Will the board hold their nerve?

[Treeton Blade]

The thing that makes me really despondent is, although I wanted Clough to continue, I did think Adkins was the best possible replacement having made the decision to sack him.
We even get the appointments wrong that look right!

Exactly what I thought.

 

[Esablade]

Where are the board?
Riyadh??? Brussell's!?!?

Nowt like a bit of leadership in a crisis eh...think I found one of em though...

 

[bartman]

Getting rid of managers dosnt work but keeping managers that arnt doing the job dosnt work either, my concern is how much it costs to get rid, regarding Adkins for next season a few weeks ago I was saying he needs this summer and next season, trouble is I am starting to wonder, is he a bigger risk than somebody else, I dont know, neither do the board and neither does anybody else, got a coin anybody, because its that close.

Sell Brayford. Use the money to pay off Adkins and bring a manager in who got a team promoted from this division last season who is currently available. He built a team from scratch and got them up. Exactly what we need

 

[lepton blade]

Like others here, I was totally surprised by the sacking of Clough, but delighted with Adkins appointment. Apart from Billy, Hammond and Edgar it pretty much the same side which finished 5th without breaking into too much of a sweat. Whether that works in Adkins favour is open to conjecture, ie it's still nowhere near his own side, or he's massively underperformed (or a bit of both). Sacking Adkins would be another brave decision but I think any new manager coming in would almost certainly be an internal (cheap) appointment.
Having our most unsuccessful season in the third tier is facing us squarely in the face and the manager has to be held accountable. We have a side bereft of any pace, no goal contributions from our midfield and all this in what is probably the highest paid set of players in league one.
Do you trust Adkins to turn this situation around in the summer and assemble a team capable of a top six/two finish next season? It's open to debate, but I have some serious doubts given what we have witnessed this year.

 

[Blade82]

The worry for me with bringing in another manager is that they'll give us the line that they need time to asses the squad and maybe give the likes of Collins, jmac, JCR an extra year to prove themselves. Adkins will be a better league 1 manager next season for this year just like clough is now after the past two seasons of getting to know the league. He gets next year for me. The board however can find a buyer who wants to take this club forward and fuck off.

 

[super_pig]

we need a total clear out. like powell did at charlton. result.. promotion.

 

[I should coco]

My eagerness in sacking Adkins isn't about saving this season, it is about preventing the disaster that would occur if he were in charge of bringing in a dozen new players! I already know someone will ask "who should we replace him with?", my answer at this point would be "almost anyone!". Pick a fucking manager at random, the law of averages says we'll have a better chance of seeing some progress than under this guy (I should probably point out, I'm only half-joking when I say this!).

Genuinely enjoyed your post until the 'any fucker will do bit'.

So you'd have another Weir or Adams or Robson or Blackwell or Wilson etc etc etc?

The fact we have gone backwards since 2007 cannot be denied. We have had 11 managers in that time (including Morgan and Carver). Do you think the two may be the teensiest weensiest bit related?

Do you seriously think we can now shake a six and find a 'magic' one?

ISC

 

[blader]

I just can't see a single advantage from sacking Adkins. To respond to a few generic arguments i see:

His transfers have been poor - Well yes they have, however he has been given a total transfer budget of a whopping 500k. If someone said to any manager, right you have 500k, go out and sign whoever you want (within that constraint) then who was he supposed to sign? He signed Sharp who has been excellent and then he had to deal in freebies and loans. People need to remember he didn't choose Woolford over a 1million pound winger, it's just all he was able to afford. If the situation was 'pick from this list of freebies' then you know already you are on to a loser. Woolford is better than signing no one. (I appreciate you could argue it isn't, but be realistic you need someone to play on the wing, however crap they are!)

We've seen no improvement on last season - Again, true. Although, this is not the same squad as last season. Let's be honest, and not have selective memory on this, Murphy was our only outlet last season. Anything good that we did last season came through Murphy. The worst thing of it all was that Adkins was allowed to have pre-season with him (Fairly assuming he would be an integral part of the side) only for him to be sold a couple of weeks before the season. It's typical of our incompetent board. One thing is selling your best players, it's a step further to allow the manager to have pre-season with him and then sell him.

