Sun Jihai (Manchester City)
Greg Halford (RK Sunderland) - SEASON LONG LOAN

After the Carlos Tevez affair which ultimately sent Sheffield United down caused them to have a bit of a hangover last season.

Bryan Robson was given the task of replacing Neil Warnock and with one of the strongest squads in the division and £4million spent on James Beattie he virtually ended his managerial career but guiding them to a high of mid table and at times dragged into the bottom six.

The goals of Beattie kept their heads above water but despite getting to the fifth round of the FA Cup Bryan Robson was sacked as manager and replaced by Kevin Blackwell.

The former Leeds manager is not the best around but got the best out of what was a strong side and they finished the season on fire as the form side in the division and only defeat on the final day denied them a place in the playoffs.

Kevin Blackwell has had a pre season to work with the players now and looking at his squad it is little wonder he is confident of success.

At the back they look a solid unit with the excellent Paddy Kenny in goal and with defenders such as Naysmith, Morgan, Kilgallon and Ehigou they will be a tough nut to crack for attacking teams this season.

Mid field is perhaps their strongest point where they boats the experience of Gary Speed and Keith Gillespie and the quality of players such as Quinn, Tonge and Montgomery. Up front they have James Beattie, Danny Webber and Billy Sharp so you can see why on paper there are not many better squads in the Championship.

The problem will be finding the right balance but Kevin Blackwell will point to last season when he seems to get things spot on in the last few weeks of the season.

James Beattie is already injured which could be a problem for them and keeping him fit will be the key for them whilst Billy Sharp and Danny Webber should offer decent support up front.

This is a tough division to predict but I think looking at the squad Kevin Blackwell has they are more than capable of winning automatic promotion

PREDICTION: 2nd in the Championship

I asked Sheffield United fans on an unofficial message board for their thoughts on the new season and here is what they had to say.

How do you think Sheffield United will fare this season?

So much depends on James Beattie, if he stays and plays a full season we'll be top two, if not then anywhere between 4th and 14th.

Who are your players to watch out for?

Beattie is massive for us but I think Bily Sharp may come good this year

Is your Manager the right man for the job?

Yes, he made a very good start last year and is well liked by the fans.

Which three teams will be promoted this season?

Birmimgham, Reading and I'll be brave and back the blades.

Which teams will be relegated?

Wednesday, Blackpool and Barnley

How do you think QPR will fare this season?

Will be interesting to see how you do with all the money around the club. I can't see you winning the title but think you'll be in the playoffs.

In the current Sheffield United squad back up goalkeeper Ian Bennett is a former QPR player. Bennett began his career at QPR but never made it with us so moved down the divisions for forge a decent career fir himself. His best years came at Birmingham where he helped them to win promotion to the Championship. Over the last few years he has been back to being a number two at Birmingham and now at Sheffield United where he provides good back up to Paddy Kenny. Ian is unlikely to start in the match on August 16th but one man who will be hoping to face his former club is Mikele Leigtwerwood.

Leigterwood was suspended for the trip to Bramall Lane last season and joined QPR from Sheffield United last August. He spent just over a year in Sheffield making just over twenty appearances during the sides stay in the Premiership.

There are also two legends who have played for both clubs. Tony Currie is perhaps the most famous of them. Currie was a fantastic midfield player a real creative ball player who had skill vision and a great eye for goal. He played in an era where shirts outside your shorts and a mullet usually meant you were the creative player and that was Currie all over. He was a cheeky player who liked a laugh and really entertained at both clubs. He came to QPR towards the end of his career and did really well for us helping the club reach the FA Cup final in 1982 where he came so close to lifting the trophy.

Another legend for perhaps different reasons is Georges Santos. Big Georges was a strange player, he would play like Bobby Moore one minute reading the game and cutting out danger before spraying a 50 yard pass forward onto the forwards foot. The next he would miss control a simple ball forward and fall on his arse. In his last game at Loftus Road he managed to score an own goal from a header by his own corner flag.

Santos had a good spell at Sheffield United and is probably best remembered for allegedly being sent on with the instructions to get sent off by Neil Warnock and get a match abandoned, a claim both deny of course but still makes for a good story.

The highlight of his time at QPR was probably when he came on a sub against Norwich and was booed by the home fans, he then proceeded to run the game from midfield and smash a great volley into the top corner leaving those who booed feeling a bit silly. Georges played in every position for QPR expect goalkeeper during his time at QPR and an injury crisis ahead of Ian Holloways last game in charge meant Santos was actually on standby to go in goal if we couldn’t sign a keeper in time.

QPR have had plenty of encounters with Sheffield United since this web site was created. In the 1998/99 season we lost 2-1 at Loftus Road when Steve Bruce was in charge at the Sheffield club.

Bruce's men did the double over us that season with a 2-0 win later in the season and on the way home I met legendary manager Malcolm Allison on the train who described QPR as "Fucking Rubbish" which was a fair assessment at the time.

The following season a much improved Rangers did far better in the two games. We thrashed them 3-1 at home with Stuart Wardley among the goal scorers. Mikkel Beck scored in the away game as we drew 1-1 live on Sky.

Our relegation season gave us a point at Bramall Lane, something of a miracle considering our away form that year Sammy Koejoe scored for us and Lee Harper saved a twice taken penalty to send us home with a point. The game at Loftus Road was Ian Holloway's first in charge and saw a pitiful display which ended several QPR players careers. Georges Santos was among the goalscorers in a 3-1 win for Sheffield United.

During our promotion season we travelled North with more hope than expectation in the Carling Cup. Rangers turned it on big time though producing our best performance of the season. We played a strong Sheffield United side off the pitch winning 2-0.

The 2004/05 saw Sheffield United do the double over Rangers. The game at Loftus Road was not a good night for Rangers. Injuries to Forbes and Furlong meant that we were well under strength and needed to ply Richard Edghill as a central defender.

Edghill's lack of height was exposed when Andy Gray headed the Blades ahead in the first half. Despite an improved second half display Rangers never looked like scoring without Paul Furlong and went home with nothing.

The away game saw Rangers without several players again through injury. Furlong was again missing along with Matthew Rose meaning Georges Santos started up front.

Rangers did well in the first half and took the lead through Martin Rowlands. Rowlands then picked up a knock and was replaced by debutant Stefan Bailey who had an impressive debut.

Before half time Sheffield United drew level through Danny Webber and the on loan man made it 2-1 after half time. Kevin Gallen smashed in a deserved equaliser and as the game was heading for a draw the referee had a breakdown and gave an unbelievable penalty in the dying minutes.

Andy Gray made no mistake and to make matters worse Andrew Davies was then sent off.

Gallen was within inches of getting a very late equaliser but it wasn't to be and the home side ran out 3-2 winners.

The 2005/06 season was better for Rangers. A screamer from Marc Bircham helped us go top of the league in August 2005. The return game was possibly Gary Waddock's best day in charge as we shocked the promotion chasers 3-2 at Brammel Lane.

Last season Rangers new look side lost 2-1 to Bryan Robsons side. Patrick Agyemang scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 defeat. The return game saw a new manager for United with Kevin Blackwell in charge and he helped his side to a 1-1 draw as Angelo Balanta scored his first goal for QPR.

Click on the match for a report of the game from this web site.