Martin Smith column: Why Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder literally has all the answers

‘Actually, I’m the manager, but we’ll keep that quiet…'

Imagine, you’re part of a survey team asking football fans about their ‘matchday experience’ outside Bramall Lane and you stop a bloke in a hood and snood and go through the questions.

He looks at you a bit strange perhaps, maybe smiles and hesitates slightly, but goes along with it anyway.

Then you listen to BBC Five Live later in the build up to Sheffield United’s 1-1 draw with Brighton and realise that you’d only been grilling Chris Wilder!

That’s roughly what happened on Saturday as the Sheffield United manager, who apparently often runs to the ground on match days, was stopped and asked for his views.

Five Live’s Ian Dennis told the story on Saturday lunchtime after speaking to the United boss before the game:

“Chris Wilder runs to the ground sometimes on match days and this week he was stopped by a man with a clipboard and Blades scarf who asked him about his match day experience.

“He thought of all sorts to say apparently but eventually went through the survey without letting on and the surveyor never twigged who he was talking to!”

Owls legend Chris Waddle was Dennis’s co-commentator at the game and despite his blue and white loyalties was later full of praise for the ‘mystery fan’ and his team but cautioned more seriously on next season:

“There will be teams willing to double the United players’ wages next season to go elsewhere and they will have to deal with that.

”Complacency will not happen here. They are hungry and while ever they stay hungry they will stay in the Premier League but other clubs coming in for their players might be a problem.”

If they’re playing in Europe who would want to leave?

Perhaps we could do a survey.

*Big night for a couple of Ronnie Moore’s Rotherham old boys tomorrow.

Paul Warne and Mark Robins, former team mates and two thirds of the beautifully balanced front line - along with Alan Lee - that went up to the Championship in 2001 making it back-to-back promotions.

That’s where they both hope to be headed at the end of this season with their respective sides.

Robins’ Coventry host the Millers tomorrow and Warne and his assistant Richie Barker - another of that promotion-winning Rotherham side - will be looking to get one over on their old team-mate.