Chris Wilder
Receiving the most nominations by LWOF readers, and therefore winning our Manager of the Decade gong, is Chris Wilder.
Born in Sheffield, 52-year-old Wilder has been a life-long supporter of the Blades.
So to have made over 100 appearances for his boyhood club would have been a dream; however, his successes as a manager this decade have seen him win the Last Word On Football EFL Manager of the Decade award.
Beginning the decade with Oxford United, Wilder won the Conference Premier play-offs in 2010 to take the U’s into the EFL. Almost four full seasons followed with Oxford before a switch to Northampton Town in January 2014.
Wilder helped the Cobblers avoid relegation from League Two with a mid-table finish; the following year they won the League Two title with 99 points.
The 52-year-old’s successes then allowed him to replace Nigel Adkins at boyhood club Sheffield United in May 2016. The Blades endured a slow start to life in League One; however, they went on to achieve promotion as champions with 100 points, a club record.
In the following season, Wilder embedded himself further into Blades history by setting a record number of goals scored by United against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough – they won 4-2 in September 2017.
In April 2019, United’s nearest rivals, Leeds United, drew 1-1, meaning Sheffield United’s 12-year exodus from the top-flight had come to an end. Wilder’s prolonged success across all ten years of the decade made him a firm contender, and he has deservedly been named the Last Word On Football EFL Manager of the Decade.
Findings were made based on a poll completed by regular readers of Last Word on Football.
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