Can SUFC attract quality players?

[Woodwardfan]

In an interview Duffy was asked why he chose United when a number of other clubs were interested and he said " The size of the club, the massive fan base, the facilities, the two in charge and the type of football they want to play and their ambitions to bring in high calibre players. This is third time lucky as I've nearly signed a couple of times before"

 

[Rodders]

In an interview Duffy was asked why he chose United when a number of other clubs were interested and he said " The size of the club, the massive fan base, the facilities, the two in charge and the type of football they want to play and their ambitions to bring in high calibre players. This is third time lucky as I've nearly signed a couple of times before"

Aah, they put paper in the machine this time did they MobileBlade ?

 

[PeteBlade]

In an interview Duffy was asked why he chose United when a number of other clubs were interested and he said " The size of the club, the massive fan base, the facilities, the two in charge and the type of football they want to play and their ambitions to bring in high calibre players. This is third time lucky as I've nearly signed a couple of times before"

I'd love the first football player in history to answer that question "Because they offered me lots more money".

 

[Trueblade]

For me, Wilder has the right idea. Go after the quality hungry players at our level. Compared to the vast majority of League 1 and 2 clubs we are huge. Players won't get that opportunity every day.

The problem has been going after has beens who think they are doing us a favour and that they are the big shots of the league.

 

[VLYDONIMIR]

Just seen Duffichenko, Husslimobovic and Sharpinho in The Hen & Chickens.

Forget wages, nothing to do with wages.

 

[Woodwardfan]

I'd love the first football player in history to answer that question "Because they offered me lots more money".

The premise of this O.P. is where the players have "more than one offer" and various considerations they might have.

You may have missed Wilder's comments on the Duffy signing as regards money: " He comes here for all the right reasons, has come here because after listening to us he believes in what we are trying to do. Mark could have moved elsewhere for a significantly better contract"

 

[sitwell]

I'll be compiling an in depth study with results, photo/video evidence and hopefully a couple of sticky menage-a-trois
reports for CW to use when hoping to attract any new player with an appetite for the nightclubs, pubs and bars
of Sheffield & Manchester.

Anyone care to join me?

You do that and I'll do the 'Good local press and Radio bit.'

Done it....... its wank.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

We've squandered all our obvious advantages in the past. Who wouldn't want to play on a nice pitch in front of 20,000 fans. We have previously thought we had to pay top dollar to attract players to BDTBL. At this level we shouldn't be held to ransom because we can unsettle rival clubs players by merely showing an interest.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

We should identify all the best players in league 1. Then make it known (indirectly) we might be interested in certain one's. . . . . . . . . . Then just wait for the phone to ring.

 

[Woodwardfan]

You do that and I'll do the 'Good local press and Radio bit.'

Done it....... its wank.

The O.P. is an attempt to judge how prospective players view our football clubs and our city as a place to play and live. You know top players love London, well how do third tier players judge Sheffield?

If a player has options to play in Sheffield, and say Fleetwood, Rochdale and Walsall he will view the football culture of the city, whether football and therefore footballers are important locally and he will also study the city and area as a place to live.

As a non-local looking in, I would say a football player would judge that the local press and media is football mad and has local football at the top of it's reporting agenda and therefore a big part of the footballing culture of the city. A rugby player, cricket player or ballet dancer might take another view, might think it's "wank" in fact!!

Similarly he would expect the night life to be good in comparison, if that's important to him and most fans on here reckon it's vital to these lads. Well imagine the prospect of Fleetwood etc.

 

[VLYDONIMIR]

 

[Esablade]

The O.P. is an attempt to judge how prospective players view our football clubs and our city as a place to play and live. You know top players love London, well how do third tier players judge Sheffield?

If a player has options to play in Sheffield, and say Fleetwood, Rochdale and Walsall he will view the football culture of the city, whether football and therefore footballers are important locally and he will also study the city and area as a place to live.

