"This will split opinion" - Claim made about Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder | OneFootball

Wilder was appointed as the Blades manager for the second time in December 2023, a decision that still splits opinion.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Since returning to Bramall Lane in December 2023, Chris Wilder has not had the easiest ride.

Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League last season with just 16 points, picking up three wins across the entirety of the campaign, while also conceding a record 104 goals.

After their relegation was confirmed in April 2024, it was announced that the club were to start the new Championship season on -2 points after they broke the EFL's rules by defaulting on payments to other clubs during their previous stay in the second tier, while they also have a further two point deduction suspended.

However, since the first minute of the first game of the new campaign, the Blades have been on it, and are still unbeaten after the first five matches - clawing back the points that they lost off the pitch.

Wilder seems to have worked out yet another winning formula in the Championship, but not everybody is happy with the 56-year-old.

Wilder continues to split opinion after unceremonious exit

Many would not have expected the former Middlesbrough manager to walk back through the door at Bramall Lane after he first left in March 2021, and it is still something that some can not forgive.

Wilder left Sheffield United with the club well adrift at the bottom of the Premier League after his relationship with the board broke down.

But, by that point, the Blades were left without a chance of surviving, and Paul Heckingbottom was left with the thankless task of seeing out the season.

His return was treated with mixed responses by the Bramall Lane faithful, but, Football League World's Sheffield United Fan Pundit, Jimmy from Blades Ramble, believes that he is the right man to take the club forward, and backs him to take them up.

He told FLW: "This will split opinion, but I have long been on the Chris Wilder appreciation trail. I think he's brilliant, I think Chris Wilder is brilliant, and I think he's starting to win round a lot of our fans.

"However, there will always be fans within the fan base that remember how he left previously and also acknowledge his shortcomings."

Jimmy continued: "I think Chris Wilder’s at his best when he's not got a lot of money to spend and the odds are stacked against him. Once we get a decent transfer budget, the spotlight will be on him to make sure he can spend that money in the right places.

"So, time will tell whether Chris Wilder makes a go of it long-term, but we have to get promoted first. I don't think there's anybody I would rather have in the dugout than Sir Christopher Wilder."

2024/25 could be promotion or bust for Wilder

There will be worries that, despite a good start to the campaign, the same failings that Wilder had at both Middlesbrough and Watford could resurface.

If the once Sheffield United legend fails to get the team back into the Premier League this year, then fans may turn against the club due to the way he left originally.

However, nobody understands the Blades more than Wilder. He has had his best years at the club, and looks set to continue that if the first five matches are anything to go by.

The next few months are extremely important for his career at Bramall Lane, and if he can continue to bring the good times back to the red side of Sheffield, then he could start to bring some of his doubters back on board.