BladesPod: The 10 most important players of the Chris Wilder era

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Beans

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Afternoon all,

I made Roygbiv very angry this week by setting him the challenge of picking the 10 most important players of Wilder's tenure as manager, as some very well-loved names didn't make the cut. Between us we whittled our respective shortlists down to 10, and then settled on an overall ranking. You can hear who made our list here, and who the overall number 1 choice was...

This was a really enjoyable one to record and to look back on the heydays of a few players, and also one in the eye for those who say me and old Roy agree all the time (which, to be fair, is often true).



We explain our definition of "important" in the pod, but for anyone who wants to chip in their own ideas below and doesn't fancy listening, here's a rough outline: it's not necessarily the "best" (most technically gifted) players, but the ones who've played the most important roles across those years. If someone did something amazing in a small amount of games, that would be outweighed by someone who was excellent for a longer period.

It's not limited to players Wilder signed - just players who were here when he was. It's also not constrained by your usual "Best XI" stuff, so doesn't necessarily need to include a keeper, for example - and if you wanted to have five strikers, you can absolutely do that.

Thanks very much if you do listen, or indeed if you just happened to read this far. You can also get it on Apple and Spotify.
 

In no particular order:

Jake Wright
Mark Duffy
John Fleck
David McGoldrick
Billy Sharp
Oli Norwood
Leon Clarke
Dean Henderson
Chris Basham
Jack O'Connell
Hmmmm...yes I see the problem here. Very tricky. It’s a really interesting challenge because although I agree with this ☝️... there surely has to be a space for John Egan and maybe even Kieron Freeman.

I’m going to go with

Jake Wright
Mark Duffy
John Fleck
David McGoldrick
Billy Sharp
John Egan
Leon Clarke
Dean Henderson
Chris Basham
Jack O’Connell

The overall number one has to be Billy Sharp, surely? We couldn’t have done it without Billy. In fact, I think you could argue that we were set up like we were just so we could get the best out of him.
 
Hmmmm...yes I see the problem here. Very tricky. It’s a really interesting challenge because although I agree with this ☝️... there surely has to be a space for John Egan and maybe even Kieron Freeman.

I’m going to go with

Jake Wright
Mark Duffy
John Fleck
David McGoldrick
Billy Sharp
John Egan
Leon Clarke
Dean Henderson
Chris Basham
Jack O’Connell

The overall number one has to be Billy Sharp, surely? We couldn’t have done it without Billy. In fact, I think you could argue that we were set up like we were just so we could get the best out of him.

I considered Egan, Freeman as well as Hanson & Ebanks-Landell when it comes to influence.

Freeman was superb in L1. He ran games from RWB and had a beautiful final ball. Hanson came in and gave us a physical dimension to get us past the promotion post but was too brief to be top 10 important.

Jake Wright has to be the most important imo. You can pinpoint everything going right to when he came into the side and maintained that outstanding, undefeated record with him in the side. That momentum and belief laid the foundation of the Wilder era.

Podium finishes would go as follows;

1. Jake Wright (as above)
2. Mark Duffy (irreplaceable and pivotal to how we played and created chances, oh and he scored an important goal I think 😍)
3. Billy Sharp (talisman, captain and goalscoring icon)
 
In no particular order (apart from Bash being at the top of the list!)

Basham
Egan
Coutts
Henderson
Clarke
Sharp
Duffy
Fleck
McGoldrick
Brewster



Brewster is obviously a strange choice but you could argue that he was an important one as his signing was a big factor in the end of CW's tenure
 
The most important was Duffy.

I think it reads like this:

Duffy scores that goal.
We gain momentum.
We are promoted.
Duffy asks for a pay rise.
Wilder throws him out on his arse and changes the system forever.
After two months Lunny - the new Duffy - is out of puff.
New season, and straight away JOC is injured, then Berge, then Egan, then Bash, then Billy.
Only Jags is left.
No one can score and there's still no new Duffy.
Now it's just another bunch of useless bastards.
Wilder gets 2 million and goes on holiday (having learn't everything from Duffy's agent).
Sheff Utd are relegated.
 
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The most important was Duffy.

