Sheffield United players face “harsh reality” of poor run of form as Chris Wilder reveals key backing

He has never made a secret of the fact that, as manager of his beloved Sheffield United, the highs are higher but the lows are much more gut-wrenching for Chris Wilder. So the last 10 days or so, which has seen United lose three games in a row to give themselves only an outside chance of an automatic promotion spot that was very much in their grasp not so long ago, will have hurt deeply on both a professional and personal level.

“I got loads of messages of support,” Wilder revealed. “Saying things like: 'Come through it’ and: 'Crack on,’ which is brilliant.."I'm surrounded at this football club with some real positivity and loyalty, I'm surrounded at home by friends and family who are really positive and loyal.

“Jamie Hoyland, whose history is steeped in Sheff United and is a big pal of mine and good at his job [as United’s chief scout] said: 'Listen it could be worse ... you could be Don Givens! [The Blade who missed a crucial penalty to send United down to the old fourth division in the early 1980s].

'"I said it was a good point, but we're still losing games and I don't like it. But words and support from the likes of him are priceless, and other people around me, people externally in the game and internally at this football club. We all back each other.

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"They're not turning it on me just because we've had a bad week. I'm not turning it on the players just because they've had a bad week. They've got my trust, they've got my belief. I'm an emotional manager and I want my players to be emotional players.

"We've got to find a calmness and a control and a balance. I understand that. But this is the way we are and sometimes you go through periods of your season. But we need to arrest it and get back to what we do best, which is wanting to win and emotionally being at our best.”

Sheffield United look to get back to winning ways with Cardiff City opportunity

United get another golden chance to do just that at home to struggling Cardiff City, although back-to-back defeats to two fellow relegation battlers in Oxford United and Plymouth Argyle have dampened the Blades’ promotion hopes somewhat. They go a Bank Holiday weekend five points adrift of Leeds United and Burnley ahead of Monday’s clash with the Clarets at Turf Moor.

“I'm okay,” Wilder, a serial promotion winner in his managerial career including two with his boyhood club, added. “I've been through the stretch before and I've lost games before. I come fighting back ... I'm a glutton for punishment.

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"The highs at this football club massively outweigh the lows. We've had a small period of lows over this season and there's been some incredible highs - doing the Sheffield double, winning games of football, over two points per game and the position we're in.

"I'm incredibly disappointed that we've had a poor week but the message now is: ‘Come on, let's get ourselves going, show the resilience we need to show.’ The players have been picked up. I'm not smashing them about all over the place, but also they have to realise the truth, this week hasn't been good enough.

"It's no good me saying: ‘Let's go for a beer and a Chinese and take the pressure off you.’ The harsh reality is we've given up a really positive position and handed the initiative to other teams, and that really does hurt. But we'll keep swinging, and hopefully we can come out fighting on Friday night.”