United haven’t exactly set the Championship alight, but they’ve lost just once, sit four points off the top and are already in a far healthier position than they were at this stage last season.

So does any of the rest really matter?

Sam, Riley and David look at the gap between results and performances, whether underlying numbers should temper the mood after a win, and whether fans sometimes need to simply enjoy three points rather than immediately ask how sustainable they are.

Because a win is a win.

But if that’s all that matters, why bother watching the game?

On this episode of Hang It in the Louvre, we welcome lifelong Blade Paul Kemp into the Pinch Wing to curate three defining Sheffield United images.

Paul has been going regularly since 1987, watching from the Kop and carrying the red-and-white flag into exile in south Derbyshire. And he has brought some marvels along with him: the Kop without a roof, the Blades without a care in the world, or so it seemed, and the sweetest taste of the century.

Plus: Kalvin Phillips, Liam Kitching, free agents, the ownership vacuum and a Norwich side whose numbers look almost the exact opposite of United’s.

Thanks to everybody who submitted a question - we’ve done our best to answer them along the way!

One great goalkeeper is a luxury. Sheffield United somehow ended up with three.

On this episode of Memory Lane, Andrew Hague is joined by Ian Parkes to revisit the remarkable early-90s era of Simon Tracey, Mel Rees and Alan Kelly: three keepers who, at their best, could each make a claim to being among the best the Blades have ever had.

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Alec Hawley

Now that the wonderfully gifted Gus Hamer has taken his cheeky smile, stunning goals, and exquisite assists back to Coventry City, the Blades have 2 big problems to solve - who will occupy the Hamer zone on the left, and who will replace his creativity and output (17 GA last season and 16 GA in the one before).

Of course, as that shows, Hamer was never really a winger on the left of the 4-2-3-1 in which he generally excelled. Instead, he’d cut in on his favoured right foot for shots, pinpoint crosses, and precise through balls, leaving the wing free for the left back (generally Harrison Burrows or Sam McCallum) to surge forward. He had a particularly good relationship with Burrows, another technically gifted passer whose quick feet and quick brain matched Hamer’s.

The £6m rising to £8m reported fee for Hamer didn’t really reflect his talismanic importance to the side, but was a reasonable sum for a 29-year-old in the last year of his contract.

However, even in the best circumstances, replacing Hamer at that fee is extremely challenging.

And we are definitely not in the best circumstances.

So, while Chris Wilder and co. apparently search for a left winger on loan to add a spark to this team, let’s take a look at what we’ve done in the two league games since Gus left.

Against Birmingham City, Wilder went with a 4-4-2 with Callum O’Hare on the left. As always with O’Hare, he worked incredibly hard without the ball (even winning a header against a Birmingham CB at one point), but he struggled to really impact the game out wide. It’s no surprise that his best moment - the driven through ball that set Patrick Bamford through for the Blades’ only clear-cut chance - came when O’Hare found himself in a central area.

O’Hare doesn’t possess Hamer’s passing range, doesn’t really excel taking on a fullback 1v1, and doesn’t really cross, so sticking him out there doesn’t really work.

Yes, he can, in Wilder’s words, “do a job” on the left, but playing him there neutralises the strengths of arguably the best attacking player at the club.

Regardless, while the defence was solid, the attacking numbers were damning - 3 shots in 94 minutes, 1 on target, and a paltry 0.29 xG.

Something had to change and, perhaps spurred by injuries to Ryan Oné and Tahith Chong, Wilder went back to the future for the trip to Swansea City.

The back 4 was out, and in its place came a sort of 3-1-4-2 (technically a 3-1-2-2-1-1) that had Joe Rothwell sitting in front of the back 3, Femi Seriki and Harrison Burrows flying forward as wing backs, Oliver Arblaster and Sydie Peck playing as attacking 8s, and O’Hare playing off Patrick Bamford as a second striker.

To facilitate all this, McCallum shifted from his usual left back role to an overlapping left centre back, and looked remarkably comfortable there.

This produced another 0-0, but while the defensive solidity remained, the Blades became a much more potent attacking force, improving from:

• 3 shots to 12

• 0.29 xG to 1.46

• 1 shot on target to 2 (this is less impressive admittedly)

And O’Hare came agonisingly close to scoring the first Blades league goal of the new season when he bustled into the box, the ball fell to him and he hit a lovely half-volley that resounded off the bar.

While that was his only shot, he felt far more involved throughout and this central role meant he was often our most advanced player without the ball, leading the press and harrying the Swans.

The Hamer zone was filled by a combination of Sydie Peck and Harrison Burrows, with Burrows in particular showing some of the technical ability that made him such an exciting player two seasons ago (92 points and all that).

Now this switch hasn’t suddenly solved everything - O’Hare hitting the bar 39 minutes in was United’s first meaningful shot on goal, and the whole thing is clearly a work in progress.

And it will have winners and losers too. It’s hard to see where Romelle Donovan - the 19-year-old right winger who joined on loan from Brentford as a replacement for homegrown star RW Andre Brooks - fits for example.

