Positive future?

[Borbokisfreekick]

This is one of my first posts on here, so be kind!

Anyhow, given the season we're having, and add into that its our 3rd year in the 3rd tier (even Leeds got out after 3 seasons) it is easy to have the usual downbeat outlook.

However behind the scenes we may be starting to put in some great foundations for the future. Not since 2006 has the club looked as stable off the field. Obviously the Prince's supposed funds have helped, however, i think its more down to the personnel being put in place.

In the 2005-2006 promotion season we had a manager in Warnock who had been in place for 6 years, a Chairman who had been there the same amount of time, more importantly McCabe was quiet then and we rarely heard from him, Ron Reid was running the Academy and the unsung hero - Derek Dooley was running the club on a day to day basis. We had a consistent team running the club and it was no coincidence that lead to promotion. I also don't think its any coincidence that the wheels started to fall off once Dooley retired.

Since Dooley retired, McCabe got more involved. That was also probably due to us being in the Premier League and him courting the limelight. But we've also had a succession of terrible CEO's in Robinson, Burch, and Winter. Any business that has that amount of changes at the executive level in 7 years is going to be in trouble.

Additionally we've had a number of different Academy managers, plus the countless managers.

I think we are now in a position to have some real consistency at the club. Nigel Clough has a history of sticking around, he also now as a CEO/Managing Director in Malachy Brannigan that he has previously worked with and also has a great relationship with. We have Nick Cox running the Academy - he is truly respected throughout the game, and he worked wonders at Watford. Add into the mix the Prince and his directors in Phipps and Baki, then we could have a great team running the club. I also think McCabe will become more quiet and work in the background now that the Prince is on board. McCabe has plenty of critics, but I do believe he does his best work for the club when he isn't in the limelight and away from making football related decisions.

Call me an optimist (there has to be some of us Blades that are!), but if we can just survive this season, we could be in for an exciting few years, provided we keep the consistency of the above staff members. Fergie kept pretty much the same staff for 26 years at Old Trafford with only one change in CEO - it seemed to work for him!

 

[cahill]

Pretty optimistic all that, hope you're right. Welcome to the board. Do you work for the club ?

 

[Bulletnut]

Is the Prince Sam/Samantha Hashimi in his/her latest guise?

We look like a relegation team, there's no evidence of any investment in a woeful squad and you think we're in great shape off the pitch? Hmm, you do work for the club don't you Sam......or should that be Samantha

 

[Borbokisfreekick]

Ha ha, I don't work for the club, wish I did.

I'm not saying we don't have a poor team and are not in a relegation battle. What I'm highlighting is that we seem to finally have a good management structure off the field which we haven't had since 2006. Consistency at all levels of the club is key - in any business that's vital.

If we can hopefully stay up this season and get some of this 'investment' we're supposed to have then we could be in a great position moving forward.

 

[dingledog]

My heart likes your post. My head though, based on more than fifty years of this rubbish tells me different.

 

[Borbokisfreekick]

Same here to be fair, but we've got to start somewhere. We've pretty much hit rock bottom (without getting relegated). I know we could still go down, but we've got to be positive the only way is up! Southampton recovered from where we were and worse.

 

[Lane Ender]

My heart likes your post. My head though, based on more than fifty years of this rubbish tells me different.

It hasn't all been rubbish we've had some great days and nights down at the Lane.

I've put the same time as you we've seen it all before haven't we?
There was a lot of positives from yesterday and I personally think we will stay up.

 

[Kev Gee]

I really hope your right.
If we go down though then the prince could walk away & then we really would be in the doo-doo.

 

[ShefRedandWhite]

Great post! We have an awful squad and place in the table due to the gamble on Weir, as he was allowed to sign players and then did nothing. How people can expect Clough to come in and work wonders another guys team? One which was lacking in morale, confidence, aggression, passion, and arguably fitness.
The battle is undeniably to stay up.

But should we stay up, I'd say things are looking bright. The base hasn't yet been built for this coming reign, and I dare say it cannot be done in a January transfer window where you cannot look any further than avoiding relegation. The foundations will be set in summer, and I trust Clough and his staff with the backing of the prince to do this well. Till then all we can do is support the lads and hope we bring in a few players (be it longer or short term) that can contribute to keeping us up.

 

[MillBlade]

Great performance lot's of positives Bradford were very physical and we didn't deal with it but we are getting better game by game. Higher tempo fully support NC

 

[axel smeets]

I really hope your right.
If we go down though then the prince could walk away & then we really would be in the doo-doo.

