Adkins and Billy Sharp

[HermitageBlade]

I don't really post much however I do follow the discussions that take place on here and one of the topics that comes up regularly is the positives that Adkins has brought to the club. The one positive that is brought up again and again is the signing of Billy Sharp and this is often used as a reason to justify Adkins position. Firstly I have no issues with Billy Sharp and believe that his effort cannot be questioned however he probably is one of the biggest earners and he, if the media is to be believed cost us around £500,000 which is sizeable in this league. Therefore with 11 goals in open play and 4 penalties in 33 games of which he has played every minute in his preferred position could the money have been better spent? We are unlikely to ever see a return on the transfer fee as he is now 30 yrs old and we did have one of the leagues top scorers from last year already in place in Done (a man that has been sidelined all season by Adkins). With this in mind is the signing of Billy Sharp enough to argue that not all of Adkins signings have been poor and as such he should be trusted with next seasons budget?

 

[I should coco]

we did have one of the leagues top scorers from last year already in place in Done (a man that has been sidelined all season by Adkins).

'Did' being the operative word. He has been nowhere near last year's form.

That Adkins is a right bad one though. Sidelining our wonder striker even when he had a broken collar bone....

ISC

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I don't really post much however I do follow the discussions that take place on here and one of the topics that comes up regularly is the positives that Adkins has brought to the club. The one positive that is brought up again and again is the signing of Billy Sharp and this is often used as a reason to justify Adkins position. Firstly I have no issues with Billy Sharp and believe that his effort cannot be questioned however he probably is one of the biggest earners and he, if the media is to be believed cost us around £500,000 which is sizeable in this league. Therefore with 11 goals in open play and 4 penalties in 33 games of which he has played every minute in his preferred position could the money have been better spent? We are unlikely to ever see a return on the transfer fee as he is now 30 yrs old and we did have one of the leagues top scorers from last year already in place in Done (a man that has been sidelined all season by Adkins). With this in mind is the signing of Billy Sharp enough to argue that not all of Adkins signings have been poor and as such he should be trusted with next seasons budget?

Sharp was a sub v Coventry and missed the games at Donny and Bury didn't he? Surely that's 15 goals in 31 starts and one sub appearance? Nearly a 1 in 2 record despite an atrocious midfield and the lack of a decent target man to play off.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Imagine if he was playing in a team with say Murphy, O Grady and McDonald in it.

 

[itsinyerblood]

I don't really post much however I do follow the discussions that take place on here and one of the topics that comes up regularly is the positives that Adkins has brought to the club. The one positive that is brought up again and again is the signing of Billy Sharp and this is often used as a reason to justify Adkins position. Firstly I have no issues with Billy Sharp and believe that his effort cannot be questioned however he probably is one of the biggest earners and he, if the media is to be believed cost us around £500,000 which is sizeable in this league. Therefore with 11 goals in open play and 4 penalties in 33 games of which he has played every minute in his preferred position could the money have been better spent? We are unlikely to ever see a return on the transfer fee as he is now 30 yrs old and we did have one of the leagues top scorers from last year already in place in Done (a man that has been sidelined all season by Adkins). With this in mind is the signing of Billy Sharp enough to argue that not all of Adkins signings have been poor and as such he should be trusted with next seasons budget?

All worthwhile observations Hermitage, and although I'm seriously underwhelmed with most things SUFC this season, brutal logic suggests that Adkins needs this summer (which should really have begun already as far as he's concerned) to filter through the many players shown the door, while inviting others to come and join the 'revolution'.
I can't say I'm generally impressed with the signings we've made so far, yet it doesn't seem a problem for other teams to secure the signatures of players who can do their specific jobs effectively and consistently....I wonder why this is the case? Poor judgement at decision making level perhaps? Or could it be that we're not an attractive proposition for players of game changing quality? I'd hope that's not the case, but we do seem to get the left-overs rather than those players who anyone with a glass eye could tell was a good addition to the team.

