Has well and truly begun this morning with the Prince breaking the silence, and most likely for the better.
It's plainly obvious, irrespective of what side of the fence you sit on (if you still are taking sides here) that Wilder's position had been untenable since the turn of the year and that it was a matter of when, not if, he would depart the club.
Perhaps the timing of that departure rankles given that we were all led to believe that he would be around next season, something which really could have been handled better. I believe the Prince when he says that it was always his intention to keep Chris for the Championship, and while there is probably more to the story to be added from Wilder's side (ie, things that he couldn't say in his often jarring post match interviews) about the reason why he felt he couldn't be a part of that, it's plain to see that his departure isn't something the board has taken lightly.
Lazy punditry stipulates that this was "sacking" and a "disgrace." I think any Blades fan should know better than to hold on to these falsehoods. it's pretty obvious that his departure is a completely unique case that can't really been viewed through the often narrow and simplistic narratives that are always pedalled. Abdullah needing to come out and explain things isn't a case of a man pouring salt on the wounds or doing his own PR. It is quite simply the quirk of a completely unheard of situation - a manager leading a club to a dismal relegation, but still backed heavily by fans, while being courted against all conventional wisdom to stay on by a boss he publicly criticises - just doesn't really happen in football. Throw in the fact he's an ex-player, a fan, and "one of our own" who took us up to the Premier League against all odds, and it's plain to see that this really isn't a business as usual situation.
My point is this: don't just react angrily at anything the club says because you are angry at Chris leaving. We all are. But it won't do anything to help the club, the backroom staff or the players as it transitions out of what has been in footballing terms a near unprecedented set of circumstances that had to end one day. We need to cleanse the palate, so to speak. Exercise some demons.
We can look at Wilder's years fondly whenever we like, but we can't have them back, so let go. We can't let that attitude sink the club. He, who was once a god, cannot be allowed to be come a possessive force in the fanbase.
It's plainly obvious, irrespective of what side of the fence you sit on (if you still are taking sides here) that Wilder's position had been untenable since the turn of the year and that it was a matter of when, not if, he would depart the club.
Perhaps the timing of that departure rankles given that we were all led to believe that he would be around next season, something which really could have been handled better. I believe the Prince when he says that it was always his intention to keep Chris for the Championship, and while there is probably more to the story to be added from Wilder's side (ie, things that he couldn't say in his often jarring post match interviews) about the reason why he felt he couldn't be a part of that, it's plain to see that his departure isn't something the board has taken lightly.
Lazy punditry stipulates that this was "sacking" and a "disgrace." I think any Blades fan should know better than to hold on to these falsehoods. it's pretty obvious that his departure is a completely unique case that can't really been viewed through the often narrow and simplistic narratives that are always pedalled. Abdullah needing to come out and explain things isn't a case of a man pouring salt on the wounds or doing his own PR. It is quite simply the quirk of a completely unheard of situation - a manager leading a club to a dismal relegation, but still backed heavily by fans, while being courted against all conventional wisdom to stay on by a boss he publicly criticises - just doesn't really happen in football. Throw in the fact he's an ex-player, a fan, and "one of our own" who took us up to the Premier League against all odds, and it's plain to see that this really isn't a business as usual situation.
My point is this: don't just react angrily at anything the club says because you are angry at Chris leaving. We all are. But it won't do anything to help the club, the backroom staff or the players as it transitions out of what has been in footballing terms a near unprecedented set of circumstances that had to end one day. We need to cleanse the palate, so to speak. Exercise some demons.
We can look at Wilder's years fondly whenever we like, but we can't have them back, so let go. We can't let that attitude sink the club. He, who was once a god, cannot be allowed to be come a possessive force in the fanbase.
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