The Legacy of Kevin Blackwell.

[Guesty]

Dronnie - congratulations on a simply magnificent opening post. Agree with every single word.

My Auntie Winnie could have good results with the side he inherited and even Steel and Jansky could have done better with the huge resources he was given.

Hard to add anything to your post other than to say Blackwell's departure was a very happy day.

Aye, I can tell by the way we've performed so wonderfully ever since.

 

[ZoneManWilf]

Id agree but we no longer have any Robson signings left at the club.

I think Blackwell during his time managed to offload most of Robsons signings but just never replaced most of them and opted to get in expensive loan players.

Robinson/Birch and ultimately McCabe should take most of the rap for both the offloading and the manner of the decisions IMO.

Blackwell's certainly not blameless in regards player recruitment, but against the backdrop of getting rid of badly aquired over-earners

 

[sitwell]

Personal view but having spoke to 3 different players ,admittedly none are now at the Lane ,Blackwell and his mangement style caused a lot of deep rooted problems at the club. Alongside his recruitment record ,he dismantled the football side of the club beyond repair. I agree with the posters above he is the car crash that damaged the club the most.

 

[Deleted member 875]

Personal view but having spoke to 3 different players ,admittedly none are now at the Lane ,Blackwell and his mangement style caused a lot of deep rooted problems at the club. Alongside his recruitment record ,he dismantled the football side of the club beyond repair. I agree with the posters above he is the car crash that damaged the club the most.

I think it is Robson who set the club back to 10 years.

This had been coming since we appointed Robson, and i think Blackwell kept it from happening sooner.

 

[sitwell]

Robson could recruit though ,admittedly with money ,he needed a motivator alongside him. We have also had some shit assistants post Warnock/Kelly. Kidd and Ellis spring to mind.
Blackwell was a good assistant but needed a boss.

 

[alcoblade]

blaming blackwell for this seasons outcome is like blaming labour for the state our country is in.

I take it that's a joke? Or do you actually blame Blackwell?

UTB

---------- Post added at 08:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:35 PM ----------

Robson could recruit though ,admittedly with money ,he needed a motivator alongside him. We have also had some shit assistants post Warnock/Kelly. Kidd and Ellis spring to mind.
Blackwell was a good assistant but needed a boss.

If you allow a window licker the ability to pay £2M per year in England's second division, they'd be able to recruit top players.


UTB

 

[Peezablade]

Dronnie - congratulations on a simply magnificent opening post. Agree with every single word.

My Auntie Winnie could have good results with the side he inherited and even Steel and Jansky could have done better with the huge resources he was given.

Hard to add anything to your post other than to say Blackwell's departure was a very happy day.

A "happy day" when blackwell left and one of the "greatest days in SUFC history" when Adams leaves. Do SUFC please you in any way at all?

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Blackwell saved us if anything. We could have been relegated to League One in the first season back in the Championship.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Responsible for shaping the squad of players that performed so fucking badly last season we finished joint bottom.

Responsible for the lunatic contracts offered to aforementioned players. Cress / Evans / Hendo to name but 3 that are crippling the club. Don't tell me he didn't negotiate the contracts. I know he didn't. But HE went to the board and asked for them to sanction the transfer fee AND the wages.

As previously mentioned, only now can we fully digest and understand the true legacy of Mr Kevin Blackwell.

 

[Grecian2000]

Well done Dronnie. A bit of perspective. Wilson has a long long way to go before I'd despise him anywhere like Mr No Bollocks himself.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Blackwell can only ever be the second worst manager of the club since he got far better results with Robsons squad than Captain Marvel ever managed.

If Robson had stayed in charge we'd have gone down 3 years sooner and with a wage bill twice the size of the one we have now.

 

[rachyblade]

I blame Rob Styles.

 

[Bergen Blade]

Very sensible comments DronnieBlade. Blackwell's continuous short term actions meant that when we failed to bounce back, it was only a matter of time before things really started going downhill. To his defence, he may well have got the sack sooner if he had gone for long term solutions, i.e. changed the playing style and tried to build a younger side.

 

[Nuttyboy]

I was talking to Ted Hemsley a couple of months ago in the Norton about our mess and why we were in it?
He told me it was down to Kevin's legacy, and he had also expressed his opinion to the board of United before they had set him on has manager, so I think he could be right! But could it be down to the badge on our shirt that's abit of a curse? When we had our original Badge upto the introduction of the cross blades (77-78), we had won the F.A. cup 4 times, League 2 & League 1 (premiership). At that time winning league 1 the top team in England played the top team of Scotland over a 2 legged match which we won against Rangers, which meant we were the best team in the United Kingdom (UK), (how the oinker's would love that now). With the cross blades all we've won is the 4th Division, don't get me wrong it was a brilliant season but it wasn't in the top 3! We could keep the cross blades as a pin badge to pin onto our shirt's. Also I do like the cross blades i'm just thinking could it be cursed? With the old badge we did also stay in the top flight between 40-42 years consecitive!

