# 2007–08 Sheffield United F.C. season

Sheffield United competed in the Football League Championship during the 2007–08 football season, after being relegated from the Premier League during 2006–07.

## Season summary

Manager Bryan Robson was dismissed in February with Sheffield United nowhere near a position good enough for an immediate return to the Premier League. His replacement, Kevin Blackwell, improved United's form sufficiently that they were still mathematically in with a shout of a play-off place until the last day of the season, but a shock loss to relegation-threatened Southampton ended any such hopes (though results elsewhere meant that the Blades wouldn't have made the play-offs even had they won), and United finished in a relatively disappointing 9th position.

## Kit

Sheffield United maintained both their kit manufacturing agreement with French company Le Coq Sportif, who produced a new home kit for the season, and their kit sponsorship agreement with American bank Capital One. A new away strip with fluorescent green shirts and black shirts and socks with fluorescent green trim was also introduced.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 7 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 53 | 48 | +5 | 70 |
| 8 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 65 | 56 | +9 | 69 |
| 9 | Sheffield United | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 56 | 51 | +5 | 66 |
| 10 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 60 | 50 | +10 | 64 |
| 11 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 63 | 58 | +5 | 64 |

## Results

Sheffield United's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Championship

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 11 August 2007 | Colchester United | H | 2–2 | 26,202 | Beattie, Tonge |
| 18 August 2007 | Watford | A | 0–1 | 16,414 | |
| 25 August 2007 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–0 | 23,491 | Beattie |
| 1 September 2007 | Scunthorpe United | A | 2–3 | 8,801 | Webber (2) |
| 15 September 2007 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 3–1 | 26,003 | Beattie (2, 1 pen), Stead |
| 18 September 2007 | Blackpool | A | 2–2 | 9,512 | Beattie (2) |
| 22 September 2007 | Crystal Palace | A | 2–3 | 14,131 | Hudson (own goal), Beattie |
| 29 September 2007 | Southampton | H | 1–2 | 24,561 | Gillespie |
| 2 October 2007 | Cardiff City | H | 3–3 | 26,186 | Beattie, Armstrong, Morgan |
| 6 October 2007 | Bristol City | A | 0–2 | 13,071 | |
| 20 October 2007 | Preston North End | H | 1–1 | 23,661 | Beattie (pen) |
| 23 October 2007 | Leicester City | A | 1–0 | 21,146 | Webber |
| 27 October 2007 | Hull City | A | 1–1 | 20,185 | Stead |
| 3 November 2007 | Burnley | H | 0–0 | 25,306 | |
| 6 November 2007 | Ipswich Town | H | 3–1 | 25,033 | Beattie (2, 1 pen), Gillespie |
| 10 November 2007 | Stoke City | A | 1–0 | 12,158 | Cahill |
| 24 November 2007 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 0–1 | 23,811 | |
| 27 November 2007 | Charlton Athletic | A | 3–0 | 20,737 | Beattie, Cahill, Armstrong |
| 1 December 2007 | Coventry City | A | 1–0 | 20,355 | Armstrong |
| 4 December 2007 | Stoke City | H | 0–3 | 23,378 | |
| 8 December 2007 | Norwich City | A | 0–1 | 24,493 | |
| 15 December 2007 | Barnsley | H | 1–0 | 26,629 | Kilgallon |
| 22 December 2007 | Cardiff City | A | 0–1 | 12,869 | |
| 26 December 2007 | Blackpool | H | 1–1 | 26,409 | Beattie |
| 29 December 2007 | Crystal Palace | H | 0–1 | 23,982 | |
| 1 January 2008 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–0 | 24,791 | |
| 12 January 2008 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–1 | 28,894 | Stewart (own goal), Hendrie |
| 19 January 2008 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–2 | 30,486 | |
| 29 January 2008 | Watford | H | 1–1 | 23,161 | Carney |
| 2 February 2008 | Colchester United | A | 2–2 | 5,695 | Shelton, Carney |
| 9 February 2008 | Scunthorpe United | H | 0–0 | 25,668 | |
| 12 February 2008 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0–0 | 22,643 | |
| 23 February 2008 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1–1 | 15,383 | Morgan |
| 1 March 2008 | Charlton Athletic | H | 0–2 | 23,180 | |
| 4 March 2008 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–1 | 20,190 | Beattie |
| 8 March 2008 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 1–0 | 13,669 | Beattie |
| 11 March 2008 | Coventry City | H | 2–1 | 23,864 | Sharp, Speed |
| 15 March 2008 | Norwich City | H | 2–0 | 25,536 | Sharp, Kilgallon |
| 22 March 2008 | Barnsley | A | 1–0 | 15,798 | Sharp |
| 29 March 2008 | Preston North End | A | 1–3 | 14,647 | Beattie (pen) |
| 5 April 2008 | Leicester City | H | 3–0 | 24,818 | Beattie (3) |
| 8 April 2008 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2–2 | 31,760 | Wood (own goal), Beattie |
| 12 April 2008 | Burnley | A | 2–1 | 11,693 | Beattie, Sharp |
| 19 April 2008 | Hull City | H | 2–0 | 28,188 | Quinn, Beattie (pen) |
| 26 April 2008 | Bristol City | H | 2–1 | 29,787 | Speed (2, 1 pen) |
| 4 May 2008 | Southampton | A | 2–3 | 31,957 | Quinn, Stead |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 5 January 2008 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–0 | 15,286 | Carney |
| R4 | 27 January 2008 | Manchester City | H | 2–1 | 20,800 | Shelton, Stead |
| R5 | 17 February 2008 | Middlesbrough | H | 0–0 | 22,210 | |
| R5R | 27 February 2008 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–1 | 28,108 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 14 August 2007 | Chesterfield | H | 3–1 | 11,170 | Stead (2), Webber |
| R2 | 28 August 2007 | Milton Keynes Dons | A | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | 7,943 | Lucketti, Law, Horsfield |
| R3 | 25 September 2007 | Morecambe | H | 5–0 | 8,854 | Sharp (2), Shelton (2), Hendrie |
| R4 | 31 October 2007 | Arsenal | H | 0–3 | 16,971 | |

