Sack Wilder

[Barnette]

Last time Wilder was in charge of us in the Prem we gave up attacking and hoped to snatch a goal via hoofball.

This time we're trying to press/attack but ultimately we can't so go backwards and still play hoofball.....and we give away the ball far too cheaply.

Wilder himself has gone backwards and so are we. He's not the answer and was a regressive appointment.

I reckon next week we'll be back to his previous tactics....10 behind the ball. At this point I think all we as fans want is not to be humiliated every week so bring it on for the rest of the season and then say goodbye to him please.

 

[Torrix1889]

Can we just get to the end of the season and appoint someone young with new ideas rather than change again and have another manager come under the cosh

100% this. Someone suggested there was a break clause in Wilders contract at the end of the season. Use it.

 

[dexter101]

iv heard Harry Potter / Graham Potter was in the ground .... why would he use a precious Sat night to watch us... unless (we can hope).

More likely he's being paid by someone as a consultant to look at potential players. After watching what appeared to be a villa training session I would be surprised if he ever bothers to visit BDTBL again. Unless he thought it was a half decent comedy night he watched

 

[DSB-91]

I don’t think we should sack Wilder now for the same reason I wasn’t calling for Hecky to be sacked. I don’t think it will make any difference. You could put Pep in charge of this team and they’d finish bottom.

Look at yesterday. Our defence and midfield simply couldn’t cope with being pressed. Our defensive line was all over the place constantly. That can’t be stuff the management staff aren’t aware of and aren’t trying to address in training. But this lot just aren’t capable of improving.

Having said that, I don’t want Wilder in charge next season. As others have said, we need to start doing things differently and not depend on passion or being a blade.

The one benefit Wilder coming back has is it hopefully kills this idea that some of our fans have that he’s the messiah and we can move on.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

I don’t think we should sack Wilder now for the same reason I wasn’t calling for Hecky to be sacked. I don’t think it will make any difference. You could put Pep in charge of this team and they’d finish bottom.

Look at yesterday. Our defence and midfield simply couldn’t cope with being pressed. Our defensive line was all over the place constantly. That can’t be stuff the management staff aren’t aware of and aren’t trying to address in training. But this lot just aren’t capable of improving.

Having said that, I don’t want Wilder in charge next season. As others have said, we need to start doing things differently and not depend on passion or being a blade.

The one benefit Wilder coming back has is it hopefully kills this idea that some of our fans have that he’s the messiah and we can move on.

Weirdly, i think he's not the worst shout for managing us next year. The rules of engagement are different in the Championship and keeping players energised and focused Sat/Tuesday for 9 months is a very different skillset to that required in the PL.

What is required is some sort of Technical Director/ Director of Football who can implement a 5 Year Plan of how to evolve the squad so we don't end up with 6 shit LBs and no centre midfielders, and we don't keep the same shit players around for 5 years at a time. Then when we are promoted back to the PL we're not scrambling around for rubbish from the Scandinavian Leagues and loans, but have a plan of what we're going to do

 

[Champagneblade]

I'm a wilder backer but I was surprised by tonight's line up.

I did not think Holgate should have jumped straight into starting. Surely he doesn't yet know enough about us.

Robinson is arguably our better performing defender, so for him to make way is a bit perplexing.

Osula and this isn't a crit on him, he's still raw. Archer has far more goals to his name to date in his career and looks more like scoring generally.
I can understand if it's for pace up top but I don't think we always need that.

Lastly Hamer splits opinion sometimes but he has to be in the line up.

Not gonna go too hard on RND, but he's not quite up to speed.

For me our starting line up should have been.

Wes,
Bogle, Anel, Robbo, Trusty, RND
Hamer, Souza,
McAtee
Archer, BBD

Personally I’d play the following:

Grbic
Bogle ??? Robinson Norrington-Davies
Hamer Souza Brooks
McAtee Archer Brereton-Diaz

Probably throw McBurnie and Osula on at differing times in the game.

Try to introduce Davies more and more.

Baldock if fully fit might push Bogle.

Toss of a coin for the other defender between who is available. You can make a case for both Anel and Trusty being rested. Maybe Holgate plays?

But I think that forward line contains the most likely goal scorers.

 

[Edinblade]

Was looking at the stats, just depressing how bad it has been:

View attachment 178595
View attachment 178596

Wilder has been an improvement, but it's still poor and in the whole season we have only managed a single game where we have comprehensively scored more xG than our component and we managed to lose that one!

In my view and the pundits last night, Wilder has not made any difference. His recruitment in January is an absolute disgrace and the team selection last night was terrible.