Team selections are poor - Well, you find a good 11 from this squad! Doesn't matter who you pick, the 11 that take the field are going to be garbage. He can't win (In more ways than one) but I'd rather we stuck with the kids from now until the end of the season. He;s been criticised for his selection last night, but he'd also be criticised if he'd persisted with Sammon and Woolford. So it's lose/lose.

Positive spin/Repetitive interviews - Yes, they are predictable. He says the same things but, again, what is he supposed to say? You're hardly going to come out publicly and say he's doing a poor job, the players aren't good enough or that he isn't getting supported from the board. All you can do as a manager/employee is toe the party line and try to make everything out to be as good as possible

Changing managers can be beneficial - In some cases, perhaps, but generally not. Also, I would love someone to tell me a manager we can replace Adkins with that would be a certain improvement? There is no manager with a CV anywhere near as good as his that we would be able to employ. Now, before someone jumps on this and says that the CV isn't everything, I know it isn't. However, what else are we supposed to judge a manager on? Surely, if we sacked Adkins, the first thing we would look to do is employ a manager who has a history of succeeding at this level. I guarantee there will not be another manager with as much success, at this level, as Adkins available. We've tried young and inexperience (Weir), we've tried managers from above (Clough) and managers successful at this level, and above, in the past (Adkins, Wilson. What next? I just don't see how we can find an improvement in this area.

Someone is going to get the almighty task of creating a brand new squad in the summer. I appreciate some people don't want Adkins to do it, however there are so many reasons why it should be him.

1. He does have a track record at this level. Whether you see that as valuable or not.
2. He's had a year to assess the squad. Now, again, some people don't think he's assessed it very well. However, would you rather Adkins reassembled the squad after 1 year of seeing them day in day out, or another new face who doesn't know a single player who then has to decide: who to keep, who to release and who will compliment the players already at the club
3. Better the devil you know. Perhaps not my strongest argument but still valid. Imagine sacking Adkins and we get someone worse in (which is almost inevitable in my opinion) and then lamenting that fact that we'd sacked Adkins. The new bloke would already be onto a loser.
4. Adkins has the right philosophy and style of play. I know we haven't seen much attacking, expansive football, but why? Southampton did it, Scunthorpe did it, why not us? I'll tell you why, because for most of the season he's had to pick a midfield of Hammond, Basham, Coutts and Woolford/Adams. Hardly expansive/attacking players are they! We have to give him a year to sign players that suit what he's trying to achieve.

I'm not impressed by what Adkins has done, ofcourse, but I can see that he is someone who has, and can, build a good successful side at this level. I would ignore any result from now until the end of the season (whether we finish 8th or 15th, so what?) and give the guy a full pre-season and summer transfer window. He isn't helped by the board but the main thing is his best player won't be sold from under him this season (because we don't have one!). Mid-term review is not good, but give him more of a chance.

 

[Bedrock Blade]

Sacking the manager is papering over the cracks. The people that need sacking are the root cause of all this shit...the McCabe's.

 

[Blade58]

For me the problem starts at the top. The common denominator throughout the debacle of manager swapping has always been a board who quite frankly are not football people. The two McCabes, the prince and Phipps supported by the two Greens, combined have no football background or experience. Most of them are not at the club on a day to day basis, do not have their finger on the pulse, nor do they give the impression they give a royal fck about anything but themselves

Until such time we have a focused and dedicated bunch, some of whom having a football background, I just don't see things improving.

We can argue all day about the manager, who incidently at the time thought we couldn't have got anyone any better than Adkins. However, for me, it doesn't matter who we appoint next, the fundamental issues will still remain until those at the top are the right ones who understand the game, the supporters and the basic criteria for moving the whole club forward. When that is achieved, then so will the football on the pitch

 

[Slim Man]

The football has been boring under Wilson, Clough and now Adkins...
When you have fuck all to work with this is what you get.

Maybe Adkins ISNT the man... But we need to give him next season and actually find out.
This bunch of cunts wouldn't have the stomach for a fight in League 2 nevermind this league.

 

[TonyAgana]

Yes i agree with that one.
But the rest under KMCs tenure?

