Chris Wilder is '˜like a God' at Sheffield United, says former Bramall Lane favourite ahead of Birmingham City clash

Chris Wilder is 'like God' at Bramall Lane after his remarkable turnaround of Sheffield United, according to a former teammate of his as a player at Bramall Lane.
Chris Wilder of Sheffield UnitedChris Wilder of Sheffield United
Chris Wilder of Sheffield United

Wilder took over his boyhood club after they had just finished 11th in League One under Nigel Adkins, and won the title with 100 points in his first season. Back in the Championship, they threatened a second successive push for promotion and were in contention for the play-offs until the penultimate game of the season, eventually finishing tenth.

After a below-par start to the current season, United enter tomorrow's home game against Birmingham City at Bramall Lane just three points behind leaders Leeds in the formative Championship table and Paul Devlin, who played for both the Blades and the Blues in his career, is full of praise for his former United teammate's work.

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'They have had a fantastic couple of years, they had an amazing result against Villa the other week [winning 4-1] and it could have been eight," Devlin told the Birmingham Mail.

"My old team-mate at Sheffield United and Notts County has done an amazing job, he is like '˜God' at Bramall Lane now. 

'They are coming off the back of a loss but Bramall Lane on a midweek night is a hard place to get a result. I would be happy to get a point up there to be perfectly honest. It will be a difficult game for Blues but they are capable of getting a result up there.

Chris Wilder of Sheffield UnitedChris Wilder of Sheffield United
Chris Wilder of Sheffield United

'The way he has approached it, the way he has got them playing there and the team spirit, it's quite an old fashioned way he's done it. 

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'They have got some good players, they are a solid unit and they are a proper team, I still speak to people up there and he has nurtured a fantastic team spirit and team ethic."

Devlin also believes that another fellow Blade, Che Adams, can become a force to be reckoned with at Championship level - if he gets a run of games to prove his worth.

Paul Devlin was a favourite of the Blades fansPaul Devlin was a favourite of the Blades fans
Paul Devlin was a favourite of the Blades fans

'I knew about him up at Sheffield, when he came from Ilkeston in non league. In fairness it has been a really stop-start Blues career for him,' Devlin said of Adams.

"He hasn't taken off in the way I think he will, he has got the potential to be a fantastic player.

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'I think he just needs a sustained run in the team where he plays ten, 15, 20 games on the bounce and hopefully he gets his scoring boots on, gets on to a little run and can hit the goals I have no doubt he can score."