'Life is just more interesting with Wilder around'

Rob Staton, BBC Radio Sheffield

It wasn’t the start Chris Wilder was hoping for in terms of the result but the performance hinted at brighter days ahead for the Blades. This was a very different display compared to those against Bournemouth and Burnley. It was always going to be a tall order to defeat Liverpool but more of the same this weekend should give United a chance to get a result against Brentford.

It’s been quite a week at the Lane. Paul Heckingbottom’s departure in the end wasn’t a surprise, a change had been rumoured for weeks. He had an extremely challenging summer - not conducive with success in the Premier League.

However, the performances against Bournemouth and Burnley were poor enough that the writing felt on the wall. Even as he departs, he should be remembered for the tremendous job he did picking up a Blades team that was going nowhere in the Championship under Slavisa Jokanovic and eventually winning promotion.

Life is just more interesting with Wilder around. That’s not a comment on Heckingbottom or any other boss. It’s just a fact that Wilder is great to interview, listen to, and he always has something interesting to say. His previous United teams have been exciting, all-action and successful. It’ll be intriguing to see if he can get things going again.

Listen to the latest episode of the Blades Heaven podcast on BBC Sounds