“100 per cent...” - Chris Wilder makes heartfelt promise to Sheffield United supporters after “underachieved” admission
Chris Wilder has made a heartfelt promise to Sheffield United supporters as a rollercoaster season comes to a tame end, with the Blades chief admitting his side have “underachieved” this term.
Chris Wilder has reiterated his promise to Sheffield United supporters that their side will be in a better position this season, after admitting the Blades have underachieved this term. United’s season has been something of a rollercoaster, which is rolling to a tame end.
They began it by losing all six of their games under new boss Ruben Selles, who was appointed to replace Wilder last summer, with the former boss answering the SOS call to try and keep United in the division.
They achieved that comfortably and at times showed the form and consistency that meant a remarkable tilt at the play-offs was not out of the question. But in the latter part of the season they have faded away, unable to string together the run of results to catapult them up the table.
Unitedites have been frustrated by repeated habits of conceding poor goals at one end and missing chances at the other, with the Blades signing off their home season with back-to-back defeats to Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End.
“100 per cent...” - Chris Wilder makes heartfelt promise to Sheffield United supporters after “underachieved” admission
They sit 15th in the Championship table going into this weekend’s final day trip to Derby County, where they will desperately hope for a positive result to take into a huge summer in which Wilder will look to rebuild United, both on and off the pitch, once again.
“It wasn't in a great place [when we returned],” he admitted, “but we have underachieved. We should have more points. Whether we should have enough points to be in and around where some people think, I'm not sure.
“But certainly we should have more points on the board. So to me, it’s a big summer ahead of us, A lot of hard work. Getting the right players in, getting the players out that we need to, and to go again.
“We certainly won't be in this position next year, absolutely 100 per cent. When we came out of the Premier League, I did something for myself to promise that wouldn’t happen again. I potentially will do something now, to look back on this time next year.
“But we won't be in this position. Absolutely, 100 per cent. I haven't got a crystal ball. I don't know how the division goes, I don't know who comes down. But we will get the right players in, we will get the right characters in.
“We'll get the right personalities in, we'll work on things that we need to work on and we'll try and improve the things that have been okay. Players want to be part of it. If a couple of the boys are running the contracts down or coming to the end of the contracts, then we'll deal with that.
“We have to have that togetherness about us that deals with poor moments and deals with a little bit of suffering that you can see. For me, the last two games sort of epitomise us. When teams really stuck it on us, we've gone under. And we need to change that.
“And we will. I spoke to the owner earlier and I thank him yet again for the backing. It's an underwhelming end to a season that promised a little bit, stalled a little bit, ended not great. But we will go again next year.”