The message from the board is clear: Failure is unacceptable

[Tony_Kaufman]

When they gave their statement after the play off final, they stated wanting another promotion push nxt season

No they didn't.



"Dear Blades,

There is no denying that our play-off final defeat last weekend really hurts. We all wanted to see Sheffield United return to the Premier League as quickly as possible but it was not to be on this occasion.

We congratulate Sunderland AFC on their achievement and wish them well.

The entire organisation, our staff, players, and everyone behind the scenes performed tremendously to reach Wembley in the first place. We overcame a points deduction and an injury crisis, and this spirit and resilience will continue to serve us well.

Achieving promotion from this division never comes easy but we can assure you this difficult defeat will not define us. This is a setback but it is just that: a setback. It will not deter us, dampen our enthusiasm or change our mission to bring consistent top-flight football to the city of Sheffield.

At Wembley last week we saw the beating heart of our city and hearing the noise that's propelled the team since August was something we won't forget.

Our job now as custodians of this incredible club is to regroup, reset and refocus and make sure that our setback on Saturday only serves as a catalyst to make us stronger in the future. We are all fired up to do that and confident in our plan to build a more modern and stronger club.

We will do this by continuing the forward thinking work we have already begun to address some of the foundations at the club that underpin our ability to succeed.

When we announced the takeover in December, we said we would begin work to modernise every single aspect of Sheffield United to make sure it is able to compete in the Premier League on a regular basis.

And yes we first need to get there, but once we are we want to end the cycle of boom and bust.

The reality is that football has never been more competitive and it is changing all the time. Therefore, we are working tirelessly to become stronger in the crucial area of recruitment. We will do this by using data and analytics far more effectively to recruit the best and brightest talent.

We are also moving forward with our bold ambitions to transform player welfare and medical care in a market leading way; significantly upgrade the training ground and player facilities; and continue to ensure our academy is as strong as possible.

Sheffield United has such an exciting future, and we're confident we can unlock its great potential, starting with another promotion push next season.

Finally, though last weekend didn't yield the outcome we hoped for, your loyal support through every challenge this season - whether at Middlesbrough or Plymouth, in sunshine or rain - has inspired us all. You are the heartbeat of this club, and we promise that our efforts will never cease until Sheffield United stands strong, thriving and victorious, for years to come.


Steven Rosen, Helmy Eltoukhy, Joe Russo, Len Komoroski, Terry Ahern, Pejman Nozad, Stephen Bettis"

 

[Shawy24]

Says everyone who wants Wilder out

But mine isn't a point about Wilder. Just the undeniable fact that the number one factor in determining success is financial backing.

When did I say I wanted Wilder out? Nor is my point about Wilder. My point is with playoffs third is and means nothing unless you win the playoffs.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Give it 6 months if that as I can't see a certain person keeping his gob shut after a few Peronis

Depends on whether a NDA is in place. Silence can be bought and everyone has their price.

 

[Tony_Kaufman]

Its an interesting discussion. Leeds didn't ditch Farke and went up the next season. Struggling PL teams are more likely to survive changing managers mid-season rather than keeping them.

However the American approach seems simple: 'The target is promotion, anything short of that is failure, black and white, and you will be held accountable/got rid of regardless of what's gone on before'.

You've contradicted yourself there. The American approach is to sack the manager if they fail to achieve the goal, but Leeds' American owners didn't sack Farke when he failed to achieve the goal.

So which one is it?

 

[nopigfansintown]

Automatic is not even a big ask. A few tweaks and we should piss it. We just need to have a similar window to August. It feels like people are getting their excuses in early....

 

[Railway Blade]

No they didn't.



"Dear Blades,

There is no denying that our play-off final defeat last weekend really hurts. We all wanted to see Sheffield United return to the Premier League as quickly as possible but it was not to be on this occasion.

We congratulate Sunderland AFC on their achievement and wish them well.

The entire organisation, our staff, players, and everyone behind the scenes performed tremendously to reach Wembley in the first place. We overcame a points deduction and an injury crisis, and this spirit and resilience will continue to serve us well.

Achieving promotion from this division never comes easy but we can assure you this difficult defeat will not define us. This is a setback but it is just that: a setback. It will not deter us, dampen our enthusiasm or change our mission to bring consistent top-flight football to the city of Sheffield.

At Wembley last week we saw the beating heart of our city and hearing the noise that's propelled the team since August was something we won't forget.

Our job now as custodians of this incredible club is to regroup, reset and refocus and make sure that our setback on Saturday only serves as a catalyst to make us stronger in the future. We are all fired up to do that and confident in our plan to build a more modern and stronger club.

We will do this by continuing the forward thinking work we have already begun to address some of the foundations at the club that underpin our ability to succeed.

When we announced the takeover in December, we said we would begin work to modernise every single aspect of Sheffield United to make sure it is able to compete in the Premier League on a regular basis.

And yes we first need to get there, but once we are we want to end the cycle of boom and bust.

The reality is that football has never been more competitive and it is changing all the time. Therefore, we are working tirelessly to become stronger in the crucial area of recruitment. We will do this by using data and analytics far more effectively to recruit the best and brightest talent.

