A Look Into Ruben Selles’ Poor Start to Life As Sheffield United Boss As Fans Make “Clueless” Remarks | OneFootball

Four games, four defeats (or three games, three defeats in the Championship). Bottom of the table, with just one goal scored. The Ruben Selles era at Sheffield United truly couldn’t have started any worse on paper.

The picture is a lot more complex than the toxic atmosphere on social media would have you believe though.

United’s Start to the Season

The season began with a 4-1 defeat at home to Bristol City. Sheffield United dominated the first half but were undone by transitions and individual errors, particularly from Rhys Norrington-Davies, who struggled badly filling in at centre-back. Things didn’t improve in the EFL Cup against Birmingham City, where a toothless Blades side bowed out 2-1 despite Gustavo Hamer’s outrageous halfway-line strike.

At Swansea, United failed to register a single shot on target in a 1-0 defeat. And against Millwall, the performance was split in two: poor in the first half, much better in the second, but still undone by Luke Cundle’s first-half run and finish. Sitting in the stands with five minutes to go, I thought to myself “Millwall have simply old-manned us”. For those not knowing what that fighting term means: Millwall used their experience to beat us after going 1-0 up. They were street wise and bought fouls to kill momentum and frustrate us. They retreated in a low block because they were comfortable there, knowing full well that we had no physical presence in the box to trouble them from crosses.

That’s four defeats in four competitive matches for Selles, and a fanbase that was already sceptical is now becoming hostile.

Ruben Selles Was Set Up to Fail At Sheffield United Before A Ball Was Kicked

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – AUGUST 23: Ruben Selles, Manager of Sheffield United, looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United and Millwall at Bramall Lane on August 23, 2025 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images)

It’s important to remember the context Selles walked into. Chris Wilder’s side collected 92 points last season but finished third, narrowly missing out on automatic promotion. They then produced a record-breaking 6-0 aggregate win in the play-off semi-final against Bristol City, only to suffer heartbreak in the final against Sunderland. Tommy Watson’s stoppage-time curler sealed a 2-1 defeat after United had led for most of the game.

You have to wonder how much of United’s sluggish start is down to a hangover from that brutal ending of last term?

When COH Sports parted ways with Wilder and appointed Ruben Selles, many fans were baffled. Here was an inexperienced Championship manager replacing a club legend who had just delivered a 92-point season. Combine that with a summer of lethargic recruitment, and Selles was already on the back foot before a ball had been kicked.

Is Ruben Selles Really “Clueless”?

Social media and fans on local radio phone-ins have since labelled him “clueless” and his style of football “unworkable.” But is that really fair? Last season at Hull, Selles inherited a side bottom of the table, low on confidence, and leaking goals. He guided them to safety with a clear structure, developing young players along the way.

From matchday 20 to the end of the season, Hull conceded just two more goals than Wilder’s Sheffield United, who were considered one of the best defensive teams in the league. In that same spell, Hull collected 34 points – enough to place 12th if the table was reset from his arrival (per Transfermarkt). That’s not the record of a clueless manager, nor a fluke. He showed he can build resilient Championship sides from the ground up.

Blades Had Shocking Defensive Depth in Season Opener

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Ruben Selles, Manager of Sheffield United, talks to the team following defeat during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United and Bristol City at Bramall Lane on August 09, 2025 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images)

Criticism of the Bristol City defeat also needs perspective. Selles was forced into a defensive crisis: Norrington-Davies playing as a makeshift centre-back, partnered by Tyler Bindon, a 20-year-old Forest loanee making his Championship debut. Both understandably struggled against the experience and physicality of Emil Riis Jacobsen.

The bench offered little. Jack Robinson, reportedly days away from joining Wrexham, was called upon. Sam McCallum was shifted to right-back after Femi Seriki was withdrawn in the second half. That’s not a manager “getting it wrong” because any manager with no defensive quality/depth is bound to struggle at professional level.

Since then, defensive reinforcements have arrived. Ben Godfrey (season-long loan from Atalanta), Nils Zatterstrom (permanent from Malmo), and reportedly soon-to-be-signed Japhet Tanganga from Millwall should give Selles far more stability at the back.

Sheffield United Need to Find Winning Combination in Midfield

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – AUGUST 13: Gustavo Hamer of Sheffield United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Carabao Cup first round match between Birmingham City and Sheffield United at St Andrew’s at Knighthead Park on August 13, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Ironically, while the defence was seen as the big summer priority over the last couple of weeks, the bigger issue now actually lies in midfield. Against Millwall, Selles fielded Sydie Peck, Gustavo Hamer, and Callum O’Hare, none of which are natural holding midfielders or protectors of the back line. Djibril Soumaré, United’s only true number six, sat on the bench.

Peck, who shone last year alongside Vinicius Souza, struggled badly when tasked with shielding the back four himself. I wrote this about Peck in my end of season player grades/reviews:

“While I think both are very good young midfielders, I think Arblaster knows how to control a game better. Peck has all the tools he needs to succeed, it’s all about knowing when to use them though. For example, we could be piling on the pressure, pinning a team back and the ball keeps getting recycled, but Peck would often try a very audacious clipped ball over the top which would go out of play. The correct play would be to just keep it ticking over and in the final third and work for a higher percentage pass or cross.”

His qualities: strong ball-carrying, ability to roll a man, and progressive passing instincts, shine higher up the pitch. But deeper, his risk-taking is costly. He was dispossessed multiple times in dangerous areas against Millwall by trying to play out when a simple clearance or backwards pass would have sufficed. For example, he’d roll his man while retaining the ball, but he’d crowd himself out and instead of limiting the risk, he’d try to drop a shoulder again in the tight area but would get dispossessed.

Meanwhile, Hamer’s natural role is a number ten, where he can influence the game in advanced areas. Instead, he has been dragged deeper and deeper, limiting his attacking impact. The midfield currently lacks balance, protection, and physicality, and that is why the defence has been left exposed.

Is the Good Fortune From Last Season Now Coming Back to Haunt Sheffield United?

One final point: how much of this is simply regression? Last season, United massively overperformed their Opta expected points (xP). Before the 39th league game was played, Opta’s expected league model had United on 61 points, but their actual tally was 80 points, meaning they were 19 points better off than what their performances suggested. I believe this ultimately got reduced to around 14 points.

Nevertheless, the reason these models exist is to measure overperformance (good fortune and clinical finishing) and underperformance (bad fortune, bad finishing or poor shot-stopping). Time and again, the Blades were “poor but scraped a win.” As I stated numerous times, overperforming your points tally by such a margin is simply unsustainable. Perhaps what we’re seeing now is the flip side: a team that rode its luck last season but is now suffering the bounce-back in the other direction.

The start under Selles has been awful. No one denies that. But to write him off as  a clueless manager is ignorant to both his record at Hull and the difficult circumstances he’s inherited at United, from a play-off hangover to lack of defensive numbers and an unbalanced midfield, though the Millwall midfield has no excuses due to Soumaré being left on the bench.

If the board and the majority of the fanbase can resist the urge to panic, Selles has already shown he can mould a struggling side into a competitive one (at Hull). But in the unforgiving Championship, patience is a rarity. Especially when your aim is promotion to the Premier League, which right now seems a million miles away.