A sense of depression...

[Deadbat]

Just listened to Speed's interview. He blasted the team for their unprofessionalism again but will pick the same players when they come back from suspensions again; as he has no choice.

I like his honesty in interviews and of course you would expect him to sound depressed after a hammering like today but I do feel he sounded very, very downbeat in the interview.

I think the news in the week over the losses confirms he has no chance of bringing any players in of note in January. He has a squad where we currently only have 1 centre half or centre forward (Evans) who is actually ours!

We go into games currently with 3 loan centre backs and our strikers aswell as not scoring goals are being completely indisciplined; now 3 been sent off this season meaning we have noone up that end of the pitch either.

To think that we now have only 1 centre forward (and a poor one at that in Evans) to choose from including bench options for the next few games with Bog, Cresswell suspended and Ward/Henderson injured (Slew is way off being ready for the first team I am afraid- I was very disapppointed with him in the academy game last week) is a real concern.

Be interesting to see what happens if Evans gets injured in training or next week? Do we just play with no strikers!!! Maybe Yeates could play down the middle or Reid off the striker (singular). Going to be a negative formation no matter what next Saturday as we dont have any strikers to play.

I am actaully also fearful if some of the clubs recall our loan players in January. If Reid, Nosworthy and Bartley go back where does that leave us? It is not inconceivable for that to happen especially with Turner/Bramble injured (dont say we have him for the season as they said that about Walker last year)

The side is a mess at the moment and with no investment whatsover in the squad it is going to be one almighty struggle to stay up. To be beaten so soundly by one of the teams below us *before today* is a real concern. I cant see us getting much from Reading, Barnsley or Swansea in the next 3 either?

Maybe I am being too pessimistic but think it has been a bad week for the club. The news from the other side of the city does not help as they manage to somehow scrape their way out of trouble again. I am genuinely concerned we will be swapping places come May. Anyone else feel this; putting their red and white blinkers to one side?

I really like Speed. He is a decent bloke but his record (albeit with a poor squad) has been poor and we are seeing no real improvements in results or performances. I do hope he can turn things round but it does concern me he will simply walk away if things continue with him being unable to change the personnel he is stuck with; which even he has admitted is not good enough (his set of honest, triers who dont always use their heads and are unprofessonal = says to me in a nice way he does not think they are not good enough).

I look at the squad and who is actually our own players and who do I think could and I would like to be part of the side in years to come that we could build a decent side around? Britton, Yeates and Lowton? That is about it.

The rest is a painful picture; veterans/players on the downward (Cresswell, Morgan, Monty, Bogdanovic, Simonsen) who probably cant believe their luck in that they have 2-3 more years on big wages, loanees who will leave our club soon and woeful players who are simply not good enough (Evans, Quinn, Taylor, Calve, Ertl) and then players who are talented but always injured (Williamson/Ward).

Does anyone else feel really positive about many of our players in the sqaud save the ones I mentioned. Honestly.

McCabe waving the white flag this week in many ways (sure he is still the owner but giving up the chairmanship is surely an admittance of wanting to concentrate on other business outside of SUFC and his interest is not there anymore or he feels unable to change things anymore) is a worrying sign. We seem to be just ambling nowhere and to say we are heading for the wilderness years is an understatement. The news this week over the financial re-structuring basically said to me: 'we are screwed, we have no money, put on your tin hats and prepare for years of scrimping, scrounging and somehow hoping we do not plummet down the leagues.'

Maybe I will feel more chipper in weeks to come but I do feel the club is sliding downward on and off the pitch currently and noone (manager, team, board, CEO) seems able to do anthing about this inevitable slump.

I await a positive response from posters to try and show me I am being way too negative. I hope they can sway me!!!

 

[SteelCity Blade]

Maybe I am being too pessimistic but think it has been a bad week for the club. The news from the other side of the city does not help as they manage to somehow scrape their way out of trouble again. I am genuinely concerned we will be swapping places come May. Anyone else feel this; putting their red and white blinkers to one side?

Whilst I think we probably have enough about us to stay clear of the drop, it is definately not out of the question. More performances like today and no new faces would make us as likely as anyone else. A number of sides down the bottom (including us) are in very lacklustre form with nothing in their squad to hang the proverbial hat on. It will be a scramble at the end of the season and it would be no surprise to see us involved.

I look at the squad and who is actually our own players and who do I think could and I would like to be part of the side in years to come that we could build a decent side around? Britton, Yeates and Lowton? That is about it.

