Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United supporter message after “really positive performance” doesn’t get deserved rewards v QPR
Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United supporter message after “really positive performance” doesn’t get deserved rewards v QPR
Chris Wilder hailed Sheffield United’s supporters as “absolutely outstanding” after his side arrested their recent run of bad form with a goalless draw at home to QPR. The Blades came away wondering how they hadn’t earned all three points after dominating their hosts from a statistical perspective.
They had 20 shots on goal in total, albeit with only three in total, with R’s stopper Ben Hamer their man of the match with good saves denying Danny Ings and Sam McCallum. McCallum also saw an effort cleared off the line while Sydie Peck’s deflected effort hit the post late on as his wait for a first Blades goal continued.
The Blades would have been in the relegation zone no matter what their result was but the performance only increased belief that better days are just around the corner, especially if they can continue to cut out their habit of shooting themselves in the foot by conceding wholly avoidable goals.
“I've got to say, I thought they were absolutely outstanding,” said Wilder of his side’s support. “I said before about a piece that I read in the week, about these supporters that turn up at certain football clubs and, from the off, don't support their team.
“I think we gave them something to bite on but even at the end, quite easily, people could have looked at it and gone: ‘Yeah, it was two points dropped.’ But the boys left everything out there, as they have done right the way through.
“The position of the football club is the position that we're in. We understand what's gone off over the last three or four months, and they [the supporters] will be as frustrated as I am in terms of the situation that we find ourselves in.
Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United supporter message after “really positive performance” doesn’t get deserved rewards v QPR
“But we are in this situation, and I thought they gave everything to try and help us get a win. I think the most frustrating thing for me is that we didn't execute and deliver that result. Because they deserved it as much as the players did.”
While QPR offered something of a threat themselves at times, forcing Michael Cooper into a couple of smart saves, it was United who looked the most likely to emerge from the game with three points, with Tyrese Campbell also flashing wide in the first half and Callum O’Hare, who saw claims for a penalty rejected, testing Hamer’s handling with a header.
“We’ve talked at length about the reasons why we’ve lost games of football recently,” Wilder added. “Because we inflicted damage on ourselves. The good thing about it today is that we didn't.
“There's no negativity in terms of our approach to try and win a game of football. I think there's a couple of things that have gone against us; the keeper’s made a couple of great saves, we hit the post and had a couple cleared off the line.
“Hopefully, if we keep doing what we've done over the games, not shooting ourselves in the foot, being a bit calmer, not as frantic, finding that quality that we think we've got ... then, as I've always said, goals change, atmospheres, outcomes, and everything feels a lot better.”