 

[Dec]

Imagine if he was playing in a team with say Murphy, O Grady and McDonald in it.

It's fun to imagine sometimes, isn't it...

...almost helps you forget the reality for a moment.

 

[Living In a Fantasy World]

'Did' being the operative word. He has been nowhere near last year's form.

That Adkins is a right bad one though. Sidelining our wonder striker even when he had a broken collar bone....

ISC

Well i'm going to defend Done, he hasn't been used correctly, for starters he has been played out of position a number of times, he was even at left wing back last game!!
We bought him as a striker but Adkins seems determined to play him on the wing, alike with Adams who should be on the wing but is up front.

 

[SwissBlade]

I don't really post much however I do follow the discussions that take place on here and one of the topics that comes up regularly is the positives that Adkins has brought to the club. The one positive that is brought up again and again is the signing of Billy Sharp and this is often used as a reason to justify Adkins position. Firstly I have no issues with Billy Sharp and believe that his effort cannot be questioned however he probably is one of the biggest earners and he, if the media is to be believed cost us around £500,000 which is sizeable in this league. Therefore with 11 goals in open play and 4 penalties in 33 games of which he has played every minute in his preferred position could the money have been better spent? We are unlikely to ever see a return on the transfer fee as he is now 30 yrs old and we did have one of the leagues top scorers from last year already in place in Done (a man that has been sidelined all season by Adkins). With this in mind is the signing of Billy Sharp enough to argue that not all of Adkins signings have been poor and as such he should be trusted with next seasons budget?

Very good point. I've been very impressed with Billy this season, he's done ok goal scoring wise, i said that i'd be surprised if he scored 10 goals at the start of the season, perhaps i shouldve specified 'from open play', with just a quarter of the season left, he should at least hit 15 goals.

However, i've got to say, the more i see of Billy and United this season, i firmly believe that he was not the striker that we desperately needed.

Jim Phipps said, of Clough, in an email "failure to recruit a front end, failure to recruit/get along with central defenders" were contributory to Clough's sacking. Well Adkins has delivered Sharp and Sammon, but neither really solve the problem up front. I think (as others have mentioned) Murphy would've helped to boost Billy's Supply lines, because in fairness, Che, JCR, Woolford, Done, Flynn, Coutts and anyone else put on the wings haven't delivered, so it might not all be down to the central striker. However, i still think an O'Grady type was what we needed.

 

[sheffielder]

The failure is Sammon, not Sharp.

Getting someone with pace alongside him should have been priority. One tactic can be stretching the pitch using pace, pulling CB's out of position leaving space for Sharp.

 

[HermitageBlade]

I should coco - imagine playing Billy at left back and on the wing ,slightly different as he's done has played there before I know but we signed him as a striker, that was my point although I accept the injury comment.

1dw - we've played 34 and I thought he'd missed one game and came on at half time in another , could be wrong. However I really was referring to the fact that he has only really scored 11 goals in open play which brings it down to 1 in 3. Yes penalties count but we do have other players that could take them. For me Billy is a bit disappointing as I wanted him to rip this league apart, I suppose like I did last time. The point was though more about Adkins and his signings.

It'sinyerblood - like you I am seriously underwhelmed and I'm not sure even Jordan Belfort could sell this team as a revolution, the only revolution seems to be happening in the stands. I do feel that unfortunately at the beginning of the season we needed perhaps 4 /5 players and we'd have been ok. Unfortunately Adkins got the wrong 5 players in the wrong positions. For me I can't see how he can be trusted to take us forward.

 

[Esablade]

Anyone scoring 15 goals in our team deserves s medal...

 

[FedupBlade]

Very good point. I've been very impressed with Billy this season, he's done ok goal scoring wise, i said that i'd be surprised if he scored 10 goals at the start of the season, perhaps i shouldve specified 'from open play', with just a quarter of the season left, he should at least hit 15 goals.