I think we probably have two or three more that could play in a good Blades side but the problem is that they wont have that opportunity without stronger players alongside them. We have a few potentially useful players but they're not leaders and not what you would consider to be talismanic.

Players like Ward, Yeates and Britton are ones you use to supplement a solid core and offer another outlet. Depressingly the solid core isnt there.....we're soft right through the spine of the team and have no one to pin our hopes on when the chips are down. A Phil Jagielka, a Michael Brown, a James Beattie.....someone you can hope will save the day. I see no one stepping into that breach right now.

 

[lenners]

A lot of salient points as usual Deadbat.
What really rankles is the cowardly way McCabe is walking away and attempting to divorce himself from responsibility for sorting his own shit out.
It's hard to believe he gives a flying about our club and he is now simply treating it like another of his businesses, one that he fucked up and now can't be arsed with.
That marks him down as someone we really want away from our club.
Sadly, football is riddled with people whose actions are mainly motivated by self-interest but it's all the sadder that McCabe seemed to have a bigger agenda but when the going got tough he chickened out.
Fairness in football, wasn't that the slogan? It now looks like a totally money-orientated exercise on McCabe's behalf.
His chairmanship has ripped the soul out of United and left us simply as a badly-performing business and barely a football club at all.
A bunch of loanees, ageing pros and the occasional youngster who'll be sold in minutes if they turn out to be any good.
All very sad.

 

[Slugger]

Totally agree SCB we need a bit o balls in the spine especially now Morgs is out. I actually thought last year Harper might have been the answer!! Unfortunately loan signings tend to be players who need experience or confidence building and tend not to be leaders. We need a Brown, a Whitehouse, a Woodhouse ...

 

[DuncDisorderly]

Small adjustment of mindset required I think. Its quite obvious that when we get to mid-table (bearing in mind that 13th place to 20th is only covered by 3pts), then this is as good as we can expect. For sure we're missing quite a lot, but thats how it is, and we have to trust the Speed, the coaches and the players to do their best. It could all go wrong. It could all go right. There really is no need for these outpourings of depression and bile after the first defeat in four. We all know where we are. For a change, our excitement this season won't come from challenging for promotions and play-offs but from the painful race to achieving 52 points and safety. 27 games left, 8 wins, 6 draws required. Pay attention and count them off.

"Oh Jesus! But where will we get 8 wins with a side as crap as this, blah, blah, we'll never win another game, blah, blah, they're all rubbish, blah, blah, Speed doesn't do great interviews anymore, blah, blah, McCabe, blah, blah, Birch, blah, blah, Annual Accounts, etc, etc, fecking etc, ad nauseum...".

Bollocks. Man up, show some pride and some dignity. Keep some perspective. Its only football...

UTB

 

[cahill]

I agree with you Dunc. Perspective needed indeed, this is however a Sheffield United supporters forum so it's unrealistic not to expect a downbeat mood after a defeat. I agree though it's not the end of the world.

 

[JohnDenver]

This is what being not very good looks like. If we stay up and identify the core of a future (better) team, that'll do me. There are no quick fixes anymore.

 

[DuncDisorderly]

I agree with you Dunc. Perspective needed indeed, this is however a Sheffield United supporters forum so it's unrealistic not to expect a downbeat mood after a defeat. I agree though it's not the end of the world.

We're all disappointed. This is going to be a season of disappointments. Buckle up...

 

[shorehamview]

What Dunc said.

On the other hand, if there are any of you out there who feel really suicidal then slicing your arms with a razor blade from wrist to elbow while you take a nice hot bath should do the trick. Remember to get a sharp blade, as blunt ones hurt.

 

[gavtheblade]

The whole of sheffield united at the moment is an exact reminder of how low everything was at the club at the time of heaths managment.Then out of the darkness came light-sir neil.

 

[bartman]

Agree with Dunc.

Don't reflect too much on yesterdays game. Yes three nil sounds awful but,like the luck went for us last week,it didn't appear to go for us yesterday.

We started the game ok yesterday,Bristol l got the penalty from their first attack...we were at the far end so could see who committed the foul.

After the goal,we played some good stuff and were the better side and created a couple of chances(Lowton and Cresswell).

Again we couldn't tell is if was ball to hand for the second penalty but a Bristol City player said after the game on their 'phone in' that it was harsh. However we had one in the box 5 mnutes earlier that wasn't given as was ball to hand.(Lack of referee consistancy?)