As a non-local looking in, I would say a football player would judge that the local press and media is football mad and has local football at the top of it's reporting agenda and therefore a big part of the footballing culture of the city. A rugby player, cricket player or ballet dancer might take another view, might think it's "wank" in fact!!

Similarly he would expect the night life to be good in comparison, if that's important to him and most fans on here reckon it's vital to these lads. Well imagine the prospect of Fleetwood etc.

Re nightlife....hmmm, just because you play for Fleetwood doesn't mean you have to live there Woodwardfan ...most of these guys can afford the taxi fare back to wherever they're going...some can even stump up for a hotel room ( )

That side of the world you've got Liverpool and Manc which top Sheffield for 'nightlife' IMO.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Re nightlife....hmmm, just because you play for Fleetwood doesn't mean you have to live there Woodwardfan ...most of these guys can afford the taxi fare back to wherever they're going...some can even stump up for a hotel room ( )

That side of the world you've got Liverpool and Manc which top Sheffield for 'nightlife' IMO.

Must be nice to strut around in your own city though where you're a celebrity!

 

[sitwell]

The O.P. is an attempt to judge how prospective players view our football clubs and our city as a place to play and live. You know top players love London, well how do third tier players judge Sheffield?

If a player has options to play in Sheffield, and say Fleetwood, Rochdale and Walsall he will view the football culture of the city, whether football and therefore footballers are important locally and he will also study the city and area as a place to live.

As a non-local looking in, I would say a football player would judge that the local press and media is football mad and has local football at the top of it's reporting agenda and therefore a big part of the footballing culture of the city. A rugby player, cricket player or ballet dancer might take another view, might think it's "wank" in fact!!

Similarly he would expect the night life to be good in comparison, if that's important to him and most fans on here reckon it's vital to these lads. Well imagine the prospect of Fleetwood etc.

I know the likes of me and you would probably look at that ,but I think most footballers are that vacuous and greedy that only one thing enters their mind ,and not many actually now live where they play.

 

[Woodwardfan]

I know the likes of me and you would probably look at that ,but I think most footballers are that vacuous and greedy that only one thing enters their mind ,and not many actually now live where they play.

Agree, media and nightlife are very marginal considerations! In fact my priorities as a player would be ( if I can match the wages elsewhere):

1. The manager and can he take me and the squad where I want to be.
2. The ownership, their ambition and how they run the club, will they back the manager and indeed will they keep the manager.

We've all seen how numerous players have committed to us and within months found themselves unwanted and in a trap which nobody can release them from. Easy for a player's reputation to be spoiled by circumstances at his club. We are embarrassed about our record over recent years and the world of football will perceive us as an unstable club. On the other hand one manager can change all that within months, so fingers crossed!

Apparently Duffy turned down a better contract elsewhere so that's encouraging if he did.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

What sort of reputation have SUFC got in the world of football and in the eyes of potential player recruits and their agents?

1. Owners:

McCabe. Genuine supporter, strong character took on Premier League and won over Tevez affair. Highly committed but 'hire and fire' mentality, no longer has any perceived value for long term building blocks for a squad under one manager for the future.

The Prince: Unknown, Saudi-Arabian Prince who has invested a modest amount in today's terms and no sign of throwing money at the club. Do Saudis generally have a favourable image? Maybe not in human rights etc but yes in wealth,perhaps.

2. The Manager:

Wilder is a League 2 and non-league manager who has never got sacked and looks to build on sound values for the long term. Straight speaking, no 'airs and graces', simple approach to the game, socially popular in the game. Relatively modest record trophy-wise at modest clubs but career took off remarkably last season when his club Northampton were crowned run-away League 2 Champions in a season when their squad and staff were unpaid on occasions before a mid-season change of ownership of the club. A "modern manager on the upward curve" according to his new club owner. Maybe a seasoned manager who has eventually achieved some success, depends how a prospective player might look at it.

Wilder's previous club Oxford were also promoted and some credit is due to him for laying solid foundations there, though he was not universally popular during his spell at the club and a strong bond with the Oxford Chairman saved him his job at times.