There's two main types of sacking:

Sackings based on (what the board considered) failed tenures:
Neil Warnock
Kevin Blackwell
Mickey Adams
Nigel Clough

"Vote of no-confidence" sackings:
Adrian Heath
Bryan Robson
David Weir
(and I think Gary Speed was headed that way)

Sackings based on sheer, blind-panic:
Danny Wilson

Adkins would fall under the "vote of no-confidence" category if he goes any time soon. The board were vindicated in all these decisions in recent years.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

As we clearly now won't make the play offs based on sacking Clough for finishing 5th, Adkins has failed hasn't he?

I'm not advocating sacking him by the way but think the board will in the summer.

Putting aside what I think is right or wrong*, what I think will happen is that the board will sack Adkins, quite probably before the end of the season.

The cupboard will be well & truly bare & a bargain-basement new manager will be the only option, maybe Deano. The remit being a rebuild based on free transfers & out of contract players.

The future's pretty scary.




(* I don't think he should be sacked. He's failed badly this season, but his job starts when all these contracts end this summer now, IMO. The future's still scary under this option.)

 

[pommpey]

And that stuff is right to take into consideration when appointing a manager.

Whether or not he stays has to be determined by our results, our performances, and his ability to improve us.
Unfortunately he's scoring negative figures in the three critical areas.

If we had a team of decent-ability players ... lets say for shits and giggles we retained Blackman, McDonald, S Quinn, Murphy, Maguire (examples of players we have sold without replacement over the past four seasons) do you really think we would be in the state we are at the moment? Look at the team now, and insert those players and give a me a prediction of where we'd be. All of them are playing at a higher level, and the stuff we brought in are provenly gash.

This isn't Adkins doing. McCabe has, and continues to, ruined Sheffield United.

pommpey

 

[Lane Ender]

Sacking weir progressed us.
It's not always the wrong thing to do.

I reckon we are in an equally serious situation here as we was with Weir
Total shambles

 

[nowtfancy]

If we had a team of decent-ability players ... lets say for shits and giggles we retained Blackman, McDonald, S Quinn, Murphy, Maguire (examples of players we have sold without replacement over the past four seasons) do you really think we would be in the state we are at the moment? Look at the team now, and insert those players and give a me a prediction of where we'd be. All of them are playing at a higher level, and the stuff we brought in are provenly gash.

This isn't Adkins doing. McCabe has, and continues to, ruined Sheffield United.

pommpey

We are going backwards. Because we sell player of the year every year, and that stinks, obviously if we kept our better players we would do better whoever the manager is. The leadership stinks, and whoever the manager is, of course he should be better resourced, but most of all the club should grow a pair and for example have kept Maguire on a ‘one more year’ basis. We’d have been promoted.

However I just don’t think we are SO badly done to in terms of resources made available for players to absolve the manager of any blame.

Hammond is ridiculously poor on the pitch. There were at least two laugh out loud fuck ups at doncaster. It genuinely makes me laugh. 10K + a fucking week? (and that's just a subsidy)

The manager has to add something – galvanising the team, organising of his resources on the pitch into an effective (& ideally entertaining) style, attracting players that improve us, reacting to situations as they occur and working to improve our chances.
I can’t see any of that happening either.

 

[Bartleby]

He has to be given chance to re-build in the Summer but you have to worry if he's struggling to motivate what he has got, despite the various reasons / excuses.

That's what I've been thinking, starting to wonder if it is the players trying to get him sacked. In replying to another post on here just reminded myself how well he did at Southampton and how he was turning it around in the PL when he got sacked. It's not that long ago either. The key difference I reckon is the quality of the squads he inherited. Don't think he had to bring many in with that squad either, so in terms of his recruitment abilities I am still undecided.

 

[Finnieston]

For me the problem starts at the top. The common denominator throughout the debacle of manager swapping has always been a board who quite frankly are not football people. The two McCabes, the prince and Phipps supported by the two Greens, combined have no football background or experience. Most of them are not at the club on a day to day basis, do not have their finger on the pulse, nor do they give the impression they give a royal fck about anything but themselves

Until such time we have a focused and dedicated bunch, some of whom having a football background, I just don't see things improving.

