The independent arbitration panel have delivered the hammer blow that has sealed the Blades participation in the Coca-Cola Championship next season.

Sheffield United appealed following the meagre £5.5 million fine West Ham received following a breach of Premier League rules regarding the ownership of Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez. However the independent arbitration panel upheld the decision made by the Premier League indicating that the original decision was neither ‘irrational or perverse’.

The Blades will consider their next steps, which could involve further appeals or law suits after their legal team digest the decision of the arbitration panel. It seems certain that Sheffield United will be playing for a place in the Premier League rather than playing in the Premier League, they may eventually receive some kind of compensation.

Talk of conspiracy theories during the week spoke of the variety of ways that both Sheffield United and Wigan could engineer a result that would see them both in the Premiership next season. However the key to the success of any conspiracy relied on Manchester United beating West Ham United.

The visitors were a goal up within fifteen minutes, Paul Scharner’s left foot putting Wigan on the road to safety. The blades wanted to make that road as long and hard as possible. They got back in the game just before half time when Jon Stead showed the desire needed if United were to stay up, as he put his head in to the mix to score the equaliser.

There was to a twist, a killer blow for the Blades as their captain Phil Jagielka handled the ball in the box. Up stepped former Blade David Unsworth to take the spot-kick. A sigh of relief was breathed the United faithful as they recalled his penalty miss for them earlier in the season. However he was about to send his old club back to the Coca-Cola Championship as he placed the ball just outside the reach of Paddy Kenny. In the closing stages of the game Wigan striker Lee McCullough was sent off for a second yellow card but his team held on to the win to stay in the Premiership.

Neil Warnock’s press conferences will be missed in the Premiership next season. The Tevez debate will drag on over the close season, however there will be no changing the punishment that the Premier League have handed out.

Blades manager Neil Warnock was not as upset as he had been on the first day of the season at Brammall Lane, when a penalty was awarded against his side for intent to foul Steven Gerrard.

In the return fixture at Anfield Gerrard ‘won’ not one but two penalties in five minutes. The first was awarded as Gerrard complained to referee Steve Bennett about being held and then fell into Robert Kozluk. The second was given for a slight tug on the Liverpool captains shirt, both penalties were coolly finished by crowd favourite Robbie Fowler.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez made seven changes from the team that beat Barcelona mid-week in the Champions League. Jerzy Dudek appeared to have a force field around his goal as the blades saw all their efforts result in nothing. Peter Crouch was substituted after twenty minutes after he was struck in the face by the ball and a Sheffield United boot, breaking his nose and leaving him needing stitches to a gash on his face.

Liverpool increased the lead when Sami Hyypia scored his first goal for more than a year. Gerrard compounded the win scoring the fourth and final goal on seventy-three minutes.

Northern Ireland winger Keith Gillespie has handed in a transfer request at Sheffield United. The Blades midfielder handed in the request minutes before being charged with violent conduct by the Football Association.

Gillespie was charged after an incident in Saturday’s match against Reading, when he managed to stay on the pitch just ten seconds. He was dismissed for elbowing the Royals Irish striker Stephen Hunt. Gillespie could find that his instant three match ban is extended, which would not be good news for any prospective new employer.

Chris Morgan now misses the next three games having been convicted of violent conduct by the FA’s video discipline commission. They felt that if the official in charge had sight of the incident he would have issued him with a red card.

Morgan punched Arsenal forward Robin Van Persie in the ribs from behind during the Blades victory over the Gunners. Now he will miss league games against Portsmouth and Reading as well as the FA Cup tie with Swansea City this weekend.

Morgan had only recently been the victim of violent conduct when Wigan’s Lee McCulloch left him with a black eye in December.

The Turf Moor club have spent £750,000 to land their former striker from Sheffield United, the club they sold him to for £1.75M. Clarets manager Steve Cotterill is delighted to have got his man, knowing that he will welcomed by fans and team-mates upon his return.

The Blades will receive £650k up front with a further £100k dependent on appearances, he is ineligible for the game against Stoke City, and will no doubt take some time to readjust into his old habitat.

Les Reed left his post as Charlton manager by mutual agreement, giving him a place in the premiership history books as the manager with the shortest tenure so far, just 41 days and eight games.

