Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has opened up on the challenges of managing what he has described as a “difficult group to deal with” amid the Blades’ slide out of the Premier League. The Blades will play Championship football next season - and start on minus two points - after a horrendous relegation campaign. The Blades have become the first side in Premier League history to concede 100 goals in 38 games - the only ever side to do so was Swindon Town in 1993/94, over 42 matches - and...
Ismaila Coulibaly, the on-loan Sheffield United midfielder, has admitted to “struggled with my career” since he joined the Blades - and would be open to making his loan spell at AIK permanent in the summer. The Malian joined the Swedish side earlier this year and after an initial spell of poor form, marked his return to central midfield with two goals in AIK’s 6-2 win over IFK Norrköping at the weekend. Coulibaly was initially deployed out of position under manager Henning Berg, playing on the...
Of all the concerns Sheffield United had as they prepared to embark on their latest Premier League adventure last summer, the right side of their defence was not high on the list. They were, many felt, well-covered, by the experience of Chris Basham, a man who had been there before and very much done the business, and the ability of Anel Ahmedhodzic. The Bosnian had looked like a Premier League player in waiting throughout the previous campaign, rarely troubled by opposition forward lines in the...
Ivo Grbic has reacted well to losing his place as Sheffield United’s first-choice goalkeeper, Chris Wilder has revealed, after the Blades boss conceded that the Croatian’s Bramall Lane transfer “has not gone as well as all of us would have liked.” The 28-year-old has watched United’s last two games from the bench after Wes Foderingham was restored between the posts. Grbic has failed to convince many Unitedites with his displays between the posts since arriving from Atletico Madrid in January,...
The popular defender, who was a vital part of the Owls’ promotion out of League One, was the first signing of the summer as he came back on a permanent basis following a very successful loan spell, however it’s been a tough campaign for the 30-year-old. James, a product of the Manchester United academy, was a regular part of the matchday squad under Danny Röhl at Hillsborough, but finished the season with just eight appearances in the Championship having barely been given a chance to show what...
Chris Wilder remains hopeful that Oliver Arblaster enjoys a “long and successful” career at Sheffield United after emerging as one of the few positives from a nightmare season for his boyhood club. The academy product, who only turned 20 earlier this year, has cemented his place in the Blades’ XI and was named their captain recently with Jack Robinson injured. It has been a fairytale Premier League impact for a young man who started the season on loan at Port Vale in League One with a 7-0 defeat...
Prince Abdullah, the Sheffield United owner, has been warned that he must make sufficient funds available to Chris Wilder this summer to rebuild the Blades - or risk them joining a pack of also-rans in the Championship. The Blades were officially relegated from the Premier League on Saturday after defeat at Newcastle United. That 5-1 loss summed up many of the problems facing Wilder this summer in a nutshell, with missed chances and then defensive frailties combining for another chastening...
Chris Wilder has reiterated his desire to lead the rebuild of Sheffield United following their relegation from the Premier League, insisting he is more determined than at any other time of his life to turn things around at his boyhood club. The Blades suffered another chastening afternoon in a season full of them at Newcastle United on Saturday, with a 5-1 defeat officially condemning them to an immediate Championship return. Wilder returned in December after the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom...
Chris Wilder remains hopeful that Oli McBurnie will remain at Sheffield United beyond the end of the current season, despite the hammer blow of the United skipper being ruled out for the rest of the season through injury. McBurnie is out of contract in the summer and the Blades are yet to tie him down to a new deal. The striker is the club’s top scorer this season, with six goals, but will play no part in the Blades’ last four games after discovering the results of a scan on his injured groin....
Chris Wilder has dropped his clearest hint yet that Jayden Bogle will be part of Sheffield United’s future after describing the defender as “outstanding”. Bogle, the former Derby County defender, has been one of United’s most consistent performers since Wilder’s return in December, but is one of 13 senior players out of contract this summer. Still only 23 years old, Bogle recently passed the 100-appearances mark for the Blades - no mean feat considering his competition with George Baldock in...
Chris Wilder is preparing for a Zoom meeting with owner Prince Abdullah and the rest of the Sheffield United board to nail down their short-term plan over player contracts. A number of current Blades are in the final months of their deals, ahead of a big summer rebuild following relegation from the Premier League. Some of those players, however, have options in their contracts which United could exercise to keep them at Bramall Lane for another year, with Wilder already publicly signalling his...
Sheffield United’s promising youngsters have been placed on standby for a dream Premier League chance in the last few games of this season, with the injury-hit Blades on the brink of relegation. United will be condemned to the Championship if they lose at Newcastle this weekend, after a torrid campaign following promotion a year ago. One of the few positives to emerge from the season has been the recent emergence of Oliver Arblaster, the 20-year-old academy product who captained United at Old...