Statement from McCabe - Official Site

[1danewhitehouse]

But how does that tally with us being a 'well run club'? We're so well run we can't attract a manager?

I heard a different story, about Kenny Jackett. But it may be bs so I won't repeat it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we were well run at all. Just that I thought Weir was a gamble we were forced to take as a result of being so badly run to that point.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

What are the non football losses then? What did Chengdu cost us? As I said the Hungarian adventure was Scarboroughs baby. Think Mariners was as well. The profit on the health club should be his then by your rules but the company got the profit. What are the figures on the hotel?

As I said £41 million debt and cash input to equity in the FC. £24 million loans in SU Ltd, around £8 million in shares in SU Ltd. That's over £70 million. Now how much of that relates to Chengdu or any other non football spending.?

The accounts tell you how much we've lost year on year. He hasn't been spun king money on overseas ventures for some time. Who do you think funded these losses?
There are tax losses available of over £40 million, take into account what he's paid for his shares and it all ties in.

I don't know. Neither does anybody else it seems. That's why I asked that very question. The question that you said was irrelevant.
It's very relevant. Of the £80M he says his family has put into the club, how much was actually spent on "football"?
Not £80M, even by your calculations. So his comments to the media were misleading.

For one thing, he's contrasting the amount he's put into the club with the amount The Prince has put in.
All of the Prince's investment has been spent on football.
At least part of McCabe's investment hasn't and he can get it back by selling the property he built with it (e.g. Business Centre and Hotel).

 

[Woodwardfan]

But how does that tally with us being a 'well run club'? We're so well run we can't attract a manager?

I heard a different story, about Kenny Jackett. But it may be bs so I won't repeat it.

It's not just about attracting the managers, it's about picking the right ones amongst the many applicants around at the time.

Apart from Weir each and every other manager we have appointed since Warnock should have nailed it, given the squads and the resources they inherited.

Weir was appointed on a downsize and save wages policy, utilise the lads. Nobody else , not even a Blade like McCall could bring himself to accept the poisoned chalice.

Things changed for Clough's appointment because he was given, dare I say, "game changing powers and investment, keys to the castle with all the King's horses and all the King's men "!! Trouble is the game didn't change, it was more of the same ow'd, same ow'd.

 

[BushBlade]

It's not just about attracting the managers, it's about picking the right ones amongst the many applicants around at the time.

Apart from Weir each and every other manager we have appointed since Warnock should have nailed it, given the squads and the resources they inherited.

Weir was appointed on a downsize and save wages policy, utilise the lads. Nobody else , not even a Blade like McCall could bring himself to accept the poisoned chalice.

Things changed for Clough's appointment because he was given, dare I say, "game changing powers and investment, keys to the castle with all the King's horses and all the King's men !! Trouble is the game didn't change, it was more of the same ow'd, same ow'd.

They could only nail it if they were good enough. Resources don't manage themselves.

Look at their records since they left. If their records before we appointed them were questionable, which in my opinion was the case, then surely their post Blades record puts it beyond doubt.

They were bad appointments at the time. No club can make as many poor appointments as we have and not suffer.

 

[pommpey]

Things changed for Clough's appointment because he was given, dare I say, "game changing powers and investment, keys to the castle with all the King's horses and all the King's men "!! Trouble is the game didn't change, it was more of the same ow'd, same ow'd.

And the evidence for that is ... where? People say 'Clough spent', but he had loanees come in, also-rans and never-was's from lower leagues and scotsmen. Now tell me this. If McCabe opened his chequebook and said to you, "build me a team of footballers to secure automatic promotion, stay in the Championship and form a basic framework of a team I expect to be at least in the Championship playoffs within two seasons at the least" would you be buying Davies, Basham, Alcock, Coutts, McEveley and fucking Higdon? Or would you be looking a tad further afield at proven players of Championship status, replaced by better players in their team? Big fees, big wages, but better a value for money box-to-box midfielder with at least ten goals in him and two solid centre backs who keep the goals conceded tally low than a shower of wage thieves who are struggling, even at this ridiculous level of football in division one.

