Tonights Corporate Meeting With The Chairman

[boo radley]

There is no link and players wages have never been available in public. A friend was at Coventry's executive box last Saturday and was told by someone high up at Coventry that none of their players are on £5000 a week

Sorry to be pushy but how do you know 12 of ours are on over 5k a week?

 

[northsomersetblade]

Two bottles of Panda blue pop will cheer you up.

For an hour or two then it's back to shame and misery.

Don't forget the humiliation

 

[AlienWoodward]

Well, I'll take my own knowledge of employment law over yours thanks.

In the world of football, Clubs can stop under contract players leaving. They own the registrations. You can't walk out and play for someone else.

You can have all the employment law in the world but if I am going to walk out, I'm going, no one would stop me nor many others.
I know clubs own player registrations and of course you can do your best to keep hold of them. But would you seriously keep a player who was going to under perform (because he was so pissed off you'd not let him leave) week in, week out ? Great business move and that's why 99.9% of clubs get rid and take the cash.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Did they really just walk out of the club ? Nah maybe you are the only one to believe that fairy tale.

They wanted out. That's why they negotiated the sell on clauses for at at least two of them. All well documented. KMc and PJ would have gone before when their original contracts ran out if they hadn't got their wishes. We may well have let them set them too low but they were important parts of the team at the time. I know facts are a bastard when up against supposition but there you go.

By all means let us know how you would have dealt with it though rather than just banging the desk and shouting no, which is pretty much all you've duggested at the minute.

 

[Champagneblade]

Sat in the room last night listening to McCabe speak to people that were willing to listen and not go on and on about the Maguire money or who owns the ground, was interesting.

1. I gathered that KM was persuaded by the other board members to sack Wilson, a move which he regrets.

2. The Prince is still there and has a new representative on the Board, meaning JP will probably be leaving.

3. None of the senior management who were there last night seemed impressed with the signing from the 1st half of the season. Remember the technical board got a reshuffle in December with added Academy representation, so the signings of Woolford, Hammond, Sammon etc wouldn't have passed with this lot.

4. Whilst we are in this division we are unable to ward off the bids from Championship or Premier League clubs, when we go up we will be able to ward off Championship clubs but not Prem clubs, when we get in the Prem we will be able to ward off most. He called it rules of the jungle. Someone asked why we don't sign the best players from L1 or L2 then, KM said he feels the same and this is a regular discussion at board level. We signed Andy Butler, Walsall's best player and Captain but that never worked out as planned, que lots of chuckles and raised eyebrows.

5. The panic about KM demanding the youth to played next season no matter what seems a little over egged. He would like a few of the best lads to be used but as Travis Binnion said it has to be a blend of experience and Youth, expecting 11 academy players to get promoted in League One is wrong. The loan system next season is different, there are NO between window loans, meaning that the shite little clubs around us may struggle with their little squads and the inability to get a crafty loan in for a month. We have a whole academy of players able to fill gaps.

6. Recruitment will be done very carefully this summer to make sure the right players who want to play for us join. Said most players in the division would crawl to BDTBL.

7. Clough was sacked for non football reasons and when someone said that Adkins must admit his mistakes from this season and be able to build on them, as it seemed Clough wasn't willing to admit he had got things wrong, KM never denied this, just replying "good point".

8. He will have to think long and hard about the abuse and attention that may befall the staff at the lane, before he considers helping a FREE Ched Evans get his career back on track.

9. An old man asked about the physicality of the youth players and mentioned Louis Reed, Travis Binnion lept to the defend of LR asking "how many games has he played this season?" Then it was announced Geary will be the new U18 coach. very popular decision and KM said that he's the sort of man we want coaching the youngsters, passionate, prem experience, can relate to the youngsters, 100% effort and can jump higher than Connor Sammon.

10. There's nothing quite as embarrassing as watching old rich people asking for 10% discounts, then get shot down when it goes to a vote.

