The start of the season

[ShorehamRevolution]

Bolton 2-1 Blades
Blades 1-1 Rochdale
Blades 0-3 Southend
Milwall 2-1 Blades

If it's possible these could quite possibly be the best losses we've ever had, I imagine a good kick up the backside followed the Southend one, sometimes in football a loss or a bad start to the season can be useful and can be used to clear the air in the dressing room and kickstart the season or a good run.

 

[Liaminho9]

The first game of the season was
Bolton 1-0 Blades...

I think it was more we had to team that needed to learn each others names after the shower Adkins left Wilder with.

 

[Blade58]

I never lost faith and actually backed them again for a top 6 finish after those first few games

Wilder has done brilliant thus far, backed up by giving the rest of the division a start when we were actually bottom

 

[Sheffsteel]

I went to that Southend game and they scored from their first 3 attacks.

Being 3-0 down after 20 minutes was a really freak scoreline.
We didn't play as badly that night as the score suggests.

Did feel though that Longs confidence was shot and it was essential he was immediately dropped.
So well done to Wilder for acting instantly by bringing in Simon Moore,
who has brought insurance to the defence. Seems such a long time ago now.

Even after that Southend game I was still confident we'd do well but I expected us to reach the playoffs and that doesn't fill me with excitement. Always wanted top 2 which I thought was unlikely.

The game that changed it for me was the 4-0 win over Port Vale. That's the best I've seen us play in years, we could have won 10-0 and at that moment the penny dropped that if we continue playing like that we will finish top of the pile.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

I'll be honest and say that after the omnishambles which was our first home games, I completely lost faith and thought Wilder was out of his depth.

I have no problem admitting I was unequivocally wrong and Wilder had proved me completely and utterly incorrect.

I still stand by my assertion that the introduction of O'Connell at LB at half time v Oxford and his winning of two 50/50 challenges early in that second half, changed the tone of the team/club.

Thank god he was right and I was wrong.

 

[DifferentClass]

I were on holiday for start of season and on my way back from kebab shop with my Spurs brother when we were playing Sarfend.

Kicked off just as we got into town, 3-0 down by time we got back to caravan.

I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I wanted to give Wilder a chance so badly- this was his dream job- but I thought he was just going to be the second coming of Micky Adams. So did most fans. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine we'd be seven points clear at top by end of February.

All I can say in hindsight- thank FUCK McCabe didn't listen to the fans after that shambles or we'd still be down there!

 

[Shirty Blade]

Just been considering what a fantastic job Wilder has done in comparison to Clough and Adkins. Our team is unrecognizable from the bag of shite that lost 4 - 0 at Gillingham last season.

Long
Freeman
McEverley
Collins
McFadzean
Woolford
Bash
Baxter
Murphy
Sharp
Adams

Not only has Wilder got rid of a whole host of rubbish players but he has also retained and improved players who I thought were crap and improved them beyond recognition! At the start of this season I just expected us to continue to be really poor as I was so used to it and I couldn't see a way forward. I remember reading Deadbat's end of season review and thinking that nothing had changed or could change. Glad to be so utterly wrong!

 

[georgethecat]

I flew over for the Rochdale game on the Saturday which was at best mediocre. I flew home the next day and returned on the Tuesday for the Southend game which was shambolic. On the car journey back to Liverpool on the Tuesday evening I listened to Chris Wilders post game interview on the radio. It was perfectly clear that he had a plan and that given time he had the expertise to build something. His honesty and enthusiasm was a refreshing change - even after such a poor opening to the season. The transformation over the last 6 months has been fantastic. Lesser men would have been undoneby the early season form but not wilder, he stood up under pressure and took control of the situation, making positive changes and forcing his ethos on the group. Fantastic.

 

[derfblade.3]

I actually posted.."Is he out of his depth" after just 4 games. Can i have bellend of the year award?

 

[Blade82]

Wilder reacted to the poor start and made changes. Even correcting his own mistake with the hussey signing. Wasn't afraid to upset young George either.

 

[Northyorksblade]

I thought his post match interview after game four, he seemed a broken man, white faced, drawn and I thought we were in for another season of misery. How wrong can you be?

 

[BanbridgeBlade]

I flew over for the Rochdale game. It was one of the most one dimensional I've ever seen us play. Long ball to Clarke all 90 minutes. I was over for the Bolton game & the way we played couldn't be any farther from the other. We played it wide, we played intelligent cross field balls & we played neat short passes.

Total transformation

 

[Kenilworth]

The first game of the season was
Bolton 1-0 Blades...

I think it was more we had to team that needed to learn each others names after the shower Adkins left Wilder with.

Removing the words "Adkins left Wilder with" gives that statement a whole new meaning.