'The old energy is back'

Rob Staton, BBC Radio Sheffield

Chris Wilder walked into the tunnel, ready for his post-match interview with my colleague Adam Oxley live on Radio Sheffield.

“It’s a praise for Sheffield United, Bob” he stated — a reference to the name of our post-match phone-in and the late Bob Jackson who founded it. Adam videod the interview for social media and it went viral locally. Wilder’s beaming smile was indicative of a changed club.

That infectious expression resonated. Wilder’s a Blade. The supporters were doing the exact same thing after the Brentford win last weekend. I think the reason it travelled so well on X is because you could see a manager loving every minute being back at the Lane.

When he took over in 2016, Sheffield United needed connecting back to the fans. Everyone needed energy. It took a few weeks at the start of that first season but once they found it, they shot from League One to the Premier League.

In the space of a week, Wilder had done it again. Fans have started to believe again. The old energy is back.

Whether the quality is there or not remains to be seen. The Blades under Wilder, though, seem to be very much back. A transfer meeting on Wednesday was said to be positive according to the boss.

If they can get a few more points between now and January, the board should consider giving the manager the opportunity to add players so that he can bring another success story to his Sheffield United journey.