Is there mileage in tagging on to the coat tails of the Wilder/ Knill duo in a rapid climb up the leagues? What is their style of football - modern, progressive?

3. Wage Budget.

Still amongst top 3 in the League due to size of the club but a definite tightening of the purse strings now offers incentives for success rather than high basic salaries; the chances of success are debatable after 6 years in L1 and an unprecedented turnover of the playing staff this summer. Inevitably all the new signings will take time to settle and the accent is on youth too, but there is the opportunity to get in there and be a 'main man' straight away.

4. Morale/ Crowd.

Known as one of the best and at the same time one of the worst home crowds in L1. Away teams are routinely told to keep the game tight for 20 minutes or so and the home crowd will get nervous and inhibit their own players by passing on anxieties.

Great to play in front of 20000 crowds when things go well but this crowd has been used and abused for almost a decade and has run short of patience and forgiveness. Big hope that the new manager/ Blades fan will bring the club together at all levels.

The away following is the best in the division and will back their players until things start going wrong and then they can really make their frustrations heard at some of these small club grounds with 3/4000 crowds.

5. Temporary home for placement of quality youth players on loan from higher leagues for personal development.

Wilder/ Knill reputation for young player development, teaching good habits in a 'modern environment'? I wouldn't know but fear not.

6. Sheffield as a place to live, good city, strong footballing culture, big ground to play at, great training facilities. Reasonable nightclub scene, not far from Manchester. Good local press and local radio, big football commitment

Players with ability get more than one offer and I hope Wilder has few problems attracting players but we are not exactly the club to aspire towards without any doubts are we? I sense Wilder will know his top 20 targets without really having to study too hard and I hope he gets good responses from at least 10 of them well before the pre-season friendlies start. In actual fact if a player knows his next home is League 1 there aren't any more attractive clubs or managers: Bradford/ Parkinson, Coventry/ Mowbray, Charlton, Bolton, Millwall/ Harris, Walsall, Rochdale, Southend, none any better I hope.

I think we are far from perfect but we are still the best opportunity in League 1 for any ambitious players who seek an opportunity at this level.

We should, in theory, be the most attractive proposition for any player looking at league 1 but realistically, not so attractive that players will choose us over championship clubs with the possible exception of Burton or Barnsley depending on the player.


Of course though the money on offer speaks volumes and no doubt someone will get the odd player that we think would have improved our team. A rewards based pay structure should mean that players coming in have a determination and a belief that they will be successful.


What concerns me more is our scouting or lack thereof. I still maintain that we need a network independent of the manager due to the hire-fire culture. We need to be monitoring young players in non-league for a prolonged period to unearth the next Che Adams or better yet Jamie Vardy.


I also want us to be looking at


a) loans for PL players not ready to play at that level (Jerome Sinclair or the kid at Chelsea that was mentioned here for example)

b) permanently signing young players that might be surplus at PL level (Uche Ikpeazu, Ryan Innis, Sulley Kaikai etc.)


Taking that approach is possibly where the best bargains in league 1 come from. Think of people like Blackman, Byrne etc.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Well, what about the prospect of being involved in "a project"?

Would players be more or less interested in coming to the lane given CW will be starting with a very new squad?

And will they be put off by the fact that our track record suggests CW will be gone within the first year and the remainder of their contract will be spent as an unwanted drain on resources under the next manager?

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Just a quick point on the "wages" front; does anyone think that any of the teams promoted last season were paid (on average) a lot more than our lads? Wigan maybe, but Burton or Barnsley?

Or to take it further, any of the ten teams that were above us at the end of the season?

Not trying to be clever as I don't know what our players or other teams players are being paid, but I can't imagine that we are not competitive on the salary front.

Agreed. It’s not all about attracting the best names. It’s about identifying the right players, having a strategy, some consideration as to how the recruit will fit into the team and address the weaknesses in the side etc. Something we’ve been very poor at over the last couple of years.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

We should identify all the best players in league 1. Then make it known (indirectly) we might be interested in certain one's. . . . . . . . . . Then just wait for the phone to ring.

