Who signs off the transfers?

[Treeton Blade]

It would also make the suggestion, from both Phipps and Adkins, that we made several bids that were rejected, a complete lie.

Cost cutting behind the scenes is also well under way.

Not sure if that`s a lie, but Adkins is also talking of 50% of the first team, long term, being from the Academy, which seems to suggest cost cutting.

Its also pie in the sky to expect that many to make it.

 

[PeteBlade]

Depends how genuine and realistic the bids were!

Brannigan has been replaced by Green who I wouldn't imagine is paid and the Scarborough man is part time so there's a saving there.

I genuinely don't think any were made.
And no time was invested in attempting either.
The more I hear of the inner workings at Bramall Lane, the more concerned I become.

 

[Rufus Smalls]

Could

October 2015 Phipps posted a long message on his Farcebook page, following reaction to the Millwall defeat. He said (emphasis is mine)

"Personally, I think we - the board, the management, the players, and the fans - need to step it up, if we are going to get where we want to go this season: automatic promotion. I am not blaming anyone. I am just saying we all can do better," ...

"I start by acknowledging that, as a board, we are far from perfect. The board is, however, committed and continues to operate in a manner that allows the top football professionals at the club (both on the touchline and in the front office) to make the decisions about who wears the strip and how the football resources will be applied. Which positions do we need to strengthen? How quickly can we shrink the squad to a more rational, economical size, given the injury situation? What strength can we draw from our academy to serve the first team? Which players should be recruited and on what terms (loan, permernant, price, etcetera)?

"All such questions are left to our Technical Board (MD (Brannigan), football manager, FD, academy manager etc) to decide, provided they stay within board approved budgets and parameters.

The next bit was an attack on Clough and an acknowledgement of lack of diligence by the Board -

"That said, some of the current problems in the side (its size, for example) are byproducts of our trying as a board to be true to our approach, in circumstances where we allowed the Technical Board process to be thoroughly undermined by a gaffer who was not interested in the process; hence, some of the excesses (recruiting in quantity, signing injured players etc). We should have seen what was happening (the excesses anyway) and responded to them more quickly.

"In appointing a new football manager last summer, we specifically set out to find a gaffer who would help us re-establish a process that would prevent the repetition of the same mistakes. I am very happy with the progress we have made on this particular front and believe the fruits of the Technical Board process will show themselves over time, if we stick to the process.......

"At board level, we love the club. We back that up with substantial resources and an approach that leaves the footballing decisions to our very highly-qualified and carefully-vetted front-office and touchline football professionals. We all want better performances and better results and they will come. Rome, however, wasn't built in a day. We see the problems. The gaffer sees what needs doing. We will do what needs doing and get there."

Brannigan then went and the following joined the Technical Board

" David Green, owner of Renishaw-based Green Piling Ltd, is a previous Chairman and Honorary Vice Chairman. He becomes Vice Chairman with responsibly for Football Operations. His new role will see him chair the Club's Technical Board, which directs football recruitment at all levels......

Carl Shieber, also of Sheffield United Limited, joins the Technical Board as its Player Contract Negotiation Manager. Carl has performed this role for the Club admirably in the past.

plus Adkins, Academy Director. No mention of Chief scout unless he is an etc.

David Green was the FC Chairman when Weir was appointed, Carl Sheiber is a career McCabe man, working under the Scarborough/Sufc umbrella since 2007. i.e McCabe men. There was also some bloke who got an MBA in football as a contract negotiator I seem to recall (Shieber?)- can't remember who. Still no mention of the Chief Scout being on it though.

So reading the above -

the Board sets the parameters (amount of money etc) and

the Technical Board selects and recruits within those parameters.

But it is clear from the above that the Board got paranoid after Clough (not sure how) managed to circumvent the Board and bloat the squad and they are presumably more intransigent about what the parameters are hence Green chairing it as an enforcer I would guess. No-one really knows what those parameters are - ie the Board could have set a budget, maximum transfer fee, wage levels etc that are unrealistic.

Adkins was also clearly appointed with a brief to reduce the squad and to redress the Clough "mistakes".

In normal circumstances following a screw-up of the JTW proportions by the Technical Board the buck should stop at the top (ie Green), but that isn't going to happen with McCabe around.

