Alan Biggs at Large: Eye to eye with ex-Sheffield United hard man Billy Whitehurst

William Whitehurst is taking pity. He’s just heard that this column didn’t have the privilege of a northern birth - and that it supports Chesterfield.

Billy is again - for the second or third time - in the process of putting off an invitation onto my show - almost (but not quite) like defenders everywhere used to avoid getting close to him.

“But he’s never been relegated, has he, so maybe he wouldn’t qualify?”

Suddenly Whitehurst is in full flow on Chris Wilder and the miracle - a word never to be used lightly - of Sheffield United.

This man himself qualifies as a legend. The hardest bloke on a football field of his generation, as any number of opponents - and grateful team-mates - would attest. Yet shying of the limelight since a career that peaked as something of a “minder” with Dave Bassett’s Blades - alongside players including Wilder.

Whitehurst remembers how “Chris was like a fish out of water” in those days. He admires that Wilder has got his team, his Blades playing the way HE wanted to play - but was never allowed.

At this point in the conversation, Billy is puzzled by me saying there are some similarities with Bassett.

“Harry’s style is not Chris’s style,” he insists. “Chris was a footballer. His team play like - I don’t know - Arsenal. Go on then, how are they similar?”

I say in two respects; 1 The ability to pull a whole club together, from boardroom to dressing room, office staff to fans. 2 Having the knack of being “one of the lads” at times and yet still very much the boss.

“See what you mean there,” grunts Billy. “Yes, in those two things, I agree. But on the football side of things they are totally different. As a player, Chris wanted to get the ball down and play. Doing that under Harry he would never have played again!

“But Harry was brilliant as well. Both teams have got to the same level - and Chris’s is great to watch. Also he’s a Blade through and through. And another thing - he’s not changed.”

Apart, shall we say, from adding a degree of restraint and maturity to a boisterously sociable nature. Former pub landlord Whitehurst recalls a time when Wilder ran a Sunday side at Bradway while still a player.

“I had the Cricketer’s just across the road from the ground. They’d all come in after their game on Sundays, then go off and do Ecclesall Road before coming back for a bit of karaoke. There was this day when we were all as drunk as rats. We decided in our drunken stupor to get into the ground - and at one o’clock in the morning there were about 20 of us kicking a box around the pitch. We couldn’t find a ball!”

Wilder maintains a work hard, play hard lifestyle to this day - with many of the same mates around him.

“He’s old-fashioned in that respect, though not in the way he does his job,” says Billy. “He has a good craic but everyone knows where the line is. Same as Bassett there. Bang right.”

And with that we agree a potential show date in June. Can’t wait!