Chris Wilder acknowleges Sheffield United “negativity” on social media after Sunderland play-off defeat
You didn’t need to be an expert in Chris Wilder’s history and affiliation with Sheffield United to see the pain he was in in the aftermath of Saturday’s play-off final defeat to Sunderland. The anguish was written all over his face as, 90 minutes or so after Tommy Watson’s 95th-minute winner that sent his side to the Premier League, he dissected the events of the day with local journalists.
To lose in such a manner, having led for 75 minutes of the game, would be galling for any manager but given Wilder’s connection to this club, as a lifelong fan, former player and now manager in his second spell, it will have cut just that little bit deeper. Being the Blades manager is a position that gives him extreme pride but also comes with great responsibility, with the plan now to have some time away with his supportive family before returning later in the summer refreshed and ready to go again.
Almost 100 representatives and associates of the COH Sports group, which assumed control of the Blades from Prince Abdullah last summer after a protracted takeover process, flew into London for Saturday’s final at Wembley, before the main players in the group spoke with Wilder in the aftermath on Saturday night.
"I thanked the owners last night because they put on a bit of a gathering and were very supportive,” said Wilder, speaking over the weekend on Talksport. “And Stephen Bettis [the United chief executive] was very supportive of our efforts this season, while knowing that we have to go again.
“The owners have been incredibly positive. They were brilliant in supporting me in January, and their words last night meant a lot to me. They’re in it for the long haul. It’s a little bit of a bump in the road and we didn’t achieve what we wanted to, but we go again. From every low there come highs and hopefully next season we’re having a different conversation.”
In the same interview, Wilder acknowledged some “negativity” on social media but the owners’ support of him seems to mirror that of the majority of the United fanbase, especially after a season that saw United win a club-record 92 Championship points despite a raft of well-documented challenges in the summer following relegation from the Premier League.
Their season looked to be heading for a memorable conclusion when Tyrese Campbell’s goal put them ahead at Wembley but Harrison Burrows’ second being ruled out for offside after a VAR check changed the momentum of the final and Sunderland netted twice in the final 20 minutes to win promotion, through Eliezer Mayenda and then Watson with one of his final touches as a Sunderland player before joining Brighton and Hove Albion later this summer.
As we revealed earlier in the season, Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, the front-runners of COH Sports at the time before welcoming a number of business associates into the group running United, were impressed with Wilder’s work during the ongoing takeover uncertainty and rewarded him with a new deal towards the end of January, which will run until at least the summer of 2028.
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