Chris Wilder's position as Sheffield United boss

[Addison]

Well, I mean, that's seemingly a good thing. But I doubt the Mail's editor took a complete flyer on the story. It read like it had been briefed by someone on Wilder's side.

So what's the truth.....

As I posted on the Football Director thread the Fail have picked up on the Athletics article yesterday and extrapolated it to read a DOF is to be appointed when it didn't say that. A paper that has Martin Samuels as its Sports Editor should never be trusted when it comes to Sheffield United.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Well, I mean, that's seemingly a good thing. But I doubt the Mail's editor took a complete flyer on the story. It read like it had been briefed by someone on Wilder's side.

So what's the truth.....

Not sure but why do folk seems to take the negative as gospel yet the positive gets put down as press speculation?
I’ve seen another person on Twitter with stronger links to the Prince suggesting it’s not DOF that Wilder is talking about. He said if it’s about SUFC then listen to Hemmingham and Sutcliffe not those re-reporting it.

 

[originaltrueblade]

I think his record in the transfer market over the last 2 seasons has been incredibly poor.
He may well have bought most players with a view to the future and they may well, all, come good.
Unfortunately that was not the correct thing to do, was it?
We are not a club who has the luxury of spending £120+ million on prospects.
We needed players who could produce the goods, do the job and make us better.
That has not happened.
I do not know what CW is playing at.

You can’t blame the Prince for not allowing 2 more signings in January.
Well I certainly don’t.
Let’s face it which players CW wanted would have come to the Lane and which, if any, would have made any difference?

Unfortunately we will never know owing to the broken promise

 

[BlairBlade]

Unfortunately we will never know owing to the broken promise

So this dreadful season is all due to a “broken promise”.
Really?
Don’t blame the Prince for not providing any more money.
CW’s track record in the market perhaps didn’t justify it.

 

[LondonBlade89]

Not sure but why do folk seems to take the negative as gospel yet the positive gets put down as press speculation?
I’ve seen another person on Twitter with stronger links to the Prince suggesting it’s not DOF that Wilder is talking about. He said if it’s about SUFC then listen to Hemmingham and Sutcliffe not those re-reporting it.

I’m taking neither as gospel (edit - just realised you maybe don’t mean me!). Who’s the guy on Twitter you mean? Phipps?

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

I’m taking neither as gospel (edit - just realised you maybe don’t mean me!). Who’s the guy on Twitter you mean? Phipps?

Nah Smith.

 

[bromtom]

This season needs to get concluded, then everyone can settle the fuck down.

Wilder is probably a little embarrassed, and disappointed that he's overseen us getting relegated and is a bit spiky and not open for discussions about the running of the club, he'll want to fix it all himself.

Prince has trusted the manager and his staff with funds and will be very disappointed with this season too, probably wants to tighten the purse strings with Covid and relegation, and try and recoup some losses from somewhere and lower running costs, which is fair enough.

Once we know where we're going to be mathematically, we can start to get a plan together and hopefully they'll sort it out. Wilder likes to get the first jab in though in the press conferences.

 

[BladeInIreland]

Some people have very short term memories if you consider CW's recruitment "brilliant" up until the Premier League. For every Duffy and Fleck there's a Carruthers and Evans. Which places his transfer record hit and miss at best.

He spent 3 or 4 windows chasing Ryan Leonard, Wilder was the cat that got the cream once we eventually signed him, and then proceeded to play him what... twice?? Similar story with Ricky Holmes (a player who Wilder had previously managed at Northampton). As an owner I would be asking questions of my manager if he's putting that much energy into signing players that never yield a thing for the team.

Ironically I think the recruitment last summer was significantly better than both windows in the previous season. At least there was a sense of long term squad rebuilding. But last year was very much a take a punt approach (which I think underlines Wilder's recruitment strategy full stop). And this might have been perfectly sustainable for a club our size in L1 and the Championship. But when you get to the Prem and with the fees and wages involved, the punts that don't come off are much more costly. And perhaps the board is taking more notice of this now. Last season we broke the club's transfer record with three consecutive signings, all of which turned out to be duds.

Anything that can make our recruitment more consistent and successful is welcomed by me. Whether that's a DoF or an investment in overhauling the scouting network I don't know.

He won't get it 100% correct. Nobody does. If you can recruitment your way to the premier league on a budget then you have recruited well no matter how many Ricky Holmes you sign.

