The Big Spending Obsession

[Barney]

For the record - Bournmouth LOST £5 million getting out of this division.

Yeovil played a magnificent style with limited resources - look at them now - overspent also.

Doncaster - yes, some teams do that and this season could see 3 more Burton/Walsall and Gillingham. Always feasible as no one is stepping out.

January/feb/March may sort them out and we might, just might sign some in the JTW.

UTB

Don't know what your point is here other than to reinforce my point.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Not necessarily numbers but they've both got more quality (and finances). I think Coventry have recruited wisely.

they have a decent, no nonsense manager. Counts for a lot at this level.

UTB

 

[judge]

For the record - Bournmouth LOST £5 million getting out of this division.

Yeovil played a magnificent style with limited resources - look at them now - overspent also.

Doncaster - yes, some teams do that and this season could see 3 more Burton/Walsall and Gillingham. Always feasible as no one is stepping out.

January/feb/March may sort them out and we might, just might sign some in the JTW.

UTB

we are losing that every year to stay in it

 

[robbiez666]

we will look 25% better when a fit Brayfords back up and running as it w ill give us better balance
Dones presence has already took a lot of pressure off the defence as he keeps the opposition busy
Brayford will bring a greater calmness

Better, but I doubt by that much. He wasn't that much better than Freeman or Flynn there last season. The problem is that we're unlikely to see the same Brayford as the loan spell as he doesn't have the players around him to be as free-roaming as before.

I got roundly slagged-off for questioning his signing at the time and I still think it was ridiculous to spend that much money on a fullback if we didn't have the funds to strengthen other much more important areas.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Although this league is incredibly poor, if Gillingham can open up a 6 point gap on us after 11 games, then it's anyone's guess how large that gap will be by January.

The crazy thing about all this , we still could get automatic promotion or play offs at least . This league is wide open from top to bottom, and although we look very poor ( understatement ) , at some point , so do all the other clubs with the topsy turvey results week in week out.

UTB

 

[Deleted member 875]

Here is a revolutionary theory.

We have spent years bemoaning the sales of our best players to internationally renowned clubs with massive global fan bases such as Reading, Brighton, Hull City, Wolves and Blackburn a Rovers.

They take the best players from the teams who are below them in the food chain and develop them in to better players and build teams round them. Some players don't work, but more often than not most players improve and develop.

Apart from Che Adams and Kieron Wallace when was the last time we bought someone with potential, and someone who was the best player from a team who have been below us in the food chain. Not that I have seen him play but I think Aaron Pierre from Wycombe would have an ideal signing, young, highly rated, plays in a position where we are crying out for reinforcements.......

 

[Silent Blade]

Not that I have seen him play but I think Aaron Pierre from Wycombe would have an ideal signing, young, highly rated, plays in a position where we are crying out for reinforcements.......

You think our scouts are not aware of Aaron Pierre? You say you have not seen him play but why do you think we should sign him?

 

[alcoblade]

Yeah it's a little misleading, the point was more the perceived 'big name from a bigger league' rather than big money.

I know we discussed this last season and you made a big point of not spending money, my point then, as it is now is that we need to focus on the quality rather than the price or the name/ reputation.

Some will say that we spent big on Brayford and yes we did, Jim didn't help by pouring fuel on the fire say it was deal more than 1.5- 2million. The point with Brayford was that he was/ is reliable and quality.

I'd like to see the focus being on the long term players... Even if it's players we'll eventually sell for a profit, because we know that's going to happen. Just as long as we replacement properly before we sell for big money

Given that we appear to be short on the cash front, spending so much money on Brayford was another disastrous deal.

UTB

 

[alcoblade]

You think our scouts are not aware of Aaron Pierre? You say you have not seen him play but why do you think we should sign him?

We do seem to chase players from above, inevitably ending up with the ones who aren't good enough for it, and seemingly often not good enough for this league either.

I'd be going for players on the up, from below, every time.

UTB

 

[Silent Blade]

We do seem to chase players from above, inevitably ending up with the ones who aren't good enough for it, and seemingly often not good enough for this league either.

I'd be going for players on the up, from below, every time.

UTB

I agree with this but our scouts probably know a lot about Aaron Pierre before brownie first saw his name or heard of him

 

[SwissBlade]

I agree with this but our scouts probably know a lot about Aaron Pierre before brownie first saw his name or heard of him

We don't have infinite scouting resources though, so if we're focussed on getting players on loan from the top two divisions there's a chance that we might not have had Wycombe at the top of our list to scout given that we've scouted Scotland and Ilkeston more recently.

Perhaps though our scouting network needs looking at...

 

[Silent Blade]

Perhaps though our scouting network needs looking at...

Scouting network for this season or from the last few years?

 

[Barney]

I agree with this but our scouts probably know a lot about Aaron Pierre before brownie first saw his name or heard of him

If they are as aware of all the young, up and coming talent as the fans are, why did they ignore that knowledge and opt for 3 poor (Sharp aside) championship players on the way down?

 

[Silent Blade]

If they are as aware of all the young, up and coming talent as the fans are, why did they ignore that knowledge and opt for 3 poor (Sharp aside) championship players on the way down?

It will be Adkins who decided on signing Sharp, Sammon and Woolford, not the scouts. Turnbull joined us in mid-summer and it is too early to judge him. He may have recommended good players but the players clubs and their agents may have found it difficult for us to sign one or two of them

 

[Barney]

It will be Adkins who decided on signing Sharp, Sammon and Woolford, not the scouts. Turnbull joined us in mid-summer and it is too early to judge him. He may have recommended good players but the players clubs and their agents may have found it difficult for us to sign one or two of them

There were scouts in place before Turnbull, weren't they able to spot these players?