 

[DronnieBlade]

I was talking to Ted Hemsley a couple of months ago in the Norton about our mess and why we were in it?
He told me it was down to Kevin's legacy, and he had also expressed his opinion to the board of United before they had set him on has manager, so I think he could be right! But could it be down to the badge on our shirt that's abit of a curse? When we had our original Badge upto the introduction of the cross blades (77-78), we had won the F.A. cup 4 times, League 2 & League 1 (premiership). At that time winning league 1 the top team in England played the top team of Scotland over a 2 legged match which we won against Rangers, which meant we were the best team in the United Kingdom (UK), (how the oinker's would love that now). With the cross blades all we've won is the 4th Division, don't get me wrong it was a brilliant season but it wasn't in the top 3! We could keep the cross blades as a pin badge to pin onto our shirt's. Also I do like the cross blades i'm just thinking could it be cursed? With the old badge we did also stay in the top flight between 40-42 years consecitive!

Venture to suggest that Ted Hemsley is quite correct in his assessment.

The catalyst for our demise over the last 2 or so years IMHO is the appointment of Blackwell.

Not a surprise he has been out of work for 15 months and will probably never work in professional football ever again.

Even Mickey found a job straight away.

As did Carver and of course Speedos.

Why hasn't Blackwell ??

 

[Kev Gee]

The problem was that when Blackwell came in to save us from the Robson debacle he had us playing attacking football & nearly got us to the play offs. The season after was supposed to carry on were he left off. This never materialised.

 

[diplomat]

I really enjoyed watching us when he first came in.

I found an old flashing Blade that had an interview with KB just as the season after the play off final defeat was about to start. Interestingly he points out that he has reduced the age of the squad and got a younger outlook and potential sell on value citing only a couple of the squad were over 30.

I think the main issue re signings is the type of contracts we put people on at a time when McCabe kept spouting off about how football will go through a rude awakening and clubs would have to cut their cloth, someone at his club was actually signing off some of our most lucrative contracts ever. Who was that?

 

[blade too long]

He was doing ok , until the injuriies set in
If you remember we started the season after the play off final with a draw at boro a fine footballing display v watford , then another cracking game with west brom , but, then a liturgy of injuries pulled the team to bits, and we were never able to get the team right until late on when another surge took us to 8th, which we would all kill for now
I believe he had some terrible luck losing too many players, and the knee jerk to losing 3-0 to QPR , who as it transpired would do that to many more teams that season,was totally the wrong time to change direction.
He who hesitates is lost, old sayiing fitted our situation then
should have gone pre season if the plan was to make changes, or be given till december
And what we got was the uncommitted Speed, a man for no seasons

 

[broomhillblade]

I was talking to Ted Hemsley a couple of months ago in the Norton about our mess and why we were in it?
He told me it was down to Kevin's legacy, and he had also expressed his opinion to the board of United before they had set him on has manager, so I think he could be right! But could it be down to the badge on our shirt that's abit of a curse? When we had our original Badge upto the introduction of the cross blades (77-78), we had won the F.A. cup 4 times, League 2 & League 1 (premiership). At that time winning league 1 the top team in England played the top team of Scotland over a 2 legged match which we won against Rangers, which meant we were the best team in the United Kingdom (UK), (how the oinker's would love that now). With the cross blades all we've won is the 4th Division, don't get me wrong it was a brilliant season but it wasn't in the top 3! We could keep the cross blades as a pin badge to pin onto our shirt's. Also I do like the cross blades i'm just thinking could it be cursed? With the old badge we did also stay in the top flight between 40-42 years consecitive!

A bit late in the day, I know, but I've only just seen this comment.

I assume that it was made as a bit of a joke, but in fact the club rarely wore any badge on their shirts before the crossed scimitars came in. I think they added the Sheffield coat of arms for the Cup Finals, but otherwise there was no badge, and no sponsors' names or players' names on the back of the shirts.

 

[Darren]

A bit late in the day, I know, but I've only just seen this comment.

I assume that it was made as a bit of a joke, but in fact the club rarely wore any badge on their shirts before the crossed scimitars came in. I think they added the Sheffield coat of arms for the Cup Finals, but otherwise there was no badge, and no sponsors' names or players' names on the back of the shirts.

