Chris Wilder's verdict on Sheffield United 0, QPR 0
Sheffield United navigating "trial and error" phase as Chris Wilder doubles down on season outlook
What was widely expected to be another crack at the Premier League this season has quickly turned into a scrap at the wrong end of the Championship table but Chris Wilder insists he is “enthused and excited” about what his Sheffield United side can still achieve this term. The Blades went into the current international break third bottom of the division.
That isn’t where anyone expected them to be after a third of the season but it is the reality that they must now face if they are to push on in the coming weeks and months, starting with a Steel City derby trip to Hillsborough after the current break.
Expectations may have shifted a little in the two months since Wilder returned to Bramall Lane, as the reality of the situation he inherited from successor and predecessor Ruben Selles really began to sink in.
But there is more than enough time left in the season for United to turn things around, especially given some of the players at Wilder’s disposal and the expectation of a fresh influx of players in January to rebalance a squad that is so obviously heavy in some areas and alarmingly light in others.
Speaking after Saturday’s goalless draw with QPR, which arrested a three-match losing streak ahead of the derby, Wilder was asked if he believes January could be a turning point. “Yeah, but I think up until January is a turning point as well,” he admitted.
Sheffield United navigating "trial and error" phase as Chris Wilder doubles down on season outlook
“I'm enthused and excited about what we can achieve. I'm disappointed that, over the last four games, we've shot ourselves in the foot, but I'm enthused about working with this group of players. From a points perspective I've not got enough out of them and we've not got enough collectively. We all understand that.
“The manner of results has been really disappointing. The manner of the goals that we conceded have been really disappointing. I'm working my way through it. I’m working it out regarding players - who's going to be on the journey, who isn't, who takes us forward.
“As every manager does when they come into a club. It's a little bit trial and error. You are finding out bits by the day and by the game. But we'll get there. Especially with the support being as positive as it has been.”
In the build-up to the QPR game Wilder acknowleged that there may be some negativity around Bramall Lane after three defeats but the majority of Unitedites recognised a fully-committed display from their side which, on another day, could easily have produced a comfortable three points.
“This was a game that really could have gone south for us, really, if we'd have not got it right,” Wilder added. “I understand that, because there's an expectancy around this place.
“And rightly so. But we didn't allow that as a team. The players and myself didn't allow that. The supporters grabbed hold of it. I think they understand the situation just as much as anybody.”
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