BIG couple of weeks coming up

[grafikhaus]

Tuesday - Peterbrough away. And aren't we good at ending teams' poor runs?

Next Saturday - a resurgent QPR under NW and our home form which, I suspect, most of us feel is an illusion.

Following Tuesday, Blackpool at home. Yes, Blackpool who are proving a surprise package this season and could well 'do a Burnley' and sneak into the playoffs and then what? See previous 'home form' and 'illusion'.

Four days later, away to Donny and O'Driscoll. Mercifully, Donny's leading scorer (can't remember his name) won't be playing, but will have more than enough for us.

(I won't even go into the utter inevitability of defeat at Cardiff the following midweek)

So the season comes down to this period. Despite being a shockingly poor League (the only stand-out team being Newcastle and their tame refs.) we have scraped enough points to be safe from a relegation scrap. Haven't we?

So fifteen points to play for (including Cardiff). Anyone think we'll get more than, say, two?

Parachute payments gone. A really poor manager and backroom staff and a chairman who wants out.

Norwich, Charlton, Southampton, anybody?

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

er....you're saying you think we're going to get relegated?

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I think next week is a big one for he club.

Bad result at Peterboro' and then two down to QPR.

The fans chanting 'We want Warnock back' and 'Blackie out'.

Might get nasty.

 

[BladeFisher]

Not to mention the (late) Easter egg massacre at Swillsborough Pigs 5 - Blades 0. Yep its Spotland ere we come.

 

[grafikhaus]

er....you're saying you think we're going to get relegated?

No I'm not, but I do think the signs are there for us to get dragged into a scrap come April.

And my reference to Southampton etc. was of teams who thought they were 'big' only to have events overtake them and, stripped of the financial and crowd advantages their (our) brief spell in the sun brought, can all too easily lead to catastrophe.

 

[scouseblade]

Are you kidding me?! Relegation battle? We havent lost at home and we havent been playing well. Yes, away from home is a worry but seriously, how many teams have gone down with 50 points or more in the last couple of seasons??

Peterborough will not get 50 points
Plymouth will not get 50 points
Pigs, Palace, etc need another 13-17 points to get to 50
So your telling me they have more chance of getting to that magic mark than we do?

I think that there are problems with the club but I will say this, we will not be involved in a relegation battle come next month. People need to seriously stop panicking.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Agree we will not do down, never in a month of Sundays.

I don't think people are panicking at all; the reference to relegation form was merely referring to the six away losses on the trot.

 

[raul]

Fast forward to next season though......chances of signing better players than the ones we have on less money anyone?

Atm, we have enough backbone about us that cares enough - Morgan, Monty, Jamie - to steady the ship enough to keep us top half. As this type of player leaves - Killa, Kyle - and is replaced by temps that little bit of extra diminishes over time. We'll care less because they care less (but still take the money), they'll care less because we'll care less (why should we knock our pan out for these wankers?) and the downward spiral isn't too hard to see coming.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I think next season will be very different.

The amount of loan players will be reduced as we sign up a squad on two year terms.

This season has been a two job season for Blackie, manage the team and cut the wage bill. Overall Blackie has delivered but the style of delivering is dreadful.

I think we have run on loans knowing that next season player’s terms won't be as good, Naysmith has said as much.

 

[broomhillblade]

So fifteen points to play for (including Cardiff). Anyone think we'll get more than, say, two?

We will get more than two points, beginning with three at Peterborough.

 

[beightonblade]

Just look how far the Blades have fallen since Warnock left.

 

[alcoblade]

Fast forward to next season though......chances of signing better players than the ones we have on less money anyone?

Seriously Raul - I think we've got a very good chance of signing much better players on far less money. That's one thing that IS in our favour.

The problem is here and now. Rectifying it, with a decent manager, shouldn't be one.

UTB

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

I think you're all being rather pessimistic.

 

[Guesty]

Our form against Blackpool since they've been promoted is pretty poor anyway.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I think Blackie will have put us a strong position at the season end.

Question is should he be allowed to take things forward or allowed to slip away?

 

[Guesty]

Blackwell could be like the new Michael Tonge, ending the season strongly so as to make everyone forget his shortcomings, staying in the job, only to fade in the winter, every bloody year.

 

[raul]

Seriously Raul - I think we've got a very good chance of signing much better players on far less money. That's one thing that IS in our favour.

The problem is here and now. Rectifying it, with a decent manager, shouldn't be one.

