Poor from Wilder

[Upton_Blade]

I find it funny that people see the game, recognise the players we well below their usual standard and blame it on tactics.

There was clearly a process to stretch the opposition and get in behind. Whether is was executed effectively or not is another matter.
I can see why O’Hare was chosen as a link player to interchange with Hamer and Bamford and Brooks but WBA held firm and kept their shape.
I can see why Two up top might have been discarded in favour of O’Hare ferreting around and causing them problems. Ot didn’t pan out that way.
One moment of quality was the cross Hamer put in for Peck and if he’d scored we’d have 3 points against a very determined, dogged, and dangerous opponent- they should be no where near where they are with the quality of squad they have.

We were excellent vs Cov and Boro but got outdone by two better “teams” who crafted or generated their chances and took them.
There was a process and tactics in both of those games, too.

Just

We'll see won't we if that utter trash is a one off or we just revert to how we were last year.

Also on the highlighted point. Were they well below their "usual standard" for the majority of last season then as Saturday was a carbon copy of a large amount of the games last season only this time we didn't manage to scrape a 1-0 win.

 

[Kenilworth]

We'll see won't we if that utter trash is a one off or we just revert to how we were last year.

Also on the highlighted point. Were they well below their "usual standard" for the majority of last season then as Saturday was a carbon copy of a large amount of the games last season only this time we didn't manage to scrape a 1-0 win.

They were well below par.

 

[Darren William]

My main concerns is we have again gone backwards since January despite having a deeper squad than we've had all season. We're 13th in the last 10 games and have only scored 12. It's worryingly similar to post Jan last season. The fact we have narrowly lost to the best 2 sides in the league and also struggled to create much against the likes of WBA and Portsmouth also harks back to early 2025

That said, I think he's done a really good job since he came back and we could have easily been in Leicester or WBAs position. Some of the stuff we played following the 3-0 against Wednesday was the most exciting football we've seen since his first spell. He more than deserves another shot at it next season . The budget will be reduced and I don't see an obvious answer to who could navigate that situation better than Wilder. He will almost certainly make us competitive which, as we've seen with the big clubs at the bottom this season, isn't a given with another manager

I agree we have gone backwards since transfer window .The new players the 2 former Leeds lads no positive impact on team they both get red cards after 1,or 2 games really poor .

 

[richblade]

A team that loses the spine of 3 tall strong experienced players of Souza, Moore and Ahmedhodzic is obviously going to take some sorting out

Wilder has somehow done that and turned us round and also got us into the top half with 10 games left which is some achievement in this league with many players being so unfit they couldn't last 70 minutes without being absolutely knackered !!!

West Brom at home and away was piss poor and boring to watch and a lot of other games have been when we have been in front as they have gone negative and sat back hoping to see games out and hang on for the win.
Something I noticed from the South Stand on Saturday was Wilder didn't seem his usual self having a go at the players as he just stood on the touchline not in any way bothered about changing things like taking Hoever off who was having a nightmare or putting 2 up front until after they scored ffs - very strange for a 'front foot manager' that felt like a loss to me.

 

[nopigfansintown]

I agree we have gone backwards since transfer window .The new players the 2 former Leeds lads no positive impact on team they both get red cards after 1,or 2 games really poor .

Any club that makes more than 1-2 signings in Jan is a badly run club. There's a myriad of reasons it doesn't work unless you have the cash to take team's best players that have been playing week in week out. United's windows have been a disaster bar two summers ago when Wilder did well in spite of the shitshow at the club (we were still around 5 players short which we attempted to resolve that Jan).

 

[Westran]

This is the form table since Wilder came back in. For a while he had us competing, but we've gone so much off the boil. January could have spurred us on, but signings have been weak and Wilder hasn't been able to motivate the team to play the way he wants them to. Next season will be interesting, I can see a big reset and maybe a bit of a reality check for us fans.

 

[Ginger Gnome]

I find it funny that people see the game, recognise the players we well below their usual standard and blame it on tactics.

