That 'think Liverpool' quote

[blade too long]

Yeah, we did.

One from Pompey, one from Oxford, one from Hartlepool ... um ... erm ...

Hardly the expected level of investment, is it Bert?

pommpey

Liverpool got Keegan from Scunthorpe
Rush from Chester
Don't have to come from big clubs just have to have something we can mould

 

[cahill]

I must have believed the hype. " game changing investment". Shame but life goes on. Was it Mcabe who said that or Jim Phipps ? The team and Chris are doing the business at the moment and everyone's happy, let's hope it continues.

 

[blade too long]

No 'real figures' though.

For all Bert knows, the balance between value on the pitch and 'making up the numbers' could be quite significant, Yeah?

pommpey

So Freeman is making up the numbers then . Similarly using your criteria Fleck is making up the numbers .O'Connell was a bargain he's just making up the numbers
Coutts again bargain making up the numbers
Duffy yet another squad filler by your theory

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Yeah, we did.

One from Pompey, one from Oxford, one from Hartlepool ... um ... erm ...

Hardly the expected level of investment, is it Bert?

pommpey

50k in Donny market wasn't a bad days shopping.

 

[Gimli]

Forgive me, but isn't it results on the pitch that are ultimately relevant, not money spent on transfers? Waving the cheque book about doesn't always lead to success, on the contrary, our porcine neighbours have famously splashed the cash on a £10m striker who wouldn't take a penalty in a play off and now have a significant amount of egg on their snouts.
The team has been invested in, but this investment has been sensible, and to a budget - I suspect most on here would realise what working to a budget means in real life, why should this suddenly not apply because we are talking about a football club.

Delighted to be building a team the right way - it makes everyone even more pissed off that 'Tin-Pot Sheff U' play teams off the park.

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

We misinterpreted "think Liverpool".

He meant that we're skint so we're going to have nick people's car wheels and sell them to raise cash.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Regarding "game changing investment" would anybody care to put a realistic figure on what they expected it to be? Because nobody from the club ever did. Also, would you like to put a figure on what has been spent in the last three windows, taking into account transfer fees, agents fees & wages?

 

[I should coco]

Holding on to current players is irrelevant.

It certainly is when you have an agenda and is absolutely nothing to praise the management for. Since we sold Duffy in the last JTW, we just haven't been the same team.

The board i wouldn't trust to draw a rifle

Fair enough, so here's one for you:

 

[PeteBlade]

Yeah, we did.

One from Pompey, one from Oxford, one from Hartlepool ... um ... erm ...

Hardly the expected level of investment, is it Bert?

pommpey

A rather ignorant way to look at transfers.

 

[pommpey]

A rather ignorant way to look at transfers.

Aw shucks. I'm sowwy.

*rolls eyes out of head*

pommpey

 

[Jan Age]

It's not the 'think Liverpool' quote which pisses people off. It was made by Phipps, a well meaning if footballing naive businessman to placate people asking what the fuck is going on? I think if anyone thought we were going to emulate the bindippers they needed their bumps felt.

It is more the whipped up frenzy of 'game changing investment' when HRH came on board when people were suspicious of what McCabe was up to apropos of fuck all and then a few years later, failure upon failure, manager sacking galore and people again asking when is the big day in the sun for the supporters and he 'clarifies' (i.e. he bullshitted) that we'd have substantial investment when we were promoted. Hey presto, here we are in the Championship (with apparent cash bonuses from sell on clauses and ITK information from WWF that this season's transfer budget is 'substantial') and all we can muster is a jock league centre back, a PL rookie loanee, and an out of favour striker we should have bought three seasons ago when he was good. 20/1 bar. Holding on to current players is irrelevant. It's not a choice thing. It's mandatory. We should be doing this in spite of all other attributes in the transfer period.

Oh, and now, instead of fax machines and 'not managing to get the deal over the line' we are now blaming agents. How original and edifying.

It's not the end of the world, it's no reason for meltdown but it is disappointing. The only thing I have faith in is Wilder will not allow this club to be relegated. I believe in him and most of the players. The board i wouldn't trust to draw a rifle and guard my shit.

pommpey

Best post I've read in a while and sums it up perfectly. Not one fan could argue with this hits the nail right on the head.

 

[PeteBlade]

Aw shucks. I'm sowwy.

