Sheffield United: Chris Wilder warns Blades there'll be no hiding place in '˜massive' Oxford clash

Wilder, who is preparing to face his old club Oxford United with his current employers bottom of the League One table, made the admission after insisting that United’s supporters could play a key role in kickstarting a season which so far has failed to fire.

“I don’t like losing games and I don’t like where we are in the table,” Wilder said.

“There’s no hiding place now. We’ll need the help of the supporters for a massive game this weekend, because a few boys are struggling at the moment.

“They’re decent players - history shows that, and that’s why they’re at this football club - but they’re just having a bit of a struggle at the minute.

“As I say, there’s no hiding place for us next weekend. It’s a massive game, and we need to go and get that win.”

Wilder has so far resisted the urge to make wholesale changes to his starting XI, but faces growing calls to freshen up his attacking options. Leon Clarke and Billy Sharp have shown few signs of gelling as a partnership so far, while Marc McNulty is yet to make a start this season.

“Everyone’s got to stand up and be counted,” Wilder added.

“No matter what team we put out, and in what formation. We’ve got to go and be positive, and we need the crowd too.

“I’ve said since I came here that the players need to inspire the fans, but we need a big effort from them. Hopefully, that’ll then stimulate the players, give them a buzz and drive to go and get the win, because that’s definitely what we need.”

Wilder, who has lodged a bid with Millwall for their centre-half Byron Webster, has been linked with a move for Wigan winger Ryan Colclough.