Journalist makes claim on major effect of Burnley’s links to Chris Wilder on Middlesbrough | OneFootball

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Football League World

·4 October 2022

Journalist makes claim on major effect of Burnley’s links to Chris Wilder on Middlesbrough

Article image:Journalist makes claim on major effect of Burnley’s links to Chris Wilder on Middlesbrough

Chris Wilder’s failure to dismiss links to the Burnley job back in April damaged his relationships with key men in the Middlesbrough dressing room and the club’s hierarchy, according to Northern Echo journalist Scott Wilson.

The 55-year-old had initially created a buzz on Teesside following his appointment last November, with Boro adapting to his methods well, coming close to securing a place in the play-offs and even managing to beat the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup.


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However, things have gone downhill since then, with the Daily Mail reporting last month that there was tension between Wilder and owner Steve Gibson regarding their recruitment during the summer window.

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Article image:Journalist makes claim on major effect of Burnley’s links to Chris Wilder on Middlesbrough

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His recent links with AFC Bournemouth also created some unhappiness in the second-tier side’s fanbase, though Wilder did dismiss these rumours during his last pre-match press conference as Boro boss last week.

He was more reluctant to rubbish reports linking him to the Clarets earlier this year though following the sacking of Sean Dyche – and that was reportedly damaging for the former Sheffield United boss in terms of his relations with key on and off-field figures.

The 55-year-old was dismissed yesterday after overseeing just two wins in 11 league games this season, with a combination of poor results and strained relationships potentially two key factors in sealing his fate.

The Verdict:

Considering Boro were still around the top six at that time, this episode regarding the Clarets’ job will have been regrettable but they had to put that behind them and move on to what looked set to be a bright summer.

However, it does seem as though tensions remained during the previous transfer window due to differences in opinions on recruitment, and that probably didn’t bode well for this season.

And you have to feel this must have contributed to their results – because Wilder had the CV to do much better than he did during the early stages of the campaign and the players were and still are more than capable of competing at the top end of the division.

In fairness to Wilder, he probably needed a couple more players to have the dream team at his disposal, with a couple of top-quality in the final third potentially beneficial for their cause.

But Boro should be doing much better than they are regardless of that – and it will be interesting to see whether a switch in manager will be the catalyst for a dramatic upturn in their form.

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