balance and agility that one would hope for in a goalkeeper. Unfortunately, his reflexes are awful and are not improving, and he appears utterly terrified of the sorts of high-powered shots one expects to see in the Premier League. Though he played well at the U-18 level last year, my coaches are convinced that he isn't progressing, and I now feel that there are better keepers on the side.

GK Dean Bond, 19, England, uncapped:

3 games, 1 conceded, 2 clean sheets, 7.33:

Our backup goalkeeper last season while McDonald was out on loan, Bond did not particularly impress. Though he has the physical attributes one would wish for in a keeper, possessing the balance of a cat and fine agility, his reflexes are poor and most of his technical game is weak and I agree with my coaches that he has not been improving. He saw the majority of the Reserve action last season, but he's honestly the worst goalkeeper of the six, and I don't see a future for him here.

As the incumbent, McGregor has certainly earned the right to start between the sticks. I'd love to bring in somebody with international talent and experience if we could afford to, but frankly there are other positions we need to strengthen first.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 13th July, 2008. Friendly, vs Charlton Athletic.

The new season opened with a friendly against fellow Premier League side Charlton Athletic, who had agreed to schedule it as part of our sale of Rory Beanes to them in January. After three successive of top-ten finishes, they'd faded a bit the past two seasons, losing more games than they won and placing 13th both years. The crowd was announced at 12,750 on a lazy summer day, perfect to open a new season with!

I planned to give my pencilled-in starting lineup about 45 minutes each, with wholesale changes at halftime. At the moment that lineup was Allan McGregor in goal, with Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, Steve Foster, and Keith McCormack across the back. Mathieu Berson was back at defensive midfield, with new signings Stewart Downing and Victor Sikora on the wings. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was partnered with Robert Cousins in attack, and on-loan striker Sándor Torghelle got the call up front.

It was a slow-developing match, with both teams taking their time in the opening minutes, playing solid defense and feeling each other out as the players got the feel of match speed again. 12 minutes passed until the first shot, Robert Cousins' effort from the arc which was easily saved by Charlton keeper Robert Green. The visitors didn't make their first attempt on goal until the 25th minute, when Mikael Forssell's free kick was blocked by our tight wall. At 28 minutes, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's killer pass put Cousins through the defense, but he put it just wide.

We got a bad break on 31 minutes, when James Lloyd leaped above Stewart Downing for an aerial ball. His elbow caught my new signing in the face as his full weight came over the top, and the winger was forced off. I was irate that Lloyd - who had scored four goals for us on loan last year - got away with only a yellow: there was no need for such a collision in an early July friendly.

I brought Jonathan Forte on the left wing, and also brough Noel Hunt on for Torghelle, as I wanted to see the big man work with the first team. He came close in the 39th minute, when Bridge-Wilkinson played a ball to space. Hunt beat Jonathan Fortune to it, but a fine save by Green denied him from 10 yards. Minutes later, Lloyd had a great chance in the area, but veteran center back Steve Foster made a great tackle to take it off his feet.

As planned, I made nine more changes at halftime, putting Steve Harper in goal, with Joe Keenan, Chris Morgan, Kyle McFadzean, and Danny Payne across the back. Steve Newton replaced Berson at defensive midfield, with Chris Sedgwick on the right wing, and Mike Flynn and Joe Newell took the attacking midfield roles. This new lineup faced the Charlton starters for about ten to fifteen minutes, keeping mostly even - Hunt's header from a free kick was the best chance for either side, but carried just over.

I made my last change in the 62nd minute, bringing Peter Weatherson on for Hunt. He isn't as good in the air, so I stopped using a target man at that point. Even he couldn't make much of an impression. The heat of the summer day seemed more like nap-in-a-hammock weather than football weather, and the match continued its slow, lazy pace - even the crowd seemed somnambulent.

Finally, on the 83rd minute, Chartlon defender Igor Biscan sent a long ball down the right wing. Speedy nineteen-year-old John Parkinson had gotten behind Joe Keenan, racing to the ball. His shot from close range forced a fine save from Steve Harper - the first of the day for our keepers. Harper palmed it away, but the ball was rolling slowly across the goalmouth. Danny Payne got there before the other striker, James Walker, could react, and Payne cleared it off the line. That was the best either side could manage, and the match ended a scoreless draw.

Sheffield United 0, Charlton Athletic 0

----; ----

MoM: Green (Charlton GK)

For the fans, a scoreless draw in a friendly was not particularly entertaining, and many had lost interest by the closing minutes. I, however, was very pleased - all the media predictions, and even those of my assistant manager, might be misplaced: my tactic had still performed well, and we'd out-shot the visiting side, limiting them to primarily long-range shots which didn't look particularly dangerous.

It built my confidence that we did, after all, belong in the Premier League, and weren't going to suffer an extremely painful relegation season. Not that nil-nil against a mid-table side means we'll be beating United at Old Trafford, but it did give me hope that the gap wasn't as bad as it could be.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 15th July, 2008.

In addition to being elbowed in the face, Stewart Downing had taken a knee to the shoulder, and would be out for a month at least, according to Tom Mitchell. It was an unlucky break, as Downing had been my biggest move of the summer, and would now be doubtful for the season opener - even if the doctors cleared him to play, he wouldn't quite be match fit.

On Wednesday, we were joined by coach Shaun Bartlett, the former South African international. With 92 caps and 37 goals, the Cape Town native had had a career to garner the respect of any of my players. He favors the 4-5-1, as I do, and is expert at judging player ability, as well as a fine coach and a good motivator. He would replace Niko Kovac, but I'll still needed a second coach to replace Scott Sellars, who had graciously agreed to stay on through pre-season despite the expiry of his contract.

I also had several other players in on trial, though there were still no additions to the lineup.

Centre backs:

D C Hayden Foxe, 31, Australia, 30 caps, 2 goals:

20 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 1 MoM, 7.35:

A starter for the Australian national team, Foxe missed half the season last year with injury and international appearances. When he was available however, he was the best player on my back line. He's got a great physique, and a good reading of the game. He keeps his composure under pressure, and is quite good on free kicks. I'm not sure he'll be able to cope with the Owens and Henrys of the Premier League, but he's got the pace to keep up, and has certainly earned the right to try.

D C Steve Foster, 27, England, uncapped:

35 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, 0 MoM, 7.26:

Foster and Foxe are entering their fourth season as a partnership, having shared time at Crewe Alexandra before transferring to Sheffield United together. Depending what you look for, Foster may be slightly better than Foxe: he doesn't have the experience, especially the international big-game experience, and he isn't as fast or as fit, but he's better tackling, marking, and he's quite strong in the air. Their skills complement each other, and they work together as though they've known each other forever; I expect another solid year from them.

D C Ben Hammond, 19, England, uncapped:

15 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.87:

I also expect this promising centre-back to play a good amount this year. He's fast and aggressive, a good marker and reasonably strong in all aspects of the game. I like his determination, and he makes good decisions both on and off the field. He's an earnest kid, and his only weaknesses seem to be in set pieces: corners, penalties, and free kicks. He made tremendous strides in his first six months with the club, though I worry a bit that the rate of improvement seemed to stagnate in the latter half of the season.

D C Chris Morgan, 30, England, uncapped:

28 games, 0 goals, 2 assists, 1 MoM, 7.21:

Morgan has been a stalwart in defense for the club for the past five seasons, and wore the captain's armband last year after Deloumeaux's injury. He's an exceptionally hard worker, with great bravery, determination, and team work, as well as being a fearsome tackler known for his aggressive play. However, his time with the club is clearly drawing to a close, as his technical weakness with the ball in possession will be a great liability at the Premier League level, and his physical play won't cut it, either. I'd transfer-listed him over the summer, but with the influx of money, I may keep him around to see out his contract.

D C Jamie Cooper, 19, England, uncapped:

6 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, 7.50:

This young defender was a consistent improver throughout my time at York, and consequently I rated him very highly, bringing him to Bramall Lane with me. He has continued to develop at a rapid pace here. I love his determination, his stamina, and his strength, and he's got veins of ice - perfect composure in all situations. Unfortunately, he's starting to feel he ought to be a first-team regular, and though I think he's done very well, especially in his mental development, he doesn't have the fitness and polish to his technique that I'd want to see at the Premier League level. I worry, too, that he may not really have the pace to star at this level even when he's done maturing. It seems a season-long loan would be best for everyone.

D C Kyle McFadzean, 21, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

Once a starter for the Blades in League One, he spent most of last season on loan to Bournemouth, where he made 39 appearances, scoring 2 goals with a 6.38 average rating. Though he's one of Stuart's favorite players, John Richards, the coach whose ability to trust talent I trust the most, suggests that he may not be worth developing. He does have exceptional positioning, and good anticipation, but he doesn't excel in any other areas. His technique is fairly weak, and he loses his composure too easily. Honestly, he's a far cry from a Premier-League quality player, and I think it may be time to sell him, despite the great strides he made while out on loan last season.

Central defense was a strength, certainly - they may not all be international quality, but even the trailing two have a lot of potential, and its a good blend of youth and experience.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 16th July, 2008. Friendly, at York City.

My former side had not fared too well in my absence, but new manager Chris Kinnear had managed to consolidate the gains I'd earned for them, staving off relegation on the final day to keep them in League One with a dramatic 18th-placed finish last season. I'd arranged a money-spinning home tie against Premiership opposition for them, hoping that the money might help keep the club up, and honestly it was good to see Viv, chairman Steve Beck, and my former players again in the comfortable confines of Bootham Crescent.

