'The concern for me is confidence, it just seems to be getting drained out of them' - what former Liverpool star and other pundits said about Sheffield United's defeat at West Brom

The search for that elusive first win of the season goes on for Sheffield United after they were beaten 1-0 by fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on Saturday night.
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It was a frustrating evening for the Blades as they failed to capitalise on a number of golden opportunities in front of goal with Conor Gallagher’s first half strike condemning Chris Wilder’s side to a ninth defeat in their opening 10 games.

United remain at the foot of the table with just a point and are five adrift of safety.

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Speaking to the media after the game, Wilder remained confident his side can beat the drop but admitted they were the architects of their own downfall.

“It’s Groundhog Day, I feel like I’m saying the same thing after every game,” he said. “We’re shooting ourselves in the foot and I keep saying the same things.

“Nobody would have been surprised if we’d have won this game with the openings we carved and the positions we got ourselves in. My own eyes, watching what I did, tell me that.”

And he revealed his side’s target for the remainder of the season.

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“Seventeenth place is all we’ve got eyes for, and I think people will understand my realism in that,” he said.

Sheffield United players' despair as another chance is missed during the Blades' 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday night. Photo: JASON CAIRNDUFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.Sheffield United players' despair as another chance is missed during the Blades' 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday night. Photo: JASON CAIRNDUFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.
Sheffield United players' despair as another chance is missed during the Blades' 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday night. Photo: JASON CAIRNDUFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.

But what did the pundits make of United’s latest setback? Let’s take a look.

Graeme Souness, former Liverpool midfielder and Sky Sports studio guest

“They will be going back up the motorway scratching their heads wondering how they didn’t get something from this game. They had so many chances, not just chances, but really good chances. You wouldn’t even describe them as half chances.

"These are gilt-edged chances. At this level you cannot be missing these chances and expect not to be in trouble. Last year those chances were going in. It’s a whole different game, but you can’t fault the effort, you can’t fault the determination when they went one behind. No one threw the towel in, they had a right go for him (Wilder).

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"As long as that remains the case, then they’re all in it together and everyone should be supportive of him. The alarm bells start ringing when people are going through the motions, but tonight and every time I see Sheffield United the players have a right go for the manager and as long as that continues, get on with it.

"You have to believe as a football man that Lady Luck changes and it will change for them.”

Luke Edwards, North-East sports reporter for the Daily Telegraph and guest on BBC’s Football Daily podcast

“Maybe I’m an old romantic, but Sheffield United are in the Premier League because of one man and that one man is Chris Wilder.

"He signed all of those players, he put that team together and took them to the verge of Europe last season. A club like Sheffield United need supporters in the stadium at home. They feed off that energy.

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"Bramall Lane was probably one of the best atmospheres last season and it often is for newly-promoted teams.

"They ride that momentum and I just worry that football is so ruthless and that people at Sheffield United – and I don’t know this – will start worrying about the money and the Premier League money and that the most important thing now is staying in the Premier League, because that’s the best thing for the club.

"I think if Sheffield United go down this season I hope that Chris Wilder deserves, for what he’s done taking them from League One to the Premier League, a chance to take them back up to the Premier League.

"I think he is the same manager, the same wonderful manager who got Sheffield United to the Premier League and took them to the verge of Europe last season.

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“I hope the club, for once in football, do the decent thing and stick by him because Sheffield United are the club they are now because of Chris Wilder.”

Jobi McAnuff, Leyton Orient midfielder and BBC Football Daily podcast guest

“I’m fully in the Keep Wilder there camp. You know, getting promoted with Reading, we didn’t stay up the first year and our manager who we all loved to bits and felt would have been the best equipped to try and get us back up the following season lost his job around March.

"Now we weren’t, in our opinion, good enough to stay up that year. Sheffield United, of course, had a fantastic year last season and I believe he should be given a chance to keep them up.

"Chris Wilder has still got a chance of keeping them up and if, they were to go down, I’d definitely feel he should be given the opportunity of trying to get back up again next year.”

Stephen Warnock, former Liverpool and Leeds United defender and pundit on Sky Sports News’ Football Show

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“The concern for me is confidence, it just seems to be getting drained out of them. When it falls to (Lys) Mousset he has to score and you can just see the players’ body language when they walk away. They’re down on their knees. You see players looking at the ground.

"Chris Wilder just has to get the back into the analysis room and show them what they’re creating, show them the opportunities that they are providing for the strikers and for players in good positions and they just have to keep believing that when they do get in those positions, they’re going to put them away.”

Micah Richards, former Manchester City and Match of the Day studio guest

On Lys Mousset’s late miss, he said: "That’s just Sheffield United’s luck at the moment. They played really well today but couldn’t finish.”

Danny Murphy, former Liverpool midfielder and Match of the Day studio guest

"That was the first time they’ve been really positive and they made lots of chances. They’ve got something to build on.”