It’s the pashun that matters....

[Blade56]

Sports correspondent from New York Times on bbc sport this morning saying reason for English cup success in Europe and closer title fight is down to clubs realising it’s not down to filling team with big expensive names it’s the emotional link and ideas. Pep and Pot have those qualities passion and new ideas on the pitch.

Well we’ve got news for you, there’s a new kid one block wii pashun and overlappin centre halves. His name is Chrissy Wilder and he’s got Allan Knill

 

[John Snow]

Yet you're saying we are in a relegation dogfight and looking for 3 teams we can scrape a place above.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Sports correspondent from New York Times on bbc sport this morning saying reason for English cup success in Europe and closer title fight is down to clubs realising it’s not down to filling team with big expensive names it’s the emotional link and ideas. Pep and Pot have those qualities passion and new ideas on the pitch.

Well we’ve got news for you, there’s a new kid one block wii pashun and overlappin centre halves. His name is Chrissy Wilder and he’s got Allan Knill

You're not wrong there B56, although you make Alan Knill sound like a disease though, mentioning like that.

I think we'll need to tweak our style again though for the Prem. We'll need underlapping centre forwards and goalie wag. Either that, or we surprise everyone and buy some players with pace. What do you think? I've already suggested players with pace and been told we don't need them. As a big childhood fan of Billy Whizz in the Beano, I'm finding this hard to understand.

 

[John Snow]

You're not wrong there B56, although you make Alan Knill sound like a disease though, mentioning like that.

I think we'll need to tweak our style again though for the Prem. We'll need underlapping centre forwards and goalie wag. Either that, or we surprise everyone and buy some players with pace. What do you think? I've already suggested players with pace and been told we don't need them. As a big childhood fan of Billy Whizz in the Beano, I'm finding this hard to understand.

Stick Alf Tupper on 1 wing. Raven on the other. Stick Billy's Boots up top.
McTavish, O'Toole and Johnny Cougar CBs, Skid Solo in the hole, Billy the Fish in goal, Typhoon Tracey as minder, Hotshot Hamish LWB and A horse called ugly RWB.
Invincible!

 

[Carlton Blade]

Stick Alf Tupper on 1 wing. Raven on the other. Stick Billy's Boots up top.
McTavish, O'Toole and Johnny Cougar CBs, Skid Solo in the hole, Billy the Fish in goal, Typhoon Tracey as minder, Hotshot Hamish LWB and A horse called ugly RWB.
Invincible!

Need Hamish further forward surely?

 

[Davalon]

Always felt the Archbishop of Canterbury and Shakin Stevens had a good understanding.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Stick Alf Tupper on 1 wing. Raven on the other. Stick Billy's Boots up top.
McTavish, O'Toole and Johnny Cougar CBs, Skid Solo in the hole, Billy the Fish in goal, Typhoon Tracey as minder, Hotshot Hamish LWB and A horse called ugly RWB.
Invincible!

Isn't McTavish and Hotshot the same person?

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Need Hamish further forward surely?

Tunnels, that’s the new thing, tunnels - doesn’t fuck the Desso up either

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Stick Alf Tupper on 1 wing. Raven on the other. Stick Billy's Boots up top.
McTavish, O'Toole and Johnny Cougar CBs, Skid Solo in the hole, Billy the Fish in goal, Typhoon Tracey as minder, Hotshot Hamish LWB and A horse called ugly RWB.
Invincible!

You forgot Gorgeous Gussie - “I think I may have to forget my principles and break into a run here”

Legend

 

[Bannerman]

Sports correspondent from New York Times on bbc sport this morning saying reason for English cup success in Europe and closer title fight is down to clubs realising it’s not down to filling team with big expensive names

Has he had a look at the amount paid out by those four clubs for their players? It might be unremarkable in American Football terms but it ain't peanuts.

If it was all about passion then Warnock, Holloway, Martin ' mad dog ' Allen and Kevin Keegan would all have been more successful than they were and managers like Arsene Wenger, Joachim Low and Manuel Pellegrini less successful.

