Mid-Table Mediocrity

[KMC-1889]

There is nobody higher up the chain than Wilder who actually has enough football knowledge to say that to him.

Which is one of the club's biggest problems.

Add to the fact that everyone time someone does something positive or replaces wilder there’s a peasants revolt.

Pitchforks where sharpened the entire time Hecky was in charge and they didn’t wasn’t any time going for Selles.

 

[MojoMuffin]

The nothing season isn't my biggest concern.

It's the nothing games that are starting to turn our nothing season into a something season at the wrong end.

All good and well looking at the squad on paper but this is the Championship. The likes of Leicester and Southampton have a great squad on paper but it's Millwall, Hull and Preston currently in the play-offs, whilst we (and them) languish in the bottom half of the table.

I don't think we'll go down at all, next season is the one I'm worried about. No parachute payments, mid/lower table Championship revenue, ownership rumours and the inevitable sale of valuable players. Chris has the skillset to steady us with the free market/low fees but there's big question marks if he'll be in charge. Huge two seasons coming up.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Fans are definitely struggling to adapt with this being a nothing season. The more positive fans are trying to tell themselves we can get top 6, the more negative ones are saying we might go down. I think it's just a way of trying to make it interesting. I actually think we'll lose the next 2 and we can have a bit of a panic so we should enjoy that

Yes, there’s still a big chunk of the season for us to be mediocre in…We need to keep the delusion going just a little longer.

 

[CaptainMorgans]

I don't think we'll go down at all, next season is the one I'm worried about. No parachute payments, mid/lower table Championship revenue, ownership rumours and the inevitable sale of valuable players. Chris has the skillset to steady us with the free market/low fees but there's big question marks if he'll be in charge. Huge two seasons coming up.

Therein lies my identical thinking.

It's not the sexy / ambitious option to stick... but sacking Wilder in the circumstances described (whilst also having little-to-no football intelligence above the coaching staff and an underperforming recruitment dept) would be a potential recipe for disaster.

I described elsewhere that we're probably heading for some boring years floating around midtable (PNE, Stoke, WBA of recent times) and we might have to accept that as our fate until we get better owners with more of a footballing plan.

COH continues to disappoint.

 

[wadblade]

Yeah I'm beginning to think the playoffs might not happen this season.

Our strongest 11 will easily go toe to toe with any team in the division but either injuries or Wilder consistently prevent that from happening. Our last 4 losses are all games we should and could have won. We bottled the Preston game and simply didn't turn up against Derby.

18 points thrown away! We should have got at least 12 from them but the fact we've managed 0 is the story of the season. I feel like we'll do well to get 4 from the next 4 games

RE 'or Wilder consistently prevent that from happening' for gods sake how ungrateful

 

[HackeyBlade]

Does anyone even want to go up? Let's say by some miracle we manage to sneak into the playoffs and win at Wembley can you honestly name a single player in this squad good enough to play in the Premiership? We made ourselves look like twats last time and this squad would get battered by the squad we had then

 

[programmechap]

This is our record in the 2nd tier since the playoffs began in 1986-7:

Automatic promotion: four times
Playoff place: 7 times (no promotions of course)
Top 10 but not in playoffs: 9 times
Bottom half, not relegated: twice
Relegated: twice

Nothing seasons are very, very rare for us.

Of course the play offs dramatically reduce the number of nothing seasons for all clubs as you generally have most of the top half with a play off chance deep into April.

 

[Lane Ender]

I don't get all the negativity after a couple of games where we've been severely weakened by suspensions and injuries. We most likely would have won the last 2 games if Soumare and Tanganga were'nt sent off. All if's and but's I know. Our first 11 are far better than our current position and we will climb the table when the squad is back to a full complement. Talk of relegation is rediculous.

Cooper
Seriki
Tanganga
Bindon
Mee
McCallum
Burrows
Brooks
Riedewald
Peck
O'Hare
Hamer
Bamford
T Davies

All the above with some additions are not relegation material.

Not one of those players are Premier class don’t kid di sen on

 

[Boroblade1889]

Weird innit…..when we were marooned in L1, I dreamt of Championship mid table mediocrity……now though…

 

[SUFC Guy]

Not one of those players are Premier class don’t kid di sen on

They don't need to be to get there

 

[diode_blade]

Now that our vain hopes of gate-crashing the playoffs are all but over, we can now concentrate on the cup……Doh!

Yes, it's in the kitchen with a tea bag in it.
Good shout.

 

[Geordie Blade]

Fans are definitely struggling to adapt with this being a nothing season. The more positive fans are trying to tell themselves we can get top 6, the more negative ones are saying we might go down. I think it's just a way of trying to make it interesting. I actually think we'll lose the next 2 and we can have a bit of a panic so we should enjoy that

This is exactly what the play offs were designed for. When it was just three automatic places, seasons were over by January. With sixth place being meningful, it means that there is 'still a chance' deep into the season even for the most mediocre teams. I think that last season, every team in the Champsionship apart from Swansea and Wednesday still had something to play for with four games left. This was the position going into Easter weekend.

 

[Lane Ender]

They don't need to be to get there

Over half of those aren’t top end Championship though

 

[SUFC Guy]

Over half of those aren’t top end Championship though

They don't need to be

 

[UddersBlade]

I’m reconciled with mid to top half Championship for a few seasons. Probably because like a few I’ve seen a lot of ups & downs over 45 years watching the Blades. Prem season 19/20 was fun until Covid came - but aside from that it has been dreadful.

I’m also happy to see what Wilder can do with a tight budget & wheeling / dealing again - which for me is what he is best at.

 

[ancientblade]

I’m reconciled with mid to top half Championship for a few seasons. Probably because like a few I’ve seen a lot of ups & downs over 45 years watching the Blades. Prem season 19/20 was fun until Covid came - but aside from that it has been dreadful.