*rolls eyes out of head*

pommpey

Bizarre.

 

[pommpey]

It certainly is when you have an agenda and is absolutely nothing to praise the management for. Since we sold Duffy in the last JTW, we just haven't been the same team.

Wasnt it you whining about trolling a bit back?

Fair enough, so here's one for you:

UR so funi srsly

pommpey

 

[I should coco]

A rather ignorant way to look at transfers.

Spot on PeteBlade and everyone knows you can't buy good players from lower league clubs.
Maguire, Deli Alli, Llanna Joe Hart, Vardy-pig, Charlie Austin, Troy Deeney are all proof of that.

Signings are only 'good' when they are at least £1.5m and 'big names'. For example, look across the city....

 

[I should coco]

Wasnt it you whining about trolling a bit back?

It was.

You spent a whole thread trying to goad Woodwardfan with the 'ITK budget crap' and wouldn't stop. You didn't even acknowledge this when challenged.

Not nice your own medicine, is it?

 

[Woodwardfan]

Every transfer window that quote has been misinterpreted by fans unhappy with the lack of big signings.
Yes Jim Phipps did say it in September 2013 after the Prince had become joint owner. The full quote is,
'Think Liverpool rather than Manchester City. The Prince, like Mr McCabe has built a successful business from scratch and there are certain principles that he always adheres too'.
Yes, it wasn't Phipps' greatest quote, as I'm not sure Liverpool in 2013 were a shining example of sensible spending. But he didn't mean that our levels of spending would match Liverpool's, he was trying to dampen the level of expectation!
Next transfer window keep the fax machine jokes, but please no more misinterpretation of the Think Liverpool quote!

Sound bite Society.

Never write or quote anything over a sentence long on here.

 

[PeteBlade]

Spot on PeteBlade and everyone knows you can't buy good players from lower league clubs.
Maguire, Deli Alli, Llanna Joe Hart, Vardy-pig, Charlie Austin, Troy Deeney are all proof of that.

Signings are only 'good' when they are at least £1.5m and 'big names'. For example, look across the city....

Personally I'd like to know the names of football teams we're allowed to sign players from that would keep the armchair fans happy.

 

[Tunstall Fred]

It was.

You spent a whole thread trying to goad Woodwardfan with the 'ITK budget crap' and wouldn't stop. You didn't even acknowledge this when challenged.

Not nice your own medicine, is it?

How can you defend this club,after we sold Mark Duffy in the JTW,shame on you

 

[Woodwardfan]

Aw shucks. I'm sowwy.

*rolls eyes out of head*

pommpey

 

[pommpey]

It was.

You spent a whole thread trying to goad Woodwardfan with the 'ITK budget crap' and wouldn't stop. You didn't even acknowledge this when challenged.

Not nice your own medicine, is it?

Except what you cleverly omit is that he DID say that and refuses to back it up when challenged. You are trolling me on his behalf.

Reach-round as well is it coco? Or just the rimming?

pommpey

 

[pommpey]

Personally I'd like to know the names of football teams we're allowed to sign players from that would keep the armchair fans happy.

Fuck me. The IQ level of this debate drops further.

pommpey

 

[pommpey]

Sound bite Society.

Never write or quote anything over a sentence long on here.

'Substantial budget'.

pommpey

 

[PeteBlade]

Fuck me. The IQ level of this debate drops further.

pommpey

The second you got involved it did, you're right.

 

[Bert]

Spot on PeteBlade and everyone knows you can't buy good players from lower league clubs.
Maguire, Deli Alli, Llanna Joe Hart, Vardy-pig, Charlie Austin, Troy Deeney are all proof of that.

Signings are only 'good' when they are at least £1.5m and 'big names'. For example, look across the city....

Geoff Horsfield cost £1m, Brian Deane £30,000.

Take yer pick.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Honestly.

It's time to forget this "think Liverpool" quite was ever uttered.

It's just a stick to beat.

Ill advised at the time ? No doubt.

Time has moved on. So has the game. And the financial side is just plain madness. It WILL end in tears for some.

UTB

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I remember when the Prince agreed to invest, Sky Sports were saying he's part of one of the richest families in the world. Everyone was getting excited thinking we'd throw money at it and be able to spend 100 million even when in league 1.