I think it reads like this:

Duffy scores that goal.
We gain momentum.
We are promoted.
Duffy asks for a pay rise.
Wilder throws him out on his arse and changes the system forever.
After two months Lunny - the new Duffy - is out of puff.
New season, and straight away JOC is injured, then Berge, then Egan, then Bash, then Billy.
Only Jags is left.
No one can score and there's still no new Duffy.
Now it's just another bunch of useless bastards.
Wilder gets 2 million and goes on holiday (having learn't everything from Duffy's agent).
Sheff Utd are relegated.
came to say this
Duffy we've never replaced him and always missed him
 
In the beginning God created the 3:4:1:2 formation, with over lapping centre backs, heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the pitch.

And God said, “Let there be Coutts” and then there was light at the end of the tunnel. God saw that Coutts was good, and he separated the light from the Shyte. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

The genesis 👏

UTB
 
In the beginning God created the 3:4:1:2 formation, with over lapping centre backs, heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the pitch.

And God said, “Let there be Coutts” and then there was light at the end of the tunnel. God saw that Coutts was good, and he separated the light from the Shyte. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

The genesis 👏

UTB

Can't wait for Revelations!
 
came to say this
Duffy we've never replaced him and always missed him

I'd change that to: We've sometimes missed him. I don't think we would have finished as high as 9th last season if he'd been playing regularly. That said, there were some game last season, and lots of games this season where we were crying out for creativity, either from Duffy or someone like him.
 
This is tricky.

I'd probably go, in no particular order, like this;

Billy Sharp
Paul Coutts
Oli Norwood
Jack O'Connell
Chris Basham
Mark Duffy
David McGoldrick
John Fleck
Jake Wright
Kieron Freeman

I've deliberately done this before listening too so will be interesting to hear yours.

There are too many honourable mentions although I think because of where we were at the time and the sheer disbelief of it I could put Moose's 3 month spell on there. I genuinely got carried away that we had signed an unplayable football manager style striker.
 
Just starting to listen now so I'll give my 10 before I hear yours:

Sharp
Clarke
McGoldrick
Henderson
JOC
Basham
Coutts
Duffy
K. Freeman
Jake Wright/Richard Stearman/Martin Cranie (but Jake Wright if I have to pick one)

Not in order of importance by the way.
 

In no particular order

Sharp
Coutts
McGoldrick
Basham
JOC
Henderson
Duffy
Wright
K.Freeman
Fleck
 
Halfway through, great listen so far, really good discussion and an interesting subject. Miles better than the current - not even worth friendly status - matches!

Agree with a couple of lists already posted on the thread.

Am surprised that Henderson was not in closer contention for Beans' and Roy's list. I think it's arguable that we don't get promoted without him and it's a certainty we don't finish 9th in the PL without him. Enda was undoubtedly excellent for long periods, but I just think the spine of the team including the keeper has more of an influence.

As for Coutts I think him along with Bash and O'Connell were the biggest reasons for 352 working. Without Coutts' control and passing it doesn't work, he was key in defining the shape and system of the team and how we started on the journey for me, and his performances in 2017 were sublime.

In order for me:
Billy Sharp
Chris Basham
Jack O'Connell
John Fleck
John Egan
David McGoldrick
Oli Norwood
Paul Coutts
Dean Henderson
Mark Duffy
 
Great listen, love these pods - I enjoy the ‘normal’ ones too but when the games have been so crap and meaningless it’s a bit more difficult to stay interested!

I thought there might be an honourable mention for Moose (he wouldn’t get in my 10) for his spell, and glad Leon got a mention.

It’s such a touch choice this and I largely agree with who you’ve got in. Struggling with a few due to the ‘recency bias’ Roy mentioned.
 
Coutts Cult Life Member here - glad he made it as he really did set the tone for the 'playing football the Sheff Utd way'. Without him, I'm not sure we evolve the way we did...

Controversial one for me, and that's Gary Madine deserves a mention. He brought a real in yer face physicality as we got to that final stretch in the promotion season. Just as we got to squeaky bum time, he turned up with his big frame and physical presence. I can imagine causing hell for Egan and JOC in training too which gave them the impetus to stay focused.
 
Simon Moore was in the League 1 PFA team, so along with Jake Wright and K. Freeman helped lay down the foundations for the successful House of Wilder along with those mentioned in the top 10.
Unfortunately it all started to be blown down by Wolves in the first game this season.
 
