Sheffield United fans are probably still in shock as news emerged this morning of Chris Wilder’s departure from Bramall Lane.
Sky Sports are reporting that Wilder has indeed left his role as boss of the Blades. In just over four seasons, the self-confessed Unitedite has led the club from League One ot the verge of European football.
It’s a sad day in all honesty for the club. And it’s a sad day for Wilder himself, who leaves with United bottom of the league and on their way back to the Championship.
In reality, most of us would have loved to see Wilder given the chance to lead the club back to the top flight. But it’s not going to be that way, which means the search for a new manager will be on.
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But just who can take over from Wilder and do the impossible job of building on what has been one of the most memorable spells in the club’s history.
Prince Abdullah likely to look abroad but British options available
Prince Abdullah’s expansion of the ‘United World’ would suggest there’s a high chance he looks into the foreign market for a new boss.
This can work. We’ve seen Barnsley stick to a plan with Valerien Ismael, while Daniel Farke is another example of somene coming in and having success after being a relative unknown. David Wagner also did well at Huddersfield before dropping off a bit.
In England, the likes of Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard are the standout names in terms of younger managers with experience. Howe did a remarkable job with Bournemouth much like Wilder did at Bramall Lane while Lampard has top level experience from Chelsea.
What United fans won’t want is one of the usual merry-go-round names that get flouted about. The likes of Mark Hughes, without being disrespectful, are the last thing Blades fans want to see.
Regardless of the direction the board go, it’s a huge appointment to get right in the coming weeks and months. They’ve made a huge gamble in parting ways with Chris Wilder.
Let’s just hope it’s a gamble that pays off in the short, medium, and long-term, to quote a great Blades boss.