My lineup was a complete change from the Charlton match, as I hoped to give some of the younger players try-outs against the weaker opposition. Nick McDonald would start in goal against his former club. Brian Holmes, who had spent time on loan to York last season, got to start at left back, with Ben Hammond and former Minsterman Jamie Cooper in central defense. Veteran Darren Wrack wore the captain's armband and started at right back, with Gavin Atkinson at defensive midfield. Laurent Robert made his first start for us on the left wing, with Graham Allen starting on the right. In the attack, I had John Melligan partnered with Gareth Davies, and 18-year-old Darren Gibson would be the striker.

We were in control right from the opening kickoff, and starting York goalkeeper Lee Baxter had some interesting moments in the first few minutes, though we had trouble finding a shot which could force a save from him, too often seeing things put out for a corner, or shot wide. In the 19th minute, Darren Wrack's excellent pass snuck Darren Gibson past Liam Fontaine. The young Scot looked sure to score, but Baxter, a former Blade, came up with an excellent save to deny him.

In the 27th minute, I'd noticed that Graham Allen was limping, and decided not to risk his health in a friendly, bringing him off for 17-year-old acquisition Andy Lee. Gibson also gave way to Billy Sharp, whom I had promised at least 30 minutes of playing time. It wasn't one of my current signings, however, but one of my former players, who found the first opening. Alan Navarro received Malcolm Parker's free kick just outside the arc, and his long-range shot took a deflection off of Brian Holmes. That left Nick McDonald woefully wrong-footed, and put York ahead 0-1!!

The taunting chants of the crowd lasted no more than five minutes, however. Just before the half, Lee's high cross from the right side gave everyone time to settle under it. Against Premier League opposition, it would have been easily dealt with, but Baxter stayed on his line rather than punching it clear, and Billy Sharp rose above the crowd to head it home. That let us escape to the locker room with a 1-1 draw rather than the embarrassing deficit we had been facing.

At the break, I brought on Mark Whitehead, Steven White, and trialist central defender Martin Turner for Melligan, Atkinson, and Cooper respectively. In the 53rd minute, Gareth Davies created a great chance, making space for himself from 12 yards, but he put his shot well wide. Laurent Robert seemed to be trying too hard to make a good impression - he tried a spectacular volley from 30 yards, but troubled the corner flag more than the keeper.

At the 55-minute mark, I brought on 18-year-old Simon Blake to replace Robert on the left wing, with Danny Payne and Chris Holland joining the defense, and 17-year-old prospect Adam Ryan taking over in goal - but it wasn't on, and the hodgepodge team looked disconnected and out of sync. By the 63rd minute, I made my final changes, with trialist striker Francis Jeffers, formerly of Everton, Arsenal, and Charlton, making his first appearance for us up front, Martin Hunt in the attacking midfield, and Kyle McFadzean replacing Hammond in defense.

With the exception of Payne and Jeffers, it was just about my U-18 side, and Kinnear began sending out the York youth - the match whimpered to a conclusion with the 1,186 fans deriding both sides equally in the final minutes, as neither seemed to be able to find the net.

York 1, Sheffield United 1

Navarro 40; Sharp 45

MoM: Butler (York GK)

I was less pleased with this result. Despite dominating possession and outshooting the home side nearly three to one, we'd managed to put only three shots on target despite my instructions to take our time and look for good chances.

I'm not sure how second-half York netminder Kevin Butler earned the Man of the Match award, as I'd swear he never touched the ball - but nobody in the outfield had been particularly impressive, either.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 17th July, 2008.

Rupert Wormwood must have had a field day with that. I didn't even look at his article, but I can just imagine it - is "If the Blades are unable to beat League One opposition, and the 18th-placed side in League One at that, how can anyone expect them to avoid relegation?" close?

Left backs:

D L Sean Dillon, 23, Scotland, 5 U-21 caps:

36 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 1 MoM, 7.31:

A natural leader, this hard worker has good teamwork, marking, and defensive positioning. He's excellent in the air. I brought him in last year to provide cover for Joe Keenan, who was recovering from injury, but Dillon soon won the starting spot with his solid play. His concentration and composure leave a bit to be desired, and as a big guy, he lacks agility and balance, but overall he was a reliable contributor last year and looks like he should be able to make the step up to the Premier League. He didn't improve much last season, however, and it remains to be seen if his simply reached his peak, or if the increased quality of competition will bring more out of him.

D/DM LC Joe Keenan, 25, England, uncapped:

39 games, 2 goals, 3 assists, 0 MoM, 7.10:

A standout when I signed him for York, I expected Keenan to start last year, but he lost his claim to the left back role thanks to Dillon. Still, he has great versatility, able to fill in at center back, defensive midfield, and even left wing. He has fine technique, crisp passes, and good marking. His concentration and teamwork are quite good, and he has creativity and good timing for his off-the-ball runs. He doesn't have quite the pace or natural fitness that I would want, but his versatile nature will make him a strong member of the squad.

DM L Brian Holmes, 18, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 8.00:

A determined, hard-working youngster, I'm convinced Holmes has the pace and concentration to make it at the Championship level, but most of his game isn't well-polished. My scouts were very impressed with his potential, but my coaches are worried that he hasn't progressed much, despite 10 appearances on loan to York last season. His positioning is particularly bad, and he loses his composure easily.

D LC Chris Holland, 18, England, uncapped:

Schoolboy:

I'm unimpressed with our youth setup for producing this player. He doesn't have the pace he'll need to make the step up to the first team, and his tackling and marking are abysmal for a defender. My coaches like his leadership and teamwork, but the entirety of his technical game is poor enough that I wouldn't have started him at Lancaster. He'll get a season in the U-18s to see if he can improve, but I have serious doubts.

The starters are solid, if unspectacular, and both have some upside yet - but I wouldn't mind if a stellar left-sided fullback fell into my lap.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 18th July, 2008.

Our pre-season build-up took another setback on Friday when striker Noel Hunt, who had just been beginning to show glimpses of full match fitness, picked up a twisted ankle during training. He'd be out for 2 weeks, and I'd be speaking sternly to the groundskeeper about allowing the training ground to have a divot such as he'd twisted it in.

Right winger Graham Allen, too, suffered an injury, pulling a calf muscle. It would cost him about 3 weeks in physiotherapy, which was frustrating, but I didn't want to take chances with the 21-year-old's long-term health.

It cost me £50,000 in compensation, but I decided to tempt scout Gil Prescott away from Stockport with a contract offer. He's just about up to the standard of our other scouts, and exceptionally determined.

Right backs:

D/M R Keith McCormack, 19, Ireland, 12 U-21 caps:

12 games, 0 goals, 2 assists, 1 MoM, 7.42:

This promising fullback has the speed and anticipation to be a very good defender in the Premier League. He had a great season in the Irish U-21 side, and impressed enough in 12 appearances with us that I'm penciling him in for the starting role this season. His reading of the game and technical development are already very mature for his age. I still want to work on his first touch, positioning, and composure, but he showed the best improvement of any player I've seen last year, and I think he's turning into a very good player.

D/DM RC Danny Payne, 21, England, uncapped:

13 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.15:

I'd originally signed Payne as a defensive midfielder, but penciled him in as my starting right back last year, only to see him go down with injury in November. He's a good tackler, a good header, and a composed player. He's got 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, especially if McCormack struggles early.

With just 26 matches between them last season, maybe I should be concerned about experience, but I'm very excited about these two youngsters. Veteran Darren Wrack can fill in at right back if needed, and will if the pressure of the Premiership proves too much for my two young fullbacks - but with their potential, I'm hoping that they can rise to the challenge.

I would, however, like to pick up a youth to take the Reserve or U-18 starts.

[Wegason]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Amaroq:

Okay, for those of you with a long download ahead of you, here's a double-dose of Blade action... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Perfectly timed as well! Patch has just finished as I was typing this. Cheers! I'm still enjoying this tale.

[Dixie Flatline]

Oh dear, if Hayden Foxe is about your best defender, I have some worries, Amaroq. Still enjoying this immensely, though!

[Amaroq]

Cheers, Wegason - patch download went very quickly, I thought.

And, Dixie, thanks for the support... we'll get to see shortly:

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 20th July, 2008. Friendly, vs Liverpool.

The part-exchange deal which had taken Martin Edwards to Liverpool and brought Danny Payne to Sheffield had also included a provision for a pre-season friendly in July of 2008. This was that encounter: our first chance to test the limits of our squad against one of the biggest squads in English football. For a side that had won the title 18 times, they had suffered a disappointing season last year, coming in 6th with 19 wins, 4 draws, and 15 defeats. That had led to the sacking of manager Kevin Keegan in January, and he had been replaced by long-time Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, inexplicably given his marching orders in October despite winning the Premier League Manager of the Month award for September.

Our starting lineup was Allan McGregor in goal, Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, Steve Foster, and Keith McCormack in defense, with Mathieu Berson at defensive midfielder. Jonathan Forte took over on the left wing for the injured Downing, with Victor Sikora on the right side. Robert Cousins and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson were the first-choice attacking midfield, and Peter Weatherson would make the start at striker. I hoped to get the first team about 60 minutes against Liverpool's stars, then let them give way to some of the lesser lights on the squad.

I gave the lads 10 minutes of our most defensive tactic, defending deep, to let the butterflies settle, and get Allan McGregor his first save. Marcelinho obliged me, testing McGregor from fully forty yards, which I'm sure helped the Scot get into the match more than anything. Then, we switched to our conservative, counter-attacking strategy. Bridge-Wilkinson nearly caught the net on a 25-yard shot, which curled just wide of the far post on 12 minutes, and then hit a 20-yard half-volley over the net three minutes later.

