It’s been a strange year for Sheffield United.

Last season, the Blades looked certain to earn instant promotion back to the Premier League. They were neck and neck with Leeds for most of that season only to lose out on automatic promotion. Boss Chris Wilder still managed to drag them to a play-off final against Sunderland but even then the club was unable to end its play-off curse, with the newly promoted Black Cats getting a last-minute winner.

Wilder was shown the exit door in the summer and new manager Ruben Selles took over. He couldn’t get the Blades back on track, though, and was quickly let go after a disastrous start to the new season. The owners quickly hit the panic button and performed the U-turn of the century, bringing back cult hero Wilder on a two-year deal in September to try and fix the mess.

3 wins on the bounce since November have prompted talk of a surprise promotion push for a rejuvenated Sheffield United, who finally look to be clicking back into gear, but has too much damage been done for the Blades to earn promotion back to the Premier League?

Sheffield United 10/1 for Premier League Promotion Following Improved Form

When Chris Wilder made the shock return to Sheffield United to start his third spell in charge of his boyhood club, results didn’t pick up immediately.

Ruben Selles had left quite the mess behind, much to the anger of Blades supporters.

But since the start of the festive period, Wilder’s hard work appears to be paying off, with the Blades going on a 4-game unbeaten run that’s seen them thump arch rivals Sheffield Wednesday three-nil away from home and also land an impressive win over Leicester City.

Whispers of a potential Blades promotion push have since started, with most of the top-rated football betting apps bumping Sheffield United up to 10/1 odds.

The club is still 10 points adrift of a play-off spot but if the recent run of form is anything to go by, you wouldn’t want to rule out Wilder taking United into the top half of the table before the start of the new year.

And with all that momentum, there’s no reason why the Blades can’t push for one of the play-off spots in the build-up to May, especially if they’re able to make some new signings in the upcoming transfer window.

Chris Wilder Optimistic of Promotion

An “excited” Chris Wilder is somewhat optimistic of a promotion push now that the Blades have picked up form:

“I still know there’s an unbelievable amount of work to be done. I’m still talking about January; I still think that we need to move players on and we need to make some difficult decisions.

“But if we can get to January and pick some points up, I’m really excited about what we can achieve in the new year. Players will definitely want to come to us in January. We’re working hard from that point of view.”

Wilder himself is experienced enough to pull off a miracle this season, having famously led the Blades from League One into the Premier League via back-to-back promotions all those years ago.

The disappointment of last season’s play-off final no doubt still stings, but if Wilder’s desire to bring in fresh signings and kick on during the new year are anything to go by, Sheffield United could be the surprise promotion candidates of the season.

Patrick Bamford Brought In on Short-Term Deal

In the build up to the January window, Wilder and the Sheffield United board have already opted to bring in free agent Patrick Bamford on a short-term deal.

Bamford, who brings a wealth of Premier League experience, was released by Leeds in August and could turn out to be a shrewd bit of business from Wilder in his attempts to ignite a promotion push.

Interestingly, it was only a few months ago when Bamford went on an x-rated rant against Wilder while he was still a Leeds player.

Whatever issue there was between the pair has since been patched up, though, and Bamford much-needed firepower will surely help the Blades to start picking up more points.

And Bamford wasted no time getting off the mark for the Blades, either, bagging a nice goal in the club’s recent three-nil win over Portsmouth.

If Bamford was looking to get sceptical Blades supporters on-side, he’s going about it the right way.

Blades Clear of Relegation and Look to Push On

The good news for Sheffield United supporters is that they don’t need to worry about the threat of relegation anymore.

Ruben Selles had the Blades in a relegation fight from the get-go, but cult hero Wilder has once again returned to the club and gradually started getting points on the board.

The 58-year-old is right that United do, indeed, need a clearout in the next window as well as some new players, which could then open the opportunity for a top-half finish or potential promotion push next year.

It’s very tight around the promotion spots, though, so the Blades will look to keep the current run of results going as they attempt to close the gap between them and a play-off spot.