Sheffield United ousted Ruben Selles and reinstated Chris Wilder as manager for the third time at Bramall Lane earlier this season, and the Blades have made significant progress since then.

Selles was in command of Sheffield United for only six games, and they lost all of them. That featured five league defeats, which left the Blades at the bottom of the table before Chris Wilder returned just days later.

Sacking Wilder and Selles in a matter of months just to rehire the former has cost the owning group money, but things are back on track today. Sheffield United have moved considerably away from the relegation zone and are now looking up.

Given that the middle third of the league has been beating each other more than usual, it just takes one team to go on a steady run to rocket up the rankings.

Despite being in 17th place, Sheffield United is only nine points behind Wrexham in the play-offs. They also have a game in hand on every team in the chasing pack save Watford. This might make for an intriguing final 18 games.

The Championship table since Chris Wilder took over at Sheffield United

So, how much have they improved since then? We have looked at the table since Wilder was reappointed. His debut game in charge was a home defeat to Charlton Athletic.

The gains were gradual, with Wilder losing three of his first four league games and winning only three of his first ten in the dugout. However, after the November international break, there have been eight wins in 13 games, representing significant improvement.

Championship table following Chris Wilder’s appointment

Pos Team P GD Points 5

Millwall: 24 + 4 = 42 + 6

Wrexham AFC

24: +8 40: 7 7 Watford: 23 +7 38: 8 8 Derby County: 24 +5 37: 9 9 Sheffield United: 23 +9 35: 10 Preston North End: 24 +2 35: 11 QPR: 24 +1 33

Sheffield United is eighth since Wilder’s return, but it could have been much better, especially after recent poor losses against Southampton and Charlton, despite getting back on track with a 3-1 win over Ipswich Town.

Wilder is also in his first window as manager of the club since last January in 2025. It implies they can get more of the players he wants, and further development is not out of the question from here.

Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United can make the play-offs.

When considering the scenario since matchday 16, as well as PPG rather than the actual table, the outlook for the Blades improves even further.

That is due to Sheffield United’s game in hand, which has been 1.52 since Wilder’s arrival. Projecting that over the next 18 games would result in an additional 27 points for his side.

However, using the PPG over the last 13 games rather than the last 23, it is evident why Sheffield United is becoming more optimistic about a late play-off run. They scored 25 points in that span, averaging little under 2 points per game (1.92).

Using that calculation would result in approximately 35 additional points and a total of 69. That figure would represent a play-off spot last season and again in 2022/23, as well as a close finish in a number of previous recent campaigns.

Wilder’s team cannot afford any more huge setbacks like Charlton and Southampton, but their progress is seen in terms of performance metrics and actual results.