We really looked to be troubling the visitors, as in the 20th, Victor Sikora drew two men to him, then passed ahead for Peter Weatherson, who was unmarked in the box. He was closed down by England keeper Paul Robinson, who barely got a hand to the striker's quick shot, deflecting it over the net.

The crowd of 20,326 were absolutely loving it, baying for a goal as we lined up for the resulting corner kick. Weatherson picked out Keith McCormack sneaking in unmarked at the back post, and the 19-year-old was unlucky to put it over. We were forcing the Reds back to defend, and to my surprise they did so - I glanced down the touchline and saw a worried look on Wenger's face as he hollered at his men to get back and defend. A sudden realization hit me - I, I, was managing against Arsene Wenger! Just four years earlier, I'd been lost in a haze at Croft Park as the Lancaster Dolly Blues battled the Blyth Spartans, and here I was now, managing Sheffield United against Liverpool in front of a huge crowd!

The moment passed, and I returned my attention to the match. In the 35th minute, Jonathan Forte picked out Weatherson in a bit of space, but his shot went straight to Robinson. Three minutes later, Bridge-Wilkinson gave the striker a chance to make amends, but he blazed that one over. With the focus on fitness training, I obviously needed to work in some target practice. We had a corner kick moments later, and I thought for an instant that Forte had scored, but his header went just over the bar. The crowd were raucous, really enjoying themselves, and we'd made it to halftime scoreless.

At the break I put on Laurent Robert and Sándor Torghelle, both of whom I wanted to see in the first team, and I also sent Chris Sedgwick on for Sikora, who was carrying a yellow card. Sadly, both teams came out quite a bit flatter in the second half - Liverpool was still defending, but we'd lost whatever momentum we'd had in the first half. Around the 60 minute mark, I sent on Joe Newell, John Melligan, and Joe Keenan, while Wenger made 4 substitutions for Liverpool at the same break. That seemed to spark some life on both sides of the ball, and on 64 minutes we'd earned another corner kick. This was rejected by Jamie Carragher, but found its way out to Robert on the left. He sent in a wicked cross, which Torghelle met with his head, driving it on goal. It struck the bar, and bounced wildly free in the six, only to be whistled dead: Torghelle had pushed one of the Liverpool defenders as he went for the ball.

I made some changes at the back then, with Steve Newton taking over the defensive midfield, and Ben Hammond and Danny Payne joining the back. Payne had been on less than five minutes when he made his mark, scrambling a loose ball out of a dangerous position in the area. However, he was several times exposed on long balls down the Liverpool left. I think of him as having reasonable pace, but 15-year-old striker Danny Moran made him look positively slow.

The visitors were pressing forward in earnest now, seeking to avoid the draw, and I made my last changes. Francis Jeffers replaced Robert, with Torghelle moving to the left wing. Kyle McFadzean replaced Foxe, and Steve Harper got eight minutes in goal. It was all defending now for my second string, and they did admirably. McFadzean earned quite a welt charging down John Arne Riise's powerful shot, and Sedgwick dealt well with Mark Hopkins in a dangerous situation. The crowd, quiet for some stretch of the second half, began to get into it again, and were as happy as the lads on the pitch when the final whistle blew on a 0-0 draw.

Sheffield United 0, Liverpool 0

----; ----

MoM: Robinson (Liverpool GK)

The fact that Paul Robinson was named Man of the Match should tell you everything you need to know: we'd outshot our highly-regarded guests, and controlled most of the first half.

I was less than impressed with the second half, but the many substitutions had really disrupted any chance for either side to get a serious rhythm going.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 21st July, 2008.

Nil-nil against Liverpool? I was delighted with the result, and even the most cynical of supporters would have to say we'd given as good as we could have hoped to.

Rupert Wormwood, of course, disagreed.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Will 38 draws be enough?

Ian Richards has revealed his strategy for keeping the Blades in the Premier League: thirty-eight nil-nil draws. The 4-5-1 may be the most boring football ever invented, but it certainly seemed to negate the creative forces of Liverpool's talented side yesterday.

An analysis of the past four seasons reveals that the strategy may, sadly, be rewarded. In each of the past four seasons, a side with 37 points would have avoided relegation: Norwich (36), Reading (35), Everton (36), and Birmingham (35) were the 18th-placed sides. However, why anyone would want to pay to see such football is beyond this reporter. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Defensive midfielders:

DM C Mathieu Berson, 28, France, 18 U-21 caps, 0 goals:

19 games, 2 goals, 3 assists, 7.26:

The Frenchman seems to be without weakness, and was the best player on the squad last season while on loan. I was impressed enough that I brought him back this year on a full-time basis, and he's looked even better in camp. He's not the fastest of players, but he has the stamina and work rate to continue long after some faster players might have petered out. His positioning, anticipation, and decision-making make up for the speed as well. He's a solid tackler, but can also distribute passes with precision and creativity, and he can score from range if need be.

His experienced back-ups will be Joe Keenan and Danny Payne, whom we've already discussed as fullbacks.

DM C Steve Newton, 19, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

This young player has a good work ethic, and my scouts loved his potential. He looks good already, perhaps at the League One level, across the board, and though I worried last year that he wasn't developing much he's returned to Bramall Lane with more resolve, and is showing signs of improvement now. I'd like to get him some experience on loan, and see if he can continue that development, letting Payne and Keenan carry the duties as backup defensive midfielders for the senior side.

DM C Gavin Atkinson, 18, England, uncapped:

4 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 MoM, 7.75:

For some reason, I really like this kid. Despite learning a new position - he's naturally a central midfielder - he made great improvements in his game last season. He doesn't have the pace I'd prefer to see in a Premier League level player, and really has no standout characteristics, but he's improved nicely since joining the club, and looks like he should have a solid professional career at the League level. I'm inclined to start him at the Reserve/U-18 level, but might loan him out.

DM C Steven White, 16, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 8.00:

Though not truly exceptional in any aspect, White shows promise in all the areas I'd hope to see from a defensive midfielder. He has the pace and fitness to last, bravery, determination and teamwork. His technical game isn't polished, but he tackles well. He has some phenomenal weaknesses, however: his first touch lets him down often, and key aspects of the defensive game, especially mentally, from decision-making to marking to positioning, all need work. I was worried that he wasn't developing last year, but he's beginning to show signs of improvement already this season.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 25th July, 2008.

There was shocking news from Glasgow on Wednesday. Irish champions Shelbourne F.C. had beaten Rangers at Ibrox, 2-0, in a Champions League qualifying match, shocking the major Scottish side. Manager Alex McLeish was said to be on the verge of firing, if Rangers couldn't make a miracle happen in the second leg of the Second Qualifying Round.

Thursday marked the 17th day of our intensive pre-season training schedule, and I started to let up on the lads a bit, adding some individual skills sessions, having the strikers shoot, the goalkeepers start working goalkeeping training, etc. It was still a heavier regime than I'd want mid-season, but it was a bit lighter, and a bit more skills oriented.

Left wing:

AM L Stewart Downing, 24, England, 17 U-21 caps, 0 goals:

no appearances at Middlesbrough:

I don't understand how a player with his speed and phenomenal technical attributes was on the sidelines at Middlesbrough. His technique is impeccable, he takes great corners and free kicks, he can cross, he can dribble, he can shoot from range, he's composed, he works hard, and he's got good defensive positioning. I expect him to be a dynamic force up the left wing, the biggest upgrade to the side from this offseason, and I'm very much looking forward to his debut. He's definitely looked to be our best player, period, in practice, and losing him for the first month of the season was unfortunate, to say the least.

AM L Laurent Robert, 33, France, 9 caps, 1 goal:

51 games, 4 goals, 3 assists, 3 MoM, 6.41 with Swansea (League One):

I brought the veteran Frenchman in on a free transfer despite his ambitious nature, before I knew whether we would earn promotion or not. He could launch scintillating free kicks and pinpoint corners with flair, but in many respects he was past his prime, as average as Forte. He didn't seem to have the stamina that my tactics demand of the wings, and had lasted only 45 minutes in the final preseason friendly. He also lacks the hard working ethic which I like so much, but I hope that adding the experience of 178 Premier League appearances and 24 goals would be a benefit. I worried about him as a potential clubhouse cancer, especially if he didn't get sufficient playing time.

AM L Jonathan Forte, 22, England, uncapped:

35 games, 1 goal, 14 assists, 7.34:

Despite a phenomenal season last year, leading the side with 14 assists, my off-season assessment had labeled Forte one of the players who would struggle to make the step up to the Premier League. His great work ethic and pacey off the ball runs just wouldn't make up for the fact that he didn't excel in any other areas, or his weaknesses: lack of bravery, composure, and concentration. He was average in most aspects, weak defensively, and wasn't showing signs of improving. It was perhaps harsh to reward a fine season with instant replacement, but he was at best a backup at the Premier League level.

AM L Nicky Thomson, 20, England, uncapped:

No appearances:

I'd brought in this speedy winger as an 18-year-old, and he served reasonably well in the U-18's last season, steadily improving his game. Still, at age twenty the lack of sophistication and polish in his game is a big red flag, and it seems best to let him find employment at a lower level, if he can find any at all.

M L Robbie Poole, 20, England, uncapped:

No appearances:

Like Thomson, another one who is filling out the roster, but whom I never expect to contribute at the senior level. He's made some improvements in his game over last season, but there's just so much he is inadequate on that, especially considering his age, I think its best to sell him to a lower division.

