Sheffield United manager issues praise and take a dig

But after describing the desire to compete as a prerequisite for success, the 52-year-old is even more encouraged by the tactical advances they have made since securing promotion from the Championship towards the end of last season.

“Credit to my team, because if people think we’re a stereotypical side new to the division who keep banging on second balls then, to be honest, I don’t think they should be commentating because they haven’t got a clue. That’s not what the boys are about at all.”

Wilder used events during United’s most recent two outings - against AFC Bournemouth and Brighton and Hove Albion - to illustrate his point and, given some of the frankly ignorant analysis surrounding their suitability for Premier League football at the beginning of the campaign, take a swipe at those critics who suggested they would be cannon fodder for established top-flight clubs.

“The boys have stuck to their principles all the way through,” Wilder said, noting how United had fallen behind to Eddie Howe’s side before going on to win the game. “They’ve shown cool heads and worked through situations by doing that. They’ve not got anxious. They stayed focused.”

“Brighton, they’re an established team at this level,” he continued, reflecting upon last weekend’s 1-1 draw. “It didn’t turn into a game of basketball when they came back, with us having a go, then them and then us. There was a pattern and a thought process to what the boys were doing.”

United finished the latest round of PL fixtures ranked seventh in the table; only four points behind the Champions League places and one off Manchester United, who are fifth. Without a game this weekend thanks to Aston Villa’s involvement in the EFL Cup final, they return to action on Tuesday, after being paired with Reading in the FA Cup.

“We’re delighted with how things are going,” Wilder said. “But we just want to keep driving it on.

“People were saying all sorts we couldn’t control a while back and, to be honest, I didn’t really take much notice. What we’re bothered about is things we can take care of and that’s been the case all the way through.”