Will we be good enough to compete?

[ourbob]

Top half,pushing play offs

 

[Newbury Blade]

Yes, I thought we might make a few 'big' signings. A Jagileka one would have made a few sit up and take notice or a real talisman in midfield to supplant what we have but I think we saw last season, teams could get through us if they attacked us but most sat back. at higher level we need to improve quality and to me need 2 centre backs, a big bastard in midfield and a real pacy striker who can run off defences. I think we wiill surprise a few but i also think we may get picked off quite a bit and hurt defensively. I was hoping we would have gone for it a bit more. That is being honest. Evans, Thomas, Baldock and Stevens are not even going to be regulars. I would rather us have just signed 3 definite starters in that spine and then moved out maybe Duffy, Basham, one striker to bench.

Yes and only six weeks to the start of the season. Six weeks.

 

[Mario1889]

It won't be easy.

Sides coming down have £100m plus parachute payments.

Then you look at the sides that missed out on or in the playoffs (Fulham, Leeds, Norwich, Reading etc).

Then there are sides who finished in the bottom half last season who are really spending money this season like Villa, Brum and Wolves.

That said we have a good manager, REAL momentum, team spirit and passion. Turn BDTBL into a fortress and we might just surprise a few people. Not saying we'll do a Huddersfield but we could do a Preston and finish top 10.

For me we really need a new striker to do that though as other than Sharp, there aren't many goals at Champ level in our forward line.

 

[Deadbat]

Yes and only six weeks to the start of the season. Six weeks.

Yes lots of time to get the 3 or 4 we stiill need. No panic at all from me. Think is even if we only get say one more in; its not the end of the world. If we start poorly Wilder will go back to McCabe and ask for proper money to invest I believe.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I'm talking top half of the table. We pissed league one so i would expect us to be comfortable against the "lesser" clubs in the division. Can we go any better and actually press for a play-off spot or even aim any higher?
My own view is that we have a very good team and would hope to be pressing the teams at the top end of the table.Huddersfield showed what can be done with a good squad willing to put a shift in week after week coupled with players with experience of the division.
I don't want to get carried away with last seasons success but we are not going up with a squad that sneaked up but with a very good team with skill and passion both on and off the pitch. Top 10 for me and with a little bit of luck , who knows.

That's my view exactly.

If there's one thing that counts for more than big money and big name signings it's work ethic and we've got that in spades.

But we've also got some really good footballers and a fantastic manager.

40+ years of watching the Blades and never been more confident of us doing something than this.

A bit like when we went up to the old first division in 1970. Folks said.."nice footballing team but won't live in the First division". We were unbeaten for 16 games and top of the table, eventually knocked off our perch by Man U (and that George Best goal), but did ourselves proud.


The good times are back!

 

[FriethBlade]

I admire the optimists on this thread and think we've got the basis of a good team. However I will feel a lot more confident is we sign 2 or 3 quality players who go straight into the first team. The ones who have come in so far aren't an improvement on what we've got. Now I'm for deepening the squad but I also want a better first 11 and I'm hoping the board back Wilder.

I accept it's only June but it's also a fact that the season starts 5 weeks on Saturday....doesn't sound that far away to me !

 

[zablade]

We should be mid to lower mid table with the current team and manager.

However I am not yet seeing the game changing money that was promised by Kev last summer at the fans forum for when we finally reached the Championship, that's been conveniently forgotten about. (Puts tin hat on)

 

[Mack]

given that we've just spent 6 years out of this league and in terms of budget are probably bottom 5 or 6 then i think next season should be primarily about not falling back into the hell hole of where we've just come from, with anything else being a pleasant bonus. don't get me wrong i think that we're good enough in our own right and that theres enough shit to ensure that we won't get dragged into a relegation battle but if for whatever reason we do end up in one i just pray that people are patient with wilder.

 

[Reynoldo]

Bristol City also walked the league and have been battling relegation ever since. Think we might be getting slightly ahead of ourselves!

And now paying £5m for a player! The money in the Championship has moved on so much - whilst I don't believe money garauntees success I do expect the board to provide the spending power to support CW if he needs to go big on a couple of players to bridge the quality gap. I fully believe we have enough to compete but we will need to maintain the team spirit momentum from last season.

 

[Deadbat]

And now paying £5m for a player! The money in the Championship has moved on so much - whilst I don't believe money garauntees success I do expect the board to provide the spending power to support CW if he needs to go big on a couple of players to bridge the quality gap. I fully believe we have enough to compete but we will need to maintain the team spirit momentum from last season.

