Incoming? Before the end of the month

[robbiez666]

Expect:

We Tried
Working Hard Behind the Scenes
and Made Enquiries to be winging their way to the Lane.

Don't expect Over the Line to make an appearance though.

Also expect 'player we spent all our time and efforts on despite playing often for a team in a higher division to come in the loan window and be of no real help' to make an appearance.

fuck this depressing club.

 

[Bladesman]

I want to know which of his targets is about to sign for a Premier League club.

He mentioned it towards the end of his interview.

 

[robbiez666]

My only guess is Burn.

 

[YES Blade]

I get the impression some fans just want us to sign a player or two regardless of quality just so we have signed someone.

Wasn't signing average players on decent contracts, that didn't improve us the reason we have a massive squad full of players we're stuck with until their contract runs out?

 

[bladesmanluke]

I want to know which of his targets is about to sign for a Premier League club.

He mentioned it towards the end of his interview.

Hopefully this will mean we will now move on to someone more realistic. There are about 20-30 players in this league that would improve us significantly. Very few of them should be out of reach for this club either. Why not go for them and weaken our rivals rather than wasting our time on championship players that don't want to drop to league one?

 

[Newbury Blade]

Expect:

We Tried
Working Hard Behind the Scenes
and Made Enquiries to be winging their way to the Lane.

Don't expect Over the Line to make an appearance though.

Also expect 'player we spent all our time and efforts on despite playing often for a team in a higher division to come in the loan window and be of no real help' to make an appearance.

fuck this depressing club.

You think Adkins is lying when he says he has been trying to sign players and has bids in for them? And he does this secretly knowing all alone that he won't sign anyone and the fans will get even more pissed off? Why would he do that?

 

[judge]

Takes 3 partys to make a deal we all know thats impossible

 

[robbiez666]

You think Adkins is lying when he says he has been trying to sign players and has bids in for them? And he does this secretly knowing all alone that he won't sign anyone and the fans will get even more pissed off? Why would he do that?

I don't think NA or NC are/were lying, I think the issue is the Board. I think we're constantly delaying or torpedoing signings due to trying to hagle for the lowest amount possible, usually when this amount is unrealistic. They're clearly not saying no, but instead negotiating with a lack of flexibility which is ultimately leading to the same result.

 

[YES Blade]

I don't think NA or NC are/were lying, I think the issue is the Board. I think we're constantly delaying or torpedoing signings due to trying to hagle for the lowest amount possible, usually when this amount is unrealistic. They're clearly not saying no, but instead negotiating with a lack of flexibility which is ultimately leading to the same result.

We aren't Man City you know, we can't just throw a load of money at a club/player and get the deal done, we have to stick to a budget.

It could also be that the selling club wants to sign a player before letting another go.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

I don't think NA or NC are/were lying, I think the issue is the Board. I think we're constantly delaying or torpedoing signings due to trying to hagle for the lowest amount possible, usually when this amount is unrealistic. They're clearly not saying no, but instead negotiating with a lack of flexibility which is ultimately leading to the same result.

Wow that same board is also the one that is accused (by the same people) of paying over the odds for Brayford and Sharp.

 

[davidblade]

Hopefully this will mean we will now move on to someone more realistic. There are about 20-30 players in this league that would improve us significantly. Very few of them should be out of reach for this club either. Why not go for them and weaken our rivals rather than wasting our time on championship players that don't want to drop to league one?

Because it's smoke and mirrors they don't have any intension of signing anyone

 

[Kev Gee]

More out goings than in i think.

Probably 1 incoming and that will be it before may.

 

[robbiez666]

Wow that same board is also the one that is accused (by the same people) of paying over the odds for Brayford and Sharp.

We probably got Billy slightly on the cheap and the quoted fee for Brayford looks like a fair price for both parties.

 

[UnitedBlade]

If we can't land our targets and we can't get any decent loan players then the job has to be done properly in the summer.

A major clear out looks like the only way to get a competitive squad at a reasonable wage bill.

I'm still hoping for 6th and a shot at the playoffs but that looks very challenging.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

Hopefully this will mean we will now move on to someone more realistic. There are about 20-30 players in this league that would improve us significantly. Very few of them should be out of reach for this club either. Why not go for them and weaken our rivals rather than wasting our time on championship players that don't want to drop to league one?