 

[BladeInIreland]

I think his record in the transfer market over the last 2 seasons has been incredibly poor.
He may well have bought most players with a view to the future and they may well, all, come good.
Unfortunately that was not the correct thing to do, was it?
We are not a club who has the luxury of spending £120+ million on prospects.
We needed players who could produce the goods, do the job and make us better.
That has not happened.
I do not know what CW is playing at.

You may be right. You may be ITK.
However, who was his "left centre back" target. Did he go anywhere else?
Lingard - do you seriously think he would have come to the Lane? From some of the stuff that's been said on here, in the press, etc he was not interested and nor was the Preston player who went to Liverpool.
If what is going on with CW is that he is trying to position himself, get his point over, play his hand out a bit in public but not quite the full picture, etc he is going to fail.
If he has the club at heart - which is the only thing that matters - he should take anything he is concerned/worried about, wants clarification on, etc up with the Prince.
He should get on with his job and be thankful he has one as this season it has been nothing to write home about and with some justification some people will say it has been utterly woeful.
There could be any number of reasons for that, which may well be blindingly obvious, but he is the manager. He is in charge and whatever league we are in it is a results business and this season his results are dreadful.
Maybe he simply knows that and is trying to get sacked? Who knows because I am fucked if I do but I am becoming seriously nonplussed at whatever he is up to.
Maybe he thinks he has so much support that he can use that in whatever he is up to.
However, if you look elsewhere I see some guy name André Villa-Boas being touted as a good manager. All I know he is not GERMAN.

I agree we should have signed for the here and now but budget didn't allow it.

 

[BlairBlade]

This season needs to get concluded, then everyone can settle the fuck down.

Wilder is probably a little embarrassed, and disappointed that he's overseen us getting relegated and is a bit spiky and not open for discussions about the running of the club, he'll want to fix it all himself.

Prince has trusted the manager and his staff with funds and will be very disappointed with this season too, probably wants to tighten the purse strings with Covid and relegation, and try and recoup some losses from somewhere and lower running costs, which is fair enough.

Once we know where we're going to be mathematically, we can start to get a plan together and hopefully they'll sort it out. Wilder likes to get the first jab in though in the press conferences.

Let’s hope you are right.

I agree we should have signed for the here and now but budget didn't allow it.

Maybe.
But with the money at his disposal, and some healthy advice, which is always available on here and he would no doubt welcome, he might have done rather better than he did.

 

[Carlton Blade]

We spent bobbins (by PL standards) on young players who will give us 4/5 seasons with a profitable sell on value. The other route was Wilson, 2 ACL injuries, £100,000 a week, pushing 30. Same with King. Or anyone else with PL experience. We got there on a net spend of £6.4m and an ageing squad from the lower leagues. CWAK have effectively been penalised by the board for being too good at their job.

It's not Bobbins. It's real investment in a squad. For £100+m we've been unable to find a single player who's a definitive upgrade on the promotion team.

That's not being good at that part of the job

 

[Carlton Blade]

I agree we should have signed for the here and now but budget didn't allow it.

Are we genuinely going to say there wasn't a single player available for the finances United have better than who we signed? Not one?

 

[originaltrueblade]

So this dreadful season is all due to a “broken promise”.
Really?
Don’t blame the Prince for not providing any more money.
CW’s track record in the market perhaps didn’t justify it.

Like I said we will never know how it would have turned out

 

[BladeInIreland]

Are we genuinely going to say there wasn't a single player available for the finances United have better than who we signed? Not one?

There always is though and personally I believe most of these suggested better players would have struggled the same as the ones we got.

 

[jono_t2000]

My gut feeling is that CW has taken us forward at an incredible pace and we will all be thankful for that. But has taken us as far as he can imho.

I have a feeling that Chris is not adaptable enough and too mardy when doesn't get his own way and wants full control of everything.

Sorry not going to happen Chris. Not ITK but have been told their are additional wealthy Saudi investors waiting on the sidelines for CW to depart so they can bring in a DOF, sign european players, increase wages and build new training ground.

But... They will NOT invest whilst CW has so much power.

 

[BladeInIreland]

Let’s hope you are right.

Maybe.
But with the money at his disposal, and some healthy advice, which is always available on here and he would no doubt welcome, he might have done rather better than he did.

Healthy advise is something im sure he would welcome. I don't think that is what he would be fighting against.

 

[HeySethUTB]

It’s clear having the intent to sign “the best championship players” sounds fantastic to us fans, but not actually having a wage structure to compete renders the implementation of the comments null and void. It’s also clear that because of this the second band of championship players aren’t premier league quality. A continuous cycle of this strategy may result in promotion but inevitably we stand to be relegated from the premier league.

