Jimmy Sirrle was installed as the Blades new man in charge for the 1975-1976 season and it did not go according to plan for the new gaffer as they found themselves in rock bottom position by the end of the campaign, a 22nd place finish. They were far from impressive in the domestic cup tournaments, finishing off in the third round in both competitions, including a 3-0 thrashing in the FA Cup against Leicester City.
The following season was a long one for Sheffield United as they were far from brilliant in the second division, finishing the campaign off in 11th place and reaching the third round of the FA Cup.
Harry Haslam was installed as the new manager in time for the 1977- 1978 campaign and improvement was essential. They some how faired even worse in the league in comparison to the previous year, finishing off in 12th position. They endured a nightmare FA Cup competition as they suffered an embarrassing 5-0 defeat against Arsenal in the third round.
After 16 years playing for the club, Alan Woodward left the club however the blades purchased Argentinean ace, Alejandro Sabella for £160,000 and Bob Hatton. The blades however, were surprisingly poor after plenty of expectation. They plummeted in the second division and finished the season off in 20th position, relegating the club to the third division, the worst campaign in the history of their football career.
Everything got worse for Haslam and United during the 1979-1980 season as they were poor in the third division, finishing off the campaign in an unacceptable 12th place. They bowed out of the league cup in the first round, suffering defeat against Doncaster Rovers.