Sheff Utd vs West Ham rivalry - Tevez, Sean Bean and Neil Warnock's son in tears
Sean Bean, the Hollywood star who brought Richard Sharpe to life on ITV, will forever be known for his glittering acting career.
Yet there was a time when Bean was at the heart of one of the Premier League's biggest ever controversies: Sheffield United's relegation in 2007. The Blades dropped out of the division after Carlos Tevez inspired West Ham to four consecutive wins at the end of the season - but the Hammers had broken transfer rules to sign the Argentine star.
The saga triggered a rivalry between United and West Ham, one which lasts to this day. The two teams will renew their bitter contest at Bramall Lane on Sunday. Here's the story of what happened - including a row between Bean and United boss Neil Warnock.
The story starts in 2002 when Bean, who was born in Sheffield, joined the board of his boyhood club. It was the start a golden era for the South Yorkshire side, as they reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and League Cup in 2003 before achieving promotion to the Premier League in 2006. And for a while, it seemed as if the Blades would stay up.
United defeated Watford 1-0 in April 2007 to move three points clear of the relegation zone with two games to go. The Hammers were still stuck in the relegation zone at this point, but they were gathering momentum thanks to Tevez's talismanic attributes.
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West Ham raised eyebrows on deadline day in August 2006 by signing Tevez and Javier Mascherano, two of Argentina's brightest talents, from Brazilian side Corinthians. The pair had been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.
Premier League fans were stunned by the double coup. They couldn't figure out how West Ham, one of the division's weaker teams at the time, had signed the pair when bigger clubs were interested. As it turned out, they had not played by the rules.
The Premier League charged West Ham in March 2007 for breaching their rules over third-party ownership of players. Tevez's and Mascherano's contracts were held by a company belonging to agent Kia Joorabchian before their switch to Upton Park.
Carlos Tevez inspired West Ham to safety 17 years ago (Getty Images)Do you remember Sheffield United's relegation from the Premier League in 2007? Let us know in the comments below!
The Blades and other teams around the bottom three, including Wigan, wanted to see Tevez banned from playing for West Ham and a points deduction imposed. Mascherano had already left London by this point, having joined Liverpool in January 2007.
Tevez also had a slow start to life in the Premier League but started to hit form just as West Ham were charged. Yet the Premier League controversially refused to impose a points deduction or stop Tevez from playing, giving them a £5.5million fine instead.
That was a huge amount of money at the time, a record fine even. But it was nothing compared to the value of the Premier League's new TV deal, which was coming in the following season. Never had staying in the Premier League been more lucrative.
Wigan defeated the Blades on the final day of the season to stay up (Getty Images)With their fate decided, West Ham got to work. They won three consecutive games heading into the final day of the season to give them a chance of staying up. To survive, the Hammers needed to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
They did exactly that, as Tevez scored the only goal in a 1-0 win. It was a controversial game, as Sir Alex Ferguson - having already secured the Premier League title - deployed a weaker side with the FA Cup final in mind. Chelsea went on to win the tie 1-0.
West Ham's victory meant the Blades needed to avoid defeat at home to Wigan to stay up, but the Latics had to win themselves to survive. It was a final-day shootout between the two relegation rivals, one which Wigan won 2-1 thanks to David Unsworth's penalty. It was a cruel blow for United, as Unsworth had started the season at Bramall Lane.
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Angry United fans, including Bean, were left in disbelief. In his autobiography 'Made in Sheffield', Warnock claimed Bean stormed into his office "worse for wear" and "started swearing" at his wife Sharon and son - "reducing a five-year-old kid and his mum to tears".
Sean Bean and Blades fans protested against the club's relegation (Getty Images)Bean denied Warnock's accusations and described them as "rubbish". The actor added: "I’ve got three daughters of my own and there is no way I would ever dream of using language like that in front of a child, no matter how upset I was."
The saga ended with Warnock leaving his role as manager and Bean stepping down from the board - but not before the Hollywood star led a campaign to get United reinstated to the Premier League at West Ham's expense. Bean led a delegation of United fans to the Houses of Parliament to plead their case, but West Ham remained in the top flight.
Yet not all was lost. United announced their intention to sue West Ham in August 2007, with the Hammers describing their case as "desperate". The Blades won their legal battle in September 2008, as the Londoners agreed to stump up £25m.
United boss Chris Wilder, who was reappointed by the club last month, described their rivalry with West Ham as "water under the bridge" in 2019. Yet it'll take a long time for this row to fade. It'll be fascinating to see how their latest meeting plays out on Sunday - just don't expect Bean and Warnock to be sitting alongside each other in the stands.
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