‘They’ve had’ - Chris Wilder’s surprise Newcastle United admission as bizarre relegation prediction made

Chris Wilder has admitted Newcastle United are “one of his favourite” clubs in the Premier League before tomorrow’s clash at St James’ Park.

Anything but a Sheffield United win will see them relegated to the Championship after just one season. Wilder had previously led the Blades to the top flight in 2019 - finishing ninth the following year - before a period of yo-yoing between divisions.

They gave themselves a slim chance of survival in midweek by taking a 2-1 lead against Manchester United. However, the Red Devils came back in brutal fashion and, coupled with last weekend’s heavy defeat to Burnley, relegation now looks like a formality.

Wilder was brutally honest when assessing his side’s chances of survival with comments some Blades fans might find bizarre. He told reporters ahead of the trip to Newcastle: “There are certain things as a football club which we haven't done right. We've had a poor season and we have had to take the words, the criticism and we have to learn. 

“We are sat here with a load of optimism about the future of the football club. We have been in far worse positions than this. We'll be ready if the inevitable happens at the weekend. We'll go right to the end, no matter what the situation is. We really believed we were in decent nick and we would get the opportunity to turn really good performance into big results. 

“The Brentford and Burnley games really have sealed our fate but obviously the gap now is too big. We'll come fighting back. You get judged on results and certain weaknesses in certain departments have let us down. There are things that we need to reset to get better."

The 56-year-old also hailed Newcastle for their style under Eddie Howe. In September, a ruthless Toon attack put eight past the visitors at Bramall Lane, paving the way for Sheffield United’s disastrous Premier League return.

"It's one of my favourite clubs and one of my favourite teams to watch,” Wilder added. “I've got enormous admiration for Eddie (Howe) and his career and how he has gone about it. They've had their ups and downs but they're still in the position that they are. 

“They've got some fabulous players, it's an incredible environment, another one that we can really look forward to going and hopefully leaving everything out there like we did on Wednesday night."