What a mess. What must Sheffield United fans be thinking?
This was supposed to be a fresh start. A proper summer, to make up for the shambles of 12 months ago.
Instead what have we got? Claims that the current owners owe the former owners £35m - an amount that has never been disputed. Liquidators being called in. A mystery surrounding the next step.
Whenever something emerges from this story, such as the initial winding-up petition, the talk of a possible points deduction or possible repercussions from the EFL or Independent Football Regulator (IFR), the response is often dismissive. The current owners might as well be saying "nothing to see here".
Some fans have called it insulting and it's hard to disagree. Blades are reeling. Stressing. Wondering what happens next.
They deserve clarity.
Why are the current owners so dismissive? Do they intend, eventually, to pay whatever is owed and the story will go away? Their tone makes you want to believe that's the case but how can we know?
They've never done an interview. They communicate very little. It's often left up to the manager Chris Wilder or chief executive Stephen Bettis to face the music.
The uncertainty hangs over Bramall Lane like the darkest of dark clouds. It threatens to undermine the entire season too, a repeat of a year ago when the owners set up the team to fail under Ruben Selles before rushing back to recall Wilder to rescue the situation.
Let's park the possibility of points deductions for a second and just look at the squad. Midfielders Gus Hamer and Andre Brooks have been sold and need to be replaced and they need a defender.
For weeks the club has been linked to players like Harry Souttar and Anel Ahmedhodzic. Now reports suggest neither are likely to sign and the loan market will be the likely plan.
What's going on? Were they ever truly in for players of that calibre on permanent deals? What's happened to the money raised from the Hamer and Brooks sales? What is the financial situation at the club? Is the team just going to lapse into the middle of the pack, when the objective should be to avoid that at all costs?
The middle of the pack, of course, might be an achievement if a points deduction does end up happening.
Answers are needed here.
It can't be left for journalists to rock up to the next press conference and plead with Wilder for answers he probably can't give. The situation is too serious now to just let it fester whilst the liquidator does its job and we all wait to see what happens next.
There is a communications void that needs to be filled with some information, even if the words are not reassuring. United fans can handle the truth. They won't be able to handle silence.
At the moment the fans, the manager and the players are being let down. The club can't just drift along without anyone knowing what happens next.
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