As we prepare to play the Blades for the second time in just over a month, we spoke with contributing editor at The Pinch, David Taylor, to see how things are going for Sheffield United as they sit in second place.
So, Sheffield United are sat 2nd in the league with 15 wins, six draws and three defeats. What's been the story of your season so far?
It’s been a story of ending eras and reconstruction. Last year’s Premier League cameo was character-building, to say the least, with a lack of investment on the pitch leading to a galling year in front of the cameras. Coming into the current season, with a raft of players at the end of their contracts and a lovely two-point deduction to boot, not many Sheffield United fans were looking forward to the slog a Championship season can be.
However, after an exodus that signalled the end of a special team that went from 13th in League One to ninth in the Premier League, the management and recruitment teams did a fine job in bringing the right players to the club. The first half of the season has been built on incredible defensive solidity, something far from the minds of United fans last season! Injuries to our best players are mounting up, however: at least five of our automatic starting 11 are out long term, with the most recent to join the list, the monumental Harry Souttar, back at parent club Leicester and out for a year. A January recruitment drive is sorely needed if we’re to stay around the top of the division. Hopefully, our new owners can provide this.
Tyrese Campbell is your top scorer with six goals, although he's only played 14 games. What kind of player is he? And do you reckon he'll feature against us?
Campbell is a classic Chris Wilder signing. A naturally gifted striker and creator who can play on the wing but has mainly been employed as a centre forward for United, he left Stoke at the end of last season and we picked him up for free. It wasn’t the most exciting bit of transfer news, but he’s repaid the club’s faith already, going on a rich vein of goalscoring form, including bagging the winner against Sheffield Wednesday. Unfortunately for us, he’s another on the injury list, so you’ll be spared his creative exploits!
Who else should we keep an eye out for on New Year's Day?
Gustavo Hamer shouldn’t be playing at this level. He’s been on magnificent form this season, even more impressive when you think he’s been playing on the left wing instead of in his preferred central attacking midfield role. He has pretty much everything you want from a creative attacking midfielder, and can score a goal from nothing.
Besides Hamer, look out for left back Harrison Burrows, who has a lethal cross – when we let him cross it, that is! Crystal Palace loanee Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has gone slightly off the boil recently and has been out with illness, but when he’s firing, he’s a major worry for any full back. Andre Brooks scored his first senior goal in our last game, and also looks to be developing into a dangerous winger.
What are your thoughts on Chris Wilder? If you guys do go up, is he the right man to help you kick on further?
There’s no argument that Chris Wilder revolutionised Sheffield United, and there’s an argument to be made that he, along with assistant Alan Knill, saved the club from a spiral we might not have escaped from. To take us from mid-table League One to part of the conversation around European spots in the space of five years is remarkable. There have been plenty of downs along with the ups, but his legacy at United will be one of re-energising a tired club and bringing it into the modern football age.
It’s easy to cry “parachute payments” at relegated teams, but the financial picture at United has been anything but rosy – you saw that with the two-point deduction. The job he’s done this season, turning a thin and psychologically shattered squad into a promotion challenger, has been outstanding. If he gets support in January and we do manage to go up, it would be cruel to deny him another crack at the top flight with a more financially robust ownership.
Which Sunderland player worries you the most?
I watch quite a bit of Sunderland, as my partner and her family are all diehard Mackems, and it’s easy to go to games with my red and white United scarf! I was hugely impressed by Tom Watson during the game at Bramall Lane, and am pretty relieved he won’t be playing – although of course I hope he can put the injury behind him soon. The way Jobe Bellingham moves across the pitch makes it look like he’s playing a different game at times – that England midfield is going to be mad in a few years – and Chris Rigg is one of the most naturally gifted youngsters I’ve seen for a long time.
Luke O’Nien also worries me in the sense that it feels like he’s about ten seconds away from making a career-threatening challenge at all times.
We lost 1-0 at Bramall Lane in the reverse fixture, what’s your score prediction for this one and goalscorers?
Not to labour the point, but we have about eight fit first-team players at the moment, and you’ve seen the effect of missing players and exhaustion in the last few matches, especially against better teams. Sunderland were the better team at Bramall Lane for large parts of the game, so I don’t expect much out of our visit to the Stadium of Light. That being said, we’ve shown plenty of grit along with skill this season, so I can see a hard-fought 1-1, with Bellingham floating to the back post to take the lead and attacking midfielder Callum O’Hare finishing from close range to equalise.
Finally, where do you predict both sides to finish this season? Will this be a Premier League fixture next season?
I enjoy watching Sunderland, and have seen them develop a strong identity over the last few years, built on faith in youth and an attractive playing style. I think there’s enough character and experience in the squad now, too, to stay the course, at least for the playoff places.
If United add to the ranks in the right way in January, then we should be challenging for the automatic spots. However, the main aim is to make sure that while we wait for reinforcements we still manage to get results. If we continue our wobble, you could see us drop into the playoffs by the end of the season.
I think there’s enough about each team for both to end the season promoted – I’ll go for United in second and Sunderland through the playoffs. You can beat anyone in this league.
