Sharpening a Rusty Blade - Book III

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 1st August, 2010, morning.

Terry Robinson opened the board meeting with an entertaining question.

"Wow, how many players did you sell last month?"

I ran out of fingers, counting. "Twenty two."

"That was quite a housecleaning."

"None of them were playing important roles with the club."

"Do you want to know how much it brought in in total?"

"Sure."

"Just shy of four million pounds."

Derek Dooley spoke up. "That's not all - that's just the up-front fees; some of those deals included sell-on clauses and monthly payments."

That was almost ridiculous, considering how unimportant the average player involved was, but the average deal was only £180,000. The upshot of it all was that we'd turned a tidy profit, nearly £3.0M, which brought our season total to a loss of £2.1M - primarily in signing bonuses, notably to Sinama-Pongolle and Rozehnal.

"So, here's the good news," Dooley continued. "That's brought the bank balance up to a healthy £23.9M, and we think we ought to let you invest in some more players. We've raised your transfer budget to £11.2M."

In other good news, Sean Dillon had renewed his contract for three more years, taking him from expiring at season's close through 2014.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 1st August, 2010. Friendly, vs Fulham.

The last of our forced home friendlies was against Fulham, who had agreed to the match as part of the fee for acquiring 18-year-old fullback Mark Allen. The Cottagers were preparing for their tenth season in the Premiership, but had been having a fairly sedate pre-season until exploding for a 5-1 win over Aberdeen on Thursday.

They got the eleven-man lineup I was hoping to send out against Chelsea for the Charity Shield a week later. Roy Carroll was the goalkeeper. Sean Dillon, David Rozehnal, Ben Hammond, and Keith McCormack made up the defense. Freddy Guarín was the defensive midfielder, and I'd made some tactical adjustments to get him a bit more involved in the attack. Joe Hamill and Jermaine Pennant were the wingers, and Bruno Cheyrou was the playmaker, the point of a diamond midfield in a 4-4-2. The two strikers were Florent Sinama-Pongolle, returned from his week of rest, and Imre Szabics.

The game opened with an intense pace, and there were chances at both ends in the opening minutes. Keith McCormack shut down the Cottager's first effort, but earned a yellow card in the process. Moments later, Imre Szabics looked to have put Sinama-Pongolle through, but the prolific striker obviously wasn't quite up to match readiness, as John Kennedy caught him from behind to avert the danger.

Moments later, Szabics had a chance but was tackled in the box by Richard Foster, and then Kennedy blocked Freddy Guarín at the other end. The crowd were spending the entire time on their feet - and Fulham came right back up the field. Nicky Steer's gorgeous flick-on header slipped Barry Ferguson into the box, and he snapped a shot underneath Roy Carroll. Just 3:32 into the match, and we were down 0-1 - neither I, the squad, or the fans could quite believe it.

The frantic pace couldn't last indefinitely, and things settled down after the goal. Unfortunately, it settled into an evenly-matched sparring contest, with neither side really able to make the telling pass. Sinama-Pongolle showed flashes of brilliance, but couldn't find the netting, and it looked like we would go to intermission with the one-goal difference.

Then, just before the half, former Blade fullback Mark Allen laid a wonderful cross into the box from the right side. Steer rose just in front of Carroll to nod it down for Ferguson, who struck it from the eighteen with an open net - Steer's header had neatly sidestepped Carroll, who had come out to meet the cross at the near post. With an 0-2 deficit going to halftime, I was quite displeased with the squad.

Despite my exhortion to rouse a better effort in the second half, we came out altogether too flat. We were having trouble stringing three passes together in succession, and though we looked stronger defensively, we never really threatened the Fulham net. A quiet second half left the crowd of 11,716 first restless, then disappointed, and finally letting their jeers be heard throughout our home ground.

Sheffield United 0, Fulham 2

----; Ferguson 4, 45

MoM: Ferguson (Fulham MC)

With just a week to go before our first competitive match of the season, the Charity Shield against Chelsea, we'd given our worst performance of the pre-season.

I was very concerned.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 2nd August, 2010.

It was, Ray and I felt, time to move away from the purely physical training, and move towards a late pre-season training which emphasized technique and mental attributes while still keeping a heavy physical load on the players. Hopefully that would help settle our shooting, and to gel the lads a bit as a team.

On Tuesday, our Under-18s played host to Tottenham U-18s in more pre-season action. James Bradley was the star of the show, earning Man of the Match honours for two goals as our lads outshot Spurs 23-3. Winger Paul Alexander added a goal on a wonderful free kick in injury time to make the final score 3-0, but the result was overshadowed by the news that defensive midfielder Steven White had pulled his hamstring. The 18-year-old would need surgery and between 2 to 6 months of rehabilitation, and I'd just sold Steve Newton, which left us quite shy of depth in the defensive midfield.

If anything happened to Guarín or Berson, either Danny Payne or Joe Keenan would have to cover.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 5th August, 2010. Friendly, vs Rangers.

The second of our two pre-season European adventures was a home tie against Old Firm giants Rangers, who had accepted the match in exchange for a percentage of the gates. I intended to use it to get my second string some real European experience, while the first team rested in preparation for Chelsea on Sunday. After nine titles in a row, and thirteen in a seventeen-year span, the Glasgow side have fallen to their greatest rivals, Celtic. That it is the Bhoys in green and white who have lifted the Scottish crown the past seven seasons must be particularly galling to the Rangers faithful.

Allan McGregor seemed the obvious choice in goal, with the match televised back in his native Scotland. His defense would be more Nigerian than English, with Celestine Babayaro and Abubakar Shittu joined by Hayden Foxe and Danny Payne. Mathieu Berson was the defensive midfielder, with Jonathan Forte and Victor Sikora on the wings. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson partnered with Robert Cousins in the attacking midfield, and Peter Weatherson was up front to round out the 4-5-1.

An early injury to Danny Payne brought young Benjamin Herzog in before the tenth minute, but that was the only setback for Blades fans in the first half hour. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson had two long shots saved, and Peter Weatherson hit the post on a header - but it was clear that we were absolutely dominant, and the Scottish side was forced into backs-to-the-wall defending.

In the 33rd minute, we took our 17th shot - they had yet to pull the trigger - and it was Mathieu Berson. After a corner kick was headed clear, the Frenchman chested it down, let it drop, then let fly a cracking 25-yarder through the packed box. It curled in at the far post, leaving hapless 'keeper Sander Westerveld no chance! Spectacular! He wheeled away, mobbed by his teammates as the supporters celebrated our 1-0 advantage.

That lasted through halftime, though Rangers began to come out of their shell, venturing forward a little more in the late going of the half. They were running something like a 4-3-3, which Ray says is common in Scotland, but it was really getting overwhelmed by our five-man midfield. We took the restart, held posession for two minutes, and then Victor Sikora scored a fabulous left-footer from beyond the arc. His dual-footed nature really came in handy on that one, and at 2-0 the crowd of 19,723 were enjoying the festival atmosphere.

Sikora nearly added a second from eighteen yards, but struck the bar just before the hour mark. As the second half wore on, despite the numerous substitutions we maintained the upper hand. Shooting accuracy still escaped us, and it was tough to get anything else past on-form Westerveld.

Once he gave way for 38-year-old Stefan Klos, however, it was a different story, and Joe Newell closed out the scoring. It came in injury time, and the young attacker fired a wicked shot from a tight angle. He was just yards away from the end line, and out wide, near the edge of the box, but somehow found the far-post netting to make an easy 3-0 final.

Sheffield United 3, Rangers 0

Berson 33, Sikora 47, Newell 90; ----

MoM: Berson

That was much better, and Mathieu Berson rightly earned Man of the Match for his gorgeous goal.

With the season right around the corner, however, I couldn't shake a feeling that my second team was outperforming my first team!

[Amaroq]

Friday, 6th August, 2010.

"He looks a likely sort, doesn't he?"

I'd been having trouble with the wage bill, which meant that I wasn't spending my new-found transfer budget on big names. However, it did let me splash out £2.1M for a youngster I'd had my eye on, 19-year-old Martin Ellis of West Ham United.

DM C Martin Ellis, 19, England, uncapped:

1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00 for West Ham:

I love a hard-working kid with great concentration, acceleration, and stamina, and those are qualities this ambitious midfielder posesses in spades. He's determined, aggressive, and has a solid physique, plus he's reasonably well developed in the areas I'm looking for, such as tackling and marking.

To be honest, I might not have spent the money had I not just lost both of my young defensive midfielders, one to transfer and one to injury, but I could afford it. He would provide a third option behind Freddy Guarín and Mathieu Berson. With any luck, either he or Steven White would be ready to step up when Berson's contract expired at season's end.

On the pitch, Sheffield Reserves had a friendly match Thursday. Strikers Michael Field and Darren Gibson scored to give them a 2-0 halftime advantage, but they conceded two goals in the second half to let Leicester Reserves escape Saltergate with a 2-2 draw.

There was bad news from the physio's office on Friday, not from the Reserve match but from Thursday's training sessions. 17-year-old defender Kevin Price, whom I'd been very excited about as a summer transfer, had suffered a torn groin. Like White, he would require surgery and three to four months of rehabilitation.

For myself, however, I was already looking forward to Sunday, when I would get to match wits with Jose Mourinho at Wembley!

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 8th August, 2010. Charity Shield, vs Chelsea at Wembley.

The 2010 Charity Shield was a grudge rematch of May's F.A. Cup Final: Premier League champions Chelsea against Cup holders Sheffield United. The Blues had won four straight League titles and five of the last six, and had won the Charity Shield the past three seasons running. Nobody had given us odds to win the F.A. Cup, and the betting was 7-to-1 against us in the pre-season trophy clash despite our 2-0 victory just ten weeks earlier.

I didn't play the same lineup as I had in the Final. There were three changes. Roy Carroll remained in goal, but Ben Hammond replaced Foxe in central defense with Sean Dillon, David Rozehnal, and Keith McCormack. Freddy Guarín made his official Sheffield United debut at defensive midfielder. Joe Hamill and Jermaine pennant were the wingers, and Bruno Cheyrou the playmaker. His partner this time was Iain Hume, and of course up front was Florent Sinama-Pongolle.

Given the rain and the essentially non-competitive nature of the competition, Chelsea's lineup wasn't their strongest. They clearly treated it as another tune-up match, and few of their starters took the pitch. That didn't prevent them from coming out very strong, and Roy Carroll had to make two fine saves in the first four minutes. He had just punched clear John Wright's cross when Jim Skelton took a shot from the edge of the area. It was clearly going wide, but at the six, Frank Lampard, with cat-like reflexes, turned and got his head on it. The touch redirected it just enough that it found the far post instead of trailing wide. The scoreboard read just 6:21, and already Chelsea had managed more against our defense than they had in the entire F.A. Cup Final.

We'd managed our first shot on goal by the 15th minute, a Florent Sinama-Pongolle effort from just beyond the eighteen saved by 20-year-old Ben French - a sign that Chelsea weren't taking the match seriously, as Peter Cech remains their first-choice keeper. On the quarter hour, however, Paul Hughes played a fine free kick from thirty-five yards out, placing it right to the feet of Lampard. He was two paces into the box, and beat both Jermaine Pennant and Freddy Guarín with some fancy footwork in the area. He closed to within eight yards before hammering home his second of the game - we were down 0-2 already, and the Wembley crowd of 65,135 were loving it.

I didn't make any changes immediately, but you could hear Carroll's frustration as he berated his defense from the mouth of goal, and David Rozehnal, wearing the captain's armband, was equally vocal about our play. Together, they seemed to settle things down, and there wasn't much danger beyond those two goals. Unfortunately, we weren't creating many chances going forward, either - Lúcio seemed to be winning every aerial ball in the Chelsea half, and added a wonderful tackle when Sinama-Pongolle seemed to have broken the offsides trap. Just before the halftime whistle, we earned a corner kick, and Iain Hume headed home, only to see Andrea Gasbarroni stop the ball on the line to preserve the 0-2 lead.

