1st post. The best investment the Prince can make right now

[Blade for Sale]

I write this unsure of what the Wolves match may bring on Saturday. Regardless of that result vs the pre-season favourites however I find myself as part of what seems to be a dwindling minority of fans who believe we are on the right track. The loss v Preston had a ring of the loss away to Norwich in the promotion to the Prem season under Warnock. We went into that match on a wretched run that had turned us from certainties to chokers, and although we lost, we played well enough to convince fans that we were turning it round. So it proved, we thumped Southampton next match and never looked back.

This brings me onto Crawley at home on Oct 4th, Friday night. With the transfer window shut, and seeming no more loans on the horizon, opportunities to invest our supposedly new found wealth seem scarce until Jan. In my opinion however, the best investment we can make this season would be to absolutely slash prices for the Crawley match and refund ST holders and those who have bought tickets accordingly. On top of that, stick a red and white flag on every seat, and get the Lane absolutely rocking. If this costs the club a few grand in the short term, if it inspires a victory it will be money well spent.

I am convinced we are a powder keg waiting to explode, and 1 win will apply the spark. We are a collection of talented kids (8 out of the 13 who played some part on Sat are under 25, the bench was all kids) mixed with a few old pros. We have a manager who is no fool, one of the most respected players of his generation, who came within a whisker of the Everton job and in who’s eye still burns a determination to get this right. Clearly the mix hasn’t gelled fully yet, but as fans we have to have faith that it will. One match, under the floodlights, 28k plus crowd, red and white everywhere, noise levels through the roof, and when that ball hits the net, that final whistle blows and that monkey’s off our back, watch this season click into place. If the club makes this gesture, I’m convinced the fans will back them.

COYRAWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Torrix1889]

You forgot option 3.......watch it on 'telly

 

[Ted Danson]

Well Id say our manager is a fool and a fool who lies to boot, his eyes dont burn bright, he sounds dull as dishwater and plays the dullest footy Ive seen in a long time.

The flags maybe a good idea however Id suggest not putting the red ones out and then we can all wave the white ones half way through the first half and surrender just like the players do.

As for the £3 ticket, Im away thankfully so giving me ST away anyway but Id be tempted to not go either way. I would like a refund on my ST but for the whole season!

 

[Ted Danson]

You forgot option 3.......watch it on 'telly

Its not on the telly?

 

[SwissBlade]

Better idea would be to pay off some of the shite... And Marlon King

 

[Hartley Hare]

Agreed, one win is all we need for a big boost.

HH

 

[Torrix1889]

Its not on the telly?

I know...(poking fun at Kenilworth)

 

[sheffielder]

If we lose with 28k playing as we are then expect riots

 

[Ted Danson]

Agreed, one win is all we need for a big boost.

HH

Thats nonsense, one win will probably just guarantee we're stuck with Wier which for me would be a big kick in the bollocks not a big boost.

I've never wished the blades to lose before but Im coming to the conclusion it would be for the greater good now to get spanked by both Wolves and Crawley.

 

[Darren]

The only way we will get 28,000 through the gates against Crawley is if we hand out £3 to everyone who attends. Even then half would leave as soon as they had their dosh.

 

[SotonBlade]

The only way we will get 28,000 through the gates against Crawley is if we hand out £3 to everyone who attends. Even then half would leave as soon as they had their dosh.

Ahhhh....the glass half empty of a Blades Supporter! I know the feeling well!

 

[Blade for Sale]

Thats nonsense, one win will probably just guarantee we're stuck with Wier which for me would be a big kick in the bollocks not a big boost.

I've never wished the blades to lose before but Im coming to the conclusion it would be for the greater good now to get spanked by both Wolves and Crawley.

Disagree. This is Weir's team and he has to be given enough time to mould it. Remember Bassett's 1st seaon in top flight? We were dead, gone, buried, record worst start to a top flight season by anyone ever. Hey ho, 1 win became 10 wins out of 13 and we pissed the 2nd half of the season. We will win at least 1 of the next 2 matches and then tear this league a new un.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

"The best investment the Prince can make right now"...

Give Warnock a three year contract as "Head of Football" and put in him in total control of the football side.
Allow him to choose his own manager, coaches, scouts and other backroom staff.
Give him and his manager funds to strengthen the squad with a few key loans and out of contracts immediately.
Allow him to recruit heavily again in January and pay off contracts to reduce the squad if necessary.
Don't try and impose a certain style of football on the management team that might not suit our circumstances.
Don't interfere with who he wants to sign or "help out" by persuading old mates to sign up on big contracts.
Stick to the three year plan, subject to signs of steady progress and improvement being made.

