I don't get the "CW is the only man who can do it" mantra, I really don't. It's absolutely in keeping with the attitude some of our fans have of pining for past times. Agricultural football, pints with the lads, up and at 'em, wasn't it so much better in the Bassett era etc etc.
Football clubs have bad spells and change managers all the time. Very few clubs repeatedly go back to the same manager once, let alone twice, based largely on fans' opinions and "well he's one of us, he just gets the club and the city.
A manager's worth is not based on if he supports the club, or likes a beer with the fans, or is a local boy made good. It's results-based, and the results are not good enough. Yes he turned around a truly shite start to the season, but since then, barring a brief purple patch of seemingly scoring 3 goals in every game, we've stagnated. We've repeatedly lost or drawn games from winning positions, performances have been lethargic, substitutions have been easy to predict and counter.
Chris Wilder gave me the best spell as a Blade that I suspect I will ever have. The first spell, from the doldrums of L1 to the top half of the premier league, was genuinely, insanely brilliant. We took it to the biggest clubs in the country and we were never really outclassed or humbled. That first prem season we did not lose in the league to a london club. Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs...they could not beat us. We finished 9th and would have finished higher if not for the pandemic.
But a club can't exist forever on past glories (however hard our neighbours try). In 2026, is Chris Wilder really still the only and best option for us as we look to negotiate a tricky summer? We will lose some of our best players. We have to, to balance the books and not run the risk of financial meltdown and worse. Saying "he's done it before" is irrelevant to me. The game has moved on, and we need to as well.
I can't see the point in sacking him now. This season will peter out to a mediocre finish in the lower 3rd of the league. I think it should be agreed behind the scenes that he will step away after the last game, and the search and recruitment process for his successor should already be underway. Give him a parade round the pitch after the last game to thank him for everything he has done, and then make a clean break. Give the new guy, whoever he is, all of pre-season and the summer window and start completely fresh in August. It might take a couple of years of belt-tightening and mid-table finishes but hopefeully we can then start to moe forward again.
EDIT: I watch very little football outside of United, so no, I have no idea who the prospective replacements should be. I leave that to the people who work in the industry and should be capable of identifying valid replacements.