Sheffield United, Derby County and Norwich City facing the same issue - It needs to be fixed ASAP | OneFootball

The trio of clubs must address their woeful early-season home form

Sheffield United, Derby County and Norwich City have, historically speaking, been a trio of clubs often featuring in the top two divisions of English football amid varying levels of success and decline.

As a result, there has always been a great sense of expectation surrounding those on the pitch at either Bramall Lane, Pride Park and Carrow Road, with all three clubs renowned for having some of the most loyal sets of supporters right throughout the EFL and English football as a whole.

The Blades are currently in the thick of their second season back in the Championship after suffering relegation from the Premier League in the spring of 2024, with their predicament at present being well-publicised due to the most disastrous and chaotic starts under Ruben Selles and now Chris Wilder, who recently returned to his boyhood club for the third time.

Derby and Norwich are among a cluster of sides who narrowly sit above the Blades, who find themselves at the foot of the table, although John Eustace and Liam Manning will certainly be demanding more from their respective squads after a fair amount of activity at both clubs during the summer transfer window, although the prior backdrop at both clubs heading into the current campaign were rather different.

Regardless, as a period in which the second tier table often takes shape ahead of the crucial winter and spring period, there is one key issue which all three sides must address ASAP if they are to turn their fortunes around.

Sheffield United, Derby County and Norwich City must address poor home form

All three clubs, in the past, have been known for making their respective home grounds a clichéd 'fortress' in order to help achieve their short and long-term aspirations.

Last season, the Blades may have missed out on an immediate return to the Premier League as their play-off curse continued at Wembley Stadium, yet it was in S2 where 52 of their 90 points were accumulated, as only champions, Leeds United boasted a better return of 58.

In truth, form at Bramall Lane did take a minor dip at the back end of last season, with United winning just three of their final seven home matches at the worst possible time as automatic promotion fell out of reach. However, nobody could have foreseen their start to the current campaign being so contrasting under Selles and Wilder, as they remain just one of two sides to have lost all four home games on an aggregate score of 8-2.

Such a predicament was summed up on Tuesday night as the Blades let a 1-0 lead slip against Southampton in the space of seven minutes, with Norwich the other side pointless on home turf at present.

Just two campaigns ago, the Canaries posted the sixth-best home form in the regular season under David Wagner, with just under three-quarters worth of their 73 points coming at Carrow Road (50), before an inconsistent term last time out was summed up by the accumulation of just 38 points in East Anglia under Johannes Hoff Thorup and Jack Wilshire.

The aforementioned Manning, however, built Bristol City's play-off finish on home form, with the Robins' total of 46 points only bettered by last season's top three sides. However, such exploits haven't been on show in the opening weeks of his Norwich reign, as they still remain winless and pointless at Carrow Road following a 1-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion, despite creating, by far, the clearer chances in the 90 minutes.

Similarly, the Rams have been unable to cope with the pressure of playing at Pride Park since regaining their Championship status.

With the sole aim of consolidating their position in the division last term, neither Paul Warne nor Eustace could ease any fears of relegation in front of their home support, with a return of 32 points from 23 games the fifth-lowest in the second tier - only nine points better off than Hull City's divisional-low of 23.

Such fortunes haven't been altered yet either, as despite credible draws against Bristol City and Charlton Athletic, the Rams are one of six teams yet to register a home success in the opening weeks of 2025/26, which has to change sooner rather than later.

Poor home form hasn't affected average attendances at Sheffield United, Norwich City and Derby County

There have been several instances in the past when a poor run of home form has a significantly negative effect on average attendance figures.

Yet, as previously mentioned, the loyal fanbases who flock to Bramall Lane, Carrow Road and Pride Park have continued to stick by their team despite the frustrations which currently cloud the three stadiums when it comes to form, or in some cases, bigger decisions.

In the opening eight games of the season - four of which have been played at home - Derby have the fifth-largest average attendance in the division with 28,536, with United a position lower due to a figure of 28,022.

Unsurprisingly, with Carrow Road being a slightly smaller arena, Norwich's average attendance just about makes the top 10, but a number of 25,942 still deserves immense praise, much like the other sets of supporters in question.