Chris Wilder cements Sheffield United legacy as Sheffield Wednesday supporters look on with envy

As he strode purposefully into the media room at Hillsborough and perched himself behind the desk, it didn’t take a clairvoyant to sense that Chris Wilder had some things to get off his chest. His Sheffield United side had just secured him a first derby double as Blades boss, Wednesday dispatched again as their biggest rivals took another step towards another Premier League promotion.

The first question was about the emotions he was feeling but it might as well have been about the phase of the moon the previous evening, or Wilder’s favourite cheese. He had points to make, and he was not going to waste the chance to make them.

He went back to 2016, when he was first appointed as manager of his boyhood club and Wednesday narrowly missed out on a promotion that could have put lightyears between the two city sides. He went back even further, to the 1990s when the Owls had a squad packed with internationals and United were looked upon as the poor relations of the city. It all came pouring out, in a passionate monologue lasting nine minutes and showing exactly why there is no better man to be in charge of the Blades at this moment in time.

Wilder is a master of interviews. By some crude fag-packet maths I reckon I’ve sat in 600 of them, going back to his first game at Bolton all those years ago. There was a very uncomfortable one away at Hull City, in a cupboard-sized room that seemed to get smaller by the second as he let rip after a shocker of a display from his players. Sometimes the points are obvious, other times a bit more subtle.

I’ve sat in so many of those press briefings, usually before big games or when he has a particular bee in his bonnet, and wondered what he must be like in the dressing room; the inner sanctum in which few get to tread, and certainly no journalists. He obviously has to rein in some emotion in the press but can be unfiltered in his natural habitat.

On Sunday, before they walked out at Hillsborough, Wilder recalled the journey since 2016 of adjusting the balance of power in this city, how United became top dogs. He spoke of legends of yesteryear who have cemented their place in history by shining in a Steel City derby. He told those around him that they could be next. They must have walked out of the tunnel feeling 10 feet tall.

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What happened next was typical of Wilder’s team this season. In big moments, big players stepped up; two great stops from Michael Cooper, a rare bit of quality in the game from youngster Sydie Peck and free summer signing Tyrese Campbell, a tap-in from Rhian Brewster who showed his striking insticts to be in the right place at the right time. At full-time, after the celebrations had naturally subsided and the rest of the United party had retreated to continue them in the dressing room, Wilder had a moment alone - with only his thoughts, and thousands of jubilant supporters for company.

He held aloft George Baldock’s shirt in a touching tribute before skipping off the Hillsborough turf. He had woken early that morning and gone for a run to release some of the emotion, the streets mostly empty save for a few cars that almost ran him over. A few hours later, the city was undoubtedly his.

After making his points in the press, it was time for a beer; back to the Bramall Lane hotel, amongst his people, rather than locking himself away. To supporters, Wilder appears to be one of them because that’s exactly what he is. At a time when we decry a lack of characters in the game, and then hound anyone who dares to show an ounce of character, the celebrations should surely be welcomed.

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Let’s be honest, every football supporter in the country wants to see themselves represented in their club, their players and especially their manager. Even, although they’d never admit it, Wednesday. They wouldn’t want it to be Wilder, of course, but their own version; someone who sees the game as they do, who understands what their club represents and what they want to see from it. Think Gary Megson, perhaps, with a great deal more managerial ability.

Wilder’s legacy at Bramall Lane is already secure. If he walked away tomorrow, he would do so ranked as the best manager in a Bramall Lane generation, based off his first spell alone. What has happened this season, contending with boardroom instability and transfer market frustration and a relegation hangover possibility and overcoming a minus-two points deduction and building an entirely new team and implementing a new shape and installing belief back into a group of staff, players and fans and overseeing another promotion tilt, has been remarkable in its own right.

There’s little point in pretending otherwise; there were question-marks when he returned just over a year ago. From fans, from media, potentially even from Wilder himself. The Blades were in a mess, badly beaten up in a ruthless Premier League and sleepwalking towards a Championship return that had the potential to ruin all their good work and set the club back years. Many would have shied away from the challenge, concerned about ruining their reputation. One of his high-profile predecessors almost certainly would.

But the opportunity to go again was just too great, and he has answered many of those questions emphatically. But the responsibility of managing his club wears heavily at times and one day that dugout seat will be vacant again, another name will be carved on the door of the manager’s office. He admits himself that it could be in five or 10 years or two, such is the unpredictable nature of football.

And when it happens, he’ll look back on his journey with a contentment that few can appreciate. But not yet. There’s plenty of work still to be done.