“Not a rant” - Every word Chris Wilder said about Sheffield Wednesday, Henrik Pedersen and “the other one” after Sheffield United double-double
“Not a rant” - Every word Chris Wilder said about Sheffield Wednesday, Henrik Pedersen and “the other one” after Sheffield United double-double
Chris Wilder has issued a passionate defence of Henrik Pedersen, his counterpart across the city at Wednesday, after Sheffield United secured a historic double-double on Saturday to officially condemn United’s city rivals to League One. The Blades won 2-1 at Bramall Lane on Sunday to keep their play-off dreams alive.
Going down at Bramall Lane was the latest blow in a season full of them for the Owls, who remain on minus points and have suffered the earliest-ever relegation in English football history. But Wilder backed Pedersen in the wake of the game and spoke passionately about the Dane, who took over the sinking ship last summer after the departure of Danny Rohl.
Here is every word Wilder said on the Owls and Pedersen from his pre-match press conference this afternoon, ahead of the Blades’ clash with table-topping Coventry City at Bramall Lane tomorrow night.
“It's all an emotional lead-up as well. A lot of energy goes into it emotionally and from a preparation point of view. I said all along, it's not just another game. The target was to get three points and to win the game of football.
We were in control of everything. I think all you guys have nailed it as well. We obviously opened the game up with Kalvin's sending off and knew there would be an energy around that, especially when Sheffield Wednesday scored to get themselves back in the game.
The feel of the game was maybe a little bit more edgy than it actually was with 10 men against 11, but it's still 10 men against 11 regardless, so more of an advantage. Then we should have won it pretty comfortably when it went 10 versus 10. But overall, job done and I'm moving on.
Thirty-odd thousand Sheffield United fans would have liked the opportunity of it being 11 versus 11. I said it to the players afterwards about eventualities. Maybe the game became too easy for us after 30 minutes, but the start was what we were after, the goals were what we were after, and the result was what we were after.
Of course we would have liked a resounding victory, but we got a victory, which was always the main aim from the moment the fixture list came out — for us to win at their place and to win at home — and we got the job done.
My respect has always been there with Henrik — not for the other one — but with Henrik. That was the reason for my outburst before, cards on the table, and certain things leading up to the first Sheffield derby. What happened during the game, what happened after the game and comments like that.
I'm a reactor. I think a lot of people in Sheffield, or from this part of the world, are reactors. They don't usually instigate it, but they react to it, so I did. But Henrik is somebody I've always got on really well with.
“Not a rant” - Every word Chris Wilder said about Sheffield Wednesday, Henrik Pedersen and “the other one” after Sheffield United double-double
I managed to have 30 seconds with him after the game because of the media commitments for both of us. I didn't have the opportunity of seeing him in my office, because he came in and he always has done, which I like. People talk about this — is he good on the grass, is he good tactically? We're all decent to get to the stage of our careers that we're at.
To be good on the grass, some are better than others. To be tactically astute, aware and proactive, of course. Henrik’s had a few offers as well but he took the opportunity of managing Sheffield Wednesday when the other guy jumped. Then there was the situation at the start of the season when a lot of players left, which they had to in terms of the direction of the football club, to protect their careers and their families. Henrik took the decision to take the job on.
I know how I feel after every defeat, so to have the amount of defeats that they've had — and I said it afterwards — to be so ill-prepared, to have a team that's not ready for the Championship, possibly not even ready for League One if you look at it, and I'm not being disrespectful — that's tough. They've had some injuries as well. They've had that continual losing feeling and he has to get up every morning.
His kids are there in his house. Then he walks into the training ground and there's a receptionist, there's a groundsman and there's a guy on the door. He has to inspire all of them because if he walks in feeling sorry for himself, people are looking at him. People look at managers all the time.
So it isn't just about the grass bit, it isn't just about the tactics bit. It's about inspirational attitude and how he's got to inspire people when they're going through a disappointing period — and they have. He has to inspire his coaches, his staff, his players and his supporters.
They've been competitive in every game. Liam Palmer’s been a fabulous servant to Sheffield Wednesday. Liam Cooper's had a great career, coming to the back end of it, and he understands that. Promotion with Leeds United, playing in the Premier League — unbelievable. Ingelsson is a player we all like. I'm really surprised nobody came in for him in the window.
They picked a couple of free transfers up — that's it. That's their senior players. Then you go on to the academy players. Again, no disrespect, they're not at the standard where our academy players have been when they've come through. Whether it’s Jebbison, Osula, Lankshear, whether it's boys to Man City, whether it's Faxon, Seriki, Brooks, Arblaster or Peck, who have played 20, 30, 40 games in the Championship at the top end and achieved.
Then you look at the loans. They're not top loans like Rak-Sakyi, Tommy Doyle or James McAtee. They're loans that might go on and have careers, but a first loan is usually a difficult one and they're getting thrown in. Henrik has got to try and get a tune out of that team.
How hard is that? You've got to inspire everybody — your staff, your supporters. You've got to put together a team that's competitive every game and they've been losing games right the way through the season. As I said before the start, they were relegated before the ball was kicked. Then they lose Barry [Bannan] as well. And Henrik is there, inspiring everybody.
I told him to look after himself because he's a good guy and not to beat himself up too much, because he does. The amount of work he puts into himself and his team, trying to be competitive.
He'll be trying to be competitive at Norwich and he'll try to be competitive at Southampton. He'll be competitive. He should get judged when he's got a team in place that has an opportunity of winning games of football. That's when Henrik should get judged — not now, not at the start of the season, not at Christmas.
I suppose that's another rant I've gone on, but it isn't a rant. It's just a manager-to-manager feeling and a respect that I have for Henrik, and giving an opportunity to people who maybe don't understand the game of football, maybe the manager's role.
We all want to win. We're all after three points. We all know how hard the job is. We know the highs and lows. We're all chasing that winning feeling. We all can't have it. We all know we'll lose and we have to deal with that. It sits with you, in the pit of your stomach, right the way through until the next game.
The highs are high and the lows are low. We all have that. If you don't say anything and you stand there, you're not passionate and you get criticised. If you have an opinion, then you've got too much to say for yourself. If you wear a tracksuit, you should be wearing a suit. If you wear a suit, you should wear a tracksuit. If you have your hair cut, you shouldn't have it. If you have a shave, you shouldn't have a shave. Everybody's got an opinion on you.
So I'm in the manager's camp. There's some that I don't like and some that I like. There's some that I think are frauds and get away with it, and some that I think give everything to it. I like Henrik and I hope he has a really successful career.
There were people in the summer who were interested in him going to work on their coaching staff, and he turned offers down. But he loves Sheffield Wednesday and he wanted to make a go of it. I think he should be given that opportunity. If not, I'm sure his career won't stall and he'll be a success wherever he goes, if it's not at Sheffield Wednesday.”