It's a matter of talent and the ability to use what you have to the best of their ability, thankfully Wilder and Knill have it.

Thanks to John Snow for mentioning Alf Tupper, a couple of mates and I spent a daft amount of time trying to remember the name the other day. We're at that age . Meeting them for coffee later this morning

 

[Manuel Azaña]

Viktor Boskovic as Manager. (Manager in background with arms aloft)

Viktor liked to kiss his players if they had played well.
In moments of high pressure, he was often prone to fainting.

Johnny Dexter as defensive lynchpin.

Roy Race as the glue that holds it all together.

 

[benn5712]

One of them comics brought in an African kid. Tall, athletic, good target man. Had trouble with the cold weather at first, and also played without boots.
Turned out to be an excellent signing.
Some one must remember.

Personally, up top I'd have Davitt. Good for two goals a game, second usually with his head.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

Sports correspondent from New York Times on bbc sport this morning saying reason for English cup success in Europe and closer title fight is down to clubs realising it’s not down to filling team with big expensive names it’s the emotional link and ideas. Pep and Pot have those qualities passion and new ideas on the pitch.

Well we’ve got news for you, there’s a new kid one block wii pashun and overlappin centre halves. His name is Chrissy Wilder and he’s got Allan Knill

Top level professional football has got the memory of a goldfish and a need for big sensationalist headlines. A few seasons ago the commentators & writers were moaning about the lack of competitiveness of our teams at the top level, and stating our collective lack of technique and over reliance on passion & fitness was a factor.

English teams have had a great season in europe this season, but it has corresponded with the teams in the top tier of european football going through a transition, players aging, out of form and change of managers. Barca, PSG, Real, Bayern, Juve and Atleti are all mis-firing for a variety of reasons and won't all have a poor season together next season.

The prem is a strong league, and should be due to the £'s spent. It produces teams that should be getting into at least the quarters of the competition as a matter of course, but this season has been a total one off. Ajax certainly aren't one of the top four club sides in europe, and Frankfurt are mediocre.

We were a european cup power house between 74/75 and 84/85, 9 out of the 11 european cup finals having an english team in it. Between 1980 to 84 were were also featuring regularly in the other two cups as well. We've never returned to that level of dominance, with firstly Italian and then spanish clubs filling the gap. Barca, with the over reliance on Messi, have been clever to re-invent themselves during the last 15 years or so.

 

[Blade56]

You're not wrong there B56, although you make Alan Knill sound like a disease though, mentioning like that.

I think we'll need to tweak our style again though for the Prem. We'll need underlapping centre forwards and goalie wag. Either that, or we surprise everyone and buy some players with pace. What do you think? I've already suggested players with pace and been told we don't need them. As a big childhood fan of Billy Whizz in the Beano, I'm finding this hard to understand.

Totally agree, we have a good core but athleticism and pace aren’t our strength yet, roll out the chequebook.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

I've already suggested players with pace and been told we don't need them

You are absolutely 100% correct - we do need pace.

"A quick player can always play/run slow - a slow player can never play/run quick"

A prime example is Raheem Stirling - he has the after burners WHEN NEEDED - that doesn't mean to say he uses it all the time.

SKY money will now enable us to be more selective in the players we can bring, which includes pace which carries a supplement in buying.

Des Walker was half decent but never a brilliant footballer but his pace made up for a lot of the deficiencies - football is a simple game and if you get to the ball before the opposition then you are in charge of the situation. Never worked with Adrian Littlejohn because he didn't have the other skills to go with his pace.

Bowen of Hull for me as a summer signing.

UTB

 

[gordoncharles]

English teams have had a great season in europe this season, but it has corresponded with the teams in the top tier of european football going through a transition, players aging, out of form and change of managers. Barca, PSG, Real, Bayern, Juve and Atleti are all mis-firing for a variety of reasons and won't all have a poor season together next season.
.

Take the example of Barcelona. Not the side of a decade ago even with Messi still in it, or even four years ago, though now with its Messidependencia.

They played English sides six times this season. Their record P6 W4 D1 L1.

