The rise and fall of Sheffield United football club
Origin and successful early years
Sheffield United Football Club branched out from Sheffield United Cricket Club on March 22, 1889. After the end of 1891-92 season in Northern League, the club applied to join Football League First Division but garnered only 5 votes, so instead they were admitted as one of the twelve founder members of the Second Division.
The club is nicknamed ‘The Blades’, citing Sheffield’s long history of steel production over the years. United's prime rival is Sheffield Wednesday FC, which is a fellow Sheffield club, with whom they contest the Steel City derby. Other main rivals include local Yorkshire sides like Leeds United, Rotherham and Barnsley. Chesterfield FC is also one of the rivals of The Blades.
Sheffield United’s home ground is Bramall Lane, the oldest major league ground anywhere in the world, having hosted its first game in 1862. Their first season in the second division of English football was conducive as they managed a promotion to the First Division, where they would remain for another 37 seasons.
The 30-year duration from 1895 to 1925 was supposedly The Blades’ best period in English football. They won the first division in 1897-98 season after falling short in the previous season, although they were back to the second spot in the 1899-1900 season.
They boast a rich FA Cup record, winning the coveted trophy four times between 1899 and 1925- 1899, 1902, 1915 and 1925. They finished runners-up in 1901 when Tottenham Hotspur defeated them 3-1 in the replay after a 1-1 stalemate in the first leg.
After the League Championship in 1897-98, SUFC played and won an unofficial two-legged "Champions of Great Britain" title against Celtic, who had won that year's Scottish League Championship.
Consistency issues and downfall before the World War
Jimmy Dunne was the star player of SUFC from 1929 to 1933. His goal scoring exploits kept SUFC in the first division during torrid times as he managed 30+ goals in three seasons back to back, including 41 goals in 1930-31. The Irishman was then sold to Arsenal after the 1933-34 season, which acted as the final nail in the coffin.
They scraped through the relegation battle in 1929-30 when they won 5-1 at Old Trafford on the final day of the season, also in 1919-20 when they finished 20th and just saved themselves from relegation. This prolonged flirtation with relegation proved hazardous as they went on to lose their spot in the First Division, finishing 22nd in 1932-33.
They fell just short in promotion battles in 1936 and 1938, finishing third in the Second Division on each occasion. But it was third time lucky when they pipped local rivals Sheffield Wednesday to second spot in 1939, winning their last game 6–1 against Tottenham.
They started the 1939–40 season brightly before World War II curtailed the campaign.
Post World War II
SUFC spent three seasons in the First Division after the war. They finished 6th in 1946-47 campaign and also reached FA Cup quarterfinals during that time.
Though the stability in form was not to be, they finished 22nd in 1948-49 and were relegated again. They went all guns blazing to earn an instant promotion, but it was not meant to be once again. Arch rivals Sheffield Wednesday took retribution for what happened in 1939 as SUFC fell short on goal difference.
They needed to play a goal scoring draw or defeat against Tottenham Hotspur to gain promotion, but instead the match ended in a 0-0 draw and SUFC failed to gain promotion. In 1952-53, The Blades finished on top of the second division table and gained a promotion, only to be relegated again after three seasons.
Consistency
Former Chelsea captain John Harris was made the club’s manager in 1958; he had a good lot of local talents. His team kept pushing for the promotion, consistently finishing third, fourth and finally second in 1961 to get back among the elite of English football.
The club also reached two consecutive FA Cup quarterfinals, and to add to it, a semifinal the year they gained promotion.
The Blades spent seven straight seasons from 1961 to 1968 in the top flight. They finished fifth in the first season, which was the highest they managed in past 54 years. They finished mid-table in the next few seasons and were eventually relegated in 1968. The wait was not as long because they returned to the top flight after 3 years.
The early 70s was a good time for the club. This brought to notice the long-standing argument about the desirability of playing football and cricket at the same ground and a decision was taken to build a new stand to provide a fourth side to what was essentially a three-sided stadium.
Struggles with relegation
In 1976, the club endured another relegation from Division One, followed by a series of average performances in the second division. The 1978-79 season came as a bombshell because they finished 20th, and for the first time in club’s history they were relegated to Division Three.
The club failed to capitalize on the good starts they got in both the seasons they spent in Division Three. They lost the plot when they managed only three wins from the last sixteen games, as a result of which they achieved an all-time low of playing in Division Four.
They spent just one season in the division though and managed to gain promotion by finishing on top of the table with 92 points, a new record that came about due to the change of rules in the 1981-82 season, which signified that 3 points will be awarded for a win.
United's promotion in 1982 saw them initially struggle in the Third Division and finish in the lower reaches of the league in the 1982–83 season. By applying themselves to the cause, along with a number of additions to the side, the 1983–84 season saw the Blades cruise into the top 3, which they would not drop out of all season.
Division Two was not easy on the club as they finished below the play-off places in the table and subsequently were relegated again in 1988.
Premier League era
Dave Bassett was appointed as SUFC’s manager shortly before their relegation to the Division Three. He then masterminded two successive promotions which saw them in the First Division for the 1990–91 season.
From 1990, Sheffield United was in the top division of English football for four seasons – including the first two Premier League campaigns. Brian Deane scored the first ever Premiership goal on 15 August 1992, 5 minutes into the 2–1 defeat of Manchester United.
After getting relegated to Division One from Premier League, the club spent another 12 years there. They finally managed to gain promotion under which was named The Football League Championship in 2004. They finished second in the championship to earn a promotion which only lasted for a year.
Four years into the championship, they faced yet another relegation and moved to Football League One, where they have been playing ever since.
The only positives which they can derive from the past few years are a couple of semi-final appearances in Cup football.
In 2013-14, they reached FA Cup semi-finals where Hull City defeated them 5-3 in a goal-fest. Following year, SUFC reached League Cup semi-final, only to be defeated by Tottenham 2-3 over the two legs.