A promotion push still looks tough for Sheffield United, but they have the right man for the job in Chris Wilder.
Sheffield United supporters may have been celebrating long into the night on Friday, but manager Chris Wilder was not overly pleased.
The Blades moved to the top of the Championship with a 2-1 win at rivals Leeds United, with David Brooks netting a crucial late goal.
But Wilder felt his side were poor at Elland Road and used his post-match interview with Sky Sports to criticise his side.
“It’s the best win, but it’s not the best performance,” he said. “I thought we were decidedly average.”
He then added: “I wasn’t too pleased with our performance. I thought it was one of our worst performances of the season.”
The initial response was bafflement at Wilder’s particularly harsh comments, but such a grounded outlook can only be seen as a positive after the newly promoted side took top spot.
While it would have been easy for the manager to hail his in-form team, his attention to detail and acknowledgement of a below-par performance will not allow standards to slip at Bramall Lane.
If Wilder is able to keep pushing United throughout the season – and continue to refuse to settle for “average” performances – they will remain in the promotion picture.
This criticism – after a big win – should be seen as a positive, not a negative.
As long as the manager keeps Sheffield United on their game, a favourable fixture list should ensure they take plenty more points back to Sheffield in the coming weeks.
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