 

[Dan Emery]

Do we have any defensive midfielders who can actually defend and have the brain capacity to know when to sit and when not to (and can follow instructions)? If so, I think we need to stick with 3 at the back with 2 sitters and work from there. We need a solid base that doesn't concede soft goals with regularity. Although a different beast, Leverkusen shipped goals for fun before Alonso came in and this is what he immediately set about doing.

 

[CornwallBlade]

In my view and the pundits last night, Wilder has not made any difference. His recruitment in January is an absolute disgrace and the team selection last night was terrible.

This. I was on here at the time saying that bringing him back was a huge mistake. He was royally found it for his lack of technical ability last time and is, if anything, worse now. He picked the side and dictated the tactics. That starting line up and 1st half performance was entirely down to him. I don’t particularly blame the players- being asked to play in a way that guarantees a hammering every week would drain anyone of confidence and enthusiasm. They might be well paid professionals but underneath it all they’re human beings.
He completely out of his depth and the weekly ramblings in Ron the manager language shouldn’t fool anyone.

 

[Mario1889]

Failed in his jobs since he left us.

Should never have bought him back.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Failed in his jobs since he left us.

Should never have bought him back.

Blame surely rests with PA, he's the one who appointed Wilder.

 

[Kenworthy’s Tash]

Wilder has been a busted flush for a few years now, failed at his previous two clubs and left a reyt mess behind here, making it really hard for Hecky to get players in at the right quality.

Don't forget that if Hecky hadn't worked miracles and got us promoted last season, we would have been in financial oblivion thanks to Wilder. Brewster is the worst signing in Blades history.

Not sure what sacking Wilder will do but I'll be fuming if he's in charge next season.

 

[Kenworthy’s Tash]

That's not true really. He's been brought in because last time our squad needed a complete overhaul (remember Adkins) Wilder made a great fist of it and we had our best 3 or 4 seasons in recent memory. Will he do it again? I bloody hope so, but we're going to suffer a while yet before a rebuild can get under way. Prince didn't trust Hecky to do it. CW is very experienced in wheeling and dealing and building teams that win games. Let's hope he re-finds his mojo...

Aye, that new keeper is a reyt good start to the rebuild

 

[Blade56]

Bergen Blade - I’m not the brightest at understanding the nuances of football tactics but why did our defence take such a high line today? It left so much space behind which is ideal for Watkins and Villa.

Think Wilder tried a new system / tactic he’d seen ont telly box. Plus he leaves JLT out to fit cereal failure Holgate in with a new defence line and new way of playing, blokes a joke.

 

[Mag-83]

We should stick with Wilder and have a total and complete clear out of these cowardly, couldn’t care less shitbags that play for us. Luckily, most of these are out of contract in the summer so the rebuild can begin.

 

[crooked bladesman]

We should stick with Wilder and have a total and complete clear out of these cowardly, couldn’t care less shitbags that play for us. Luckily, most of these are out of contract in the summer so the rebuild can begin.

That is a blessing......but we will have to sign at least 11 players. I've not known us do that before. They are more than likely to be all free agents.

I hope there is no temptation to give any another year as we are simply struggling to sign players. We have had enough of these players.

 

[Englebert Wincobank]

Every time we’ve tried to change as a club & do things differently we get a disconnect with the manager. Slav, Adkins, Robson etc

I’ve doughs about whether CW is the right man for the rebuild next season but need to think about what might come next.

A Blessin type or a Puliis type appointment - talk of Potter is fantasy and Rosenior & McKenna would be mad to jump ship.

Those that say they don’t want emphasis on commitment and character are the same ones that pull the likes of Sander Berge to pieces.

 

[Bergen Blade]

Bergen Blade - I’m not the brightest at understanding the nuances of football tactics but why did our defence take such a high line today? It left so much space behind which is ideal for Watkins and Villa.

Think Wilder tried a new system / tactic he’d seen ont telly box. Plus he leaves JLT out to fit cereal failure Holgate in with a new defence line and new way of playing, blokes a joke.

I think Wilder is a bit ambitious about how he wants us to play. He's said before he wants us to go after teams. When he came here he reduced the size of the pitch to help us chase more effectively, giving them less space to hide, less space on the ball. If you're going to press high, the rest of the team has to follow, or else we'll be stretched. Having seen us struggle to get up the pitch under Heckingbottom I think he's also been determined to make us more of a threat, so he's been keen to get more attack-minded players included in the line ups.

As the slide started in the second PL season under him Wilder didn't change much. We became stuck in the 5-3-2 and looked awful. Heckingbottom came in, changed to a 5-2-3, which improved our pressing and we actually improved.

