Chris Wilder sends direct message to "most negative" Sheffield United fans as Stoke City defeat turns up the noise
Sheffield United head coach Chris Wilder has called for perspective after defeat at Stoke City, insisting it is “far too early” to make longer-term judgements while accepting the Blades will have to deal with growing negativity.
Chris Wilder has called for a sense of perspective around Sheffield United after their latest defeat, insisting it is “far too early” to make longer-term judgements on his side. But the Blades boss admits his side will have to deal with a wave of negativity when they return from the upcoming international break.
United's defeat at Stoke City was their fourth in five games in all competitions, with two late wonder goals turning a promising afternoon into another painful result. The Blades were ahead through Kalvin Phillips before superb strikes from Jack McGlynn and Sam Gallagher sent them home with nothing to show for their efforts.
For Wilder it was a different feel than Wednesday’s League Cup exit at Fleetwood, with United looking decent value for what would have been an impressive victory against an in-form side before two of their big players came up with moments of magic.
“I think there's got to be a bit of reality to it, a bit of perspective to it,” Wilder said. “When does a season get judged? It's an emotional game that we're all in. Are we on the right tracks? In my opinion, yeah.
“I’m not saying I'm comfortable with our position. I want to be higher. I want the performances to be better. But far too early to make longer-term judgements on anything, in my opinion, after eight [league games].
“There’s always going to be a certain element that will want and think that we should be right in amongst the top two or top three, which you can never change. But it's still a long way to go.
“If we're in a position around Christmas time that's unacceptable, then you look at that and say you really deserve the stuff that's going off the back of it.”
Wilder accepts, however, that United's players will have to deal with the criticism when they return to Bramall Lane after the international break against newly-promoted Lincoln City. Perhaps to underline the point about early-season positions being false, they rose to fifth in-play after getting to half-time ahead at home to Swansea on Saturday afternoon.
“We've got a home game coming back and I understand that the narrative that will be there, will be pretty negative,” he said. “The players have got to show what they're about and feel that and rise to it, rise to the challenge.
“And as I’ve always said, a player gets judged not just in the good times, when they're playing well, but in the times where results and little things are going against you. And to the most negative of Sheffield United fans, we got done today by two absolute screamers late on.
“If you come away with a win or come away with a draw, then the feeling’s a little bit better.”
Stoke in many ways are the perfect example of how quickly things can turn. They began the Championship season with three defeats in a row but haven’t lost since, taking 13 points from the last 15 up for grabs.
“The feeling around this place is completely different to the feeling at our football club,” Wilder added. “That's the way football is, and you have to handle it. We're going to have to deal with that negativity.”