Wolves did it to great effect 2 years ago, players at this level should be falling over themselves to sign for us. I'll throw 2 names into the hat for starters that would bring a bit of power to the forward line, Hanson at Bradford or Gregory at Millwall (FFS Greggs is a Blade so he wouldn't want asking twice), they could even throw in Higdon to ease a deal through.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

We probably got Billy slightly on the cheap and the quoted fee for Brayford looks like a fair price for both parties.

You're a minority amongst the board knockers (not that I think they've done at all well) in not using those signings to beat them with. The general consensus is that they try to do all deals on the cheap at best and at worst deliberately scupper deals because they don't want us to be promoted, or pay ridiculous prices for players which could be better used elsewhere. A step back and brief analysis of what people actual say, just shows how ridiculous some of it is.

 

[robbiez666]

You're a minority amongst the board knockers (not that I think they've done at all well) in not using those signings to beat them with. The general consensus is that they try to do all deals on the cheap at best and at worst deliberately scupper deals because they don't want us to be promoted, or pay ridiculous prices for players which could be better used elsewhere. A step back and brief analysis of what people actual say, just shows how ridiculous some of it is.

I do think we were offering well under the odds for Brayford to begin with and hence it dragged on so long.

It may be ok in business to haggle but often the most important aspect of football transfers is being the team to get their first with a reasonable offer. That way you stop other teams cottoning on, unless agents start to advertise it.

 

[YES Blade]

I do think we were offering well under the odds for Brayford to begin with and hence it dragged on so long.

It may be ok in business to haggle but often the most important aspect of football transfers is being the team to get their first with a reasonable offer. That way you stop other teams cottoning on, unless agents start to advertise it.

You just hit the nail on the head, AGENTS. The player's agent would be pretty crap if he doesn't make it known that his player is available for transfers. No way transfers can be kept secret within football circles.

Also there is no RRP for players, the selling club aren't going to quote the lowest price they are willing to accept on the first enquiry. So there is of course going to be a negotiation, it ain't football manager where you find a player and his value is there for all to see.

 

[robbiez666]

You just hit the nail on the head, AGENTS. The player's agent would be pretty crap if he doesn't make it known that his player is available for transfers. No way transfers can be kept secret within football circles.

Also there is no RRP for players, the selling club aren't going to quote the lowest price they are willing to accept on the first enquiry. So there is of course going to be a negotiation, it ain't football manager where you find a player and his value is there for all to see.

Agree on both counts, but if you offer a derisory offer to begin with it tends to annoy the other club. There's no RRP but it's not that hard to put a reasonable value on a player. If you start out with a reasonable offer then there's more chance of getting the player.

 

[YES Blade]

Agree on both counts, but if you offer a derisory offer to begin with it tends to annoy the other club. There's no RRP but it's not that hard to put a reasonable value on a player. If you start out with a reasonable offer then there's more chance of getting the player.

Disagree to be honest, as long as you hit the value in the end it doesn't matter what the opening offer is.

If I was selling my house and someone offered say £10k below what I was willing to accept, would I be annoyed and reject any further offers regardless of them being acceptable to me? Of course not, that would petty, I'm trying to sell something and as long as it gets sold at the right price do I really care how it happens?

 

[robbiez666]

Disagree to be honest, as long as you hit the value in the end it doesn't matter what the opening offer is.

If I was selling my house and someone offered say £10k below what I was willing to accept, would I be annoyed and reject any further offers regardless of them being acceptable to me? Of course not, that would petty, I'm trying to sell something and as long as it gets sold at the right price do I really care how it happens?

But that's beneficial for the seller, not the buyer The buyer risks someone coming in during the protracted debate and gassumping them. If they'd put an acceptable bid in straight away, you may have just sold. Same with players. As soon as you make a bid you alert other clubs to the fact. If then the selling club does not come out and say that player isn't for sale, you potentially start a bidding war.

 

[Newbury Blade]

I don't think NA or NC are/were lying, I think the issue is the Board. I think we're constantly delaying or torpedoing signings due to trying to hagle for the lowest amount possible, usually when this amount is unrealistic. They're clearly not saying no, but instead negotiating with a lack of flexibility which is ultimately leading to the same result.

Haggling for the lowest amount possible – as with Brayford, do you reckon? Or was that a different board?

 

[robbiez666]

Haggling for the lowest amount possible – as with Brayford, do you reckon? Or was that a different board?

If you read back I said we took so long to sign him because we started so low. I also said we paid a fair price for him in the end.

