Chris Wilder's Christmas message offers Sheffield United fans hope after “tough six months” as Blades momentum builds
Chris Wilder's Christmas message offers Sheffield United fans hope after “tough six months” as Blades momentum builds
Chris Wilder is hoping to give Sheffield United’s supporters “something to look forward to in the second part of the season” as a year of two halves draws to a close. The Blades boss has issued his own Christmas message to Unitedites.
The year of 2025 will go down as a typically topsy-turvy one in United’s history, featuring a promotion push and play-off final heartbreak at Wembley followed by a summer of turmoil which saw Wilder sacked and then rehired again a few months later.
In between the experiment with Ruben Selles proved disastrous, the Spaniard overseeing a terrible transfer window and then losing all seven of his competitive games in charge before being put out of his misery.
That put Wilder on the back foot on his return but the Blades are showing signs of life of late, a run of five wins and a draw in the last seven games suggesting that the second half of the season could still be a memorable one.
United hope to keep up their positive momentum against Wrexham tomorrow and Wilder said to Blades fans: “Hopefully you all have a great Christmas. I know how much the football club means to everybody.
Chris Wilder's Christmas message offers Sheffield United fans hope after “tough six months” as Blades momentum builds
“It's been a tough last six months. The journey, as always, is never straightforward. It's always a little bit of a rollercoaster following our team, which I've said on numerous occasions. But I wish everybody a great Christmas and hopefully we can do the business on Boxing Day and have an exciting 2026.
“We're all looking forward to it. If we can get January right, the players are showing signs of being that Sheffield United team that we all want. We've got to do our bit and hopefully, we give our supporters something to look forward to in the second part of the season.”
United go to Wrexham on the back of last weekend’s 3-0 win over Birmingham City and with good recent memories against the Welshmen, who have adjusted well to life in the Championship after their remarkable recent rise.
A feisty pair of FA Cup ties back in 2022/23 saw United prevail after a replay on their way to that season’s semi-finals while a League Cup clash at Bramall Lane last season also had a bit of needle as United won 4-2.
Going back further Wilder and United have enjoyed some real battles with Red Dragons boss Phil Parkinson during his time at Bolton Wanderers while Parkinson’s assistant Steve Parkin is a Unitedite, and goalkeeping coach Aidan Davison a former Blades goalkeeper.
“It's always competitive,” said Wilder. “When we've played Bolton when Phil and Steve were there, we had some great challenges and great battles. I know Phil personally, being brought up in the same environment, and I'm not surprised that he's had the success that he's had.
"I know Steve even better. He’s a fabulous character, a fabulous football guy, a great man and a Blade as well. The success of Wrexham is talked about a lot off the pitch and people chuck cheap things at them, about them doing this, that and the other.
"You've still got to win games of football and we all know how hard that is, especially when you've got a target on your back. That brings that added pressure that they've handled extremely well to gain the promotions that they've got.
"I watched the games over that period against Sheffield United, and it was with a smile on my face. Because I knew the Sheffield United group - because that was basically my group, apart from one or two - and I know their attitude towards it.
“And I knew what Phil and Steve's and Wrexham's approach would be, so I was all over that. I thought it was great. I thought the games in the cup were fabulous. Do you want it to be a sterile, boring game or do you want something to be on it and in it?
"I watched it from a distance and that's what you want football to be about. You want something on it and both teams, both sets of players and both clubs were all in and fully committed."