Funny he thought sacking Wilson was the wrong decision. Having taken Swindon down, surely it was hiring him! Only management he had to do was get cover for Evans. He signed injured Hoskins, past it Beattie and useless O'Halloran.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

If Adkins came to the board today and said I'd like to sign Emile Heskey for next season, he's got loads of England Caps has never played outside the top 2 divisions and is available on a free this summer, I'd like to think they would tell him to go away! All the board had to do last summer was after looking at his dubious Stats, just ask the Ipswich or Rotherham set ups what Sammon was like

This is where I start to get a bit concerned about board interference on recruitment.

I have no problem whatsoever with the board placing a limit on wages we can offer (and potentially a limit attached to certain age brackets) but if you have a manager saying that despite a player's recent record they reckon they could be a huge success, then why are the board better placed to make a call on something that's surely a judgement call by the managerial team?

Take Neil Shipperley. In summer 2005 he was coming off a wretched season where he had made 0 starts and 3 sub appearances for Palace. For someone that was 30 at the time, looked completely unfit, and who the vast majority of fans thought would make an appalling signing, would a technical board sign off on that?

Would a technical board have been willing to allow us to spend £4 million on a premier league striker about to turn 30, who hadn't scored an outfield goal in 16 months?

Sometimes you have to have faith that the manager knows what he's doing in making questionable signings. We did that with Warnock and more often than not we succeeded.

 

[The Crab]

Two bottles of Panda blue pop will cheer you up.

For an hour or two then it's back to shame and misery.

At the moment Sean, I'd embrace that hour or two like a lost lover!

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

This is where I start to get a bit concerned about board interference on recruitment.

I have no problem whatsoever with the board placing a limit on wages we can offer (and potentially a limit attached to certain age brackets) but if you have a manager saying that despite a player's recent record they reckon they could be a huge success, then why are the board better placed to make a call on something that's surely a judgement call by the managerial team?

Take Neil Shipperley. In summer 2015 he was coming off a wretched season where he had made 0 starts and 3 sub appearances for Palace. For someone that was 30 at the time, looked completely unfit, and who the vast majority of fans thought would make an appalling signing, would a technical board sign off on that?

Would a technical board have been willing to allow us to spend £4 million on a premier league striker about to turn 30, who hadn't scored an outfield goal in 16 months?

Sometimes you have to have faith that the manager knows what he's doing in making questionable signings. We did that with Warnock and more often than not we succeeded.

That would make a good discussion on its own - Past players (ones we liked) who wouldn't get signed by a technical board.

Neil Shipperley, Wayne Allison, Derek Geary, Gillespie?

 

[metalblade]

So we are harping on about Jags who left long before we were in league one I'll give you the McD one though but Blackman, Maguire and Murphy had no such release clauses, clutch at straws all you want but you are talking bollocks.

 

[The Crab]

Don't forget the humiliation

The humiliation is a given when you are a Blade

 

[LoughboroBlade]

That would make a good discussion on its own - Past players (ones we liked) who wouldn't get signed by a technical board.

Neil Shipperley, Wayne Allison, Derek Geary, Gillespie?

I imagine the arguments Warnock would have made about then 37 year old Craig Short would be fairly similar to Adkins making the case on Hammond – might not be as good as he was, but could still play some role and he'll have an impact as a role model for those around him in the squad.

 

[Grappler]

I imagine the arguments Warnock would have made about then 37 year old Craig Short would be fairly similar to Adkins making the case on Hammond – might not be as good as he was, but could still play some role and he'll have an impact as a role model for those around him in the squad.

Proper old school

 

[Revolution]

They wanted out. That's why they negotiated the sell on clauses for at at least two of them. All well documented. KMc and PJ would have gone before when their original contracts ran out if they hadn't got their wishes. We may well have let them set them too low but they were important parts of the team at the time. I know facts are a bastard when up against supposition but there you go.