pommpey

 

[Woodwardfan]

And the evidence for that is ... where? People say 'Clough spent', but he had loanees come in, also-rans and never-was's from lower leagues and scotsmen. Now tell me this. If McCabe opened his chequebook and said to you, "build me a team of footballers to secure automatic promotion, stay in the Championship and form a basic framework of a team I expect to be at least in the Championship playoffs within two seasons at the least" would you be buying Davies, Basham, Alcock, Coutts, McEveley and fucking Higdon? Or would you be looking a tad further afield at proven players of Championship status, replaced by better players in their team? Big fees, big wages, but better a value for money box-to-box midfielder with at least ten goals in him and two solid centre backs who keep the goals conceded tally low than a shower of wage thieves who are struggling, even at this ridiculous level of football in division one.

pommpey

Two words Pommpey - Brayford and Done.

 

[I should coco]

Two words Pommpey - Brayford(1) and(2) Done(3).

That's two players but THREE words.

ISC (Pedantry alive and well in S11 todAY)

 

[BushBlade]

That's two players but THREE words.

ISC (Pedantry alive and well in S11 todAY)

No, the two words are Brayford and Done. The 'and' is irrelevant and only there to make the phrase readable. Like saying 'I need two things; a lighter and some papers'.

 

[Worksop II]

ooooh, this one could run and run

 

[Tynemouth Blade]

Sheffield United FC has become, like most top flight clubs, a rich man's toy, something to brag about to your mates at the Golf Club and anyone who believes otherwise is deluded.

OK McCabe is a fan and I don't despute that, but he's a fan with the financial resources to allow his 'family' to pump £90m into the club, but isn't it obvious that SUFC is just a vehicle for the McCabe empire and their 'other' business ventures?

Mistakes have been made at all levels of the Club from the players not performing to their potential, from the series of hopeless managers we've had over the years, up to the board making poor 'footballing decisions' like bringing in hopeless managers like Bryan Robson or letting Nigel (I only want 25 players in the squad) Clough fill the squad with 40 odd very mediocre players!

But the biggest continuing mistake is selling our best player/s before or at the start of every season!!!!!

It's frustrating when we see teams of a much less stature than us and certainly with a much lower fan base than us; Bornemouth, Brentford, Rovrum etc. in a higher league or playing better football than the Blades or appearing to have the ability to bring in better players and managers than we have which have allowed them to be where they are today!

OK we've got a fantastic stadium with a nice new pitch (at last) and a great Academy (although I don't see us producing enough young players for the first team and I would love to see more 'home grown talent' playing for us!) but it's what happens on the pitch, both home and away, that's what it's about.
Winning games and gaining promotion, at least out of this shitty league, is what us the fans want and if we can do it playing some decent football then all the better!
And the proof of this is when we look back at the crowds we see and how the fans turn out in even bigger numbers (myself included!) when we've gone on a successful cup run for example!

 

[I should coco]

No, the two words are Brayford and Done. The 'and' is irrelevant and only there to make the phrase readable. Like saying 'I need two things; a lighter and some papers'.

So are you saying 'and' is not a word? I think the OED may disagree with you there.

It is not at all like saying 'lighter and papers' -these are two THINGS. In this example 'and' is not a 'thing' but it is still a word.

I don't particularly want to go on as I already look a right train spotting pedant, but I will fight for the right of 'ands' everywhere to exist.

FREE THE 'AND ONE'

isc

 

[pommpey]

Two words Pommpey - Brayford and Done.

Not good enough, in my opinion. Brayford, since he came back, has been disappointing. Done has just not cut it. Both of them are not what you'd call marque signings.

pommpey

 

[I should coco]

Not good enough, in my opinion. Brayford, since he came back, has been disappointing. Done has just not cut it. Both of them are not what you'd call marque signings.

But that is with the benefit of hindsight.

Brayford was simply superb in 2014 and the talisman that took us to Wemberly. McCabe wasn't to know he would get a serious injury and not be able to regain the same form as we saw when he was on loan.

Similar story for Done.

McCabe has advanced the cash for what looked like two superb additions but it is hardly his fault they aren't playing well this season.

