Sheffield United: To boo or not to boo?

Nigel Adkins says supporters can castigate his team

Adkins made the admission 48 hours after sections of the Bramall Lane crowd vented their spleen following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Swindon Town.

“Everybody pays their money and are entitled to a view,” he said. “I watched Everton on the Sunday and their fans were booing. They were booing the other week at Arsenal and it’s happened at Chelsea and Old Trafford too. They are entitled to boo. That’s not an issue, no issue at all. Just so long as it’s not during a game so they get a positive energy behind the players.

But Adkins has vowed to keep encouraging his team

“I don’t have a problem come the final whistle. If the supporters are hurting then so are the players. So am I. So are my staff. But we always look to move on.”

Eighth-placed United, who yesterday released Otis Khan from his contract so the under-21 midfielder could join Barnsley, return to League One action at Blackpool this evening.

“At times, things go against you,” Adkins said. “So you have to pick yourself up and get ready to go again. That’s how you achieve things. Everybody is together, we all want Sheffield United to do well. The reality is we’ve been in this division for five years now so there’s a frustration there, I understand that. At times, we’ve just got to put all our energies and thoughts into trying to push the team forward.”

“(Manager) Neil (McDonald) has done well at Blackpool and they’ve got some good results lately,” Adkins, who was appointed in June, added. “It just goes to show it takes time to turn things around and how quickly they can change for good or for bad.”