Not correct I am afraid. We definitely had the Sheffield coat of arms on the shirts for the first half of the 70's (and I pretty sure much of the 60's and it may have come in even earlier).

Here's a team photo from 1970

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=to...3&tbnw=147&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0

 

[broomhillblade]

Not correct I am afraid. We definitely had the Sheffield coat of arms on the shirts for the first half of the 70's (and I pretty sure much of the 60's and it may have come in even earlier).

Here's a team photo from 1970

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=to...3&tbnw=147&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0

I stand corrected, but the point is still true that when we were wining the league and cup finals the club did not routinely wear any badge.

 

[blade too long]

early sixties though the only thing on the shirts was sweat



as this 1961 team shows, that played in 2 FA cup semi final replays that season
and we hadnt won the cup since 1925 then too

Im going to be 60 soon , and my best day out has been at Darlington , a ground no longer in use

But who cares about shiny trinkets
When was football ever about winning
being a blade is about a capacity to suffer
hence my name

 

[Bergen Blade]

He was doing ok , until the injuriies set in
If you remember we started the season after the play off final with a draw at boro a fine footballing display v watford , then another cracking game with west brom , but, then a liturgy of injuries pulled the team to bits, and we were never able to get the team right until late on when another surge took us to 8th, which we would all kill for now
I believe he had some terrible luck losing too many players, and the knee jerk to losing 3-0 to QPR , who as it transpired would do that to many more teams that season,was totally the wrong time to change direction.
He who hesitates is lost, old sayiing fitted our situation then
should have gone pre season if the plan was to make changes, or be given till december
And what we got was the uncommitted Speed, a man for no seasons

After Robson had the players and everybody lulled to sleep, he was what we needed at the time. It's laughable if he thought he built a young squad with many players with high sell on value. His many short term fixes meant we'd start to slide eventually.

 

[blade too long]

Speed made sweeping changes , then fecked off, he in the space of 12 weeks , lost our identity, we didnt know who we were , what system we used Players were left in limbo.
There was ample quality to survive , as we showed beating Swansea on a good day, but the die had been cast, indecisiveness was to take over , felt truly sorry for Micky Adams who was left with an utter shambles of a mix and match squad, a bunch of strangers , transient mediocre players

 

[Balham]

In a way, going up this season could be disastrous. We'd still have the core of players who were shown up as being not good enough last season and the fringe players aren't pulling up trees either.

It's been said on numerous occasions but we need a complete clear out. How many of Norwich's or Southampton's promoted squad were regulars when they dropped out of the Championship?

 

[Bergen Blade]

It's been said on numerous occasions but we need a complete clear out. How many of Norwich's or Southampton's promoted squad were regulars when they dropped out of the Championship?

Good question, does anyone know? Charlton rebuilt massively this summer, and it seems to have done them good. We need to learn from those who have improved from being in our current position.

 

[blade too long]

In a way, going up this season could be disastrous.

Could never subscribe to that theory , theres always changes,and backup there we can fund them
If , sorry , when we go up, we will be ready by august 2012

again Ill point out after 16 games last season Southampton were in 10th spot and had lost 6 games
you should read some of their forums from last november
and saints had lost 0-3 at home to swindon in the jpt

 

[dkc Blade]

The real reason for our current demise is surely the playing of GCB before kick off and Tom Hark after every goal. Never was this plastic stadium corporate clap more embarasing than last night, when the kop was closed and virtually no one joined in. We've been shit ever since this bullshit was introduced.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

After Robson had the players and everybody lulled to sleep, he was what we needed at the time. It's laughable if he thought he built a young squad with many players with high sell on value. His many short term fixes meant we'd start to slide eventually.

If you look at the squad that started the season v Middlesborough, the facts actually support what Blackwell said:-

Under 30 with a resale value:-Kilgallon, Taylor, Howard, Evans, Quinn, Montgomery, France, Henderson, Cotterill, Bromby, Sharp, Reid (12)
Loans:- Bunn, Walker, Treacey (3)
Over 30:- Morgan, Little, Bennett (3)

The short-termism came in selling permanently contracted players (Naughton, Walker, Kilgallon and Bromby) and replacing them with loanees.
How much of that was down to Blackwell and how much was imposed on him by McCabe?
Bromby in particular was sold on the very last day of the transfer window and he could have provided cover for all the defensive positions.
Did Blackwell make that decision or did McCabe?

 

[Muttley]

The real reason for our current demise is surely the playing of GCB before kick off and Tom Hark after every goal. Never was this plastic stadium corporate clap more embarasing than last night, when the kop was closed and virtually no one joined in. We've been shit ever since this bullshit was introduced.

It's got bugger all to do with it, but you are right, it did start then. HARK OUT!! ;-)