Selles Blades

[ThatJa]

I think this covers all bases next season...

This includes what you think of the calibre of players he will bring in, what style of play he plays and based on his past experiences.

 

[Overthehills]

On her face?!?

 

[jt64]

It's four down this season?

 

[Bladeinleeds]

There are parallels to the Slav appointment here…. New ideas into an embedded successful side

So How does Selles avoid doing a Slav?

hopefully selles being appointed now and presumably with owners who will actually let him sign some players to fit his system / ideas would help. Slav was really hung out to dry by the princes finances and given essentially an over the hill 3-5-2 squad

The reinforcements are signed quickly so that he gets a preseason with the squad (didn’t really have one at reading with the chaos, and didn’t have one with hull) to get his ideas across. A slow / poor start will have calls for his head before September. So it’s key the preseason is used to get how he wants to play across. (I’d even consider extra behind closed doors games.)

The gaps in the squad (RB, AM, CB, Wingers) are all filled with players suitable for top end championship - rather than just Bulgarian Yoots.

I Would have definitely kept wilder for this season, but given its happened I am at least cautiously curious about how it’s going to look. With the gap to the PL we may never be an established PL club so we may as well enjoy the football we’re playing.

The defensive record at Hull (4th best I believe) combined with some good attacking results including smashing us - means I can at least hope to see a style that with better players could be effective AND entertaining.

 

[loyalblade95]

There are parallels to the Slav appointment here…. New ideas into an embedded successful side

So How does Selles avoid doing a Slav?

hopefully selles being appointed now and presumably with owners who will actually let him sign some players to fit his system / ideas would help. Slav was really hung out to dry by the princes finances and given essentially an over the hill 3-5-2 squad

The reinforcements are signed quickly so that he gets a preseason with the squad (didn’t really have one at reading with the chaos, and didn’t have one with hull) to get his ideas across. A slow / poor start will have calls for his head before September. So it’s key the preseason is used to get how he wants to play across. (I’d even consider extra behind closed doors games.)

The gaps in the squad (RB, AM, CB, Wingers) are all filled with players suitable for top end championship - rather than just Bulgarian Yoots.

I Would have definitely kept wilder for this season, but given its happened I am at least cautiously curious about how it’s going to look. With the gap to the PL we may never be an established PL club so we may as well enjoy the football we’re playing.

The defensive record at Hull (4th best I believe) combined with some good attacking results including smashing us - means I can at least hope to see a style that with better players could be effective AND entertaining.

You've pointed it out saying that Slav was in effect handicapped by inheriting a squad recruited specifically for a 3-5-2 formation, which is true, his formation required wingers that we didn't have and we suffered for it.

Plus some of his signings flopped, Robin Olson made a howler 20 or so minutes into his debut, given how Wes played post Slav, makes you wonder if we might have picked up more points had he been in goal instead.

Having the financial issues that we had at the time can't have helped either, those 2 championship seasons (2021-2023) we only paid 1 permanent fee (Anel for around £3.5m), yet we still had problems with our finances and paid the price for it last season.

Given the £10m fee for Cannon in January, it appears that our new owners are willing to spend money in an effort to get promotion, so Selles should be backed financially.

Will we sell players this summer? Almost certainly, we'll never not be a selling club, regardless of division.

Out of the four players expected to gather interest from other clubs (Hamer, Souza, Anel and Peck), personally I think 2 will be sold and the other 2 will stay, which won't do too much damage to the squad.

As for recruitment, I'd hope that we can have at least 2/3 players in by the time we go on the preseason camp, and potentially 4/5 in by the York game, which would give us time to establish our system and style of play.

 

[Nick Jansky]

What absolute clown has us being relegated

 

[Davalon]

What absolute clown has us being relegated

Probably that CatterickGolf off X

 

[Bell4]

I think top 6

And I’m really excited tbh … if it fails , then , er -

I’ll buy another season ticket and enjoy the ride from there

Good luck Mr Selles - the vast vast majority are fully behind you

Oh - and thank you Mr Wilder - some amazing epic memories

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Voted play offs.

If Leicester get a heafty points deduction that would be lovely thanks

 

[SUFCinks]

Top 6. I would be surprised if we beat Wilders point total but I think we can expect some more excitement back at the lane. Hopefully.

I’m excited for this next era. We are trying to break our mould of industrious underdog.

 

[ChappyAppleBlade]

Top 6. I would be surprised if we beat Wilders point total but I think we can expect some more excitement back at the lane. Hopefully.

I’m excited for this next era. We are trying to break our mould of industrious underdog.

If we get 20 less points than last season and finish 6th but I actually enjoy watching United next season, I'll be a happy Blade.

Too many times last season, I was bored shitless by Wilderball 2.0, the lack of atmosphere in the stands at the Lane had a lot to do with the turgid football being played on the pitch.

A high pressing, aggressive team that scores more than 1 goal per game, might get the place rocking again.

 

[AdamSufc1997]

I'd take play offs again with entertaining football being played. But autos should be the main goal hopefully

 

[dexter101]

This time last year, I was hopeful we might make the play offs.

This year... I am hopeful we will make the playoffs.

Championship is a tough league, it stays competitive but for the most part, teams have peaks and troughs of form.

Even if it takes a few weeks for us to get going, I can't see us not being in the mix.