Of course, the one they lost was fatal and, although their draw was a dead rubber as far as they were concerned, it was of major importance to Spurs.

But that's the cup for you.

 

[Blade56]

Stick Alf Tupper on 1 wing. Raven on the other. Stick Billy's Boots up top.
McTavish, O'Toole and Johnny Cougar CBs, Skid Solo in the hole, Billy the Fish in goal, Typhoon Tracey as minder, Hotshot Hamish LWB and A horse called ugly RWB.
Invincible!

Got to disagree with Tracey as stopper, would give his shirt to Haggerty F.

Would also put Davitt and Hacker up top.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

It goes in cycles. English teams dominated for a decade, then Heysel leading to an Italian domination for almost a decade, followed by more than a decade of general Spanish winners.

It might be turning circle to another time of English dominance, or maybe just a one-off. What has changed significantly is the clubs dominating has shrunk to a small pool. The days of Forest, Villa, Malmo, Hamburg, Brugge, Bucurest, Porto, Belgrade, Marseille, Etienne all making the final seem to have disappeared.
Since 2000, 7 teams have made 25 CL final appearances between them. This year will make 26, Spurs being the first new finalist since Chelsea in 2008.

 

[Blade56]

Yet you're saying we are in a relegation dogfight and looking for 3 teams we can scrape a place above.

No we’re in a mini league this first season. A top 5 finish in that mini league will see us ok in season 1

 

[Bannerman]

You are absolutely 100% correct - we do need pace.

"A quick player can always play/run slow - a slow player can never play/run quick"

A prime example is Raheem Stirling - he has the after burners WHEN NEEDED - that doesn't mean to say he uses it all the time.

SKY money will now enable us to be more selective in the players we can bring, which includes pace which carries a supplement in buying.

Des Walker was half decent but never a brilliant footballer but his pace made up for a lot of the deficiencies - football is a simple game and if you get to the ball before the opposition then you are in charge of the situation. Never worked with Adrian Littlejohn because he didn't have the other skills to go with his pace.

Bowen of Hull for me as a summer signing.

UTB

You're right about pace, we've managed without any significant amount of it so far because of the nous of the management and the commitment and talent of the players but in the Prem we will need that extra ingredient.

Dave Basset is on record as saying that Chris Wilder was a technically better full back than Kyle Walker but he had to get rid of him after we got promoted because he didn't have the pace. We're going to need pace both ends of the pitch and Wilder knows it. Wilder strikes me as a genuine decent man but I believe he is also ruthless in pursuit of success. Which is exactly as it should be, that's his job. I've no doubt that letting Coutts go was painful but it had to be done.

 

[shorehamview]

Yet you're saying we are in a relegation dogfight and looking for 19 teams we can scrape a place above.

Fixed that for you.

 

[John Snow]

You're right about pace, we've managed without any significant amount of it so far because of the nous of the management and the commitment and talent of the players but in the Prem we will need that extra ingredient.

Dave Basset is on record as saying that Chris Wilder was a technically better full back than Kyle Walker but he had to get rid of him after we got promoted because he didn't have the pace. We're going to need pace both ends of the pitch and Wilder knows it. Wilder strikes me as a genuine decent man but I believe he is also ruthless in pursuit of success. Which is exactly as it should be, that's his job. I've no doubt that letting Coutts go was painful but it had to be done.

The most painful element in letting Coutts go was having to surgically remove Pinchy from him!!!

 

[Fulwood Blade]

but I believe he is also ruthless in pursuit of success

Agree totally - it's a side he doesn't portray very much, but he has a ruthless streak for me that he keeps mainly hidden. I hear it in his words and now that we've reached the Premier League I think his ruthless side may become more apparent. We're a little (with potential) club in the worlds biggest football league and CW et al have a huge task in keeping us in this division. He keeps saying he wants to drive the club forward and I have a genuine belief he's doing it for us long suffering fans as well as himself.

It's quite frightening as to what he could achieve down at BDTBL and if I was a pig fan, i'd be genuinely concerned. If we can stay for Y2, then Y3 I reckon we may see something that we've all never experienced before.