By all means let us know how you would have dealt with it though rather than just banging the desk and shouting no, which is pretty much all you've duggested at the minute.

Jagielka is an example of when the club did this well: hold someone to a deal and have a decent sized release clause.

The McCabe of today would have let him go in the summer of 2005 or 2006. Food for thought.

And saying no is all you need to do when a player has 2 years to run. Well, that and report the agent for tapping up. Do you renegotiate? Maybe. But want you don't do is roll over as soon as Mark Rankine or whoever starts whining and then tell the world there's nothing you can do. Other clubs see us as a pushover in this situation.

 

[Revolution]

I imagine the arguments Warnock would have made about then 37 year old Craig Short would be fairly similar to Adkins making the case on Hammond – might not be as good as he was, but could still play some role and he'll have an impact as a role model for those around him in the squad.

The difference is Craig Short gave us a lot of good games in a brief period. Hammond did not.

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

I imagine the arguments Warnock would have made about then 37 year old Craig Short would be fairly similar to Adkins making the case on Hammond – might not be as good as he was, but could still play some role and he'll have an impact as a role model for those around him in the squad.

Id like to know how he convinced them to sign Iffy Onoura!

 

[The Crab]

The difference is Craig Short gave us a lot of good games in a brief period. Hammond did not.

Absolutely he did, as did the others that Loughborough mentions. But I'd tend to agree that none of those would have got past a Technical Board, to me they'd seem more like gut feeling, seat of your pants type signings. And they worked. Hammond I'm afraid for me, hasn't.

 

[The Crab]

Id like to know how he convinced them to sign Iffy Onoura!

The power of Hypnosis probably

 

[Sean Thornton]

So we are harping on about Jags who left long before we were in league one I'll give you the McD one though but Blackman, Maguire and Murphy had no such release clauses, clutch at straws all you want but you are talking bollocks.

You know that for a fact?

Jags is relevant because it's exactly the situation I'm talking about. Clubs in a league higher were interested. He signed and had a sell on clause inserted.

How would you deal with it? Possibly have a player who won't give his all whilst we are paying him and when his contract runs down get nothing for him? That makes sound financial sense. Accusing me of talking bollocks isn't how you deal with it is it? " Look
Jamie, we aren't selling you" (JM) but I want to go to a higher division and pay for my country, plus like that bloke on S24SU says, I won't give my best if you don't let me go and you'll get nothing for me" MB (shouting) He's talking bollocks" (Jamie) " okay, where do I sign"

 

[LoughboroBlade]

The difference is Craig Short gave us a lot of good games in a brief period. Hammond did not.

I'm talking about the overall policy of restricting the criteria on recruitment from on high rather than allowing a manager to make a judgement call. You should allow a manager to make them – if they prove to be the wrong call, that should then form part of the thought process on whether to keep that manager in their job. We obviously don't know the technical board criteria, but there needs to be some sort of flexibility in there. If the reason most of the signings wouldn't have got through the technical board is simply due to their age or matches played the previous season then that would be bonkers.

 

[Worksop II]

Thing is, Technical Board or not, we arn't talking about signing Hammond

We are talking about signing him again .................. after this Season

 

[Sean Thornton]

Jagielka is an example of when the club did this well: hold someone to a deal and have a decent sized release clause.

The McCabe of today would have let him go in the summer of 2005 or 2006. Food for thought.

And saying no is all you need to do when a player has 2 years to run. Well, that and report the agent for tapping up. Do you renegotiate? Maybe. But want you don't do is roll over as soon as Mark Rankine or whoever starts whining and then tell the world there's nothing you can do. Other clubs see us as a pushover in this situation.

£4 million doesn't actually sound that good to me seeing how his career has progressed. But he still got it. Otherwise he would have gone. He's said since he stayed here too long.

The rest is opinion not fact though. If it were that easy no lower league club would sell on irrespective of the players wishes.

