I'm not sure it's enough...

[Blacksea]

We don’t yet know how good these are and what beneficial effect they will have on the underperforming existing players.
Judgement needed at end of October

Exactly,we need effective link ups between Hourihane and Gibbs White and the forwards to create and score the desired amount of goals,this needs to be worked on and will not happen overnight,combinations and formations need to be got right.
Where does Berge fit in now?,are Norwood and Fleck benched?,what about Bogle and Osborne?,do we still need a defensive midfielder or is that Guedoioura?
Lots of questions unanswered and the,players and coaches need to get their heads down and come up with the answers.

 

[Lower Drop Blade]

As for the window , ok in terms of signings but lacking width and goals and we haven't moved out Fleck, some of our ineffective strikers etc
Lack of goals will still see us looking over our shoulders all season.

 

[BangorBlade]

Its not bad, 2 MF, 1 defender and a keeper, a winger would have been nice but i think its time to start to use U23 players.
Also can we not bring in non contracted outside the window

 

[Jon P]

I just don't see it being enough, like you I'm happy we got somebody in but no way do I see them miraculously changing this squad and our fortunes.

My point exactly when I said it’s underwhelming but you get accused of moaning This forum

 

[Blade for Sale]

Hi Stegosaurus here,

Getting a new (presumably decent) goalkeeper in has reduced our odds of relegation by 15 percent since Verrips and Wes would have just leaked goals. Gibbs-White is a bit of a coup, he's a premier league quality player imo. BUT, he's also not the sort of player who is going to single handedly win matches and turn things around.

We really needed a goalscorer.

If they ever tell my story
Let them say I lived
In a time when a Wednesday fan
Pertaining to be a herbivorous
Dorsal plated dinosaur
Elucidated SUFCs 2021 transfer window
More succinctly than any other

 

[YouFUMS]

‘Not sure it’s enough…’ you say. Enough for what?, I ask.
Right now we need enough to ensure we aren’t caught up in a relegation battle, and I think we should now be ok.
The presence of a decent keeper will, hopefully, give confidence to those in front of him to play with a little more attacking intent, and move the ball a little quicker.
I still think we’ll struggle to score many goals, and may be relying on draws and narrow wins to keep us out of trouble.
Is it enough for a promotion push? Not a chance IMO, and I’m generally classed has a happy clapper on here

 

[Gee]

I think Brewster and Bogle could be adequate enough wingers with game time and the right coaching, Brewster looked good playing out wide and Bogle looks more a winger than anything else, both are fast and can beat players and with a floating number 10 in Gibbs White we could be that attacking unit that Slav is after.

 

[bromtom]

Enough for what? Promotion? Was that ever likely after last season? I'm not sure it was.

I think it's enough for us to have some enjoyable football at Bramall Lane again, which is great. I'm actually looking forward to watching United for the first time in ages instead of of it feeling like I've got to clean the cats litter tray or something.

 

[ZLB]

Hi Stegosaurus here,

Getting a new (presumably decent) goalkeeper in has reduced our odds of relegation by 15 percent since Verrips and Wes would have just leaked goals. Gibbs-White is a bit of a coup, he's a premier league quality player imo. BUT, he's also not the sort of player who is going to single handedly win matches and turn things around.

We really needed a goalscorer.

Relax man. We’ve got Oliver Burke.

 

[AdamSufc1997]

I think Brewster and Bogle could be adequate enough wingers with game time and the right coaching, Brewster looked good playing out wide and Bogle looks more a winger than anything else, both are fast and can beat players and with a floating number 10 in Gibbs White we could be that attacking unit that Slav is after.

You didn't see his cross at Luton then

 

[Delboyscap]

Seems to me you have done quite well in this transfer window. Of course it could have been better but you have addressed some big gaps in the team with these loans. The keeper sounds very good on paper and when Davies settles in you may find he is as good as everyone thought he was. With the additions of Hourihane and Gibbs-White you have brought much needed energy, directness, drive and players who seem comfortable on the ball and not scared to have a go. Both Hourihane and GW look like they have bags of self confidence and are not afraid to shoot from distance. From the little I have seen of you guys you were very one dimensional, stagnant through the middle and very slow, plus Norwood and Fleck looked like rabbits in the headlights and confidence wise shot to pieces.