The reply was we wouldn't be like a Man City spending extortionate prices buying our way out of the league. In the context of how our club would be in it would be more like Liverpool, hence the quote "think Liverpool".

Meaning money would be spent but only if there was a business case regards the value of that expenditure.

However my view on this is if we're close to the play-offs in January18 then using that logic then the Prince would be willing to spend millions because improvements in our weak areas might mean promotion back to the PL.

Yes, the way I'd interpreted that quote was that the growth of the club would be organic over a period of years, like that of Liverpool, rather than an instant transformation brought about by a massive investment, like City. I can just about remember when Liverpool were a second division club. Shankly took over as manager and one of the first things he did was get shut of a boat load of players who just weren't doing it for Liverpool. He then formed a strong internal team of people he trusted to help him run the club. They called this "the boot room" because it was an old boot storage room where this little committee would meet to plan the future strategy for the club. He signed players like Kevin Keegan, from lowly Scunthorpe and Steve Heighway (ex High Storrs pupil) from even more lowly, non-league,Skelmersdale United. He looked for players who had the right attitude to take the club forward as well as good footballing ability. The club was promoted back to the old first division soon after and went on to dominate the 1970's football scene. When Shankly eventually retired the job went to one of those members of the old boot room, Bill Paisley. And when Paisley retired the job went to another member of the boot room, Joe Fagan. They were all successful and the club was successful because it kicked out the dead wood, it got a strong internal team together and they put together a long term plan for success and had continuity of personnel in charge, people who knew the club and loved the club.

Does any of this ring a bell with anyone? Can you see some similarities perhaps in what is happening down at Bramall lane and what happened there at Liverpool all those years ago? If so, then you'll understand why the reference to Liverpool wasn't a financial one at all. It was about organic growth over a longer period of time based on a sound strategy, shrewd buying policy and closeness and continuity of staff.

I think this is the way forward for Sheffield United and I think we've got the right people in charge, in terms of the management team, to make it happen. Which is why I'm not throwing my toys out of the pram because we haven't spent millions on some player or other in the transfer window.

 

[Teddy]

Have to admit some of the comments made by the owners/directors in the recent past have been unbelievably hapless in terms of managing expectations.

Even this summer we had Mcabe and HRH saying we'd have a top half budget and "one or two special signings" to come.

Not angry/in meltdown. We're back in the championship and have made a really solid start. I think some of the signings we've made are going to turn out to be crackers (Stevens and Baldock especially) and have full confidence in Wilder and Knill.

Just wish they'd keep their mouths shut or give more considered statements. Say "a competitive budget", or a "mid-table budget".

Ah well, onwards and upwards.

 

[Tunstall Fred]

Have to admit some of the comments made by the owners/directors in the recent past have been unbelievably hapless in terms of managing expectations.

Even this summer we had Mcabe and HRH saying we'd have a top half budget and "one or two special signings" to come.

Not angry/in meltdown. We're back in the championship and have made a really solid start. I think some of the signings we've made are going to turn out to be crackers (Stevens and Baldock especially) and have full confidence in Wilder and Knill.

Just wish they'd keep their mouths shut or give more considered statements. Say "a competitive budget", or a "mid-table budget".

Ah well, onwards and upwards.

My take on it is,treat promises from the boardroom the same as I treat promises from politicians, with complete cynicism .

 

[pommpey]

Have to admit some of the comments made by the owners/directors in the recent past have been unbelievably hapless in terms of managing expectations.

Even this summer we had Mcabe and HRH saying we'd have a top half budget and "one or two special signings" to come.

Just wish they'd keep their mouths shut or give more considered statements. Say "a competitive budget", or a "mid-table budget".

Agree 100%. Thing is, some on here get all weepy when the disappointed illustrate that with alarming regularity, what McCabe says and what really happens are two entirely different things. I'm sure they actually believe that last season's success was because of McCabe rather than in spite of him. Last season was solely because we at last got a manager we deserved, not one we were presented with. The results are that we are now where we are and it is not a cardinal sin to ask "is that it?" when the transfer window shuts and we were expecting ting the measure of investment you correctly said he'd commit to.

pommpey

 

[pommpey]

My take on it is,treat promises from the boardroom the same as I treat promises from politicians, with complete cynicism .

Have a 'like'. You're starting to learn.

pommpey