'Leave when I want' ... 'A joke!' - Sheffield United fans split after Chris Wilder's 'red seats' comments spark applause debate after Brighton draw

Instead, United's accumulation of 40 points almost passed without a whimper after the full-time whistle in Saturday's draw with Brighton and Hove Albion at Bramall Lane.

United, of course, now have far loftier ambitions than simply surviving in the Premier League and, with just 11 games of the season to go, still remarkably have more than a fighting chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

As a newly-promoted team, that would surely be the greatest feat of Chris Wilder's time at Bramall Lane which has delivered so many contenders so far.

Yet, as United's players and manager took their customary lap around the pitch at the full-time whistle, Wilder was perturbed by what he saw - enough to raise the issue out of the blue in his post-match media conference.

"At times during the season, you look at the performance ahead of the result," he said, "and I look at that as a standard excellent performance by this group of players who continually do that for the football club.

"There were quite a few empty red seats at the end. I'd have stayed behind to clap those boys off the pitch.

"That might be a bit controversial and the backing we had was fabulous. I do understand people have to shoot off at times but I think if I was watching that today, and I scratched beneath the surface and look at what these players are producing, I'd have stayed behind and given them a little clap off."

Instead of joy at reaching 40 points, the overwhelming feeling in the Bramall Lane air was one of frustration [although there was a little cheer raised when Gary Sinclair, United's stadium announcer, mentioned their new points tally].

Brighton, as Wilder reminded before kick-off, are an established team in the Premier League with a net spend of over £200m in recent years. They had an England defender at centre-half and a sprinkling of talent all over the pitch - including Neal Maupay, the former United target who scored Albion's equaliser.

As good as United have been this season, they do not have the right to simply turn up and turn over any team in one of the world's most competitive divisions. No-one, bar possibly Liverpool, do. Brighton have taken points off Chelsea and Wolves this season, and beat Spurs 3-0. Yet opinion on Twitter was divided. One fan, as is completely his right, wrote that he reserved applause for the players for outstanding performances and results. This, he said, was neither.

"Our supporters have been brilliant," Wilder continued.

"I think I've got a right to say what I've said. They've been fantastic and were right the way through. The players appreciate it, as do I.

"People might think 'what's he on about?' but I've criticised our performances when other people have said it was really good. Today was a really good performance, not a 'holiday performance' which has been levelled at us.

"If anyone thinks it's direct, or all about first and second balls, they need to look at that performance from start to finish.

"It was an excellent performance by a committed group of footballers."

The issue of leaving games early is one that has been debated about, it seems, since football began. One fan used the example of United's 3-3 draw with Manchester United earlier in the season as a prime example; anyone leaving early, which many did, would have missed Oli McBurnie's late equaliser and the explosion of noise that followed it.

Another supporter replied that he had been one who left early, annoyed at United throwing away a 2-0 lead to be trailing 3-2. That is his right, he said; and if he missed something through making that decision, what business of anyone else's is it anyway?

David Antcliff's position is that he will "leave when I want. Doesn’t make me less of a supporter than anyone else. Forty years as a season ticket holder doesn’t give me the right to criticise though it would be easy to question loyalty of today’s supporters when I remember less than 9,000 v Port Vale in 1999."

Matt Clarkson disagrees. "The amount of people who leave early is a joke. Do you not remember where we were four years ago?! Don’t get over-excited with our position. We’re punching way above our weight."

A complex issue that divided opinion on Saturday evening... but would it be football if it didn't?