AM RL Simon Blake, 18, England, uncapped:

2 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, 7.00 with Chelsea (Premier League):

Its ironic that this young winger is one of my few players with Premier League experience. He's determined, with good off the ball movement and excellent natural fitness, which may have gotten him a look at Chelsea, but his poor technique, wayward passing, awful decisions, and poor composure were definitely going to hold him back. I'm willing to give him a chance, but he'll have to show me a lot of improvement to earn more than a shot in the U-18s.

With the addition of Downing, I felt that the left was one of our strongest positions. If he can play to the level his training performances promise, we should be set for years to come.

In other news, I made the usual pass through the club's books, finding players who were in the last year of their contract. Many were unsurprising: Chris Morgan and Chris Sedgwick, who I was trying to move along; veterans Laurent Robert and Steve Harper, who I had signed on one-year contracts; and the aging Darren Wrack.

Australian center defender Hayden Foxe, age 31, readily agreed to a two-year extension at his current contract, which was fairly generous - its well below the Premiership standard. Youngsters Dean Reid and Chris Holland were both easy to sign to extensions as well.

More troublesome, however, were Peter Weatherson and Steve Foster. The striker wanted a significant raise, nearly tripling his salary to become one of the highest-paid players on the side - which his performance last year didn't seem to warrant. Though he has been a solid contributor on offense, he doesn't command a place in the first team automatically. Foster wanted even more: the absolute highest salary on the club, a huge signing bonus, and status as a 'key player'.

The negotiations for both could become sticky - I didn't even make them a contract offer at that stage, as their demands were clearly ludicrous.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 26th July, 2008. Friendly, vs Everton.

Our last home friendly of the pre-season was against the other Liverpool team, Championship side Everton. I hadn't realized as I was booking the tie that it gave us both Liverpool squads in back-to-back weeks. Once Premier League champions, the Toffees had been relegated after the 2006/07 season. We'd had some good ties with them in the Championship last year, a 0-0 draw, and an explosive 3-3 draw.

I juggled the side up a little bit, with several of the new signings getting their first starts. Veteran Steve Harper made his first start in goal. Ahead of him, Hayden Foxe and Steve Foster remained the pairing in central defense, but Joe Keenan and Danny Payne came in at fullback. Mathieu Berson was the defensive midfielder, while Laurent Robert started on the left wing opposite Victor Sikora. Up front, Mike Flynn earned a pairing with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson. I'd made a contract offer to Francis Jeffers - his agent said that Leicester had tabled a bid - and to sweeten the pot, I started the trialist at striker.

Everton, as I had hoped, gave us a look at the 3-4-3 which manager Iain Dowie had used in the 3-3 goalfest last year. The visitors came out aggressively attacking, keeping us back on our heels for the first quarter of the match. Clive Clarke's header from a corner kick forced a fingertip save from Steve Harper, which reassured me that the aging keeper retained his agility and reflexes. In the 28th minute, Robert Earnshaw collected a deflected shot. He had Harper beat positionally, but as he took the shot, Laurent Robert threw himself in the way - no lack of effort from the left winger, who appeared gratified to have earned the start.

We didn't get our first shot until the 26th minute, but in the 33rd Mike Flynn's 22-yard shot forced an acrobatic save from Everton keeper Richard Wright and that seemed to ignite our offense. It was real end-to-end stuff for the remainder of the first half, with Earnshaw getting several chances at his end, and Robert and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson having opportunities at our end. In the 45th minute, Robert's fine pass set up Francis Jeffers near the end-line wide of goal. He cut it back to Bridge-Wilkinson, but last year's Championship goal-scoring leader couldn't get all of the shot, and Wright scooped it up easily.

Four minutes of injury time played out, and then Paul Ifill broke up the right wing for Everton. His short cross found the run of Chinese midfielder Li Tie, who headed past Harper at the near post. Flynn had been man-marking the 31-year-old, who has 114 caps for his country, and Steve Foster didn't help out when Li Tie raced past him. It was an unlucky break: Everton led 0-1 at the interval.

I gave them both an earful for that woeful piece of defending, and sat them each down for the second half, as I brought Darren Gibson in for Jeffers up front, Gareth Davies on for Flynn, and Chris Morgan for Foster. 18-year-old Simon Blake came in for Robert, who appeared fatigued after only 45 minutes, and I moved Sikora over to the left, as I wanted to see if he was as ambidextrous as advertised.

In the 57th minute, he showed me just how good he can be on the left. Bridge-Wilkinson played a low pass to him, and he sent a cross 20 yards forward for Gibson. The young Scot had to wait for the ball in the arc, but there was no defender anywhere near him. He didn't do well with his first touch, letting it bounce forward into the area. Wright rushed out, but Gibson leaped in the air and knocked it past the keeper with his laces just before they crashed together. From a heap on the ground, they saw it hit the far post and bounce into the net. Honestly, I expected an offsides call, but none was forthcoming: the goal stood, and it was 1-1.

At the hour mark, I made wholesale changes. Nick McDonald came on at keeper, with Sean Dillon, Ben Hammond, and Keith McCormack to the back row. Gavin Atkinson replaced Berson, while 19-year-old Phil Davidson made his first appearance at attacking midfielder, replacing Bridge-Wilkinson. That slowed the match down a bit, especially so with a number of Everton changes over the next 20 minutes.

Peter Weatherson and Jonathan Forte came on in the 75th minute, and it was looking like a draw as the 80th minute ticked past. Then, Sean Dillon started a move by venturing well up the left sideline, finally playing it forward for Weatherson. He played a one-two with Davidson, breaking the offsides trap into the box. With everyone closing down on him, and reserve keeper Sean Lake cheating out towards him, Davies was open in the area. Weatherson crossed, and the 19-year-old had time to settle under it and volley from 15 yards out. Lake was ranging to his left, and Davies placed it perfectly into the side-netting at the far post, back to Lake's right - an absolutely beautiful goal which put us ahead 2-1.

The mere 2,760 fans who had attended got their money's worth in the next ten minutes as Everton threw caution to the wind, at some points sending nine men forward, and once asking even Lake to range beyond the midfield line. To be honest, though they were flooding our box with bodies, they never looked like threatening, while we came close several times through their token defense.

Sheffield United 2, Everton 1

Gibson 58, Davies 80; Li Tie 45

MoM: McDonald

It was our first victory of the season, and if the fans and players enjoyed it, especially Man of the Match Nick McDonald in goal, I was left with a bit of a worry: we had just three goals for the pre-season, and none of them were against the Premier League sides, or with players I considered to be in my first-choice 22 players.

What was going wrong?

[marchie666]

Fantastic!! Keep up the good work!!

[marchie666]

Fantastic!! Keep up the good work!!

[sherm]

Brilliant stuff Roqy, a great story from a great writer. KUTGW

[aaberdeenn]

Brilliant stuff as always.

[Amaroq]

Marchie, welcome aboard, always glad to have a new reader. Sherm, aaberdeenn, thanks muchly!

[Amaroq]

Monday, 28th July, 2008.

"The bookies are tipping you for relegation this season. Do you think you will have to bolster the squad in order to stay up?"

I hate news conferences - what kind of question is that?

"I haven't seen the odds," I answered. "But I hope not. I think we have the players here who can save us."

"There's been a rumour that the board may be considering giving you more transfer funds. How do you respond?"

It was news to me. I gave him a raised eyebrow, and a stock response.

"You know I can't comment on the club's internal affairs. I'm sure every Premier League manager would love to have a budget like Chelsea's, but whatever the board see fit to make available, I'll make do with."

The bookies' odds were quite entertaining: we were 2,000-to-1 to win the Premier League outright. At that rate, it might be worth putting a fiver on it!

Continuing to make do with the small transfer funds available, I'd signed young left winger Robbie Poole on an extension through 2011, and had also acquired on a free transfer promising midfielder Gary Thomas.

M C Gary Thomas, 17, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 6.00 with Monaghan United:

This speedy youth is woefully lacking in the technical attributes, but I signed him to a four-year contract on the basis of Spencer Fields's evaluation of his personality. My trusted scout insists that he is driven, determined to succeed at the highest level, and capable of being a leader on the team. He's got wonderful pace, as well, and it can't hurt to have him on the U-18's for a couple seasons.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 30th July, 2008.

"I'm thinking of applying for a new job."

At least it was Stacy telling me this, not one of my staff. I couldn't afford another opening!

"There's an opening for an ICU nurse at Northern General Hospital, and my department head said she'd write a letter of recommendation for me."

"That's great, honey!"

"Its not likely to mean any easier schedule, though."

She'd still been working nights; I still wasn't seeing much of her. "Back to the bottom of the seniority heap - but its better pay and an excellent facility."

I was supportive, if a bit distracted as I wished her luck.

Our Reserves - primarily consisting of those younger players who aren't getting any starts with the first team right now - played their first match of the season Wednesday evening, and battled to a 0-0 friendly draw with West Brom Reserves.

On-trial Swedish goalkeeper Ola Tidman made several fine saves, but also demonstrated a tendency to let his mind wander which would prevent me from wanting to bring him in on a more permanent basis. Besides, he's a former Sheffield Wendesday player; the fans would roast me alive.

More importantly, perhaps, Shelbourne F.C. played solid defense at home in Dublin, securing a 0-0 draw to dump Rangers out of the Champions League before it had even gotten started. They weren't the only high-profile early exit, as Turkish side Trabzonspor lost out to Bosnian side Siroki Brijeg, 5-2, and CSKA Moscow were dumped out by Moldova side Sheriff Tiraspol.

