Neil Warnock revealed ‘choice’ he made at Sheffield United 20 years ago that has ‘paid dividends’ in club’s recent success

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While Sheffield United continue to push for the Championship title this season, they still owe a debt of gratitude for the foundations Neil Warnock laid 20 years ago.

We’re gearing up for the tantalising prospect of another Steel City derby this weekend, with the Blades heading to Hillsborough to take on Sheffield Wednesday.

It could be a tough game for Sheffield United, and they’ll have to be at their best to defeat their bitter rivals and take another step towards promotion.

But, the very fact that United are in the position they’re in right now, and the success they’ve enjoyed over recent years, can probably all be traced back to one decision Neil Warnock made two decades ago.

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Neil Warnock sacrificed new players for new training ground at Sheffield United

Warnock is renowned for transforming clubs. He’s stepped in and saved multiple teams from relegation, and in other cases, he’s led them to glory and promotion to the Premier League.

Despite representing many clubs over the years, Warnock is perhaps best remembered for his work at Sheffield United. And, speaking on Sheffield United’s official podcast in 2022, he shared his pride at the progress the club has made since he first arrived all those years ago.

He said: “I think we helped to build the club as it is. The corners of the ground weren’t in when we came, back behind the goal wasn’t as it is, we hadn’t got a training ground. I had a bucket in my changing room to catch the water coming through the roof when I came here.

“It really satisfying to me to look at the club as it is now.”

Reflecting on his legacy, Warnock explained how one big sacrifice he made in the short-term ended up providing Sheffield United with the platform to succeed for years to come.

“Absolutely, we could have spent a lot of money,” he added. “We had a choice at one stage of spending money on players or building the training ground and I said ‘let’s build the training ground, I’ll make do with what we have’. That’s what we did and it’s paid dividends really the training ground.”

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Chris Wilder picked up where Neil Warnock left off

While United have had plenty of managers since Warnock’s departure in 2007, there are none who exemplify the club better, and match the traits Warnock possessed, as much as Chris Wilder.

He’s a Blades fan through and through, and you can see how much the club means to him week in, week out, just as you could — and still can — with Warnock.

The fighting spirit, no-nonsense approach taken by Wilder is so reminiscent of Warnock’s methods, and the current manager appears to have that same knack of navigating the Championship as his iconic predecessor, too.

Wilder is a very honest, and highly passionate manager. He’s also got a penchant for riling people up, just like Warnock did. You only have to look at Wilder’s treatment of Danny Rohl after the last Steel City derby to see that.

That said, his comments after the draw with Bristol City in midweek were surprisingly humble. Who knows, perhaps Wilder has turned over a new leaf just in time for the derby?