Chris Wilder says..........

[Ernest]

Aww bless.

As you were one of the bigger advocates for Evans return, I just wondered what difference a year makes?

It probably stems from something that happened to him on Football Manager.

 

[Norderner]

You only watched us a dozen times and you come to the conclusions you have?!!!! And that sir, for me is the nail on the head. IMO The league last year was far from poor (unless your a Pig). We made it look poor, despite giving them all a 4 game start? The Scunthorpe and Bolton games were both decisive and harrowing at the same time for me because there wasn't just a slight gap between us and them, it was a fucking chasm so big, it was like watching us play 2 Sunday morning park teams! The current side, even before the 3 recent signings would easily have finished mid table in La Liga, sorry division 2, IMO. The main thing to emerge from our promotion for me is, this Pig brainwashing really is more powerful than most of us could possibly have thought! For those Blades affected severely, maybe stop going on North Korea Talk and social media? And all this is coming from the most pessimistic Blade known to mankind before CW & AK came onboard.

 

[Booker4]

Wow I really seem to have struck a chord, but that's a good thing as that's what forums are all about

Sheffsteel Yes we were far better than Bristol City, but something no-one has mentioned is that the quality of the league this year has been extremely poor. There's an pattern that the teams who have managed to cope with the step up are the same ones who went up when the quality of the league was much better, so much so that we weren't able to go up ourselves back then xd We played very well as a team for sure, but the reason championship clubs didn't go in for Freeman for example was because of the skepticism whether he'd be able to cope in the league above.

I too of course do look forward to this season very much, I just think we should be wary and manage expectations. Doing that seems to get you accused of not watching us play or not being a 'proper' fan for some reason.

finlaytheblade Where am I being negative and fearful? I'm just being cautious and there is good reason to be for the reasons I've given

hello As it happens I don't think we will be in a relegation fight but wouldn't be surprised, some people are getting ahead of themselves

MobileBlade Moore hardly played, Basham didn't cut it, Freeman and Lafferty only appeared sporadically, Coutts was mostly injured, Evans was a very long time ago and can't rely on him for obvious reasons, Sharp I'll give you so that's one player.

Grizzly blade Fact is this season we haven't faced a single player who has the quality of Helder Costa, and we will face them week in week out next season, Abrahams, Hernandez etc. We will concede a fair few amount of goals that good management and team spirit can't litigate against and there's no telling how we'll react to that. Sharp's goal against the mighty Shrewsbury was the only one outside the box he scored, and I made a whole thread about Lafferty's goal against the titans of Rochdale.

EddieColquhoun Almost all those players you've listed were deemed surplus to requirements at championship clubs, or have been relegated with them

Maidenhead We have a great team spirit and gel really well, no-one is disputing that, but there is an undisputed step in quality and there's evidence to suggest that this season COULD be a struggle. I'm not talking us down or into trouble, just trying to be realistic

Pinchy I've watched this team just over a dozen times over this past year, granted not as much as most, yet my concerns remain. I have never stated that we don't have a good team or that the championship is full of giants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man When was the last time a team in the championship scored a goal with 17 passes beforehand? You simply don't get the time and space like that the higher you go in football.

Gimli That's a good example, but there's also MK Dons, I'm just saying we should be confident but wary, cautiously optimistic.

Booker4 Fair enough, I was under more of the impression that he was an attacking winger, whether he'd adapt to that role we'll have to wait and see. We already have Duffy and Carruthers there however, so is he really an improvement of what we already have?

Norderner Its funny whilst I was in 'the other place' I was accused of being a clapper xd its more of an aghast reaction to some on here thinking we could get promoted again, expectations are soaring and whilst I don't want to be a downer just want to ground things a bit

UTB as always, would be delighted to be proved wrong in what I've said

I would think he is an upgrade in the role between the front two, but as you say we'll have to wait and see. He scored 13 goals last season, which is more than Duffy, for a average Charlton side. Wilder's said that he wants two wingers this season, of which I presume that Nathan Thomas is one, so maybe we are to play with wingers at time next season.

 

[MobileBlade]

MobileBlade Moore hardly played, Basham didn't cut it, Freeman and Lafferty only appeared sporadically, Coutts was mostly injured, Evans was a very long time ago and can't rely on him for obvious reasons, Sharp I'll give you so that's one player.