Thats my issue to some degree. Money aint everythign but a bit concerning we have spent 6 or 7 weeks haggling over maybe £100,000 here or there for Holmes / Leonard when teams are spending 10 million plus at this level. Not for one moment do I think or want us to do that yet like Villa and Weds have but it is bit concerning that players Wilder wants are taking so long to get over the line. We are right to not pay over the odds but if Wilder wants them so much then I am not sure why we are playing brinksmanship and risk losing both players? It would be far better to have them in and training - I remember what he said about Carruthers not going through our training program last year for instance. Course dont know what Charlton/Southend want but cannot imagine we are talking over more than say £500,000 at most. Indeed I reckon both players could be got for a lot less. Not saying pay over the odds but comes a point where if we want them that much and they are not budging we either pay it or we move on. Sadly when Wilder talks of next players underneath this we are going to be getting for say £300,000ish which seems to be about the tops we are willing to pay.


Sadly us skirting around for players of this value will only see team spirit, organisation and will to win go so far I feel. I hope I am wrong but my point remains, we did great last year but the bulk of players going up were not good enough for the Champ last time they were there. The big difference is Wilder of course but my hunch tells me we still need to invest in some real qualty to add to the group we have. Hope I am wrong and this squad keeps on flying.

 

[Rodley]

We'll be competitive and of that I've no doubt , it's just not part of Wilders DNA not to be competitive . But to claim we will challenge the top half over the course of the season is totally unrealistic . Furthermore , to maintain that we'll challenge the top six spots over the course of the season isnt just unrealistic its frankly stupid .

I don't think we'll be relegated but I think it'll be nip and tuck all season .

It's madness isn't it?

If we get mid table it'll be a massive bonus.,

 

[Stretch]

We aren't going to spend big, CW has already said that we are buying players from a 'different pot' to the financial heavyweights in this league. Whilst that can be seen as dissapointing I don't think we need to worry too much. In football It is just as risky spending money as it is being prudent with it. You splash out too much on players who don't cut it and before you know it you are in the shit, a la Bolton, Pourtsmouth etc... On the other hand you spend carefully and find yourself struggling to get the quality you need and slipping down the table.
As things stand I think we will be just about ok but won't be outstanding. Get a couple of CBs and a tough tackling CM then we are top half. Add some more pace and a smart championship striker and we could be the surprise package.

 

[YES Blade]

The last two season has proven Wilder is a very good manager, but the bloke can't work miracles.

The squad is nowhere near good enough for the top half as things stand. Hopefully there are a few quality signings on the way soon because if we go into next season without some proven quality we could make a bad start and be looking at a relegation battle.

 

[sufcboy95]

We will be good enough to stay up, however to suggest that the team we've got is good enough for top 6 is frankly deluded and pig talk. If we finish top 12 I will be amazed

 

[Whiston Blade]

I don't think it'll be as easy as some are making it out to be. Lower-mid table is my prediction, secure Championship football and spend decently to push on. It's all well and good CW saying he won't pay over the odds for players but we can't buy out of the bargain bin either.

 

[Newbury Blade]

That's my view exactly.

If there's one thing that counts for more than big money and big name signings it's work ethic and we've got that in spades.

But we've also got some really good footballers and a fantastic manager.

40+ years of watching the Blades and never been more confident of us doing something than this.

A bit like when we went up to the old first division in 1970. Folks said.."nice footballing team but won't live in the First division". We were unbeaten for 16 games and top of the table, eventually knocked off our perch by Man U (and that George Best goal), but did ourselves proud.


The good times are back!

I agree although it was 1971 not 1970.

 

[Barney]

Phrases such as 'we'll not be ripped off' or 'money doesn't get you medals' are great but I hope we aren't hiding behind such sayings so much so that we find it an excuse not to give Chris the huge Championship investment that both he needs and that we were promised.

 

[Mario1889]

Phrases such as 'we'll not be ripped off' or 'money doesn't get you medals' are great but I hope they aren't hiding behind such sayings so much so that they find it an excuse not to give Chris the huge investment that both he needs and that we were promised.

I've given up now on this money we were promised from McCabe.

As far as I'm concerned there is none, he might as well be honest with us and then at least we all know where we stand.

 

[metalblade]

Same as the last few seasons I see 6-8 teams with a chance at promotion obviously the teams that dropped from the premiership, those with parachute payments and one or two big spenders. The rest I think we can compete with as we are now. My main concern is the centre back position but have we done recruiting yet? I don't think so, get a big bugger in with pace and we could get into the top half easy, this Blade isn't falling for the S6 pig propaganda that you have to spend £30 million just to survive in such a hard league, that is utter bollocks.

