Norwich City v Sheffield United: Chris Wilder on Blades and Canaries sharing common Championship ground in August
AS CHRIS Wilder and his Norwich City counterpart Johannes Hoff Thorup look out towards the River End at Carrow Road this afternoon, they will probably concur that both their clubs are currently in the same boat.
Both are having to contend with frenzied bouts of speculation about key players ahead of next week’s closure of the transfer window - something that is likely to yield a sigh of relief among countless managers across the land.
Throughout the summer, business in both Norfolk and the red and white half of the Steel City has been played out amid a backdrop of takeover speculation.
In that regard, Norwich at least have clarity and are that bit further ahead of the Blades, with the English Football League having approved a move to make an American-led group Norfolk FB Holdings a majority shareholder at the club.
A changing of the guard in the boardroom is also thought to be moving ever closer at Bramall Lane, with United’s protracted takeover saga reportedly edging towards completion with a US-led group.
It has not been the easiest of summers for both clubs. A playing style make-over - Thorup has switched to a possession-based playing approach while Chris Wilder is evolving United’s way of playing in a 4-2-3-1 system - can also be thrown into the mix. It takes time.
In truth, a barometer of the pair’s progress should only be gauged by about mid-autumn - perhaps coinciding with the second international break. In the here and now, points and wins are handy in terms of providing a spot of early confidence and soothing demanding supporters.
On the Blades and Norwich sharing a fair bit in common, Wilder said: "We will both try and dominate the ball and play attractive football. In terms of how we and they have played in the past, we have changed the way we play.
"It’s a new start, I’d imagine their manager will be saying exactly the same things in his press conference.
"He needs time to work with the players on the training ground and they are in a similar situation as well and I think there’s been speculation about (Josh) Sargent and (Jonathan) Rowe and a couple of other bits and pieces and bringing players in late on in the window as well.
"They will be looking to settle their team down.
“I think we will all be delighted when the window shuts and we know what we have got and who we are working with.
"At the same time, there’s valuable points at stake and we are after a positive away performance/win."
That scenario would set up United nicely for the final week of the window when Wilder is aiming to complete a few more pieces of incoming business in an ideal world, while retaining the ‘family silver’, with speculation continuing to rage regarding the futures of key trio Ollie Arblaster, Anel Ahmedhodzic and Gustavo Hamer.
Confirmation of the club’s takeover would provide gloss, but Wilder, for his part, is controlling the controllables.
He added: “I am just dealing with stuff I can control and have - maybe vision is a wrong word - a look into what potentially might or might not happen next week.
"Are we ready for that scenario? We feel that we are.
"From the takeover point of view, that’s above me. I have not been part of it and never gone on record and talked about it.
"I work for - and am employed by - the football club and I’ll do the best I can do to the best of my ability and let everyone else get on with it and do what is right for the football club."
With the benefit of a full week’s training, recent signings Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Michael Cooper will come firmly into Wilder’s thinking today.
The pair were named on the bench against QPR last weekend, with Wilder sensibly easing them into the fray due to a lack of training time and busy period of travelling ahead of signing.
Meanwhile, Wilder has dismissed reports that Crystal Palace loan winger Rak-Sakyi came to Bramall Lane due to guarantees regarding game time - labelling them as a ‘fabrication.’
Rak-Sakyi was also a target for United’s Yorkshire rivals Leeds United and Hull City.
Some reports have stated that transfer chiefs at Leeds were unwilling to promise minutes to the player’s parent club to make a temporary switch worthwhile - amid suggestions that the 21-year-old has been guaranteed game time at Bramall Lane.
Wilder commented: “Regarding Jez’s situation, he’s come here to play football. There’s no guarantees.
"I know another club put in - to cover themselves - that we signed a guarantee that Jez plays a certain amount of games.
"It’s an absolute fabrication and there’s another word I like to use that I am not sure I’ll be able to use..
"Jez is here to play, of course, he’s a big signing for us. Brooksy (Andre Brooks) was good though and I thought he was one of our better players, right the way through the (QPR) game. So competition for places is key.
"In terms of the minutes from Jez, that was agreed before by everybody from a medical point of view and from Crystal Palace and the same with Michael Cooper."