Sheffield United manager, Chris Wilder has indirectly given up on the club’s relegation battle as he furiously stated that the Premier League would not have to put up with the club much longer.
The coach who said this after Sheffield United’s 1-0 defeat in the hands of Fulham on Saturday, February 20, alleged that United have recorded so many decisions that have gone against them wrongfully this season.
Chris Wilder made this allegation while reacting to the failure of Martin Atkinson, the referee that officiated the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Fulham on Saturday, to award a spot-kick to the relegation-threatened team.
The incident which Wilder believed that United deserved a penalty for happened at the tail end of the match involving Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and United defender Jayden Bogle.
Unfortunately for Sheffield United, the match referee didn’t deem it fit to award a penalty and the Video Assistant Referee didn’t work in the favor of United.
“Where are these decisions coming from? I’m just not getting it”, Wilder said after the game.
“People talk about out of control and reckless – I’m not sure that goalkeeper was in control and knew everything about that challenge. Whether it’s committed, whether it’s desire, whether it’s brave… it is reckless, no control.
“(I’m) delighted that my young right wing-back is back on the couch with us tonight and not somewhere else because he could quite easily be.
“We’ve just got a long list of decisions that have gone against [us] but they won’t have to put up with us much longer. There’ll be another promoted team that comes into the division and will get the rubbish decisions that we are on the end of.”
Including the 1-0 defeat in the hands of Fulham, Sheffield United have recorded a total of 20 defeats, two draws, and three victories in 25 league games so far this season. Due to how terrible the club’s form has been, Chris Wilder and his boys are now sitting at the bottom of the league table.
It has been so bad that the relegation-threatened club need at least 14 points to get close to the 17th placed Newcastle United. For Sheffield United to catch up and overtake Newcastle, they must win at least 6 games and draw one, while Newcastle lose at least 5 games.
Hence, realistically, it is looking impossible for Sheffield United to escape relegation this season. But mathematically, it is still possible provided they start winning games while the teams above them keep losing games.
Since surviving relegation seems almost impossible for United, the only thing left for the club to fight for is to go down honorably. As it stands, Sheffield United need to add more points to their already existing 11-point in order not to break the record of Derby County that got relegated with 11-point at the end of the 2007/2008 season.
"I feel for them, we are all feeling it. It's the joy and pain of being a football supporter and the joy and pain of supporting this club."
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) February 20, 2021
Chris Wilder after tonight's game. pic.twitter.com/PY6JmjH4kY
