Sheffield United and the reality of Premier League 'Promised Land' - Alan Biggs

I’m not sure any of this applies more to the Premier League than the Championship; arguably a great deal less.

Which is not to say there is no disappointment around Bramall Lane at narrowly missing promotion, only that it has quickly become secondary to an enthusiasm for more of the same from last season.

Note the word “disappointment.” Not outright dejection or devastation. There was heartbreak only in the unlucky manner of play-off defeat to eventual Wembley winners Nottingham Forest.

And in that final itself, there seemed to be signs of a welcome decline in what has become a desperation to reach the top flight.

It is no longer some sort of “promised land.” Those who have seen the landscape in recent years - like Sunday’s very unfortunate losers, Huddersfield Town, and United themselves - know that it is seldom more exciting and satisfying.

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The so-called “£200m game” has become exactly what it says on the tin; more about money and club owners than football supporters.

Only when a club needs promotion out of financial necessity, usually because it has recklessly overstretched, is a Championship play-off final anything like a life-or-death struggle.

I felt for Huddersfield last weekend, but mainly over the injustice of major decisions, not through fearing for their future.

Equally - and here Blades fans can be a touch thankful, albeit rightly questioning of the ambition of the club’s hierarchy - there should be no obvious threat to United competing hard in the second tier again next season.

In fact, some fans - not all - prefer it this way, hoping with realism that they will see their team win more than they lose. This backed up by some welcome and overdue communication from the top of the club, reassuring in content, as called for in a recent column.

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Just maybe we are seeing the start of a saner road for football. With a much-needed regulator on the horizon, the hope is that, for outfits like the Blades, it will no longer be a case of promotion at all costs.

While ensuring that promotion to the Premier League - and crucially staying there for a significant period - are increasingly achievable targets.

At that point, maybe we can again be heartbroken when our sides miss out.

But right now it should be a warning to those at the top of the game, with their avaricious agendas, that a significant number of football people are losing their raging appetite for joining them.