We are also moving forward with our bold ambitions to transform player welfare and medical care in a market leading way; significantly upgrade the training ground and player facilities; and continue to ensure our academy is as strong as possible.

Sheffield United has such an exciting future, and we're confident we can unlock its great potential, starting with another promotion push next season.

Finally, though last weekend didn't yield the outcome we hoped for, your loyal support through every challenge this season - whether at Middlesbrough or Plymouth, in sunshine or rain - has inspired us all. You are the heartbeat of this club, and we promise that our efforts will never cease until Sheffield United stands strong, thriving and victorious, for years to come.


Steven Rosen, Helmy Eltoukhy, Joe Russo, Len Komoroski, Terry Ahern, Pejman Nozad, Stephen Bettis"

Isn't that what Shaun the Blade was alluding too ?. Or is there some semantics as to why that is not what they meant ?

 

[Nick Jansky]

Automatic is not even a big ask. A few tweaks and we should piss it. We just need to have a similar window to August. It feels like people are getting their excuses in early....

It also feels as if some are getting ready to attack the owners & manager the first chance they get.

 

[Tony_Kaufman]

Isn't that what Shaun the Blade was alluding too ?. Or is there some semantics as to why that is not what they meant ?

At no point in that statement have they said that they want another promotion push this season like Shaun claims they did. They do not say that anywhere. They refer to one day going up and staying up, but at no point do they say that has to be this coming season.

 

[luffenhamblade]

It also feels as if some are getting ready to attack the owners & manager the first chance they get.

To be fair by sacking Wilder, they are putting themselves in that position. But they know that so fair play to them.

 

[GrunkyPeep]

As harsh as it may sound, maybe the new owners have thought that every "challenge" (besides the 2 derby games), that we faced last year we lost.

Every time we needed to be on our game, we weren't. Play-off final, that week, losing to our rivals. Mentality wasn't there when we needed it.

Each time we blinked first.

It's 100% cutthroat but when Hull and Reading's balls were on the line, Selles got it done.

It could be a mentality thing and there's a small argument to be made that maybe Wilder has lost his bottle for the big moments.

 

[Nick Jansky]

To be fair by sacking Wilder, they are putting themselves in that position. But they know that so fair play to them.

Yes, they will be aware that we have some people who are terrified of change, but I strongly suspect they will recognise that for the pointless noise it is and ignore it. It will diminish over time. Now is the time to look forwards, not backwards.

 

[Railway Blade]

It also feels as if some are getting ready to attack the owners & manager the first chance they get.

Unfortunately that's the nature of it when you make a fairly polarising decision like this.

Some advocates of change will be conciliatory and accept why some are not happy with the decision.

Some will be smug and not comprehend why everyone is not immediately singing from the same hymn sheet

Some who wanted Wilder to stay will be livid and everyone mooted as a replacement will not be considered as good

Some who wanted Wilder to stay will accept the decision, realise its futile raging against the tide and hope the new man is successful.

 

[Tony_Kaufman]

Yes, they will be aware that we have some people who are terrified of change, but I strongly suspect they will recognise that for the pointless noise it is and ignore it. It will diminish over time. Now is the time to look forwards, not backwards.

It is takes three seasons to get us up but we stay up, I don't think they'd care less what fans said this summer.

 

[Railway Blade]

Sheffield United has such an exciting future, and we're confident we can unlock its great potential, starting with another promotion push next season.

At no point in that statement have they said that they want another promotion push this season like Shaun claims they did. They do not say that anywhere. They refer to one day going up and staying up, but at no point do they say that has to be this coming season.

 

[Tony_Kaufman]

My apologies. Tired brain somehow missed that despite reading it twice!

I still don't think they'll sack the new manager if they don't get us up unless the football is as dire as last season and they don't show the board that they have the potential to keep us up.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Unfortunately that's the nature of it when you make a fairly polarising decision like this.

Some advocates of change will be conciliatory and accept why some are not happy with the decision.

Some will be smug and not comprehend why everyone is not immediately singing from the same hymn sheet

Some who wanted Wilder to stay will be livid and everyone mooted as a replacement will not be considered as good

Some who wanted Wilder to stay will accept the decision, realise its futile raging against the tide and hope the new man is successful.

I did make the point last night that the current anger in some parts is understandable and forgivable given how high emotions are running right now. But it won’t be forever, and you know that some will find it impossible to move on and will develop agendas against board & manager. Which they are entitled to do, but others are equally entitled to criticise them for it. I did predict exactly this scenario when Wilder was brought back.

 

[robbiez666]

Automatic is not even a big ask. A few tweaks and we should piss it. We just need to have a similar window to August. It feels like people are getting their excuses in early....

It's so easy I wonder why we haven't done it every other year?

 

[alcoblade]

When did I say I wanted Wilder out? Nor is my point about Wilder. My point is with playoffs third is and means nothing unless you win the playoffs.

You've clearly made that point elsewhere and it's biassing your reaction to my point. We factually came third. The third place team doesn't get automatic promotion. It's not a debatable point.

 

[FMBlade1]

You've contradicted yourself there. The American approach is to sack the manager if they fail to achieve the goal, but Leeds' American owners didn't sack Farke when he failed to achieve the goal.

