James Shield's Sheffield United Column: Amid the accurate insight and conjecture, sits one important truth

Well, the first serious question at least. The journalist who leads off - always from a Premier League rights-holder, who have paid for the privilege - is likely to lob the Sheffield United manager ‘a couple of easy ones’ as we say in the trade. Then, once everyone is warmed-up, Wilder will be asked about his position at the football club amid claims he was on the verge of stepping down, only to be coaxed back from the precipice, earlier this week.

The response Wilder provides will have crafted and rehearsed countless times, because he knows what’s coming too. Anyone familiar with that scene from The Thick if it, where Nicola Murray inadvertently launches a campaign to become party leader, understands the dangers of walking into situations such as this unprepared.

Clearly, there are issues behind the scenes at Bramall Lane. Reporters don’t have to start dialling the numbers in their contacts books to work that, or what they are, out. You simply have to join the dots, listen to what people aren’t saying, to understand they revolve around money for players, the speed with which transfer deals are negotiated and investment in infrastructure. Although neither side will appreciate me saying so, spats about those are par for the course in football. The trouble is, when results are as bad as those being produced by United right now, tempers become frayed and even the most minor of disagreements get magnified unless an honest broker is on hand to calm everyone down.

Enough has been written about what may or may not have happened behind the scenes over the past 72 hours. Some of the analysis and theories put forward have been insightful. Others, simply ridiculous and designed to suggest a degree of insight when none whatsoever exists.

What is absolutely certain, however, is that whilst employees rarely see completely eye to eye with their employers or vice versa, victories are always the best medicine for any club suffering a little bit of distress. Which makes the trip to Rovers the most significant assignment of United’s season so far. Genuinely, not in a cliched ‘The next game is always the most important’ sense.

Without a win in any competition so far this term, United’s reserves of confidence are bound to be even lower than their points total in the table, where they sit rock bottom and 12 from safety. Being beaten again, this time by League One opposition, would drain what remains away.

But a victory - and let’s be honest, United can not be choosy about where they get them right now - would give Wilder an opportunity to start replenishing the self belief of a team which achieved survival comfortably last term. His predecessor Nigel Clough, who inherited a squad spiralling towards League Two when he took charge in 2013, used the tournament as a ladder up the rankings, eventually reaching the semi-finals and guiding United onto the cusp of the play-offs. Right now, they will settle for 17th in the PL but the cup can help them get there.

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