Sheffield United have been relegated from the Premier League following their 1-0 defeat to Wolves on Saturday night.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side sit bottom of the table with just 14 points from 32 games, having lost nine of their past 10 fixtures in the Premier League.
As a result, the Blades will return to the Championship next season after crashing out of the top flight for an eighth time.
Six straight defeats have seen Sheffield United concede 15 goals and score just once in what has been a miserable campaign for the club.
Having mustered just four league wins all season - with their most recent coming against Aston Villa in March - Heckingbottom’s side have officially become the first team to be relegated this season.
Many pundits believe that Sheffield United's poor performance in the 2020-2021 campaign is down to ‘second season syndrome'.
Sheffield excelled during the 2019-2020 campaign, having claimed a top-half finish during their first season back in the top-flight.
Former manager Chris Wilder had overseen an astonishing transformation of the Blades since replacing Nigel Adkins, guiding them to the League One title in his first season.
He went on to help them earn promotion from the Championship two years later and guided the team to an impressive ninth place last season.
Wilder's men finished the 2019-2020 season having conceded just 39-goals in their 38 Premier League matches. That defensive record was only topped by Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
However, Sheffield's defensive stability faltered in the 2020-21 season, having conceded 10 goals in their opening seven games.
Although they had the joint-eighth best defence in the Premier League at the time, things went downhill for Wilder's side and ultimately saw the manager leave Bramall Lane by mutual consent after a five-year reign at the club.
As it stands, Sheffield have conceded a total of 56 goals so far this season - with only West Bromwich Albion conceding more.
The shift in the club's defensive record came as a result of the loss of on-loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Henderson played a pivotal role in Sheffield's success last season and even received international recognition for his contribution.
However, the Blades were unable to secure the on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper for a third season - with Aaron Ramsdale coming in from Bournemouth but failing to impress.
Offensively, Sheffield have struggled for goals this season - scoring a Premier League low of 17.
Sheffield's former manager, Wilder, tried to bolster the club's attack by buying 20-year old Rhian Brewster after he impressed on-loan from Liverpool at Championship side Swansea City.
Having forked out £23.5million on the Liverpool talent, Brewster became the club's most expensive signing ahead of Sander Berge.
However, Brewster has provided no Premier League goals for the Blades despite making 22 appearances this term.
Sheffield's departure from the top-flight could see them lose £57m next season regardless of parachute payments. After the Blades were promoted in 2019, their revenue allegedly spiked from £8m to £117m.
As a result, Sheffield will be financial impaired when returning to the Championship despite receiving £42m in 2021-2022 in parachute payments.
FaithEvans
313
If your coach is called Heckingbottom, where else do u expect to finish?