Whilst perusing social media yesterday after the match, and indeed after the last few matches I've made a general observation.
I've been a United supporter for over 35 years, and a season ticket holder for the last 20 seasons.
I've also watched United in the very depths of the wilderness years, and rightly seen certain United sides take absolute pelters for a lack of effort, not giving a shit, and recall the lap of shame at the end of the Adkins season. However it does appear those same supporters who was critical in those times, generally aren't those same supporters who are the ones who are giving the team absolute pelters now.
I'm disappointed with how things have gone since the restart, but also accept these are strange times, and I think the lack of people in the ground is having a huge, negative effect on the players who we have become accustomed to getting that 5% from thanks to the crowd backing.
We've got a young striker with a big price tag who hasn't hidden from anything during a difficult transition to top flight football, not been frightened to stick his head in where it hurts and has grafted his bollocks off for the cause, and who will with the right backing become a very handy player at this level. The fans response, call him McShitty.
Stevens has a bad game, the response, call him shit. Basham and Fleck have a poor game, one coming back from injury, the response, get shit flung their way. Wilder doesn't use the full 5 subs, his managerial ability is called in to question.
This squad of players don't owe us anything. 4 years ago we was in League One with no real prospect of an escape on the horizon. We now sit in the top half of the Premiership, thanks to the squad of players we have got caring, giving a shit and giving everything to the cause.
Before the start of the season, we was widely tipped to finish rock bottom this season, by many media pundits, as well as most football supporters of other teams. We now sit in the top half of the Premiership and to all intents and purposes safe from relegation.
So why are some so angry, and quick to have a go at the players and the managers.
Isn't the wonderful season we had until the suspension of football in the country good enough?
Don't the players Wilder has brought in deserve to be afforded time, and don't the players who have performed admirably in the past in getting us to where we are deserve a bit of grace as they hit a patch of bad form after struggling to adapt to the restart?
Is Wilder the problem? Does the fact that he has done so well over the last 4 years in getting us to where we are go out of the window, and he has become a bad manager overnight because he has presided over a poor run of form, and doesn't use all his substutions?
Or do we need to all sit back, take a look at the bigger picture and give the manager and players great credit for getting to where they are, and if we don't get in to Europe, accept it and understand we spent a long time chasing a prize we had no right to chase due to the huge disparity in money we spend compared to the others we are competing again.
Personally i think there is an element of our fan base who have allowed themselves to become entitled, and I think a lot of them used to be the same tantrum throwing, feet stampers who used to trot out lines like "I'm not going to Bramall Lane and giving United mi moneh while they are this wank", only to jump back on the bandwagon when things came good, and now we have hit a sticky spell have reverted to type. They players aren't 'bottlejobs' and whoever it was who coined the term "McShitty" had made himself look a prized twat.
We've had a superb season, the future is still very bright for United and under this manager and under this squad of players, great things are still to come and we only will stronger, now we have got a bit of Premier League experience and nous, it will improve us. Prehaps people who have been so quick to criticse should really begin to accept what we have done and appreciate the magnitude of what we have achieved.
In Wilder We Trust
UTB
