Leeds United are a bigger club than Newcastle United and can be considered a ‘powerhouse’ of English football, according to one rival manager in the Championship. Sheffield United’s manager Chris Wilder has lavished praise on Leeds United, hailing them as a ‘powerhouse of English football’ and going as far as questioning whether they might be considered bigger than the world’s richest club-owned Newcastle United.
As fans gear up for Monday’s fixture between Leeds and the Blades, Wilder insists his accolades aren’t mind games ahead of the match. The two sides are pushing for promotion to the Premier League alongside Sunderland and Burnley. Leeds, who beat Sunderland 2-1 last Monday to strengthen their case, are seen as favourites to land the Championship crown – something that Wilder agrees with.And he goes further than that by insisting the Whites are the club who can challenge the traditional big guns in the Premier league and break into the top six ahead of Newcastle and Aston Villa. “They’re a massive club,” Wilder acknowledged. “They’re a top six English Premier League club, for me. I think they’re right up there. I saw something recently about who’s the bigger club, them or Newcastle United, and for me it’s a toss of coin. There’s the likes of Aston Villa in there as well; huge clubs historically.”
He claims no intention to rock the boat but expresses his enthusiasm for competing against such a formidable side in the promotion chase. “I’m not trying to unsettle anyone, that’s just how it is. When you’ve won a load of things in the past and are a big, one-team city who could get 50,000 fans, they attract good players and they invest in the team.
“There’s pressure either way to win games and they’re a huge football club. And when you’re playing huge clubs, it does go up a notch. They’re a powerhouse of English football. I won’t change my opinion of that, I haven’t changed that since the early 90s when my pal [Jon Newsome] scored in a game at the Lane to win them the old first division. It’s always been the same.”. Wilder was once linked with the Newcastle United manager’s job and spoke enthusiastically about his side’s trip to St James’ Park last season. The Blades ended up losing 5-1 as they were relegated back into the Championship.
“There’s nowhere better to go than up the road [to St James’ Park], in terms of the atmosphere, the vibrancy and all the emotion that gets attached to that game. It is one of my favourite clubs, one of my favourite teams to watch.
“I have enormous admiration for Eddie’s career and how he has gone about it. They have had their ups and downs but they are still in the position that they are. They have got some fabulous players, an incredible environment.”
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