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Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has responded to the offensive chant aimed at him by jubilant Leeds United players celebrating their promotion to the Premier League earlier this week.
United’s Yorkshire rivals sealed top-flight football again after a 6-0 thrashing of Stoke City was followed by defeat for the Blades at Burnley.
That Clarets victory also saw them automatically promoted to the Premier League and assigned the Blades to the play-offs, sparking celebrations across Yorkshire.
Chris Wilder was also left angry at Burnley’s security post match after they failed to protect his team.
During Leeds’ celebrations, striker Patrick Bamford was filmed starting an offensive chant about Wilder, and the Sheffield United boss has since responded.
Chris Wilder responds to X-rated Patrick Bamford chant
Patrick Bamford was filmed chanting, “Chris Wilder is a w****r” with fans outside of Elland Road as they celebrated their return to the top flight of English football.
At the same celebration, former Blades player Jayden Bogle was also filmed dancing while the chant rang out.
Many interpreted it as payback from Bamford’s point of view, six years after being mentioned in Wilder’s iconic “muppets from Leeds” speech after United beat their Yorkshire rivals to promotion back in 2019.
Despite the rivalry, Chris Wilder has since revealed that Patrick Bamford contacted him about the cheeky chant.
In the United press conference, ahead of their trip to Stoke City, Wilder said: “I’m a big boy, you give it you take it. You give it out locally, you take it locally as I’ve always done. We have our moments, other teams have their moments.
“I had a conversation with Pat yesterday and I’ve no issue at all with it. I’m not sure about the words from a fellow pro, but I appreciate and respected him giving me a call and we had 20 minutes.
“I spoke to Daniel [Farke, the Leeds boss] as well and had a half-hour chat with him. He’s a top guy.
“They’re a top team and a top football club. I’m a big boy. I would in a heartbeat have swapped our position for theirs but it isn’t the case.
“94 points for both of those teams is an incredible achievement. It was a tough campaign from the off for us and we’ve kept it alive to the 44th game.
“But ultimately we’ve finished in the position we will.”
Sheffield United fell short of automatic promotion
Despite occupying an automatic promotion place for a significant 143 days, Sheffield United agonizingly fell short of a top-two finish in the 2024/25 Championship season, a frustration keenly felt after a dramatic late defeat to eventual champions Leeds United at Bramall Lane.
In a pivotal encounter, the former league leaders took an early advantage through Callum O’Hare.
However, Leeds staged a spirited second-half comeback, with Junior Firpo’s equalizer setting the stage for a painful late twist.
In the final minutes, Ao Tanaka and then Joel Piroe struck twice in quick succession, sealing a 3-1 victory for Leeds and propelling them further ahead in the title race, much to the visible annoyance of Chris Wilder.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 44 | 27 | 13 | 4 | 89 | 29 | 60 | 94 |
| 2 |  BurnleyBurnley | 44 | 26 | 16 | 2 | 61 | 15 | 46 | 94 |
| 3 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 44 | 27 | 7 | 10 | 60 | 35 | 25 | 86 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 44 | 21 | 13 | 10 | 58 | 41 | 17 | 76 |
| 5 |  Bristol CityBristol City | 44 | 17 | 16 | 11 | 57 | 49 | 8 | 67 |
| 6 |  CoventryCoventry | 44 | 19 | 9 | 16 | 62 | 57 | 5 | 66 |
This late collapse significantly dented Sheffield United’s hopes of automatic promotion.
Their late collapse significantly impacted their hopes of automatic promotion, but Chris Wilder intends to end Sheffield United’s play-off curse this year.
While the Blades themselves secured a commendable 86 points, the exceptional and sustained form of both Leeds United and Burnley, who ultimately clinched the top two spots with an impressive 94 points apiece, proved to be the decisive factor.
Ultimately, Sheffield United’s inability to maintain their lead against Leeds in that crucial match, coupled with the unwavering consistency of their promotion rivals, meant they finished in third place, consigning them to the added pressure of the Championship play-offs.