Sheffield United have been relegated from the Premier League after a dismal 5-1 defeat by Newcastle at St. James’ Park.
Chris Wilder’s side actually took the lead early on, with Anel Ahmedhodzic putting the Blades in front after five minutes. However, two goals from Alexander Isak either side of a header Bruno Guimaraes left Sheffield United with a mountain to climb
Ben Osborn’s own goal with 25 minutes still to play only added further insult to injury, while Calum Wilson ensured he got in on the act before fate of his opposition was sealed at full-time.
97 goals conceded this term with more games on the horizon, the soon-to-be Championship side have already broken the record for goals conceded in a 38-game campaign and are on course to surpass the 100-mark.
With three games remaining, Sheffield United’s prospects of surviving are gone after Wilder’s team was demoted following a pitiful performance of 16 points from 35 games. In that period, they have managed just three victories, seven draws, and an astounding 25 losses.
Days before kickoff, Wilder had already addressed his team’s situation, acknowledging that this summer will be very demanding at Bramall Lane. The Blades manager predicted that this summer will be challenging and tough. Many players have expired their contracts, and some are coming back to their original teams after being on loan.
It has been considered for some time that there may be a chance to rebuild. Everyone agrees that there is a lot of work to be done.
“If the inevitable occurs over the weekend, we’ll be prepared. Whatever the circumstances, we’ll see the matter through to the very finish. We genuinely thought we were in pretty good shape and would have the chance to convert excellent performance into significant outcomes.
“The Burnley and Brentford games truly cemented our fate, but it’s clear that the distance is now too great. We’ll respond with force. You are evaluated based on your performance, and we have been let down by some inadequacies in some departments. To improve, there are certain things we must redo.”
“We’ll be ready if the inevitable happens at the weekend. We’ll go right to the end, no matter what the situation is. We really believed we were in decent nick and we would get the opportunity to turn really good performance into big results.
“The Brentford and Burnley games really have sealed our fate but obviously the gap now is too big. We’ll come fighting back. You get judged on results and certain weaknesses in certain departments have let us down. There are things that we need to reset to get better.”