This was sort of what he tried yesterday. We didn't want Villa to come to our place and pass it about! We are Sheffield United, we're aggressive and strong and we decide how things are done at BL! But after the first few minutes, Villa managed to calm down their build up play and started playing through our press. So here we are, pressing high. Our forward three ready to press their defenders, our 2 man midfield of Souza and Brooks are on their central midfielders:




But it's not enough to prevent a forward pass. Their defender chips it up to the roaming McGinn who has loads of space:


When teams get past your midfield this easily the defence are in trouble. They have to decide who breaks out to challenge McGinn, and the rest have to decide if they're going to stay high (as the high press requires and as was probably the planned tactic), or drop deeper to prevent space in behind.

I think Wilder hoped we'd manage to get this right. And he hoped a more mobile defence (JR dropped) would help us cope with Villa's pace if they did manage to play through us. But this happened too many times and the defence just couldn't cope in that 20 minute spell of the first half.

I felt the extra defender wasn't doing much for us, and an extra body in midfield would have been more useful. When excellent passers get the time and space to play through balls to fast forwards it is very difficult for defenders.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Blame surely rests with PA, he's the one who appointed Wilder.

Strange decision that showed no ambition which was in line with the obvious fact he’d written off the season before it started.

 

[Speedracer]

Is that confirmed

I have heard conflicting versions

You are Alan Brazil & i claim my £5.

 

[LBA_Blade]

If you were giving him the boot who realistically would come in to fill that role. You have ex Luton, Southampton and others Nathan Jones, never done it in the Premier League but did well with Luton on a small budget in keeping them in the division and getting them in the play offs. Although red flag would be his time with Stoke. Looking around the leagues it’s difficult to know who would want it. The difference with this seasons big losses is that the teams have taken their chances, in the Championship we might have only lost 1 or 2-0 or even got a scrappy point out it but the gap from top half of Premier League to top half championship is just too big now

 

[Speedracer]

Changing the manager (again) is a waste of time, it is not down to Wilder, or Hecky or Slav either, it comes from the owner, the infrastructure he put in place, & his policies, as well as his welded shut pockets.
The players we manage to get in are just not up to competing with Premier League opponents, & we cannot afford better ones, either in fees or wages.

I honestly think a large percentage of them are giving their all, it is just not good enough for this league. Now I hate how things are at this moment, but let's be right, supporters are greatly exaggerating how bad we are. Rightly or wrongly we are in the "best league in the world"; not good enough sure, but it isn't the players fault, & is a world away from the dark days of Division Four.

Look at the tv money we have accrued in the last few years, 3 in the top league & 2 with parachute payments, more than enough to put a better infrastructure in place, such as better training facilities, "fixing the leaky roof!), getting the academy grade 1 upgrade, but it has just slipped through our fingers with nothing to show for it. That is not down to any manager, who can only work within the constraints set out by the owner.

People are talking about dropping straight down to League One, which is ridiculous & once again highlights the mentality of the average Sheffielder. Never say anything good because it will never happen, we catastrophize everything & it really pervades the city & our club, & it really winds me up.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Changing the manager (again) is a waste of time, it is not down to Wilder, or Hecky or Slav either, it comes from the owner, the infrastructure he put in place, & his policies, as well as his welded shut pockets.
The players we manage to get in are just not up to competing with Premier League opponents, & we cannot afford better ones, either in fees or wages.

I honestly think a large percentage of them are giving their all, it is just not good enough for this league. Now I hate how things are at this moment, but let's be right, supporters are greatly exaggerating how bad we are. Rightly or wrongly we are in the "best league in the world"; not good enough sure, but it isn't the players fault, & is a world away from the dark days of Division Four.

Look at the tv money we have accrued in the last few years, 3 in the top league & 2 with parachute payments, more than enough to put a better infrastructure in place, such as better training facilities, "fixing the leaky roof!), getting the academy grade 1 upgrade, but it has just slipped through our fingers with nothing to show for it. That is not down to any manager, who can only work within the constraints set out by the owner.

People are talking about dropping straight down to League One, which is ridiculous & once again highlights the mentality of the average Sheffielder. Never say anything good because it will never happen, we catastrophize everything & it really pervades the city & our club, & it really winds me up.

How much do you believe we should have had to spend in infrastructure after paying the bills, wages and the £100m spunked on players?

 

[crooked bladesman]

Changing the manager (again) is a waste of time, it is not down to Wilder, or Hecky or Slav either, it comes from the owner, the infrastructure he put in place, & his policies, as well as his welded shut pockets.
The players we manage to get in are just not up to competing with Premier League opponents, & we cannot afford better ones, either in fees or wages.

