Alan Biggs: The real reasons behind Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder's outburst this week

At stake is the job that, at the end of his managerial career, he will hold dearest to his heart.

If Wilder really wanted to leave Sheffield United, or had resigned himself to irreconcilable differences with the board, he would have simmered in silence.

Simply seen out the season and waited for the next opportunity, knowing it wouldn’t be long coming.

And let’s not forget this. Managers tend to bite their tongues on differences with employers for fear of putting off potential suitors.

Chairmen and owners can be quite fragile when it comes to criticism. They consider the characters they might employ on a confrontational scale as much as for their ability in the job.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder's future and the story of a revealing pre-match media conference

Wilder knows all this well enough. So making public his frustrations was really a statement of how badly he wants to remain at Bramall Lane, with the club he supported and played for, before transforming beyond recognition as boss.

I’ve seen it suggested that Wilder, in effectively saying “back me or lose me,” is paving the way to leave and setting up the owner to take the blame.

But, believe me, this is not a manager throwing his hat in the ring for another job, much as there will be clubs on the alert.

No, this is a bloke making a desperate plea for the conditions he believes are essential for the club’s rapid re-emergence in the wake of a seemingly inevitable relegation.

Whether those stipulations are right or wrong will be a matter for debate. Some, not least in the boardroom, believe United should be focusing recruitment more widely, including abroad.

Certainly, too, there is an issue about the recruitment model. Prince Abdullah is believed to favour an approach involving, but not led by, the manager.

For Wilder, this is non-negotiable and cuts to the heart of his managerial style. Considering the progress made, the value added to the club by his trading, it seems incredible that control might be taken away on the basis of one largely ineffective window last summer when he could not afford the wages of proven top flight players.

Chris Wilder receives assurances that star names want to stay with Sheffield United, as fears about his own future grow

Maybe there should be room for compromise, but Wilder had flagged up the dangers of not taking recruitment up a notch and he has been proved right.

I’m convinced United have people at the top with a heart in the right place. They treat staff well, have enthusiasm for the game and want the club to prosper.

But, in apparently not seeking the must of investment help, I feel they have been naive in what’s required to maintain a top flight club.

As for bringing it back, United have a better squad than they were promoted with already in place. All they need to do is hold firm and keep most of it together.

Clearly Wilder fears, as this column warned last week, that this might not be the case. Instead of staying silent, he has put it out there.

That can mean only one thing - that he wants to see a solution thrashed out. He’s done this before, remember, when the boardroom power battle was raging before the pivotal summer of 2018.

Let’s see the key figures come together to sort this out - because when managers of Wilder’s quality come along they are decades apart.