Reed has been immediately replaced by Alan Pardew, who was a recent casualty of the Icelandic take over at West Ham United, Pardew has a mountain to climb if he is to save the club from relegtion. He is rumoured to have a bonus of a million pounds if he can save the club from the clutches of the Championship.

Pardew had expected a quiet Christmas in front of the television, but after receiving a call from the chairman. Pardew admits it was an easy decision to make as the valley is a home from home with friendly faces from his days there as a player.

He has the January transfer window to equip himself with the personnel needed to fight for survival. He also believes that former Addicks manager Alan Curbishley has what is needed to guide his old club to safety. Which must mean that two of Wigan, Blackburn, Middlesbrough and Sheffield United will join bottom club in the drop to the Championship.

The draw for the Football Association Challenge Cup sponored by EON Third round proper has not disappointed on any front. The romance of the cup is alive and well, with many of the smaller, lower league clubs facing opposition from the Premiership. Chelsea play hosts to bottom of League 2 Macclesfield Town in a tie that is very much in the vain of the princes versus the paupers.

Cup holders Liverpool will entertain Arsenal in a repeat of their upcoming Carling Cup quarter final, while last years finalists West Ham United have a home tie against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Tottenham who have not managed an away victory on home soil in the league will be hoping that they can overcome a Cardiff City side who have made Ninian Park a fortress as they fight for automatic promotion to the Premiership.

FA Cup third round draw:
Blackpool v Aldershot Town or Basingstoke Town?Barnet v Colchester United?Sheffield United v Swansea City
Reading v Burnley
Portsmouth v Wigan Athletic
Mansfield Town or Doncaster Rovers v Bolton Wanderers
West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion
Leicester City v Fulham
Derby County v Wrexham
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Oldham Athletic
Bury or Chester City v Ipswich Town
Manchester United v Aston Villa
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Tamworth v Norwich City
Salisbury City or Nottingham Forest v Charlton Athletic
Cardiff City v Tottenham Hotspur
Preston North End v Sunderland
Liverpool v Arsenal
Bristol Rovers or Bournemouth v Hereford United
Watford v Stockport County
Crystal Palace v Swindon Town
Bristol City v Coventry City
Peterborough United v Plymouth Argyle
Queens Park Rangers v Luton Town
Southend United v Barnsley
West Bromwich Albion v Leeds United
Hull City v Middlesbrough
Birmingham City v Newcastle United
Torquay United or Leyton Orient v Southampton
Everton v Blackburn Rovers
Chelsea v Macclesfield Town
Stoke City v Bradford City or Millwall

Gareth Southgate took his Middlesbrough side to Bramall Lane. Boro started brightly and could have scored but for Lee Catermole’s indecisiveness, they went a goal down when Rob Hulse stroked the ball past Mark Schwarzer.

Southgate’s half time pep talk appeared to have worked, a Pogatetz through ball was pounced on by Yakubu who advanced and put the ball in to Paddy Kenny’s goal. The Ireland keeper will be hoping he can keep a clean sheet in the up coming Euro 2008 qualifiers where he will deputise in the absence of Shay Given who is still out injured.

Both sides looked to have settled for a point, that was until a Gerrard-esque strike form Blades captain Phil Jagielka. Jagielka cushioned a last minute headed clearance on his chest and then as the ball bounced he struck it from thirty yards past an unexpecting Schwarzer, to secure Sheffield United’s first Premiership victory for over ten years.

On Tuesday Watford register their first point of the Premiership campaign in a 1-1 draw against West Ham. On the same night Dimitar Berbatov opened his account for Tottenham in a 2-0 win over Neil Warnock’s Blades.

Shock result of Wednesday night was Chelsea suffering their first defeat of the season at the hands of Middlesbrough. Having taken the lead at the riverside through Shevchenko’s first league goal, they then conceded two goals in ten minutes from Pogatetz and Viduka. Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa beat the Royals of Reading 2-1, Blackburn and Fulham held Everton and Bolton in two 1-1 draws. Manchester United were convincing in their victory over Charlton Athletic, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer returning to the team with a goal scoring appearance. In the goalless clash between Manchester City and Portsmouth was relatively uneventful until Ben Thatcher had a flash back to his old Wimbledon days, when he challenged Pedro Mendes on the touchline. Thatcher appeared to lead with his elbow rather than his legs, the challenge caused Mendes to be admitted to hospital for tests. The last has not been heard of this incident and no doubt there will be a ban from the FA.