Chris Wilder isn’t one to mix his words. And ahead of the Steel City derby on Sunday, he’s given his thoughts on a key topic for the game between Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday.
Sheffield Wednesday head to Bramall Lane for a highly-anticipated game, going into the fixture on the back of a much-needed 2-0 win against Norwich City at Hillsborough in midweek.
It means that both sides go into the weekend on the back of wins. But Chris Wilder’s Blades will remain the favourites for this one, following their strong start to the season.
Danny Rohl’s Owls have had a more mixed start to the season. The Owls have Steel City derby experience in their ranks though, in the likes of Barry Bannan and Liam Palmer, but United don’t have any players with such experience.
Dominic Iorfa has given advice to the Sheffield Wednesday players ahead of the weekend, with the defender another who’s played in the Steel City derby.
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Chris Wilder plays down Steel City derby experience at Sheffield Wednesday
Wilder has overseen four Steel City derbies and is unbeaten so far, with one win and three draws. Rohl meanwhile has no experience of the game, and may be counting on Bannan, Palmer, and Iorfa to provide some advice.
But speaking to the press on Friday, Wilder played down this experience debate as ‘all talk’.
He said: “Everybody will try and pick up on little bits. ‘He’s played in it but he hasn’t played in it’, and ‘he knows a little bit more about it, he’s a Sheffield United fan, but he’s from Germany’, are the sort of narratives.
“Listen, it’s all talk, and an interesting talk as well. But the main event is at 12:30pm, and how both teams go about their business, how both teams go about how they approach the game and play the game in the best way they possibly can.”
Barry Bannan ready to rile up the Sheffield Wednesday players
Whether or not Wednesday’s experience of the derby counts for anything will become prevalent after the game.
But if the Owls win then the experiences of Bannan, Palmer, and Iorfa will no doubt have played some small part in the victory.
Bannan has also played in the last four Steel City derbies. But he’s yet to claim a win in one and so he’ll be desperate to do so, especially with his future beyond this season in doubt.
Speaking to the club ahead of the game on Sunday, Bannan made a promise to Sheffield Wednesday fans, saying: “My message to the Sheffield Wednesday fans is, come enjoy yourselves, behave, and be as loud as you can.
“I can promise you that I’ll have this 11 or 16 boys that come on this pitch, giving it their all for them and for the club.”