Autos I think will be taken by 2 teams coming down.

Every other team (bar the pigs ) will be also looking to strengthen and we have the relative unknowns which are Birmingham and Wrexham.

I would like us to also go deep in one of the cups. Its the thrill of the journey that it offers, however much you tell me, there is always the hope of cup success, until there isn't

 

[Cheeky Blade]

Play offs hopefully.
Autos would be an exceptional job.

 

[Rodley]

Top two or he won’t be here to see the end of the season.

He’s got a squad that finished 3rd with loads of quality for the level, he’ll be back heavily by the board to strengthen. He’s got to get automatics.

 

[utd4ever]

Top two
Brewster and Cannon to finish top scorers with 30 goals each.

 

[JD88]

Put top 6 as it would be a failure if weren't. Personally not sure what's coming, will be an interesting summer to see what type of players we fetch in and who departs and what the squad looks like at the end of the transfer window. But it is imperative for Selles he starts well or the pressure will come on very quickly, rightly or wrongly

 

[Railway Blade]

All depends what backing he is going to receive. There was something in his first interview that he said that made me a little nervous that the backing might not be that substantial or it is going to take a while for his philosophy to bed in.
When asked what the owners had said to him about their vision for the future he said something like "Right now in the division is to create a sustainable model, where we can have a team that can be really powerful and moving in the long term to have a team that we can recognise, we can be excited about the style of game that we play and obviously trying to reach the maximum level "

Perhaps I am reading too much into it but it didn't scream "we have ambitions to be in the top two or we are capable of getting promoted if we are smart about recruitment"

Perhaps he was downplaying the situation and not giving goals out that will come to bite him en el culo.

 

[luffenhamblade]

Play offs hopefully.
Autos would be an exceptional job.

Absolutely exceptional, one whole place higher than this year

 

[Cheeky Blade]

Absolutely exceptional, one whole place higher than this year

I’d have considered it exceptional if Wilder had promoted us to the Prem.

It was a good effort but one which ended in failure.

 

[ATL Recs]

Absolutely exceptional, one whole place higher than this year

What a bonker comment that is........that one whole place is worth 150 million minimum

 

[ATL Recs]

All depends what backing he is going to receive. There was something in his first interview that he said that made me a little nervous that the backing might not be that substantial or it is going to take a while for his philosophy to bed in.
When asked what the owners had said to him about their vision for the future he said something like "Right now in the division is to create a sustainable model, where we can have a team that can be really powerful and moving in the long term to have a team that we can recognise, we can be excited about the style of game that we play and obviously trying to reach the maximum level "

Perhaps I am reading too much into it but it didn't scream "we have ambitions to be in the top two or we are capable of getting promoted if we are smart about recruitment"

Perhaps he was downplaying the situation and not giving goals out that will come to bite him en el culo.

Last thing we need is selling clubs believing we have deep pockets, so it makes sense (disclaimer I did not say that I think they have deep pockets)

 

[metalblade]

Voted play off's the three relegated come down with parachute payments and will have strong squads and I expect Birmingham and Wrexham will be spending a fair amount of cash too. Overall I think next seasons division will be a lot more competitive than the one just gone.
We might lose a few of our better players this summer a lot depends on how we recruit, due to a change of direction we have missed some good players already we need to get on with things fast, then the whole squad need to learn a new way of playing. Hard to predict which way we go might struggle might do well one thing is for sure it will not be as boring as last season.

 

[luffenhamblade]

What a bonker comment that is........that one whole place is worth 150 million minimum

Absolutely but in actuality it is true. I'm assuming anything less than automatics is a failure this season then especially given the parachute payments? No pressure then.

 

[Bl4desutd]

Probably that CatterickGolf off X

Unless I see him in the flesh…..I won’t believe that he is a living human being

 

[Nick Jansky]

Absolutely but in actuality it is true. I'm assuming anything less than automatics is a failure this season then especially given the parachute payments? No pressure then.

You can assume whatever you want. You have no idea what targets the board have set.

 

[Weasel]

First.

At a canter, too.

 

[luffenhamblade]

You can assume whatever you want. You have no idea what targets the board have set.

Correct, but why would anyone set lower targets? Think that is just the wish of the anti-
Wilder brigade.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Correct, but why would anyone set lower targets? Think that is just the wish of the anti-
Wilder brigade.

They will have set whatever targets they have set. That’s between them & Selles. But we are embarking on a major overhaul of how all aspects of the club operate. This will take time and I suggest that there might be various targets beyond just league position. I think they will be happy with making the playoffs next season. But I accept that those unable to think in anything other than a linear fashion will struggle with that, and that’s fine.

That has nothing to do with anti Wilder sentiment. That would be pointless because he’s gone. It’s also a lazy thing to say. It has a lot to do with wanting to see fundamental reform and modernisation of the club, and that is likely to take more than one season.

 

[Houston_Blade]

Absolutely but in actuality it is true. I'm assuming anything less than automatics is a failure this season then especially given the parachute payments? No pressure then.

You have a perfectly valid point, apart from the fact that we’ll now likely have at best the 4th biggest wage budget in the league and if we sell the likes of Hamer and Souza then we’ll have lost a couple of our better players. But if it makes you cry less about Wilder leaving then knock yourself out.