But Wilder has successfully switched system to suit personnel before; 4-2-3-1 was adopted in the first place to get Hamer and O’Hare in the same team.

And this latest switch feels a much better fit for our best players. As well as Burrows and Peck combining down the left, Arblaster and Seriki did the same down the right, Rothwell used his passing range to dictate from deep, and McCallum played LCB like he’d done it all his life.

As these relationships get more developed and the players become more confident, this feels like it really could become a viable path forward in a post-Hamer (and post-Brooks) world.

Assuming that is the case, how does that affect our recruitment? Are we really going to sign a left winger for a system that doesn’t suit one, or will we instead look for a natural backup/competitor to Bamford in the targetman role? CB is still a clear priority, and Cannon has been linked with a sale; could that free up funds for an actual permanent signing?

Maybe we don’t need to replace Hamer at all?

Or maybe Wilder will return to an old favourite, Ben Brereton Diaz or BBD as he’s known to most of the football world. He’s already had 2 spells at the Lane, first being far more effective in the PL than anyone expected (7 G/A in a Blades side that already felt doomed when he arrived in January 2024) and then underwhelming when he joined a United side battling for automatic promotion in January 2025 (also 7 G/A but in a team that was dominant rather than struggling).

But if you’ve forgotten, he’s a very different player to Hamer; in fact it’s slightly ludicrous they play the same position.

More than anything, BBD wants to get in the box and score and what he lacks in technique and creativity, he mostly makes up for with powerful running and some explosive finishing.

If BBD does join the Blades for the third time, it might signal Wilder preferring a more direct style now his long-time assistant Alan Knill has departed, and there have definitely been signs of this against both Swansea and Birmingham.

BBD’s versatility may also appeal to Wilder as he can play right wing, left wing and up front. If part of the answer to replacing Hamer is greater tactical flexibility and frequent switches between 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, and 3-1-4-2, then you can see why BBD might be in line for yet another return to the Blades.

One thing’s for sure: what happens next will be fascinating.

Sam, Riley and David dig into the tactical shift behind the Blades’ start: far less possession, far fewer chances, a much tighter defensive shape and some eye-catching numbers at both ends of the pitch.

Is Wilder building new defensive foundations, or has the correction gone too far? Where are the goals supposed to come from? And how long will supporters tolerate percentage football if the wins don’t follow?

Some transfers happen. Others don’t. Some spend years living on forums, back pages and in the collective imagination of fans.

For Memory Lane Episode 17, Andrew Hague, Sam Parry and Tyrone James pick an XI of Sheffield United’s greatest transfer rumours: the players who were definitely signing, nearly signing, touted by ITKers, or simply discussed for so long that they started to feel like they actually did play for us.

There’s Warnock’s love of strikers, followed by more Warnock’s love of strikers, goalkeepers who never were, and defenders responsible for page upon page upon page on S24SU.

Eleven players. Absolutely no guarantees any of them were ever coming.

Let us know if we missed anyone.

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Riley takes centre stage for our annual Championship 1–24 (until his line cuts out, and Sam treads water for five minutes). He ranks every team from relegation certainties to title winners, while Sam and David do their best to pick holes in it.

We get into the Championship’s tactical meta, the strongest and weakest squads, the teams we think could surprise, and why Sheffield United might just have enough to sneak into the expanded play-offs.

Women of Steel

Covering Sheffield United Women in 2023/24 and beyond.

By Ben Meakin

Second, what’s this all about?

Positivity? United have won a cup game, Kalvin Phillips is on his way and the Championship season is almost here. Negativity? Well, there’s plenty of that too.

Ben Meakin joins Sam for a proper pre-season stocktake: what looks better, what still worries us, and just how much can change before the window closes?

The conceit is simple: Ben plays the grumpy bloke sat behind you on the Kop; Sam plays the happy clapper in front. Together, they answer your questions, test some of Ben’s colder takes ahead of the new season and try to work out where the truth lies somewhere in between.

In this episode of Memory Lane, Andrew and Sam rank the five best Sheffield United transfer windows they can remember. There is one simple test: how many of the signings were genuine hits?

That means some celebrated summers miss out because, alongside several outstanding arrivals, there were just as many players who contributed little. It also allows less glamorous windows to rise up the rankings because almost everyone who arrived played a meaningful part.

It is time to go window shopping.

Place your bets!

With the new season approaching, Sam, Riley and David return to an old Formline favourite: turning their Sheffield United predictions into imaginary wagers. Each brings an evens bet, a 10/1 shot and a gloriously unlikely 100/1 punt. The others must decide whether to back it or bin it.

Got a 100/1 prediction of your own? Let us know…

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Pre-season means signings. And signings mean becoming wildly overexcited about a footballer you have barely seen, or dismissing somebody who will eventually become a club legend. In this episode of Memory Lane, Andrew and Sam revisit the Sheffield United transfers that made fools of us all.

