LouTheBlade
Active Member
I’m going to try and play devil’s advocate to some degree now and open up a reasoned and honest debate between fans so here goes;
We have a number of fans on this forum who have completely polar opposite views about the club, the team and the manager, which is to be expected from fans of any football club. But let’s touch on the major issues dogging everyone at the moment;
The team:-
I think it’s fair to say we have an under resourced squad of players when you consider our current injury plight and the lack of quality in one or two areas. The other side of the argument would suggest that we have a solid core of good championship players and should be a match for anyone, even with a few injuries carried. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle but the one thing I would say (and this is where my opinion comes in) is that on the whole the players aren’t to blame for any current dissatisfaction. Apart from maybe one or two of them, we don’t have a bad player in the squad and they work hard for the cause so people could be advised to back off the players. That said, people pay their money and have a right to vent their frustration at an overpaid footballer. Whatever the case may be it should be about balance and perspective.
Kevin Blackwell:-
The topic our fans can’t seem to leave alone. Instead of arguing my point and other people putting spin on theirs, let’s sum up the facts;
*He had a very decent transfer budget last season
*He had a semi-decent budget at the start of this season
*He has been forced to sell players (some bad, some good, some indifferent)
*He has had cruel luck with injuries this season
*We have a terrible record at coming from a goal down under him
*We have a good record of not losing when we have been a goal up under him
*He prefers a direct style of play
But the most important point in my mind;
*The majority of fans don’t rate him and want him out
All things considered there it could be argued that Kevin Blackwell has neither done a good or a bad job. Depends which way you look at it. As a fan I have a minimum expectation of Sheffield United being positioned comfortably in a playoff position all season. We are falling short of that at present. What also springs to mind is the fact that KB has struggled every time a club has plunged into further financial difficulties and has had to cut its budget. Following Leeds’ playoff defeat they were forced to cut their budget the following season in order to maintain some sort of stability. He also struggled under financial restraints at Luton and some would argue he is now. There are plenty of managers out there who do well on a tight budget – Neil Warnock, Ian Holloway, Owen Coyle etc etc. so are we really being unrealistic? Or are we entitled to expect good football and consistency on what we have?
The club/board:-I suppose despite our reported debts we could consider ourselves grateful to have a chairman willing to invest £50M of his own money but what I find bewildering is that the chairman would do this with the intention of wanting a large proportion of his investment back! Don’t misinterpret this as a bold personal view. I think anyone in their right mind would want multi-millions back if they had loaned it to someone but it begs the question – who in their right mind would plough that kind of personal wealth into a football club and expect a prompt return on it? I can only assume, like many others that he was gambling on PL status and the WC bid to bring in the required revenue. It was obviously a massive miscalculation and one that the club is going to pay for – not McCabe.
We could argue that it was a small effort at showing some ambition for a change (lord knows he’s the most ambitious chairman to date) but at what cost will it be to our immediate or even long term future. Some sections of the support are planning to vote with their feet if KB remains in charge – that is a dead cert. I think some of us would urge the board to think about that for the benefit of the football club. Could it be suggested that a new manager would bring a wave of optimism and possibly help them with their pre-Easter season ticket renewals? Now would possibly be the time to do it and launch the marketing campaign off the back of it. On the other hand, it could be risky and there are no guarantees a new manager would do any better.
In summary:-
I am a loyal supporter; I go to every home game and good proportion of away games (when I can). I always encourage the players and never berate them as I appreciate they have a job to do and need my backing. I sometimes criticise the manager, even the board when I feel it is appropriate. If you want my personal opinion (for what it’s worth) - now is the time for change. But that’s just my view. I would be interested to hear all your comments on the above...............
We have a number of fans on this forum who have completely polar opposite views about the club, the team and the manager, which is to be expected from fans of any football club. But let’s touch on the major issues dogging everyone at the moment;
The team:-
I think it’s fair to say we have an under resourced squad of players when you consider our current injury plight and the lack of quality in one or two areas. The other side of the argument would suggest that we have a solid core of good championship players and should be a match for anyone, even with a few injuries carried. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle but the one thing I would say (and this is where my opinion comes in) is that on the whole the players aren’t to blame for any current dissatisfaction. Apart from maybe one or two of them, we don’t have a bad player in the squad and they work hard for the cause so people could be advised to back off the players. That said, people pay their money and have a right to vent their frustration at an overpaid footballer. Whatever the case may be it should be about balance and perspective.
Kevin Blackwell:-
The topic our fans can’t seem to leave alone. Instead of arguing my point and other people putting spin on theirs, let’s sum up the facts;
*He had a very decent transfer budget last season
*He had a semi-decent budget at the start of this season
*He has been forced to sell players (some bad, some good, some indifferent)
*He has had cruel luck with injuries this season
*We have a terrible record at coming from a goal down under him
*We have a good record of not losing when we have been a goal up under him
*He prefers a direct style of play
But the most important point in my mind;
*The majority of fans don’t rate him and want him out
All things considered there it could be argued that Kevin Blackwell has neither done a good or a bad job. Depends which way you look at it. As a fan I have a minimum expectation of Sheffield United being positioned comfortably in a playoff position all season. We are falling short of that at present. What also springs to mind is the fact that KB has struggled every time a club has plunged into further financial difficulties and has had to cut its budget. Following Leeds’ playoff defeat they were forced to cut their budget the following season in order to maintain some sort of stability. He also struggled under financial restraints at Luton and some would argue he is now. There are plenty of managers out there who do well on a tight budget – Neil Warnock, Ian Holloway, Owen Coyle etc etc. so are we really being unrealistic? Or are we entitled to expect good football and consistency on what we have?
The club/board:-I suppose despite our reported debts we could consider ourselves grateful to have a chairman willing to invest £50M of his own money but what I find bewildering is that the chairman would do this with the intention of wanting a large proportion of his investment back! Don’t misinterpret this as a bold personal view. I think anyone in their right mind would want multi-millions back if they had loaned it to someone but it begs the question – who in their right mind would plough that kind of personal wealth into a football club and expect a prompt return on it? I can only assume, like many others that he was gambling on PL status and the WC bid to bring in the required revenue. It was obviously a massive miscalculation and one that the club is going to pay for – not McCabe.
We could argue that it was a small effort at showing some ambition for a change (lord knows he’s the most ambitious chairman to date) but at what cost will it be to our immediate or even long term future. Some sections of the support are planning to vote with their feet if KB remains in charge – that is a dead cert. I think some of us would urge the board to think about that for the benefit of the football club. Could it be suggested that a new manager would bring a wave of optimism and possibly help them with their pre-Easter season ticket renewals? Now would possibly be the time to do it and launch the marketing campaign off the back of it. On the other hand, it could be risky and there are no guarantees a new manager would do any better.
In summary:-
I am a loyal supporter; I go to every home game and good proportion of away games (when I can). I always encourage the players and never berate them as I appreciate they have a job to do and need my backing. I sometimes criticise the manager, even the board when I feel it is appropriate. If you want my personal opinion (for what it’s worth) - now is the time for change. But that’s just my view. I would be interested to hear all your comments on the above...............