Controversial one for me, and that's Gary Madine deserves a mention. He brought a real in yer face physicality as we got to that final stretch in the promotion season. Just as we got to squeaky bum time, he turned up with his big frame and physical presence. I can imagine causing hell for Egan and JOC in training too which gave them the impetus to stay focused.
He did very much the same job as what Hanson did in League One, just gave us that last shove to help us over the line. I dare say he might have actually been half decent for us in this shit show of a season if all we were going to do was pump the ball down the middle, at least it might have stuck.

The game against Brentford where he was sent off was pivotal in that season so even then, it could be construed that he did us a favour in the long run!
 
Coutts Cult Life Member here - glad he made it as he really did set the tone for the 'playing football the Sheff Utd way'. Without him, I'm not sure we evolve the way we did...

Controversial one for me, and that's Gary Madine deserves a mention. He brought a real in yer face physicality as we got to that final stretch in the promotion season. Just as we got to squeaky bum time, he turned up with his big frame and physical presence. I can imagine causing hell for Egan and JOC in training too which gave them the impetus to stay focused.

He did very much the same job as what Hanson did in League One, just gave us that last shove to help us over the line. I dare say he might have actually been half decent for us in this shit show of a season if all we were going to do was pump the ball down the middle, at least it might have stuck.

The game against Brentford where he was sent off was pivotal in that season so even then, it could be construed that he did us a favour in the long run!


Was going to mention Hanson. He definitely helped get us over the line once teams started sitting deep
 
Blimey there are so many to pick...

To be a bit of a hipster, I reckon the 10 most important have to be the settled team in League One first and foremost. Without any single one of them in their respective position we haven’t a clue how we would’ve fared, and they were the first to demonstrate how the role should be done.

Moore
Freeman
Basham
Wright
O’Connell
Lafferty
Coutts
Fleck
Duffy
Sharp

Obviously we’ve had better players in positions than the likes of Moore (Henderson), Lafferty (Stevens), Wright (Egan), Coutts (Norwood).

Just a bit of fun.
 
Sharp
Duffy
Henderson
Norwood
Fleck
Mousset (we don't have that amazing run without him)
Didzy
JOC
Bash
Finally a controversial one, Rodwell. I think he's the biggest symbol of the decline. A complete and utter waste of money and one that actively alienated supporters
 
Sharp
Duffy
Henderson
Norwood
Fleck
Mousset (we don't have that amazing run without him)
Didzy
JOC
Bash
Finally a controversial one, Rodwell. I think he's the biggest symbol of the decline. A complete and utter waste of money and one that actively alienated supporters
Most important, not best (obviously) 😂

Could have been Lundstram, Brewster as well
 
Lundstram. I said it.
Important in terms of the whole narrative, absolutely. He came out of the cold to gatecrash the starting line up at Bournemouth and had an impact in the first half of the season then believed in his own hype as the country's fantasy football darling. I hope he enjoys his run outs in the League Cup at Burnley, Palace or wherever he ends up.

He's the biggest symbol of Wilder losing the plot this season, particularly as players like Duffy, Luke Freeman, Callum Robinson have been sent packing and he's still hanging around stinking the place out. Turned out the initial scepticism about him when we first signed him was true after all.
 
Important in terms of the whole narrative, absolutely. He came out of the cold to gatecrash the starting line up at Bournemouth and had an impact in the first half of the season then believed in his own hype as the country's fantasy football darling. I hope he enjoys his run outs in the League Cup at Burnley, Palace or wherever he ends up.

He's the biggest symbol of Wilder losing the plot this season, particularly as players like Duffy, Luke Freeman, Callum Robinson have been sent packing and he's still hanging around stinking the place out. Turned out the initial scepticism about him when we first signed him was true after all.
Exactly.
Important? Yes.
Liked? Absolutely not.
 

1 Sharp
2 JOC
3 Henderson
4 Duffy
5 Fleck
6 Basham
7 Didzy
8 Egan
9 Norwood
10 Scott Hogan

Not easy at all obviously joking with Hogan, I'd probably have Wright or Freeman at 10.

I realise I've mostly picked the Championship promotion team, without Stevens and Baldock
 
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