If Wilder is to walk because he can’t get his own way regarding transfers and slight role change, then I would feel hard done by when this man has said statements to the extent of “not going to spunk money“ and “we need to look after the club in financial sustainable way”. Please wilder, Just have a look on the continent for talent that could be and possibly is cheaper. Strange isn’t it that if this was a player asking for more money (Duffy) after being told his role may change, we and certainly wilder would be telling them to do one, but when a manager is in the same situation it’s for the club despite in some cases performing poorly in the transfer market and season overall.

 

[Carlton Blade]

There always is though and personally I believe most of these suggested better players would have struggled the same as the ones we got.

Maybe. My biggest gripe is how unimaginative and blinkered our approach to recruitment is. Nobody wants to be Fulham but to not use loans or look to other leagues is tough to accept sometimes

 

[BladeInIreland]

My gut feeling is that CW has taken us forward at an incredible pace and we will all be thankful for that. But has taken us as far as he can imho.

I have a feeling that Chris is not adaptable enough and too mardy when doesn't get his own way and wants full control of everything.

Sorry not going to happen Chris. Not ITK but have been told their are additional wealthy Saudi investors waiting on the sidelines for CW to depart so they can bring in a DOF, sign european players, increase wages and build new training ground.

But... They will NOT invest whilst CW has so much power.

I find that hard to believe (that its true not that you were told this)

The Prince was in a position that he could sack wilder without a huge fuss. If that was the stumbling block to serious investment he would have done it on the losing streak.

 

[HeySethUTB]

Maybe. My biggest gripe is how unimaginative and blinkered our approach to recruitment is. Nobody wants to be Fulham but to not use loans or look to other leagues is tough to accept sometime

Stubborn is what it feels like Carlton Blade purposefully or not, limiting the amount of options and solutions never allows anyone or anything to develop instead overtime it becomes monotonous cycle of stagnation. Like going to a restaurant with a fussy eater who has the choice of 3 menus and sticks “to what they know“ despite being underwhelmed by the result.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Stubborn is what it feels like Carlton Blade purposefully or not, limiting the amount of options and solutions never allows anyone or anything to develop instead overtime it becomes monotonous cycle of stagnation. Like going to a restaurant with a fussy eater who has the choice of 3 menus and sticks “to what they know“ despite being underwhelmed by the result.

Great analogy

 

[VonBrysonsExpress]

Southampton likely to be looking for a new manager. Chris' stock may never be higher, higher than the club's at the moment. I'd like him to stay, another go at promotion, but even as a huge blade perhaps he's weighing options and making noises all managers make at some point in their careers.

 

[BladeInIreland]

Maybe. My biggest gripe is how unimaginative and blinkered our approach to recruitment is. Nobody wants to be Fulham but to not use loans or look to other leagues is tough to accept sometimes

I agree. Despite what some people are now saying our historic recruitment under wilder was a sucess and it followed a certain criteria. I would probably say it hasn't carried over easy to the premier league. Wilder wants good characters aswell as good players. It is a big part of the club. Previously he had contacted people within the game for references on players. Why we can't extend this into a European setting I don't know. Surely he could build contacts in different leagues with peoples opinions that he trusts. You don't just get "good lads" in the UK . However nobody knows what he needs more than Chris himself and any attempt to fix this has to have him calling the shots.

 

[Snowflake]

Don't agree with that part. He's essentially shown (as thing stand) that he's shite with big money transfers, is very limited in the market he dips into. He's leading us to one of the worse finishes on record as things currently stand. His attitude towards the board is somewhat laughable (imo) imagine getting arsey after wasting such a vast amount of money. If me, you, anyone for that matter acted like Chris is acting now, then we'd be quickly shipped out and unemployed. Think he should be thanking his lucky stars he's still got a job, because any ANY other manager and theyll have got the bullet a long time ago.

His transfers are fine and will stand the club in a good place, but they were not the Premiership standard ones that he wanted.
I don’t think that you can blame him yet about his transfer record based on one season.
Just because others clubs would have sacked him does not mean we are wrong: look at Norwich sticking with their manager and players.

 

[Snowflake]

Are we genuinely going to say there wasn't a single player available for the finances United have better than who we signed? Not one?

Not one that wanted to come here

 

[I should coco]

A paper that has Martin Samuels as its Sports Editor should never be trusted when it comes to Sheffield United.

This can't be repeated enough.

