Wilder not yet meeting the challenge

[Pedro Verde]

Without wishing to go OTT, I think that's rather the point - We were top six games ago, now with a couple more players missing we're going to the likes of Preston hoping that we don't get beat too heavily. The reason is simple, beyond the first 11 our squad isn't great.

More than a couple missing Fleck Duffy Coutts and Brooks I make that four, three of which are the heartbeat of our team. Not many sides in the Championship would be able to cope without their three main mid fielders.
You could cope with missing a striker, midfielder and a defender for a couple of games but not three main players from the heartbeat of your team

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

I'd much rather of our wobble now, consolidate in the New Year, and then finish the season strong. If we do make the play offs I'd rather be going in with a bit of form...

Wilder has produced miracles with this squad, and yes, losing our two best players was always going to be a challenge. I'm sure Wilder himself will admit he's struggling at the moment.

However, never before has the statement 'In Tufty we Trust' been more relevant. I'm sure he's thinking, get Fleck back, buy one or two options in January and let's have another go in the New Year....

 

[Pedro's Winger]

'The challenge' being? Continue to push for promotion will a newly promoted side on one of the smallest budgets in the division, whilst having injury/illness/suspension problems?

The challenge for Wilder, quite simply, is to avoid relegation this season. Anything else is a bonus.

The challenge was/is surely to find a way to cope with injuries and suspensions so we're not expecting to lose games like today.
Falling back on the excuse of we're trying to avoid relegation after deservedly gaining 36 points after 17 games or so is a bit weak.

 

[finlaytheblade]

Wilder out..........??????

Peaks and fucking troughs, didn't anyone expect them to happen? Yet when we lose the basis of our midfield with 3 players of significance missing, why is anyone surprised? Yet contrary to what I'd suggested, some of us are!

Not too long ago we achieved wonders, we'd beaten the pigs, were well placed in this division, and generally deserved what we achieved, but Coutts breaks a leg and we begin to unravel.
Anyone questioning Wilder's competence given what's happened must have bypassed all of this. Look at any successful manager, put them under the cosh, and see how they perform. This is a learning curve for CW, so my advice is give the guy some support. Just because he doesn't reflect a supporter's opinion doesn't suddenly make him mediocre. What it does is offer a test that he'll respond to, it might take a little time, but for fuck's sake please don't panic. I wrote a thread elsewhere suggesting that it won't be the end of the world if we don't achieve promotion this season. If this happens to be what coming up from Division 1 means, then I'll take it and see how we strengthen for next season.

Reading some opinions on here is like observing those parents who shout at their kids for not doing as the parent's expected. That's the way to improve your kids, give 'em a bollocking! So it is with critiquing a manager. For what it's worth, I hold Chris Wilder in high esteem. He may prove me wrong, he may disappoint, but I'll wager that he'll learn from this and become a better manager, and as a result we'll benefit.

We lost a game today, and by all accounts most of the players offered very little that impressed. So, let Wilder deal with this. If the likes of Carutthers, or anyone else, can't take their chance then it's likely they'll be moved on. It's not the mistakes that concern me, it's the way we respond to them. This is where CW will earn his corn. Don't forget, this time last season we were a Division 1 fixture, a part of that division's scenery, and a year on we're in the Championship, so panic if you want, but if you think that panicking will help you're wrong.

Wilder only knows how good the back up players are when they play,probably learns more about his squad during a turgid period which we are on now,
No excuses from him ,if players dont take there opportunity when it's there he will move them on,have some fans lost there faith in him already ?
This is the time when good managers earn there corn.

 

[BladeFisher]

Yes he did but we've now got one point against the bottom of the league team since Coutts' broke his leg.
I bet I'm not the only one who had Preston on their coupon today and Wilder needs to find a way of overcoming what currently seems inevitable.
Doesn't mean Wilder hasn't done a great job, just means he has to find a way to meet the current challenge and so far he hasn't.

At last some sense.

It's easy to look good when you're winning. When the going gets tough the tough get going. Let's see how tough Wilder is. So far it's not looking good.

He should have bored his way to a draw against Bristol City instead of going gung ho. Derby's manager said today about Bruce that he knew when to be gung ho and when to be more circumspect. I thought of Wilder when he said it.

Chris Wilder is a really great sounding manager. Brilliant, but he's got to dig deep, along with Knill to sort the current crisis out. Last time he had a crisis he changed formation. Sadly with a 'Dundeed' squad, that ain't an option at the moment.

If we haven't won by the time we play the pigs expect Andrex production to be going into meltdown in the week prior.

 

[Tunstall Fred]

At last some sense.

It's easy to look good when you're winning. When the going gets tough the tough get going. Let's see how tough Wilder is. So far it's not looking good.

