‘Bramall boys can still do it’
DAVE BASSETT’S amazing deeds with Wimbledon’s ‘Crazy Gang’ is the stuff of legends – but his great escape with Sheffield United is right up there.
Bottom of the top flight in 1990-91 with just four points from 16 games, the sinking Blades were thought a lost cause by most people.
But the Dons miracle worker somehow got Sheffield United to end the season in 13th place.
And Bassett (below) sees no reason why history can’t repeat itself, with Chris Wilder’s side in similar danger – and especially because Wilder was part of that squad.
“In times like these, you need some b******s,” said Bassett (below). “Chris played in almost half of the games that season (16), so he has seen for himself how things can change. It was just before Christmas when we beat Nottingham Forest for our first win of the season.
“You’ve got to maintain your sanity, still believe in yourselves. We had just come up from the old Second Division and we knew it was going to be hard.
“We signed Vinnie Jones because I felt we needed somebody who was larger than life and had the experience of playing in the top flight.
“Things had started going wrong from the start. Our keeper Simon Tracey got kneed in the head by Ian Rush in our opening game against Liverpool – it was an accident but Simon ended up with a broken cheekbone.
“Like now, we were playing quite well but not getting the rub of the green.
“Chris was good to have around the place because he was always positive.”
“We beat Forest and won the next game after that. We were still bottom after 22 games but we then had a great run, winning seven out of eight games and roared up the league, ending up finishing 13th.
“Even when we were bottom, we were still hard to beat, we were never getting hammered. We believed in what we were doing.”
And Wilder, he insists, is still the man for the job. “Sheffield United overachieved last season. Now they are suffering and it’s gone the other way,” added Bassett.
“He doesn’t deserve to be sacked and who out there can come in and do better than him? The players have not given up on Chris Wilder and if they go down who would you want to bring them back up?
“Chris Wilder.”