Reaction to Chris Wilder Departure
As @tomlee shared with the community this morning, Chris Wilder has parted ways with Sheffield United. To some (as @tomlee mentions), with Sheffield United rooted to the bottom of the table and destined for the Championship, this won't come as a surprise.
However, I'm shocked and saddened. Whether he was sacked, resigned or it was mutual consent, a quick look at Sheffield United's fans forum sums up general feeling amongst those most loyal at Bramall Lane.
1 "Worst decision in recent history?"
2 "That's me done"
3 "An Unmitigated Disaster" Source
So how did it come to this?
From Wilder's point of view, they haven't strengthened enough. With key defensive injuries at the beginning of the season, Wilder wanted to strengthen in the January transfer window but he wasn't given the funds.
From Prince Abdullah bin Musa'ad bin Abdul Aziz Galaz's point of view, the £51m spent in the summer (8th highest in the Premier League) should have brought more rewards, maybe even an improvement on last season.
The Prince rightly questioned Wilder's recruitment and wanted to follow the mould of modern football and appoint a Director of Football. And herein lied the problem, the friction and why they had to part ways. Arguably, not for football reasons, but for a fundamentally different stance on Chris Wilder's role at the club. No longer "Manager", but that of "Head Coach".
Sheffield United fans don't like it. Neutral and even rival (Sheffield Wednesday) fans think it's madness. Wilder got them from League One to the Premier League. In my mind, they'd have comfortably achieved promotion next season. Without him, I don't see them making the playoffs.
Whether this decision was mutual or not, as a life long Sheffield United fan (ball boy, player and manager), this will hurt