Come halftime, I decided to make the change to a 4-4-2, bringing on Imre Szabics for the dripping-wet Hume. There was still nothing - we were playing without passion, and the well-manicured pitch was turning soggy and muddy. On 57 minutes, I made wholesale changes. The competition allows up to five substitutions, so I made three more, bringing on Peter Weatherson for the tiring Sinama-Pongolle, Joe Newell for the unimpressive Bruno Cheyrou, and Victor Sikora for Hamill on the left wing. That combination created our best chance, as Jermaine Pennant's long pass broke Szabics through on goal. John Terry scrambled over, arriving just before the Hungarian could shoot to tackle it out for a corner.

In the final fifteen minutes, I brought on Danny Payne, pushed Guarín up into an attacking midfield role, and hoped a 3-5-2 would help. Still nothing, though Guarín did get one great opportunity, firing wide after getting into the area free of the defense. The match faded into injury time, and our hopes were as dim as the leaden, overcast sky. Just at the worst ebb, in the 92nd minute, Szabics picked the pocket of John Terry, and took off unopposed up the pitch. Terry recovered in time to assay a desperate sliding tackle in the penalty area, but Szabics juked around him, then fired home past Ben French to claw one back, making it 1-2.

Though he raced into the back of the net, grabbed the ball, and hustled it back to the midfield circle, it was surely too late to matter - and the referee blew full time just sixty seconds later.

Chelsea 2, Sheffield United 1

Lampard 7, 15; Szabics 90

MoM: Lúcio (Chelsea DC)

We'd been missing the urgency and passion which had allowed us to beat Chelsea in May, and it showed, especially in those first fifteen minutes. I was growing quite worried about the squad's inability to 'gel' nicely, and with the start of the season just six days away, I was out of time to make further adjustments.

[Wegason]

Here's hoping Martin Ellis turns into a star, if only for the fact he's an Ellis.

[Amaroq]

[Amaroq]

Friday, 13th August, 2010.

Is everything well in Blades-Land?

I didn't even need to read Monday's article to know the contents: Rupert Wormwood was spotting the same problems I was, and though I'd been unable to find the fault, he had. It was all, of course, the manager, who had "left them woefully unprepared."

I did find it interesting that he had found a seeming correlation - since reaching the Premier League, my teams had a W-D-L record of 2-2-6 for the month of August - well below our average rate of return.

I called Ray - Assistant Manager Ray Houghton - into my office, pointed out the conclusion, and asked him to look into it. Then, just to tweak his nose, I wrote Mister Wormwood a short, polite thank you letter for his 'kind article'.

There was little action through the rest of the week - we were in our late pre-season training regime, and I kept working the lads, typically facing off the 'A' team against the 'B' team in practice, while interspersing a lot of stamina training. I was also working the phones again, trying to line up loans, both full-season and 3-month, for our younger players.

Friday's friendly between our Reserve and U-18 teams simply highlighted the differences between them, and only a spectacular performance by 16-year-old goalkeeping prospect Chris Brown kept the U-18s in a game that finished 1-0. Robert Cousins finally beat him near the end of the first half with a fabulous 30-yard strike. The U-18s saw two players injured, fortunately not seriously, as Jake Giles suffered a gashed head and Alan Daly bruised a rib. Both should be back in time for the U-18 season opener.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 14th August, 2010. Premier League - Game 1, at Tottenham Hotspur

Our season opened against Tottenham Hotspur, who had just returned to the Premiership after a yo-yo run - they'd been relegated twice in the past five seasons, and had won the Championship and promotion straight back both times, including last season. The only times we'd met them under my watch had been in the 2008/09 season, when we won both encounters, by shutout.

The lineup I had facing them was very similar to the Chelsea lineup, however I'd shifted to a 4-4-2, so there were a few changes. Roy Carroll was in goal, and the defense consisted of Sean Dillon, David Rozehnal, Hayden Foxe, and Keith McCormack. Freddy Guarín would roam the defensive midfield, and Joe Hamill and Jermaine Pennant were on the wings. Bruno Cheyrou had staked a claim to the playmaker role, and the strike partnership was Imre Szabics and Florent Sinama-Pongolle.

It was pouring rain right from the opening kickoff - warm, but very wet. Spurs came out in an uncomplicated 4-4-2, but to my surprise they looked much the better side in the opening minutes. Freddy Guarín broke up one passing series with a nice interception, and in another sequence, veteran Robbie Keane should have scored from the eighteen, but blasted it harmlessly over the ball. In the 13th minute, Mbuelo Mabizela played a superb ball past Dillon as Simon Davies exposed the Scot's lack of pace. The Welshman whipped a cross in from the corner on his first touch, and Keane lost Keith McCormack briefly. It wasn't much space, but the 30-year-old struck the ball on the half volley, back to Roy Carroll's left, and the underdogs had taken an 0-1 lead.

Dillon looked angry, and determined to atone for his earlier mistake. Though Tottenham kept up the pressure, David Rozehnal did a fine job of splitting two men when left outnumbered 2-on-1, and managed to head clear when a ball was sent in for them. In the 19th minute, Dillon got his redemption, launching a fine long ball up the left sideline for Florent Sinama-Pongolle. The European Golden Boot winner raced through the rain, getting into the area three steps ahead of Mabizela, and fired past André Zick to open his account for the new season.

Just after the half-hour, Davies put Keane into the box with a brilliant long pass. Blades captain Hayden Foxe harassed him enough that he couldn't get the shot off, but Keane managed to hold it in at the end-line. When he passed back, trying to tee up Jermain Defoe, Dillon was there to cut it out. It looked like half-time would come with the scores still level, but in the 44th minute, playmaking forward James McFadden pounced on a loose ball just outside Carroll's eighteen. He knocked it forward for Keane, who looked well offsides, but was allowed to bury it past Carroll from six yards. There was no flag, and I was screaming at the refs. The fourth official cautioned me, and finally Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, off the bench, physically pushed me back into the dugout, or I might have been ejected. Later review of the replay showed that it was a good call: Dillon had just been keeping him on at the near side, well away from the play. We'd be going to halftime trailing, 1-2.

Worse, at the break, I discovered that Sinama-Pongolle had taken a knock in the last minutes of the half. He needed to come out, so I shifted to a 4-5-1, with Bridge-Wilkinson replacing him. It took the 31-year-old only minutes to work his magic, sending Imre Szabics down the right sideline with a wonderful pass. The Hungarian cut it back for Cheyrou, who had a golden chance from the edge of the area but put it wide. Tottenham were still seeking a third goal for Keane, and that was leaving a bit of space I thought we could exploit, but they also looked dangerous, keeping the pressure on our beleaguered defense.

On the hour, I brought Peter Weatherson and Victor Sikora on for Szabics and Hamill, hoping fresh legs and a change of mentality might help, but twenty minutes passed with little change. I began to get desperate, and looked to a very aggressive, attacking tactic for the final ten minutes. That seemed to spark life into us: Cheyrou's brilliant pass sprang Jermaine Pennant into the area on 81 minutes, but Zick made a wonderful one-on-one save. In the 86th minute, Weatherson showed off his passing skills with a wonderful ball for Bridge-Wilkinson. Marc looked to have rounded Zick, but the diving German managed to get just a single hand on the shot, changing its trajectory only enough to put it inches wide.

As injury time approached, I was becoming resigned to defeat, even depressed.. and that's when Bridge-Wilkinson flighted a beautiful through ball over the defense for the perfectly timed run of Weatherson. The veteran striker split the central defenders perfectly, and had five yards on Calum Davenport before the defender was up to speed. Though Zick charged out to meet him, Weatherson fired from the arc, finding the net for the dramatic equalizer: 2-2!

With the inclement weather, both sides were exhausted, and neither looked inclined to seek the winner in the three minutes of injury time.

Tottenham 2, Sheffield United 2

Keane 13, 45; Sinama-Pongolle 19, Weatherson 90

MoM: McFadden (Tottenham MC)

Honestly, I'd expected a bit of an easy run-out, a confidence building away win for the first choice, but we'd looked awful in front of goal, and our defense had been given the run-around by Robbie Keane.

Tottenham Man-of-the-Match James McFadden had been on my short list from a scout's report last season. After his fabulous performance against us, I made an offer for the playmaker at the £5.75M minimum-release-fee clause my scouts had informed me of.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 17th August, 2010.

"I think I've found the problem."

Ray Houghton, my new Assistant, closed the door to my office as he stepped in.

"Go on."

"I'm worried that the main strike force - our top strikers and attacking midfielders - are still lacking match fitness. Some of them - Szabics and Sinama-Pongolle, for example, are still severely shy of ready."

"That would certainly explain our trouble finding the net."

"Have you been running the same pre-season training buildup every season?"

"Yes, yes we have."

"I'm not sure its working, then - as Wormwood said, the team's been historically slow starting."

"Well, Szabics and Florent both had injuries, which may have set them back."

"True - but it might be worth looking at trying something different next season."

"Great. Get together with John and the physios to design a recommended programme. The next question is, where do we go from here?"

"I'd say we switch to the normal mid-season training regime, the one we had the lads on the second half of last season, and just make sure to get them plenty of games."

"Okay. Make it so."

Many of our fringe players started their loans - I'd been working on sending them out for the better part of a week, and between Sunday morning and Tuesday night, ten players left on loan. Strikers James Bradley and Darren Gibson went to Leeds United (Championship) along with attacking midfielder Gary Thomas, all on season-long loans to our neighbors. I was amused that Wednesday hadn't bid for any of our players! Goalkeeper Richard Thomas went to Sunderland (Championship), though I wasn't sure the 17-year-old would get playing time.

Winger Simon Blake and striker Michael Field were sent to Mansfield (League One) for the season, and striker Jake Giles went to Rotherham United (League One). Attacking midfielder Phil Davidson joined Notts County (League One), and winger Chris Rowe was in Wales for Wrexham (League One) for the season. The only 3-month loan was for goalkeeper Simon Parker, who joined Tranmere Rovers (League One) for a limited time.

On the transfer front, it seemed I'd started a bit of a bidding war for James McFadden, as Liverpool and Newcastle, too, came in with bids.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 18th August, 2010. Premier League - Game 2, vs Blackburn.

A fine 2-0 win in their first match had put Blackburn Rovers in second place in the Premiership, at least temporarily. The 1994/95 champions had finished sixth two years ago, but fell to 11th last year, which was more in keeping with their previous five seasons mid-table. Two years ago, they humiliated us in the F.A. Cup by a 0-5 scoreline, but we got our retribution last year, pounding them 6-0 at Bramall Lane. A 0-0 draw in the rematch indicated that this tie could go either direction.

There were fairly substantial changes from my weekend squad. Roy Carroll remained in goal despite two mediocre performances to open the season. Celestine Babayaro made his Sheffield United debut at left back. Central, David Rozehnal wore the captain's armband, and Ben Hammond made his 50th league appearance as a Blade. Danny Payne was the right back. At defensive midfield, Freddy Guarín got his Bramall Lane debut. The wings were manned by Victor Sikora and, in his 100th career league appearance, Jonathan Forte. My youth programme bore fruit in the person of my attacking midfielders, Robert Cousins and Joe Newell, while Florent Sinama-Pongolle got a second straight start up front.

The French goalscorer nearly got us off to a perfect start in the third minute, getting on a loose ball in the Blackburn area, but German keeper Tim Wiese made the save from close range. We were looking the stronger side, but also picked up a few yellow cards, including to key defenders David Rozehnal and Freddy Guarín, both in the first ten minutes. I couldn't change either of them out that early, but asked them to lighten up a bit. In the 17th minute, Joe Newell knocked a beautiful ball behind the Blackburn back four. Wiese came rushing out, but hesitated as he reached the edge of his area with the ball still a few yards away. That let Robert Cousins reach it to play it first. His first effort struck Wiese, but the rebound came straight to the 21-year-old, who buried it, to the vocal delight of our 31,462 faithful!

