Callum O’Hare makes Coventry City point as Chris Wilder reiterates Sheffield United’s missing ingredient
Callum O’Hare has challenged his Sheffield United side to follow Coventry City’s example next season after admitting the Blades’ poor start left them with almost no margin for error in the Championship promotion race.
Callum O’Hare has challenged Sheffield United to follow the example of his former club Coventry City next season, after admitting the Blades’ disastrous start left them with almost no margin for error in the Championship promotion race.
O’Hare watched his former club storm to the title under Frank Lampard while United spent much of the campaign trying to recover from the damage done during their early-season collapse under Ruben Selles before Chris Wilder’s return in September.
The forward, who won four player of the year awards in an impressive individual season at Bramall Lane, believes his former club’s fast start proved decisive in shaping the confidence and momentum which carried them to promotion.
And when asked if the Sky Blues had laid the blueprint for United to follow next term, O’Hare admitted: “I would say so for sure. I think the start of any season is huge. We didn’t start very well and it puts you in such an awkward position because you can’t really draw or lose many games.
“Whereas if you start like how they did, the confidence throughout the team flies and you just keep going one way. So hopefully we can do something similar to what they did this year, next year.”
Wilder himself has already pointed towards Coventry as an example of the mentality and resilience United must rediscover during another major rebuild this summer. The Blades boss was particularly frustrated by the manner of Coventry’s win at Bramall Lane earlier in the season, believing it summed up both sides’ contrasting fortunes in the months that followed.
“We absolutely murdered them here for 20 minutes,” Wilder recalled. “We were aggressive, on the front foot, crossing balls and creating chances. But what they did was stay in the game.
“They defended corners, defended crosses, blocked shots and were prepared to get one in the b***ocks if they had to. That gave them a platform because football is never going to be 95 minutes of one team dominating.
“There are always moments where you have to suffer and get through difficult periods. And that mentality underpins why they finished as champions, and why we finished where we did.”
Personality, experience and character will shape Wilder’s summer recruitment plans after a season in which the Blades were too often found wanting in both boxes - wasteful in front of goal while conceding soft goals at costly moments.
The chaos of last summer at Bramall Lane was at odds with Coventry’s evolutionary process, which paid dividends when they stormed to the Championship title. Other more settled clubs including Millwall and Ipswich Town challenged for promotion while the Blades were left floundering in mid-table.
“What Coventry have done well is build and go again,” Wilder added. “If you look at their recruitment, it’s not just about spending huge money. They’ve sourced the right players, the right characters and the right personalities. That has to be our target now.”