Sheffield United Set For New Chapter Under Ruben Selles; Will It Bring More History to Bramall Lane? | OneFootball

Sheffield United will be looking to bounce back in the 2025/26 Championship season after a brutal ending to their previous campaign.

With the Blades sitting in first place with just a few weeks remaining in the season, United suffered three straight losses: away at Oxford United, at home against Millwall, and then away at Plymouth Argyle. These losses knocked them all the way down to third, and by this point, Leeds United and Burnley had far too much momentum that it was always inevitable the Blades would be forced into a play-off campaign.

It would’ve been somewhat of a fairytale if Chris Wilder was to lead his boyhood club Sheffield United to the Premier League via the route of the play-offs. However, despite a record-breaking 6-0 win on aggregate in the semi-finals against Bristol City, they managed to lose the final against Sunderland in arguably the worst way possible.

United bossed the opening 45 minutes and could’ve been two or three goals to the good, had it not been for an outstanding reflex save from Anthony Patterson, and of course, Burrows’ controversial disallowed goal.

The second half was a complete disaster for the Blades as they conceded twice in the final 15 minutes to lose the game 2-1.

A New Era Begins at Sheffield United

Ruben Selles instructing Sheffield United players in training session. (Image Credit: Sheffield United Football Club – X.com).

This summer has brought a reset to the Sheffield United coaching setup, with COH Sports choosing to part ways with the likes of Chris Wilder and his assistants, Alan Knill, Jack Lester and Matt Prestridge. The owners moved very quickly to replace the United legend with Spanish coach Ruben Selles, who has brought James Oliver-Pearce to Bramall Lane as his main assistant manager, and Alistair Loveland as the more analytical-based thinker.

Even though there has been a change in direction in the managerial and coaching department, the traditional traits of a Sheffield United team are still expected to remain under Selles. He likes his team to press from the front, hunt down the man on the ball in numbers, and track back to stop the opposition attack as quickly as possible. This is something the Bramall Lane faithful will surely get behind once the season begins.

Can Selles Help Create More History at Bramall Lane?

Having the Bramall Lane crowd behind Selles’ team will certainly benefit United this coming season, just like it did last season under Wilder, where United were the third-best home side in the league and ultimately finished third in the table.

Beautiful downtown Bramall Lane is one of the most iconic stadiums in British football; it is the oldest professional stadium in the world having opened in 1855 as a cricket ground before eventually becoming a football ground.

As well as hosting Sheffield United matches since 1889, it has also hosted England men’s and women’s international matches, further adding to the stadium’s legacy. In addition, it even hosted an England Rugby League World Cup group stage match back in 2021.

While admiring the rich history, Selles and his current crop of United players will be eager to make more history by lifting the EFL Championship title for the very first time (having only won the second tier once back in 1952/53, before it became the Championship as we know it).