As the re-run of August 2008 continues QPR travel to Sheffield United for the second game of the season where goalkeeper Paddy Kenny is assured of a rough ride from his former fans.
Sheffield United (13th) v Queens Park Rangers (1st)
Coca Cola Championship
Saturday August 14, Kick Off 3pm
Bramall Lane, Sheffield
I have never really done hatred in the same way as other QPR fans, or indeed other football fans. Supporting QPR but living in Sheffield has somewhat skewed my mind as to who I hate in football and it can lead to some lively disagreements over pints with other QPR fans.
For instance, I would rather Chelsea win the league than Man United. I’m sorry, I know this makes me a bad Christian or whatever, but I just would. I grew up in Scunthorpe where on a Saturday all the lads that liked football would go to watch Scunthorpe United play. But they’d go in their Man United shirts and Man United coats and Man United scarves that they bought at great expense from the “megastore” on their one and only visit to Old Trafford for a pre-season friendly with Inter Milan and if you asked them they’d say they supported Man Utd.
I would actually spend my weekends travelling from Scunthorpe to watch QPR play, while they sat at Glanford Park or, more likely still, in front of the television watching “United’s” big victory over *insert lambs to the slaughter here*. They didn’t go to their match, they never did, and on the rare occasions they did lose it would affect them for about 45 seconds during which time excuses about referees and kit colours would be invented. I, on the other hand, would mourn QPR’s latest defeat against *insert team you’d fancy you and a few of your mates to turn over here* for days having travelled 200 miles in the rain to see it. That didn’t stop the glory hunting wankers taking the piss though.
Bitter? Not much.
I had actually, genuinely, never seen a real Chelsea fan away from a Chelsea match until about 2003 when, about three minutes after Roman Abramovic arrived, shirts suddenly started popping up in Sports Soccer in Meadowhall. Now that’s annoying, and staring at the 40,000 faceless, brainless, chavvy nobodies at “The Bridge” for our cup game last year where once stood 8,000 skin heads in Stone Island Jackets and nobody else was sickening. But Man Utd have been under my skin since I was born and I’d actually take the infamous Julian Alsopp banana treatment rather than watch United achieve anything ever.
I don’t really get the booing of former players either. I remember the stick we used to give Andy Sinton when I was a kid but by and large any grief we give out to an opponent just makes me fear another repeat of the Andy Cole incident. For those who’ve wiped that particular night from their memory Andy Cole, in the middle of a four year winding down period during which time he finished bottom of the World Cow’s Arse with a Banjo Championships three years in a row, was, for some reason, abused by the Loft End during a home match with Burnley. QPR were 2-0 up and cruising to victory at the time and Cole had done nothing. Following the abuse he promptly whopped in a ten minute hat trick and Burnley won 4-2.
I’ll abuse Clarke Carlisle, because any footballer who smokes as much as he does, takes QPR’s money while he dries out from persistent piss artistry, then walks out for nothing saying he wants to be near his family in the north only to turn up at Watford nine months later deserves plenty. But by and large I just sit, and hate Man Utd, and ignore everybody else. I wouldn’t piss on Marlon King if he was on fire but that’s maybe for another time.
This Saturday we take our own version of Clarke Carlisle to Bramall Lane. Paddy Kenny missed almost the whole of last season with a drugs ban from some cough medicine. The Blades could have sacked Kenny, but instead kept him on reduced wages and stood by their man. Their reward was two games at the end of last season, followed by a swift departure to Loftus Road for more money using a buy out clause inserted into the new contract after the drugs ban. Let’s be fair, if it was us, we’d be spitting mad. I only hope that a previously friendly fixture, as far as the supporters are concerned, is not soured too much by this but I have a feeling we may see some genuine hatred on show this Saturday. Neil Warnock’s presence will only stoke the flames further. A shame, because QPR fans always seem to enjoy a trip to Sheffield and we haven’t had much trouble here in the past. Mind you, if Kenny plays as he has done in the two matches so far this season he’ll soon be winning friends at Bramall Lane once more.
Five minutes on Sheff Utd
Recent History: United laboured last season under the considerable handicap of being LFW’s tip for the title, a curse that now seems to be sinking its teeth firmly into Middlesbrough. Perhaps this website holds the key to breaking the Old Firm dominance e of Scottish football – I’ll simply tip Rangers and Celtic to fight it out at the top of the SPL and then you watch Dundee United go.
