Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder says talking about the West Ham United incident of 2007 makes him “cringe.”
That year the Hammers were fined for breaking ownership rules after the signings of Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez.
Tevez in particular had a huge influence on the latter stages of the 2006/07 campaign. The Argentine scored seven goals in the final ten matches to help West Ham avoid relegation.
In their place the Blades went down. Until this season it was the last time they played in the Premier League, waiting 12 years to return. That included some difficult times, including a six-year stay in League One.
They did take legal action, with West Ham eventually paying £20m in compensation – as reported by the Guardian.
Yet as Wilder puts it, that doesn’t bring back top flight football for the “generation that lost out.”
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Now the two sides will face each other in league action for the first time since the feud. However, Wilder – who has brought the good times back to Bramall Lane with two promotions in the last three years – doesn’t want to dwell on it.
“I cringe when people bring it up or want to talk about it,” the 51-year-old told the Telegraph.
“I came to the final Premier League game here as a punter. Obviously it has been a traumatic 12 years for the football club since – a few stories in that period that are not great.
“I want people to talk about this team, not injustices of the past. Enjoy this experience. What an opportunity to see these wonderful players at Bramall Lane.”
When Sheffield United will face West Ham
Although Wilder may not want to talk about it, there are likely to be many fans in South Yorkshire who still feel the injustice of their last Premier League campaign.
The two teams have met since in 2014, with the Blades seeking some sort of revenge when they won on penalties in the League Cup.
Now the clubs are on equal footing. So note down the trip to the London Stadium on October 26 and then the visit of the Hammers to Bramall Lane on January 11.