Perhaps mindful of our six-goal explosion last season, Blackburn remained cautious, staidly keeping men behind the ball throughout the first half despite the goal deficit. Most of the half was quiet, with our best chance coming on Sinama-Pongolle's spectacular half volley on forty minutes, and Rovers' best on Paul Gallagher's header over the bar just before the half. Neither effort found the net, and at the break it was still 1-0.

Blackburn began to get more aggressive in the second half, trying to harass our yellow-carded players into a second bookable offense. They switched to a 4-3-3 to try and find an equalizer, but Roy Carroll was playing with confidence, and saved everything that the visitors could put on net. That wasn't much, as the central defense looked great, with David Rozehnal in particular playing a fantastic game - he wound up leading both teams in interceptions and headers won at the end of the game.

I held my substitutions fairly late, and finished the final ten minutes in a defensive shell, which Blackburn finally reacted to by shifting to an all-out 2-3-5 attack. That just left space at the back, and were it not for two great Wiese saves, Iain Hume and Victor Sikora should each have scored. The German tipped Hume's effort wide of the post, and Sikora's resulted in a mad goalmouth scramble, finally cleared away - but when the whistle blew, the 1-0 scoreline had given us our first win of the season.

Sheffield United 1, Blackburn 0

Cousins 18; ----

MoM: Rozehnal

Captain and central defender David Marek Rozehnal thoroughly deserved Man of the Match honours for his stellar play, and wheelchair-bound chairman Derek Dooley continued his tradition of coming down to celebrate with the lads after a win.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 20th August, 2010.

After giving the lads the day off Thursday, we returned to training on Friday with one notable addition. Right wing Graham Allen was back in full training, with a clean bill of health, though it would be a few Reserve matches yet before he was back in match form.

I'd also arranged for one more loan, with Gareth Davies heading to Barnet (League Two) for three months.

Author's note - I'll be out of town for the weekend; next update either late Sunday or Monday.

[Damien77]

KUTGW...looking forward to ur euro action

[Amaroq]

Thank you! I think we'll hit the draw for it in a post or two..

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 21st August, 2010. Premier League - Game 3, at Derby County

We were in a four-way tie for fourth place, a solid start to the season. Our short trip south to Derby County, currently tied for 11th, was our first of many scheduled national-television games. The teams, just 30 miles apart, had met ten times from 2004-2008, with Derby holding a slight edge at five wins to four - but the last match, over two years earlier, had ended 6-0 in our favor. Derby were just two seasons removed from a 21st-place 2008/09 season, where they'd narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship. Last season, they'd skated into the playoffs on a 6th-place finish, and earned promotion at Wembley. They were heavily touted to go back down, but had opened the season with a win over mid-table Middlesbrough.

Facing them, I didn't have my strongest lineup. 18-year-old Stephen Cummins made his first Premier League start in goal. Sean Dillon, Hayden Foxe, Ben Hammond, and Keith McCormack comprised his back four, with Rozehnal getting the day off. Mathieu Berson made his first start of the year as the defensive midfielder. Joe Hamill and Jermaine Pennant were on the wings, with Bruno Cheyrou and Iain Hume partnered as the attacking midfielders. Imre Szabics spelled Sinama-Pongolle at striker, though Ray was still worried about the Hungarian's match fitness.

To my dismay, Derby came out controlling possession in the early going. It was a cold day, and we couldn't seem to string two passes together in the opening quarter hour. In the 19th minute, Ashley Young beat Sean Dillon up the County right wing, and launched a low hard cross into the area. Mamadou Diabang, the Senegalese striker who had literally signed on a free two days before the match, had position just a few steps off the shoulder of Hayden Foxe. He powered the header home from twelve yards to the near post, whipping the Pride Park crowd of 33,587 into a delighted frenzy. Dillon was again the victim, as he had been against Tottenham.

I was quite concerned: I didn't want Stephen Cummins to suffer a confidence-shattering pounding in goal, and Dillon was frustratingly unable to get the job done. Stil, things settled down, and Bruno Cheyrou had a chance on a free kick in the 35th minute. It took a bit of a deflection off the wall, which slowed it down just enough for Graham Stack to make the save. In first-half injury time, Dillon showed why I keep him on, with a long ball which sprang Iain Hume behind the Derby defense. The Canadian striker raced into the box, but he could only get off an awkward shot, as he refused to use his left foot. It was anything but graceful, and put it well wide of goal.

We were still trailing at the break, but I exhorted the lads to keep up with what they were doing: we'd been coming on strong at the end of the half, and I hoped that would continue. Imre Szabics had been horribly ineffective, and I replaced him with Peter Weatherson. Just five minutes into the second half, Hume played a wonderful ball for the veteran striker, who was clean through the offside trap, but Stack again made the stop. Five minutes later, it was Keith McCormack who flighted a curling long ball from the back line. Weatherson chased it down, outpacing the slow Derby defenders, and this time he beat Stack with a powerful low shot from the corner of the six, and it was level at 1-1.

Weatherson nearly added a second five minutes later, but put it into the side netting from twenty yards: he certainly looked infinitely more dangerous than Szabics had. Derby were forced back to a defensive outlook, and we weren't finding chances. By the 70th minute, I was starting to get concerned, and brought on Marc Bridge-Wilkinson for Hume. With ten minutes to play, I started pushing the fullbacks and wingers forward, as it was clear even to the fans that the hosts were looking for a draw - though willing enough to hit us on the counter-attack if we were left overexposed.

Ten nerve-wracking minutes passed, and it wasn't until injury time that we found space. McCormack brought it up the right wing for Jermaine Pennant, who hit a fine 25-yard ball forward to Bridge-Wilksinson. A quick turn on the ball, and he played an excellent through ball for Weatherson in the arc. He had a half-step on central defender Philip Rowe, but that was all he needed to slot a left-footed drive past Stack. His second goal of the game was surely the winning strike, as it put us 2-1 up with only a minute of injury time remaining!

Derby 1, Sheffield United 2

Diabang 19; Weatherson 55, 90

MoM: Berson

I must confess, I was shocked to find that Weatherson wasn't the Man of the Match after his late heroics. Mathieu Berson hadn't stood out to me - but when I reviewed his stats afterwards, he'd hit 89.7% of his passes, and led the team in tackles. Quietly efficient, as he'd been since joining us from Aston Villa back in the 2007/08 season.

The locker room did sorely miss the presence of chairman Dooley, who hadn't even felt well enough to make the trip 30 miles down the A61.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 22nd August, 2010, morning.

"Wow, second?" Ray Houghton looked up from the newspaper, where he'd just found the league table.

"Don't read too much into it," I told him. "Fulham's in first, and Chelsea and Liverpool both have six points and a game in hand. Besides, we've started with the weak part of the schedule: October is going to be absolutely brutal."

"True enough. I still can't believe we have Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal in a four-game stretch."

"Not exactly - its broken up by a UEFA Cup game," I told him with grim humour.

"Great."

"At least the Under-18s started their season off with a win."

They had, too, posting a 1-0 win over Rotherham U-18s yesterday at Saltergate. After a tense, tightly contested match had gone scoreless to the 85th minute, 16-year-old substitute Neil Clarke broke the deadlock with the most bizarre of goals. Offering a half-hearted 'wall' just ten yards off from goalkeeper Chris Blackburn, he managed to block the young keeper's kick - and the carom rolled some thirty yards into the unguarded Rotherham net. Hardly the sort of thing you can build a career on!

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 23rd August, 2010.

To my great surprise, in Sunday's matches, Manchester United dropped Chelsea 3-1, and Liverpool stumbled to Newcastle, 2-1. That meant that we got to hold on to second place, legitimately, after the weekend's matches were concluded!

Its never front-page news when a player announces that he's content with his role, but I was gladdened to see that Peter Weatherson's disgruntlement, which came to a fore after he was excluded from the F.A. Cup squad, was beyond him. He told the Star that it was clear that I was giving him playing time, and he would be happy to stay at the club beyond this season.

The front page was occupied by the news that James McFadden had chosen Newcastle United over us, possibly inspired by their stirring victory over Liverpool, or their reputation for attacking football.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 25th August, 2010. Premier League - Game 4, vs Charlton Athletic.

From the description of this game - '2nd place team at home against 18th place team', you might have expected that we'd be the prohibitive favorites. However, Charlton had swept us last season with an 0-1 win at Bramall Lane and a 1-4 victory at home, and they'd placed ahead of us the past two seasons, including a sixth-place finish last year which had seen them narrowly miss out on a European berth. So, we were definitely taking them seriously.

In goal, I had Roy Carroll return. Celestine Babayaro, Hayden Foxe, and David Rozehnal gave an experienced base to our defense, with 17-year-old Benjamin Herzog making his Premier League debut on the right side. Freddy Guarín was back in the defensive midfield role. I switched up my wing partnerships, with Jonathan Forte and Jermaine Pennant working together for the first time this year, the latter in his 100th career league appearance. The attacking midfield saw Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in the playmaker role, his first start of the year, with Robert Cousins. Florent Sinama-Pongolle was the striker.

Perhaps they'd watched video of the Derby game, because Charlton came out firing, pressuring us all over the pitch in the early going. Benjamin Herzog in particular seemed to be really struggling with the pace of the game, and got completely turned around by Jamal Campbell-Ryce, of all people. The Jamaican winger has been unimpressive, and looks no better today than he did when he played for me in League Two at Bootham Crescent, but he was giving Herzog the run-around.

It was quite apparent that we were in trouble for the first ten minutes or so, but we sat back and invited them onto us, setting up the counter-attack. In the 13th minute, Freddy Guarín took off, dribbling up the left sideline. The sudden addition of the talented Colombian to the attack caught Charlton off-guard, and two quick low passes moved possession through Jonathan Forte, overlapping inside, to Marc Bridge-Wilkinson. He unleashed a vintage strike, curling into the back of the net from thirty yards, to prove that he still has the magic!

With a steady rain falling and a young right back, a 1-0 lead wasn't enough to sit back on. Herzog was getting some help from Jermaine Pennant, who was dropping more defensively on the right wing than he might have preferred. In the 27th minute, Theo Walcott played a fine ball for Nicolas Anelka in the area. He passed right for midfielder Keith Perry, who was muscled off the ball by David Rozehnal. The linesman raised his flag, and after a brief consultation, the referee awarded a penalty!

Anelka stepped up with confidence, and buried it past Roy Carroll: we were all square at 1-1.

Four minutes later, Florent Sinama-Pongolle dropped deep to pick up possession in the midfield. He dragged central defender Martin Albrechtsen with him, and then played a wonderful ball into the vacated space. Robert Cousins ran onto it, knocking it in front of him with two touches to race to the edge of the eighteen before letting fly. 21-year-old keeper James Murphy struggled with the long shots all afternoon, and Cousins's second goal of the season put us back ahead, 2-1!

That lasted through halftime, and Herzog, in particular, seemed to have been thoroughly settled down. Campbell-Ryce hadn't looked dangerous since the Charlton goal, with the 17-year-old solidly in his pocket. I reiterated to the lads that I wanted to see tight defending, given the rainy conditions. I needn't have worried.

Four minutes after the restart, we managed an incredible goal. Sinama-Pongolle and Cousins started the move by working a flawless give-go up the right to put the Frenchman into the corner. Well closed down, he struck a long pass through the six and out to Jonathan Forte, in the box but wide left. The winger golfed it back over the six to Sinama-Pongolle, who had crashed towards the net. Hapless keeper Murphy must have felt like he was at a tennis match, and utterly lost his positioning. Sinama-Pongolle had an almost open net to work with, and met the falling ball with a diving header for a 3-1 lead!!

