Sheffield United free transfer is memorable for all the wrong reasons: View | OneFootball

Goalkeeper Steve Simonsen's time with Sheffield United between 2010 and 2012 won't be remembered in a positive light by Blades fans.

Key Takeaways

Well travelled goalkeeper Steve Simonsen played for some notable clubs during his 20-year career in the game, but it's fair to say his time at Sheffield United won't be something that's recalled with much fondness by the player himself or the Blades supporters.

Born in 1979, Simonsen came through the Nottingham Forest youth academy, before joining Tranmere Rovers upon his release in the summer of 1996.

Initially, the 17-year-old was brought in as back-up, but he had forced his way into the first team before Christmas, impressing with his all-round game between the sticks.

In fact, Simonsen caught the eye of bigger clubs almost immediately, with nearby Premier League side Everton deciding to part with a substantial fee to take the goalkeeper to Goodison Park before his 20th birthday.

While Simonsen had excelled quickly at Tranmere, he found things tougher going at the higher level, not really making any impact on the first team until 2001/02, when he made the bulk of his 37 appearances for the Toffees.

A change of manager, however, led to Simonsen falling out of favour once more, and ultimately moving on to join Stoke City in the summer of 2004, where he instantly looked at home, and would spend, perhaps, the best, most consistent spell of his career.

After six years and almost 200 appearances for the Potters, the goalkeeper would move on, joining Sheffield United on a free transfer ahead of the 2010/2011 campaign, having spent a month on loan with the Blades towards the end of the preceding season.

While Simonsen featured regularly for United, his time at the club coincided with that of failure and disappointment on an individual and collective level, as the experienced number one's two seasons at Bramall Lane became memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Simonsen and Sheffield United suffered relegation and penalty heartbreak

The goalkeeper, by then in his early thirties, endured a torrid time in South Yorkshire as United, who went through multiple managers in the shape of Kevin Blackwell, Gary Speed and Mickey Adams before Christmas, finished second from bottom and were relegated to the third tier.

Simonsen, for his part, was a regular for a side that included the likes of Lee Williamson, Richard Cresswell, and Matthew Lowton. But the big stopper failed to inspire confidence in his teammates and supporters alike, being part of a Blades side that suffered heavy home defeats to the likes of Queen's Park Rangers and Scunthorpe United, while crashing out of the League Cup in the First Round at lower division Hartlepool United.

Ultimately, Simonsen and United conceded 79 league goals that season, finishing 23rd in the Championship table and suffering relegation along with Preston North End and Scunthorpe.

The following campaign in League One was more profitable on the whole, with the Blades turning the tide and having a good season that saw them reach the play-off final, with an immediate return to the second tier on the cards.

It wasn't to be, however, as the Blades would lose on penalties to Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town. Worse still for Simonsen, who missed the decisive spot-kick, his final act in a United shirt, to culminate a largely miserable two years in Sheffield for the goalkeeper.

Upon departing Bramall Lane, Simonsen joined fellow third tier side Preston on a one-year deal, where injury affected his availability in the latter half of the season.

Soon on the move again, the goalkeeper ventured north of the border, signing a short-term deal with Dundee, before spending two seasons with Glasgow giants Rangers, then making their way back up the Scottish leagues following demotion due to financial irregularities.

Simonsen's time at Deepdale, Dens Park, and Ibrox were inconsistent, and first-team appearances patchy on the whole, as his career wound towards a close.

The former England Under-21 international goalkeeper retired at the age of 36, culminating with a season in the Indian Super League with FC Pune City.

However, while the stopper is remembered in a positive light at previous clubs, Tranmere and Stoke, his time at Bramall Lane is one he and the United supporters will want to forget.