28th June Neil Warnock is set to start his summer team-building plans with the signing of defender Steve Yates from Tranmere on a free transfer. He is expected to put pen to paper next week when his contract expires, after agreeing terms with boss Warnock and deciding against extending his stay at Prenton Park. Yates can play in both the centre-back role or at full-back, he was a virtual ever-present for Dave Watson's side last season, playing in 44 games, taking his career total to over 500 appearances. Yates could be joined at Bramall Lane by a fellow Tranmere team-mate as Warnock has also invited Wayne Allison to train with the club next week as his Rovers contract also expires at the weekend.

26th June The Blades are hopeful that Stuart McCall will join before the players report back for the start of pre-season training next week. Neil Warnock hopes to add McCall's experience to the midfield department after releasing Georges Santos and Bobby Ford at the end of the season. McCall, released by Bradford, could be offered a player-coach role as a replacement for Keith Curle. The former Rangers and Everton star is likely to have received offers from other clubs. But the chance to remain in Yorkshire and get a foot on the managerial ladder may well appeal to him. Also, Carl Asaba should be fit and ready for pre-season training following his injury problems. Asaba missed the end of the season due to an Achilles injury and has been receiving treatment at Lilleshall. Specialists have now told him that he is on course to link up with the rest of the squad for the build-up to the big kick-off.

25th June The first Sheffield derby of the season has been put back a day to Sunday, September 1, kicking-off at 1.00pm. The decision was made following discussions between Wednesday and South Yorkshire Police. The corresponding fixture last season was also played on a Sunday. Owls chiefs wanted the fixture to remain on Saturday. But they bowed to pressure from South Yorkshire Police who made the request on safety grounds.

20th June Brighton have moved the date of their home game with United from Saturday, October 19 to the Sunday, because of parking problems in the town. The switch is Brighton's second in a matter of days since the fixture list for next season was first announced by the Football League. The clash was originally scheduled for the Saturday afternoon, with a normal kick-off time of 3pm, but it has now been altered. The city's park-and-ride scheme is not working on the Saturday, so the game will now be played the following day when things will be running smoothly.

18th June Paul Peschisolido is expected to be out of action until October after the striker was diagnosed as having a rare toe injury. The Canadian striker was dogged by the injury for a large part of last season and missed the final few months of the campaign. Medics struggled to get to the root of the problem until a specialist was flown in from the United States. It then emerged that Peschisolido is suffering from a problem which is rare among footballers; it is more commonly found in American football players. News of Peschisolido's injury places fresh emphasis on the need for Neil Warnock to bring in another striker before the start of the new season on August 10. With Carl Asaba struggling to shake off an Achilles problem, United could be faced with a real shortage in attack unless Warnock brings in a new striker.

13th June United will start the new season on August 10 at Coventry City, followed by the visits of Portsmouth on August 13 and Walsall on August 17. The first derby clash sees United travel to Hillsborough on August 31, with the return clash pencilled in for January 18, whilst the fixtures with Rotherham take place on September 14 (home) and March 1 (away). The season ends with the visits of Leicester on April 21 and Wolves five days later before the final game of the season at Watford on May 4.

12th June Robert Page has agreed a two-year contract extension which will tie him to The Blades until the summer of 2006. The 27-year-old defender initially arrived on loan from Watford at the start of the campaign before completing a £350,000 transfer in September. Page has further cause for celebration after being named as United's new skipper. The Wales international takes over from Keith Curle, who left last month after rejecting the offer of a new 12-month contract.

The Blades will play all their home reserve fixtures next season at Chesterfield's Saltergate ground. United have agreed a deal with Spirerites chiefs to let them use Saltergate for reserve fixtures next season. There was a similar arrangement in place for a spell in the mid-90s.

10th June Neil Warnock is meeting the board today to discuss the club's transfer plans, as he looks to strengthen his squad.
Warnock has drawn-up a list of potential signings and he will outline the financial implications of the deals. An experienced defender has provisionally agreed to join United and Warnock is waiting for the go-ahead to sign him. Warnock will hoping to be told that he can step-up his bid to bring in a striker. The addition of an experienced midfielder would not go amiss either following the departure of Georges Santos and Bobby Ford.

6th June Neil Warnock is poised to hold talks with the United board over the depth of the club's transfer kitty for this summer. The Blades chief has lined up at least two targets, but he still does not know how much is available to spend on strengthening the squad. A striker is high on Warnock's list of priorities after seeing his side struggle for goals last season, but the departure of experienced trio Keith Curle, Gus Uhlenbeek and Lee Sandford has also put fresh emphasis on the need for a defensive signing. Warnock has reached an agreement with a former top-flight defender - believed to be former QPR man Steve Yates, who has been released by Tranmere - but further transfer negotiations have been put on hold until Warnock's meeting with Blades chiefs.

1st June Simon Tracey might miss the start of the season after undergoing surgery on a knee problem. Wilko de Vogt is the only other experienced shot-stopper on the books at Bramall Lane and it would be risky to go into the new campaign without another keeper. United have been linked with Brentford keeper Paul Smith, and he could well emerge as a serious target for Warnock. Also, Steve Yates (Tranmere Rovers) and Jon Dyson (Huddersfield Town) have emerged as Neil Warnock's two main defensive targets. Yates was linked to The Blades earlier in the week as reports suggested that the 32-year-old was on his way to either Sheffield or his hometown club Bristol City.