The Bramall Lane faithful, 32,748 strong, were still on their feet and cheering, as the Latics were rocked back on their heels. We kept it in their end for the next five minutes, and eventually Albrechtson was forced to hack Bridge-Wilkinson down on the edge of the arc. It was a perfect chance for Freddy Guarín to show his skill at free kicks, and he stood over it menacingly.

The run up; the strike; it curled around the wall, to the top-right corner! Poor Murphy's outstretched hands were inches short, and it sliced into the back of the next to give us a formidable 4-1 lead! It was the first of what I hoped would be many magical free kicks from the Colombian, a picture-postcard effort. Though 35 minutes still remained, the match looked well in hand and I began contemplating resting some key players.

We could have added a fifth goal on the hour, but Bridge-Wilkinson struck the crossbar and saw it bounce in the six, then carry completely out of the area before it came down into reach for anyone else. I followed that play with a triple substitution, replacing Sinama-Pongolle with Imre Szabics, Bridge-Wilkinson with Joe Newell, and Guarín with Joe Keenan - I was hoping all three would be able to play on Saturday if I rested them after an hour.

I got a brief worry in the 74th minute, when Charlton earned a corner kick. Jimmy Bullard flighted it in, and defenseman Igor Biscan connected at the near post. Roy Carroll went to catch it, but bobbled it into the net. In the morning paper, it was harshly ruled an own goal, but for now all I knew was that whittled our lead to 4-2 with plenty of time yet to play.

Charlton were throwing people forward, and repeatedly sent their attack down their left wing, targeting the weak defense of Pennant and Herzog. The young German proved up to every challenge, making several crucial tackles. After ten minutes of firm defending, Robert Cousins won possession with a superb sliding tackle on Bullard. The loose ball ran out to the left, where Charlton were undermanned, and Forte picked it up with acres of space to run into. He strode forward through the rain, then knocked a long low pass to Szabics at the arc. A single touch to the right teed it up perfectly for Newell, who struck from 20 yards. Yet again, a superb long shot proved too much for Murphy. It may just have clipped the underside of the bar on the way into the back of the net, but it put the outcome beyond any doubt: we'd exploded for five goals to make the final score 5-2!

Sheffield United 5, Charlton Athletic 2

Bridge-Wilkinson 13, Cousins 31, Sinama-Pongolle 49, Guarín 54, Newell 84; Anelka pen 28, Carroll o.g. 74

MoM: Herzog

"I can't believe it! We're top of the league!!!" Jonathan Forte yelled through the locker room celebration.

It was true. Fulham had stood idle for the day. Though they had a game in hand, for the nonce we were alone atop the Premier League!

In a sweet, sentimental gesture, Benjamin Herzog was selected as Man of the Match, as after those rocky opening minutes he'd settled down and had a very good game. What a debut for the young German!

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 26th August, 2010.

"When I signed this three-year contract, you promised I'd be the starter. I demand you honour that promise!"

Allan McGregor stood defiantly in the office door.

"Look, Allan, you know I can't do that. Since we brought Roy in, I'm afraid you're more accurately the backup."

"%@ that!" He looked about ready to explode. "After all I've done to get this team here? This is MY TEAM!"

"I'll try ..."

"Half my starts were shutouts last year!"

"That's true of Roy, too, and he's had a lot more experience ..."

I didn't get to finish the sentence. The Scot had stormed out of my office, slamming the door behind himself.

Unfortunately, he'd done himself no favours with that outburst - and at the end of the day, he found himself in the physio's room, having wrenched his shoulder slamming the door.

[Amaroq]

No, if you're a daily reader, you're not experiencing deja vu; I inadvertently posted this action a day early and out of order. I have a request in the mods-request-thread to address it, so I'm reposting these three dates now to get them in the correct order once the mods delete the out-of-order ones.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 27th August, 2010.

On the pitch, in Monaco, Barcelona beat Sevilla, 3-1, in the all-Spanish European Super Cup. A pair of goals by Ronaldinho and one from Carlos Tevez overcame Didier Drogba's tenth-minute effort from Sevilla. The European champions had confirmed their triple from last year - they'd won the league, Copa del Rey, and Champions League, and it was no fluke.

Graham Allen suffered a bit of a setback, as he strained his wrist in training. He wasn't yet match fit, and missing a week of training would put his recovery back that much more.

Personally, though, I was suffering with guilt over poor Allan, and the revelations in the media story about it painted a picture of a man who had sacrificed all to get the team where it was, and was now being discarded.

I'd known about his injury back in our League One days, but though I could tell he'd been despondent before the Championship playoffs final, I'd had no idea that his mother had just passed away. I'm surprised he kept it from the media, to be honest - nobody'd gotten a sniff of what would certainly have been a huge human-interest story.

Was I making a mistake?

No, I reminded myself.

He's always been inconsistent, capable of a brilliant performance, but I reminded myself that he'd also shipped five goals on what, four occasions? Roy, on the other hand, has been a revelation - we'd never have won the F.A. Cup and our subsequent European berth without him.

Even when I'd first taken over the club, I'd described McGregor thus:

Bought from rivals Sheffield Wednesday in October for £1.3M, this goalkeeper was capped at the Scotland U-21 level. He is determined and brave, with good agility and reflexes, and solid throughout though unspectacular. He doesn't feel like a weakness, though I doubt he's quite as good as Alan Blayney was for me at York. If he's got an area of his game to work on, its his anticipation and command of the area. Stuart McCall is worried about the average displays he's been putting on this season, but at less than one goal per game I'm content at the League One level, though I might want a stronger goalkeeper for the Championship.

I knew it was the right choice.

I just wish it didn't have to be.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 28th August, 2010, morning.

"Facing Sheffield United will be...."

We were gathered around a television in the locker room of The Hawthorns, where we were due to play West Brom in the afternoon - but for the moment we were watching the UEFA Cup First Round draw, and praying for an 'easy' team so that we could reach the group stages.

It wasn't likely - we hadn't been one of the seeded teams, which made it much more likely we'd be drawing a big name than one of the clubs from the little countries.

"... Borussia Dortmund!"

A groan went up from around the room. A strong German team was not what we'd had in mind, and Dortmund had won the UEFA Cup in 2006/07. At least they'd been struggling in the Bundesliga of late - they'd only managed one top-four finish in the past five years, and were down in 8th early this year.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 28th August, 2010. Premier League - Game 5, at West Bromwich Albion.

It was our first match as "First-placed Sheffield United", and it was nationally televised, to boot. I was almost as nervous as I'd been before that first Lancaster game, six years earlier - never mind that we'd beaten West Brom five times out of six since I'd taken over at Bramall Lane, including a 4-1, 3-0 sweep last season. In fact, they'd been one of the teams we'd beaten in the Championship playoffs to earn our way up. The Baggies had successfully come up through the playoffs the following year, and last year narrowly avoided relegation, coming 17th with a -34 goal differential. They were 19th, now - and I was still nervous.

I did need to do some rotation from the mid-week victory. Roy Carroll remained in goal, despite McGregor's demands to be included. Celestine Babayaro and David Marek Rozehnal stayed on the back line, joined by Ben Hammond and Keith McCormack. After coming out at the hour mark against Charlton, Freddy Guarín was at defensive midfield again. Joe Hamill and Victor Sikora were partnered on the wings, and Bruno Cheyrou and Iain Hume were my attacking midfield. The team's leading scorer, Peter Weatherson, got his first start of the season after shining off the bench.

The rain coming down made it challenging conditions for both clubs, with a bit of wind thrown in to blow passes off course. Neither side seemed to adapt early, and it looked doomed to be a dull, defensive struggle. If that was the case, our defense took a hit in the 10th minute when David Rozehnal collided with young Scottish midfielder John Neill. The captain landed hard, and was forced off the pitch, cradling his arm - a nasty blow for our hopes.

West Brom responded by cranking up the pressure, and over the next ten minutes they looked much the better side. Joe Keenan, filling in as a central defender, isn't of the same tenor as Foxe, Rozehnal, or Hammond. In the 22nd minute, our beleaguered defense had just rebuffed another attack when Ben Hammond knocked a long clearance past the hosts' defense. Iain Hume raced into the box, and was unlucky to blaze the shot high into the stands.

That seemed to serve as a warning for the Baggies, and they backed off their aggressive stance a bit, content to go to a bit more patient approach. Still, they were having the better of the chances, with Roy Carroll called on to make a number of saves. We looked far from right, and although Blades fans held their breath when Freddy Guarín lined up for a 22-yard free kick, he put it over.

Halftime drew near, still scoreless, but in injury time, Victor Sikora started a move up the right wing. He and Peter Weatherson drew the defense over, and when he played a low pass across the wet surface for Bruno Cheyrou, it exposed a local 3-on-2. West Brom had men back, but on the left side, Cheyrou, Joe Hamill, and Iain Hume had numerical superiority. He exchanged passes with Hume, and it was Cheyrou who wound up the unmarked man, taking the return on the eighteen. He didn't get much on the shot, but Hume's wonderful pass had rounded 19-year-old goalkeeper John Page just enough that Cheyrou's effort rolled in, untouched, to give us a 1-0 halftime lead!!

The rain had begun to let up in the second half, and stopped altogether just after the hour. As the precipitation waned, our fortunes began to strengthen, and Hume nearly made it two-nil, sending his shot from the eighteen just wide of Page's net. The introduction of Florent Sinama-Pongolle, replacing Weatherson, put the scare into the West Brom defense, and in the 69th minute Cheyrou settled under a header. Defensive midfielder Sean Davis, a veteran who should have known better, charged over the back of the Frenchman, and took his second yellow card. West Brom were reduced to ten men, and it seemed we had the match safely in hand.

The lads might have relaxed a mite, but if so, Juan Carlos Mesenguez woke them up with a breakaway, just a minute after Davis slouched off the pitch. Luckily, the Argentinian put his shot wide. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson replaced Cheyrou with seventeen minutes to go, my last change. Sinama-Pongolle had a pair of chances of his own, one set up by Keith McCormack's beautiful ball, but called back for offsides, and the other saved by John Page.

In the dying moments, West Brom changed to a 2-4-3 in a desperate search for the equalizer, and, as so often happens, that simply left too much space at the back. Hume should have gotten a second assist for his wonderful ball, which put Sinama-Pongolle free behind the defense, but Page showed why he is so highly rated by West Brom manager Paul Jewell, making a fantastic save. Unfortunately for the 19-year-old, the rebound fell straight to Bridge-Wilkinson trailing the play, and the veteran midfielder knocked it into the open net from eighteen yards.

30,462 wet, unhappy fans trudged out of The Hawthorns, having seen us dispatch their heroes, 2-0.

W.B.A. 0, Sheffield United 2

----; Cheyrou 45, Bridge-Wilkinson 90

MoM: Guarín

"Brilliant!" Derek Dooley exclaimed, joining the lads for a bit of celebration in the changing room. He clapped Man of the Match Freddy Guarín on the back - the Colombian certainly hadn't wasted any time making his impact felt.

"Indeed. Well done, lads!" I added, though privately that slack first half worried me, and I wanted to see what had happened to my best central defender.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 31st August, 2010.

It turned out that David Rozehnal had strained a wrist, which would keep him out of training for a week. That wasn't so bad - we had two weeks between this and our next match, thanks to the international weekend at the start of September. His loss was not even close to offset by the return of 16-year-old striker David Fleming, back in training after physiotherarpy for a strained groin.

With the transfer deadline onrushing, I had my fingers in a few pots. I was delighted to receive a bid from Sunderland for disgruntled keeper Allan McGregor, but the deal fell through when he snubbed the Championship side's contract offer. Apparently, he feels he's shown Premiership quality, and wasn't willing to step down a division.

We did get some income without selling anybody. Last July, I'd sold defender Kyle McFadzean to Aston Villa; they, in turn, had sold him on to Aberdeen, which saw us pocket £30,000 from a 40% sell-on clause, plus an additional £220,000 spread over the next 24 months. Nothing quite compares to getting money for nothing!