They also suffered from injuries and suspensions more than most. When we last went to Bramall Lane they had lost forwards Ched Evans and Jamie Ward within ten minutes of each other in the previous match against Peterborough and target man Darius Henderson was in and out throughout the season with one knock or another. Henderson, yet to play this season because of injury, is always a big loss to the Blades because their one attacking tactic is to pump the ball in the air to him.
And that’s the real reason they finished midtable last year instead of top. Not because of the LFW prediction curse, or a plethora of injuries as manager Kevin Blackwell would have you believe, but the simple, plain fact that they are not very good. They have good players, players who cost a lot of money, players who have done well elsewhere, player who have won promotion from this league before. But when set up in a lifeless, rigid formation and asked to simply pump balls at Darius Henderson’s head for 90 minutes United are a mediocre side at best, and always dreadful to watch.
Already a similar pattern is emerging this season. A draw with Cardiff on day one, followed by an embarrassing League Cup exit at Hartlepool where Blackwell again pointed to a raft of injured players. He also lambasted the decision to play League Cup games in an international week, even though he actually only lost two players to call ups.
Excuses have been the name of the game for the Blades in recent years. They were the longest serving members of this division when they finally won promotion back to the Premiership in 2006 at the 11th attempt and really should have stayed in the top flight. Under the guidance of current QPR manager Neil Warnock they seemed to have made themselves safe, or at least Warnock openly stated they were, after a 3-0 home victory against relegation rivals West Ham. But a poor run of form late in the campaign, exacerbated by Warnock’s negative tactics of continuing to play for draws with one up front even against that season’s poorer teams like Villa who had nothing to play for in the closing weeks, allied with an unfathomable ability to miss penalty kicks, roped them back in. They only started to show an interest in the Carlos Tevez affair when West Ham started winning and the Blades started losing and in the end they secured a bucket load of compensation after their relegation. As excuses go it was a complex one, but United had a game at Villa and another one at home to lowly Wigan to save themselves in the final week and lost both while playing one up front. The Tevez affair masked their own failings.
They’ve never threatened a return. Initially that was because a complete eejit in the Bramall Lane boardroom thought Warnock should be replaced with Bryan Robson, who frankly you wouldn’t leave in charge of a Sunday league side for any length of time. One of the worst football managers of all time successfully pissed away that vital first season back at this level – the one with the parachute payments and the majority of the Premiership squad still intact. After that first season back clubs that aren’t successful in making a return have to start making pretty dramatic cuts to their cloth and it gets harder and harder. The decision to entrust Robson with such a crucial season will handicap United for ten years or more. He was sacked two thirds of the way through and Kevin Blackwell, even Kevin Blackwell, managed to get the team to the cusp of the play offs in the short time he had left. Had Robson left two weeks earlier the Blades may have made it.
Since then though Blackwell has turned United into one of the division’s most unwatchable sides. The best example of the problems he is causing comes just down the M1 and up the M18 at the Keepmoat Stadium. Billy Sharp, a striker who scored for fun at Scunthorpe but just couldn’t do it for the Blades, is thriving again in a Doncaster side that passes the ball to his feet. Ched Evans was superb for Norwich under Glenn Roeder, but has been a big let down since moving to Sheffield for the thick end of £3m last summer. Perhaps if United had a tactic other than making him feed off knock downs from Henderson, or now Barnsley’s Daniel Bogdanovic, he may stand a better chance of success.
Robson an then Blackwell, rarely has there been a team so obviously handicapped by its managerial appointments.
The Manager: Last summer when we appointed Jim Magilton as manager there was a suggestion that Kevin Blckwell may take the job on at Loftus Road. He’d rather thrown his toys out of the pram after United meekly surrendered the play off final against Burnley and seemed to be considering leaving Bramall Lane. In fairness QPR seemed keen to approach every manager under the sun that summer, with Aidy Boothroyd since saying in interview that Gianni Paladini had offered him the job at QPR, but after phoning around Boothroyd found he’d also offered it to six others. Blackwell was linked more than most though and we must be thankful for a lucky escape.
