It was not the start to Sheffield United's first season back in the Premier League that many had hoped for.

After a 12-year absence from the top flight, supporters were looking forward to seeing what headlines their team could grab as they rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest clubs in world football.

What they did not expect to see on the pages of the national media was a bitter battle for control of the club between the two former joint owners ending up in the High Court.

A year ago today, Prince Abdullah emerged from that courtroom the sole owner of Sheffield United and Kevin McCabe's time had come to an end.

There was still more work to be done, with the small matter of the transfer of assets still to be decided, but it marked the start of a whole new era for the club.

It was met with excitement and just three days later he held a press conference where he addressed supporters for the first time as sole owner.

'Talk is cheap, judge me on my actions' was his vow as he spoke about the future.

Not one for making false promises, Abdullah assured fans of his commitment to the club and to manager Chris Wilder.

It's only been 12 months, but so far he has delivered on those first words.

His biggest and best move is to bring all the club's assets, including the training ground, Bramall Lane and the hotel, back under the club's name making it more United than ever.

He gave Chris Wilder the green light to purchase Oli McBurnie and then Sander Berge in January.

He is on board with the Blades boss's vision for a top class academy to be built. Although not yet at the planning stage, he has confirmed that that is a long-term project that the club will invest in.

The Prince has also backed improvements to the current training ground at Shirecliffe and a state-of-the-art facility is to be built there as Wilder seeks to bring the club's infrastructure up to speed with the progress of the first team.

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The ground is looking better than ever with the South Stand having benefited from a lick of paint and there are also plans to remove pillars from the Kop to improve 'viewing experience for fans'.

The fact that he also owns Beerschot in Belgium has seen United benefit from that link, signing Ismaila Coulibaly recently and loaning him to the club to gain experience.

While not flush with the money that other Premier League owners have, something Wilder touched on earlier today when he said 'our owner gives as much as he can but he's not in the same league as three quarters of owners in the Premier League,' he did admit that he 'has given us as much as he can' to help him in the transfer market.

The budget for this season is one of the lowest, if not the lowest, in the league again due to United's current financial situation and although it's proving a difficult window for the manager, Blades fans should take some comfort from the fact that they remain a well-run club and is not in financial danger, unlike others who have spent millions and are suffering with points deductions and breaches of FFP.

An indication of whether he 'gets the club' was highlighted when they made the decision to freeze season ticket prices. How many clubs in United's position of finishing in the top 10 and in need of more funds would have seen that as a justifiable way of upping the price of tickets? That move was to be applauded.

It may only be 12 months since the court case came to an end, but United fans can be happy with what they have seen so far.

It's worth bearing in mind, that both Reg Brealey and McCabe got their stints in charge of the club off to great starts, but fell away before their exits.

Brealey led the club back from the dark days of the old Division Four, backing manager Ian Porterfield to bring Keith Edwards back. McCabe transformed the club and training facilities at the time and also took United to the top flight. And but for some bad luck in play-offs could well have done that again.

In the end, they were unable to sustain their good starts. The higher up the leagues Reg went the more difficult he found it to finance United at that level. And McCabe made errors following relegation that signalled the beginning of the end for him.

The Prince still has a long way to go before people can really nail their colours to the mast, but one year on from that verdict by Mr Justice Fancourt and he has certainly delivered on those first words.

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The next step though is his biggest challenge.

With Chris Wilder, this football club can go to a level it has never been at in its history, but he can't do it alone. There will come a time when United have to change their current transfer blueprint and Wilder will need much more support in the market.

It's been a difficult window for the Blades boss, his toughest yet, as he stands and watches a number of targets join Premier League rivals.

He said today, regarding Ollie Watkins' move to Aston Villa, that 'we are not in that market'.

But United will need to be at some stage if they are to remain competitive in a division that grows stronger with each passing year.

It's down to the Prince now to decide if he is on the same page as Wilder and shares his vision, or whether he opts to keep things as they are.