.. Unless its getting players for nothing! Wingers Darren White, who'd been on loan with us last year, and Scott Allen had joined us on loan from Arsenal and Manchester United, respectively. Neither would figure in my first-team plans, but they gave me additional options if we had an injury crisis on the wings.

AM RL Darren White, 20, England, uncapped:

8 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.00 with Sheffield United last year:

Back for a second tour at the club after limited action last season, White is most notable for combining great pace and acceleration with wonderful concentration and off the ball movement. He's shown flair, composure, and even takes a good penalty.. unfortunately, he doesn't contribute much defensively, and he's lacking the ability to finish chances himself. Worse, his crossing isn't anything to write home about, which has to be frustrating Arsenal management. I envision him as a backup when needed.

AM R Scott Allen, 20, England, uncapped:

4 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 7.25 for Manchester United:

A well-rounded youngster with lots of potential, he is best known for his pace and acceleration, and some wonderful crosses. His lack of bravery, poor decisions and anticipation, and inability to play an accurate header seem to be his biggest weaknesses, and look like the Achilles heel which could keep him from reaching the elite level.

We also brought in two young players. Blackburn sold us youngster James Reed for £425,000, which looked like a solid investment in the future.

D C James Reed, 16, England, uncapped:

No appearances for Blackburn Rovers:

There's only one aspect in which this youngster truly stands out. He's tall, and he has incredible aim on his headers, already at the elite level. He doesn't impress in many other aspects, but if he can live up to the promise Spencer has spotted in him, he's got every chance of reaching the elite level. He'll need to improve his concentration and first touch, however, if he's planning on participating in the first team.

Our biggest move came on transfer-deadline day, but it was hardly a blockbuster. Yet again, it was brining in a youth player, this time Sean Wood from Manchester United, at a cost of £675,000.

S C Sean Wood, England, 19, uncapped:

No appearances for Manchester United:

The Red Devils were letting him go because he has merely average pace, and poor acceleration. However, in every other aspect, he's showing fine development for a young player, well rounded, determined, and brave. I love his stamina, and he has absolutely phenomenal heading, literally at the World Cup level already. That he's been overlooked for the England Under-19s thus far does worry me, but the price we've paid for him is a risk worth taking.

He was at Bramall Lane to sign the contract, and we hustled him down to Saltergate for the afternoon's Reserve match, where he joined a tie game with twenty minutes to go, and scored in the closing minutes of a 3-1 win over Liverpool Reserves! Imre Szabics had scored the equalizer after Liverpool took the early lead, and Man of the Match Joe Newell broke the deadlock in the 77th minute before Wood got to add a late insurance goal.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 1st September, 2010.

"First place! I can hardly believe it!"

The board, as personified by wheelchair-bound Derek Dooley, was of course delighted with our performance thus far.

I was, too, but I had to temper their expectations.

"Yes, its a nice start, but remember the schedule. Beating Derby and West Brom is like nothing compared to our six-game stretch in September."

"We know, we know," Terry intoned. "Dortmund, United, Dortmund, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal."

"Yeah. Not exactly easy."

"Kill-joy. At least bask in the sunlight for a minute or two!"

"Oh, I will, I will!"

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD (GP)

1 Sheffield United 13 4 1 0 12 5 + 7 (5)

2 Chelsea 12 4 0 1 14 6 + 8 (5)

3 Blackburn 10 3 1 1 7 3 + 4 (5)

4 Manchester United 9 3 0 1 10 3 + 7 (4)

5 Liverpool 9 3 0 2 8 6 + 2 (5)

6 Fulham 8 2 2 0 8 5 + 3 (4)

7 Tottenham 7 1 4 0 8 5 + 3 (5)

8 Bolton 7 2 1 2 8 11 - 3 (5)

9 Arsenal 6 2 0 2 10 9 + 1 (4)

10 Southampton 6 1 3 1 7 6 + 1 (5)

11 Ipswich Town 6 2 0 3 4 7 - 3 (5)

12 Middlesbrough 5 1 2 2 6 6 0 (5)

13 Aston Villa 5 1 2 1 3 3 0 (4)

14 Everton 5 1 2 2 5 7 - 2 (5)

15 Charlton Athletic 5 1 2 2 7 11 - 4 (5)

16 West Ham United 5 1 2 2 7 12 - 5 (5)

17 Manchester City 4 1 1 3 5 9 - 4 (5)

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

18 Newcastle United 3 1 0 3 4 9 - 5 (4)

19 Derby County 3 1 0 4 4 10 - 6 (5)

20 West Brom Albion 1 0 1 3 4 8 - 4 (4)</pre>

Truth be known, I'd been desperately hoping we'd beat West Brom, just so I could post a monthly league table with Sheffield United at the top! I figured it would be my last chance for quite some time.

Financially, we'd lost £1.6M for the month, but that had been primarily in the £3.2M we'd made in player purchases - our revenus had been quite high. Overall, we were down £3.9M for the season, at a balance of £22.0M - still quite healthy, and with the T.V. revenue due at the end of the year, an acceptable loss for this juncture.

Two of my players had come close in the awards, with Keith McCormack number two in the Premier League Young Player of the Month, and Florent Sinama-Pongolle's breakaway goal against Tottenham was second-best Goal of the Month.

That was nothing compared to what Mateja Kezman had done, capturing both the Goal of the Month and Player of the Month awards for Chelsea after netting nine goals in only five games!

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> 1 Mateja Kezman 9 Chelsea Serbia & Montenegro

2 = Thierry Henry 5 Arsenal France

2 = Dean Ashton 5 Middlesbrough England

4 Nicolas Anelka 4 Charlton Atheltic France

5 = Peter Weatherson 3 Sheffield United England</pre>

"Oh, and Ian?" Mister Dooley said, reaching under his wheelchair. "I think congratulations are in order..."

He pulled a big silver plaque out from the storage chamber at the base of the wheelchair.

"You've been named Premier League Manager of the Month!"

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 4th September, 2010.

Though the senior team was silent for the international weekend, the secondary teams still had a number of matches.

Our Reserves had their second game in two days Wednesday afternoon. Only two players played both matches: Stephen Cummins in goal, and striker Sean Wood. The latter continued to impress his new manager, earning Man of the Match with a pair of goals, including one on a beautiful diving header. He's absolutely earned the right to make an appearance with the first team once play resumes, though I'm not sure when a good chance will be. His were the only goals of a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough Reserves.

The Under-18s also won their Wednesday night match, beating Chester, 2-0. Martin Gray and Michael Cross scored the goals up front, while defender John Reid earned Man of the Match honors after solid work at right back.

On Saturday, the youth side kept up their winning ways in the first round of the Under-18s Cup. Unlike last year, where they'd been dumped out at the first chance, they pounded Millwalll U-18s, 3-0. Craig Hunt scored early, and winger Ron Francis added a pair of goals in the second half to put the match out of reach. John Reid was again Man of the Match, this time as left back.

The only setback was 17-year-old attacking midfielder Martin Gray, who had strained his groin and would require a month of physiotherapy. The youngster doesn't look like he'll ever develop, so it wouldn't be much of a loss if there was any other youth on the roster who could play the attacking midfield role! I'd already had them playing a 4-4-2, with him as the lone attacking midfield.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 7th September, 2010.

European Under-21 Championship qualifying began today.

England were the idle team from a five-team group, but two of our players saw action with other countries.

Stephen Cummins had a quiet, almost boring, match as Ireland Under-21s drew 0-0 with the Faroe Islands. He wasn't called upon to make a single save, and collected his fifth U-21 cap almost as a matter of course. Unfortunately, Ireland's inability to score dropped them two points behind Scotland, who beat Croatia 3-1 in the other match.

Richard Thomas was kept busy by Belgium, who outshot Wales U-21s almost two to one. The 17-year-old, who's been starting on loan for Sunderland, played a fine match, letting in only a single goal, and that late in the 3-1 win. The victory put Wales atop the group after Italy were held to a draw by Northern Ireland.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 8th September, 2010.

The real European Championship Qualifying, for the summer 2012 tournament, got underway this afternoon.

25-year-old Florent Sinama-Pongolle had been called up for France to face Bosnia. With England idle for the day, Derek, Terry, and I ducked down to Paris to find a pub to watch it in. The match wasn't televised in England, and we weren't going to go all the way to Bosnia for it. It was worth the trip to Paris, though: we saw him start, score his first international goal, and play a key role in France's 3-1 victory.

He was a threat from the get-go, and scored his first international assist in the 3rd minute when his shot, though saved, fell to Thierry Henry, and the legendary striker had an easy finish. After Bosnia had equalized, Florent then opened his account in the 27th minute, giving Les Bleus the lead by hammering home Kapo's cross at the far post. Patrick Vieira rounded out the scoring before halftime. After Bosnia were reduced to ten men on a red card, the second half was a quiet affair. Serbia & Montenegro beat Israel 2-1 to go second, while Armenia and Andorra drew 2-2.

England had been drawn with Greece, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Cyprus. Though it meant several long flights, overall it looked like it should be an easy group for the Three Lions. Cyprus took the early lead, surprising Georgia 3-1. Greece struggled early before beating Kazakhstan 2-1. Both of the Mediterranean sides were aided by red cards, and the Greeks were trailing before the Kazakhs were reduced to ten men.

Though the Ireland Under-21 side might have struggled against the Faroe Islands, the senior side had no such difficulties. Keith McCormack played a fantastic game, and had it not been for a sensational brace by John Paul Kelly, might well of won consideration for Man of the Match honours. As it was, Kelly earned the praise, but McCormack's performance made many sit up and take notice. Ireland's 3-0 win put them top of the group after one game, with Croatia second after stumping Scotland, 3-1.

Group 8 had the most drama. Wales trailed Belgium 1-2 when Robbie Savage stepped up to convert an 86th-minute penalty to salvage a 2-2 draw. It was pretty clear why the Welsh press are so excited about Richard Thomas and Chris Brown: goalkeeper Lee Martin just wasn't getting it done, and they don't have anyone more experienced. Northern Ireland's 1-1 draw against Italy was even more heart-stopping, with the Belfast crowd sent into pandemonium by Daryl Fordyce's injury-time equalizer.

Holland made a splash with a 7-0 win over tiny Liechtenstein - six different players scored for the rampant Oranje! Their offensive firepower has never been at question. Denmark beat Ukraine, 2-1, to go second in Group 2.

Though missing injured defender David Rozehnal, the Czech Republic posted a shutout over Slovenia, 2-0. Thomas Hübschman played a solid game in defense, picking up the slack for his missing teammate. Estonia surprised Poland, 2-1, to move second.

Finland and Turkey each won their openers on the road in Group 4. Finland triumphed 3-2 over Switzerland, with Turkey pushed to the wire in a 2-1 win over Belarus, but able to triumph at the end.

Group 7 saw Romania manhandle Slovakia 3-0, while the Swedish fans were disappointed with a 2-0 win over lowly Luxembourg. At home, they'd been expected to do much better.

Iceland and Austria won their Group 9 games, 2-1 each over Bulgaria and Moldova, respectively, though with Germany looming idle in that group, an early lead meant very little.

Russia took a solid hold of Group 10 by crushing Latvia, 3-0. Hungary faced Spain at home in the other game. Imre Szabics and Sandór Torghelle both started for Hungary, but Torghelle was sent off in the 47th minute, Spain scored, and Szabics had been substituted off before a dramatic, short-handed equalizer in the 84th that left it 1-1.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 11th September, 2010. Premier League - Game 6, vs West Ham United.

Premier League action resumed on Saturday, and our opponent was West Ham, 16th in the league. They were trending downward: after a solid 7th two years ago, they'd placed 10th last year, and had struggled this season, with 4-1 and 5-1 losses to Chelsea and Arsenal. We'd swept both matches last year, 2-0 in each game, and had posted a 5-1 win over them in 2008/09, so I was perhaps too confident at home.

