QPR 1 Sheffield United 2: Blades chief hits back at detractors

They came from behind at Loftus Road, where David McGoldrick’s 65th-minute penalty gave them the points.

Billy Sharp had equalised shortly before half-time to cancel out Ebere Eze’s opener.

United lost their opening two matches with their performances in defeats against Middlesbrough and Swansea attracting some criticism.

“We’re really struggling with that character stuff, aren’t we?” said a sarcastic Wilder.

“Over the last two years, we’ve not shown any bottle or character or spirit, no desire and we’re all over the place. People are having a fight in the changing room every day.

“People will make assumptions, but I don’t sign players who don’t want to run about for this club. I said to the players ‘the only way you’re going to show people if they’re questioning you is when you step out onto the pitch’.

“Noise and nonsense or whatever it is, we have to keep our cool and go through these periods – it happens to us all. The expectation levels have gone through the roof over the past two years.

“We’ve done some things over the two years we like to think have been quite good.

“When you fall a little bit, which we have done in certain periods of the two games, you have to take it on the chin what people say.

“It wasn’t the most free-flowing performance. But it was a Sheffield United type of performance, with guts, determination, desire and a little bit of football played in there.”

QPR manager Steve McClaren felt two questionable refereeing decisions had cost his team.

Sharp appeared to be offside when tapping home after being set up by Kieron Freeman and Rangers were incensed by the decision to award the penalty after Jake Bidwell was adjudged to have pushed McGoldrick, who had just come on as a substitute.

“We’ve lost the game because of two poor decisions,” said McClaren, who has lost both games in charge. “The first goal was offside because Sharp was in front of our defenders and I can’t understand the penalty.”

Queens Park Rangers: Ingram, Kakay (Washington 88), Leistner, Lynch, Bidwell, Luongo, Scowen, Smyth (Samuel 46), Freeman, Eze, Sylla (Smith 69). Unused substitutes: Cousins, Lumley, Manning, Baptiste.

Sheffield United: Henderson, Freeman, Egan, Stearman, O’Connell, Stevens, Duffy (Woodburn 70), Basham, Fleck, Clarke, Sharp (McGoldrick 64), McGoldrick (Leonard 83). Unused substitutes: Lundstram, Lafferty, Moore, Norrington-Davies.

Referee: S Duncan (Tyne & Wear).