He should have bored his way to a draw against Bristol City instead of going gung ho. Derby's manager said today about Bruce that he knew when to be gung ho and when to be more circumspect. I thought of Wilder when he said it.

Chris Wilder is a really great sounding manager. Brilliant, but he's got to dig deep, along with Knill to sort the current crisis out. Last time he had a crisis he changed formation. Sadly with a 'Dundeed' squad, that ain't an option at the moment.

If we haven't won by the time we play the pigs expect Andrex production to be going into meltdown in the week prior.

Agreeing with a Pig,slating our manager who got us top of the league,and currently sit in the play off places

 

[Sean Thornton]

Let be honest we given the complete lack of any substantial investment in the squad, compared to the rest in the division, we would all have taken mid table before the season started and that looks like where we will end up

Wilder has worked miracles

Wilder is not surprisigly struggling with half a team out but it also reinforces the fact that if the board don' t invest 'Championship money 'it will be difficult to take the club further.

We don't have"championship" money.

Is that so hard to grasp?

Selling Brooks may give CW something to work with but as he's already valued at£20m on here, there's further disappointment ( actually balancing delusion) on its way if he does go.

 

[Davalon]

In fairness it's still only a minority of Blades getting tetchy but this was my fear earlier in the season once we started our rise.

A few I know getting carried away and saying they knew we'd do well and there's no reason why we wouldn't do what Bassett did.

Trouble is it's often those types who are first to throw the teddies out when the downturn starts.

 

[finlaytheblade]

At last some sense.

It's easy to look good when you're winning. When the going gets tough the tough get going. Let's see how tough Wilder is. So far it's not looking good.

He should have bored his way to a draw against Bristol City instead of going gung ho. Derby's manager said today about Bruce that he knew when to be gung ho and when to be more circumspect. I thought of Wilder when he said it.

Chris Wilder is a really great sounding manager. Brilliant, but he's got to dig deep, along with Knill to sort the current crisis out. Last time he had a crisis he changed formation. Sadly with a 'Dundeed' squad, that ain't an option at the moment.

If we haven't won by the time we play the pigs expect Andrex production to be going into meltdown in the week prior.

Your following the wrong team if you think Wilder will settle for a draw (try Burton )
It takes time to build a squad with a winning mentality and any players who settle for a draw will be shown the door, it takes bravery to come through a barren patch ,this is the time to see which ones are on the same page as Wilder, mental strength is what he's looking for not just football technicality.
A few are going to fall by the wayside and I beleave Wilder won't stop to pick them up.
Harry Bassett had a similar approach .Being a tough taskmaster is the only way
You can be successful playing the Wilder way,will be interesting who gets left behind as he builds his squad in January

 

[Guesty]

More than a couple missing Fleck Duffy Coutts and Brooks I make that four, three of which are the heartbeat of our team. Not many sides in the Championship would be able to cope without their three main mid fielders.
You could cope with missing a striker, midfielder and a defender for a couple of games but not three main players from the heartbeat of your team

Come now, the bad form started before Fleck, Duffy and Brooks missed out. I wasn't talking about today, but from Coutts' injury. With him out and Baldock/Freeman injured at RWB, we've struggled mightily.

Yes, today we had three more missing but let's not pretend we were doing grand up til then.

 

[Bartleby]

Let be honest we given the complete lack of any substantial investment in the squad, compared to the rest in the division, we would all have taken mid table before the season started and that looks like where we will end up

Wilder has worked miracles

He has, and he could have easily just taken the easy option of reminding everybody of that when we were riding high at the top. But he didn't, he chose to raise the bar, was clearly not one to sit on his laurels and talk of over achievement and consolidation like a lot of managers would have done at that point.

So now he has shown the rest of the footballing world that he can build a team capable of automatic promotion from this division. That now needs the backing to be translated from a team to a squad capable of automatic promotion or we ru n the risk of losing him.

 

[Keen Blade]

Wilder only knows how good the back up players are when they play,probably learns more about his squad during a turgid period which we are on now,
No excuses from him ,if players dont take there opportunity when it's there he will move them on,have some fans lost there faith in him already ?
This is the time when good managers earn there corn.

Listen to CW post match interview - he isn't gonna tolerate that kind of display from ANY team that he puts out - lost individual battles all over the pitch - the axe will likely fall on some in January.

 

[Tom Bott]

Last season fringe players all contributed to a significant degree. Not the case at this current point in time.

Yes but in division 1.

This is not.

 

[Tom Bott]

When the going gets tough the tough get going. Let's see how tough Wilder is. So far it's not looking good.

So at the beginning of the season what position did you really expect us to be in now ?