There was clearly a process to stretch the opposition and get in behind. Whether is was executed effectively or not is another matter.
I can see why O’Hare was chosen as a link player to interchange with Hamer and Bamford and Brooks but WBA held firm and kept their shape.
I can see why Two up top might have been discarded in favour of O’Hare ferreting around and causing them problems. Ot didn’t pan out that way.
One moment of quality was the cross Hamer put in for Peck and if he’d scored we’d have 3 points against a very determined, dogged, and dangerous opponent- they should be no where near where they are with the quality of squad they have.

We were excellent vs Cov and Boro but got outdone by two better “teams” who crafted or generated their chances and took them.
There was a process and tactics in both of those games, too.

Just

If the tactic was to get in behind, playing the right back who gets in behind rather than the one who barely passes halfway might have been a good idea. You can put the first half down to the players underperforming, but the tactics clearly weren't working and the only change in players and application was due to injury.

Hamer's cross for the goal came when he ended up out of position, then he was straight back to shitting it up on the left. Burrows offered nothing but we didn't even bother trying Hjelde for long throws. The lack of overlap on the right was obvious throughout. The players were poor, Wilder was poorer, stubbornly sticking with something that wasn't working and was terrible to watch, performances like that are exactly why he got sacked last summer.

 

[Sky Blues]

That's some going considering you were in a relegation battle before he came back and with what isn't a very good squad.

So he rested a couple of players against a poor side and it backfired. These things happen. We have a great home record and have won our last 5 games. The game before these 5? 0-0 at home to Oxford.

Whoever is your manager next season will have a big job on their hands. The Prem money is over so you have now become an average Championship side with a rebuild needed. The FFP rules will come fully into play as it will be your 3rd season in the Championship, so you just can't buy your way to a good squad even if your owners want to.

Is Wilder any good at spending money wisely? The best way out of this will be to sell your best players for a high price and start again. We bought Hamer and Gyokeres for a total of 2.5m and sold them for over 40m. With this we bought our present squad. We broke our transfer record to bring in Wright for 7.8m and spread the rest around.

 

[Upton_Blade]

That's some going considering you were in a relegation battle before he came back and with what isn't a very good squad.

So he rested a couple of players against a poor side and it backfired. These things happen. We have a great home record and have won our last 5 games. The game before these 5? 0-0 at home to Oxford.

Whoever is your manager next season will have a big job on their hands. The Prem money is over so you have now become an average Championship side with a rebuild needed. The FFP rules will come fully into play as it will be your 3rd season in the Championship, so you just can't buy your way to a good squad even if your owners want to.

Is Wilder any good at spending money wisely? The best way out of this will be to sell your best players for a high price and start again. We bought Hamer and Gyokeres for a total of 2.5m and sold them for over 40m. With this we bought our present squad. We broke our transfer record to bring in Wright for 7.8m and spread the rest around.

Wilder has been pretty terrible whenever he's had money to spend.

It's what gives me hope for next season as he won't have any and that's when he's been at his absolute best in the transfer market.

 

[Silent Blade]

Is Wilder any good at spending money wisely?

Yes, between 2016 and 2020. He spent big in summer 2020 and it wasnt a success. He is a "Penny wise, Pound foolish" type of manager.

 

[Danny_Blade]

Yes, between 2016 and 2020. He spent big in summer 2020 and it wasnt a success. He is a "Penny wise, Pound foolish" type of manager.

That's probably an ancient saying but I've never heard it before, I think it's great.

 

[Badger Blade]

Is Wilder any good at spending money wisely? The best way out of this will be to sell your best players for a high price and start again. We bought Hamer and Gyokeres for a total of 2.5m and sold them for over 40m. With this we bought our present squad. We broke our transfer record to bring in Wright for 7.8m and spread the rest around.

Yes, between 2016 and 2020. He spent big in summer 2020 and it wasnt a success. He is a "Penny wise, Pound foolish" type of manager.

Sums it up perfectly really.