I would suggest that we would not be that much worse off. Have we actually seen any of his money? If he's got any, knowing the team in the condition it is in, why have 2 new strikers not been signed up? I fear we have been sold up the creek yet again.

 

[Menjo]

Don't think for one minute this is David Weir's team it isn't, There are currently three players playing or who are involved on match days, Baxter, McGinn and Coady. The rest are a hotch potch of signings from the Micky Adams and Danny Wilson days.Most of those players were awful when they arrived and as they get older they get worse, The only improvements I have seen have been from Flynn who couldn't get any worse and Murphy, Sadly the fear of relegation is beginning to haunt the club and I fear the only way might just be down.

 

[ghandi]

This is one of my first posts on here, so be kind!

Anyhow, given the season we're having, and add into that its our 3rd year in the 3rd tier (even Leeds got out after 3 seasons) it is easy to have the usual downbeat outlook.

However behind the scenes we may be starting to put in some great foundations for the future. Not since 2006 has the club looked as stable off the field. Obviously the Prince's supposed funds have helped, however, i think its more down to the personnel being put in place.

In the 2005-2006 promotion season we had a manager in Warnock who had been in place for 6 years, a Chairman who had been there the same amount of time, more importantly McCabe was quiet then and we rarely heard from him, Ron Reid was running the Academy and the unsung hero - Derek Dooley was running the club on a day to day basis. We had a consistent team running the club and it was no coincidence that lead to promotion. I also don't think its any coincidence that the wheels started to fall off once Dooley retired.

Since Dooley retired, McCabe got more involved. That was also probably due to us being in the Premier League and him courting the limelight. But we've also had a succession of terrible CEO's in Robinson, Burch, and Winter. Any business that has that amount of changes at the executive level in 7 years is going to be in trouble.

Additionally we've had a number of different Academy managers, plus the countless managers.

I think we are now in a position to have some real consistency at the club. Nigel Clough has a history of sticking around, he also now as a CEO/Managing Director in Malachy Brannigan that he has previously worked with and also has a great relationship with. We have Nick Cox running the Academy - he is truly respected throughout the game, and he worked wonders at Watford. Add into the mix the Prince and his directors in Phipps and Baki, then we could have a great team running the club. I also think McCabe will become more quiet and work in the background now that the Prince is on board. McCabe has plenty of critics, but I do believe he does his best work for the club when he isn't in the limelight and away from making football related decisions.

Call me an optimist (there has to be some of us Blades that are!), but if we can just survive this season, we could be in for an exciting few years, provided we keep the consistency of the above staff members. Fergie kept pretty much the same staff for 26 years at Old Trafford with only one change in CEO - it seemed to work for him!

Derek Dooley being the football club chairman had fuck all to do with the relative success we achieved or failures and he remained a pig fan until the day he died. I didn't have much time for him despite his cannonisation to sainthood by some blades.

 

[blader]

Positive future, optimism and sheffield united all in the same post?

 

[Foxy]

Derek Dooley being the football club chairman had fuck all to do with the relative success we achieved or failures and he remained a pig fan until the day he died. I didn't have much time for him despite his cannonisation to sainthood by some blades.

And how much did you see of the day to day work the man did?

 

[ghandi]

And how much did you see of the day to day work the man did?

As much as I need to form my opinion and with times I heard him talk at shareholder meetings from the days of Brealey through to the current chairman with his blinkered opinion towards the supporters and how he lorded in being a part of the club's heirarchy. How much financial investment did he put into the club as directors usually do? Absolutely nothing I held more shares than him so why was he on the board when anyone else had to invest to gain a seat on the board........based totally on the myth that the bloke that once sold the raffle tickets for us , and played and managed the pigs had something vital to offer. LIke I said previously you can swallow all the horseshit you want about Dooley my opinion is based on my personal experiences.

 

[broomhillblade]

My heart likes your post. My head though, based on more than fifty years of this rubbish tells me different.

That's odd - I must have dreamed those years in the old First Division and the Premiership. Agana and Deane and all that jazz...

 

[broomhillblade]

Derek Dooley being the football club chairman had fuck all to do with the relative success we achieved or failures and he remained a pig fan until the day he died. I didn't have much time for him despite his cannonisation to sainthood by some blades.

Complete and utter rubbish!

 

[Foxy]

As much as I need to form my opinion and with times I heard him talk at shareholder meetings from the days of Brealey through to the current chairman with his blinkered opinion towards the supporters and how he lorded in being a part of the club's heirarchy. How much financial investment did he put into the club as directors usually do? Absolutely nothing I held more shares than him so why was he on the board when anyone else had to invest to gain a seat on the board........based totally on the myth that the bloke that once sold the raffle tickets for us , and played and managed the pigs had something vital to offer. LIke I said previously you can swallow all the horseshit you want about Dooley my opinion is based on my personal experiences.