That cheating fat Spammer twat refused to accept the Tevez situation or that his beloved CheatinAmmers did anything wrong. He went out of his way to 'prove' third party control when we loaned players out, and had column inches to justify one of the stupidest positions, since Neville Chamberlain said Hitler was a man he could do business with and he had won 'peace in our time'*



* 9 pages in until this thread mentions Hitler. Not a proper internet discussion board!

 

[Danetheblade]

£100m over the next 3 seasons.

What's the point you're proving?

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

It's hard to know exactly what is going on but there are obvious failings and stubborness on both sides:

-The board did not properly increase our wage budget so we could sign established PL level players. Were the goal posts moved by the board after telling CW they were backing him on his main targets? Likely - and that's on the board if so.
-The board did give cash for transfers. Could that money have been used better by CW? Yes, so some blame there on the part of CW. BUT if the wages were not there from the board, the players CW signed were always going ot be a gamble. All in all, both sides have some blame to shoulder there
-CW has brought a lot of success doing things his way and having total control, giving him a strong argument that things do not need to change. BUT based on this season, CW's total control has not worked, and at times, he has looked like he needed help. Therefore, CW can't be too surprised the board want to tweak things. CW is being stubborn to the extreme, if he thinks it can just be status quo. Then again, they are trying to change a formula, that bar this season has worked miracles. Six on one and half a dozen on the other.
-CW did state that the transfer window was the best ever. It wasnt. CW didnt need to say that at the time. Stupid claim to make and put pressure on himself.
-CW has stuck to a system he believes works, but never seemed to accept he didnt have the players to play the system properly after JOC got injured. CW fault.
-CW completely ignored the midfield in the summer, when it was obviously struggling after the restart. That is also on CW.
-The players have made massive mistakes - not the fault of CW or the board
-Crucial injuries - nobody's fault
- Bad VAR decisions and no crowds - not CW or the board's faul at all.

All in all, a dire season like this is a combo and collection of failures at manager, player and board level ...and of course, circumstances. Both sides need to compromise for the good of the club. But when you have stubborn people.....

I can't see CW walking unless he is guaranteed a job elsewhere. Most managers dont walk these days, they lose too much money. Whether the relationship breaks down to the extent where CW is sacked, remains to be seen.

Uncertain times.

 

[Sharrow Snuff Mill]

I would imagine that CW wants the final say on who signs for the club.

I suppose the Prince might want a Director Of Football to decide on signings and then give them to the manager to coach and use as he thinks fit.

I can understand the point of view which says CW went a bit too fast in recruiting young players for the future, instead of buying some experienced ones to help consolidate our Premier League status.

My guess is that the Prince recognises that and wishes to put a filter on recruitment to protect his investment.

 

[jono_t2000]

It's hard to know exactly what is going on but there are obvious failings and stubborness on both sides:

-The board did not properly increase our wage budget so we could sign established PL level players. Were the goal posts moved by the board after telling CW they were backing him on his main targets? Likely - and that's on the board if so.
-The board did give cash for transfers. Could that money have been used better by CW? Yes, so some blame there on the part of CW. BUT if the wages were not there from the board, the players CW signed were always going ot be a gamble. All in all, both sides have some blame to shoulder there
-CW has brought a lot of success doing things his way and having total control, giving him a strong argument that things do not need to change. BUT based on this season, CW's total control has not worked, and at times, he has looked like he needed help. Therefore, CW can't be too surprised the board want to tweak things. CW is being stubborn to the extreme, if he thinks it can just be status quo. Then again, they are trying to change a formula, that bar this season has worked miracles. Six on one and half a dozen on the other.
-CW did state that the transfer window was the best ever. It wasnt. CW didnt need to say that at the time. Stupid claim to make and put pressure on himself.
-CW has stuck to a system he believes works, but never seemed to accept he didnt have the players to play the system properly after JOC got injured. CW fault.
-CW completely ignored the midfield in the summer, when it was obviously struggling after the restart. That is also on CW.
-The players have made massive mistakes - not the fault of CW or the board
-Crucial injuries - nobody's fault
- Bad VAR decisions and no crowds - not CW or the board's faul at all.

All in all, a dire season like this is a combo and collection of failures at manager, player and board level ...and of course, circumstances. Both sides need to compromise for the good of the club. But when you have stubborn people.....

I can't see CW walking unless he is guaranteed a job elsewhere. Most managers dont walk these days, they lose too much money. Whether the relationship breaks down to the extent where CW is sacked, remains to be seen.

Uncertain times.

Stop talking so much common sense.. you'll make the rest of us look bad