Chris Wilder will be hoping a key-factor in his Sheffield United success begins showing again
Alan Biggs on Sheffield United’s past leaders and how Chris Wilder needs a new batch
No-one will impose greater pressure on Chris Wilder lifting Sheffield United from the bottom of the Championship than the man himself.
There is no more forthright or forceful character when it comes to taking a lead, including the unenviable responsibility for a crisis not of his own making.
But this overlooks the singular hallmark of a successful Wilder team - a self-governing dressing room.
It is leaders on the field as well as off that the Blades require right now.
Time was when the team was packed with them. And that was in the best of times under Wilder in a culture that continued under Paul Heckingbottom.
They roll off the tongue in any order, except it’s fitting to start with George Baldock following the first anniversary of an exceptional player and person’s untimely passing.
Chris Wilder’s great leaders
Baldock leads alphabetically, too, in a list including Chris Basham, John Egan, Oli McBurnie, Ollie Norwood, Jack O’Connell, Jack Robinson, former skipper Billy Sharp and Enda Stevens.
Together, they policed a dressing room of many other good characters.
I’m not suggesting United don’t have good characters now. It’s just that we don’t know enough about this haphazardly scrambled and reassembled squad. The characters are yet to be defined.
But you can bet that Wilder will be looking to identify them, if he hasn’t already. And to add some of the same in the January window if necessary.
So far the impression has been of a fragility in this respect, albeit with signs of a hardening within demoralised-looking ranks.
Who can step up now at Sheffield United?
Recent signing and new skipper Japhet Tanganga is clearly identifiable as a leader in example and deed.
I’d put the battle-hardened Ben Mee in a similar bracket and it’s easy to see why Wilder places such great store in Tom Davies. The former Everton midfielder is a tigerish competitor besides being a quality player.
Looking through the squad, there’s quality and experience. You couldn’t single out any character weaknesses and the current league position is a bad joke.
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But the group needs to form some kind of definition and unity which I believe will start to emerge once results turn, as they must very soon.
Mind you, one thing Wilder will be insistent on fixing regardless of anything is home form.
Who could possibly have thought that United would be going into their fifth game of a season at Bramall Lane having lost all the previous four?
Watford’s visit this Saturday, regardless of their latest managerial change, has to end this ridiculously uncharacteristic sequence.
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