On the face of it Blackwell did a reasonable job at both Leeds and Luton. Taking the former to a Cardiff play off final and keeping the latter competitive, while both clubs went through financial turmoil off the pitch. The sackings in both cases looked harsh, although the Leeds fans seemed glad to see the back of him. His preferred style of play, if you can call it a style, is not conducive to winning friends and influencing people among the supporters who pay £25 a time to watch this dross.
Blackwell was a goalkeeper in his playing days, and an assistant to Neil Warnock when he cut his coaching teeth, but his style of play has moved on from direct to all out dire long ball nonsense that makes United one of the most uninspiring teams in the entire division. Brian Howard decamped to Reading after barely six months at Bramall Lane bemoaning the style of play and smaller strikers like Billy Sharp and Ched Evans have scored freely for the likes of Norwich and Doncaster in this division while struggling in the remorselessly direct atmosphere of Blackwell’s team. They are thoroughly horrible to watch.
In his first full season in charge Sheffield United were tough, uncompromising, nasty at times, and very difficult to beat but were also pretty uninspiring and completely outplayed by Burnley at Wembley in the play off final - the second time in his career Blackwell has lost a Championship play off final. Last season they were just plain awful. Even more direct and dire to watch than before, and even more ineffective.
The parachute payments are at an end now, although the money from West Ham puts the Blades in a better position than most. They look, as a team, as far away from the Premiership as it’s possible to be at the moment. Just a clogging long ball outfit and Blackwell will surely not survive another season of midtable obscurity.
Three to Watch: With all of that said I was rather surprised that during the summer United moved to sign Leon Britton from Swansea City. The former West Ham trainee had been with the Swans for the best part of a decade and played for them in all three divisions of the Football League as they climbed their way up to the Championship. Britton is tiny, when he stands with a ball at his feet it almost seems to be up to his knee and he looks like one of the smaller members of an under eights side. He’s a good player though, tough in the tackle and creative on the ball. The signing looks so out of place with the centre of Blackwell’s midfield normally dominated by players like Nick Montgomery, running around kicking people up in the air while displaying all the football ability of a concrete post. James Harper failed here after impressing at Reading and Brian Howard walked out after six months citing the awful style of play after impressing with Barnsley so Britton will really to go some to make an impact.
Likewise striker and Frog ad Parrott regular Ched Evans. I believed his £3m signing last summer would set United apart from the rest of the division and help them lift the title. In the end the team was awful and Evans flattered to deceive with just five goals in 37 appearances. The boy can play, he was one of the division’s outstanding players at Norwich when he went there on loan and Man City were reluctant to let him leave last summer. A goal against Cardiff on the opening day hints at a better season in prospect but I just don’t think United harness his talents effectively. There is a Championship top scorer in there waiting to get out, if only the Blades would pass him the ball and provide decent service, rather than just knocking it long and asking him to feed off flick ons.
And I suppose we better make the third man to watch Richard Cresswell given that he scored in all four meetings between these two sides last season, and bagged one against us for Stoke the season before last. There's a few of these mediocre strikers that love to score against QPR knocking around the Championship, although with Cresswell it's especially hard to understand exactly why we deal with him so incompetently. As bog standard and limited striker as we're like to face all season and yet we gave him four goals last season. Mind blowing.
Links >>> Sheff Utd Official Website >>> Sheff Utd Message Board >>> Travel Guide
History
Recent Meetings:
Neil Warnock was in charge of QPR for the final meeting of four last season, as QPR left Bramall Lane with a deserved point. Richard Cresswell scored for the fourth time in 2009/10 against the R’s just before half time with a back post header but Adel Taarabt equalised in the second half after breaking through a paper thin offside trap and running on to score.
Sheff Utd: Bunn 8, Nosworthy 6, Morgan 6, Seip 5, Stewart 6, Yeates 6 (Little 84, -), Montgomery 5, Harper 5 (Henderson 67, 7), Quinn 6, Camara 4, Cresswell 6
Subs Not Used: Bennett, Taylor, Fortune, Lowton
Booked: Morgan (foul)
Goals: Cresswell 44 (assisted Yeates)
QPR: Ikeme 7, Connolly 5, Stewart 6, Gorkss 6, Hill 6, Faurlin 7, Leigertwood 6, Priskin 5, Taarabt 8 (Buzsaky 87, -), Ephraim 7 (Cook 90, -),Simpson 6
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Ramage, Vine, Balanta, Borrowdale
Goals: Taarabt 49 (assisted Simpson)
Paul Hart was only in charge of QPR for five matches, but three of them were against Sheffield United. He started life as QPR manager with a dire draw against Sheffield United at Loftus Road just before Christmas. Mikele Leigertwood gave Hart the best possible start to life in the Rangers’ dugout with a goal against his former club inside the opening minute but Ben Watson’s wayward back pass allowed Halford to set up Cresswell for an equaliser soon afterwards. Although Watson went close to winning the game with a header against the bar in stoppage time a draw always looked the favourite result with United happy to remorselessly waste time for every time the ball went out of play for the final hour of the game.
