Sheffield United’s latest defeat in the Championship has left fans reeling and the club firmly rooted at the bottom of the table, as Chris Wilder’s third spell in charge continues to be beset by setbacks and missed opportunities. Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Hull City at the MKM Stadium marked the Blades’ eighth defeat in nine league games this season, a run that has transformed early promotion hopes into a grim battle for survival.
It’s been a whirlwind few months at Bramall Lane, with the club still licking its wounds from a painful Championship play-off final loss to Sunderland. The aftermath saw a period of upheaval under Ruben Selles, whose six-game reign was described as the worst possible by many observers. Selles and Wilder both made significant changes to the squad, but so far, nothing has managed to reverse United’s fortunes.
Wilder, reappointed for a third time, has been candid about the scale of the challenge facing his side. He’s openly criticized the players’ fitness levels and insisted the job is “even greater than first anticipated.” After a controversial midweek loss to Southampton—where Wilder was sent off for launching a ball into the stands following a disputed penalty decision—Sheffield United hoped to vent their frustration against Hull. Instead, it was another tale of missed chances and heartbreak.
The match itself was a tense Yorkshire derby, with plenty of drama and no shortage of talking points. Hull’s summer recruit, Oli McBurnie, took center stage. The Scottish striker, once a cult hero at Sheffield United, has found new life at Hull, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in all competitions so far this season. On Saturday, it was a deflected effort from David Akintola around the half-hour mark that separated the sides, but McBurnie’s presence loomed large throughout.
Sheffield United had their opportunities. They hit the post and, in the dying moments, substitute Harrison Burrows saw his penalty kick saved by Hull’s Ivor Pandur. That miss summed up United’s season so far—close, but not close enough. The frustration was palpable both on the pitch and among the traveling supporters, who have grown weary of the club’s inability to seize the moment when it matters most.
Wilder didn’t mince words after the final whistle. “Yeah, it’s right up there,” he admitted when asked if this was the biggest challenge of his managerial career. “We’re 12 weeks behind everybody else, so we’re playing catch-up. But I understood the situation when I came back in. I think I said straight away, about the fragility of the team. I think the team is trying and the stats point out that they’re running around, they’re covering distances. I said about the duels before, no-one was putting a foot in. To have that possession, you have to win tackles and win duels, so I don’t see anybody pulling out of challenges. It’s just that, from that mentality point of view, we’re not playing or we’re not delivering in those situations that we have done.”
Wilder’s surprise at the scale of the club’s decline since his previous tenure was evident. “Maybe I was a little bit surprised how much of a cliff we’ve fallen off since I left, but we have to accept it, we have to get on with it. We have to stick together, we have to work hard, all those things that everybody talks about.”
The loss to Hull City also reignited debate about United’s summer transfer business, or lack thereof. The failure to re-sign McBurnie—who had a relegation clause in his contract after a season with Las Palmas—has left many supporters scratching their heads. Wilder himself expressed regret at not bringing the striker back to Bramall Lane. “He should have a red and white shirt on in my opinion. He was available, there was always talk with Kieffer (Moore) and Kieffer going, we all realise horses for courses and different forwards I’ve always gone with—link players in Callum (O’Hare) and Gus (Hamer), stretch players in terms of Tyrese, but always for us a number 9 in the building will give us the different options,” Wilder explained.
He continued, “I would’ve always been looking for a number 9 and Oli was available, he’s somebody who I’m in contact with regularly, I’m a fan of him as a player and a personality. There’s always criticism of Oli by certain really small sections of our support, which I feel there is criticisms of everybody by small sections of our support, but the contribution he made to the 9th placed season, getting the team to a playoff semi final, getting the team back up, getting the team to an FA Cup semi final, contributions as a culture setter in the changing room as a player and a person.”
Wilder added that McBurnie had even offered to return for preseason on a trial basis, but there was “not an enthusiasm for that to happen,” and the striker ultimately chose Hull City, where he’s thrived under manager Sergej Jakirovic. Jakirovic has been effusive in his praise for McBurnie, highlighting his work rate, leadership, and ability to bring teammates into play. The striker’s recent double against Coventry City briefly put him atop the Championship goalscoring charts, underlining what United are missing.
Meanwhile, the mood at Bramall Lane is somber. With just three points from a possible 27, the Blades are in uncharted territory. Wilder has acknowledged that expectations have shifted from promotion to mere survival. “We’re going to have to go through a little bit of pain over these next two weeks on the training ground and as a football club,” he said. “Because there’s no hiding the fact that one win in nine games is certainly not good enough for us. It’s certainly not good enough for me, one win in four. So there’s going to be a bit of pain on that. We’re going to have to suffer a little bit and we’re going to have to dig ourselves out of it. Nobody’s going to come and wave a magic wand onto everybody and change everything. Nine times out of ten, it comes from work on the training ground. And that’s what we’ll do.”
The international break now offers a brief respite, with United’s next fixture coming at home to Watford on October 18. Wilder and his staff have two weeks to regroup, address the mounting questions, and try to instill some much-needed belief and resilience in a squad that’s been battered by poor results and missed opportunities.
For Hull City, the mood is far more upbeat. Their comeback against Preston North End and now a derby win over United have built momentum, with McBurnie’s form a key storyline. For Sheffield United, though, it’s a time for soul-searching and hard graft, with the hope that the break can be a turning point in a season that’s quickly slipping away.