## Players
### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | IRL | Paddy Kenny |
| 3 | DF | SCO | Gary Naysmith |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Chris Morgan |
| 6 | FW | ENG | James Beattie |
| 7 | FW | JAM | Luton Shelton |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Jon Stead |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Rob Hulse |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Danny Webber |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Lee Hendrie |
| 12 | FW | WAL | David Cotterill (on loan from Wigan Athletic) |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Ian Bennett |
| 14 | DF | AUS | David Carney |
| 15 | MF | WAL | Gary Speed |
| 16 | DF | ENG | Matthew Kilgallon |
| 17 | MF | SCO | Nick Montgomery |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Michael Tonge |
| 19 | MF | NIR | Keith Gillespie |
| 20 | DF | ENG | Chris Armstrong |
| 21 | DF | ENG | John Halls (on loan from Reading) |
| 22 | DF | ENG | Chris Lucketti |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Lee Martin (on loan from Manchester United) |
| 24 | FW | ENG | Billy Sharp |
| 25 | GK | ENG | Paul Gerrard |
| 26 | DF | ENG | Derek Geary |
| 28 | MF | IRL | Stephen Quinn |
| 29 | FW | ENG | Geoff Horsfield |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Nicky Law |
| 33 | DF | ENG | Ugo Ehiogu |
| 35 | MF | ENG | James Ashmore |
| — | FW | MKD | Goran Slavkovski (on loan from Inter Milan) |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Leigh Bromby (to Watford) |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Phil Bardsley (on loan from Manchester United) |
| 12 | MF | IRL | Alan Quinn (to Ipswich Town) |
| 21 | MF | ENG | Mikele Leigertwood (to Queens Park Rangers) |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Gary Cahill (on loan from Aston Villa) |
| 23 | MF | EGY | Ahmed Fathy (to Al Ahly) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 27 | FW | FRA | Christian Nadé (to Hearts) |
| 30 | MF | CHN | Li Tie (to Chengdu Blades) |
| 32 | DF | ENG | Evan Horwood (to Carlisle United) |
| 36 | MF | ENG | Ian Ross (to Rotherham United) |
| 40 | GK | ENG | Jamie Annerson (released) |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Championship | Championship | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | IRL | Paddy Kenny | 47 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Ian Bennett | 8 | 0 | 6+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 3 | DF | SCO | Gary Naysmith | 43 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Chris Morgan | 30 | 2 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | AUS | David Carney | 26 | 3 | 18+3 | 2 | 1+1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | ENG | Matthew Kilgallon | 46 | 2 | 39+1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | ENG | Chris Armstrong | 37 | 3 | 27+5 | 3 | 1+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | ENG | John Halls | 6 | 2 | 5+1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | ENG | Chris Lucketti | 9 | 1 | 4+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 26 | DF | IRL | Derek Geary | 28 | 0 | 19+2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 33 | DF | ENG | Ugo Ehiogu | 10 | 0 | 5+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 11 | MF | ENG | Lee Hendrie | 14 | 2 | 7+5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | MF | WAL | David Cotterill | 16 | 0 | 15+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | WAL | Gary Speed | 22 | 3 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | SCO | Nick Montgomery | 23 | 0 | 18+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Michael Tonge | 52 | 1 | 37+8 | 1 | 2+1 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | NIR | Keith Gillespie | 38 | 2 | 23+12 | 2 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Lee Martin | 9 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | IRL | Stephen Quinn | 25 | 2 | 15+4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Nicky Law | 3 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 6 | FW | ENG | James Beattie | 41 | 22 | 36+3 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | JAM | Luton Shelton | 21 | 4 | 5+10 | 1 | 2+1 | 1 | 1+2 | 2 |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Jon Stead | 31 | 6 | 12+12 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Rob Hulse | 24 | 0 | 10+11 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Danny Webber | 17 | 4 | 8+6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 |
| 24 | FW | ENG | Billy Sharp | 36 | 6 | 21+8 | 4 | 2+2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Players left during the season ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | ENG | Leigh Bromby | 16 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | SCO | Phil Bardsley | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | IRL | Alan Quinn | 12 | 0 | 4+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | ATG | Mikele Leigertwood | 4 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Gary Cahill | 16 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | FW | ENG | Geoff Horsfield | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 1 |
Source:

## Summer Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | Club From | Fee |
| 4 July 2007 | FW | Billy Sharp | Scunthorpe United | Undisclosed |
| 5 July 2007 | DF | Gary Naysmith | Everton | £1,000,000 |
| 19 July 2007 | MF | Lee Hendrie | Aston Villa | Free |
| 4 August 2007 | FW | James Beattie | Everton | £4,000,000 |
| 4 August 2007 | MF | David Carney | Sydney FC | £50,000 |
| 19 September 2007 | DF | Gary Cahill | Aston Villa | Loan |

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | Club To | Fee |
| | DF | Craig Short | Free Agency | Released |
| | DF | Alan Wright | Free Agency | Released |
| 15 June 2007 | FW | Colin Kazim-Richards | Fenerbahçe SK | £1,275,000 |
| 3 July 2007 | DF | Rob Kozluk | Barnsley | Free transfer |
| 4 July 2007 | FW | Jonathan Forte | Scunthorpe United | Swap Deal |
| 4 July 2007 | DF | Phil Jagielka | Everton | £4,000,000 |
| 6 July 2007 | DF | Claude Davis | Derby County | £3,000,000 |
| 19 July 2007 | DF | David Sommeil | Valenciennes | Undisclosed |
| | MF | Mikele Leigertwood | QPR | |
| | FW | Christian Nadé | Hearts | |
| | MF | Ahmed Fathy | | |

## Winter Transfers
### In

| Date | Position | Name | Club From | Fee |
| | MF | Gary Speed | Bolton Wanderers | |
| | MF | Lee Martin | Manchester United | Loan until May |
| 18 January 2008 | DF | Ugo Ehiogu | Rangers | Free transfer |

### Out

| Position | Name | Club To | Fee |
| GK | Paul Gerrard | Blackpool | Loan until May |
| MF | Li Tie | | |
| MF | Alan Quinn | Ipswich Town | |
| DF | Leigh Bromby | Watford | |
| FW | Geoff Horsfield | Scunthorpe United | Loan until May |