Bradshaw

Sawyers

Payne

Dack

Beevers

Cameron

Mayor

Roofe

Smith

Holmes

Tafazolli

Nelson

Pierre

Carey

Egan

Vincenti

Gilbey

Moncur

Forde

Windass



Get these names leaked and see who’s agent pipes up trying to get them a move here.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

The O.P. is an attempt to judge how prospective players view our football clubs and our city as a place to play and live. You know top players love London, well how do third tier players judge Sheffield?

If a player has options to play in Sheffield, and say Fleetwood, Rochdale and Walsall he will view the football culture of the city, whether football and therefore footballers are important locally and he will also study the city and area as a place to live.

As a non-local looking in, I would say a football player would judge that the local press and media is football mad and has local football at the top of it's reporting agenda and therefore a big part of the footballing culture of the city. A rugby player, cricket player or ballet dancer might take another view, might think it's "wank" in fact!!

Similarly he would expect the night life to be good in comparison, if that's important to him and most fans on here reckon it's vital to these lads. Well imagine the prospect of Fleetwood etc.

You might be giving footballers too much credit. What I will say though is that I think at this level, our stadium and Shirecliffe help attract players. Tony Agana said when Bassett came in for him, he came up for talks and came through Chesterfield, into Sheffield thinking there was no way he was moving here right until the car turned into Cherry Street and he saw the South Stand. Said he knew he was signing as soon as he saw it.

 

[Tezza1889]

What sort of reputation have SUFC got in the world of football and in the eyes of potential player recruits and their agents?

1. Owners:

McCabe. Genuine supporter, strong character took on Premier League and won over Tevez affair. Highly committed but 'hire and fire' mentality, no longer has any perceived value for long term building blocks for a squad under one manager for the future.

The Prince: Unknown, Saudi-Arabian Prince who has invested a modest amount in today's terms and no sign of throwing money at the club. Do Saudis generally have a favourable image? Maybe not in human rights etc but yes in wealth,perhaps.

2. The Manager:

Wilder is a League 2 and non-league manager who has never got sacked and looks to build on sound values for the long term. Straight speaking, no 'airs and graces', simple approach to the game, socially popular in the game. Relatively modest record trophy-wise at modest clubs but career took off remarkably last season when his club Northampton were crowned run-away League 2 Champions in a season when their squad and staff were unpaid on occasions before a mid-season change of ownership of the club. A "modern manager on the upward curve" according to his new club owner. Maybe a seasoned manager who has eventually achieved some success, depends how a prospective player might look at it.

Wilder's previous club Oxford were also promoted and some credit is due to him for laying solid foundations there, though he was not universally popular during his spell at the club and a strong bond with the Oxford Chairman saved him his job at times.

Is there mileage in tagging on to the coat tails of the Wilder/ Knill duo in a rapid climb up the leagues? What is their style of football - modern, progressive?

3. Wage Budget.

Still amongst top 3 in the League due to size of the club but a definite tightening of the purse strings now offers incentives for success rather than high basic salaries; the chances of success are debatable after 6 years in L1 and an unprecedented turnover of the playing staff this summer. Inevitably all the new signings will take time to settle and the accent is on youth too, but there is the opportunity to get in there and be a 'main man' straight away.

4. Morale/ Crowd.

Known as one of the best and at the same time one of the worst home crowds in L1. Away teams are routinely told to keep the game tight for 20 minutes or so and the home crowd will get nervous and inhibit their own players by passing on anxieties.

Great to play in front of 20000 crowds when things go well but this crowd has been used and abused for almost a decade and has run short of patience and forgiveness. Big hope that the new manager/ Blades fan will bring the club together at all levels.

The away following is the best in the division and will back their players until things start going wrong and then they can really make their frustrations heard at some of these small club grounds with 3/4000 crowds.

5. Temporary home for placement of quality youth players on loan from higher leagues for personal development.

Wilder/ Knill reputation for young player development, teaching good habits in a 'modern environment'? I wouldn't know but fear not.

