Why Sheffield United won't be the subject of fly-on-the-wall documentary any time soon

But Sheffield United followers hoping Netflix, Amazon or another internet streaming channel looking to commission a footballing documentary will eventually chronicle the journey of Chris Widler’s squad are set to be disappointed.

Their manager does not subscribe to the theory there is no such thing as bad publicity. Indeed, after Jack Rodwell was unveiled as United’s latest new signing, Wilder explained why the genre rarely features on his own viewing list.

“The guys who do these things, they want a hero and a villain,” the 52-year-old said, insisting the way Rodwell was portrayed on the Sunderland ‘Til I Die series did not accurately reflect his relationship with the club. “There’s two sides to every story and I know what really went on up there.

“Rather than pinning everything on one person, maybe people should look at the owner or chief executive who were up there at the time and ask why they didn’t put certain stipulations in someone’s contract?

“I’m not a big fan of all this fly on the wall stuff anyway. Because, despite what people say, the whole truth of something doesn’t always come out.”

Despite leaving the North-East 19 months ago, Rodwell remains a controversial figure at the Stadium of Light. Film makers tasked with tracing Sunderland’s slide through the divisions produced an episode detailing how he rejected pleas from officials there to engineer a transfer and rid them of the burden of his £60,000 a week contract. It prompted a furious reaction from the terraces and appeared to have caused irreparable damage to the player’s reputation until, following a season long spell with Blackburn Rovers, Rodwell agreed a short-term move to United earlier today.

Wilder, who boasts an array of contacts on Wearside including new owner Stewart Donald, suspects the former England midfielder was a convenient scapegoat for those who over-saw Sunderland’s demise. It is a feeling, he believes, others in United’s dressing room share after getting to know Rodwell following his arrival on trial three weeks ago.

“I’ve been watching how he interacts with others,” Wilder said. “I do that with all the lads, and how they’ve responded to him. It’s been great. He’s fitted right in.

“One of the great things about this group is that they’re tight but not so insular that they don’t welcome others in, which can happen with some squads.

“The other good thing is that there are strong characters in there and they’d give me the nod, I’d get the vibe, that someone wasn’t doing the right things in there.”

“All of the signings have my fingerprints on them,” Wilder continued. “We have to make sure we are a club that doesn’t make many mistakes in the transfer market. I don’t believe we’ve made many. We have made some but not many.

“Jack was a highly regarded player at the start of his time in football. It’s gone a little wrong for him, for whatever reason. There’s been no issue with his attitude. There are supporters up the road in the North-East who will chuck a load at Jack. But these eyes, as I say, they’re not pickled onions.

“I trust what I see and what I hear from people around me.”

Rodwell, who started his career with Everton before joining Manchester City, could make his United debut during Sunday’s FA Cup tie against AFC Fylde at Bramall Lane. Ravel Morrison is also expected to feature after enjoying precious few opportunities this term. Like Rodwell, he was carrying plenty of baggage following a series of controversial incidents at the beginning of his career before heading to South Yorkshire.

“It’s easy to form an opinion, without knowing the true facts, about people like Jack and Ravel,” Wilder, who recruited Morrison after last term’s promotion from the Championship, said. “I know what went off up there.

“Ravel Morrison has been a success for me. He’s been fine. I’m watching him. But at the moment others have been better. He’s just not had an opportunity because of the form of the boys in front of him.”

Languishing in League One when he was appointed in 2016, United’s success under Wilder has been fuelled by his knack of identifying untapped or unfulfilled potential in a crowded market.

Enda Stevens, now a regular Republic of Ireland international, was recruited from Portsmouth. David McGoldrick, who has also helped United climb to eighth in the Premier League table, had just been released by Ipswich Town when he accepted an invitation to train at the Steelphalt Academy.

“They’ve got undoubted football qualities,” Wilder, referring to Rodwell and Morrison, said. “Sometimes the path isn’t straight forward.

“They’ve been spot on with me and Ravel’s attitude has been great. If he had problems with it in the past, then certainly not here. And I like giving the underdogs an opportunity. Sometimes, players with a little bit of a hunger and desire, which they’ve certainly got, are good to have around.

“What they have been doing, Ravel and the others, has kept everybody else honest and on their toes. Because they know if standards slip, that will cost them a place in the team.”