Chris Wilder makes 'better side' admission with 'ridiculous' take as Sheffield United take Leeds United step
Sheffield United have moved back above Leeds - and now three points clear.
Boss Chris Wilder slammed a “ridiculous” demand with a “better side” admission after seeing his Sheffield United team again leapfrog Leeds United at the Championship’s summit.
Daniel Farke’s Whites moved back above Wilder’s Blades into pole position but only on goal difference through a 1-1 draw at Saturday’s lunchtime hosts Preston North End.
Sheffield United, though, then bagged another victory from Saturday afternoon’s hosting of Plymouth Argyle which ended in a 2-0 win for the Blades despite Wilder admitting that the Pilgrims were the “better side” in the first half.
Wilder, however, saluted the outcome for his team at the end of a demanding week which featured a Sunday lunchtime clash at West Brom and Wednesday night trip to Millwall before Saturday’s hosting of Plymouth.
“It’s a ridiculous schedule, to play Sunday afternoon away, Wednesday night in London, come back early and play Saturday,” said Wilder, as quoted by The Star.
“We're getting punished for winning games of football. I don't think that was right and it stretched some of our younger boys because that's the first time the young boys will have played three games in six days at the top end of the Championship. So it's a good result for us. Really good, because they were better.
“They were the better side in the first half, without a shadow of doubt. I blame myself, maybe we should have made some more changes and freshened it up, but I wanted that team to go again. So that’s a learning curve for a 57-year-old manager. I think it shows you when we miss a couple of players it really does stretch us.”