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No matter which way you look at it, 2010 wasn't a good year for Burnley Football Club. It started with us being shafted and lied to by our former manager and then continued with Brian Laws in the hot seat, a decision that had its critics from day one.
It meant the manager never had the full support of the fans with calls for his head coming almost within the first month of his tenure. It's never gone away and for just about a year was a negativity surrounding the club.
But, following the appalling show four days ago against Scunthorpe, Laws has gone. It matters not what any of us think of that now, it's very much time to move on. Very soon we'll have a new manager in place and for now we are under the caretaker charge of the experienced Stuart Gray.
It's time to forget what's gone on. It's time for everyone to start pulling in the same direction and it's time for everyone to get right behind the one thing that matters - and that's Burnley Football Club.
If we've had a difficult few months then it's been almost chaotic at Sheffield United who will be under their fourth manager of the season today. We were on our way home from our first away game of the season at Ipswich when news filtered through that Kevin Blackwell had been sacked at Bramall Lane.
He was replaced by Gary Speed who himself opted to leave recently to take over from the ever popular John Toshack as manager of Wales, beating former Claret Brian Flynn to the post.
That left John Carver in place as caretaker, but he's gone now as has Sam Ellis, with new manager Micky Adams arriving in time for this fixture.
Such has been the turmoil that they currently sit just two points above the drop zone although they have been somewhat more successful than us away from home with three wins.
Their leading goalscorer, with six league goals, is Ched Evans.
Adams doesn't have a full squad to select from with no less than four players ruled out with suspension following their defeat at Norwich on Tuesday. Both Kyle Bartley and Nick Montgomery picked up their fifth yellow cards of the season, Stephen Quinn was sent off and Andy Reid received an FA charge that he pleaded guilty to.
The one bit of good news is that Leon Britton should be fit to return after a back spasm meant he missed the game at Norwich but all of Andy Taylor, Chris Morgan, Ryan France, Darius Henderson and former Claret Stephen Jordan remained sidelined with long term injury problems.
One player expected to come in was Danny Batth, but the young loan player has been recalled by his club Wolves.
It is very difficult to have any clues as to what team they will turn out but the seven who didn't pick up suspensions at Norwich are just about certain to play. They are: Steve Simonsen, Nyron Nosworthy, Ched Evans, Mark Yeates, Jean Calve, Richard Cresswell and Matthew Lowton. The substitutes at Carrow Road were: Richard Wright, Johnny Ertl, Lee Williamson, Jamie Ward, Rob Kozluk and Daniel Bogdanovic plus Danny Batth.
If it is difficult to try and come up with a Sheffield United starting line up then it's probably just as difficult to have any clues as to who will start for Burnley. A new manager, albeit a caretaker manager, usually makes a couple of changes to put his own stamp on things and I think that could be the case here.
We know that Martin Paterson is still ruled out with injury and that Danny Fox remains doubtful, but it wouldn't surprise me to see Chris Eagles, fit again, in the starting line up and also Chris Iwelumo who has started all but two of our home games this season.
I suspect we might also return to the tried and trusted formation of 4-3-3 rather than the 4-4-2 system that has been employed in the last two home games that have both been lost.
If that was the case, and it is difficult to second guess it today, then we'd line up: Lee Grant, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Andre Bikey, Brian Easton, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott, Jack Cork, Chris Eagles, Chris Iwelumo, Jay Rodriguez. Subs: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Michael Duff, Dean Marney, Ross Wallace, Steven Thompson, John Guidetti.
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We were sixth in the table, and a win would see us go above Reading, whilst Sheffield United were third and, like Cardiff, were looking virtually assured a play off place.
The Blades hadn't lost away from home since October when they went down 1-0 to Brian Laws' Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, and they'd beaten Cardiff and Reading in their two previous away games. This was, without doubt, a tough one although we had beaten them at Bramall Lane in December.
An early goal might have settled us, and how close it came. Wade Elliott went on a storming run, that Sheffield United could do nothing about, before unleashing a left foot shot that rattled the post. An Elliott run at Sheffield United - that was a memorable moment to be enjoyed some weeks later.
We were much the better side and midway through the half got the all important goal. Rhys Williams won the ball in his own box and we moved it forward quickly with Graham Alexander and Chris Eagles.
Eagles won a throw in taken by Robbie Blake. He gave it back to Eagles who in turn found Williams. The full back's cross was perfect for Martin Paterson to score his first home goal since November.
The result, in truth, was never really in doubt from that moment other than the Blades continuingly hitting long balls into our box. We had the beating off them, twice now in a season with another big one to come.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Rhys Williams, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Christian Kalvenes, Graham Alexander, Chris Eagles, Wade Elliott, Chris McCann, Robbie Blake (Joey Gudjonsson 80), Martin Paterson (Jay Rodriguez 86). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Michael Duff, Kevin McDonald.
Sheffield United: Paddy Kenny, Kyle Naughton, Chris Morgan, Matthew Kilgallon, Gary Naysmith (Jamie Ward 16), Greg Halford, Nick Montgomery, John-Jo O'Toole, Stephen Quinn (Lee Hendrie 70), Darius Henderson, Craig Beattie (Arturo Lupoli 76). Subs not used: Leigh Bromby, Danny Webber.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1992/93 | FAC | a | 2-2 | 23,041 | Heath(2) |
| . | . | h | 2-4 | 19,061 | Heath Monington |
1994/95 | 1 | h | 4-2 | 11,475 | Robinson Hoyland Davis Gayle |
| . | . | a | 0-2 | 13,349 | . |
2000/01 | 1 | h | 2-0 | 16,635 | Payton(2 1pen) |
| . | . | a | 0-2 | 20,013 | . |
2001/02 | 1 | h | 2-0 | 13,166 | Taylor Cook |
| . | . | a | 0-3 | 19,003 | . |
2002/03 | 1 | h | 0-1 | 12,868 | . |
| . | . | a | 2-4 | 17,359 | Taylor Blake |
2003/04 | 1 | a | 0-1 | 20,967 | . |
. | . | h | 3-2 | 11,452 | Blake(2 1pen) I Moore |
2004/05 | C | h | 1-1 | 16,956 | Hyde |
| . | . | a | 1-2 | 19,374 | Akinbiyi |
2005/06 | C | h | 1-2 | 11,802 | Akinbiyi |
| . | . | a | 0-3 | 23,118 | . |
2007/08 | C | a | 0-0 | 25,306 | . |
| . | . | a | 1-2 | 11,693 | Cole |
2008/09 | C | a | 3-2 | 24,702 | Paterson Alexander(pen) Eagles |
. | . | h | 1-0 | 14,884 | Paterson |
. | PO | h | 1-0 | 80,518 | Elliott |
2010/11 | C | a | 3-3 | 22,936 | Marney Eagles(pen) Rodriguez |