'Why did it happen?' - Chris Wilder facing big Sheffield United transfer reset | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit has given his verdict on the club's major talking points following their 13th place finish

Sheffield United endured a disappointing Championship campaign under Chris Wilder.

The 58-year-old was reinstated as head coach following a disastrous start to the season under Ruben Selles, who lost all of his five league matches in charge.

Wilder returned just months after overseeing a third place finish in the table and a play-off final defeat to Sunderland.

However, he was only able to bring the team back up to 13th place, with the club missing out on a top six finish by 13 points.

It promises to be a busy summer ahead at Bramall Lane, with Wilder now looking to build a team capable of getting back into promotion contention.

Sheffield United at least ended the term on a high note with a 2-1 win away to Derby County on the final day, with goals from Sydie Peck and Tom Cannon sealing all three points.

Sheffield United face major talking points going into the summer

When asked what the biggest talking point at the club is right now, FLW’s Sheffield United fan pundit Jimmy claimed that there are a number of questions raised by the end of the season, including whether Wilder is the man to bring the team forward.

But, more importantly, he hopes that the Blades are reflecting on what made it such a disappointing campaign, and how they can learn from that in order to compete for promotion again next year.

“So the biggest talking point is just how disappointing the season just gone was,” Jimmy told Football League World.

“I think there’s a lot of question marks about not only who is to blame, but why did it happen? What were the factors that went into it?

“Is it the managerial choices, is it player confidence or fitness or mentality?

“There are a load of discussions going on, what do we need to do to make sure this doesn’t happen again?

“It’s easy to improve on such a poor position, but how are we going to challenge for promotion now that we’ve no longer got parachute payments?

“I think some fans are asking whether Chris Wilder is the right man.

“I think he’s proven previously that he is, I think he’s got more than enough credit in the bank, for me.

“So, loads of questions flying around beautiful downtown Bramall Lane, and all will be revealed in the weeks to come.”

Wilder is in his third stint in charge of Sheffield United, and he has previously overseen promotion from League One and the Championship during his other spells as manager.

His Sheffield United side finished ninth in the Premier League in 2020, but a disappointing follow-up campaign led to his dismissal and the club’s relegation.

Paul Heckingbottom guided the team back to the top flight at the second attempt, but he was replaced by Wilder with relegation on the cards again.

The Blades finished third in the table last season, but were unable to gain their place back in the Premier League due to a 2-1 loss to Sunderland in the play-off final.

This led to Wilder’s departure, with Selles taking his place, but he was brought back in September after a horrendous run of form.

Sheffield United are now without any parachute payments going into the summer transfer window, and will be hoping to compete for their place back in the Premier League in the next term.

This summer is a big test for Sheffield United’s owners

COH Sports led their first summer as the club’s new owners last summer and it is fair to say that it was a disaster.

Key players were sold and not adequately replaced, and their decision to appoint Selles backfired spectacularly.

They need to show that they’ve learned their mistakes this summer, otherwise it’s hard to imagine the Blades fighting for promotion again.

Wilder did well to turn things around this season, and he deserves to be backed in the transfer market given his previous track record, but the standard of recruitment must improve as well in order to bridge the gap to the top teams.