Moore - (aged 26) 17 championship appearances but I think as goalkeeper that is fine and he will be good enough.
Bashham - (aged 28) 85 championship and 21 Premier League appearances - not bad for someone who couldn't cut it as that level
Freeman - (aged 25) 32 championship appearances - please define sporadic
Lafferty - (aged 28) 50 championship appearance - again please define sporadic as international player
Coutts (aged 28) 75 championship appearances - was obviously injured in the season when he played 44 championship games for Derby County
Evans - remember also played for Norwich in the Championship as well as United
Sharp - aged 31 and has played 248 Championship games.

Yes we are not blessed with 11 Billy Sharp's experience but neither do we want eleven 31 year olds in the sides. Find me 11 players in the 25-28 age bracket with 200+ championship appearances that you would sign.

But add to the list O'Connell - 18 appearances, Leon Clarke 202 Championship appearances and others.

 

[FMBlade1]

Fuck me! Big scary championship....wish we had never got promoted now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man

 

[Grizzly blade]

FMBlade1

I'm sorry....that's rubbish.

Players end up leaving clubs for several reasons, in some cases because they don't get on with managers, don't fit their plans...fancy going to a certainly club!!...whatever. Not always cos they aren't good enough which is what you are suggesting. Many often drop down a league and come back much stronger. Many players rise to the challenge and raise their game. Look at Bournemouth and the way they brought players up with them. Many of our players have the chance to do just that and have already experienced the championship...fact.
Fleck had options to go to the championship....Bash did too when we signed him. Sharp was persuaded to drop down to us...OConnell wanted first team football...as did Moore! They could have been in Championship football last season, but instead of waiting for a chance to shine they opted to go elsewhere and do it....luckily for us.

And I know we may be facing some better players, but not week in week out. Many clubs have rank average players. These "better" players are better in your eyes based on their transfer fee, or I fear their rating in a certain football game. Costa for example needs service, as does any forward. And that is reliant on other players. Would non scoring Rhodes walk into our side?

Another point....how do you know no clubs came in for any of our players? Or for that matter the reasons? You don't.

But I am still waiting to be told about this huge step up in quality, because unless my eyes have deceived me I must have missed it. What exactly is this "quality"? Better football...faster...stronger...fitter...more skilful...better finishing?? What is it, because in numerous games I have seen, and that includes Newcastle and Brighton I haven't seen anything that says the difference between how we played and them is a huge "step up" (getting sick of pundit cliches too)
Consistency is there, a little more organised, they have players capable of putting chances away in some sides....but what else that is so daunting that we should be wary of?
It is often stated that football is more furious and faster the lower down the pyramid you go, and that you often get more time the higher you go. This is also true, it's not the opposite.

Finally, if you were talking about us facing sides with numerous international players of real standing throughout the sides I would get it. If we were morphing straight up from league one to the premier league then yes....half the sides would be head and shoulders better than us and stacked with technically superior and faster players across the pitch. This gap we hear from Championship down really isn't that big, hence why so many players manage to make the moves up the leagues.

 

[FMBlade1]

Moore - (aged 26) 17 championship appearances but I think as goalkeeper that is fine and he will be good enough.
Bashham - (aged 28) 85 championship and 21 Premier League appearances - not bad for someone who couldn't cut it as that level
Freeman - (aged 25) 32 championship appearances - please define sporadic
Lafferty - (aged 28) 50 championship appearance - again please define sporadic as international player
Coutts (aged 28) 75 championship appearances - was obviously injured in the season when he played 44 championship games for Derby County
Evans - remember also played for Norwich in the Championship as well as United
Sharp - aged 31 and has played 248 Championship games.

Yes we are not blessed with 11 Billy Sharp's experience but neither do we want eleven 31 year olds in the sides. Find me 11 players in the 25-28 age bracket with 200+ championship appearances that you would sign.

But add to the list O'Connell - 18 appearances, Leon Clarke 202 Championship appearances and others.

Moore: Has been good this season but will be under much more strain next year, Cardiff fans weren't convinced by him though granted they had Marshall
Freeman: Sporadic in that he made those appearances over a three year period
Basham: Fair enough, I take that back
Lafferty: Sporadic in that he made those appearances over a five year period
Coutts: Was fine until his injury which limited his appearances and performances leading him to be released
Evans: That was nearly 10 years ago, we can't be relying on him to score the goals
Sharp: I've already acknowledged read my post again
---
I'm not saying we do want eleven 31 year olds in the side https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man I would say we should be signing some championship established players especially in defence but not panicking as early days

Clarke and O'Connell were not deemed to be good enough by their respective championship clubs which is why they still aren't there.

