Chris Wilder acknowleges Sheffield United “negativity” on social media after Sunderland play-off defeat.
You didn’t need to be an expert on Chris Wilder’s history and affiliation with Sheffield United to recognize the misery he was in in the aftermath of Saturday’s play-off final defeat to Sunderland. The sorrow was written all over his face as, 90 minutes or so after Tommy Watson’s 95th-minute goal sent his team to the Premier League, he spoke with local journalists about what happened that day.
To lose in such a manner after leading for 75 minutes of the game would be frustrating for any manager, but given Wilder’s history with the club as a lifelong fan, former player, and now manager in his second spell, it will have cut even deeper. Being the Blades manager is a position that brings him tremendous pride, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility. He plans to spend some time away with his supportive family before returning later in the summer refreshed and ready to go again.
Almost 100 representatives and associates of the COH Sports group, which took over the Blades from Prince Abdullah last summer following a lengthy takeover process, flew into London for Saturday’s final at Wembley Stadium, before the group’s main players spoke with Wilder in the aftermath on Saturday night.
“I thanked the owners last night because they put on a bit of a gathering and were very supportive,” Wilder told Talksport over the weekend. “And Stephen Bettis [the United chief executive] was very supportive of our efforts this season, while knowing that we have to go again.
“The owners have been quite positive. They were amazing in supporting me in January, and their words last night meant a lot to me. They’re in it for the long term. It was a minor setback, and we did not meet our goals, but we will try again. From every low there come highs and maybe next season we’re having a different conversation.”
In the same interview, Wilder acknowledged some “negativity” on social media, but the owners’ support for him appears to mirror that of the majority of the United fanbase, particularly after a season in which United won a club-record 92 Championship points despite a slew of well-documented challenges in the summer following relegation from the Premier League.
Their season appeared to be coming to an end when Tyrese Campbell’s goal put them ahead at Wembley, but Harrison Burrows’ second goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR check changed the momentum of the final, and Sunderland scored twice in the final 20 minutes to win promotion, first through Eliezer Mayenda and then Watson with one of his final touches as a Sunderland player before joining Brighton and Hove Albion later this summer.
As we reported earlier this season, Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, the front-runners of COH Sports at the time before welcoming a number of business associates into the group running United, were impressed with Wilder’s work during the ongoing takeover uncertainty and rewarded him with a new contract near the end of January that will last until at least the summer of 2028.
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