"Sad" legend Brian Deane issues damning verdict on Sheffield United's season after Arsenal hammering

Brian Deane has expressed his "sadness" at his former club Sheffield United's Premier League plight this season, after their struggles continued with a 6-0 hammering at home to Arsenal. The Gunners rain riot at Bramall Lane to further their own title ambitions and hammer another nail into United's relegation coffin.

The Blades are 11 points adrift of safety with 11 games to go but are also playing completely bereft of any confidence and belief, after shipping five or more goals for the fourth home game on the bounce in all competitions. That has never before happened in English football, with United also on course to break the unwanted record for the most goals conceded in a 38-game Premier League season.

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Many supporters are simply desperate for the end of the season and a chance to regroup in the Championship, even if the risk of a hangover from taking constant blows looms large. And Deane, speaking to Offers.bet, admitted: "It was sad watching it. The saddest thing about it is that a lot of people knew this was going to happen before the game started. I spoke to friends and said: 'How many do you think it’s gonna be?’ And after the first goal went in I thought: 'Wow'.

"They’re just a team playing without any confidence, like they’re waiting at the gallows. It’s a sad state of affairs. It’s now a case of how quickly can we get to the end of the season? With the squad of players, they don’t have a chance [of staying up]. There are a number of reasons why they’ve end up with that squad, but I can’t see a way that they can even challenge to get off the bottom of the table, judging from what I’ve seen."

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United's first-half display against Mikel Arteta's side saw them go into the break 5-0 down and was described by Sky pundit Jamie Carragher as a "disgrace" and "one of the most one-sided games I've ever seen." Responding to those comments, Deane - a legend at Bramall Lane after his goals helped the Blades to back-to-back promotions into the top-flight - said: "I’ve been a professional footballer and the last thing you need to hear is personal criticism. Jamie has a stellar career and is very well respected.

"Those players on the pitch looked like they were caught in the headlights, playing against Arsenal – one of the best teams in Europe at the moment, playing against the team rock bottom of the league. Now you’re asking them to compete. We can look at the games and see it’s going to be a tall order, but it doesn’t help anybody to level that type of criticism at a team that we know is struggling already.

"It almost came across as personal, and I think that’s quite sad coming from someone who should know better. I’ve managed and know you have to have a level of empathy in these situations. Having been on the journey that I’ve had, it’s not easy when you’re one of those 11 and the whole nation is looking at you."