Sheffield United defender Enda Stevens has admitted that the club's performances this season have been extremely underwhelming and has suggested that it is down to the players to address this issue.
After suffering relegation from the Premier League, the Blades would have been hoping to make a positive start to the 2021/22 campaign under the guidance of manager Slavisa Jokanovic.
However, despite showing some fleeting signs of promise, United's progress in the Championship has been hindered by a lack of consistency.
Currently 17th in the second-tier standings, the Blades are already seemingly out of contention for the hunt for automatic promotion as they are 20 points adrift of AFC Bournemouth.
Having failed to win any of their last four league fixtures, the Blades will be determined to get back on track by sealing a positive result in their showdown with Reading tomorrow.
Ahead of this clash, Stevens has revealed that he believes that United need to improve if they are to have any chance of achieving a relative amount of success in the Championship.
Speaking to The Sheffield Star about the current situation at Bramall Lane, the defender said: "It's not where we want to be but it's where we are and we've got to improve ourselves, pick up results and kick on if we want to have any chance to succeed this season.
"We just haven't played well enough, it's inconsistency and errors leading to goals.
"Not taking chances when they're there.
"It's a lot of things and it's down to us."
The Verdict
It is hard to disagree with Stevens' comments as the Blades have been incredibly disappointing this season.
As well as showing a lack of attacking creativity, United have made some poor defensive errors in the Championship which have cost them points.
Having helped the Blades achieve promotion to the Premier League by providing 11 direct goal contributions in 45 appearances during the 2018/19 campaign, Stevens has yet to reach the same heights this season as he is currently averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.57 in the second-tier.
If Stevens and his team-mates are able to step up to the mark over the Christmas period, the Blades could potentially close the gap between them and the play-off places.