Cresswell's sending off was deserved but a couple of minutes later,there was a challenge on Lowton,studs up and knee high that was only given as a yellow....i thought it was similar to the Boggy sending off last week.

2nd half was dissapointing...Simmo,who had an OK game but should have dealt with the corner. Yes he was jostled but this happens every week. However a lack of consistancy again was shown by the ref as earlier in the match,he penalised Evans for challenging for a 50-50 with James when,if anything,the foul was on Evans fby James for going through him to get to the ball.

We lose to two penalties and a keeper's error.

We beat Reading next week and 10 points from 15 doesn't sound too bad.

Speed may have to go more direct and gamble on giving Evans more physical support up front(Bartley ? ).A lack of guile out wide due to Yeates abscence was particularly noticable today and maybe Chappell needs to be considered if Calve isn't deemed good enough.

My biggest worry is Quinn. His body language today suggested he didn't want to be there.His usually bite into tackles and energy was missing for me.I know he was be out for 'personal reasons' lately so I don't know if this effected him. However,when the idiots stood at the front of the away end abused him after missing a chance early on(he was flagged offside) his verbal reaction to them probably showed his mind wasn't on the job.

Will we get to 52 points ?....being a Blade means we will worry aboout getting to 30 points. However,if we do go down,I fear it will take us a while to get back.

So as DD says,it's times to 'man up',support the team to the hilt and try to make sure BDTBL is difficult again for opposition teams

 

[Kev Gee]

This season is going to be a case of win some..loose plenty & scrape to safety.

Most of us knew this, and now 99% of people should after last weeks losses, KMCs interviews etc.

There will be no promotion push, money spent or anyone coming in, so as long as we stay up then i think Speed will have done well.

 

[Worksop II]

and try to make sure BDTBL is difficult again for opposition teams

Spot on, lets change all the signposts around, and hope they havn`t got satnav

Duncs patent solution to all SUFCs ills, just carry on doing the same .......

 

[Pinchy]

The 'idiots' are the ones who are constantly prepared to tolerate Quinn's complete and utter ineptitude. He gives the illusion of energy but it's just shadow-chasing. It's token effort dressed up as commitment. He cheats us I'm afraid. As for 'bite in the tackle' you are being sarcastic aren't you? He couldn't bite a bowl of soup. He's a little boy lost, running vainly around the playground, hoping the bigger lads will let him have a kick.

Maybe the Blades you label 'idiots' have found him out and have simply had enough?

 

[Fiery Blade]

Top Post Deadbat !
Dunc and his followers may state ' small adjustment of mindset...etc, etc, etc' the fact is the team is shite due to lack of quality!
McCabe MUST take the blame for his poor short sighted management of the club since relegation. To be so much in debt having sold £millions of players yet spending as much on loans players is beyond comprehension. He appointed Robson, he appointed Blackwell he oversaw the selling of Stead, Walker, Naughton, Killgallon, Beattie, Kenny, Cotterill, Hulse, he approved the signings of France, Taylor, Kozluk,. The side that got relegated was dismantled, Blackwell somehow got them to Wembley despite selling Beattie midseason on the back off performances from Naughton, Walker, and Kenny only to lose by niaive tactics and poor player performances on the day to totally decimate the team and get by on expensive loan players and has beens!
Dunc and his followers may be happy to follow a side of lame ducks every week
We are Sheffield United We are better than that!
Last two victories against both Millwall and Palace were very fortunate and both players and supporters became deluded and started talking about top 6 and promotion!
Don't kid ourselves The side is very poor and as for Quinn - the money he is on for turning out week in week out is obscene!!!
Get real Quinny you are a very lucky man to be paid the levels you are paid for turning out poor performances week in week out - If you can't stand the criticism piss off full stop

 

[bartman]

The 'idiots' are the ones who are constantly prepared to tolerate Quinn's complete and utter ineptitude. He gives the illusion of energy but it's just shadow-chasing. It's token effort dressed up as commitment. He cheats us I'm afraid. As for 'bite in the tackle' you are being sarcastic aren't you? He couldn't bite a bowl of soup. He's a little boy lost, running vainly around the playground, hoping the bigger lads will let him have a kick.

Maybe the Blades you label 'idiots' have found him out and have simply had enough?

and the benefits of slagging him off after two minutes of a game are ?

Why do some Blades seemed determined to have a scapegoat ?