I honestly think a large percentage of them are giving their all, it is just not good enough for this league. Now I hate how things are at this moment, but let's be right, supporters are greatly exaggerating how bad we are. Rightly or wrongly we are in the "best league in the world"; not good enough sure, but it isn't the players fault, & is a world away from the dark days of Division Four.

Look at the tv money we have accrued in the last few years, 3 in the top league & 2 with parachute payments, more than enough to put a better infrastructure in place, such as better training facilities, "fixing the leaky roof!), getting the academy grade 1 upgrade, but it has just slipped through our fingers with nothing to show for it. That is not down to any manager, who can only work within the constraints set out by the owner.

People are talking about dropping straight down to League One, which is ridiculous & once again highlights the mentality of the average Sheffielder. Never say anything good because it will never happen, we catastrophize everything & it really pervades the city & our club, & it really winds me up.

Disagree - Wilder bought many of these players in.....other clubs have spending limits and constraints, we are not alone in that respect. If the manager isn't responsible for performance and results, its pointless having anyone.

The players are not giving their all....in fact when we concede we tend to fall like pack of cards. They even disregarded the most basis principles of even trying to pick up and mark players yesterday and gave up.

Yes, we manged the situation we find ourselves in, but that is the fault of the management team and that includes Wilder / manager.

 

[Speedracer]

How much do you believe we should have had to spend in infrastructure after paying the bills, wages and the £100m spunked on players?

Well I don't know Sean, I am not familiar with the inner workings of a football club. Nowhere near enough to be a successful Premier League side for sure, but I would imagine most clubs in the Championship would be envious of the ammount.

 

[Bladesman]

Bergen Blade - I’m not the brightest at understanding the nuances of football tactics but why did our defence take such a high line today? It left so much space behind which is ideal for Watkins and Villa.

Think Wilder tried a new system / tactic he’d seen ont telly box. Plus he leaves JLT out to fit cereal failure Holgate in with a new defence line and new way of playing, blokes a joke.

He tried the Spurs high line suicidal defending. It’s still costing Spurs points as they haven’t perfected it either.

 

[The Bear]

When a player has a bad game, the manager would expect them to hold their hands up. I've just listened to Wilder's post-match interview, was really hoping he'd do the same and say, look, I picked the wrong team, I fucked up, sorry.

Usually, win or lose, I listen to his interview and he makes me feel better. But not today.

Well on Sky he did hold his hands up.

 

[Speedracer]

Disagree - Wilder bought many of these players in.....other clubs have spending limits and constraints, we are not alone in that respect. If the manager isn't responsible for performance and results, its pointless having anyone.

The players are not giving their all....in fact when we concede we tend to fall like pack of cards. They even disregarded the most basis principles of even trying to pick up and mark players yesterday and gave up.

Yes, we manged the situation we find ourselves in, but that is the fault of the management team and that includes Wilder / manager.

I think some people underestimate just how demoralising being pumped every week affects physical performances. No one has any confidence, your body becomes tight & stiff, it feels like you are running in water, all while boos are ringing down on you from supporters. Whether you think so or not it is crippling. For some of our players I honestly believe they are giving their all, albeit hampered by what I just described. People who have not played at a decent level (NOT leveled at you by the way), cannot understand this & come out with the knee jerk comments we see in the Shoutbox every game time. We can't just sack a player off, or a manager, or a coach, because they have an off day (or several), & replace them with better. We couldn't afford the compo, let alone get better in.

I get you are hacked off with it all, I am too, but it is what it is. Until the owner sells nothing will change, & even then the people that buy the club might not be better than the prince anyway.

 

[crooked bladesman]

I think some people underestimate just how demoralising being pumped every week affects physical performances. No one has any confidence, your body becomes tight & stiff, it feels like you are running in water, all while boos are ringing down on you from supporters. Whether you think so or not it is crippling. For some of our players I honestly believe they are giving their all, albeit hampered by what I just described. People who have not played at a decent level (NOT leveled at you by the way), cannot understand this & come out with the knee jerk comments we see in the Shoutbox every game time. We can't just sack a player off, or a manager, or a coach, because they have an off day (or several), & replace them with better. We couldn't afford the compo, let alone get better in.

I get you are hacked off with it all, I am too, but it is what it is. Until the owner sells nothing will change, & even then the people that buy the club might not be better than the prince anyway.

Nothing is going to happen now to the end of the season pal....but let's look at rebuilding (as we will need to) with a new manager and team for next year. Don't make the same mistakes as in the past. It not too much to expect a simple few passes and marking players as part of any professional skill set is it? and that's got sod all to do with the owner.

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Personally I’d play the following:


Bogle ???

Baldock if fully fit might push Bogle.

Bogle should never, ever be picked at right back. A half fit Furious is far superior to Bogle at right back.
IMO