KEVIN McCabe, Sheffield United's chairman, says Brian Howard's presence at Bramall Lane confirms the board of directors' committment to investing in the team despite their determination to insulate the club from the effects of the global credit crunch.
McCabe, who earlier this month pledged to make United debt free, was ultimately responsible for sanctioning the former Barnsley's player's arrival after coaching staff had identified him as the missing link in their midfield chain.
Howard could ma
ke his second appearance since completing a loan move from Oakwell at Hillsbor-ough on Sunday with an agreement now in place for the £500,000 transfer to become permanent in January.
McCabe said: "Brian has shown his quality and I'm sure he'll be an excellent addition to our squad.
"I know that the manager is delighted to have him here and he'll give us another option and more strength in depth."
"When it's possible and when it's right we'll always be serious about trying to improve what we have.
"That will never change because we want to keep progressing."
While manager Kevin Blackwell concentrates on preparing the team for this weekend's encounter with Sheffield Wednesday, McCabe and United's legal representatives continue to monitor developments in the Carlos Tevez Affair.
Faced with the prospect of paying United considerable damages following their relegation from the Premier League in 2007 West Ham, found guilty of breaching regulations governing third party ownership of players, are attempting to launch an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
United's response was to sumbit their own dossier to the Lausanne-based body detailing their argument that CAS has no reason to intervene in what they and the Football Association insist is essentially a private matter.
Officials in Switzerland are due to announce whether they will hear West Ham's case shortly but FIFA's statutes, which recognise CAS' independence, suggest it has no power to "deal with matters arising from...decisions against which an appeal to an independent and duly constituted arbitration tribunal recognised under the rules of an Association or Confederation may be made"..
What do you think? Post your comments below. READ MORE Blades Watch 08-09 - The Season So FarWatch Premiership highlights, international football, golf, tennis, darts and much moreFootball headlinesMore BladesMore boxingSports columnistsAll sport categoriesThe full article contains 389 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