QPR: Cerny 6, Ramage 5, Stewart 6, Gorkss 7, Williams 7, Routledge 6, Leigertwood 6, Watson 5, Simpson 5 (Vine 68, 3), Taarabt 6, Agyemang 6
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Hall, Pellicori, Faurlin, Balanta, Parker
Booked: Stewart (foul)
Goals: Leigertwood 2 (unassisted)
Sheff Utd: Bunn 6, Stewart 7, Kilgallon 7, Morgan 7, Walker 7, Montgomery 7, Quinn 8, Kallio 6, Harper 6, Cresswell 6, Ward 7
Subs Not Used: Bennett, France, Evans, Reid, Little, Geary, Camara.
Booked: Morgan (foul), Bunn (time wasting)
Goals: Cresswell 8 (assisted Halford)
The teams then repeated the dose at Bramall Lane in the third round of the FA Cup at the beginning of January. Rangers had Wayne Rotuledge in flying form against Andy Taylor and it was the speedy winger, since sold to Newcastle, who ran into the right channel and crossed for Jay Simpson to slam home the opening goal for Rangers at the Kop End of Bramall Lane. A first FA Cup win in nine years looked to be on the cards but in one additional minute at the end of the first half dire defending from a routine long throw allowed Richard Cresswell to rise and head home his second goal against QPR in as many matches. QPR were marginally the better of the two teams, but the Blades certainly had the better of the chances and twice thumped the bar with Stephen Quinn firing against it from close range in the first half and Ched Evans almost snapping it in half with a wonderful free kick ten minutes from time.
Sheff Utd: Bunn 6, Geary 6, Morgan 7, Kilgallon 7 (Seip 46, 6), Taylor 5, Ward 6 (Little 87, -), Montgomery 5, Quinn 6 (Williamson 78, 6), Cresswell 7, Evans 6, Camara 6
Subs Not Used: Bennett, France, Reid, Harper
Booked: Cresswell (handball), Taylor (foul), Geary (foul)
Goals: Cresswell 45 (assisted Quinn)
QPR: Cerny 6, Ramage 6, Stewart 7, Gorkss 7, Borrowdale 6, Routledge 7, Faurlin 6, Leigertwood 6, Buzsaky 5 (Ephraim 71, 6), Simpson 6, Agyemang 5 (Helguson 85, -)
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Hall, Connolly, Balanta, Parker
Booked: Faurlin (foul)
Goals: Simpson 39 (assisted Routledge)
That meant a replay at Loftus Road a week and a half later by which time Hart was already rubbing QPR supporters up the wrong way with miserable long ball tactics and ridiculous substitutions that had brought loud choruses of "you don't know what you're doing" on more than one occasion since he arrived. United, a poor team away from home in general this season, took the R's apart in the first 70 minutes to apply further pressure to the beleaguered QPR manager. Lee Williamson scored before half time and then two goals in a minute from Ward and Cresswell yet again put the tie out of Rangers' reach and led to a mass exodus of an already sparse 6000 crowd. A very harsh penalty decision for handball gave Buzsaky a chance to pull a goal back and when Damion Stewart headed home late on an unlikely comeback looked on - especially as substitute Antonio German ran the Blades ragged late on and twice went close to bagging an equaliser. This merely papered over substantial cracks though and Hart had walked out within a week.
