Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United will look to make it a hat-trick of wins this week as they entertain Hull City at Bramall Lane in Saturday’s Yorkshire Derby.
A crowd of over 25,000 is expected to see the Blades’ take on former boss Nigel Adkins.
Ben Woodburn
After a stellar display away at Blackburn in midweek where Billy Sharp’s brace secured a 2-0 win, Wilder addressed the media on Friday morning.
Forward Ben Woodburn was a major topic of conversation.
Various Liverpool FC forums have slammed the Blades’ boss for not giving the Welshman enough game time.
Wilder said:
“He has to get into our team, just like everybody else, there’s no pressure and I’ve never had pressure on any of my loan players”
“He’s got tremendous ability and has got a huge future in the game”
“When Ben’s time comes (to get in the side) it’s up to him to take it”
Wilder on Hull City
The topic moved swiftly onto Hull City.
The Tigers are 21st in the table, after collecting just eight points from their opening games, trailing the Blades’ total thus far by a remarkable 14 points.
Wilder, like so often, began talking about their squad and the money paid out.
He said:
“You look at the squad, you look at the numbers they’ve paid, you look that they were in the Prem two years ago and they’ve got a really good squad”
“When they clicked last year, they took some really good teams to the cleaners”
“They’ll frustrate, they’ll try and counter attack and they’ve got a lot of pace in Bowen, Grosicki and Dicko”
It is the first league game against Sheffield United for Nigel Adkins since he left the Blades back in May 2016 after a somewhat turbulent 11 months as manager.
Adkins’ stats at Sheffield United and since his departure:
- 54 matches, 22 wins, 14 draws and 18 defeats at a win ratio of 40.7%
- Only THREE players remain at the club. They are captain Billy Sharp, midfielder Paul Coutts and versatile defender/midfielder Chris Basham.
- Nigel Adkins signed Billy Sharp from Leeds United for an undisclosed fee during his stay at the club, Sharp has since gone on to score 71 goals in 134 games in his third spell at his boyhood club.
Blades enjoying life under Wilder
It’s fair to say current Blades’ boss Chris Wilder has enjoyed his time at Bramall Lane more than previous manager Nigel Adkins.
Wilder has an enviable record at the 3rd-place Blades.
He has been in charge for 102 games. Winning 54, drawing 19 and losing 26.
The popular manager also delivered the League One title in his first season in charge of the club.