With our first UEFA Cup tie approaching on Thursday, I didn't start my first-choice lineup. Some starters were still tired from the international matches, while others I rested simply as a precaution. Roy Carroll was back in goal. Struggling Sean Dillon got another chance at left back. David Rozehnal returned to central defense, with Ben Hammond. Right back Danny Payne and defensive midfielder Mathieu Berson were on for only the second time this year. For the latter, it was his 200th career league appearance. The wings saw Jonathan Forte and Victor Sikora partnered, while the attacking midfield revolved around Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Robert Cousins. Peter Weatherson, fifth in the Premier League in scoring, was the starter as my other two strikers had each played ninety minutes on Wednesday.

West Ham started out with a 3-4-3, and I don't know if it was the attacking formation, the steadily falling rain, or the patchwork lineup, but we started out very disjoint and disorganized. Honestly, we were lucky West Ham's shooting was, to be frank, abysmal, as they controlled the first ten minutes but couldn't put a shot within ten feet of Roy Carroll's net. We steadied down after that, and began improving as the first half progressed, pushing them back and taking control of the match by the half-hour mark.

Robert Cousins looked like our most dangerous asset, three times breaking deep into the Hammers' defense. The first time he was rebuffed by central defender Hayden Mullins, and the next two were saved by Stuart Taylor. The heroes for West Ham could do nothing in the 41st minute, when Mathieu Berson played a delicious 40-yard pass over Mullins's head to Cousins. He raced into the area again, clean through on goal, and it was 'fourth times a charm', as he buried it beyond Taylor to give us a 1-0 halftime lead.

We came out strong at the start of the second half, and Peter Weatherson really should have done better with his shot after Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's creativity gave him twenty yards of space to work in. A corner kick in the 59th minute could also have put the game beyond a doubt, as it took a heart-stopping bounce through the six. Jonathan Forte was there to apply the finish, but it caromed off of Dennis Rommedahl, and Jonathan Spector did well to stop the ball on the goalline. The load groan from the crowd echoed the one in my heart.

They were groaning even louder in the 61st minute, after Roy Carroll made an awful gaffe. He managed to gift an outlet pass directly to Andrzej Niedzielan, West Ham's leading scorer last year. There was no help for him, and only the Pole's momentary surprise at the gift gave Carroll enough time to get set, and the Irishman somehow managed to stop the shot. That wasn't the only warning sign: Sean Dillon was again looking confused, and Robert Vittek blew by him down the sideline. Veteran defensive midfielder Mathieu Berson headed clear that cross, but Vittek did it again moments later, and only a fine save by Carroll denied Niedzielan.

The Polish striker burned past Dillon in the 68th minute. David Rozehnal arrived to help out with a sliding tackle on the edge of the area, but Rommedahl picked up the loose ball and flighted in the cross. Bobby Zamora met it at the far post and volleyed home from eight yards, leaving Carroll no chance of preventing a 1-1 draw.

It had been ten awful minutes, and I responded by making a triple substitution in frustration. Joe Newell, Florent Sinama-Pongolle, and loanee Scott Allen came in for Weatherson, Bridge-Wilkinson, and Sikora, respectively. I thought about bringing Joe Keenan in for Dillon, but decided getting my tired attackers off was more important. It certainly sparked some life into the attack, and in the 76th minute, Sinama-Pongolle nearly scored with a wicked shot from the eighteen. Taylor deflected it wide, but we'd earned a corner. Danny Payne took it, and Dillon's flick-on header fell to Joe Newell at the edge of the area. He drove it through the rain and the crowded box, and the Bramall Lane faithful, 32,923 strong, erupted in a roar as it found its way into the back of the net for a 2-1 lead!

West Ham began pressing forward, desperated for an equalizer, and I collapsed the midfield back to help out in defense. Still, Dillon got beat twice down the wing. Once, Rozehnal got over to help out, and the second time Payne headed the cross away, but I was absolutely livid with the Scot, who was having a miserable time.

Still, the defense held strong, and it was just past the 89th minute when Ben Hammond knocked a long ball into the right-hand corner. Mullins got there, but exuberant young Allen arrived to pressure him. The veteran crossed it back to Noé Pamarot in the box. The French defender never saw Sinama-Pongolle, and his pass for Tiago went straight to the feet of his countryman. The cultured striker showed some great first-touch control to keep it at his feet, and had a fantastic chance. He fired it back across Taylor's body from the right side, and made the final score 3-1.

Sheffield United 3, West Ham United 1

Cousins 41, Newell 77, Sinama-Pongolle 90; Zamora 68

MoM: Cousins

Midfielder Robert Cousins had won Man of the Match, though there were several who could claim to have been heroes on the day.

Though Chairman Dooley was delighted, and partying with the players afterwards, and I'm sure the crowd enjoyed the spectacle, I caught Ray Houghton's eye. He shook his head. "You might have left it a bit fine, there."

"Yeah, you don't say..."

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 12th September, 2010.

Out Of Their Depth?

'Its a marathon, not a sprint.' This old adage must be on the minds of all but the most foolhardy Blades fans.

The club would appear to be on excellent current form, but their glittering place in the table disguises numerous flaws. They have looked quite unconvincing against inferior opposition.

Though Robert Cousins undoubtedly deserved his selection to the Premier League Team of the Week, the match against West Ham also contained a clear warning that the side's problems at left back have yet to be solved. Sean Dillon looked utterly out of his depth, and one can only cringe at imagining him facing Chelsea or Manchester United.

The team's test truly begins here, with the club's first-ever European tie against Dortmund followed by the four top teams in the Premiership, in order: now we'll really see whether the Blades are having a laugh, or can seriously contend for a lucrative Champions League berth next season.

Rupert Wormwood, ever the optimist, was quick to sound the warning.

Elsewhere, Celestine Babayaro played a fine match for Nigeria as they pounded Zambia 3-0 behind a Yakubu brace, moving top of Group B in the African Cup of Nations qualifying. Seychelles beat Ethiopia, 2-1, going second.

The the youth team, Sean Wood continued his blistering course with both goals in Sheffield U-18s 2-0 victory over Derby U-18. It was enough to earn him Man of the Match honours despite coming off at halftime - and I knew I had to bring him up sooner rather than later.

[leftback in the changing room]

Catching up after 6 weeks of trying to get over a severe case of FM apathy - and it's great to see that the story is as good as ever - if not better! However from page 13...

Originally posted by Amaroq:

"No, its Glenn Hoddle!"

The former Millwall manager?

I can think of a few other teams that Glenn Hoddle has managed that would be more appropriate you were to describe him as 'the former Team X manager' - Chelsea, Tottenham or England manager maybe, but I doubt the pinacle of his management career was at the New Den [/i]

[Amaroq]

Whups! I think in the save-game, Millwall was his most recent accomplishment! .. thanks for the pointer, and the compliment.

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 14th September, 2010.

With excitement building in Sheffield for the first European match in club history, a fever atmosphere was growing, an anticipation which can only be described as carnival in nature. Dortmund arrived on Tuesday to acclimatise and take training at Bramall Lane on Wednesday. They were treated to a town gone Blades-mad, with red and white seemingly everywhere.

Sheffield Wednesday bars and pubs put up signs that read "Dortmund fans welcome here!", simultaneously achieving the goals of showing Sheffield's hospitality and providing what support they can for our opposition, in accordance with the ancient motto, "My two favorite teams are Wednesday... and whoever's playing United."

With all the focus on European matches, the first matches of Champions League group play drew a fair amount of attention. I barely had time to catch any of it, but the highlight films spoke for themselves.

In Group A, Arsenal were dumped by high-flying Spanish side Sevilla. A tense, defensive affair was broken open in the 57th minute when Brazilian fullback Daniel launched a long ball over the Gunners' vaunted defense. Germán Hornos ran it down and scored the only goal of the match in a 1-0 victory for the home side. Juventus rode an Edixon Perea brace to a 2-0 victory over Bulgarian club Lokomotiv (Plovdiv).

Highly-touted Bayern München were trying to recover the form that had seen them into the semi-finals five straight years from 2005-2009, including titles in 2006 and 2007, after last year's embarrassing exit. They got off this campaign solidly, with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose netting in a 2-0 home win over Dinamo Bucharest. Better, Benfica and Fenerbahçe battled to a scoreless draw in Lisbon.

Chelsea made a brilliant start in Group C, with Mateja Kezman scoring a brace and Frank Lampard adding a third goal, all in the first 20 minutes of a 3-1 away win over PSV Eindhoven. In the Ukraine, Paris Saint-Germain survived having a man sent off in the 70th minute to earn a scoreless draw with Dinamo Kiev.

FC København and Inter Milan fought the highest scoring game of the first matches, with American powerhouse Freddy Adu netting a hat trick, and Diomansy Kamara scoring a late goal to ensure the Italian giant's 4-2 win in Copenhagen. In Rotterdam, Feyenoord took an early lead, but Swiss club Basel scored three times to earn a 3-1 victory.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 15th September, 2010.

On Wednesday, Barcelona crushed Newcastle United, 4-0. It was utter domination at the Nou Camp, with Ronaldinho scoring twice, and Carlos Tevez and Javier Saviola adding goals to put the Magpies deep into misery - they were already in the relegation battle in the League, and any hopes the Geordies had had for a successful European campaign got a hard dose of reality in Catalonia. Turkish club Trabzonspor beat Werder Bremen, 1-0, in the other match - neither would be easy to gain back lost points against.

At Old Trafford, Manchester United put in a dominant performance against Valencia, but couldn't beat Norwegian keeper Espen Johnsen. Despite the best efforts of Cristiano Ronaldo, who had a magnificent game, and standbys Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney, still partners after all these years, it ended in a disappointing scoreless draw. Brøndby, at home against FC do Porto, earned a 2-0 win, a big surprise for the Danes, and an early lead in the group.

Maccabi Haifa showed that eliminating Bayern last year wasn't a fluke, as they beat Lyon 1-0 in Group G, scoring the goal despite being a man down for the final fifteen minutes. Roma's 2-1 win over Panathinaikos was closer that it should have been, as the Greek club played a man down for 64 minutes. Francesco Totti broke the deadlock with eighteen minutes to play.

Finally, there was Group H, where A.C. Milan beat Swiss side Young Boys, 2-0. Ajax equalled their points total for all of last year's group stages with a 1-1 draw against Romanian side Steau - things were looking much better in Amsterdam.

In Saltergate, Sheffield Reserves added a non-competitive insult to Newcastle's Champions League injury with a 2-0 win over Newcastle Reserves. Martin Ellis scored the first goal, and Sean Wood added to his impressively growing tally.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 16th September, 2010. UEFA Cup - First Round, first leg, vs Borussia Dortmund (Germany).

Europe!

Every young manager's dream is of playing on the greatest stages, and I remembered fondly my disappointment at the size of the crowd in my first game at Lancaster. Not the case today - tickets for the match had been sold-out since just an hour after they went on sale. Dortmund were looking to repeat their 2007 UEFA Cup title, but had struggled a bit more recently, dropping to fifth in the Bundesliga last year and getting knocked out in the Second Knockout Round.

Still, they'd recovered admirably from their near-bankruptcy in 2005: their finances were secure, and they enjoy the highest average attendance in the Bundesliga. They were widely tipped to knock us off, and progress easily through the group stages, regardless of our sell-out crowd, or the steadily falling rain. Popular speculation predicted that we would be overwhelmed by the moment: the first European match in Sheffield United's 118-year history.

My top lineup was rested and in-form for the match, and I figured I'd given them the best chance I could. Roy Carroll would start in goal. Celestine Babayaro was back from Africa to start at left back. Central, I paired veterans David Rozehnal and Hayden Foxe, not wanting to put the pressure on Hammond. Keith McCormack was of course the right back, with impressive Freddy Guarín the defensive midfielder. Joe Hamill and Jermaine Pennant remain my first-choice wingers. Bruno Cheyrou was the playmaker, with long-shot artist Iain Hume his partner. With 15 European matches for Liverpool, Florent Sinama-Pongolle was the most experienced Continental player on the side (Guarín, with 10, was second). Of course, the Frenchman was the striker, and after scoring for his country he was on top of the moon.