First, they rank five signings they expected to be brilliant but absolutely were not. Then, thankfully, they turn to the players who surprised us in the other direction. The unheralded arrivals, underwhelming trialists and apparent journeymen who became promotion heroes, Premier League performers and genuine legends.

We’re back Formlining…

Riley’s away on holiday, but there’s no streamlining of the pod squad. The same cannot be said of Sheffield United Football Club.

After a mini summer break — during which we continued to publish articles, podcasts and pulled together a fanzine — Sam and David reconvene to work through an oddly busy and not entirely reassuring Blades summer.

From Alan Knill’s departure and Phil Jones’s arrival to the release list, André Brooks’s move to Norwich, Jairo Riedewald’s return and Romelle Donovan’s arrival on loan, there is plenty of squad reshaping to discuss. There’s also the small matter of Seamus Coleman training with the club, the transfers that may or may not happen and how many more players United actually need.

Off the pitch, we tackle the £35 million question: the winding-up petition issued against the club’s former parent company, another change to the ownership structure and the communication vacuum that continues to surround Bramall Lane.

So, not for the first time, we go again. Are there reasons to be cheerful ahead of the 2026/27 season, or are United already storing up problems for the next one?

Defenders endgame.

After the chaos of the group stages and the Round of 32, our World Cup of Sheffield United defenders reaches the sharp end.

Join Andrew Hague, Sam Parry, David Beeden and Paul Kemp for part two, as the final 16 become eight, four, two, and then one undisputed winner.

Expect big names, small names, good players, bad takes, emotional campaigning, and at least one argument relying on turning the competition into a sexy XI.

Who goes all the way? Only one defender can lift the imaginary trophy.

Same line-up, different position.

Same line-up, different position.

After a certain legend went all the way in our World Cup of Strikers, we move onwards — and also backwards — as Memory Lane tackles a World Cup of Sheffield United defenders.

The players are randomised. The groups are stacked. Join Andrew Hague, Sam Parry, David Beeden and Paul Kemp for the group stages and Round of 32 in part one.

You’re not going to want to miss Jack Robinson vs Derek Geary.

It’s World Cup season, sort of, so Memory Lane has decided to borrow the format and apply it to something far more important: Sheffield United players from history.

Join Andrew Hague, David Beeden, Paul Kemp and Sam Parry as they each take charge of one section of the draw, defending their players on whatever grounds they choose: ability, stats, memories, cult status, vibes, or outright nonsense.

Oh, and we’re going to record another one. Help us decide the position?

Hello. Sam here.

Like any sane person, I’ve been itching to combine my spreadsheet addiction with my overwhelming excitement for a World Cup I’ll barely be able to watch. Thankfully, David Beeden, Paul Kemp and the main man Andrew Hague have indulged my deepest desire.

Welcome to the World Cup of… what?

You’ll have to listen to this Memory Lane special to find out.

We’ve borrowed the World Cup format, and Sam’s spreadsheet has generated 48 Blades, sorted by position, then thrown them into a full tournament structure of groups, knockouts, arguments and inevitable injustice.

Andrew, David, Paul and Sam each take charge of one section of the draw, defending their players on whatever grounds they choose: ability, stats, memories, cult status, vibes, nostalgia or outright nonsense.

This is quick-fire remembering, World Cup-style. We aren’t simply pitting best against best. There are minnows, underdogs and, yes, a few actual dogs in the fight.

Part One takes us from the live draw through to the Round of 32. Episode Two will take us all the way to the final.

Oh, and whilst you’re here - we’re doing a fanzine again.

DEM Blades is back after three years away. The Summer 2026 fanzine is available to pre-order now, packed with Blades writing, photos, memories, nonsense and plenty more. You can order DEM Blades fanzine here.

One final Formline before we disappear for a summer lie down.

Sam, Riley and David review the season and answer listener questions before handing out the highly unofficial Pinch end-of-season awards — from best goal and biggest head loss to MVP and best win.

Along the way we revisit a Goldilocks season that somehow contained a six-game losing start, a 20-game spell as one of the Championship’s best teams, and a 13th-place finish that somehow felt both completely wrong and just right.

In Part Two of our look back at Sheffield United on VHS, we move into the 1990s. It’s a decade of survival acts, Wembley appearances, relegation heartbreak, and increasingly strange club videos.

Joined again by Paul Kemp and DeadBat, we revisit the season reviews, Christmas cash-ins, Brian Dean specials, and the gradual shift from grainy VHS tapes to the Sky Sports era. Along the way there’s Martin Tyler nostalgia, Dave Bassett appreciation, and stories of Wembley in 1993.

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In this episode of Memory Lane, we revisit the golden age of Sheffield United on VHS. It’s often weird, sometimes wonderful and unusually pricey. Join Andrew, Paul and David to chat through grainy tapes, nostalgic highlights, and worn-out rewind buttons.

This is the first of two parts. See you next week for part two.

Oh, and if you want to hear the Tufty Club series on UNITED…👇

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