I'm not sure what you idea of a realistic marquee signing would be. Messi?

ISC

 

[BushBlade]

But that is with the benefit of hindsight.

Brayford was simply superb in 2014 and the talisman that took us to Wemberly. McCabe wasn't to know he would get a serious injury and not be able to regain the same form as we saw when he was on loan.

Similar story for Done.

McCabe has advanced the cash for what looked like two superb additions but it is hardly his fault they aren't playing well this season.

I'm not sure what you idea of a realistic marquee signing would be. Messi?

ISC

'Similar story for Done' isn't really a sentence is it?

 

[Woodwardfan]

Not good enough, in my opinion. Brayford, since he came back, has been disappointing. Done has just not cut it. Both of them are not what you'd call marque signings.

pommpey

Really, anyway they cost us over £2m in transfer fees and loads more in wages, whatever their merits.

The other day I totted up transfer fees for the various players still on our books and it totalled £5.3m thereabouts.

On another post today someone estimates our wage bill this season at £8m.

Added to that we run an expensive Academy and we paid off a manager and his 7 man entourage as well. Than we appointed a new manager and his entourage and signed another five players, all from the Championship.

Pommpey, this is not Championship Manager, it is real money. You cannot simply ignore everything you don't want to see and rubbish everything you choose to see. Your credibilty suffers especially when you are so vulgar and aggressive. Other than all that it has to be said it is your right to say exactly what you wish.

I have two, sorry three words for you again, UTB.

 

[Rodders]

They could only nail it if they were good enough. Resources don't manage themselves.

Look at their records since they left. If their records before we appointed them were questionable, which in my opinion was the case, then surely their post Blades record puts it beyond doubt.

They were bad appointments at the time. No club can make as many poor appointments as we have and not suffer.

I would argue that the one thing worse than the appointments was their dismissal (Adams and Weir aside). Pretty much each one at a shitty time in the season for one reason or another, making the next bloke's job just that little bit harder.

 

[Sean Thornton]

What wages were available? Enough to tempt a PL standard player to come to us to warm the bench?
And how much was Robson given six months later after the horse had bolted?

Like you, I have no idea. The wages and fees paid for Shelton and Fahti were wasted though.

 

[BushBlade]

Like you, I have no idea. The wages and fees paid for Shelton and Fahti were wasted though.

Often happens when you let a manager bring players in during a JTW then sack him at the end of the season. I'm glad we learnt from that.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Statement from McCabe (General Blades Chat)

v.

Brexit (General Chat)

Who'll win? Only one way to find out...

 

[JJ Sefton]

Here's a statement of his I'd like to read...

"I'm off. Here's the keys"

 

[pommpey]

Really, anyway they cost us over £2m in transfer fees and loads more in wages, whatever their merits.

The other day I totted up transfer fees for the various players still on our books and it totalled £5.3m thereabouts.

On another post today someone estimates our wage bill this season at £8m.

Added to that we run an expensive Academy and we paid off a manager and his 7 man entourage as well. Than we appointed a new manager and his entourage and signed another five players, all from the Championship.

Pommpey, this is not Championship Manager, it is real money. You cannot simply ignore everything you don't want to see and rubbish everything you choose to see. Your credibilty suffers especially when you are so vulgar and aggressive. Other than all that it has to be said it is your right to say exactly what you wish.

I have two, sorry three words for you again, UTB.

How much have the players sold, or released, or given away cost, by the way?

How much was that pitch? Real price, not the 'finger in the air - £1m' we keep hearing?

How much has shockingly bad mangerial appointments cost us since the drop from the PL?

This works both ways WWF. Its all very well and good just writing off the paying off of Wier and Clough as inconsequential. He can't blame us for that. It's all very well and good just imagining in investing in the infrastructure of the club is money well spent. This is a football club and what counts is out there on the green stuff, not Academies and hotels and Desso pitches. We could have the best facilities in the Vanarama, but we'd be in the Vanarama and not where it is meant to be used.