We can argue all day about the manager, who incidently at the time thought we couldn't have got anyone any better than Adkins. However, for me, it doesn't matter who we appoint next, the fundamental issues will still remain until those at the top are the right ones who understand the game, the supporters and the basic criteria for moving the whole club forward. When that is achieved, then so will the football on the pitch

Dont forget after attendances dwindle they will start another Blades for the future family initiative........The Family Club........Bladesway etc. And so the money making scheme carries on...and on.....ond on..........Ktching.

 

[judge]

Sell Brayford. Use the money to pay off Adkins and bring a manager in who got a team promoted from this division last season who is currently available. He built a team from scratch and got them up. Exactly what we need

I hope you dont mean cotteril

 

[Sean Thornton]

Dont forget after attendances dwindle they will start another Blades for the future family initiative........The Family Club........Bladesway etc. And so the money making scheme carries on...and on.....ond on..........Ktching.

Other than selling players not one "scheme" has made anyone any money for years.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Sell Brayford. Use the money to pay off Adkins and bring a manager in who got a team promoted from this division last season who is currently available. He built a team from scratch and got them up. Exactly what we need

Trouble is the man at Bristol City to whom you refer and Westley at Peterboro', get the piss ripped out of them on this board whenever their names have been suggested. Personally I'd back either one to get us out of this league, whether they could continue in the championship is another matter, history tends to suggest not.

 

[bartman]

Decent recent record at this level. Why not

 

[PeteBlade]

As we clearly now won't make the play offs based on sacking Clough for finishing 5th, Adkins has failed hasn't he?

I'm not advocating sacking him by the way but think the board will in the summer.

If the board are considering the position of anyone, it should be themselves.

Find yourselves a new play thing.

 

[nopigfansintown]

Someone painted the titanic as it sank. The new colour caught the passenger's eye but it still sank.

 

[nopigfansintown]

There's two main types of sacking:

Sackings based on (what the board considered) failed tenures:
Neil Warnock
Kevin Blackwell
Mickey Adams
Nigel Clough

"Vote of no-confidence" sackings:
Adrian Heath
Bryan Robson
David Weir
(and I think Gary Speed was headed that way)

Sackings based on sheer, blind-panic:
Danny Wilson

Adkins would fall under the "vote of no-confidence" category if he goes any time soon. The board were vindicated in all these decisions in recent years.

The board appointed them all and should be given a vote of no confidence.

 

[Dkc]

We're 5 points off the play offs. Win on Saturday, and we'll potentially be two points off the Play Offs (if Posh get a result against Millwall). We're not the only team dropping points, everyone is. There's 15 games to go, that's 45 points to play for. I know we've been awful of late but we know that the team and individual players can do better. I'm not simply writing off this season yet. Wait until we're 10 points off the Play Offs with three to play, if it comes to that. Otherwise, get behind the team. Booing and protests aren't going to help us get the points we need.

 

[pommpey]

Booing and protests aren't going to help us get the points we need.

Cheering and getting behind the team hasn't worked, has it?

Tell me ... at what point last night were the 700 or so who traipsed across the Pennines on a school night to watch us capitulate to a shit side expected to get all enthusiastic?

pommpey

 

[TonyAgana]

The board appointed them all and should be given a vote of no confidence.

Understandable for you to say that, given our state, but I'd list Warnock, Blackwell, Clough and Wilson as good appointments by the board. 50% isn't actually a bad rate. What I'm trying to say is their appointments aren't the key cause for concern, but rather their mismanagement of managers' tenures. Too many were sacked in knee-jerk reactions (Warnock, Clough) especially when "failings" occurred due to board-imposed restraints (Blackwell, Wilson).

 

[pommpey]

Understandable for you to say that, given our state, but I'd list Warnock, Blackwell, Clough and Wilson as good appointments by the board. 50% isn't actually a bad rate. What I'm trying to say is their appointments aren't the key cause for concern, but rather their mismanagement of managers' tenures. Too many were sacked in knee-jerk reactions (Warnock, Clough) especially when "failings" occurred due to board-imposed restraints (Blackwell, Wilson).

They were all sacked by them as well, so that's your 50% cancelled out.

pommpey

 

[TonyAgana]

They were all sacked by them as well, so that's your 50% cancelled out.

pommpey

No, the point was they appoint reasonably well.