Its not been an enjoyable post as its looking like I'm having a dig at all of them, far from it, again its about managing expectations.

 

[Barney]

with encouragement from the manager to score goals..

As opposed to managers of other teams who discourage their team from scoring goals?

 

[finlaytheblade]

You only watched us a dozen times and you come to the conclusions you have?!!!! And that sir, for me is the nail on the head. IMO The league last year was far from poor (unless your a Pig). We made it look poor, despite giving them all a 4 game start? The Scunthorpe and Bolton games were both decisive and harrowing at the same time for me because there wasn't just a slight gap between us and them, it was a fucking chasm so big, it was like watching us play 2 Sunday morning park teams! The current side, even before the 3 recent signings would easily have finished mid table in La Liga, sorry division 2, IMO. The main thing to emerge from our promotion for me is, this Pig brainwashing really is more powerful than most of us could possibly have thought! For those Blades affected severely, maybe stop going on North Korea Talk and social media? And all this is coming from the most pessimistic Blade known to mankind before CW & AK came onboard.

Agreed norrterne r all this talk of league 1 being poor. It has steadily improved while we have been in it,main reason being the flood of foreigners into the Prem & championship a lot of players who would have played higher up now ply there trade in the 1st division.There has been a leveling of with a gradual improvement around. Collins when leaving for USA said ;
Lots of teams beat themselves when coming to the lane ( 1st season ) they are now better organised and are more difficult to beat ,that's where the main improvement is., better players better organised.
We had. most of the answers last season as we were a lot too good for our opponents.

 

[Broomhall Blade]

For anyone thinking that we will struggle next season amongst the giants such as the almighty Wolves who can spend 13 million on one player (which is stupid), I give you Brentford - promoted 2014 in nowhere near as convincing fashion as we have been this year - then reached the play offs in their first season. You know Brentford, that big spending team with the huge stadium and millions of fans...

Size of Stadium has nothing to do with how successful you are.

If it did the pigs would demand a pass in the Champions League.

 

[Booker4]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0541lsp

Not sure if posted elsewhere but Wilders latest interview from Gids today. Not too much more learnt from last night with Biggs to be honest, but still a great listen as ever with Chris!

 

[The Crab]

Size of Stadium has nothing to do with how successful you are.

If it did the pigs would demand a pass in the Champions League.

You're assuming they haven't already

 

[Gimli]

Size of Stadium has nothing to do with how successful you are.

If it did the pigs would demand a pass in the Champions League.

That was my point. Neither does being perceived as a 'big' club have anything to do with success, I was giving an example of a team that has easily made the transition from league one to the championship - the fact that they are one of the 'smaller' teams just proves it's possible. I used the example of Brentford because a lot of my family supports them and so I know a bit about them but could easily have said Bournemouth or Barnsley - or what about Southampton or Leicester

 

[BushBlade]

That was my point. Neither does being perceived as a 'big' club have anything to do with success, I was giving an example of a team that has easily made the transition from league one to the championship - the fact that they are one of the 'smaller' teams just proves it's possible. I used the example of Brentford because a lot of my family supports them and so I know a bit about them but could easily have said Bournemouth or Barnsley - or what about Southampton or Leicester

I don't think I've seen us beat Brentford in the league. I've seen a few embarrassing performances there. Can't wait to play them next season.

 

[Gimli]

I don't think I've seen us beat Brentford in the league. I've seen a few embarrassing performances there. Can't wait to play them next season.

We beat them in our first season 2011 - slew scored in a 2-0 win but yeah not sure we've beaten them since. Love a trip down to Griffin park as it's an old fashioned ground which still has terraces in some areas.

 

[RammyBlade]

The Championship have very little experience of the upcomming Blades .......

That my friend is very very true !

 

[ben1987]

Fuck me give it a rest. The season is barely finished.