UTB

 

[John Snow]

Agree totally - it's a side he doesn't portray very much, but he has a ruthless streak for me that he keeps mainly hidden. I hear it in his words and now that we've reached the Premier League I think his ruthless side may become more apparent. We're a little (with potential) club in the worlds biggest football league and CW et al have a huge task in keeping us in this division. He keeps saying he wants to drive the club forward and I have a genuine belief he's doing it for us long suffering fans as well as himself.

It's quite frightening as to what he could achieve down at BDTBL and if I was a pig fan, i'd be genuinely concerned. If we can stay for Y2, then Y3 I reckon we may see something that we've all never experienced before.

UTB

Multiple orgasms?

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Multiple orgasms?

If that's what floats your boat - actually beginning to wonder what does float your boat.

UTB

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

One of them comics brought in an African kid. Tall, athletic, good target man. Had trouble with the cold weather at first, and also played without boots.
Turned out to be an excellent signing.
Some one must remember.

Personally, up top I'd have Davitt. Good for two goals a game, second usually with his head.

He were bald weren’t he? Head like stainless steel, once scored with the back of his head from 28 yards against Barnsley reserves.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

It goes in cycles. English teams dominated for a decade, then Heysel leading to an Italian domination for almost a decade, followed by more than a decade of general Spanish winners.

It might be turning circle to another time of English dominance, or maybe just a one-off. What has changed significantly is the clubs dominating has shrunk to a small pool. The days of Forest, Villa, Malmo, Hamburg, Brugge, Bucurest, Porto, Belgrade, Marseille, Etienne all making the final seem to have disappeared.
Since 2000, 7 teams have made 25 CL final appearances between them. This year will make 26, Spurs being the first new finalist since Chelsea in 2008.

...and to my cynical eye, UEFA have got what they wanted. The movement from an open cup competition with proper shocks & excitement to a virtual super league, where any shocks are minimal and don't upset the apple cart, and after 20 or so money spinning matches, any dark horses are knocked out, and 2 of the usual 4 or 5 teams are playing each other in the final. It's worth noting that the first game Forest played when they won it for the first time, was against Liverpool, the defending champions and league runners up the previous year. That wouldn't be allowed now.

I also always viewed post Heysel as a both a punishment and a 'strategic' decision by UEFA.

 

[Bannerman]

.

It's quite frightening as to what he could achieve down at BDTBL and if I was a pig fan, i'd be genuinely concerned. If we can stay for Y2, then Y3 I reckon we may see something that we've all never experienced before.

UTB

I agree, of course being Sheffield United we have the ' Blades Way ' self inflicted cockup to worry about.

This club needs to hang on to this management team come what may. We need to stick with them even if the worst happens and we go back down. Burnley kept their nerve allowed Sean Dyche to rebuild and have benefited from doing so.

Of course we would only contemplate getting rid of Wilder and Knill after what they have done for the club if we had new owners with no understanding of who we are and had bought us as a vanity project meaning that retaining Premier status with a ' name ' as manager was all that mattered.

How likely is that?

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

You want Pashun?!

Just you wait til Bash spoons in the winner at Old Trafford. Then you'll see Pashun!!

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

I agree, of course being Sheffield United we have the ' Blades Way ' self inflicted cockup to worry about.

This club needs to hang on to this management team come what may. We need to stick with them even if the worst happens and we go back down. Burnley kept their nerve allowed Sean Dyche to rebuild and have benefited from doing so.

Of course we would only contemplate getting rid of Wilder and Knill after what they have done for the club if we had new owners with no understanding of who we are and had bought us as a vanity project meaning that retaining Premier status with a ' name ' as manager was all that mattered.

How likely is that?

We now have the ability & opportunity to create our own version of Wenger's Arsenal, Ferguson's Man U or Cruyff's Barca. The club appears to be aligned like it never has before, and we need to make sure that on & off the pitch we maximise it for as long a period as possible. Previously we have produced international quality players from the academy and not had the full benefit from them. Now is the time to chance that. CW & AK are both young enough to be with us in a decade's time, and that should be the target. A collective identity, focus & purpose.