Blades In The Black - 28/10/2007

Sheffield United kicked back into the black from a £7.9m pre-tax loss as turnover rose from £27.2m to £45.8m. One of the few remaining clubs listed on the Stock Exchange, the figures show the benefit of a year in the Premiership. The group is suing West Ham United, claiming the east London club avoided relegation because it acted dishonestly over the registration of two players owned by a third party. The Blades estimated the cost of relegation at between £30 and £50m. Promotion back to the Premiership remains the priority, but this is not proving too easy. Even if it is achieved, the Blades could join a growing group of yo-yo clubs who are too good for the Championship but have insufficient resources to avoid relegation from the Premiership.