Chris Wilder is now the Middlesbrough manager. There’s nothing Sheffield United fans can do it about, no matter how many might want him back in the manager’s dugout one day.
Wilder has penned terms with Boro with Alan Knill. Working under Steve Gibson, the former Blades gaffer is hoping to replicate the success he had at Bramall Lane at The Riverside.
Misconceptions
Since leaving Sheffield United, Wilder has been relatively quiet on matters relating to his exit and Blades owner, Prince Abdullah. Rumours have swirled ever since.
The Saudi Arabian owner has gone on record since Wilder left, and told his version of events. However, we’ve heard little from Wilder other than snippets around certain regrets. Of course, there are always two sides to a story and the truth is likely to be somewhere in the middle.
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One of the rumours that has done the rounds on social media is that Wilder refused to work with a Director of Football. However, speaking in his first big press conference as Middlesbrough manager, Wilder appeared to dispel those rumours, and took a minor dig at United’s board in the process.
“I know there’s a lot of talk…and I don’t know what the word is about me wanting to run absolutely everything. It’s complete nonsense. Absolute nonsense,” Wilder said.
“I just wanted to work with good people who had the same vision and ideas and ethics of how I see a football club running. And Steve (Gibson) and Kieran Scott – who’s been brought in to be Dof – are all on the same page going forward.”
That, then, could be that from Wilder.
Our View: Chris Wilder deserves to give more away but probably can’t
While we’ve never taken sides on Sheffield United News, we’d love to hear more from Wilder about what happened. Some will know, and some of the talk on social media will be close to the truth.
Prince Abdullah has twice taken the chance to speak his mind about United and Wilder. However, he’s not been challenged much either. He hasn’t spoken to the local media in recent memory, and as things stand, is nowhere to be seen.
Our opinion? Well, we think Wilder saw something coming that United fans are now seeing. A squad on the decline, with minimal opportunity for investment, and too many cooks at boardroom level wanting to get involved in signings.
It’s well known Wilder and Jan van Winkel didn’t see eye to eye on footballing matters. But whether more will ever come out, remains to be seen.
For what it’s worth, we hope Chris Wilder does well on Teesside. He deserves a good reception at Bramall Lane in January. Hopefully, he gets it, and everyone can move on.
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