Sometimes it takes only one or two players to change the dynamic. Everton fans cannot believe how much Rafa has made a difference along with what at the time were underwhelming signings in Andros Townsend and Damarai Gray, now they look miles better and Rafa is being hailed as a shrewd genius. You have a good manager in SJ, and now hopefully you have some new players who can slowly change the belief and energy around the place. I think you will slowly start to pick up from here and the strikers may even start to score the goals they were bought for.

 

[jodman]

Enough for what? Promotion? Was that ever likely after last season? I'm not sure it was.

I think it's enough for us to have some enjoyable football at Bramall Lane again, which is great. I'm actually looking forward to watching United for the first time in ages instead of of it feeling like I've got to clean the cats litter tray or something.

But that enjoyable football hasn’t arrived yet at all so far this season. If anything it’s even more depressing because the performance level has (at best) remained the same as last season in a lower league.

Why is promotion unlikely for us but not West Brom and Fulham this season? Was it unlikely for Norwich and Watford last season?

I’m still hopeful that performances and enjoyment will arrive this season. I also think that promotion is still a realistic aim, in spite in the start we’ve had and the season we had previously.

 

[mancunianblade]

I think he has the tools to be successful but in an alternative way to which he would have liked..

I think his preferred formation would be 433 with wide forwards/wingers

he now has an easy top 6 41212 (422 with a midfield diamond)

the addition of CH should mean we gain from set pieces now which has been something we’ve lacked and the addition of MGW should mean we start to link play with the forwards who may as well be new signings to because upto now they’ve been redundant.

apart from McBurnie I think we actually lack Ariel prowess in open play if he’s not playing then that reduces wingers options look at Watford and Fulham he had Mitrovic and Deeney didn’t he? Both equally as happy in the air as on the floor..

maybe the 442 would be better suited to our attacking strengths

 

[ancientblade]

any team even if their at the bottom of the league only have to put 3 or 4 wins together and their back in the play off picture so i havent given up on that outcome although i do think a mid table position is the most likely outcome this season the next window in january could well be as important for the club as this one has been

 

[scouseblade]

Still no pace or creativity in the squad.

In our last promotion season we had Duffy. Not fast but creative but we have never really had anyone with raw pace then. Burke came in (and the least said about him the better). I think Hourihane and MGW might help with the creativity aspect.

 

[Bladesince59]

We look much better today than Monday. The pity is that we haven't offloaded any dead wood.

 

[Gee]

You didn't see his cross at Luton then

Yeah and I also saw his crosses when he played out wide against Birmingham. Have you ever seen George’s pinpoint crossing we’ve been relying on, if we’re talking shit crosses, he’s no Beckham either!!! And that’s our main threat, either straight to the keeper or over everyone’s heads, but that’s ok you don’t hate George do ya, what about Norwoods Deadballs, there also Beckhamesque too, hitting the first man everytime.
But them two can be shit and not called out though as they weren’t 23 million, I forgot Brewster decided his own fee……
fuck me the torch mob are out for this kid on this forum big time, but sir Billy who is offside 9 times out of 10 and is on A Par with Aguero according to the torch mob is the answer to our problems, Get Real…..

 

[bonobo]

Most teams play with some variation of 3 up top or 4-2-3-1. I don't think most of those players refer to themselves as wingers, in the sense of Carl Bradshaw or Dane Whitehouse were. We have been reasonably unique in playing 2 up top for a long time. Any of these players we have, going to have a career with anyone but Chris Wilder as manager, they often going to find themselves starting out wide, in mobile forward lines. Brewster, Burke, McBurnie whoever are not going to be asked to go outside the full back and whip crosses in from the by line. ( I don't think.....could be completely wrong....)

 

[BushBlade]

We look much better today than Monday. The pity is that we haven't offloaded any dead wood.

Lundstram, Lowe, Bryan. That’s a start. We’ve got 40 odd games left to play. Who else can we get rid of without risking having insufficient cover? Burke I suppose, possibly McB, we weren’t going to get rid of Moose as he’s injured, the rest I think we’ll need at some point. For example I think our midfield will be Hourihane, MGW and Berge but if one of them is injured we’ll have to use one of Fleck, Norwood or Osborn. Maybe we can bring in someone like Brunt slowly so that he’s up to speed by the JTW and then look to move one or two of those on. They might be more amenable to a move as their contracts are running down and if they’re looking like they don’t have much of a future here.
Whilst I appreciate the cost implications, I’d rather we had too many players than not enough.

