Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp has claimed his side are back where they were when Chris Wilder took over five years ago.
The Blades were a mid-table League One side when Wilder arrived at Bramall Lane, but finished ninth in the Premier League last season after a meteoric rise.
They have since regressed at an alarming rate and with relegation all but a certainty, Wilder left the club last week after falling out with the board.
The Blades were thrashed 5-0 at Leicester on Sunday in their first game since Wilder's departure and Sharp expressed his sorrow at the state of the club and his former manager's exit.