UTB

I assume you're working on the basis that as financial realiites continue their march into Footballs Fantasy World ( think opening credits of Dads Army ) better players will be commanding less in wages.

My worry is the opposite will happen, the value of prized assets will go the other way like Gold and Diamonds have whilst everything else has collpased in the global recession. As squads shed their number 28's and 29's and the poor players find themselves out of work, the money to spend on the one or two players who can make a difference (Eagles and Blake last year, Huckerby for Norwich all those years ago) will be available at at least 5 clubs with paprchute monies we wont have.

What we need to be doing, is looking at the many average players who will be available in summer and trying to build an effective, motivated squad with people ho think they have something to prove, in an integrated stlye of play that suits the unit as a whole. And if this is too difficult to achieve in one hit (and I'd say it is) at least lay the foundations to build on it year on year, both ourselves and Reading went up in 05/06 according to the record books, but we'd both been building towards it - albeit with differing philosophies - for at least three years.

 

[lenners]

Raul calls it right, we've got a few years of pain in the offing now.
That being the case, we should be prepared to change managers and put someone in place who we really believe can develop a team in the medium term. Blackwell isn't that man - he's already admitted he doesn't rate the players he's brought in. (And he spunked £3m on one of them)
O'Driscoll would be a great shout if we were prepared for a longer haul.
The real worry for us is that our owner doesn't believe in his own club any more and is now just an absentee landlord content to collect the rent without giving a stuff about the condition of the interior or who the tenants are.
Seeing only £ signs and offering no vision for where we go as a football club will hold us back more than anything.

 

[alcoblade]

I assume you're working on the basis that as financial realiites continue their march into Footballs Fantasy World ( think opening credits of Dads Army ) better players will be commanding less in wages.

My worry is the opposite will happen, the value of prized assets will go the other way like Gold and Diamonds have whilst everything else has collpased in the global recession. As squads shed their number 28's and 29's and the poor players find themselves out of work, the money to spend on the one or two players who can make a difference (Eagles and Blake last year, Huckerby for Norwich all those years ago) will be available at at least 5 clubs with paprchute monies we wont have.

What we need to be doing, is looking at the many average players who will be available in summer and trying to build an effective, motivated squad with people ho think they have something to prove, in an integrated stlye of play that suits the unit as a whole. And if this is too difficult to achieve in one hit (and I'd say it is) at least lay the foundations to build on it year on year, both ourselves and Reading went up in 05/06 according to the record books, but we'd both been building towards it - albeit with differing philosophies - for at least three years.

I agree with all that.

Whatever happens with football inflation, and it's going the right way, we are paying too many players well above their worth. The listed players (Speed, Naysmith, Evans, Stewart, France, Taylor) could be offloaded with very little effect. On top of this, I bet the likes of Monty and Morgan who are part of the spine of the team and would be bad losses, are paid well above their actual worth.

So unlike the porkers who can only sign dross with the money they have, we have a real opportunity to slim the wage bill AND improve the team.

But we need the right manager. And you're spot on, it's a re building job - but it doesn't have to be un-entertaining along the way, as it is now.

UTB

 

[lenners]

Alcoblade, we can only offload players if their contracts run out or someone else wants them.
Who, for example, is going to take Evans on the wages he's on?
We're in exactly the same position on the pitch now as Wednesday as regards quality and off it we're almost certainly behind them.
Our debts are twice there's without us having twice the income.

 

[Micalijo]

Alcoblade, we can only offload players if their contracts run out or someone else wants them.
Who, for example, is going to take Evans on the wages he's on?
We're in exactly the same position on the pitch now as Wednesday as regards quality and off it we're almost certainly behind them.
Our debts are twice there's without us having twice the income.

Totally agree that on the pitch there is very little difference. Off the pitch they have a far better manager but so does every club in the tier. Also off the pitch they have a circa £30m bank overdraft with nowt to sell to cover it.

In theory McCabe could I imagine sell the hotel and the apartment/industrial units and leave SUFC and Realty in a better position than minus £30m.

 

[lenners]

Totally agree that on the pitch there is very little difference. Off the pitch they have a far better manager but so does every club in the tier. Also off the pitch they have a circa £30m bank overdraft with nowt to sell to cover it.

In theory McCabe could I imagine sell the hotel and the apartment/industrial units and leave SUFC and Realty in a better position than minus £30m.