I'd expected Dortmund to play a conservative match, on the road in an aggregate-goals situation, so I was very surprised when they came out in a very attacking version of the 4-5-1: effectively, they had three attacking midfielders behind the striker, with two central midfielders. Clearly, they were trying to get an away goal early, but it left a lot of space between the midfield and the defense, and I hoped we'd be able to exploit that. It seemed my 4-5-1 fit it perfectly, and in fact it took Sinama-Pongolle just fifty seconds to take the first shot, just wide from twenty yards.

Our defense was holding strong, keeping the perimeter I like to see, forcing Dortmund into shots from range, and our counter-attack looked dangerous - no slow start in this match. In the 10th minute, Roy Carroll went to catch Aruna's cross, but the wet ball slipped out of his hands, and a scramble ensued in front of goal. Twice, Freddy Guarín managed to clear, and the danger was narrowly averted. Sixty seconds later, Bruno Cheyrou raced up the left wing. He knocked it to Joe Hamill, overlapping inside, and the winger played a low pass ahead of Sinama-Pongolle, putting the Frenchman towards the corner. He turned goalward, and fired from just inside the corner of the penalty area. It was a fabulous, curling shot, and veteran Brazilian goalkeeper Marcos could do nothing to prevent it from finding the net, and giving us an early 1-0 lead!

We still looked strong at the back, and every time the visitors committed too many players forward, their back four was badly exposed. The crowd, and my players, began to believe, and the noise crescendoed. In the 20th minute, Sinama-Pongolle fed Cheyrou in the Dortmund area, and the veteran midfielder was unlucky to put it over - he's never been as strong with his right foot as with his left. Four minutes later, however, Sinama-Pongolle made another interception in the back line. Reminiscent of his goal against West Ham, he picked Christoph Metzelder's pocket, and raced into the box. He came in from wide left, and shot from a tight angle, embarassing Marcos with a wicked, dipping shot to make it 2-0!

Dortmund were right up against it, and we'd actually forced them back to a much more defensive outlook, a damage-control mode as they tried to escape with a manageable margin to overcome at home. The hardest rainfall of the evening corresponded with that, but we began to pressure even their defensive shell, with Iain Hume's long-range piledriver going just over the bar. Just before the half, Sinama-Pongolle again broke up the left wing, feeding Cheyrou central. The French midfielder put it wide - it seemed he was struggling with his balance more than most on the slick surface.

The rain let up a bit over halftime, and by the second half it was a relatively light drizzle - still English enough weather to put the visitors off their game, but 'home' to us. Sinama-Pongolle almost got his hat trick in the 56th minute, when he tried to lob Marcos from twenty yards, but the Brazilian tipped it over to keep Dortmund's fading pulse alive a little longer.

In the 68th minute, Celestine Babayaro's long header up the left sideline made it past the Dortmund fullback. The speedy little striker tracked it down, and brought it along a few yards from the end line. He fired from well out wide, his third tight-angle shot, and yet again Marcos didn't seem to be ready for such a difficult effort. It found the back of the net, securing his first Continental hat-trick and a 3-0 lead!

His work clearly done, Sinama-Pongolle came off to a standing ovation from the crowd of 32,949. Imre Szabics replaced him, and a few moments later I brought on Mathieu Berson for Iain Hume, collapsing down to a very defensive set, determined to see out time without conceding an away goal: 3-1 would be recoverable for the Germans, but 3-0 felt ironclad. Between Guarín and Berson, we began to dominate the central midfield, and Dortmund had to go out wide, where Babayaro and Keith McCormack looked rock-solid. There was no way through the defense, and a thundering roar went up from the delighted crowd when referee Lubos Michel blew the final whistle.

Sheffield United 3, Dortmund 0

Sinama-Pongolle 11, 24, 68; ----

MoM: Sinama-Pongolle

Hat-trick hero Florent Sinama-Pongolle had saved his best game for our biggest stage: what a performance!

The post-game celebration was wonderful, and I had to calm the lads down and remind them that there was still a lot of work to do in a fortnight to ensure that we don't give away what we'd earned tonight.

[happy slappy]

3-0!

[dan_simmonds]

Amaroq, more of a lurker then a writer, but felt compelled to congratulate you on an excellent result and a awesome story, KUTGW mate enjoying every minute I spend on this thread!!

[Wegason]

Brilliant result for the Blades, beating Dortmund 3-0 at home with a side like Sheffield United is some feat. Here's hoping for an extended UEFA Cup campaign.

[viperk1]

Well done Amaroq!

I'll just echo Wega here - that is one hell of a feat...I'm just hoping I can do that with the Blades eventually...

[Amaroq]

Thank you guys, I was over the moon, let me tell ya!

Dan, thanks for dropping a line, I've said it very often but its the support of you readers that's kept me motivated to keep it up as long as I have, both lurkers like you and long-time supporters like Wegason.

Best of luck with your Blades, viperk!

[Amaroq]

Tuesday, 22nd September, 2010.

We'd achieved two records, with our 3-0 win over Dortmund. First, the £875,000 in gate receipts was an all-time club. Second, it extended our winning streak to six straight games, a 'modern' club record.

Unfortunately, there was bad news from the training pitch. Thursday afternoon, 16-year-old Simon Gray had strained knee ligaments in his right knee. He'd be out for a month with intense physiotherapy.

Our youth squad beat Liverpool U-18s, 3-0, despite Benjamin Herzog getting sent off in the first half for a second yellow. It was hard to fault him, as the ref handed out 12 yellows all told. August signing Martin Ellis notched the go-ahead goal shorthanded, and Craig Hunt scored twice en route to Man of the Match honours.

Saturday's Premier League matches were more relevant, however, and Andrea Gasbarroni's hat trick powered Chelsea to a 4-0 win over Bolton. That ended our run of days atop the table at 25 days, though of course we still had a game in hand with which to make up the lost ground.

On Tuesday, York was dumped out of the League Cup on penalties, by Millwall, after a 2-2 draw. We'd finally gotten to skip the Second Round and qualify direct for the Third.

[Amaroq]

Friday, 24th September, 2010.

Everybody in the organization wants to beat Leeds - I've never quite understood this, but United fans, at least, seem to care more about knocking off Leeds United than our natural rivals Wednesday. That hatred extended all the way to Wednesday's Reserve match, and seeing a lot of our second team throwing around brutal challenges that forced three of the Leeds players off injured was a little unnerving. James Bradley scored the first goal - but he was wearing white, as he's on loan to the Championship outfit. I wasn't happy to discover him in the Reserves - he can play there for us. However, our players came back, with Imre Szabics scoring twice in a Man of the Match performance, Danny Payne netting from the spot, and Joe Newell adding two more in the final minutes of a 5-2 victory.

The draw for the League Cup third round was held on Friday, and we were the first Premiership side drawn, the third ball out of the wheel, which meant a home tie, and it turned out it was against Burton Albion, the only League Two team which had made it through the first two rounds.

[Amaroq]

Saturday, 25th September, 2010. Premier League - Game 7, vs Manchester United.

Who doesn't know the legend of the Red Devils? From Busby's Babes in the fifties to their eight titles in eleven years under Sir Alex Ferguson, they'd been a power in English football since World War II. It had been seven years since they'd taken a title, though they'd come close last year. The title-deciding final match at Bramall Lane had ended a wild 3-3, which knocked them out of first and handed the trophy to Chelsea. We'd also knocked them out of the F.A. Cup, 3-0, and you can bet revenge was on their minds. A loss to Liverpool was the only thing besmirching their record this season, and it had them in fifth to our second.

How often does a modern manager get to start the same eleven in back-to-back matches? I had the option, but chose to make one change from the side that beat Dortmund. Roy Carroll remained in goal, with Celestine Babayaro, Hayden Foxe, David Rozehnal, and Keith McCormack in defense. Freddy Guarín was in magnificent form at defensive midfielder, and left winger Joe Hamill was coming off a fantastic game against the Germans. Jermaine Pennant was on the right wing, and the only change was putting Marc Bridge-Wilkinson up front with Bruno Cheyrou. Florent Sinama-Pongolle would look to continue his flurry of goals up front, alone in the 4-5-1.

We had a sell-out crowd yet again, and the announced attendance was 32,999! It does make you wonder who the missing 'one' was, someone who didn't like rain? There was no post-Cup letdown: in the tenth minute, Joe Hamill made a great play up the left wing, beating two United defenders before cutting it across for Marc Bridge-Wilkinson. He looked sure to pick up his 39th goal for the club, but Tim Howard made a great save to turn him away. In the 14th minute, Bruno Cheyrou played Bridge-Wilkinson through the Red Devils' defense. He lobbed over the keeper from 20 yards, but Howard, racing towards his goal, made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch just shy of his line. His American roots showed: he looked like a wide receiver in American football, reminiscent of Lynn Swann's acrobatic catches in the seventies.

Full of confidence after the Dortmund match, we were controlling both the possession and the tempo. It wasn't until the 38th minute that Manchester United managed their first shot of the afternoon. Roy Carroll tipped it over, and did well to deal with the resulting corner kick as well. In the 40th minute, Hamill raced up the left wing. Again, he beat two defenders, and instead of chasing into the corner, he knocked a ball into space for Bruno Cheyrou. The cultured Frenchman was brought down in the box by John O'Shea! It looked like a bit of a dive from my seat, but referee Graham Poll pointed to the spot!

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson stepped to the mark, and buried it past Howard for a 1-0 lead.

The advantage held through halftime, and I encouraged the lads to keep up the good work in the second half. Not content to defend, they went for the jugular right after the kickoff, and in the 47th minute Cheyrou played a long ball for Sinama-Pongolle. Though he was only a step or two ahead of John O'Shea, he had the pace to stay in front despite dribbling, and he took it around Tim Howard in the box before finishing it off for his fourth goal in the last two games. The sell-out crowd danced and sang in the rain as he celebrated the goal, and a 2-0 margin.

Over the next ten minutes, I made three changes, mainly trying to keep first-choice players fit for the second leg with Borussia Dortmund. Cheyrou came out first, for Iain Hume, with Pennant off for Victor Sikora and Sinama-Pongolle off for Peter Weatherson just after the hour. By the end of 66th minute, I was second-guessing myself - had I brought them off too soon? Scottish winger Darren Fletcher, who had matured into a regular for United, floated in a corner. Cristiano Ronaldo beat Hayden Foxe and Keith McCormack in the six to head home his third of the campaign. It was 2-1, and with those two and Wayne Rooney at the peak of their powers, the United attack looks in good hands for years to come.

With twenty-four minutes remaining, United began to throw men forward in a bid to equalize, and it was tense defending for our lads. I pulled the midfield back, and told them to just hoof it upfield for Weatherson when in any doubt. The umbrella we formed around Carroll's area guaranteed that any Red Devil within twenty-five yards was harried by one or two defenders. Thus limited to long-range efforts, or having a man on their shoulder as they shot, United struggled to find any accuracy, putting shot after shot wide or over, usually from speculative long range.

Finally, after a seeming eternity, referee Graham Poll blew for full time, and we'd seen off the challenge.

Sheffield United 2, Manchester United 1

Bridge-Wilkinson pen 40, Sinama-Pongolle 47; C.Ronaldo 66

MoM: Bridge-Wilkinson

We'd proven that our results from last season were no flukes, and when United manager Steve Bruce - who had steered the reigns at Bramall Lane in 1998 and 1999 - shook my hand afterwards, he told me, "That's some squad you've assembled there."

The one change in my lineup had proved justified: Marc Bridge Wilkinson was the Man of the Match.