 

[UnitedBlade]

Wolves did it to great effect 2 years ago, players at this level should be falling over themselves to sign for us. I'll throw 2 names into the hat for starters that would bring a bit of power to the forward line, Hanson at Bradford or Gregory at Millwall (FFS Greggs is a Blade so he wouldn't want asking twice), they could even throw in Higdon to ease a deal through.

They did but they had the huge advantage of parachute payments. Their turnover was £32.5M which is about 4 times the turnover United will achieve.

Their total wage bill was £20M, not all first team SCMP wages but I reckon 3 times our SCMP wages.

Even you, me or Weir would have got Wolves promoted. It was very easy for them to pick up players like McDonald etc.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

They did but they had the huge advantage of parachute payments. Their turnover was £32.5M which is about 4 times the turnover United will achieve.

Their total wage bill was £20M, not all first team SCMP wages but I reckon 3 times our SCMP wages.

Even you, me or Weir would have got Wolves promoted. It was very easy for them to pick up players like McDonald etc.

We're talking 3rd division players here, not top end Championship. Shouldn't be an issue whether it's £30m to spend or £3m, United should be able to boss the transfer market at 3rd tier level. Hanson or Gregory £500k for either, maybe more, maybe less, but either should be well within our budget.

Best defences in the division, Walsall and Burton, United should be looking to cherry pick their centre halves. The huge advantage we have over clubs in the division wages, stadium, attendances, training facilities. They took £1.75m for Murphy and over a £1m from OT, I can't think of any reason why we shouldn't be getting targets in this division.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Disagree to be honest, as long as you hit the value in the end it doesn't matter what the opening offer is.

If I was selling my house and someone offered say £10k below what I was willing to accept, would I be annoyed and reject any further offers regardless of them being acceptable to me? Of course not, that would petty, I'm trying to sell something and as long as it gets sold at the right price do I really care how it happens?

But if you'd sold a number of houses to the same guy over the last 10 years as well as let some out to him and every deal he fucked you about on price you'd be less keen to negotiate the next deal unless you really wanted shut because it was a slum.

That's it, we always buy slums.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

Maybe L1 players don't think of Sheffield, Sheffield United as appealing as some make it/us out to be?
Maybe that's why we have a squad of players made up of professionals connected to ex-managers rather than the appeal of Sheffield United.

If anyone's suggesting we should be able to sign players simply because we have more to spend on wages, then who wants those players to sign, if it's simply for the money offered? All we have (reputedly) are funds which are able to spend more then the majority of those clubs in the same division. Spending more money than anyone else on players doesn't guarantee success, nor does it make for watching a better quality of football.

Sheffield United, at the moment are an ordinary L1 club.
History, size of stadium, money to spend, attendances, so what?
Let's stop with all these delusions of grandeur, there's nothing grand about kidding ourselves we're anything special.

 

[robbiez666]

I'm not sure it's illusions of grandeur (but I grant there is a minority who seem to believe we 'deserve' to be in a higher league.

We've got a highly rated manager
The largest support base in the league
Some of the best training facilities
It's a nice city compared to most
Comparatively speaking, we've got a much bigger budget and potential than most

Footballers seem to be increasingly aware of their quality of life now so there are going to be cases where someone from the south will not want to move this far but for the most part they'd probably look where best to further their career. We're always Bookies favourite, so anyone joining at the start of the season would likely be asuming that we'll be competing at the top.

 

[Martin]

Why should top players in this league come to a stagnating cesspool of a club going nowhere for another 20 years

 

[UnitedBlade]

We're talking 3rd division players here, not top end Championship. Shouldn't be an issue whether it's £30m to spend or £3m, United should be able to boss the transfer market at 3rd tier level. Hanson or Gregory £500k for either, maybe more, maybe less, but either should be well within our budget.

Best defences in the division, Walsall and Burton, United should be looking to cherry pick their centre halves. The huge advantage we have over clubs in the division wages, stadium, attendances, training facilities. They took £1.75m for Murphy and over a £1m from OT, I can't think of any reason why we shouldn't be getting targets in this division.

I agree we often get it wrong with the selection of players, valuations and the bidding process.

But for Wolves with that extra bit of money they ensured that they would win bidding "wars". McDonald was a classic case, keep chipping away and United caved in and McDonald pocketed a signing on fee and a nice increase in wages.

With our bloated squad and an unwillingness to go above SCMP there is no way we can do what Wolves did.

Our opportunity is this summer, release 15 or so of the underachievers and start again.