As for Quinn? Warnock,Robson,Blackwell and Speed all thought he was good enough to play in the team. you quite obviously know more than them.

---------- Post added at 10:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:13 AM ----------

!
McCabe MUST take the blame for his poor short sighted management of the club since relegation.

Dunc and his followers may be happy to follow a side of lame ducks every week

Last two victories against both Millwall and Palace were very fortunate

You may well be right about McCabe but how does still ranting on about him with regards to what happened in the past help keep us up? We don't have any money to spend,KM obviously isn't going to put money in so what other options do you have to offer to improved things(Rather than just have a rant)

Are you one of Lenners or Mic's 'followers.' ? All because people have a different opinion to you doesn't mean they 'follow' anyone. Don't you respect others opinions unless it agrees with yours ?

Lucky against Millwall ?....you are obviously taking the p**s on that one. As for being lucky against Palace...are you seriously saying that we didn't deserve to beat them?

 

[Pinchy]

I know that we will achieve precisely nothing but abject failure if we continue to rely on talentless shadow-chasers like Quinn and Montgomery. The evidence can be found in today's papers.

Do you disagree?

 

[bartman]

No I don't disagree(re Quinn anyway...I think Monty is OK) but all I can see is Speeds' hands tied and,unfortunately we are going to have to support the players we have ,hope we stay up and then hopefully build in the close season when Henderson,Bartley,Jordan,Wright,Calve,Reid,Nosworthy,France,Kozluck as well as others will probably be off the wage bill

 

[Fiery Blade]

Lucky against Millwall ?....you are obviously taking the p**s on that one. As for being lucky against Palace...are you seriously saying that we didn't deserve to beat them?

No I'm not taking the piss!!!
If Millwall could have finished we could have lost 4-1
And by the way we were losing 2-1 to Palace before Evans 'scored' in a blatant offside position with 4 minutes to go!

 

[raul]

So, a Chairman who has put the club on the fast track to ruination (a good thing apparently) a manager who is flailing about in his first role and given no tools to do the job and speaking of tools.....a squad of players who it appears are paid mulitiple amounts of thousands of pounds a week to fall asleep or get sent off.

All curable by shouting louder. Have Wednesday gone bust yet Duncy??

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Don't worry Raul.

FB will be along shortly to tell us of imminent signings in January ;-)

 

[SteelCity Blade]

Lucky against Millwall ?....you are obviously taking the p**s on that one. As for being lucky against Palace...are you seriously saying that we didn't deserve to beat them?

No I'm not taking the piss!!!
If Millwall could have finished we could have lost 4-1
And by the way we were losing 2-1 to Palace before Evans 'scored' in a blatant offside position with 4 minutes to go!

Strongly agree with you Fiery. I watched the extended highlights of the Millwall game online and it looked like they had enough chances to win two games where as we had one and took it. Admittedly finishing is what decides football matches but on another day we would have been soundly beaten. The Palace game was a case of benefiting from poor refereeing (for once). United were fortunate in both games.

Our position in the league reflects how good we are. We deserve to be down the bottom because our team is not very good. Simple as that.

 

[bartman]

Lucky against Millwall ?....you are obviously taking the p**s on that one. As for being lucky against Palace...are you seriously saying that we didn't deserve to beat them?

No I'm not taking the piss!!!
If Millwall could have finished we could have lost 4-1
And by the way we were losing 2-1 to Palace before Evans 'scored' in a blatant offside position with 4 minutes to go!

Millwall had a couple of shouts for a penalty(where theire forward kept falling down in the box without being touched) and a deflected chance in the 2nd half.Simmo had one save to make in the 2nd half....you could argue that in many games this season we have been unlucky to lose due to the chances we had(Forest away in particuar springs to mind). You can't have it both ways.

Glad to see you didn't answer my question about whether we deserved to win against Palace..

 

[Fiery Blade]

Ranting about McCabe will not keep us up but neither will McCabes assertion that we have one of the highest wage bill in the division
Wasn't it him or his 'Management Team' that sanctioned extended and improved contracts for the likes of Quinn, Morgan, Montgomery and Cresswell plus the signings of Kozluk, France, Henderson, Evans etc.
What a waste of money!
No ranting about McCabe will make us any better but it does identify whose at fault for the mess the Blades are in!
If the team are as good as you say (and like minded people nt followers!) then prove it!
If Quinn, Montgomery, Cresswell, Evans are Championship Quality then gentlemen PROVE IT !
I for one am sick and tired reading how good Monty is, Quinn is, Cresswells workrate, Evans potential, Wards skill etc etc etc
Let them show us on the field how talented and workmanlike this side is because as you rightly say We can't replace any of them
I have watched them and think the lot (apart from Reid) are a bunch of no hopers - Prove me wrong players !