And as for hiring a novice and his staff and then sacking him after seven months then blaming everything else (like the two cup semis) on his successor is disengenious, not just by him, but by you.

And I will take your comments about language on review. Like Bert, I'd like to know what your reaction is to ten thousand fans singing 'Sheffield Wednesday's fucked it up again' when the text bleepers go off on a Saturday.

pommpey

 

[Bert]

How much have the players sold, or released, or given away cost, by the way?

How much was that pitch? Real price, not the 'finger in the air - £1m' we keep hearing?

How much has shockingly bad mangerial appointments cost us since the drop from the PL?

This works both ways WWF. Its all very well and good just writing off the paying off of Wier and Clough as inconsequential. He can't blame us for that. It's all very well and good just imagining in investing in the infrastructure of the club is money well spent. This is a football club and what counts is out there on the green stuff, not Academies and hotels and Desso pitches. We could have the best facilities in the Vanarama, but we'd be in the Vanarama and not where it is meant to be used.

And as for hiring a novice and his staff and then sacking him after seven months then blaming everything else (like the two cup semis) on his successor is disengenious, not just by him, but by you.

And I will take your comments about language on review. Like Bert, I'd like to know what your reaction is to ten thousand fans singing 'Sheffield Wednesday's fucked it up again' when the text bleepers go off on a Saturday.

pommpey

It wouldn't bother Bert in the least, however if he were sat next to a knobhead who couldn't speak without using a swear word every five seconds he wouldn't like it.

 

[alcoblade]

Fine. I happen to think our club at this level is run extremely well apart from the choice of managers..

Given the sale of players, the cup runs and the fantastic support, I can only conclude that we must be run terribly for us to need the further cash injections that McCabe is claiming.

UTB

 

[pommpey]

It wouldn't bother Bert in the least, however if he were sat next to a knobhead who couldn't speak without using a swear word every five seconds he wouldn't like it.

Pommpey takes it that Bert enjoys his match from one of the executitve boxes then? Doors closed, so that vile vernacular from the less attractive districts of the city don't corrupt his blessed ears?

Isn't it Bert who instgated the "Twats, the lot of them" thread?

pommpey

 

[Balham]

Do you really think that we got £2.5m for Murphy and that it was all paid in one lump sum?
Come to think of it, you probably do think that. Oh dear.

We probably got a million less, over 18 months.

Which makes it an even worse deal.

At the risk of treading on Sean Thornton 's toes as the resident accounting spokesman and leaving aside whether or not the transfer fee represented value for money, the fixed element would have been counted in this season's turnover irrespective of when the cash is actually due. 12 months, 18 months, 4 years...it doesn't matter; it's only the add-ons which would be recognised at a later date.

Here's a statement of his I'd like to read...

"I'm off. Here's the keys"

Playing devil's advocate, if that's the case who would bridge the enormous gap between income and expenditure?

 

[JJ Sefton]

Playing devil's advocate, if that's the case who would bridge the enormous gap between income and expenditure?

We'd raffle off James Beattie's alloys.

 

[Sean Thornton]

I don't know. Neither does anybody else it seems. That's why I asked that very question. The question that you said was irrelevant.
It's very relevant. Of the £80M he says his family has put into the club, how much was actually spent on "football"?
Not £80M, even by your calculations. So his comments to the media were misleading.

For one thing, he's contrasting the amount he's put into the club with the amount The Prince has put in.
All of the Prince's investment has been spent on football.
At least part of McCabe's investment hasn't and he can get it back by selling the property he built with it (e.g. Business Centre and Hotel).

NO idea how much Chengdu cost us in the end. The original purchase was for £200,000. Try and ramp it up all you want but even though a loss, relatively insignificant in the scheme of things. Your assertion of Hungary was wrong. So clearly irrelevant.

The sale of fixed assets, Health club, hotel etc etc netted the football club £5.1 million over two years. Its there in the accounts.

Trading losses from the year ended June 2006 to June 2013 amounted to £32.835 Million. Thats after taking into account net recovery from West Ham of £18.5 million. ( Had McCabe not won that fight, losses would have been over £50 million £54 million if you disregard the assets which you seem to think we lost money on).

