Peterborough owner and club Director of Football Barry Fry has issued a startling statement on the behind-the-scenes activities at Sheffield United, revealing a key source of friction between former manager Chris Wilder and the board.
Speaking to FootballFanCast, Fry revealed that Wilder was pushing for the club to make three acquisitions in the January transfer window – something the board ultimately failed to achieve.
He claimed:
“(He’s) a Sheffield United supporter, there came a time, I think in December, that he felt that that no matter what he did, he couldn’t keep this group up. I think he felt to be fair to the fans, to the club he loves, he’d offer to resign.
“Also in December, and early January, I’ve been told that he requested three players, you know, in the window, and the board refused to back him on any, which is fair enough, because they’re going to get relegated, and they’ve got no income coming in.”
Wilder stepped down from his managerial role at the beginning of last month amid a torrid campaign that has seen the Blades rooted to the bottom of the table for much of the season.
Fry believes that the Blades’ board was right to reject Wilder’s request, drawing on his own experiences as an owner:
He added:
“As owner of a football club, if I’ve not got it, I can’t give it to you. I think Chris Wilder would have accepted that and got on with the job.”
The lack of acquisitions was understandably a source of tension, with all of Sheffield’s signings coming mostly on loan or from the Championship in the summer window.
Deep in a relegation scrap, Wilder understandably wanted to assess all his options regarding recruitment, and yet the Sheffield tactician was backed meaningfully in the summer.
In that sense, Fry has a case in arguing there was little cause for complaint.
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