Chris Wilder relishing Carrow Road “pantomime” as Sheffield United renew friendly rivalry with Norwich City
Chris Wilder relishing Carrow Road “pantomime” as Sheffield United renew friendly rivalry with Norwich City
Not much in football is guaranteed but whenever Sheffield United make the long trek to Norfolk to take on Norwich City, you can usually expect two things to happen. A pantomime atmosphere between two clubs who have established something of a rivalry in recent times, and two teams that will throw everything at the other in pursuit of three points.
Little wonder, then, that the Carrow Road trip is one of the first that Chris Wilder looks for when the Championship fixture list is confirmed in the summer. Any talk of a rivalry between two clubs separated by about 20,000 miles of the dreaded A17 may sound strange but one certainly exists.
It stems back to a few years ago, when Wilder vocally questioned City’s teamkeeping when they arrived late to Bramall Lane. United then adopted City’s tactics into a chant about “taking their time” and “playing football the Norwich way,” and there were a few spicy moments between Wilder and Daniel Farke during his time on the touchline at Carrow Road.
The two have overcome what Wilder previously admitted “wasn't the easiest of relationships after a game” to become good friends and still keep in touch regularly, especially after Farke joined him in Yorkshire as the manager of the Blades’ rivals Leeds United.
And the Blades boss is expecting the usual reception at Norwich on Wednesday night, as his side look to bounce back from the disappointment of a draw with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday which he admitted “felt like a defeat” as they missed the chance to gain some more late-season momentum.
Chris Wilder relishing Carrow Road “pantomime” as Sheffield United renew friendly rivalry with Norwich City
“Every time I speak to Daniel, we always have a little bit of a chuckle about it,” Wilder said. “Because we're pals and he did a fabulous job there. He's doing a fabulous job at Leeds United as well. There's always that little bit of pantomime regarding the fixture - I suppose started by me. Maybe I start quite a lot of stuff, really.
“But nothing changes. Two well-established football clubs that have been in the Premier League. Knowing how well-run the club is, knowing their ambitions as well at the start of the season, they would have looked to be in and around it, and they're not. But they'll be after a big finish just as much as we are.”
The return leg at Bramall Lane this season was a typically entertaining affair. United could have won and lost the game but ended up drawing it, Djibril Soumare’s comical own goal cancelling out Danny Ings’ opener at the other end.
“I enjoy it, because you get the usual stuff behind you,” admitted Wilder of a trip to Carrow Road. “It's not as hostile as some grounds you go to, but still. It's an established football club. It's been in the Premier League for a long, long time, in the eighties and nineties and right the way through.
“Then dropped out and then popped themselves back in. They didn’t drop down to League One like we did, but there’s a similar history to it in terms of being a bit of a yo-yo team.
“You always look at it as well when they've been promoted, how difficult it has been for Norwich City to stay in the division. But good they’ve got facilities, a good academy, always good players. It’s a well-run club and always a good place to go and play.
“It's always an open game of football. As I said, there's never been a change in terms of our attitude towards any game at Championship level. Maybe at the Premier League, you have to dampen your expectations down a little bit when you're going into games, when you're playing the calibre of teams that you're playing, and be a little bit more pragmatic with your approach.
“But always in the Championship, our approach has been to go and win a game. I think that's been Norwich City's approach in the Championship as well. No doubt, Philippe will demand a big finish. He'll demand a result to carry on their good form, just as much as we are with our players.”