QPR: Cerny 4, Borrowdale 5, Ramage 6, Gorrks 7, Stewart 6, Buzsaky 6, Faurlin 7 (Taarabt 69, 6), Leigetwood 6, Routledge 6, Simpson 5 (German 80, 7), Agyemang 7
Subs not used: McWeeney, Hall, Connolly, Balanta, Ephraim
Bookings: Gorkss (foul)
Goals: Buzsaky 71 (penalty), Stewart 88 (assisted Buzsaky)
Sheff Utd: Bunn, Geary (Walker 80), Morgan, Seip, Taylor,Quinn, Harper, Montgomery, Williamson (Ward 67), Evans,Cresswell (Henderson 74)
Subs Not Used: Bennett, France, Stewart, Little
Booked: Evans, Seip, Quinn
Goals: Williamson 19, Ward 68, Cresswell 70
Head to Head
Sheff Utd Wins – 14
Draws – 19
QPR wins – 15
Previous Sheff Utd v QPR results:
2009/10 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 (Taarabt)
2009/10 QPR 2 Sheff Utd 3 (Buzsaky, Stewart) FA Cup
2009/10 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 (Simpson) FA Cup
2009/10 QPR 1 Sheff Utd 1 (Leigertwood)
2008/09 QPR 0 Sheff Utd 0
2008/09 Sheff Utd 3 QPR 0
2007/08 QPR 1 Sheff Utd 1 (Balanta)
2007/08 Sheff Utd 2 QPR 1 (Agyemang)
2005/06 Sheff Utd 2 QPR 3 (Nygaard, Morgan og, Furlong)
2005/06 QPR 2 Sheff Utd 1 (Bircham, Moore)
2004/05 Sheff Utd 3 QPR 2 (Rowlands, Gallen)
2004/05 QPR 0 Sheff Utd 1
2003/04 Sheff Utd 0 QPR 2 (Rowlands 2)
2000/01 QPR 1 Sheff Utd 3 (Ngonge)
2000/01 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 (Koejoe)
1999/00 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 (Beck)
1999/00 QPR 3 Sheff Utd 1 (Breaker, Wardley, Steiner)
1998/99 Sheff Utd 2 QPR 0
1998/99 QPR 1 Sheff Utd 2 (Peacock pen)
1997/98 QPR 2 Sheff Utd 2 (Sheron, Ready)
1997/98 Sheff Utd 2 QPR 2 (Murray, Morrow)
1996/07 QPR 1 Sheff Utd 0 (Spencer pen)
1996/97 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 (Slade)
1993/94 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 (Barker)
1993/94 QPR 2 Sheff Utd 1 (Wilson pen, Sinclair)
1992/93 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 2 (Allen, Holloway)
1992/93 QPR 3 Sheff Utd 2 (Ferdinand, Barker, Bailey)
1991/92 Sheff Utd 0 QPR 0
1991/92 QPR 1 Sheff Utd 0 (Wegerle)
Played for both clubs:
Steve Yates
QPR 1993-1999
Sheffield United 2002-03
When you look at the squad that Gerry Francis built in the early days of the Premier League, the way he went about it is almost unheard of in modern day top-flight football. Francis, who had come from Second Division Bristol Rovers, brought with him players from the lower leagues he trusted and threw them straight into the big time. Names like Ian Holloway, Gary Penrice and Darren Peacock became integral parts of the Rangers squad under Gerry, only the likes of Keith Andrews and Jon Stead have made that kind of jump in recent years. Another solid defender he bought with him to Loftus Road from the lower leagues was Steve Yates.
Yates was Bristol born and bred and signed with the blue and white half of the city on YTS in 1986. His career at the Memorial Stadium almost ended before starting when the club went through financially difficulty and Yates set to be released by the club to save money. But the supporters seeing a young local lad with potential saved his Rovers career by agreeing to pay his wages until the club could get back on its feet. He rewarded those fans with some impressive performances in his first two season’s and was named the clubs Young Player of the Year in 1989. Equally adaptable at right-back and in the centre, Yates helped the Pirates to the Third Division Championship a year later and when the Rovers boss left to manage Premier League QPR he swooped to take Yates with him for a £650,000 fee a year into his reign.