And it's funny how the problem with the signing of these players is conspicuously unique to Sheffield United.

 

[Silent Blade]

There were scouts in place before Turnbull, weren't they able to spot these players?

Not Adkins' scouts. I would prefer to sign players that were recommended by the scouts I trust rather than the ones who have never worked for me

 

[Foxy]

And it's funny how the problem with the signing of these players is conspicuously unique to Sheffield United.

Which ones? and if we're the only ones with the problem, why haven't they signed for someone else?

 

[Barney]

Not Adkins' scouts. I would prefer to sign players that were recommended by the scouts I trust rather than the ones who have never worked for me

I'm not sure about you but if the reason we didn't sign Aaron Pierre or someone alike was because Adkins didn't trust the scouts he hadn't appointed, then I would seriously question his competence as a football manager. If fans are able to spot a player like him, I highly doubt a professional manager isn't able to, whether they were recommended by his scouts or not. It's irrelevant. A good player is a good player, and a manager of Adkins supposed stature should have recognised the players for what they were, not who they were recommended by.

 

[Deleted member 875]

You think our scouts are not aware of Aaron Pierre? You say you have not seen him play but why do you think we should sign him?

Just presenting his as an example of the kind of player we need to be looking at

 

[Barney]

Which ones? and if we're the only ones with the problem, why haven't they signed for someone else?

The one's Silent Blade thinks the scouts were aware of.

I can think of two we should have been signing that ended up elsewhere straight away - Connor Goldson, Will Grigg.

I'm sure many more will come to mind, and I'll let you know as they transpire.

 

[Silent Blade]

[QUOTE="barnyblade, post: 853410, member: 15727" If fans are able to spot a player like him, I highly doubt a professional manager isn't able to, whether they were recommended by his scouts or not. [/QUOTE]

Fans thought Phil Starbuck, Brian Howard and many more were quality players but when they joined us we realised a lot about their weaknesses.

Joe Mercer (our manager between 1955 and 1958) will be telling you about how he put down one SUFC director (who claimed to be an expert on football by watching it for many years) by saying "My wife has been watching me drive for many years and she still cannot bloody drive"

 

[Kev Gee]

Jim phipps on twitter? @Kaisufc11 We've invested GBP 13 million so far. In L1, that's a large pile of cash. If you think we're happy with ... 1/2


13million invested and still in L1? If so then thats bordering on incompetence.

 

[metalblade]

Yet we can spend money on close on 1000 solar panels for the Kop roof, makes you wonder where our priorities lie

 

[marsh blade]

Indeed - because like us, they have numbers - others do not.

Not many teams these days go through a season with playing only 14/15 players.

UTB

I'm sure i heard the same last season big squad will see us through .In my oppion i don't think we would have got a play off if it was'nt for Jamie Murphy.

 

[marsh blade]

I'm sure i heard the same last season big squad will see us through .In my opinion i don't think we would have got a play off if it was'nt for Jamie Murphy.

oops

 

[marsh blade]

Jim phipps on twitter? @Kaisufc11 We've invested GBP 13 million so far. In L1, that's a large pile of cash. If you think we're happy with ... 1/2


13million invested and still in L1? If so then thats bordering on incompetence.

Large sum that but we all thought we would be spending 13 m on players not the running of the club and buying a fancy pitch. Game changing prem in 3 years .

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

P

Jim phipps on twitter? @Kaisufc11 We've invested GBP 13 million so far. In L1, that's a large pile of cash. If you think we're happy with ... 1/2


13million invested and still in L1? If so then thats bordering on incompetence.

Perhaps that pitch wasn't 800K?

 

[blade too long]

Better, but I doubt by that much. He wasn't that much better than Freeman or Flynn there last season. The problem is that we're unlikely to see the same Brayford as the loan spell as he doesn't have the players around him to be as free-roaming as before.

I got roundly slagged-off for questioning his signing at the time and I still think it was ridiculous to spend that much money on a fullback if we didn't have the funds to strengthen other much more important areas.

its not just his playing skills
its how he organises the back, its suddenly tighter moves in a line forward and back better and the covers better if one springs forward
thats his main influence

 

[super_pig]

what i want to know is..
noone is advocating going out and buying Robert Lewandowski or Mats Hummels.. BUT
other teams in the same division seem to get better players and easier than we do?? Wolves won the division the other year because they simply went round all the other clubs and hoovered up all the best opposition players a la Bayern
why can't we do this?

 

[Slim Man]

you and many others forget the one thing we still have up our sleeve.

A very large squad. yes, it's average but we have 2 decent players in every position.

This will count in the end as long as we keep in touch as other teams don't have that option.

For teams such as Gillingham/Walsall/Burton ........and ANY others for that matter, key injuries to key player and they are stuffed and I quote Tranmere and Orient as two examples from previous seasons.

We of course need to step up - it is up to Adkins to find that "team" and formulae that works. As of yes he hasn't, but if Adkins take some praise is that Adkins must have just about evaluated everything we've got - bar Brayford.

Adkins MUST create a regular team - with minor adjustments.

UTB

Thing is, no matter who we put in midfield we can't win the midfield battle and there are gaps in defence that need filling. No matter who the '2 decent players' in each position are, we won't win enough games with those issues. McGahey for me is the one centre half who has shown he can do the basics well and is young enough to persevere with. I'd get rid of Collins and McEveley at the first opportunity. Try McGahey and Edgar, hoping he's rediscovered his earlier form, if that doesn't work we know we need to buy.

And unfortunately for Adkins whenever he looks like getting a settled side injuries kick in. So unlucky.