 

[derryblade]

Just got home from a meeting held by Kevin McCabe with the corporate side (the prawn sandwich brigade)
It was a very good meeting and he dodged no questions. In fairness to him he was excellent.
He spoke like a fan and without mentioning names he was just as upset as the rest of us with how some of this seasons signings have worked out, in fact he was pissed off.
It was particular obvious how he felt when he said Del Geary was the new under 18s manager. He described him as a five foot nothing with heart and passion who can out jump a certain forward. He slated more or less every signing made apart from Billy and wishes the rest of the players had half of his passion for the club.
Yes there will be new players coming and a lot going it would certainly appear NO ones job at the club is safe by any means. It appears as though as many as eight first team players are off. And yes some youth will come in as well.
There is no rift with the Prince, none at all. His money is still coming in and it will be game changing when we get into the Championship.
Mr Jim has gone and it seemed a sense of good riddance as McCabe hated the twitter and Facebook lark that Mr Jim seemed to enjoy. McCabe stated it is no way for a co chairman of a football club to behave. There is someone new to replace him and Selahattin is still around. McCabe is meeting him this week and has a meeting penciled in with the prince for next week.
He gave a floor vote to everyone who sits in a box as to whether or not they would like the 10% discount given to season ticket holders. Everyone voted against it apart from a dozen pensioners who have some sort of a season ticket in there.
He said on Adkins that he interviewed many potential managers and Nigel was leaps and bounds above the rest and he thought he'd employed the man who would take us up this season (didn't we all).
Clough went for none football reasons.
I can't think of anything else at the minute.
Oh I can. His view on Ched playing for us again, which is ..............................

I think it's fantastic that any supporter gets any solace , comfort or optimism from listening to KM. Having read the twitter feed and watched the clubs video of the forum and read this topic there's nothing we haven't heard before and little that fills me with optimism for next season. That's not a cry to get rid of KM, because that's not going to happen because there isn't an alternative waiting in the wings and that's the most depressing factor in this shambles we find ourselves in.

 

[northsomersetblade]

Nah, I love them really. Our crappy team keeps us real and this gallows humour keeps me sane.

One day we'll win something. One day. Though it might as well be some day (thanks David).

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I know that there is a lot of sentimentality and looking at the team "through rose tinted glasses" when it comes to the home grown youngsters, but I won't apologise for that.

There is something satisfying (to me) about seeing scruffy young urchins blossom into adult footballers.

Maguire and Kennedy being the big examples of recent years. Kennedy would run through pack of wild dogs to clear a ball off the line.

I am hoping, if he ever gets his act together, that Diego will be another.

The current crop of U18's and U21's sound like they have some good lads in their ranks.

I share your sentiment. As someone who got into following the blades around the time of the emergence of Dane Whitehouse, Mitch Ward, Carl Bradshaw etc. there is something satisfying about seeing these lads represent the club.


I hope our bench is made up mostly of academy kids next season but that the first 11 is of real standout quality. Then again, that’s an approach I’ve wanted us to take for a number of years now.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

And you know what really cheesed me off about that? All the smiles from McCabe and Co in the press conference. And the blind, shit-eating-grin-moronic-positivity of the response to the question of whether they think Sheffield United can win the play-offs.

"We're not thinking about the play-offs. We're trying to get automatic promotion."

Even though at the time, there were 5 games to go, we were 5th and miles off 2nd. Everyone in the room, and the country bar McCabe could see that we had a snowflake's chance in hell of reaching 2nd.

I've still not forgiven him for that.

Whilst I think it was the wrong decision to sack Wilson and did at the time, I also believe we wouldn’t have gone up had we kept him. The sale of Blackman coupled with the ACL injuries to Miller and De Girolamo meant we had absolutely nothing up front in terms of skill/ ball carrying ability/ pace etc. We had Forte and Poleon but they were useless. We had Ironside who hasn’t made it as a pro. We had Porter who will be playing league 2 next season and we had Kitson who was squeezing everything out of his ageing legs (like Cresswell the year before) but was getting worse as the season went on and age took it’s toll and was now just resorting to fouling people. McCabe sealed our fate that year by selling Blackman after we’d already lost Miller.


