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Sheffield United
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Sheffield United may need a minor miracle from this point in order to avoid the play-offs and break into the top two, with Chris Wilder’s side having lost the last three league games.
Chris Wilder was involved in a brawl in the tunnel at full-time in their 2-1 loss to Plymouth Argyle and their promotion hopes now hang by a thread after that made it three defeats in a week.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 42 | 25 | 13 | 4 | 82 | 29 | 53 | 88 |
| 2 |  BurnleyBurnley | 42 | 24 | 16 | 2 | 57 | 13 | 44 | 88 |
| 3 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 57 | 33 | 24 | 83 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 42 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 57 | 38 | 19 | 76 |
| 5 |  Bristol CityBristol City | 42 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 54 | 45 | 9 | 64 |
| 6 |  CoventryCoventry | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 59 | 54 | 5 | 63 |
| 7 |  West BromWest Brom | 42 | 14 | 18 | 10 | 51 | 39 | 12 | 60 |
| 8 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 61 | 51 | 10 | 60 |
Pundits are worried about the Blades amid praise for Burnley and Leeds United. Wilder has shown shaky signs of losing his head somewhat in recent weeks, especially after a poorly timed ‘data rant’ following their win against Sheffield Wednesday.
The Neil Warnock derby against Cardiff City is a crucial game for Wilder to prove he is worth his salt. A defeat could open the door to the top two to wrap up promotion this Easter Weekend. After many started to believe Leeds were falling apart again, a twist of fate has meant Sheffield United are now third in the three-horse race.
- READ MORE: Sheffield United comparison made as Burnley ace labelled ‘most underrated in the promotion battle’
Ali Maxwell’s Chris Wilder verdict amid Sheffield United crumble
EFL experts Ali Maxwell and George Elek of the Not The Top 20 podcast have had their say on the situation regarding Wilder and Sheffield United. Maxwell said: “I think there’s an aspect of live by Chris Wilder, die by Chris Wilder.
“More specifically, his personality and the way that he manages the team. He uses his personality to try and make the team better.
“As we’ve discussed many times, over a long career at four or five different clubs and different spells — two at Sheff United, he has objectively done that and raised the level of the team and their standing in the pyramid.
“He’s now getting loads of stick because he’s not handling the poor run well. Not just getting into a scrap at full-time with Argyle players, which just looks so tinpot and like you have no control over the situation at all — which is not at all what you want your manager to be doing.
“But also with what were probably understandable comments having a go at the away fans after that Oxford game for expressing their displeasure at the performance. It couldn’t be going much worse and because he’s such a big personality, he’s a target to be shot at for gleeful rival fans.”
He added: “My personal opinion, even with this poor run, is that he is a huge reason Sheffield United have picked up 85 points this season. And winning the most matches in the league is because of his personality and management of the team.
“But I almost think with Wilder, and you can extend this to almost any manager you can think of, I think it’s the case that what makes managers successful when they are is also quite often the thing that gets held up as the problem when they fail.
“I say all that to say that Sheffield United are currently dying by Wilder but they have also lived by Wilder plenty as well. I would really hate to see things massively spiral between him and the fanbase if they finish third and head into the play-offs. I know they’ve got a terrible play-off record. I know plenty of Blades fans who are already saying we might as well not bother with the play-offs because we won’t win them.
“I think with Wilder — where the personality is so strong and so extrovert and so front-footed — it can feel better when you win. Certainly, in Wilder’s case, because he’s a Blade himself. I think it feels better when you win with a manager like this but it probably feels worse when you lose.”
George Elek’s Sheffield United play-off verdict
Maxwell’s co-host has plenty of experience of Wilder. Elek is an Oxford United fan and has offered hope to the Blades that history may be repeating itself again. He explained: “They will be massive, massive favourites to win the play-offs — and rightly so.
“Sheffield United fans can take huge heart out of the 2009/10 Blue Square Premier season where Wilder had Oxford at the top of the league for most of the season. We then went on an absolutely horrendous run, fell away into the play-offs, and he somehow managed to steady the ship and right us and lead us to promotion.
“So, even though things are bad now, I think his management style can rub people up the wrong way at times, but I think he’s a manager who gets a reaction. Teams are often a reflection of their managers character and personality. Having a scrapper like Wilder in a play-off campaign, I’d be absolutely amazed if we saw Sheffield United roll over in the play-offs.
“If that’s where they’re going to end up, I think we’ll see them refocused. There’s probably an argument that if they are to come third, if it could happen sooner rather than later, then it may not be the worst thing in terms of being able to refocus.”
Opta believe that there is a 92.96% chance that Sheffield United miss out on the top two and have to contend with the play-offs this season. That reality will need to flick a switch in both the players’ heads and Wilder’s as well as quickly as possible.