[Amaroq]

Sunday, 26th September, 2010.

The best news was hearing that Chelsea had lost, 2-1, to Middlesbrough, so we'd achieved some leeway. We were a point ahead of the dominant Blues, and with a game in hand. Suddenly, it felt possible for us to end their four-year reign of purchasing the title - though of course, a tough trip to Anfield would be followed by a top-of-the-table showdown with Mourinho's machine.

The announcements that the crowd of 32,999 was a record for Bramall Lane after the Taylor Report, and that Marc Bridge-Wilkinson had been selected to the Premier League Team of the Week for his Man of the Match performance, helped buoy spirits as the team began to turn their attention towards our trip to Germany.

On Sunday, Sheffield U-18s advanced to the third round of the Under-18s Cup with a solid 3-0 thumping of Wolves. Michael Cross was Man of the Match, scoring a brace, and Craig Hunt looked dangerous all match long in the attacking midfielder role. Benjamin Herzog had a brilliant assist on the third goal, a great cross into the box, and 16-year-old keeper Chris Brown played well to pick up the shutout.

[Amaroq]

Wednesday, 29th September, 2010.

We left for Dortmund Tuesday, taking the Chunnel to Paris and then changing for the train along the Ruhr to Dortmund. It's close to the French-German border, pretty much in the center of the North Rhine-Westphalia state. Chairman Dooley had spared no expense, putting us up in the grand Steigenberger Hotel, a modern hotel with all the amenities. Still, three trains from Sheffield was an exhausting experience, and I was glad we'd given the lads Wednesday to recover.

Both Tuesday night and Wednesday night, we got together as a team to watch video of the opposition, and as an added bonus I let the lads finish out with a one-hour highlight show from the Champions League action.

Tuesday saw Newcastle United recover from their embarrassment at Barcelona's hands. They hosted Turkish side Trabzonspor at St. James's Park, and an early goal by central defender Daniel Van Buyten got them started, with Cesc Fabergas, now 23, adding an insurance goal in injury time for a 2-0 victory. Barcelona showed that the Newcastle win was no fluke, pounding Werder Bremen 5-0 in Germany. Jonathan Woodgate scored twice for Barça, Carlos Tevez had a brace, and Samuel Eto'o added the fifth.

Valencia took over Group F by beating former first-place side Brøndby, the Dane's dream turning out short-lived. Manchester United again controlled their match, this time in Lisbon against FC do Porto, but were unable to beat a Man of the Match goalkeeper, this time personified by 33-year-old Manuel Almunia. With two points and no goals from their two matches, the Red Devils were third in the group.

Roma ran out their second straight win, beating Lyon 1-0 in France, while Maccabi Haifa stayed in second with a 0-0 draw against Panathinaikos, which gave the Israelis four points, and the Greek side one.

Every match in Group H ended in a draw, with Romanian side Steaua holding A.C. Milan to a scoreless draw in Bucharest, and honestly the home side looked the more dangerous side throughout, at least judging by the highlight reel. A dramatic 89th-minute equalizer let Young Boys escape with a 2-2 draw against Ajax.

Wednesday's action provided more excitement. Arsenal played host to Juventus, and after Sebastian Deisler and Edixon Perea had scored, the second half was a tense, dramatic affair, with the Gunners pressuring for a winner. Juventus held them off until the 87th minute, when Flávio Sousa, a 24-year-old Portugese midfielder, netted the dramatic winner to give the home support a 2-1 triumph. Sevilla moved top of the group, with four points to three from Arsenal and Juve, thanks to a 2-2 draw with Loko (Plovdiv).

Dimitar Berbatov's lone goal proved enough for efficient Bayern München to beat Fenerbahçe 1-0 in Istanbul, keeping the Germans solidly atop Group B. Dinamo Bucharest took full advantage of an early red card to Benfica, piling on the ten-man side and scoring twice before halftime. The 2-0 win moved them second in the group with three points, two ahead of the other two sides.

Chelsea, too, had six points after a solid 2-0 win over Dinamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge. Aliaksandr Hleb and Frank Lampard both scored in the first half-hour, and it was simply a matter of seeing out the final hour to take three points. Paris Saint-Germain staked a claim to second in the group with a 2-0 win over PSV Eindhoven, putting them solidly ahead.

In Group D, Inter Milan crushed our pre-season opponents Feyenoord, 5-2, led by an Obafemi Martins brace at San Siro. Swiss champions Basel continued their powerful run with a 3-0 win at home over FC København. The two winners each had six points, while the losers had zero, so the group looked well on its way to over already.

[Amaroq]

Thursday, 30th September, 2010. UEFA Cup - First Round, second leg, at Borussia Dortmund

We'd won our first European match 3-0. With the aggregate-goal format, an away goal here would prove almost insurmountable, requiring Dortmund to knock five goals in to beat us. I could only hope the lads had gotten more sleep than I had - I was awake all night dreaming of the match!

The side which had handed them that defeat was almost unchanged, with but two modifications. Roy Carroll remained in goal, and his defense of Celestine Babayaro, Hayden Foxe, David Rozehnal, Keith McCormack, and midfielder Freddy Guarín was unchanged. Jonathan Forte gave Hamill a rest on the left wing, with Jermaine Pennant, who had come off early against United to keep him fit for this match, on the right. Bruno Cheyrou was partnered with Robert Cousins in central midfield, the first European match for the young midfielder. Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who had had the hat-trick in the first game, was back to terrorize the Dortmund defense yet again.

The Westfalenstadion was an intimidatingly huge structure, with capacity for 82,698 (for Bundesliga matches), and had been beautifully renovated for the 2006 World Cup, with a retractable roof, under-soil heating, and amenities we could only dream of adding to Bramall Lane: the changing rooms were almost triple our size, and the atmosphere was almost intimidating. 61,114 was the announced attendance, and with the stadium in its 'international' configuration (66,000 seats), it was packed almost to capacity.

The wall of noise as the teams were introduced hit us with a visceral impact, and their enthusiasm was doubled with their team piling men forward. I started out the side in a very defensive configuration, keeping the 'attacking' midfielders back and central, trying to clog up any attack and limit Dortmund to long-range efforts. For the first fifteen minutes, it seemed to be working. We'd looked the more dangerous side, and except for a yellow card to young Keith McCormack, our defense had been rock solid.

In the 21st minute I was given cause to re-think my approach. A long ball from the right side found Éwerthon, who had raced past Keith McCormack up the left wing. The young fullback pounded back, and overran the creative Brazilian winger when he stopped on a dime. He cut it back for Levan Kobiashvili, the captain and Georgia international, who had been trailing the play. With both of the central defenders marking strikers, and Freddy Guarín trying to help McCormack out, the defensive midfielder was utterly unmarked. There was no defender between him and goal, and he closed in past the eighteen before firing a fierce shot that beat stranded keeper Roy Carroll.

Dortmund led 0-1, but we still had a 3-1 aggregate, and I stuck with the defensive outlook - not trying to strike on the counter, just keeping men between the ball and the goal. Nonetheless, Florent Sinama-Pongolle looked incredibly dangerous, taking nine shots, both before and after the hosts' goal. Four missed wide or over, and the other five were saved. Brazilian goalkeeper Marcos was putting in a top-drawer performance, especially considering the form the pacey striker had been on. Dortmund's midfield was pressed too far forward, and we seemed able to prevent much linkup from their back line to the front six, so their best opportunity came on a headed corner kick, which went narrowly over just before the half.

Robert Cousins had had the breath knocked out of him, and when he was still struggling to recover at the end of the break, so I told Joe Newell to go on in his place. Yet again, it was defend, defend, defend, and we really seemed to be clamping down. Sinama-Pongolle was unlucky to be denied again on a fast break - he was bedeviling the Dortmund defense and I couldn't help but think that if I offered him even a modicum of support from midfield, he might find the away goal that would lock things up for us.

It was tempting, but I resisted the temptation.

By the seventieth minute, it was clear that Dortmund's creativity had been exhausted, and they seemed to be simply playing out time. Solid defending, especially from rock David Rozehnal and captain Hayden Foxe, was the key. Keith McCormack, who'd received a yellow card early on but, rather than walking on eggshells, had played a solid game belying his youth.

In the final minutes, the disappointed fans were already streaming for the exits as I brought Joe Keenan and Imre Szabics on for Forte and Sinama-Pongolle, respectively. The final whistle blew, and we'd qualified for the group stages!!

Dortmund 1, Sheffield United 0

Kobiashvili 21; ----; MoM: Marcos (Dortmund GK)

Aggregate: Dortmund 1, Sheffield United 3

Oddly, there was less celebration in the locker room than I'd expected. Instead of a party atmosphere, there was a sense of 'mission accomplished' and a job well done. Our exuberant, wheelchair-bound chairman was missed, but he hadn't been well enough to travel.

[Spav]

There's been some fantastic results recently, Amaroq. KUTGW

[Amaroq]

Thank you! Its been quite a run, but we've Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal to survive next:

[Amaroq]

Friday, 1st October, 2010.

Mister Dooley was present at the monthly board meeting, and with all the good news, everyone was quite ecstatic. Not only were we top of the table in the Premiership, we had a game in hand over our closest rivals, and a successful start to our European campaign.

Micky Adams' season at City had started brightly, too: he'd won Mananger of the Month for September, and had the Blues up in sixth place!

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pts W D L GF GA GD (GP)

1 Sheffield United 19 6 1 0 17 7 +10 ( 7)

2 Chelsea 18 6 0 2 20 8 +12 ( 8)

3 Fulham 17 5 2 1 14 9 + 5 ( 8)

4 Blackburn 15 4 3 1 13 8 + 5 ( 8)

5 Manchester United 13 4 1 2 16 8 + 8 ( 7)

6 Manchester City 13 4 1 3 15 9 + 6 ( 8)

7 Liverpool 13 4 1 2 9 6 + 3 ( 7)

8 Aston Villa 12 3 3 1 6 4 + 2 ( 7)

9 Tottenham 11 2 5 1 11 10 + 1 ( 8)

10 Arsenal 10 3 1 4 17 16 + 1 ( 8)

11 Southampton 10 2 4 2 12 11 + 1 ( 8)

12 Bolton 10 3 1 4 10 17 - 7 ( 8)

13 Middlesbrough 8 2 2 3 9 10 - 1 ( 7)

14 Everton 8 1 5 2 7 9 - 2 ( 8)

15 West Ham United 8 2 2 4 11 20 - 9 ( 8)

16 Ipswich Town 7 2 1 4 6 10 - 4 ( 7)

17 Newcastle United 7 2 1 5 11 16 - 5 ( 8)

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

18 Charlton Athletic 6 1 3 4 9 17 - 8 ( 8)

19 Derby County 4 1 1 6 5 13 - 8 ( 8)

20 West Brom Albion 2 0 2 6 6 16 -10 ( 8)</pre>

Buoyed by the tremendous gate receipts of our game against Dortmund, and the prize money for reaching the group stages of the UEFA Cup, we'd turned a £1.0M profit for September, though, without the Premier League TV revenues counted against it, we'd still lost £2.9M for the season. The balance was a very healthy £23.1M, and we had only £1.1M remaining to pay on our loan from the Club Chairman.

We'd reached the group stages of the UEFA Cup, and the board meeting degenerated into a viewing of the televised draw.

We were drawn third out of five teams into Group B, which would be headlined by German giants VfB Stuttgart, ranked 16th in the world on the club coefficients table.

Fortunately, however, we dodged any of the other significant seeds, finding ourselves paired with Bulgarian champions Levski (Sofia), with strong Greek side AEK Athens, and with the powerhouse of the Serbian league, FC Red Star Belgrade. These latter three, both I and my board thought we should be able to handle - though it worried me a bit that they were so optimistic, as if the side should disappoint it would be nobody's fault but my own!

On the pitch, Under-18 midfielder Martin Gray was back in training after three weeks of rehabilitation for a strained groin.