Given Warnock's proven track record of success, you can almost guarantee that we would be in a better position within weeks and a much better position by the end of three years. Review the situation again at that point.

 

[Jon Bon]

Agreed, one win is all we need for a big boost.

HH

Clean sheet = bottom one
Win = middle one
Walloping win = MASSIVE BOOST..!

 

[Ted Danson]

Disagree. This is Weir's team and he has to be given enough time to mould it. Remember Bassett's 1st seaon in top flight? We were dead, gone, buried, record worst start to a top flight season by anyone ever. Hey ho, 1 win became 10 wins out of 13 and we pissed the 2nd half of the season. We will win at least 1 of the next 2 matches and then tear this league a new un.

This is Weirs team and it has shown to be useless. I remember Basset who similar to Warnock could get players playing out of the skin and above their level, he was a man-motivator which is an essential skill for a football manager. Weir has show he is not, there seems to be clear unrest in the dressing room judging by the comments from players and the only player who looks like he wants to play is Brandy. All the rest have their heads down and look like theyd rather be elsewhere. Weir seems to be watching a very different game to what the majority of the rest of us are seeing and has no plan B. His plan A is shit too!

 

[botoble]

That bad period you talk of...had we not won 21 games out of 31 by that point in the season and only lost 8 games all season(of which we will be 2 off come saturday)...and this same manager, may have managed a couple of other clubs and led them to promotions giving at least some reassurance that he knew what he was doing, also in that bad patch we beat wednesday at hillsborough in the championship... I can hardly see how we can compare a succesful managers 6 match wobble towards the end of an amazing promotion season to a clueless inexperienced tactically inept managers inability to get one of the better teams in the division to score let alone win matches... we havnt even kept a clean sheet even though we have played a couple of relegation favourites... why is everyone so against getting rid of a man who has no experience of management and has done nothing but sign good players and make them look average at best (baxter, curvellier, brandy, taylor) and then make what was a solid back four last season into a leaky mess.

Get DW out before playoffs go from being a unlikely targert to an impossible one!

Follow up question who is better.....

anyone with a better record than:

P:10 W:1 D:2 L:7 with a team supposed to be pushing promotion!

easier question may well be who could be any worse?

 

[torridon]

Did we not win on the opening day of the season?? We didn't get a boost from that and kick on and proceed to tear this division a new un then, why should it be any different now?

 

[raul]

No little Red and White flags

 

[Rodders]

The only way we will get 28,000 through the gates against Crawley is if we hand out £3 to everyone who attends. Even then half would leave as soon as they had their dosh.

Only £3?

 

[bladeinspaceandtime]

This is Weirs team and it has shown to be useless. I remember Basset who similar to Warnock could get players playing out of the skin and above their level, he was a man-motivator which is an essential skill for a football manager. Weir has show he is not, there seems to be clear unrest in the dressing room judging by the comments from players and the only player who looks like he wants to play is Brandy. All the rest have their heads down and look like theyd rather be elsewhere. Weir seems to be watching a very different game to what the majority of the rest of us are seeing and has no plan B. His plan A is shit too!

Weir is missing the vital ingredient most succesful managers have - charisma. Unfortunately it's not something that is likely to improve if we give him more time.

 

[Blade for Sale]

Weir is missing the vital ingredient most succesful managers have - charisma. Unfortunately it's not something that is likely to improve if we give him more time.

I would consider only Pellegrini, Mourinho, Laudrup and Jol as charismatic amongst Premier League managers. I remain convinced Weir will get this right. One of the most successful managers the world has ever seen in Vicente del Bosque has all the charisma of Gordon Brown's left testicle. It helps, but it's not vital.

 

[Ted Danson]

You can get away without having charisma if you win games.

You sound far too positive? Do you work for the club?

 

[Zanzibar]

I write this unsure of what the Wolves match may bring on Saturday. Regardless of that result vs the pre-season favourites however I find myself as part of what seems to be a dwindling minority of fans who believe we are on the right track. The loss v Preston had a ring of the loss away to Norwich in the promotion to the Prem season under Warnock. We went into that match on a wretched run that had turned us from certainties to chokers, and although we lost, we played well enough to convince fans that we were turning it round. So it proved, we thumped Southampton next match and never looked back.

