Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder makes Leeds United Elland Road atmosphere claim ahead of Championship start
Leeds United and Sheffield United will both hope to be fighting at the top end of the table this season
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder wants Bramall Lane to 'recreate the environment of Elland Road' as he praised the impact of Leeds United's atmosphere throughout last season.
The Blades are expected to be among the challengers for promotion this term, alongside Leeds, as the Championship campaign gets underway this weekend. Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League last season after a frankly-miserable campaign that saw them finish bottom of the top flight with survival never looking like a realistic prospect.
However, Wilder believes it is now a fresh start as his side looks to challenge Leeds, and others, for promotion. He has urged his players to give the Bramall Lane faithful plenty of reasons to create a big atmosphere as he drew a comparison to Elland Road from last campaign. Wilder himself admitted that Elland Road was as loud as he's 'ever heard' during last season's 3-1 win over Hull City, which saw Crysencio Summerville and Dan James net late goals in a dramatic finish in early April.
“It’s a fresh start and a new beginning,” Wilder said as the Blades prepare to start their campaign. “I've commented before on Leeds when they got relegated the year before and the ground against Hull was as loud as I've ever heard it there at Elland Road. We've got to produce good performances and win games of football to recreate that environment at Bramall Lane, which we know. It's important we get out the blocks quickly because every game has three points on it. The three points at the start are just as important as the three points in the last three games at the end."
Players have moved between the possible promotion rivals this transfer window with Jamie Shackleton joining the South Yorkshire club on a free transfer after leaving Leeds at the end of his contract while the Whites have signed Jayden Bogle from the Blades for a fee in the region of £5m after seeing two initial bids knocked back. The Blades kick off their campaign against Preston North End on Friday night as Leeds start their season at home to Portsmouth on Saturday at 12.30pm.