 

[DuncDisorderly]

Have Wednesday gone bust yet Duncy??

Sadly no. Not yet. They might well have got lucky with Mandaric but they are still a bit short of Champions league qualification.

As for the rest, over-analysing a situation that we all know, to the point that you actually feel depressed frankly isn't for me. Its not about curing it by shouting, (endlessly discussing it isn't a cure either, btw) just about how much you want/allow it to get you down. Life is far too short imho, but then I think you feel like that the less of it you have left.

We lost. Suns shining. Have a nice day with the family...

 

[Fiery Blade]

Millwall had a couple of shouts for a penalty(where theire forward kept falling down in the box without being touched) and a deflected chance in the 2nd half.Simmo had one save to make in the 2nd half....you could argue that in many games this season we have been unlucky to lose due to the chances we had(Forest away in particuar springs to mind). You can't have it both ways.

Glad to see you didn't answer my question about whether we deserved to win against Palace..

On a point!
Millwall missed three guilt edged chances in the first half where our defence was found wanting! You seem to have forgot about them!
As for Palace we were playing against 10 men for much of the game indeed Palace went 2-1 up whilst playing against one extra man!
When we go a man down we just capitulate!
Yesterday Bristol City could have rolled in 6 or 7 if they had a mind to! The second half was like a training match with no passion, no fight

---------- Post added at 11:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:00 AM ----------

Perhaps thats whats Quinny and Co are thinking Dunc!
Suns shining and having a nice day with the family!
Perhaps the players are more in tune with your phylosophy rather than 'earning' their thousands of pounds per week putting heart and soul in for the cause!

 

[bartman]

Ranting about McCabe will not keep us up but neither will McCabes assertion that we have one of the highest wage bill in the division
Wasn't it him or his 'Management Team' that sanctioned extended and improved contracts for the likes of Quinn, Morgan, Montgomery and Cresswell plus the signings of Kozluk, France, Henderson, Evans etc.
What a waste of money!
No ranting about McCabe will make us any better but it does identify whose at fault for the mess the Blades are in!
If the team are as good as you say (and like minded people nt followers!) then prove it!
If Quinn, Montgomery, Cresswell, Evans are Championship Quality then gentlemen PROVE IT !
I for one am sick and tired reading how good Monty is, Quinn is, Cresswells workrate, Evans potential, Wards skill etc etc etc
Let them show us on the field how talented and workmanlike this side is because as you rightly say We can't replace any of them
I have watched them and think the lot (apart from Reid) are a bunch of no hopers - Prove me wrong players !

FFS Fiery,stop looking backwards for something to blame. Decisions were made on players by Blackwell,he has now gone. We all know who is at fault for the decisions at a high level but I cannot see anyone with money wanting to step forward to make 'better' decisions'.

Ideally,KM should announce he has written off his debt and walk away....I think we all know that isn't going to happen however at the moment I don't believe he will call in his debt.

Don't forget,these aren't Speed's players,he has to work with a bunch who were brought in to play hoof bll. He will probably need the January transfer window and the summer one to try and turn this round and then many of the players you mention will have left the club.In the meantime,we have to go with the players we have .

Surely the time now is to back Speed and the players until the end of the season in the hope that we will say up(and hope that some how KM will give Speed the money to find a striker,centre half and midfield players in January to give us a chance)

 

[Worksop II]

Suns shining

Yes it is Dunc, but its -4C outside (here anyway) which is a bit of an analogy for SUFC at the moment

 

[Bridlingt blade]

I thought we were a average championship team, going for promotion every 3 or 4 years, a couple in the top division a couple in the bottom of this division. So nothing really new, i understand peoples disappointment 1 loss in 4.

 

[Worksop II]

Surely the time now is to back Speed and the players until the end of the season in the hope that we will say up(and hope that some how KN will ive Speed the money to find a striker,centre half and midfield players in January to give us a chance)

I dont think anyone has a problem with the first of that sentence, tho feel free to put me right.

Its the second part that makes me smile knowing it aint gonna happen, unless Barca sign Monty for £40 million, which is a possibility.