 

[Toronto Blade fan]

I believe that the confidence in the squad is at an all time low and I don't think bringing in two-three players will really help the situation. My hopes is that some of the kids will be given first team football. Hopefully some of their swagger mixed with the new blood might revive the sinking ship.

As well, we never beat teams in the past with our speed. We beat them with our effort. I remember watching the other team after the game lying on the pitch exhausted. Now they are barely breaking a sweat. We need to bring back that work ethic and my hopes is that will come back with the confidence. UTB.

 

[bromtom]

But that enjoyable football hasn’t arrived yet at all so far this season. If anything it’s even more depressing because the performance level has (at best) remained the same as last season in a lower league.

Why is promotion unlikely for us but not West Brom and Fulham this season? Was it unlikely for Norwich and Watford last season?

I’m still hopeful that performances and enjoyment will arrive this season. I also think that promotion is still a realistic aim, in spite in the start we’ve had and the season we had previously.

Yeah, that's what I said - the new players may usher in some enjoyment, it's the completely pointless midfield that's been really letting us down for the last 12 months, now we don't have to play them.

I'd say it's unlikely for us just because of the shell shock of us getting relegated and the fashion in which we went down, having the worst ever start and finishing bottom after being in the Champions League conversation and it not being a joke for a lot of the season, we also spent a lot of money "strengthening".

West Brom and Fulham weren't awful, they were dodgy but weren't an absolute shambles, they could give people a game. We were an absolute pushover.

Watford only went down because their owner was a clown and sacked Pearson, they would probably have scraped survival, and they have some genuine quality who they kept. And Norwich fully expected to get relegated, basically going up to pay their bills, so there was no hangover.

Even if we'd kept Wilder, the hangover would have been monstrous and unlikely to be overcome, I think a new manager helps a bit - fewer reminders of how it went so wrong, but we are still totally shot and need lots of work to get us to where we were pre-covid.

It's a realistic aim for us to get promoted, we've got a good squad for this level, I just don't think we should be expecting it. It'd be a fantastic result, 10th with some momentum for next season would be a good result too (if we're ok financially next summer).

 

[Champagneblade]

Although there is some assumption that Slav would just look to replicate his Fulham approach you can find solace in these two attachments.

One is his flexibility shown at Watford, the other showing 4-3-3 hasn't been his most preferred formation anyway. I mean, he asked for new blood. He got it. Maybe not all but perhaps that's all he needs:

Watford 2014-5 - A Tactical Review | EachGameAsItComes

Looking at the fluent changes in formation used the promotion winning squad in season 2014-5 and how tactical flexibility is essential in the modern game

eachgameasitcomes.com

 

[Yogi]

Although there is some assumption that Slav would just look to replicate his Fulham approach you can find solace in these two attachments.

One is his flexibility shown at Watford, the other showing 4-3-3 hasn't been his most preferred formation anyway. I mean, he asked for new blood. He got it. Maybe not all but perhaps that's all he needs:

Watford 2014-5 - A Tactical Review | EachGameAsItComes

Looking at the fluent changes in formation used the promotion winning squad in season 2014-5 and how tactical flexibility is essential in the modern game

eachgameasitcomes.com

We definitely have the personnel to play 4-2-3-1

 

[AdamSufc1997]

Yeah and I also saw his crosses when he played out wide against Birmingham. Have you ever seen George’s pinpoint crossing we’ve been relying on, if we’re talking shit crosses, he’s no Beckham either!!! And that’s our main threat, either straight to the keeper or over everyone’s heads, but that’s ok you don’t hate George do ya, what about Norwoods Deadballs, there also Beckhamesque too, hitting the first man everytime.
But them two can be shit and not called out though as they weren’t 23 million, I forgot Brewster decided his own fee……
fuck me the torch mob are out for this kid on this forum big time, but sir Billy who is offside 9 times out of 10 and is on A Par with Aguero according to the torch mob is the answer to our problems, Get Real…..

Well they're no good either. I said on another post the other day saying the Baldock is so overrated from our fanbase. We don't have any wingers so we are stuck with players who either can't cross or won't cross first time