This brings me onto Crawley at home on Oct 4th, Friday night. With the transfer window shut, and seeming no more loans on the horizon, opportunities to invest our supposedly new found wealth seem scarce until Jan. In my opinion however, the best investment we can make this season would be to absolutely slash prices for the Crawley match and refund ST holders and those who have bought tickets accordingly. On top of that, stick a red and white flag on every seat, and get the Lane absolutely rocking. If this costs the club a few grand in the short term, if it inspires a victory it will be money well spent.

I am convinced we are a powder keg waiting to explode, and 1 win will apply the spark. We are a collection of talented kids (8 out of the 13 who played some part on Sat are under 25, the bench was all kids) mixed with a few old pros. We have a manager who is no fool, one of the most respected players of his generation, who came within a whisker of the Everton job and in who’s eye still burns a determination to get this right. Clearly the mix hasn’t gelled fully yet, but as fans we have to have faith that it will. One match, under the floodlights, 28k plus crowd, red and white everywhere, noise levels through the roof, and when that ball hits the net, that final whistle blows and that monkey’s off our back, watch this season click into place. If the club makes this gesture, I’m convinced the fans will back them.

COYRAWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Came within a whisper of the Everton job?.....Really.
Any evidence for that.

 

[Menjo]

It's not Weir's lack of charisma that bothers me, it's his obvious lack of man management and motivational skills. Something's clearly wrong and hangs like a malaise over the team and the fans. I've been told that he's aloof and Carsley treats the players like s..t. Worryingly some of the players don't like Weir's style of football, now I wonder who they could be? Unfortunately at least one of them is playing in the current side. No wonder he's lost the dressing room!

 

[Blade for Sale]

Came within a whisper of the Everton job?.....Really.
Any evidence for that.

I work with an Everton fan who knows quite a few people in the club, he made the Everton shortlist and impressed their board. Ok maybe within a whisker is stretching it but my point remains the same, he's clearly intelligent, articulate and widely knowledgable, has massive playing experience and is well connected. It's not gone great for him so far but I think he is turning it round, I think his team will gel and I think he will be a success.

 

[oldblade]

Agreed, one win is all we need for a big boost.

HH

We've already had one win. I know it seems a long time ago, but it was this season. Didn't seem to inspire us much.

 

[brownie4583]

I reckon the best investment the prince can make now is to sack DW,pay him off,and then hire an experienced manager who knows how to spend money!
We could employ any manager who is willing to take the job on.
I believe sacking DW would have an immediate effect on the team and we would see a vast improvement straight away reverting back to 4-4-2

 

[Newbury Blade]

The best manager we ever had, John Harris, had no charisma. In the age of Clough, Allison, etc he resembled the owner of a small tobacconist's shop. His teams (Jones, Birchenall, Woodward, Currie, Badger, Hockey) had the magic and he was content to let them do the talking.

 

[metalblade]

I stopped reading when the OP said "the manager was no fool"

 

[bartman]

It's not Weir's lack of charisma that bothers me, it's his obvious lack of man management and motivational skills. Something's clearly wrong and hangs like a malaise over the team and the fans. I've been told that he's aloof and Carsley treats the players like s..t. Worryingly some of the players don't like Weir's style of football, now I wonder who they could be? Unfortunately at least one of them is playing in the current side. No wonder he's lost the dressing room!

Really? Who has told you this or are you just guessing?

I was speaking to a partner of one of the players the other day and whilst confidence is very low ,and some players are finding it difficult to adapt(which obviously is down to the manager and the players he has brought in) I was told that the players have total respect for the manager and they understand and believe what he is trying to do. Apparantly it is the younger squad players who are struggling confidence wise rather than the senior players.They are frustrated and angry with what is happening and strong words were had in the dressing room after the Carlisle match mainly led by senior players but the discussions were around how to improve and not a stand up row.I would point out however that it is a work environment and sometimes employees do fall out with their manager.

Basically I was told that he hasn't lost the dressing room and it certainly sounded like the players want to do what Weir asks, but many of them don't have the belief at the moment they can do it. Again the manager should spot this and adapt accordingly.

I did not ask about Carsley so I can't comment on that.

My own view is that this cannot go on much longer and no points out of the next two games will surely mean something has to change at management level