From the tone of your original message and this one, it's probably a little pointless going into my "horseshit" isn't it really?

*shakes head*

 

[ghandi]

Complete and utter rubbish!

Oh dear I appear to have upset one of the pilgrims on his way to pay homage at the shrine of St Derek of Pigsboro.

 

[ghandi]

From the tone of your original message and this one, it's probably a little pointless going into my "horseshit" isn't it really?

*shakes head*

Probably yes....my personal experiences have led to my opinion of him and I'm very unlikely to change it but if you feel the inclination ........go ahead.

 

[Bladesman]

I agree to a point we do need stability throughout the club because trouble at the top causes unrest at the bottom. Clough needs to be able to have a good relationship with everyone at the club.

All we have done over recent seasons is shuffle the deck chairs at the first sign of danger and we still end up sinking anyway.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Derek Dooley being the football club chairman had fuck all to do with the relative success we achieved or failures and he remained a pig fan until the day he died. I didn't have much time for him despite his cannonisation to sainthood by some blades.

I don't think anyone should be exempt from criticism, but the accompanying tone of your post means that in attempting to demonise DD you're really no better than those you accuse of canonising the man.

There are a few people associated with SUFC that have a special place in the hearts of supporters. This will always be the case, whether you like it or not. You sound like a guy who doesn't care what other's think, fair play if you're happy to act like an ambassador for that small group of anti-Dooley activists whose numbers appear to amount to a grand total of one.

 

[sitwell]

I didn't care for Dooley very much ,even less so some members of his family and can never understand how it is possible to swap your allegiances as an adult to another club ,but he certainly served a purpose at the Lane when he was a go-between, between the manager and board and the fans to a certain extent. I definitely don't agree with a major Sheffield road being named after him or his statue in the car park. Bit like the Jess stand...wtf is that about ?

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

What we really need is a Jostein Flo statue. Complete with wankers-wrist bandage.

To the original question...no idea. Ask me again in about 12 days time.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Derek Dooley being the football club chairman had fuck all to do with the relative success we achieved or failures and he remained a pig fan until the day he died. I didn't have much time for him despite his cannonisation to sainthood by some blades.

Call the current players wankers or whatever, have a go at the board/management [past and present], even have a dig at me but Dooley was a football man from the old school, no doubt we have gone backwards since he left.

He was a gent and one who deserves respect.

RIP Derek

 

[Borbokisfreekick]

Call the current players wankers or whatever, have a go at the board/management [past and present], even have a dig at me but Dooley was a football man from the old school, no doubt we have gone backwards since he left.

He was a gent and one who deserves respect.

RIP Derek

Derek Dooley being the football club chairman had fuck all to do with the relative success we achieved or failures and he remained a pig fan until the day he died. I didn't have much time for him despite his cannonisation to sainthood by some blades.

Some of the rubbish our fans come out with never cease to amaze me.

Dooley was a football man, who whilst at the Lane as football club chairman brought a great deal of stability. He made good football related decisions, was a good sounding board for Warnock. It's no coincidence that our most successful time in recent history was when he was at the club. Correct - he wasn't the sole reason, but he definitely helped. To bring up his Wednesday connections is ridiculous, I'm pretty sure the feelings he had for them ended when they sacked him on Christmas eve!

 

[JohnDenver]

Dooley was a football man, who whilst at the Lane as football club chairman brought a great deal of stability. He made good football related decisions, was a good sounding board

That may be true, but does it warrant a statue? Personally I think it's a reflection of McCabe's friendship above all else.

Now this bloke probably deserves a statue at Southampton but won't get one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicola_Cortese

 

[Borbokisfreekick]

I'm not sure it does warrant a statue, maybe it warrants a statue more than Jessica Ennis having a stand named after her!

Statues are thrown up at a lot of clubs, I personally think they should be for players or managers with true legendary status that have made a real contribution to a clubs history, but that's a topic for another day.

Dooley does at least deserve the respect of every United fan, regardless of any past Wednesday connection.

Unfortunately some our fans are an unforgiving bunch.

 

[ghandi]

Call the current players wankers or whatever, have a go at the board/management [past and present], even have a dig at me but Dooley was a football man from the old school, no doubt we have gone backwards since he left.

He was a gent and one who deserves respect.

RIP Derek

Doesn't deserve any respect from me and nobody is exempt from criticism even less by trying to justify it with a meaningless cliche.