Right wing:

AM RL Victor Sikora, 30, Holland, 7 caps, 0 goals:

19 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.58 with Birmingham (Premier League):

A cagey, hard-working veteran with excellent pace and stamina, and plenty of top-level experience first with Ajax and then with Birmingham. I love that Sikora is equally adept with either foot, on the left or the right. He's good both at the aerial cross and a low pass, creative enough to spot runs, with good anticipation and dribbling. He's very weak in the air, his concentration can wander, and my scouts worried about his natural fitness, but even with those weaknesses, I expect him to hold down the starting job on the right wing.

AM R Graham Allen, 21, England, uncapped:

32 games, 0 goals, 3 assists, 7.13:

This promising youngster had a fine season last year, but failed to impress in the end with only 3 assists despite regular starts. He has great concentration, and has reasonable pace, dribbling, and crossing, but I've been very disappointed with his work ethic, which has been next to non-existent. He hasn't missed training at all, but he doesn't really have the stamina to last a full match except by walking portions of it. That might be a deal-breaker, but he's definitely shown signs of promise, improving dramatically over the past 12 months, and he's in the best shape of his life.

AM R Chris Sedgwick, 28, England, uncapped:

5 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

When I took over Sheffield United, Sedgwick was the undisputed starting right wing, with great physical ability and beautiful crosses. Unfortunately, he was out injured the entire season, playing only 5 games, and now I doubt he'll ever have a chance to work his way back into my first-team plans. He can't seem to win headers at all, and he's been showing poor decisions, lack of creativity, and losing his composure in pre-season training, without showing me enough technical merit to make up for his mental inadequacies. He's in noticeably worse shape this year than last, and I haven't had any notable interest in him since placing him on the transfer list.

D/AM RLC Darren Wrack, 32, England, uncapped:

24 games, 1 goals, 3 assists, 1 MoM, 7.04:

Entering his fifth year with the club, this hard-working fitness fanatic has the versatility to fill eight of the eleven positions in my 4-5-1. His style of play seems to be to run, run, and keep running once his opponents are exhausted. He's not particularly fast, and some of his defensive attribues - particularly his marking and positional skills - are truly abysmal, which is why I've listed him as a winger. He's under contract through one more season, primarily for his versatility and veteran leadership, as he's showing signs of decline and neither his mental game or his technical game live up to his stamina.

M R Mark Kearney, 19, England, uncapped:

8 games, 4 goals, 0 assists, 6.75 with Cherry Orchard:

A very determined young winger, whose quickness, strength, and work ethic are his best features. I'd definitely liked him as a U-18 player, but now that he has to make the move to the Reserves, I'm worried about his lack of development: he doesn't excel in much, while his creativity, anticipation, and composure, and aerial game are clear weaknesses.

AM R Andy Lee, 17, England, uncapped:

12 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 5.92 with Crawley (Conference):

This young winger is reasonable in many areas, especially the mental and physical, without having a single stand-out characteristic. He's good-natured, I suppose, but for now he's just making up the numbers in the U-18 side.

Right wing looks solid, with Sikora and the promising Allen well able to hold down the position.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 1st August, 2008, morning.

"Do we have news for you!" crowed chairman Derek Dooley as I took my seat for the monthly board meeting.

"We've reviewed the club's finances," Terry Robinson said, "And we've decided to make some of the TV revenue available to you as transfer budget."

"Now, I know you told the press you'd make do with what you have..." Dooley said, "... but if we add eight million to your current budget, would that change your mind?"

I was dumfounded, literally stunned silent.

"Merry Christmas," added Terry Robinson, with a big smile.

The club's finances were in very good shape. Season ticket sales had been brisk, well outpacing last season's numbers even if we were expected to get trounced, and with the television revenue in the books. The friendlies hadn't been lucrative - we'd lost £0.4M in July - but that still left us with a £13.8M net gain for the season, and £21.3M in the bank accounts, of which they were letting me play with £8.5M: conservative, but a wonderful step up from what I'd been able to spend.

"I think I might, at that," I answered, to Dooley's question still hanging in the air.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 1st August, 2008, evening. Friendly, at Crystal Palace.

With that true display of confidence in my pocket, I couldn't stop smiling as we prepared for our final friendly, at Crystal Palace. Our fellow promotion-mates had made only two moves to strengthen the squad. They'd brought in Scottish international Kris Boyd to be their number 9 - he was a hot prospect, having scored 6 goals in 12 international matches, and 5 from 16 in the Premier League for Portsmouth last year. They had also added our old friend Hugo Viana, who could be brilliant at times, and frustrating at others.

I named a near-full-strength lineup. Allan McGregor was in goal. Sean Dillon was the left back, with Ben Hammond partnering Hayden Foxe in the center. Keith McCormack was on the right, with Mathieu Berson at defensive midfielder. Jonathan Forte started at left wing, while Chris Sedgwick would start on the right. Robert Cousins and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson were partnered in attack, and Noel Hunt was back in action, getting one start before the season commenced.

Everybody's favorite referee, Rob Styles, was on hand to give us a taste of Premier League discipline, and he lived up to his reputation. By the 11th minute, we had three yellow cards, and Jason Koumas, the Palace attacking midfielder for whom I'd been negotiating even before learning of my transfer budget windfall, had one as well. The rain falling made for a slick field, and some of the tackles looked a bit worse than they were.

Keith McCormack was showing what he was made of - I was worried about starting a 19-year-old in the Premiership, but in the 14th minute he charged down a shot spectacularly, and in the 15th he streaked up the right side on the counter-attack. When a Palace defender tried to close him down, he launched a long ball ahead of Noel Hunt. The striker reached it just at the 18, but shot wide. A minute later, Hunt had another chance when Allan McGregor's long punt bounced over the last defender, but his shot was saved by Gabor Kiraly.

Palace were playing well, however, and Allan McGregor saw a fair bit of action over the next fifteen minutes. Their pressure seemed to be building to a crescendo, and what crowd there was - later announced at 2,429 - gamely made some noise when they earned a corner kick in the 38th minute. McCormack headed it clear, and then our forwards were off on the counter-attack. Robert Cousins played it right for Chris Sedgwick, who fed Marc Bridge-Wilkinson to space as he broke through the center circle. Suddenly, our leading scorer was past the last man, and he made a nifty little juke to put Kiraly off balance as the 'keeper rushed out. On the slick surface, the Hungarian couldn't recover his footing, and Bridge-Wilkinson had an easy finish to put us up 1-0 going into the half.

I had hoped to get full matches from most of the squad, with 8 days left until the season opener, but I wound up making four changes at the intermission. Peter Weatherson was always going to come on for the not-yet-fit Noel Hunt at the break, but I also brought off all three yellow-card players. I didn't want to chance having a suspension on Opening Day. That meant Steve Newton replaced Berson, with Victor Sikora on for Sedgwick and Laurent Robert replacing Forte.

Palace manager Steve Wigley did not make the same change, and he paid for it in the 49th minute, when Koumas received a 2nd yellow card. His shirt tug would have been innocuous even in a regular season fixture, but to receive a red card for it in a friendly?

Utterly uncalled for.

Still, that gave us the freedom to experiment with the 'patient buildup' version of our tactic, while Wigley dropped into a 10-man-defense practice. In some ways, that was very nice situational work for both teams - a great scrimmage opportunity. At the 57th minute, I brought Joe Newell and Steve Foster on for Cousins and Hammond, respectively. The 71st minute saw Joe Keenan and Mike Flynn on, with Danny Payne replacing McCormack in the 76th minute - despite my intentions, in the end, only Hayden Foxe and Allan McGregor completed the full 90 minutes.

In the 83rd minute, Newell played a great ball to launch Weatherson on a breakaway despite the defensive stance Palace were taking. Defenseman Nicky Hunt made a sliding tackle to knock it away from the striker, but Flynn made a great play to recapture the loose ball. He took it into the area, then sent a cross over to Victor Sikora charging at the far post. The speedy winger had a glorious opportunity, but blasted it just wide.

Two minutes later, Sikora had his chance at redemption as Foster's long ball sent him up the right wing and into the corner. Everyone expected the Dutchman to time-waste, and the Palace defenders seemed to let up for an instant. The veteran surprised them by instead launching the ball into the six, where Weatherson was one-on-one with Hunt. This time Weatherson came out on top, sailing high to drive a powerful header on target, and that made the final score 2-0.

Crystal Palace 0, Sheffield United 2

----; Bridge-Wilkinson 38, Weatherson 85

MoM: McGregor

I had a glorious new transfer budget, my starting lineup had come alive with a pair of goals, my goalkeeper had been on great form, earning a '9' rating and Man of the Match, we'd completed the pre-season without defeat, and we'd escaped Rob Styles without any suspensions.

Could life get any better?

This time, I did join the players in a spot of celebration in the locker room, before sobering them up with the reminder that "Next week, it counts."

[Wegason]

Now that's a significant budget increase! KUTGW

[aaberdeenn]

New budget. \o/

[Amaroq]

The timing was a bit strange, though - I wish they'd let me have it earlier in the summer!

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 3rd August, 2008.

The first thing I did with my new influx of cash was to start a bidding war for Jason Koumas of Crystal Palace. The attacking midfielder would complement Marc Bridge-Wilkinson perfectly in my attack, but no sooner had I tabled an offer than Fulham and Manchester City had outbid me. The next day Chelsea, with the fortune of Roman Abramovich still powering their title pursuit, bid almost £8M for him. Not only was it double what I had bid, it was nearly my entire transfer budget.

There was no way I could compete with that; I'd have to find another target.

That didn't prevent me from enjoying the Charity Shield, as Chelsea kicked off their season with a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa. The goal came courtesy of Frank Lampard, in his 268th match for the club. Even that, however, was a working two hours for me, as I studied how the teams played, knowing I'd face both of them twice this season.