 

[Liverpool blade]

I can't believe some people thought that McCabe and the prince were suddenly going to start chucking a few million quid around especially after spending 6 years in the pub league!!. McCabe hasn't got that type of cash!!. The prince seems to have left his wallet at home and clearly doesn't want to spend any of his vast fortune apparently!!. I'm trusting wilder and knill to make sure we'll be ready for the challenge next season!. We won't rip this league apart but we won't go down either!!. Let's just all get behind the lads in the coming months and enjoy the ride!!. In wilder we trust. Blades for life. UTB FTP

 

[blade too long]

who says the spendings finished, its not july yet

I think we are upping our wage bill a good 50% which in itself is a major investment

Im convinced we can surprise quite a few in the championship with our style of play , and pushing 20 goal attempts away from home at times will reap rewards.
We have the quality to get top half , but we are playing better clubs with better players
No one can say yet how successful or not we will be as its a level up, but if will desire and drive are still a big part of it we will be ok
we will know a lot more just after the first derby

 

[snootyfenooty]

What I find amusing is that last season we were all ridiculing the pigs for bigging up the Championship, to the extent that we were piss taking by calling it La Liga and so on. Now it seems some of us are doing the same and are terrified at the prospect of playing in it. Fucking hell the season's not even started yet and the best we can look forward to is somewhere between survival and mid-table. If you dare to differ you're engaging in "pig talk". Mogadons are on me chaps, form an orderly queue!

 

[blade too long]

The championship isn't that big a gulf , in the past 10 seasons only 9 of the 30 promoted have gone straight back down , including giants like yeovil , doncaster southend .
Wednesday fans big up everything they play in to polish the turd that they are.

against the 3 promoted clubs they won 3 by a single goal , doing the double over wigan but drew at preston and burton took 4 points off them hardly sweeping them aside
The way the owls tell it its like their boasting about sweeping us aside before every derby but never quite managing it

Burton showed if the applications right you can get by
and we a a far far better outfit than Burton today

 

[sufcboy95]

You have to think that the prince either isn't as wealthy as we all thought, or he's not as interested as when he first took over. Although I'm not expecting us to go out and spend millions and millions. The game changing investment that we were all promised just isn't going to happen

 

[Sheffsteel]

I think we must be wary that Wigan walked the league 2 years ago and were instantly relegated.

We have a solid squad and, whilst we can't rule out a top half finish, I would personally expect this squad to finish somewhere between 14-20th as it stands. I also must add that I think that would be a successful season, we can't expect too much, we have taken a few gambles on new signings which could go either way. Just need to take it game by game.

Wigan didn't dominate the way we did last season.
We were head and shoulders better than the opposition most matches in the 2nd half.

Bolton and Millwall have joined us and we are far better than those 2 teams.

 

[Sheffsteel]

You have to think that the prince either isn't as wealthy as we all thought, or he's not as interested as when he first took over. Although I'm not expecting us to go out and spend millions and millions. The game changing investment that we were all promised just isn't going to happen

The game changing investment has already happened.
The Princes investment made us as some oppostion fans say "the Man City of league 1" trying to buy our way out of the league.

We would have had to downsize in league 1 but instead we were in the top 2 or 3 budgets every single season we were there. That's what McCabe meant, it was relatively "game changing", our the "think Liverpool not Man City" quote was unwise as some fans took it literally and thought we'd be buying Saurez and Sturridge types.

 

[Pinchy]

I don't do all this blind faith "trust in" rather than fact stuff so with the squad we have now we'll have a shakey start in a much better league and do a Wigan. We'll have 60+% of the possession in many matches but weaknesses up the centre of the park from back to front will be exposed by better quality opposition. Only question is when this is recognised, like last season, if before the end of August if we've done enough to fix it and survive.

B.I.C.

A very serious mental disorder, classified at grade one in the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases. Often mistaken for Swine Flu as the symptoms can be identical.

I prescribe Tuftyball, a new wonderdrug, twice a week for nine months.

 

[Pinchy]

Phrases such as 'we'll not be ripped off' or 'money doesn't get you medals' are great but I hope we aren't hiding behind such sayings so much so that we find it an excuse not to give Chris the huge Championship investment that both he needs and that we were promised.

But it's Chris who's saying that. Not 'we'.

The anti-board agenda is causing selective deafness at the moment. Even the normally sensible ones are at it.

Tufty has an agreed budget. He is satisfied with it. It is his policy to pay not a penny more than his valuation of a player. He is not at odds with KM or HRH. Quite the contrary. There are no tensions. No rifts.

Sorry, Bladey Conspiracy Theorists and Agenda Pursuers.

 

[snootyfenooty]

The game changing investment has already happened.
The Princes investment made us as some oppostion fans say "the Man City of league 1" trying to buy our way out of the league.

We would have had to downsize in league 1 but instead we were in the top 2 or 3 budgets every single season we were there. That's what McCabe meant, it was relatively "game changing", our the "think Liverpool not Man City" quote was unwise as some fans took it literally and thought we'd be buying Saurez and Sturridge types.

Stop talking sense!

 

[Paulus]

As I see it we have exactly the right transfer policy in place - buy some top lower league players with clear potential and hunger to strengthen the current squad and up the competition. Build on the the momentum and spirit from last year. We need to sort out our defensive options but CW is clearly aware and is working on that. Let's see where we are by January and go again.