I’m also happy to see what Wilder can do with a tight budget & wheeling / dealing again - which for me is what he is best at.

yes you could be right with that last statement udders its a cert wilder cant be trusted with real money but im still 50/50 with him staying in the job know selles was a disaster but cant help thinking we need a younger more progressive manager

 

[Silent Blade]

I’m fairly confident Oxford are down, for me it’s straight shoot out between Blackburn, Pompey, WBA and us.

Why not Charlton?

 

[TJ blade]

Why not Charlton?

Charlton as well

 

[David Wheatley]

yes you could be right with that last statement udders its a cert wilder cant be trusted with real money but im still 50/50 with him staying in the job know selles was a disaster but cant help thinking we need a younger more progressive manager

Knill needs to go too

 

[Blade56]

This isn't something we are used to. It's really boring isn't it.

Going back to 2002/03, we've always been in a promotion battle, or PL, apart from a couple of seasons.

• 2002/03 - 3rd CH - Play Off Final
• 2003/04 - 8th CH - 6pts off PO
• 2004/05 - 8th CH - 6pts off PO
• 2005/06 - 2nd CH - Promotion to PL
• 2006/07 - PL - Relegated
• 2007/08 - 9th CH - 4pts off PO
• 2008/09 - 3rd CH - Play Off Final
• 2009/10 - 9th CH - 5pts off PO
• 2010/11 - 23rd CH - Relegated to League 1
• 2011/12 - 3rd L1 - Play Off Final
• 2012/13 - 5th L1 - Play Off SF
• 2013/14 - 7th L1 - 7pts off PO
• 2014/15 - 5th L1 - Play Off SF
• 2015/16 - 11th L1 - ADKINS !!! - 8pts of PO
• 2016/17 - League 1 Champions - Promoted to Championship
• 2017/18 - 10th CH - 6pts off PO
• 2018/19 - 2nd CH - Promoted to PL
• 2019/20 - 9th Premier League
• 2020/21 - 20th PL - Relegated to Championship
• 2021/22 - 5th CH - Play Off SF
• 2022/23 - 2nd CH - Promoted to PL
• 2023/24 - 20th PL - Relegated to Championship
• 2024/25 - 3rd CH - Play Off Final

We're just not used to not being involved in Promotion/Relegation fights

I don’t think 4pts above drop zone is mid table mediocrity

 

[MKY]

We could well be back in the bottom 3 after the next 3 games.

 

[VictoryBlade]

I don't get all the negativity after a couple of games where we've been severely weakened by suspensions and injuries. We most likely would have won the last 2 games if Soumare and Tanganga were'nt sent off. All if's and but's I know. Our first 11 are far better than our current position and we will climb the table when the squad is back to a full complement. Talk of relegation is rediculous.

Cooper
Seriki
Tanganga
Bindon
Mee
McCallum
Burrows
Brooks
Riedewald
Peck
O'Hare
Hamer
Bamford
T Davies

All the above with some additions are not relegation material.

As Wilder lets us sleepwalk into relegation! lol

 

[Bartleby]

The nothing season isn't my biggest concern.

It's the nothing games that are starting to turn our nothing season into a something season at the wrong end.

All good and well looking at the squad on paper but this is the Championship. The likes of Leicester and Southampton have a great squad on paper but it's Millwall, Hull and Preston currently in the play-offs, whilst we (and them) languish in the bottom half of the table.

I don't think we'll go down at all, next season is the one I'm worried about. No parachute payments, mid/lower table Championship revenue, ownership rumours and the inevitable sale of valuable players. Chris has the skillset to steady us with the free market/low fees but there's big question marks if he'll be in charge. Huge two seasons coming up.

 

[Cheets]

Fans are definitely struggling to adapt with this being a nothing season. The more positive fans are trying to tell themselves we can get top 6, the more negative ones are saying we might go down. I think it's just a way of trying to make it interesting. I actually think we'll lose the next 2 and we can have a bit of a panic so we should enjoy that

Can't wait!

 

[Lane Ender]

View attachment 229605

That quote tickled me

 

[CaptainMorgans]

Does anyone even want to go up? Let's say by some miracle we manage to sneak into the playoffs and win at Wembley can you honestly name a single player in this squad good enough to play in the Premiership? We made ourselves look like twats last time and this squad would get battered by the squad we had then

It sucks the year we're there, but it sets us up for a promotion challenge (or 2) when the inevitable happens.

There's also the possibility that the money helps us move forward off the field (stadium, training ground, academy) and it enables fun things to happen like witnessing Gibbs-White, Hamer, McAtee etc. in a Blade shirt.

Added to that, maybe we attract new investment that completely changes things.

So, yes. 100% I want us to be promoted.

 

[The Crab]

Realistically though, we are going to be too good for that.

We might get sucked into it a little bit this month, but we'll be back well away from it by March.

That is, unless we have a major injury crisis and sell the few decent players we have in the next week or so.

I feel the same as your first paragraph, but either scenario is entirely possible.

After last season I felt another play off push would be the worst case scenario.

I even at the time felt that Selles wasn’t an unreasonable appointment at the time and supported it on here. Backed by a new ambitious board, what could possibly go wrong?

Well, pretty much everything, and I was catastrophically wrong.

Our recent upturn in form had me hoping that at last we were reaching our base line, that we could kick on.

Instead, we have the most uncharacteristically Wilder side I’ve ever seen.

The only triers are so poor as players that 100 percent of not very much is not very much.

I really cannot see any potential manager who can sort this whole mess out, or any manager who would even want to.

Outfight, outrun, out play? I wish. We are none of those.

The culture hasn’t been carried, it’s buggered off.