I met up with a lot of old workmates in central Sheffield on Friday night (a retirement do) and s good few of them are lifelong Blades and have their fingers on the collective pulse at Bramall Lane. They all said Madine was very popular with the fans and seen as a lucky charm - they also liked the way as an old Wednesdayite he had gone native with the red and whites. They could see his limitations but thought he was committed, effective and a useful alternative to their other strikers. They wanted to keep him!

That surprised me, because what I have read in the national press was far more mixed about Madine's standing during his loan spell. But it seems that is not right. They love him down there.