⚔️ The Shoreham Journal - Sacking Chris Wilder is a risk not worth taking
Chris Wilder's time at Sheffield United could be over, perhaps forever 🗞️
Hello and welcome to The Shoreham Journal, a free newsletter all about Sheffield United Football Club. In today’s edition, we take a look at Chris Wilder’s potential departure from Sheffield United.
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Chris Wilder facing sack 🚨
Please note, the below information is correct as of 9pm on Thursday. If Chris Wilder has been sacked in the meantime, then please direct any complaints to United for having the audacity to announce a sacking late at night.
Chris Wilder’s time at Sheffield United might be up.
Multiple outlets, including The Telegraph and The Guardian, reported on Thursday that Wilder is in serious danger of being sacked. United haven’t confirmed the manager’s exit yet, with more news expected on Friday.
It’s believed that both parties aren’t on the same page regarding United’s new data-driven recruitment policy (more on that below). If Wilder is sacked, it’ll be the first major coaching decision made by COH Sports, the group of entrepreneurs who took over the club last December.
A risky decision 😳
The Shoreham Journal says… As gambles go, this would be a big one.
Alongside the likes of Dave Bassett and Neil Warnock, Wilder will be remembered as one of United’s greatest modern-day managers. None of us will ever forget his first spell in charge, when he dragged United from the depths of League One to the cusp of European qualification, achieving some famous victories on the way, most notably the 4-2 at Hillsborough.
Yet his second spell has also been successful, so far. He’s rebuilt a failing squad into a winning one, achieving a famous double over Wednesday and picking up 28 Championship victories last season.
Wilder has been too emotional and spiky at times, becoming somewhat of a pantomime villain for United’s rivals, to put it politely. United receiving nearly £500,000 in fines for “poor behaviour” last season also wasn’t ideal.
But, based on results alone, Wilder deserves another crack at promotion. Daniel Farke got another chance at Leeds after losing the play-off final with 90 points in the bank, and look what he achieved last season.
And the timing of Wilder’s dismissal, if confirmed, won’t be ideal, as United’s Championship rivals have already started planning for next year. Norwich have brought in Liam Manning, while Southampton have picked up Will Still.
There aren’t too many appealing candidates out there, bar Ruben Selles, the promising young manager who did well at Reading and Hull under difficult circumstances. Yet the Blades aren’t facing such challenges; they’re a team pushing for promotion to the Premier League. Even he isn’t too appealing.
Sean Dyche is the early favourite for the job if Wilder gets the boot, and other tried and tested names are being thrown around. Gary O’Neil and Steve Cooper, two coaches with mixed CVs, also have good odds with the bookies.
Even Gareth Southgate and Steven Gerrard, two of the biggest names in English football, have good odds. We’ve seen United go for big names before, most recently Bryan Robson in 2007, and that ended up being a complete failure. No one knows just how ambitious the owners will be if Wilder goes.
Wilder deserves at least another season to win promotion. United’s new owners, maybe out of desperation to get back to the Premier League, will be pulling the plug early on the popular boss.
It’s a risk they don’t need to take. Let’s just hope their decision, whatever that may be, is the right one.
Pre-season fixtures confirmed 📆
United have confirmed their pre-season friendlies, starting with a trip to York City on Tuesday, July 15 (7pm kick-off). The Blades will then travel to Rotherham on Saturday, July 19, for a 3pm start before another away day, this time at Burton on Tuesday, July 22 (7:45pm kick-off).
The trip to Burton will be particularly special, as it’s former United defender John Brayford’s testimonial for the Brewers. Brayford, who is now a first-team coach at Burton, recently spoke to The Star about his time at United.
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A fourth away trip is pencilled in for Saturday, July 26, as the Blades take on Chesterfield in a 3pm kick-off. No home friendlies have been announced, but United have confirmed that additional matches are likely to be added to their pre-season schedule in due course.
No pre-season tour is planned, but United will travel to Spain for a training camp in Girona between July 6 and 12. Visit United’s website for more information.
Latest transfer news 🗞️
🤖 United are continuing to use AI to find bargains in the transfer market, thanks to a data-driven recruitment model implemented by the owners. The club landed two young wingers in January, Nigeria’s Christian Nwachukwu and Peru’s Jefferson Cáceres, using such revolutionary methods, but neither of them has played first-team football yet.
⚽️ But the Blades are playing the long game with AI, as none of these hidden gems are likely to make an immediate impact. And another talent has been unearthed. His name is Ehije Ukaki, a 20-year-old Nigerian winger who was playing for Botev Plovdiv in Bulgaria. He’s signed a three-year deal after scoring seven goals and providing three assists last season.
🗣️ Wilder was asked how AI would help recruitment back in January, and his answer was interesting…
He said: “I'm not bothered where the players come from, it's not an ego thing, and 'I got him' and 'I got him'. If Rosie out of the canteen has seen somebody on Eurosport on Sunday night score a hat-trick in Venezuela and puts the name forward, I might have a little look at it.”
🗣️ Wilder, just a day before news of his potential departure broke, commented on Ukaki’s arrival at Bramall Lane…
He said: “Ehije is a player who has been identified through our data driven strategy and is someone we're looking forward to developing. He's an emerging talent, still only 20, who has enjoyed some experience of European football early in his career, so there's a base to work from.”
The Shoreham Journal says… This strategy is low risk, high reward. United’s hierarchy will not expect every AI-found star to break into the starting XI, but if one does to great effect, their methods will have paid off. As long as United don’t sign all of their players using AI and still bring in Championship-proven quality, everything will be OK. Hopefully, the board will realise that!
❌ Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman doesn’t believe Michael Cooper will leave United for Everton to be Jordan Pickford’s backup. As reported in the previous edition of The Shoreham Journal, it’s believed the Toffees are interested in United’s Player of the Year. Yet Goodman, speaking to Football League World, can’t see the move happening.
He said: “He's been playing week in and week out… I can't see the move happening myself. It may be tempting that he'd be going to a Premier League club. But to go to a Premier League club and sit on the bench, particularly at this stage of his career, I don't really see that happening.”
👀 According to EFL Analysis, the Blades are the most likely team to sign Chris Mepham this summer. The defender, who spent last season on loan at Sunderland, has a year remaining on his contract with Bournemouth and is expected to be available for around £4 million.