Watford v Sheffield United: How Vicarage Road stint helped reaffirm Chris Wilder's values
Wilder returns to Vicarage Road for the first time as a manager on Saturday, with Bradfordian Tom Cleverly now in English football's hottest seat.
The 35-year-old is Watford's 25th "permanent" manager since Graham Taylor's third spell ended in 2001, not counting Malky Mackay and Enrique Sanchez Flores's second cracks. Wilder was the 23rd, for 11 matches between March and May 2023.
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Hide AdHis brief was to get the Hornets into the Championship play-offs, but they ended the season 11th. Having narrowly missed out with Middlesbrough 12 months earlier, his reputation needed some restoration work when he came back to Bramall Lane in December 2023.
Two defeats and a draw in the last three games constitute a bit of a sticky patch, but to only be outside the automatic promotion spots on goal difference after a record-breakingly awful relegation, two-point deduction and squad overhaul is a very good achievement built on values missing at Vicarage Road.
"At times it was a confirmation of my values, without being arrogant about it, and listening to and reading about how the main operators go about their business in the football pyramid,” reflects Wilder.
"Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City are really solid football clubs where there's a unity between everybody. They have the wealth and the ability to sign top players but they still have to be managed and put together.
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Hide Ad"(At Watford) they had some really good players but they had their own agenda. Too many people in my opinion had their own agenda at that football club.


"I took it on board, I enjoyed my time and was grateful for the opportunity. I felt sorry for the supporters because they're generally a good group that back their football club and most probably understand the situation more than anybody.
"There's some good people, some not so good people, some people I really enjoyed working with, some people I didn't – two sporting directors knocking on my door at nine o'clock in the morning, asking if I'd picked the right team, what I was doing in training, suggesting and maybe suggesting to the wrong person.
"I could have taken an easy way out, watched my mate play golf (Sheffield's Matt Fitzpatrick invited him to Augusta) but I wanted that opportunity of managing that type of football club. I knew exactly what I was going into and I'm just disappointed we didn't get the results. I have to take responsibility, that maybe I didn't affect the group enough.
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Hide Ad"But knowing what good looks like is always a big thing for me and maybe confirmed to me that team spirit, work ethic, out-running, out-fighting, connectivity with the supporters, being on the same page as a football club are the biggest things."


It does not take a brain surgeon to realise stability is easier with the same leaders in place, but it does not just apply to the manager. Sheffield United have new owners in COH Sports, which often means a managerial change. Even before they completed their Christmas takeover they were putting out statements underlining their support for Wilder.
"I don't think you ever get any stability or any progression if there's a knee-jerk reaction all the time,” argues Wilder.
"I do understand the concern about not going up, going down or having poor seasons but that early statement from owners when they employ a manager – this is the reason why we brought him in, this is what we want to do and it's a long-term one, this is our future... (can be quickly forgotten.)"
So the statements from COH have gone down well with him.
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Hide Ad"I'm delighted and I appreciate the words of support," he says.
"I thought the statement they produced at the start was absolutely spot on, wanting to integrate with the city, they knew the culture of the football club, what we were trying to achieve and the togetherness of the football club.
"I'm really looking forward to working with them. There might come a time when things turn a little bit and we might need to change but we're in a really good position.
"(There's) progress in terms of (transfer) targets and I'm delighted with the encouragement I'm receiving personally, and the ambition to take the club forward and compete at the highest level."
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Hide AdWith injuries biting – Wilder hopes to have a host of players back for the games against Cardiff City and Norwich City but Saturday's bench will be another very youthful one – the Blades are looking to add players who can kick them on without diluting the spirit so obvious at the moment. And if they achieve their goal in May, they will face a similar challenge in the summer.
"If everyone's on the same page you can still do that," insists Wilder.
"It's when you go individual, when egos take over and everyone wants to do their own thing and go in their own direction that I don't think you have a cat in hell's chance of making a difference."
Which is probably why Watford's failure under Wilder was more theirs than his.
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