So its as clear as mud. Up the Blades.

Could we actually make it any more twatting difficult if we tried ???? FFS !

UTB.

 

[Roygbiv]

I can only go on what I was told. It was by someone very much still in the game and the general vibe was there is nobody in charge of transfers at United. We could have shipped out at least another 2 players if we had got our act together but the clubs who were interested moved on to different targets. I don't know whether we bid for anyone but I do trust the person who told me when it comes to outgoings. Clubs are pissed off at dealing with United.

On the subject of deadline day, there was that bloke who phoned up Radio Sheffield who claimed he had seen McCabe that day. McCabe apparently told this guy that United wouldn't be signing anyone. When I heard it I dismissed it but in hindsight he was almost certainly telling the truth. I don't think there was any effort to bring in anyone on deadline day.

I get the feeling if we knew the truth about how badly run we are at the moment then the threats of protests would gather much more momentum.

 

[BushBlade]

Ps: see Adkin's comments in Saturday's programme about signing young, fast, hungry players. Yet another deviation or signs of a coherent new strategy?

I think it means we're scouting in Ethiopia.

 

[mosbolad]

This backs up what ive heard in regards to there not being anyone actually in charge at the club regarding transfers in and out. I was told a few clubs gave up trying to sign certain players from us because United took so long in giving them an answer so they went elsewhere.

That can't be correct Roy as don't we sell players at the merest sniff from another club?

 

[PeteBlade]

That can't be correct Roy as don't we sell players at the merest sniff from another club?

Clearly on previous evidence we do, yes.

We now barely have any left. It's not some master plan by the club.

We just ran out of saleable talent.

 

[mosbolad]

McCabe apparently told this guy that United wouldn't be signing anyone.

I heard that too Roy, the caller gave his name as Len or Leonard........

I dismissed it as nonsense also. Im still not convinced he saw McCabe or that any such conversation took place. Adkins did say he was at either the Lane or the Training ground till gone 11pm so either he can't get enough of his job or he was hoping something would go through.

 

[west_yorks_blade]

Whilst I can well believe that we had given up on deadline day, I find it very hard to believe that no effort was made during the whole window. Not just implausible, but makes an utter liar of Adkins.

 

[BushBlade]

I heard that too Roy, the caller gave his name as Len or Leonard........

I dismissed it as nonsense also. Im still not convinced he saw McCabe or that any such conversation took place. Adkins did say he was at either the Lane or the Training ground till gone 11pm so either he can't get enough of his job or he was hoping something would go through.

Maybe Adkins was clearing his desk just in case and waiting for Tony Stewart to phone him back.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Makes you wonder if Brannigan went not because of Clough spending all the money but that he disagreed with the way the club was intending to go. First victim of cost cutting is always likely to be someone who doesn't agree with the revised budiness plan.?

 

[PeteBlade]

I heard that too Roy, the caller gave his name as Len or Leonard........

I dismissed it as nonsense also. Im still not convinced he saw McCabe or that any such conversation took place. Adkins did say he was at either the Lane or the Training ground till gone 11pm so either he can't get enough of his job or he was hoping something would go through.

Adkins said he knew by 5/6pm that nothing would happen.

He didn't say whether this was 5/6pm of January 1st or January 31st.

 

[nopigfansintown]

On the subject of deadline day, there was that bloke who phoned up Radio Sheffield who claimed he had seen McCabe that day. McCabe apparently told this guy that United wouldn't be signing anyone. When I heard it I dismissed it but in hindsight he was almost certainly telling the truth. I don't think there was any effort to bring in anyone on deadline day.

McCabe communicated this at the AGM around the time of the Coventry home game.

 

[Darthblade]

That question was posed to Phipps on that debacle of an interview last week and he basically said they are still working towards getting a process in place to support that

Up to date ..... its been a chap called CoCo and his main employment is with an enterprise run by a certain Mr Billy Smart ....... his work attire includes a red nose, water pistol and pointy shoes ....

UTB & FTP

 

[west_yorks_blade]

How about:

The board sets a budget.

The manager is empowered to spend it as he sees fit.

Rocket science it isn't.