itsinyerblood
Well-Known Member
We've done wonderfully well this season, expectations have risen as a consequence, and the fact we briefly topped this division will have given rise to the possibility that consecutive promotions was a serious possibility. The fact that we're not currently achieving in the way we'd become used to seems to cause have some of us to focus on a rather predictable and narrow set of reasons for this apparent slump.
Questioning a manager is every fan's right, where I take issue is when those things that constrain a manager are not taken into account by those critics who appear incapable of looking at a far bigger picture than the smaller one they imagine Wilder has to peruse in. Wilder has not been allowed to spend in the shop window where other clubs value their players in the millions. Wilder has been forced to take his budgets and shop within those windows where players of a lesser value await interest from curious parties. For what it's worth I think Wilder has bought well so far. No doubt he'd have loved to buy player A, B, or C, but valuations, fees, wages etc that would accompany said players will have meant that Wilder will have been forced to look elsewhere.
So there you have it. I realise that the decisions that are taken during a game are a separate issue from the above, and like most of us, I too play the game of armchair manager, knowing who to remove and who to replace them with during a game. In case anyone feels I'm being bi-polar in addressing these questions that Wilder has to face, please refrain from wondering if I consider Wilder infallible. Quite simply, Chris Wilder makes mistakes, period. What he does do rather well though is to make more good decisions than poor ones. It's why we're in this division and still capable of securing a play-off place. We're making life difficult for ourselves, no doubt. An example being silly old Jack for hitting the bar when it would have been easier to nut the ball into the onion bag, players uh? You'd think they missed scoring opportunities on purpose. Jack had a nano-second to win the header and place his header on target, sadly he hit the bar, so we move on, as all level headed followers of the Blades should do.
I suppose what I'm asking is this, by all means have your moans, groans, gripes, whinges, and even the very occasional call for change where our manager is concerned. Fortunately, most Blades are mindful of the 6 seasons we spent in Division 1. Fortunately most of us are surprisingly pleased with the way we've acquitted ourselves so far this season. Nothing's been decided yet, so I find it puzzling why a few irate posters clamour for change and point a finger of accusation far too easily. By all means knock yourselves out if it helps you get through a day, but do try and understand what Wilder and his team are attempting to secure. Wilder and his colleagues want promotion just as much as us long suffering supporters do. It might be that this season we fail to achieve promotion. Will it mean Wilder is a poor manager? Will it mean that suddenly our world has collapsed around us? The answer to both those questions, at least for me, is a resounding 'No'. I've no idea what other supporters use to gauge the qualities of a manager, but to my mind we're in excellent hands all the while Chris Wilder is at the helm.
Would I prefer promotion this season? You betcha. But should we just miss out this term, well I guess it will act as a catalyst, a drive for our manager to push the players for more consistency next season. Wilder is hungry for success, and any player that comes to this club should have that same appetite for success. You can't always get what you want in life, but we're not far off having a side that can compete with the best that this division has to offer, but with the consistency that's prevented us from picking up points when we really should have secured a higher league position.
We're in good hands, moan if it helps, just don't lose sight of the far bigger picture even when you're attempting to sort out what's wrong with United.
Up The Mighty Blades!
Questioning a manager is every fan's right, where I take issue is when those things that constrain a manager are not taken into account by those critics who appear incapable of looking at a far bigger picture than the smaller one they imagine Wilder has to peruse in. Wilder has not been allowed to spend in the shop window where other clubs value their players in the millions. Wilder has been forced to take his budgets and shop within those windows where players of a lesser value await interest from curious parties. For what it's worth I think Wilder has bought well so far. No doubt he'd have loved to buy player A, B, or C, but valuations, fees, wages etc that would accompany said players will have meant that Wilder will have been forced to look elsewhere.
So there you have it. I realise that the decisions that are taken during a game are a separate issue from the above, and like most of us, I too play the game of armchair manager, knowing who to remove and who to replace them with during a game. In case anyone feels I'm being bi-polar in addressing these questions that Wilder has to face, please refrain from wondering if I consider Wilder infallible. Quite simply, Chris Wilder makes mistakes, period. What he does do rather well though is to make more good decisions than poor ones. It's why we're in this division and still capable of securing a play-off place. We're making life difficult for ourselves, no doubt. An example being silly old Jack for hitting the bar when it would have been easier to nut the ball into the onion bag, players uh? You'd think they missed scoring opportunities on purpose. Jack had a nano-second to win the header and place his header on target, sadly he hit the bar, so we move on, as all level headed followers of the Blades should do.
I suppose what I'm asking is this, by all means have your moans, groans, gripes, whinges, and even the very occasional call for change where our manager is concerned. Fortunately, most Blades are mindful of the 6 seasons we spent in Division 1. Fortunately most of us are surprisingly pleased with the way we've acquitted ourselves so far this season. Nothing's been decided yet, so I find it puzzling why a few irate posters clamour for change and point a finger of accusation far too easily. By all means knock yourselves out if it helps you get through a day, but do try and understand what Wilder and his team are attempting to secure. Wilder and his colleagues want promotion just as much as us long suffering supporters do. It might be that this season we fail to achieve promotion. Will it mean Wilder is a poor manager? Will it mean that suddenly our world has collapsed around us? The answer to both those questions, at least for me, is a resounding 'No'. I've no idea what other supporters use to gauge the qualities of a manager, but to my mind we're in excellent hands all the while Chris Wilder is at the helm.
Would I prefer promotion this season? You betcha. But should we just miss out this term, well I guess it will act as a catalyst, a drive for our manager to push the players for more consistency next season. Wilder is hungry for success, and any player that comes to this club should have that same appetite for success. You can't always get what you want in life, but we're not far off having a side that can compete with the best that this division has to offer, but with the consistency that's prevented us from picking up points when we really should have secured a higher league position.
We're in good hands, moan if it helps, just don't lose sight of the far bigger picture even when you're attempting to sort out what's wrong with United.
Up The Mighty Blades!