So which one is it?

I'm not making a statement or judgment and there are exceptions to every rule.

The OP is merely an observation on how American corporate culture may change our club culture for better or for worse.

 

[luffenhamblade]

Yes, they will be aware that we have some people who are terrified of change, but I strongly suspect they will recognise that for the pointless noise it is and ignore it. It will diminish over time. Now is the time to look forwards, not backwards.

Not sure it is about being terrified of change but absolutely agree with second half of your post.

 

[alcoblade]

Its an interesting discussion. Leeds didn't ditch Farke and went up the next season. Struggling PL teams are more likely to survive changing managers mid-season rather than keeping them.

However the American approach seems simple: 'The target is promotion, anything short of that is failure, black and white, and you will be held accountable/got rid of regardless of what's gone on before'.

I wonder if we won the FA Cup but failed to get to promotion next year whether that would lead to the manager being sacked? It may well do similar to Spurs.

It would surely be stupid to sack a championship manager who won The FA cup, but such is the drive for the riches of the premier league, who knows?

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

Can't see cw accepting a player on AI

No. And most managers or owners wouldn't buy one purely on AI and put him in the team.
It depends how against it in any shape or form he is. That could be part of the reason. Or maybe they just had a punch up in California on a night out and they sacked him. Who knows..

 

[Rodley]

However the American approach seems simple: 'The target is promotion, anything short of that is failure, black and white, and you will be held accountable/got rid of regardless of what's gone on before'.

Don’t think it’s necessarily American, but more that this is a private equity consortium and PE want a substantial return in a short period of time. The sword of Damocles is never far away.

 

[Rodley]

Automatic is not even a big ask. A few tweaks and we should piss it. We just need to have a similar window to August. It feels like people are getting their excuses in early....

I’m starting to think Mrs Selles is posting on here…

 

[Selly]

He can take us up on the lowest points tally ever if he wants, that will be the measure of success.

I'm not sure he'd get the chance. This would mean we are probably sitting in 6/7th most of the season and not accumulating a shed load of points - would he survive that?

The alternatives are a good start with a major drop off - probably gets sacked somewhere in the drop off. Or crap start and finish strongly - he probably doesn`t survive the poor start.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Don’t think it’s necessarily American, but more that this is a private equity consortium and PE want a substantial return in a short period of time. The sword of Damocles is never far away.

I’m not convinced it is a PE investment in the way that a PE outfit generally operates. It certainly doesn’t seem to bear the hallmarks of the ones I deal with on a professional basis. The acquisition doesn’t seem to have been leveraged for starters, and that’s a huge difference. Private individuals in a consortium isn’t remotely the same thing as PE.

 

[Lord Eddard Muir]

Dems da rules. Sunderland were third and promoted. Third in regular season means nothing in the Championship.

They were fourth and promoted. What are you on about

 

[vas borbokis]

But we didn’t come third. We came nowhere as a team with a lesser budget but an attacking mentality effectively pipped us to third in the playoffs.

Attacking mentality??? They were defending for their lives in all 3 play off games.
Wilder outers are just fucking mental.
Their constant barracking and criticism has helped us get rid of the best manager around to achieve promotion.
I hope the new lad does it but stop lying about Wilders capability and the Sunderland supremo. Attacking mentality my Harris!

 

[Badger Blade]

Key part of the statement for me is this:

"...modernise every single aspect of Sheffield United to make sure it is able to compete in the Premier League on a regular basis."

I'd argue that while last season wasn't a disaster (barring the second half of the PO Final) compared to what we thought could happen, to compete in the Premier League, you have to get to the Premier League and we made a mess of it. Battered Bristol City across both legs but when it came to the big game and the big moments, we bottled it and the conservative approach we'd seen all season returned.

Is having Chris Wilder in charge for the forseeable future going to allow the new owners to "modernise every single aspect of Sheffield United" or be an obstacle in terms of the playing side of things? Is Chris Wilder's approach going to change in the next 2 months or is he going to go with what he's done and known in his last 20 odd years as a coach/manager? These must be among many questions that the owners have been mulling over when it comes to the best decision for the future.

Lurching from one thing to another gets nobody anywhere - its about having a clear plan and deciding who and what can execute it and it appears that Wilder and co aren't the men for the job. He might get us up but can he keep us up and go again? History suggests otherwise.

While we won a decent number of matches last season, the football was dull and we were simply that 1% better than most of the mediocre rubbish we were up against. Leeds by comparison walked it and gave opposition teams a bloody good hiding on more than a few occasions while we've got 11 men behind the ball against Derby County.

I'm not sure signing up and comers from Botev Plovdiv in isolation is going to change too much but the rest of it from fresh tactical ideas, which we clearly lacking at times last season, signing people other than the better players from League One and having a plan besides "give it to Gus and hope he sticks it in the top corner" must surely be the way forward.

 

[vas borbokis]

Automatic is not even a big ask. A few tweaks and we should piss it. We just need to have a similar window to August. It feels like people are getting their excuses in early....

Yeah you're right.
Probably any idiot could get us up.
Much like Luton did..