6. Sheffield as a place to live, good city, strong footballing culture, big ground to play at, great training facilities. Reasonable nightclub scene, not far from Manchester. Good local press and local radio, big football commitment

Players with ability get more than one offer and I hope Wilder has few problems attracting players but we are not exactly the club to aspire towards without any doubts are we? I sense Wilder will know his top 20 targets without really having to study too hard and I hope he gets good responses from at least 10 of them well before the pre-season friendlies start. In actual fact if a player knows his next home is League 1 there aren't any more attractive clubs or managers: Bradford/ Parkinson, Coventry/ Mowbray, Charlton, Bolton, Millwall/ Harris, Walsall, Rochdale, Southend, none any better I hope.

I think we are far from perfect but we are still the best opportunity in League 1 for any ambitious players who seek an opportunity at this level.

A great op... But we are clearly a pathway club to the premier league if the player is good enough, and ultimately the England team, walker, jags, Cahill... Proof if it were needed... Can't see why we couldn't attract any young player who had those goals...

 

[Sheffsteel]

And will they be put off by the fact that our track record suggests CW will be gone within the first year and the remainder of their contract will be spent as an unwanted drain on resources under the next manager?

We only have that track record because we are the most ambitious club in league 1.

We back the manager with the biggest budget so of course the board expect at least some form of progress in 12 months. They naturally expect a playoff position and won't settle for less.

Chris Wilder will only be gone if he fails to improve the team from its mid table finish.
Any manager would take up that challenge and feel optimistic that with the biggest budget they can make the playoffs at least.

 

[BushBlade]

We should, in theory, be the most attractive proposition for any player looking at league 1 but realistically, not so attractive that players will choose us over championship clubs with the possible exception of Burton or Barnsley depending on the player.


Of course though the money on offer speaks volumes and no doubt someone will get the odd player that we think would have improved our team. A rewards based pay structure should mean that players coming in have a determination and a belief that they will be successful.


What concerns me more is our scouting or lack thereof. I still maintain that we need a network independent of the manager due to the hire-fire culture. We need to be monitoring young players in non-league for a prolonged period to unearth the next Che Adams or better yet Jamie Vardy.


I also want us to be looking at


a) loans for PL players not ready to play at that level (Jerome Sinclair or the kid at Chelsea that was mentioned here for example)

b) permanently signing young players that might be surplus at PL level (Uche Ikpeazu, Ryan Innis, Sulley Kaikai etc.)


Taking that approach is possibly where the best bargains in league 1 come from. Think of people like Blackman, Byrne etc.

Ironically, some clubs track potential signings for longer than we keep a manager.

 

[BushBlade]

A great op... But we are clearly a pathway club to the premier league if the player is good enough, and ultimately the England team, walker, jags, Cahill... Proof if it were needed... Can't see why we couldn't attract any young player who had those goals...

As much as we moan about it, we have a track record of players moving on to better things which probably encourages potential signings. They look at the likes of KMac and Murphy and will realise that if they do well here, they'll either get promoted with us or get sold to a club in a higher league. Either way, it's career progression.

And I doubt the likes of Magahey failing will put them off as they'll have an idea that these kids haven't worked hard enough. We want players who will thrive on the challenge of playing in front of big, demanding crowds at a decent stadium and working hard to achieve your goals.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Interesting to have a glance back at the mood on here back when the OP was written just 17 days ago.

Charlton and Northampton have nicked Revell and Novak and maybe even Holmes away from us. No doubt they were all similar offers financially. All part of the challenge for Wilder to personally attract players to join the 'journey'.

 

[The Crab]

Just seen Duffichenko, Husslimobovic and Sharpinho in The Hen & Chickens.

Forget wages, nothing to do with wages.

If it's like it was back in the day, footballers are probably one of the only things you can't buy in there.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Must be nice to strut around in your own city though where you're a celebrity!

Not when you have lost.

UTB