If we signed messi I'm sure someone would say he's got no championship experience

 

[RammyBlade]

I dont subscribe to this crap that the Championship will be too much for us and that our players havent had much experience of it. Lets look at Leicester who went from a relegation candidate in the Premier league to winners the following season.
They qualified for the Champions league with no experience of it and won their group and qualified for the Q Final ! ITs a team effort mostly and no one will deny that they could easily have beaten Athletico Madrid in the Q final.
Didnt Bournemouth go straight up from league 1 to the premier league and still have players in the side doing well like Simon Francis who we discarded ?
Not saying we will storm the league but Im optimistic that we will be top half at least and maybe .....just maybe we might get a play off spot.
How quirky would it be if we got a play off spot and actually WON at wembley for a change under this particular manager and finally rid ourselves of that hoodoo of always losing play offs and not winning at wembley?

 

[Pinchy]

Pinchy

Aston Villa, Bolton, Burton, Birmingham, Bristol?

Or we chucking Barnsley in there?

Yes, and Brentford but not Villa. That's six actually, isn't it? Should be able to cling on to our newfound status amongst that lot.

 

[Aml-blade]

We beat them in our first season 2011 - slew scored in a 2-0 win but yeah not sure we've beaten them since. Love a trip down to Griffin park as it's an old fashioned ground which still has terraces in some areas.

Evans got both. Against Simon Moore of all people

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Holmes is the wrong age, never played in the championship and will cost a relatively large amount of money and doesn't really fit into our present system.

Of course we all trust Wilder but that doesn't forgo the right to be skeptical. We are relying on an awful amount of players making the step up. For every Vardy there are around 5 Bogles

I agree that not all lower league players can make it at a higher level, but many can and the Championship and Prem to a lesser extent have plenty of such players. It's about being able to spot them isn't it? Why did Spurs pay such money for two of our juniors a few years ago in Naughton and Walker? And Hull for Harry?

I think that good managers and scouts can spot potential and I really wouldn't worry about Wilder's judgment at all.

Oh and Bogle, to me, looked like the next Brian Deane and I wouldn't write him off just yet after one season in a relegation team. He may we'll end up here yet!

 

[Bladesman]

 

[Blade82]

Fucking brilliant that. I can't wait for next season.

 

[Gimli]

Evans got both. Against Simon Moore of all people

Ah yeah in the away game that season, I was thinking about the home game earlier on.

 

[Woodwardfan]

We are going up with a strong squad, a pattern of play which suits our players, an experienced manager who has just achieved two seasons of unprecedented success with two clubs and a Blade to boot who has united the club from the Kop to the Boardroom, we have momentum, goalscorers and strong finances; most of all we have club and team spirit and belief.

We are not sneaking up there by the back door, we are announcing ourselves as Wilder's Club, doing things his way, the Sheffield way through and through. Far from going up there needing to replace all the team we are releasing a few but very happily keeping the majority, extending key players' contracts and 'cherry picking' the Players of the Season, a couple for two seasons at other clubs, to substantially enhance the squad.

Leagues 1 and 2 is where the real value is and some real quality waitng for opportunity. We have the financial strength and the successful manager to prize players away from their disappointed clubs. At that level we are doing what bigger clubs have done to us for years. For many years we have signed expensive experienced players from the Premier League and the Championship. It doesn't work because the only ones stepping down are past their best and know it.

Cherry picking hungry proven and talented players has to be the way forward. Wilder mentioned Deli Alli who is just one example of a diamond waiting for the chance to be polished. OK he was young and our targets are that bit older but Wilder is at a stage of developing our club which needs experience over potential. I'm looking forward to watching 4/5 Players of the Season from 4/5 other clubs adding to the 14 or so Players of the Season we already have from last season!

Undoubtedly we will add a couple of quality loan signings from the higher leagues and that will be plenty. We really do have to give them more games though and therefore I think they will be defenders.

I don't see us battling around 21st position. I don't see us getting promotion either but I would not rule out a challenge for the Play-Offs, keeping us interested all season. I go back to 1970 to remember a Blades promoted side going up as strong. Bassett worked wonders but on paper we were lacking quality in every area for Division 1, not that it held them back bless 'em.

We need to give Wilder and Knill a new contract before the season starts. I'd go10 years ( no soft release clause) but I'd understand 5 years ( no soft release clause) on much higher salaries. I bet Wilder doesn't want to be rewarded much differently from his players as we climb the leagues and the rewards should be shared around.

We've got things moving let's build on it with trust and commitment. Give the key men good rewards and hold it all together.