For the four years ended June 2013, cost of sales, ie wages etc, were MORE than turnover by £12.2 million ( 2010 £3m, 2011 £3.5m, 2012 £4.6m, 2013 £1.1m). Thats losses entirely due to football BEFORE any administration costs. Try as you will to deny it, the vast majority of those costs will relate to the day to day running of the football club so its not hard to see how losses have racked up. All from the accounts that are available free, to all.

The 2014 accounts show a "profit" of £30.7 million AFTER the debt owed to McCabe of £34m was turned into equity. So we lost £4.2 million. So losses in the FC of £34 million. Then therrs £18m in losses in SU Ltd since it ceased to be a PLC all funded by McCabe.

So thats losses of £52m plus 2015 FC losses (estimated by me) £5m this season forecast (by KMc) £8m i9s a total of £81million. HRH has shares costing £14 million, lets say £15m because Kevin said so and it leaves a shortfall of £51million. Without going into any detail or including PLc losses OR the £8m he's put into shares on SU Ltd, which would make it £59m its cost him)

Now who do you think has paid for that?

 

[Sean Thornton]

At the risk of treading on Sean Thornton 's toes as the resident accounting spokesman and leaving aside whether or not the transfer fee represented value for money, the fixed element would have been counted in this season's turnover irrespective of when the cash is actually due. 12 months, 18 months, 4 years...it doesn't matter; it's only the add-ons which would be recognised at a later date.



Playing devil's advocate, if that's the case who would bridge the enormous gap between income and expenditure?

Now theres a question BB

 

[Bert]

Pommpey takes it that Bert enjoys his match from one of the executitve boxes then? Doors closed, so that vile vernacular from the less attractive districts of the city don't corrupt his blessed ears?


Isn't it Bert who instgated the "Twats, the lot of them" thread?

pommpey

Bert's youth was spent on the Kop and on terraces up and down the country... in the days before segregation. In later life he moved to the New South Stand. Since he has given up his season ticket (due to spending long periods in foreign parts) he can now be found in the Bramall Lane corner, a location that is void of foul mouthed riff raff.

Berrt

 

[Woodwardfan]

How much have the players sold, or released, or given away cost, by the way?

How much was that pitch? Real price, not the 'finger in the air - £1m' we keep hearing?

How much has shockingly bad mangerial appointments cost us since the drop from the PL?

This works both ways WWF. Its all very well and good just writing off the paying off of Wier and Clough as inconsequential. He can't blame us for that. It's all very well and good just imagining in investing in the infrastructure of the club is money well spent. This is a football club and what counts is out there on the green stuff, not Academies and hotels and Desso pitches. We could have the best facilities in the Vanarama, but we'd be in the Vanarama and not where it is meant to be used.

And as for hiring a novice and his staff and then sacking him after seven months then blaming everything else (like the two cup semis) on his successor is disengenious, not just by him, but by you.

And I will take your comments about language on review. Like Bert, I'd like to know what your reaction is to ten thousand fans singing 'Sheffield Wednesday's fucked it up again' when the text bleepers go off on a Saturday.

pommpey

I always sing "mucked it up again" and once sang it loud at an aquaintance of mine at Bramall Lane as he exited the Directors' Box (SWFC bit) at the final whistle just after James Beattie levelled the game late on at 2-2 after we'd been losing 2-0. I regret it to this day, but that's the emotion of football. I also did pig snorts at Michael Vaughan as he exited the same area but I don't regret that. I should change my seat though, I might get into trouble one day and such behaviour does not befit a gentleman, that's football for you.

As for language on here, I was told by a mate ( the only mate who knows my pseudonym I think) that I was belittling myself. My reaction was that it's a language of choice on the forum but afterwards I realised he was right. I haven't used such language since and I still manage to get my point of view across and upset enough people to know my messages still have impact!

Finally re Weir, he was appointed on a project of downsizing, slashing costs and ensuring that the club paid it's way month in month out. KM had finally said no more cash. Weir was a rookie but it was Mission Impossible considering we have so many fans who quite rightly have "high expectations".