The teams that defined the period between Chris Wilder being appointed to being promoted to the Premier League were largely a hotch-potch of free transfers, loanees and players that came with us through the leagues who had been picked up on the cheap who'd been discarded and had a point to prove, and that they did. Alongside this, Billy Sharp kept getting better with age and Chris Basham had a role all of his own carved out for him, when before he looked like Bambi on ice and was destined to fall down the leagues.

One blind spot seems to be with signing consistent strikers. Of those that Wilder has brought in, Leon Clarke, David McGoldrick and Patrick Bamford are the only ones in my mind to have contributed consistently and again were pretty much unwanted players when we took them on - experienced, out of contract journeymen. Anyone under 30 that Wilder's paid a significant fee for simply hasn't delivered. McBurnie did ok in the Heckingbottom promotion season but didn't do a huge amount besides.

We went up and frittered money away on players who didn't improve on who we already had alongside all sorts of other horror stories. Sander Berge was ok but never seemed to be playing at full tilt.

I can certainly reel off a lot more bad signings than good ones from when we were first promoted to Wilder's first sacking. I'm not sure how much say Heckingbottom had in the signings after the second promotion but some of those were borderline embarrassing and the same can be said for this season.

 

[LBA_Blade]

Sums it up perfectly really.

The teams that defined the period between Chris Wilder being appointed to being promoted to the Premier League were largely a hotch-potch of free transfers, loanees and players that came with us through the leagues who had been picked up on the cheap who'd been discarded and had a point to prove, and that they did. Alongside this, Billy Sharp kept getting better with age and Chris Basham had a role all of his own carved out for him, when before he looked like Bambi on ice and was destined to fall down the leagues.

One blind spot seems to be with signing consistent strikers. Of those that Wilder has brought in, Leon Clarke, David McGoldrick and Patrick Bamford are the only ones in my mind to have contributed consistently and again were pretty much unwanted players when we took them on - experienced, out of contract journeymen. Anyone under 30 that Wilder's paid a significant fee for simply hasn't delivered. McBurnie did ok in the Heckingbottom promotion season but didn't do a huge amount besides.

We went up and frittered money away on players who didn't improve on who we already had alongside all sorts of other horror stories. Sander Berge was ok but never seemed to be playing at full tilt.

I can certainly reel off a lot more bad signings than good ones from when we were first promoted to Wilder's first sacking. I'm not sure how much say Heckingbottom had in the signings after the second promotion but some of those were borderline embarrassing and the same can be said for this season.

Would love to have a 15 goal season striker now to be fair, might have one in Bamford but nobody else, I think he did more than ok and 6 in the Premier League isn't a bad stat either, especially in a side at the bottom of the league but you are right in the others.

 

[Badger Blade]

Would love to have a 15 goal season striker now to be fair, might have one in Bamford but nobody else, I think he did more than ok and 6 in the Premier League isn't a bad stat either, especially in a side at the bottom of the league but you are right in the others.

I think it was the two barren years of McBurnie that have tarred my judgement of him where he was more famous for getting into bother off the field than actually doing anything on it.

I'll maintain that McGoldrick is probably Wilder's best signing. If the guy could finish earlier in his career like he's doing now, he'd have gone right to the very top.

 

[LBA_Blade]

I think it was the two barren years of McBurnie that have tarred my judgement of him where he was more famous for getting into bother off the field than actually doing anything on it.

I'll maintain that McGoldrick is probably Wilder's best signing. If the guy could finish earlier in his career like he's doing now, he'd have gone right to the very top.

That is true on McBurnie to be honest, also often considered as a better centre half at corners than a striker at times too.

Didzy is and still is quality, totally agree with you there, I loved watching him as a player and still do from the clips I see.

 

[The Crab]

This is the form table since Wilder came back in. For a while he had us competing, but we've gone so much off the boil. January could have spurred us on, but signings have been weak and Wilder hasn't been able to motivate the team to play the way he wants them to. Next season will be interesting, I can see a big reset and maybe a bit of a reality check for us fans. View attachment 232867

No no no, even thinking that makes us “entitled”. We’re not allowed to have a different opinion, wander from the party line.

We have to all think the same. It’s like the book 1984, coincidentally the year some people are stuck in