If we look back, that was also the January where he assured fans “we will finish January stronger than we started it”.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

The hints and allegations aren't just about the quality of the work, they're about illegalities (i.e. fraud).
If that's the reason people have been sacked then why would McCabe and the club let them get away with it?
Would he turn a blind eye to employees defrauding his other businesses?

I'm not saying whether what you're saying is true or not. I have no idea.
But it seems very odd to me that United (or any club/company) would have sufficient evidence of fraud to sack someone but do nothing else about it.

Regarding McCabe going to Brussels at the wrong time.
First he says, "blame the manager I don't get involved with transfers" then he says "it all went wrong because I wasn't closely involved".

Re the fraud element. Could it be that it was suspected or pretty much known but not proven? If we sacked Clough with a big payoff we wouldn’t have needed grounds and we’ve all seen that you can open offshore bank accounts in your dogs’ name and get away with it.


Perhaps we re-signed McEveley with a huge signing on fee to be split with Clough/Brannigan and that was the last straw?

 

[1danewhitehouse]

So everyone on here who expects us to be able to keep a player to his contract would be ok if it happened to them at their workplace ?
You're earning 50k a year but another company want you. They're going to give you 25k to go and work for them as a signing fee, they're also going to double your wages and the promotion you're getting is a possible stepping stone to a better even more exciting and interesting career.
I am surprised how many would stay at the current workplace, if your employer told you he was going to hold you to your contract (the one your new employer was buying you out of)
I have to say I'm with the players who are "forced" out. Loyalty in football is a common as it is in the workplace.

The rules differ for footballers. If my employer wanted rid of me they wouldn’t have to pay me the remainder of a contract like they would a footballer, just x number of weeks service x whatever figure as a redundancy package.


If I leave my firm, there are training costs re-payable that I or a prospective new employer would have to stump up. Some companies also have non-compete clauses. But the analogy simply doesn’t work because footballers’ contracts and ownership of their registration works very differently to other types of employment contract.

 

[BusheyBlade]

In that case an employer can sue to a tribunal for breach of contract. That would probably only amount to the wages the employee would have earned.
But I'm not wrong not all notices are legal and you can walk out of legal ones. You may be sued, but probably not.
And if clubs could stop players leaving and keep the same in form player, then many would do it.

If you leave your job during your notice period the employer can sue you but it's actually only a very small amount they can sue you for. In most cases if it went to a tribunal the employer would be told they could have got a temp in to cover you during your notice period and in that case they could only sue you for the difference between your salary and that of any temp worker during that time. I know this because I had a major running battle with my previous employer who insisted on keeping me to my notice period of 3 months even though I was only staying with the client where I was based for 6 weeks. I threatened to leave as soon as my client placement was up and the head of HR eventually told me to go as there was nothing they could really do about it.

They'd already given my new employer my reference by then anyway

 

[Sean Thornton]

Re the fraud element. Could it be that it was suspected or pretty much known but not proven? If we sacked Clough with a big payoff we wouldn’t have needed grounds and we’ve all seen that you can open offshore bank accounts in your dogs’ name and get away with it.


Perhaps we re-signed McEveley with a huge signing on fee to be split with Clough/Brannigan and that was the last straw?

Past occurrences would make me think McCabe would be wise to that.

You do realise that people mentioning fraud will make it a forum FACT despite no genuine indication from anyone that it's happened?

 

[Grappler]

Nah, I love them really. Our crappy team keeps us real and this gallows humour keeps me sane.

One day we'll win something. One day. Though it might as well be some day (thanks David).

have a "like" for the Bowie reference