There and back to see how far it is

Career Progression

Gainsborough Trinity
14th July 2016 - 16th October 2016

Season		League		Pos	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Win
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016/2017	Vanarama North	1st	17	12	3	2	36	17	19	70.5%

Wrexham
16th October 2016 - 14th October 2017

Season		League		Pos	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Win
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016/2017	Vanarama Nat.	1st	31	23	4	4	68	36	32	74.2%
2017/2018	League Two	1st	13	11	0	2	33	12	21	84.6%

Peterborough United
14th October 2017 - 6th June 2018

Season		League		Pos	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Win
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017/2018	League One	4th	35	22	6	7	74	42	32	62.8%

Sheffield United
6th June 2018 to Present

Sheffield United appoint Will Schoolar as manager
6th June 2018

Sheffield United have today announced former Wrexham and Peterborough United manager Will Schoolar to replace Brian McDermott. Sheffield United fans are delighted with the appointment, which comes just over a week after Peterborough lost in the League One Play Off Final.

After joining Peterborough in October, Schoolar led the Posh to 4th place and Wembley, before losing to Rotherham United 3-1 in the final. In contrast, Sheffield United were relegated to League Two, finishing 22nd.

Fans are excited to see Schoolar's trademark of attacking football, and the expectation of an immediate return to League One. Schoolar is United's fourth manager in two years, following in the footsteps of Chris Wilder, Brian Deane and Brian McDermott.

Interview with Will Schoolar
6th June 2018

Despite finishing in the play offs last year, and falling just short of promotion to the Championship, manager Will Schoolar decided to leave Peterborough United for relegated Sheffield United. When asked about the decision to drop down a division, Schoolar commented:

It wasn't an easy decision, but after the heartache of Wembley and a sit down with the Chairman at Peterborough, I just felt it was the right time to move on. There are financial difficulties at the club, which I believe will continue to hold them back until they can get promotion. Without Championship football, the business model simply wasn't going to work, and when I met to discuss transfer budgets for next season, I just couldn't see how I was going to achieve my goals.

Sheffield United will be Schoolar's fourth managerial role in a fledgling career, but he has had success at every club he's been at. After a short spell at Gainsborough Trinity, Schoolar led Wrexham to the Vanarama National title, and the Red Dragons were top of League Two when Peterborough came calling. The Posh were in a dire relegation struggle, but Schoolar led them to a fourth placed finish, and the play off final.

When asked about his unsettled career to date, Schoolar commented:

I've been at a few clubs, and not really found the right project. At Gainsborough, I was new to the game and needed a start. They were fantastic and realised that Wrexham was the right move for me. In hindsight, I should've stayed at Wrexham, as the club are so well run and I was building some solid foundations there. They continued the excellent form after I left and won League Two. I'm delighted for them and wish them luck next season.

Peterborough had the hallmarks of a big project, and one that the Chairman was set to back me on. Unfortunately all of our eggs were in one basket, and that demanded promotion. The deals we had in place for some players were disturbing when I first arrived there, and thankfully we were making progress before I left.

Sheffield United's drop into the bottom tier of English football is a new low for the fans, but Schoolar's arrival has given fresh excitement and expectation for the season ahead. With his attacking style, and willingness to give younger players a chance, Schoolar's style of football should prove very positive in the stands.

I am looking forward to using my brand of football here, and I think the fans will enjoy watching us play. At the end of the day, they are the lifeblood of this club, and we need to ensure that they keep wanting to come back for more. Unfortunately, we will have to make some big decisions this summer over the future of some players, but we ask fans to stick with us, and the end product should be as good as they deserve.

Financial implications of this division will make some areas quite tough, and obviously players want to leave to play at a higher level. They are very welcome to leave, and we will only be looking to renew one or two contracts for the players whose deals are up this summer. As for those on longer contracts, if the deal is right for the club, then we will consider it as we continue to rebuild.

Mixed signals for the fans for the months ahead, positive football but a time of rebuilding and reshaping before. Only time will tell, will we be able to bounce back at the first attempt?

Bitesize Blades
23rd June 2018

Our first edition of Bitesize Blades this week looks at the comings and goings at Sheffield United. Starting with the incoming transfers, new manager Will Schoolar has added two players to his squad:

Kieran Dowell
Loaned from Everton



Youngster Kieran Dowell joins for the season from Everton, and will be rotated through the squad as Sheffield United look for promotion. It has been suggested that Dowell will be focussing on developing his familiarity with the left wing position.

Conor Gallagher
Free transfer from Chelsea



Young central midfielder Conor Gallagher joins shortly after being released by Chelsea, and has a bright future in the game. With the midfield positions likely to be highly contested, Gallagher may find himself on the periphery this season as he finds his feet at the club.

Leaving the club this week are Danny Lafferty and James Edwards who both join Millwall. Lafferty leaves for £215k whilst youngster Edwards departs for £25k. Also leaving the club are James Hanson, who joins Wrexham for £27k and goalkeeper Simon Moore moves to Wolves for £250k. These are the first steps by Schoolar to trim the wage budget, although the departure of Danny Lafferty is disappointing as he is consider a first team player by the fans.