Warnock urges Blades to grasp opportunity
Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock has urged his team to grasp a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the start of a weekend that could see them promoted to the Premiership.
The Blades will go up if they beat Cardiff at Ninian Park tomorrow and Watford and Leeds fail to beat Wolves and Reading respectively.
United had seemed to be coasting to promotion before a poor run of form saw their lead over Leeds reduced to three points with their Yorkshire rivals seemingly poised to leapfrog the Blades.
However, an upturn in fortune, culminating in an injury-time win over Hull last weekend, plus wobbles by both Leeds and Watford sees the Blades enter the Easter programme nine points ahead of their rivals with just four games to play.
Now Warnock has reminded his players of the enormity of what lies within their grasp.
He told the Sheffield Star: “We’ve got to grasp this opportunity. You don’t get opportunities like this twice in a lifetime. We’ve got four games to grasp this opportunity.
“We’ve got to go with the attitude to win and then we’ve got to get something out of the game.”
The Blades manager is set to name an unchanged side for the fourth game in succession with Paddy Kenny to continue in goal despite sustaining a blow to the head in the victory over Hull.
Opponents Cardiff have little to play for except pride after a poor run of form scuppered their chances of reaching the play-offs and they find themselves 11 points adrift of sixth-placed Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd believes English football should consider introducing a wage-cap system in order to maintain some sort of parity for clubs of a similar stature to the Hornets.
Boothroyd takes his side to Molineux tomorrow night knowing they are assured of a place in the play-offs, and still have a slim chance of automatic promotion.
A survey this week revealed players in the Barclays Premiership earn an average weekly wage of about £13,000 (€18,800), compared with about £3,800 (€5,500) in the Championship.
“People would always try to find a way around a wage cap, because football is competitive,” Boothroyd said. “But they manage it in rugby league, so I definitely think it is a point for discussion.
“How on earth can we keep the sport competitive, long-term, if the biggest and best clubs are getting richer, while clubs like us who are striving to be where they are don’t receive as much money?
“There has to be some sort of parity somewhere, because here, the richer get richer, and the poor get poorer.”
Boothroyd has no new injury worries, with only forward Hameur Bouazza, who has a foot injury, and midfielder Dominic Blizzard, who is still recovering from a virus, unavailable.
Wolves have recalled defender Keith Lowe from his loan at Swansea. Mark Little, who was in the squad for Easter Monday’s England U19s’ meeting with Slovenia at Bournemouth, has been withdrawn from the party and will remain at Molineux.
Like Cardiff, Wolves were on course to bid for a play-off spot but a run of form, which has seen them take one point from nine, has left them 10 points off Palace.
Although manager Glenn Hoddle insists promotion is not an impossibility, the disappointing conclusion to a promising season means his future is under the spotlight while dressing-room discontent has been aired by Vio Ganea.