Aye but they have a comfortable deal with the bank and the debt is static and effectively coming down in real terms.
They also have a structured deal for a takeover which may come to pass and which would make them virtually debt-free.
We, on the other hand, have BeightonBlade's crystal ball.
It is like the proverbial bald men fighting over a comb (and Sheffield as a city should be utterly ashamed of the efforts of both its football clubs) but they look to be in the better and definitely more transparent financial situation.

 

[AlienWoodward]

Alcoblade, we can only offload players if their contracts run out or someone else wants them.
Who, for example, is going to take Evans on the wages he's on?
We're in exactly the same position on the pitch now as Wednesday as regards quality and off it we're almost certainly behind them.
Our debts are twice there's without us having twice the income.

I hope he's not on more than Chris Guthrie was ....

 

[Micalijo]

Aye but they have a comfortable deal with the bank and the debt is static and effectively coming down in real terms.
They also have a structured deal for a takeover which may come to pass and which would make them virtually debt-free.
We, on the other hand, have BeightonBlade's crystal ball.
It is like the proverbial bald men fighting over a comb (and Sheffield as a city should be utterly ashamed of the efforts of both its football clubs) but they look to be in the better and definitely more transparent financial situation.

Agree about transparency. I know the McCabe is God crowd will say what can be more easier to understand than £20m owed for hotel and rest to McCabe but for me there is a level of complexity behind our figures which makes it impossible to conceive of an exit route.

McCabe is not in my opinion in a position to take Realty away from the football club and until that happens Birch might as well be pissing in the wind in terms of successfully getting money in.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Evans will come good once the terms of the transfer that require monies paid against goals scored this season have passed.

Once we are not paying him 'not to score' because it's cheaper he will start to bang them in.

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

No I'm not, but I do think the signs are there for us to get dragged into a scrap come April.

And my reference to Southampton etc. was of teams who thought they were 'big' only to have events overtake them and, stripped of the financial and crowd advantages their (our) brief spell in the sun brought, can all too easily lead to catastrophe.

It's not that we're too big to get relegated (no-one is). It's that we've got too many points. Also, we're not a poor enough side. We may be dull, but we'll continue to pick up points at home, and also get a few away against the weaker sides. With no-one else exactly flying, I think we'll finish a couple of points outside the play-offs.

What interests me is that McCabe needs something to interest the fans to get the season ticket sales in for next season. We've had this every season for a few years now - either a strong late run of results, or a change of manager - and it's made a big difference in maintaining season tickets sales since relegation. I reckon either Blackwell needs to engineer a strong run in, giving everyone high hopes for next season, or McCabe may just go for the other option...

 

[puppet]

Totally agree that on the pitch there is very little difference. Off the pitch they have a far better manager but so does every club in the tier. Also off the pitch they have a circa £30m bank overdraft with nowt to sell to cover it.

In theory McCabe could I imagine sell the hotel and the apartment/industrial units and leave SUFC and Realty in a better position than minus £30m.

whilever mccabe charges us £2.5m a year interest, hes not going to be in a rush to call in his loans

 

[alcoblade]

Alcoblade, we can only offload players if their contracts run out or someone else wants them.
Who, for example, is going to take Evans on the wages he's on?
We're in exactly the same position on the pitch now as Wednesday as regards quality and off it we're almost certainly behind them.
Our debts are twice there's without us having twice the income.

We may have to see out a few contracts, or pay up some difference. Maybe Norwich will take the bait with Evans - even some Blades still see some worth in what looks like a cart horse. But eventually we'll work them through - we established we've got a re building job along the way.

You can't compare our debts with Wendy. Though I'm appalled at how we've got to where we have, we have bought some assets that we could either sell off, or sweat when the economy turns. We're in much better shape than them, IMHO - though right now is not the time to argue this as the pendulum has swung to the wrong side of opinion - and with football supporters there's rarely an in between.

UTB

 

[alcoblade]

The real worry for us is that our owner doesn't believe in his own club any more and is now just an absentee landlord content to collect the rent without giving a stuff about the condition of the interior or who the tenants are.
Seeing only £ signs and offering no vision for where we go as a football club will hold us back more than anything.

That's my biggest worry. Blackwell and the players will be gone but we're still left with a chairman whose rose tinted spectacles turn a football related problem into bricks and mortar.

UTB

 

[super_pig]

>People need to seriously stop panicking.
no mate. you need to wake up.. seriously.