Are we turning in to a bunch of MASSIVE dillusionalists.

Before you know it we will be calling for Clueless to be our manager because he took a team of no hopers to, two play offs.

They have wasted 12/15 million, and with little hope of sweet FA this season will be f""cked next season.

ILWWT.

UTB.

 

[blade too long]

I'd wonder if man city would look so invincible if they lost their entire creative midfield. We are missing Freeman Duffy Fleck Coutts Brooks and Evans out of the team that beat wolves. I don't care which team of the 92 you pick but losing half your first choice team is going to effect the way you play. We've bèen below acceptable standards v millwall and now Preston. Still not the time to panic just hope to get back some of what's missing.

 

[ryza]

In a sadistic way I'm kind of enjoying this run of bad form.I'm looking forward to the JTW and seeing what Wilder can do to get us out of this rut.

We're still 10 points ahead of them as well..

 

[finlaytheblade]

I'd wonder if man city would look so invincible if they lost their entire creative midfield. We are missing Freeman Duffy Fleck Coutts Brooks and Evans out of the team that beat wolves. I don't care which team of the 92 you pick but losing half your first choice team is going to effect the way you play. We've bèen below acceptable standards v millwall and now Preston. Still not the time to panic just hope to get back some of what's missing.

I don't think Wilder is being critical of the lack of nous we are showing in away games ,it's the attitude ( losing individual battles ) losing key players would weaken any team.
He expects as we do ! players going out there and giving it there best shot,once he allows players to take there foot off we will slide into mid table, that's the problem he faces just now.When the going gets tough the tough ( mentally ) get going, I'm sure Wilder will find away.

 

[Harrisblade]

Not up to the challenge?

I thought the challenge this year was to stay up and consilatate

It was - until we won a couple of games and unleashed the massiveness

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Tough injury run but one way or another Wilder's not found a way.
At the moment it's hard to see where another win's coming from and it's not clear Wilder knows how to set us up in the absence of key players.
Maybe there's simply nothing he can do but going a bit more negative, even a bit long ball, scrapping a few draws might not be a bad idea in the short term.

I think your thread is really poor mate, I honestly do. The reason why I say that is because it lays the blame at Wilder's door for not being able to get his team to play to the same standard, when, as yesterday, it was minus 4 key players, Fleck, Duffy, Coutts, Brooks. You suggest Wilder doesn't know how to set up the team in their absence. I think you touched on it in your next sentence when you said "maybe there's nothing he can do" - but then you add a "but" - and suggest that tactically he's got it wrong and should be resorting to a more negative, long-ball, style of football and going for a draw.

I'm really glad you're not the manager! For your edification, we played plenty of long-balls yesterday at Preston - too many actually. It was better when we didn't! The facts are, remove 4 players from the squad like those 4 and you have a major impact on the performance of the team. The midfield is the beating heart of this team and yesterday it was like we'd had a by-pass. Wilder did nothing wrong and it's poor that you are so quick to look to blame him. You're not the same guy that posted "the job's too big for Wilder" after 2 games last season are you? If not, I think you have something in common with that person for sure.

I tell you what Wilder can do - and it's this...

He can be sure now that some of his fringe players are not worth keeping on the payroll and get rid of them in Jan.

He can be sure also that he needs reinforcements in midfield and attack.

He can be sure that no matter what a fantastic job he's done for this club so far, on little or no money, there'll always be some folk, masquerading as "supporters", who are keen to put the boot in at the first opportunity.

 

[blade too long]

Wilder is expecting more out of replacements .but it's easier to put in one or two and they can bed in to a settled team . But when there's out of necessity 5 /6 or so coming in it's more major surgery than just a sticking plaster. Just now the balance of the teams off. Instead of balancing on a high wire with a balance pole we are carrying a piano

 

[super_pig]

wilder has my backing even if we get relegated.. i have a simple rule for managers.. are we higher than when they took over?

 

[I should coco]

We don't have"championship" money.

Is that so hard to grasp?

Sadly, it is for many. Still, that doesn't stop hundreds of posts asking for the non existent money to be spent.

We lost £6m last year. but of course this 'doesn't count' as it is an inconvenient fact. I blame our bloody Money Tree for not stepping up to the plate.

Why have the board stuck with a L1 money tree and not invested in a bigger Championship one?

 

[Woodwardfan]

Will be a different game against Villa next week. Shouldn't be fearing it, whatever injuries we've got.

Apart from everything else, we're really not suited as things stand for going up against these scrappy, in-your-face sides on their own patches. QPR, Millwall, now Preston - flopped each time (even with Coutts, even with Fleck).

We need a Ryan Leonard type, with an engine but who can play a bit. Just hope that him getting himself sent off today is a sign he's on his way out at Southend.