Attacking midfielder:

AM C Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, 29, England, uncapped:

38 games, 23 goals, 8 assists, 6 MoM, 7.58:

This cultured midfielder is the creative hub of my offense, the team's leading scorer and Supporter's Player of the Year last year. 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. If he has any weakness, I'd say its in the air: he'd rather have a ball at feet. He's also not going to be the fastest player on the pitch in the Premier League, and may be knocked off the ball by stronger defenders. Still, he's absolutely indispensable to the club: if we're going to have a good campaign, it will start with him.

AM C Joe Newell, 19, England, uncapped:

29 games, 4 goals, 4 assists, 0 MoM, 6.93:

The second-best alternative might be another 19-year-old, an incredible shooter who can make a keeper miss from 10 yards or 25. He's determined, but realistic, and most impressively he's got no weaknesses, if you're willing to overlook long throws. That makes him look significantly more ready for the Premier League than Robert Cousins, even if the other youngster has more highly touted potential. I was worried that Newell wasn't progressing overly much, but he's shown up to camp in good shape, and looks to be making a positive start to the campaign. Both will see significant playing time unless I bring in another attacking midfielder with my new transfer budget.

AM C Robert Cousins, 19, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

I splashed out £1.8M for the York City FC 2006/07 Supporter's Player of the Year despite his injury history, hoping he would be Bridge-Wilkinson's partner up front. Instead, he injured himself after only one substitute appearance, and is now doubting himself. He's reasonably fast and strong, with great concentration, and good determination. Disturbingly, he's returned to action with an apparent fear of injury that's causing him to work less hard and shy out of challenges. Still, he's showing measurable improvement, and coach John Richards still feels that he's a promising midfielder with the potential ability to become a very good player for the club. I'm going to be giving him another chance, but I worry about dropping the starting role in a Premier League relegation battle on a player so young.

AM C Mike Flynn, 27, Wales, uncapped:

26 games, 3 goals, 4 assists, 2 MoM, 6.46 with Walsall and Bury (League One, Conference):

Though he doesn't have any Premier League experience, I brought Flynn to the club because he's been involved in three relegation battles with Walsall, and knows what to expect. He was willing to accept a backup role, as he doesn't have much talent to offer besides his bravery, teamwork, and work rate. He's definitely more suited to the League One level, but I'm glad to have a solid, dependable player to count on if things are going badly.

AM RC John Melligan, 26, Ireland, 1 U-21 cap:

28 games, 2 goals, 5 assists, 1 MoM, 7.21:

Another veteran player in a backup role, Melligan is a bit weaker than Flynn, though he can shoot from range and does show moments of flair. He made most of his appearances off the substitutes' bench last season, a role I expect him to continue this year - I may even put him out on loan in the early part of the season to keep him in form. His determination is atrocious, but he has phenomenal concentration; the rest of his game might be better suited to League One or League Two.

M C Phil Davidson, 19, England, uncapped:

36 games, 6 goals, 0 assists, 2 MoM, 6.56 with Queen of Sth (Scotland):

This promising Lancaster-born midfielder never crossed my training ground at the Great Axe, having already moved to Scotland, where he started his career. He's very determined, with great anticipation and a well-polished game, able to contribute both offensively and defensively. I'm hoping that if I retrain him as an AMC, he'll be able to grow into his great potential with a few years in our Reserves.

AM C Gareth Davies, 19, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

This young player spent most of last season in the Under-18s learning the attacking midfield role: he's naturally a central midfielder. Consequently, he didn't develop a whole lot as a player. Still, he's got a solid base of skills, and even if my coaches are worried that he isn't developing, he doesn't have any real weaknesses, and I think that's worth keeping him for a year in the Reserves now that he's comfortable with what I'm going to ask of him.

M C Gary Thomas, 17, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.00 with Monaghan Utd (Ireland):

This driven youth, just turned 17, really impressed my scouts with his determination. He has the pace to develop into a real asset, if he can make steady gains in the other areas, but honestly right now the majority of his game is atrociously weak, from concentration to decision-making, from first touch to finish, from passing to tackling, he really has a ton to learn, and I wouldn't trust him beyond the Under-18s for 2 seasons.

AM RC Mark Whitehead, 16, England,

uncapped:

No appearances, but 8 goals with Under-18 side:

Blinding speed and good acceleration characterize this young player's game, but as with Thomas he has two more years of U-18 work before I'd consider him for anything more. Despite the many obvious weaknesses in his game - like Thomas, too many to list - when I mentioned giving up on him to John Richards, the coach insisted that he's a player of immense quality who needs to be given the time to develop his fantastic ability.

F RC Martin Hunt, 16, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

This product of our youth academy looks reasonable, but not impressive. He's brave, and he can tuck away shots, even beating McGregor on a shot in practice, but he'll need plenty of time to develop. I'm worried that his low determination, and somewhat lazy work ethic will prevent him from maturing at a reasonable level. Still, I love his sporting demeanor, and he's a pleasure for the coaches to work with.

F C Michael Harrison, 16, England, uncapped:

No appearances:

A year of spotty and substitute appearances with our youth squad doesn't seem to have done much for this hard working youngster. He has good teamwork, but like so many of our U-18 players, he doesn't seem to have a clue mentally or technically. He has a lot of developing to do to even consider lining up for the first team, and didn't impress at all last year.

Bridge-Wilkinson's pedigree is without question, but you can see why I was interested in Koumas. Cousins and Newell both have plenty of talent and potential, but I'm not exactly comfortable entrusting such a key position to two nineteen-year-olds.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 6th August, 2008.

With the pre-season completed and Opening Day rapidly approaching, I had yet more work to do, offering many of my players either for sale or on loan, as my coaches and I had decided.

Of the players I was trying to move, Steve Newton and Mark Kearney were drawing a ton of interest, and Robert Cousins and Kyle McFadzean looked likely to find loans to the Championship. Some of the other players were harder to move, and I spent the better part of the week on the telephone.

Wednesday night, Aston Villa's Champions League campaign started with the Third Qualifying phase first leg. At home, they waltzed to a solid 3-0 victory over Bosnian side Siroki Brijeg. Shelbourne, after beating Rangers, were beaten themselves by Panathinaikos, 2-0. Real Madrid beat Danish side Brøndby 1-0, while Roma were held to a 0-0 draw despite being at home against Ferençvaros.

Strikers:

S C Noel Hunt, 25, Ireland, 10 caps, 1 goal:

35 games, 14 goals, 8 assists, 2 MoM, 7.34:

The prototype target man, 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. I didn't get the most out of him last year until I began using him as an aerial target, and he quickly made himself indispensable, earning the starting role. He's quick, and has the creativity to open things up for those around him with flick-on headers. He's not apt to get back on defense, and he shows a lack of determination which I consider almost a character flaw, but he was unquestionably our best striker last year.

S C Peter Weatherson, 28, England, uncapped:

24 games, 14 goals, 3 assists, 0 MoM, 7.17:

Our number nine is entering his third season with the club. Injuries limited him to only 15 starts last year, but he made the most of his limited opportunities to equal Hunt in goals scored. 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 at times. Last year, Stuart told me they were really hoping he come into his own next season, and here we are again, where the same thought might be appropriate. I'm encouraged by his form in training camp, however: he looks to be in the best shape since I arrived, and he'll be starting the season opener with Hunt still recovering from injury.

S C Darren Gibson, 18, Scotland, 1 U-21 cap, 0 U-21 goals:

7 games, 3 goals, 1 assist, 1 MoM, 7.43:

This promising, determined young striker missed the majority of last season due to injury, but did impress in the short time he was available, netting 11 Under-18 goals in addition to 3 for the senior side. He has incredible control on his headers, very good concentration, and solid finishing already. John Richards is worried that he hasn't progressed much, but given his injury, I'm impressed he learned as much as he did last year. Given his young age and clear potential, I think Richards is wrong, and I want to give him another two seasons or so.

S C Billy Sharp, 22, England, uncapped:

17 games, 3 goals, 1 assists, 1 MoM, 6.94:

Entering his seventh season with the club, this young striker was hoping to make a step up after finding the net ten times in 2006-07. Instead, he found himself sidelined as Hunt, Weatherson, and a series of on-loan strikers took over, and he's justifiably annoyed with me. His development seems to have plateaued, and he lacks any truly incredible attributes. He doesn't have any hope of reaching the Premier League, so I think its probably time to let him seek employment at a lower level. He has good finishing, and a supporting game which should be good enough to see him score a fair few in the League.

S C Peter Gardner, 19, England, uncapped:

35 games, 14 goals, 0 assists, 2 MoM, 7.11 at Bangor City (Wales):

This castoff from the Welsh Premier League has the physical attributes to rival Weatherson, and the determination and work ethic to make good on his potential, so I though it worth taking a flier on him to see if he develops. He needs to work on some aspects of his game, notably his first touch, his passing, and his decision-making, but he's better already than the myriad of other youth strikers I have loitering around Bramall Lane, and he'll feature in the Reserves while I try to find a place to take him on loan.

S C Chris Gray, 18, England, uncapped:

No appearances:

Due to injury, he didn't get enough playing time to develop significantly last season, scoring only 6 goals at the Under-18 level. His great concentration remains his only standout characteristic, while he is abysmal in the air, and needs work on his first touch, dribbling, and decisions. Still, of my young strikers, he's the one most ready to make the transition to the Reserves, and I might want to find him time on loan somewhere.

