Poll: Where did it all go wrong?

[blade67]

Based on the timeline in the OP you can hardly blame Robson, although he certainly is partly at fault for our current status.

For me United's real decline started in the 60's when every other club in the country invested in all seater, high income stands down the pitch sides. United had a cricket pitch for 15 years after the maximum wage was abolished and we dropped well behind many clubs that had previously been our peers.

When we finally invested in a fourth stand, we did it at completely the wrong time, which set us back another 10 years.

When stadia went all seater, we again missed a trick by not building any executive boxes, and we still don't have enough.

Today's problems are driven by terrible managerial appointments rather than lack of investment. Our current first team has at least three players in Cuvelier, Baxter and Done who fit the model of signing good players from league 1 and several players from divisions above on good wages such as Brayford, Harris, Edgar, Basham, Coutts, Hammond, Sharp and Sammon. That's eleven players who will be at the top end of any league 1 wage structure and yet we are mid table shit. depressing

 

[Bert]

Those poxy white shirts, we were doomed as soon as we stopped looking like Sheffield United.

 

[northsomersetblade]

Can't believe no one has mentioned our failure to sign Stuart Beavon

 

[Blade56]

Not appointing Keeeeeeiiifffff Edwards as manager

 

[sitwell]

Those poxy white shirts, we were doomed as soon as we stopped looking like Sheffield United.

We wore green last night ,our number 11 looked like a watermelon.

 

[Silent Blade]

Those poxy white shirts, we were doomed as soon as we stopped looking like Sheffield United.

In fact we wore white shorts for home games between Sept 1966 and Dec 1966. We were playing a midweek match against Spurs who brought their black shorts. The ref ordered the Blades to wear white shorts. We won and then carried on wearing the white shorts until we lost to Leicester and Birmingham (in League Cup) in December. The white shorts were not lucky for home games in the 1967-68 season although we wore black shorts in the last game against Chelsea

 

[Bert]

In fact we wore white shorts for home games between Sept 1966 and Dec 1966. We were playing a midweek match against Spurs who brought their black shorts. The ref ordered the Blades to wear white shorts. We won and then carried on wearing the white shorts until we lost to Leicester and Birmingham (in League Cup) in December. The white shorts were not lucky for home games in the 1967-68 season although we wore black shorts in the last game against Chelsea

Shirts, Silent, shirts! Interesting though it was about the shorts, Bert was on about those poxy shirts they are wearing this season.

 

[Silent Blade]

Shirts, Silent, shirts! Interesting though it was about the shorts, Bert was on about those poxy shirts they are wearing this season.

sorry I misread. Yes I agree with you about the Poland kit. It is awful!

 

[Bladesman]

Robson was the first really shit decision we have made in recent times and you could sense at the time we were heading in a downward spiral.

Not having replacing Dooley hasn't helped and it's meant McCabe has been making too many footballing decisions unchallenged.

 

[Woodwardfan]

My own view (which isn't worth much) is that the core of our current predicament was the January transfer window in the Premier league. While we weren't safe, we are doing ok and one quality midfielder would have made the difference. Instead, Warnock bought Kilgallon, who had some impact, Fahti (750k) and Shelton (1.8M) who contributed pretty much nothing. Two and a half million wasted and if that had been put towards a player who would have slotted straight into the first team, it could have provided the goal we required and kept us up.

As I say, the spark of the downward trend to where we are now is that January transfer window.

We offered 6m for David Nugent who didn't fancy us or Warnock We ended up with Shelton and Nade, Webber, Stead and KazimRichards for the run in.

You couldn't make it up.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

Relegation from the Prem and the appointment of Robson. If we'd invested in the January the same way McCabe threw money at Robson, we could be in the same position as Stoke, Southampton etc. I'm not in the Warnock staying camp either, him leaving was the right decision at that time.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Other: when the board was told at the inception of the Premier League (circa 1992) that football was about to change in this country and that it was time for serious investment to ensure we stayed at the top table.

Dave Bassett was the man that supposedly pointed this out and was of course ignored. We've been paddling through treacle ever since.

 

[Worksop II]

and for the record,he didn't have flu

I knew it !!!

 

[Bert]

We offered 6m for David Nugent who didn't fancy us or Warnock We ended up with Shelton and Nade, Webber, Stead and KazimRichards for the run in.

You couldn't make it up.

Kazim Richards, the legend that scored 1 goal in 27 appearances.
After getting chucked out of half a dozen clubs now washes up at Celtic. A demonstration of how low Scottish football has sunk.

 

[super_pig]

Those poxy white shirts, we were doomed as soon as we stopped looking like Sheffield United.

yes!

 

[Grecian2000]

My dad would have said that the firesale of our best players through the 70's when on the cusp of success killed it all.

Then of course came the South Stand, which although necessary, financially crippled the club for years after.

In my time, almost all of the above. It's a clusterfuck of calamities.

I've gone for Robson for the modern era, but I'm with Tyler's dad especially when thinking of forcing Geoff Salmons out of the club when we needed to build NOT destroy.

 

[JJ Sefton]