Chris Wilder searching for solutions as Sheffield United look to live up to rival’s billing at Oxford United

Chris Wilder searching for solutions as Sheffield United look to live up to rival’s billing at Oxford United

Chris Wilder searching for solutions as Sheffield United look to live up to rival’s billing at Oxford United

Gary Rowett, the Oxford United manager, believes the Sheffield United side his team will face this weekend will be “a different animal” after the return of Chris Wilder – but the Blades chief is under no illusions that the pressure is on as they look to arrest their tough start to the season. Scrutiny on United has intensified after a run of seven defeats from seven games.

The Blades will be tested again at the Kassam against a side who turned them over towards the back end of last season as their automatic promotion hopes collapsed, with the mood vastly different around Bramall Lane just a matter of months later.

Wilder is looking for a reaction from last weekend’s cruel home defeat to Charlton Athletic, which ruined his latest homecoming and increased the levels of frustration amongst Unitedites. Despite United’s predicament, Rowett spoke respectfully of both the Blades and his opposite number in his pre-match press conference yesterday.

But those words will be of little comfort to Wilder, who turned 58 earlier this week but will have been in little mood to celebrate after another defeat for his beloved Blades. “We can only get out of this through work on the training ground,” he admitted after the Charlton defeat.

Chris Wilder searching for solutions as Sheffield United look to live up to rival’s billing at Oxford United

“We’ve got to give ourselves the platform to go and win a game of football. I thought we did that, but we’ve certainly got to get that balance right. The best players find that balance. We talked about it; this group was bottom of the league on duels and in the bottom three or four on running stats.

“That’s just completely unacceptable. I have to say, I didn’t see that out there [against Charlton]. I saw a team that worked hard, ran around, wanted to win a game of football. But I also saw a team that was anxious, a bit chaotic in our play.

“So we’ve got to look at it again, pick the right team and find the right solutions to give ourselves a chance of winning again.”

That anxiety is not confined to the pitch and is also spreading across the terraces, with Unitedites left scratching their heads as to how their side, who were 15 minutes from the Premier League as recently as May, are now floundering at the bottom of the Championship.

“There’s no hiding place for us,” Wilder added. “We’re in an absolutely privileged position to be involved in professional football, first and foremost. To be involved in a top Championship team, even though, results wise, we’re not a top Championship team at the moment.