S C Paul Preston, 18, England, uncapped:

2 games, 2 goals, 0 assists, 1 MoM, 7.50:

This 18-year-old is exceptionally hard-working and shows very good teamwork. He impressed on limited chances last year, netting 2 goals in only 2 games, and has a good physique, though his jumping leaves a lot to be desired. He has no flair, and poor creativity, and though he didn't seem to be improving much last year, he's definitely above where he was at this time 12 months ago. I'd like to find a team which can take him on loan; if not, he'll start for the Under-18s this year.

S C Dean Reid, 17, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00:

Though determined and showing signs of leadership potential, this youngster's game hasn't really progressed in the past 12 months, showing only slight signs of improvement. His first touch remains downright awful, and its pretty clear that he won't ever be able to improve to the Premier League level, which means its time to let him find a place where he can thrive.

S C Tim Mason, 15, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

This kid is hard-working and aggressive, traits which saw him promoted quickly through our youth side and into the U-18s despite his woeful technical attributes. He may show signs of pace, but other than that he's got work to do if he's ever going to contribute to the side beyond the Under-18s, and I doubt he has the determination required to overcome his shortcomings.

F C Tom Baker, 16, England, uncapped:

Youth academy:

The last of my youth academy candidates, Baker looks to be the worst of the lot. However, at least he has determination, which most of the others lack. He's a good team player as well, but at this stage it doesn't look like either of those will be enough to overcome his many weaknesses. He'll be lucky to get much time even at the U-18 level.

Frankly, one of the reasons I'd brought Sándor Torghelle in on trial was that I didn't have perfect trust for the incumbent strikers. With the new budget available to me, it might be the right time to invest in a true goal-scoring threat who could strike fear into the hearts of the opposition, opening up chances for Bridge-Wilkinson and his young battery-mates.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 8th August, 2008.

Thursday morning, the first of my moves was complete: the sale of 20-year-old right wing Robbie Poole to Altrincham, a side which was relegated from the Conference North after the 2006/07 season, but had earned immediate promotion back for another go at it. The youngster was apparently a big hit with the supporters, and I was happy the lad had found a level where he could be a 'big fish'.

Paul Preston complained to the press when he learned that I was offering him around on loan. He said he was bitterly disappointed, and took it "as a personal affront." I could only shake my head, and hope that he enjoyed his time out on loan: it might be his best opportunity to sell himself to other sides.

By the time I left the office Friday night, a number of my other players were unavailable to me.

Attacking midfielder Robert Cousins joined Coventry City for a 3-month loan to the Championship. Central defender Kyle McFadzean went to Derby County on loan to the end of the season, determined to get Championship experience.

In lesser loans, goalkeeper Nick McDonald dropped to League Two to join Darlington, and striker Chris Gray found a home at Port Vale. Fellow striker Peter Gardner made his way to Mansfield.

I also sent attacking midfielder Gareth Davies on loan to Stevenage Borough for three months as a first team player in the Conference.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 9th August, 2008. Premier League - Game 1, at Blackburn Rovers.

Then the big day was upon us: our Premier League opener at Ewood Park. I was so excited I could hardly sleep. This trip to the north-east city of Blackburn would be my closest return to Lancaster this season, and I couldn't believe the difference four years made: instead of a mad-cap dash by train to arrive at the stadium just before the match, here we'd gone in a fine coach, stayed in a nice hotel the night before, and had an easy workout the morning of.

Blackburn had been a side solidly in the mid-table these past five years, finishing between 12th and 15th each year, always one turn of bad fortune away from a relegation fight, but safe enough at the end. Though they'd lost more games than they'd won, last year they achieved 12th, and a positive goal differential for the first time since their 6th-place finish of 2002/03. Their local press had them on the rise, while the national press felt they were a mid-table team again.

With an hour to go before the match, I'd filled out my first lineup card of the new season. Allan McGregor was between the posts. Sean Dillon was the left back. Veterans Hayden Foxe and Steve Foster formed the heart of the defense. An excited 19-year-old Keith McCormack got to start the opener at right back. Mathieu Berson was the defensive midfielder. On the wings, new signings Laurent Robert and Victor Sikora made their debuts. Star midfielder Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and young Joe Newell started at attacking midfield, with Noel Hunt the lone striker and target man.

Though I was all nerves on the bench, the lads came out settled and focused, and in the 5th minute took the first shot of the match. Noel Hunt played a one-two with Joe Newell that saw the Irish striker into the box, but Brad Friedel dealt easily with his shot. The hosts came right back at us with a corner kick in the 9th minute. Blackburn defenseman Jay McEveley powered a header on goal, but Keith McCormack blocked it on the line. Kieron Dyer sent the rebound curling goalwards, but again the young fullback was there to hack it off the line, twice saving a goal in a 15-second span that had the crowd on their feet.

In the 14th minute, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Noel Hunt played a nice exchange which pulled McEveley out of position. Hunt's pass into the space he vacated gave Newell something to run on to. The 19-year-old struck it with fury before reaching the arc, and the ball curled past the desperate Friedel for a 25-yard goal! It was a dream start to the campaign, with my two youngest question marks coming up huge in the opening minutes - and I never imagined having to defend a 1-0 lead!

Bridge-Wilkinson nearly made it two-nil with a vicious strike in the 19th minute, curling it less than two feet high and wide of the top corner. Then the hosts stabilized - they were a veteran team, and weren't going to be rocked. Offseason acquisition Jermaine Jenas almost found a debut goal, his header coasting just over.

By the 30th minute, the hosts were in clear control. Our defensive shape held, limiting Blackburn to testing Allan McGregor with plenty of long shots. To that point, he'd dealt with it all admirably. In the 35th, however, Jenas drove a 20-yard shot. McGregor parried it, but Kieron Dyer pounced on the rebound, launching a half-volley, which deflected goalward off of Laurent Robert. The Scotsman did brilliantly, making a miraculous save to tip it over the bar when everyone in the stadium thought a goal had been scored.

Dyer's cross in the 42nd minute produced a close range header by Thomas Buffel, but McGregor saved superbly. He was clearly the difference for us, playing a wonderful match. Our counter-attack nearly got them just before the half, with Victor Sikora working up the right hand channel, before passing along the floor for Bridge-Wilkinson. One touch passing saw it move from him to Newell to Hunt, but the striker's shot found Friedel's waiting arms. The halftime whistle gave us a few minutes to regroup: I was very happy with the way our conservative 4-5-1 was working. It seemed as effective against Premiership opposition as it had in the Championship, and I made no changes.

Blackburn came out with similar control in the second half, but for another twenty minutes, they could not find a killer ball, despite a double substitution on the hour. In the 67th, I brought the tiring Newell off to applause from the visiting supporters. Mike Flynn came on for his debut, and got thrown into the fire immediately. We had a tense two minutes of action, entirely in and about our area, with nobody able to clear the danger. McGregor punched clear the most dangerous of threats, and his defense, especially the stalwart Hayden Foxe, was up to every challenge. When we finally earned a goal kick and were able to get things back to midfield, I began to believe: we had only twenty minutes left to hold the 1-0 lead.

In the 72nd minute, Hunt's flick-on header for Bridge-Wilkinson turned a long ball into a dangerous chance. Bridge-Wilkinson's pass put Flynn into the area, but Friedel rushed out to smother it at his feet some 14 yards from goal. A minute later, Sikora took a throw-in on the right side. Mathieu Berson spotted Laurent Robert's run on the left wing. A long low pass set the Frenchman up for a first-time shot, but it was too easy, directed right at Friedel, who made the save. It was Robert's last touch, as I had signalled him off for Jonathan Forte, and Hunt off for Darren Gibson.

By the 80th minute, Blackburn were pushing players forward with abandon, and when they had a corner in the 82nd, nine men came forward. Matt Jansen was left unmarked some 16 yards out, and launched a laser on goal. McGregor made a brilliant stop to palm it upward, and it struck the crossbar, vaulting high into the air. Few on the pitch saw where it was, but Kieron Dyer leaped through the maelstrom of bodies to meet it as it came down, six yards out, and his powerful header rippled the back netting as the scoreboard read 1-1.

With 24,667 Ewood Park fans screaming their adulation, Blackburn manager Mark Hughes kept the pressure on in the final minutes. I hoped that would expose a weakness, and let my front men have the creative freedom to counter, but the hosts kept us bottled up. Our defenders and midfielders played tight, however, battling hard and keeping the hosts at bay, save for some more of those long shots. 90 minutes came and went, but it was still level. Then, Matt Jensen picked out Thomas Buffel with a great low pass. The Belgian was a mere 12 yards out and in a small gap in our defense, but McGregor was perfectly positioned, and made one more fine save to preserve the draw.

Blackburn 1, Sheffield United 1

Dyer 82; Newell 14

MoM: McGregor

In the changing room after, the lads pounded Joe Newell on the back in congratulations for the biggest goal of his career, the 5th he'd scored in a Blades uniform, and gave Keith McCormack full props for his goal-line heroics early.

Allan McGregor had played as fine a match as you could hope to see, earning a perfect '10' rating and the Man of the Match award.

I wasn't sure whether to be gratified that we'd proven we could play at this level, even on the road, or disappointed that the final whistle hadn't blown ten minutes earlier, when we would have claimed all three points.

[Amaroq]

Monday, 11th August, 2008.

"Blades open with a draw!" read the Star headline, and to my surprise, there was no negative Rupert Wormwood article anywhere. Oddly, our result was the only split of the weekend: every other Premier League match had seen a decisive result, which meant we were even with Blackburn on 1 point at 10th/11th of the table. Ipswich were celebrating a 3-0 home win against Tottenham that had them joint top of the table with Arsenal, who had embarassed Port Vale by the same score.

