Chris Wilder pinpoints Portsmouth as to why he won't financially gamble with Sheffield United's future

The Blades are enjoying a superb season during their Premier League return, sitting in fifth spot on 39 points.

United signed Sander Berge for a club-record £22m from Genk last month, as well as shelling out £20m for Swansea's Oli McBurnie in the summer.

Yet Wilder has stressed he won't gamble with the Bramall Lane outfit’s future. He pinpointed that’s what occurred at Fratton Park, as well as when he was in charge Halifax and Northampton.

The Blues won the FA Cup in 2008 and qualified for the Uefa Cup the following campaign before being placed into administration in 2010.

Pompey would face a second administration in three seasons in 2012, with their plight culminating in relegation to League Two at the end of the 2012-13.

Wilder told the Sheffield Star: ‘It's always done sensibly so as not to put us in a difficult position.

"I've been part of that before, not in terms of signing players but being involved in a club which went through it, and it shatters clubs. It's a long road back and there's no way we'd ever want to do that to this football club."

Wilder was in charge of Halifax when they went out of business, while he guided Northampton to the League Two title despite players and staff going for long periods without being paid.

‘Halifax had historical debt when they were in the Football League and an overspend in the old Fourth Division, signing players for big money," he added.

‘It was ridiculous. Travelling on a Chelsea coach and overnight stops. It was ridiculous what went off.

‘Northampton was a different situation, a land deal that went wrong from the former chairman.

‘I've had experience of it and the players don't really suffer but the people who own the football club suffer, and so do the supporters. It's important the supporters don't get carried away because I do see it.

‘I'm not being critical but when Portsmouth won the FA Cup and they were in Europe with 10, 11 players on over 100 grand a week but they're only getting 18,000 in the ground and there's no hospitality to speak of and no other revenue streams, everybody knew it was going to go one way.

‘It did and they found themselves in League Two. Portsmouth should never, ever be in League Two with the fan base and history they've got.’