Yates’ debut for the R’s couldn’t have come against much sterner opposition, coming face to face with Liverpool in a 3-1 defeat at Loftus Road. It didn’t faze Yates though and he went on to make 29 appearances for Rangers that season and he adapted to life in the Premier League reasonably well without ever really winning over the QPR supporters. He became a regular member of the Rangers squad and was unfortunately a firm first-teamer of the side that was relegated from the Premier League in 1996. He stayed at Loftus Road after Rangers relegation filling in a number of positions in the back four and although never spectacularly blessed with talent he performed his duties solidly and was a useful player for the Superhoops. He left QPR in 1999 and joined Tranmere Rovers where he would taste League Cup final defeat to Leicester and achieve cult status with his two goals helped Tranmere knock Merseyside rivals Everton out of the FA Cup. After Tranmere Yates enjoyed a season at Sheffield United before spells with Huddersfield, Scarborough, Halifax and Morecombe before retiring. - AR
Links >>> Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 Match Report >>> Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 Match Report >>> Connections and Memories
This Saturday
Team News:
QPR have Adel Taarabt, Heidar Helguson and Kaspars Gorkss back from international duty and available for selection. Akos Buzsaky is still unlikely to be risked with his thigh injury. Peter Ramage is available for the first time this season after serving a two match ban for his red card against Newcastle on the final day of last season. Martin Rowlands is still a couple of weeks away from a return, Lee Cook a couple of months.
United were so thin on the ground for the League Cup tie at Hartlepool that they had to bring coaches Gary Speed and Paul Crichton out of retirement to make up the numbers on the substitutes bench. They should have a few back for this one though. Nyron Nosworthy and Stephen Jordan had knocks during the week but should be fit, Ched Evans missed the Wales game with an ankle injury but is again expected to be fit on Saturday. Daniel Bogdanovic returns after international duty with Malta. Jamie Ward and Stephen Quinn were rested at Hartlepool and will return, Matt Lowton serve the second of a three match ban for his sending off on the opening day against Cardiff. .
Elsewhere: The televised offering this week comes on Sunday lunchtime when Nottingham Forest, tipped for promotion but beaten twice in two games so far, host Leeds United at the City Ground live on Sky. On Saturday the pick of the games looks to be Leicester v Middlesbrough. The Foxes lost in the play off semi finals last season and were expected to remain mean at the back after Paulo Sousa’s appointment but have conceded six times already this season. Boro were most people’s favourites for the title pre-season but lost 3-1 at home to Ipswich on day one. Millwall v Hull stands out as a potentially fiery encounter, Ipswich v Burnley as one of the more attractive fixtures, and Doncaster v Bristol City will be interesting after Steve Coppell walked out this week after just two matches in charge.
Referee: Andy Woolmer from Northamptonshire is the referee for this game. Last season he refereed one of the four meetings between QPR and the Blades as Blackwell’s men won 3-2 at Loftus Road in the FA Cup third round. Rangers got a debatable penalty that night, and a few weeks later he awarded two spot kicks in five minutes to Middlesbrough as the R’s lost 2-0 at the Riverside Stadium. Click below for a full analysis of his appointment.
Links >>> Arthur Gnohere Discipline Counter >>> Woolmer referees Blades clash >>> Referee League
Form
Sheff Utd: The Blades are yet to get off the mark this season. A much changed side was easily beaten 2-0 at Hartlepool during the week, and they were indebted to a fine second half performance from goalkeeper Steve Simonsen last week at Cardiff where they held on for a draw after being reduced to ten men. This is their first match of the season at Bramall Lane where last season they were only beaten three times, and won 12. Cardiff, Newcastle and Scunthorpe were the sides to win here last season, United were badly let down by their away form where they only won five times all season. .
QPR: QPR currently sit top of the Championship after the first round of matches after beating Barnsley 4-0. The Tykes were beaten 1-0 at home to Rochdale during the week while QPR lost 3-1 to Port Vale, both results hint that the opening day rout shouldn’t have us planning trips to Old Trafford next season just yet. QPR have been poor away from home for a number of seasons now. They won six times on the road last season, including the last two at Palace and Barnsley, but prior to that went 14 away games without a win and in 2008/09 they only won away from home three times all season. A draw is usually a fair bet in this fixture, QPR drew 1-1 here twice last season and 12 of the last 20 meetings between the two at Bramall Lane have finished level.
Prediction: Ordinarily I’d predict a draw for this game. Sheffield United are mediocre at best and Rangers have a decent track record of picking up points on this ground. However I just think with the ill feeling over Kenny’s return likely to provoke a strong response from a crowd, as opposed to the usual atmosphere of hostility towards their own team, and the fact that it’s their first home game of the season may be enough to see the Blades beat us narrowly.
Home win 5/4