Whiteman.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Wilder out..........??????

Peaks and fucking troughs, didn't anyone expect them to happen? Yet when we lose the basis of our midfield with 3 players of significance missing, why is anyone surprised? Yet contrary to what I'd suggested, some of us are!

Not too long ago we achieved wonders, we'd beaten the pigs, were well placed in this division, and generally deserved what we achieved, but Coutts breaks a leg and we begin to unravel.
Anyone questioning Wilder's competence given what's happened must have bypassed all of this. Look at any successful manager, put them under the cosh, and see how they perform. This is a learning curve for CW, so my advice is give the guy some support. Just because he doesn't reflect a supporter's opinion doesn't suddenly make him mediocre. What it does is offer a test that he'll respond to, it might take a little time, but for fuck's sake please don't panic. I wrote a thread elsewhere suggesting that it won't be the end of the world if we don't achieve promotion this season. If this happens to be what coming up from Division 1 means, then I'll take it and see how we strengthen for next season.

Reading some opinions on here is like observing those parents who shout at their kids for not doing as the parent's expected. That's the way to improve your kids, give 'em a bollocking! So it is with critiquing a manager. For what it's worth, I hold Chris Wilder in high esteem. He may prove me wrong, he may disappoint, but I'll wager that he'll learn from this and become a better manager, and as a result we'll benefit.

We lost a game today, and by all accounts most of the players offered very little that impressed. So, let Wilder deal with this. If the likes of Carutthers, or anyone else, can't take their chance then it's likely they'll be moved on. It's not the mistakes that concern me, it's the way we respond to them. This is where CW will earn his corn. Don't forget, this time last season we were a Division 1 fixture, a part of that division's scenery, and a year on we're in the Championship, so panic if you want, but if you think that panicking will help you're wrong.

Wilder will be sensitive to the support and backing from us fans right now. Lets show him what we think of him!

 

[Northyorksblade]

Drama Queen alert
Did you actually expect to get more than a point out of todays game with a mid field of Basham Lundstram and Carruthers

I did

 

[HillmortonBlade]

Wilder will be sensitive to the support and backing from us fans right now. Lets show him what we think of him!

Somehow I think Wilder knows exactly how the fans think, react, hope. He knows our expectations as well as any of us.

He has a HUGE reservoir of support and respect from us. Based on the performances since joining us.

 

[Iceybabey]

Yes but in division 1.

This is not.

As CW says, the goal posts haven't moved. Squad players are not exempt.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Not up to the challenge?

I thought the challenge this year was to stay up and consilatate

that is subjective as to where you and others thought the team would finish.

Quite a few were top half - some brave enough to pick top 3 to 6.

Some of the less enjoyable comments were "I'd be happy to finish 4th bottom"

This team was and still could be good enough to finish 5th or 6th. Coutts injury has changed all of the thinking and the JTW is now a vital period. It will show how ambitious the club actually is. Given our present position, I doubt consolidation is even in CW's vocabulary, but the support he gets in terms of money to invest may well determine how long CW wants to stay. We won't have a better chance than what we have been presented with.

We need Paul Mitchell to pull a couple of rabbits out of the hat.

UTB

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

We need to buy in January and I don’t mean the plans to spend about £3m on two or three players, in the current market you won’t get much better than the quality we have in the back up squad now.

We need to spend around £7 - 8m on three players (two midfielders and a forward) if that is beyond the currrent owners limits then they have taken us as far they can.

The January transfer window is not for big signings - just look how successful it was in S6 last year, and they are paying the price now. It is for improving the squad, bringing in solid cover, perhaps a promising kid on loan. But where do you find a Couutts replacement in January? An ageing Premier League reserve? A top midfielder in our league? Would cost many millions. A midfielder from League 1? Possibly, but they have little time to adapt to United and the Chamionship. Look abroad? Same problem. Big signings in January are a huge risk, and could prevent us signing the players we need in the summer. I would love to be wrong, but I think that is the reality for us after 6 years in League 1.

 

[FriethBlade]

Sadly, it is for many. Still, that doesn't stop hundreds of posts asking for the non existent money to be spent.

We lost £6m last year. but of course this 'doesn't count' as it is an inconvenient fact. I blame our bloody Money Tree for not stepping up to the plate.

Why have the board stuck with a L1 money tree and not invested in a bigger Championship one?

If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. McCabe hasn't got the money to take the club to the next level. He tried to rectify this by bringing the Prince in but that has proved as successful as his appointment of Brian Robson.

If he can't find additional investment ( and who wants to sink tens of millions into something for a minority control ?) we have to accept our lot as it seems, rightly or wrongly, he's got no intention of selling.