Over the rest of the weekend, I finalized a few additional loan deals. Sought-after defensive midfielder Steve Newton would be playing at Bootham Crescent, having joined my former club York City in League One. Right wing Mark Kearney was relishing the chance to start at League Two side Port Vale. Left sided wingback Brian Holmes joined Peterborough in League Two for the entire season.

In other news, I signed young Steven White to a full-time contract, having had it prepared and ready for him on his 17th birthday. We'd also inked a deal for 16-year-old defensive prospect, Mark Allen.

D RC Mark Allen, 16, England, uncapped:

Schoolboy:

Quick, hard-working, and aggressive, I like this lad's physical abilitiy. He has reasonable determination and can tackle well, but he'll need to work on his marking and positioning. Still, he looks very promising for a 16-year-old, and I'd needed somebody, anybody, to fill out the right side of the U-18's.

Finally, I reduced our training intensity to our regular in-season levels. I have seven different training schedules, one for goalkeepers, one for defenders, encompassing all four of the back line and the defensive midfielder, then one for wingers, one for attacking midfielders, and one for strikers. There are two others, reduced in intensity, which I use for young players, basically one for the back five and one for the attacking five.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 12th August, 2008.

In the end, it was not Chelsea who won the Jason Koumas bidding war, but Liverpool. Originally signed to Palace for £3.6M, he moved on for £7.25M, a number which I could have paid, but couldn't have afforded to sink into a single individual.

Sky Sports had a report with Southampton manager Joe Kinnear discussing our upcoming clash, and he sent me a message of support, saying "I realised that Sheffield United face a difficult season ahead, but I'm fully confident that Richards is capable of saving them from relegation."

When asked about it, I took a moment to say that I thought Kinnear was doing a very good job at Southampton, and that Saints fans are lucky to have him. He'd joined a team in the bottom half of the table during the 2005/06 season, coming off of 15th place and looking like relegation battlers, but had guided them to 9th, 9th, and 8th in his first three seasons with the club.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 13th August, 2008. Premier League - Game 2, vs Southampton.

Southampton had won their season opener, so after three straight 9th or 8th-place finishes, they were in 7th in the early days of this season. You know who they are of course, a long-time Second Division side who qualified for the First Division from 1966-74, then came back up for good in 1978, making them a founding member of the Premier League. Matthew Oakeley remains a huge part of their squad, and would make his 381st start in central midfield, alongside Cameroon international Geremi. Peter Crouch, legendary for his 6'8" height, led the team with 13 goals last season, and 21-year-old Leon Best netted 10.

Opposite them, I had Allan McGregor in goal as usual, but had rotated seven of my outfield players. Sean Dillon and Hayden Foxe remained in defense, joined by young Ben Hammond and Danny Payne. Joe Keenan would take the draining defensive midfield role, while the wings were manned by Jonathan Forte and Chris Sedgwick. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's presence up front would please the home fans; he was joined by Mike Flynn, making his first start. Peter Weatherson was the striker, and I intended to use him in the same target-man role that I use Hunt in.

A record crowd 32,918 were on hand to cheer us on, and they were feeling their oats, in full song from hours before kickoff. The noise crescendoed as kickoff approached, a real joy to hear: the Bramall Lane faithful love to sing as much as I love to hear them. The early part of the match was spent feeling each other out, Southampton in a classic 4-4-2, us in our conservative 4-5-1. It took several minutes before anyone took a shot, the honor of the first going to Geremi, who fired in a free kick near the ten minute mark which Allan McGregor saved.

We'd looked the more confident of the two sides, and in the 15th minute Jonathan Forte whipped in a beautiful cross. Central defender Jelle Van Damme had finally broken into the starting lineup this season, and the 24-year-old headed clear. Forte collected it, drifting towards the center about 25 yards out, and again sent the ball into the box. It was an odd angle, but Peter Weatherson let it get ahead of him, then connected with a diving header from 12 yards. Goalkeeper Alan Humphreys was caught by surprise, as he'd thought it would be untouched, and the fans roared their approval as Weatherson redirected it back to Humphrey's right to give us another early lead, 1-0!

Southampton were not an easy mark, however, and slowly ratcheted the pressure up throughout the first half. McGregor was in complete command of his area, ranging well around the box, collecting crosses, punching away aerial balls, smothering balls at feet, and stopping shots well wide of his goal. By the final minutes of the half, Southampton were throwing intense pressure at us, and for an eternity we couldn't seem to clear it away. Somehow we weathered the pressure, and the half-time whistle bought us a brief respite.

In the locker room, I tried to settle the lads, reminding them that we'd played solid defense ever since I took over, and there was nothing Southampton could throw at them that they hadn't seen before. The canary-clad Saints looked adventurous again, but in the 49th minute, our counterattack put them back on their heels. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's fine pass to space set Weatherson behind the defense, and only a brilliant one-on-one save by Humphreys kept the visitors in the match. For the next ten minutes, our defense kept them at bay, and Joe Kinnear made his final substitutions in the 61st minute, including putting Peter Crouch on for Polish striker Grzegorz Rasiak, who had started.

We were playing solidly as well, but some of the players were tiring, and at 63 minutes I made our first changes, setting Irishman John Melligan on for Mike Flynn, and Victor Sikora on for Chris Sedgwick on the right wing. The defense held firm through the 70th minute - my favorite instant of the match was seeing 19-year-old Ben Hammond box out Crouch to win a header from the giant - but the Saints were steadily building the pressure again. In the 72nd, a cross from the right found Geremi in the box, but the Cameroonian's header whistled just wide. It was Southampton's best chance so far. Minutes later, Bridge-Wilkinson's dangerous free kick just grazed the top of the bar from thirty yards, and at 78 minutes I made my final change, with young Darren Gibson replacing Weatherson up front.

Southampton began sending men upfield in desperation, and even Van Damme ranged forward, taking a shot from the 18 which McGregor saved. In the 88th minute, they'd earned a throw-in on the left side, and Crouch's flick-on header found fullback John Halls in space at the six. McGregor made a desperation save, but the rebound fell to Geremi. He looked certain to score, and would have had Hammond not partially blocked it. The deflection was still heading goal-bound, but McGregor, scrambling to his feet, was able to get a hand to it and tip it over the bar.

It was an utterly defensive final five minutes as Kinnear threw the kitchen sink at us, but solid defending and another Man of the Match performance by McGregor saw us earn our first Premier League victory, 1-0.

Kinnear shook my hand warmly at midfield, and with a big smile on his face told me, "Welcome to the league, son. You'll do quite well, here."

Hearing that from the well-regarded 61-year-old Irishman gave me almost as big a smile as the result had.

Sheffield United 1, Southampton 0

Weatherson 15; ----

MoM: McGregor

"Guess what, lads?!" yelled a triumphant Peter Weatherson in the locker room.

"We're ahead of Manchester United, Liverpool, and Aston Villa!"

It was true - a win and a draw had us on four points, and that was tied for fifth with Newcastle and West Ham, ahead of a number of famous squads!

In fact, most of the midweek matches had been draws, and only Arsenal and Chelsea had started the season with six points; only Fulham still had 0, with most of the league on either 1, 3, or 4 points.

[Dixie Flatline]

Great start, amaroq. Look forward to reading more.

[aaberdeenn]

Blades for the title. \o/

[Amaroq]

Thanks, lads!

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 14th August, 2008.

There was one downside to the match: Hayden Foxe had strained his neck late in the match, when he took an elbow while battling for a high ball. He'd miss about six days, which would see him out of one match for sure, and might rule him out of our home match against Bolton mid-week as well.

We'd completed the sale of Billy Sharp to AFC Bournemouth for £375,000, letting the young man go somewhere he would be more appreciated. The striker had done quite well for us in League One, but I didn't see him as Premier League quality, and with Hunt, Weatherson, and Gibson ahead of him on the depth chart, he wasn't going to get the playing time to develop. Bournemouth would put him back in League One, where he could excel.

Billy Sharp, SC, 22: July 2002-August 2008: 4 seasons, 57 games, 14 goals, 3 assists, 4 MoM, 6.91

Also gone was 17-year-old striker Dean Reid, a product of our youth system who didn't look likely to reach the Premier League. Non-League side Redditch United were glad to pick him up for £35,000, an almost scandalous fee for such a small side.

Dean Reid, SC, 17: July 2007-August 2008: 1 season, 1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 MoM, 7.00

Paul Preston caught a Wednesday train as well, reluctantly joining Conference side Kidderminster Harriers on loan for three months.

Thursday, young central defender Jamie Cooper followed them, joining Championship side Oldham Athletic on a full-season loan. This was a big loan for us, as I hoped to get him a full season's worth of developmental experience to help assuage his frustration at not being in the first-team for us. It also meant that I'd be keeping Chris Morgan on through the year's end as the fourth defender.

Left wing Stewart Downing had recovered from his shoulder injury, and resumed full training. He wouldn't be ready in time for our match against Ipswich Town, but I hoped he'd be fit enough to come in off the bench, and planned to start him against Bolton in the mid-week match following.

Also rejoining us was attacking midfielder Robert Cousins, whom I had recalled from Coventry due to our scarcity at the position. I'd been somewhat counting on the Jason Koumas deal, or one of a couple other pans I had in the fire, going through when I'd agreed to send him out, and I was finding the early fixtures were devouring fitness.

In the wider transfer market, there was a rumour that Arsenal might sell French striker Djibril Cissé. FC Nantes Atlantique had expressed interest in the 27-year-old, and manager David O'Leary fanned the flames by declaring that he would be prepared to sell should the price be right. I had to put in an enquiry, at least.