However, i've got to say, the more i see of Billy and United this season, i firmly believe that he was not the striker that we desperately needed.

Jim Phipps said, of Clough, in an email "failure to recruit a front end, failure to recruit/get along with central defenders" were contributory to Clough's sacking. Well Adkins has delivered Sharp and Sammon, but neither really solve the problem up front. I think (as others have mentioned) Murphy would've helped to boost Billy's Supply lines, because in fairness, Che, JCR, Woolford, Done, Flynn, Coutts and anyone else put on the wings haven't delivered, so it might not all be down to the central striker. However, i still think an O'Grady type was what we needed.

I don't really post much however I do follow the discussions that take place on here and one of the topics that comes up regularly is the positives that Adkins has brought to the club. The one positive that is brought up again and again is the signing of Billy Sharp and this is often used as a reason to justify Adkins position. Firstly I have no issues with Billy Sharp and believe that his effort cannot be questioned however he probably is one of the biggest earners and he, if the media is to be believed cost us around £500,000 which is sizeable in this league. Therefore with 11 goals in open play and 4 penalties in 33 games of which he has played every minute in his preferred position could the money have been better spent? We are unlikely to ever see a return on the transfer fee as he is now 30 yrs old and we did have one of the leagues top scorers from last year already in place in Done (a man that has been sidelined all season by Adkins). With this in mind is the signing of Billy Sharp enough to argue that not all of Adkins signings have been poor and as such he should be trusted with next seasons budget?

 

[FedupBlade]

Take Sharps goals away and we're league two next season, so he's a good piece of business. The biggest problem is finding the right player to play along side him which has been Adkins problem all year, in March already and he still doesn't know his best team.

 

[itsinyerblood]

I should coco - imagine playing Billy at left back and on the wing ,slightly different as he's done has played there before I know but we signed him as a striker, that was my point although I accept the injury comment.

1dw - we've played 34 and I thought he'd missed one game and came on at half time in another , could be wrong. However I really was referring to the fact that he has only really scored 11 goals in open play which brings it down to 1 in 3. Yes penalties count but we do have other players that could take them. For me Billy is a bit disappointing as I wanted him to rip this league apart, I suppose like I did last time. The point was though more about Adkins and his signings.

It'sinyerblood - like you I am seriously underwhelmed and I'm not sure even Jordan Belfort could sell this team as a revolution, the only revolution seems to be happening in the stands. I do feel that unfortunately at the beginning of the season we needed perhaps 4 /5 players and we'd have been ok. Unfortunately Adkins got the wrong 5 players in the wrong positions. For me I can't see how he can be trusted to take us forward.

Again, agree mate. The one worrying point, one that for me still hasn't been given a convincing answer, was the managerial conviction that Murphy wouldn't be sold - with the added sucker punch that teams with ambition don't sell their best players - only for a couple of weeks later to discover that, blow me, Murphy had been sold and there was nothing we could do to prevent this from happening. No, of course we couldn't, we only had him signed for an additional two years, I mean, only two years. I've covered this before so I don't intend to over-egg this particular pudding, but it was the bare-faced assertion that Murphy wouldn't be sold that took my breath away. How are any of us expected to take the word of anyone connected with the Blades when the supporters are treated with contempt? I doubt that will go down well with the more amiable section of our fan base (of which I'm generally one), but this season was destined for little more than mid-table glory, yet the club still expects punters to dip their hands into their pockets and divvy up the readies for another campaign?

 

[Ricky]

I don't really post much however I do follow the discussions that take place on here and one of the topics that comes up regularly is the positives that Adkins has brought to the club. The one positive that is brought up again and again is the signing of Billy Sharp and this is often used as a reason to justify Adkins position. Firstly I have no issues with Billy Sharp and believe that his effort cannot be questioned however he probably is one of the biggest earners and he, if the media is to be believed cost us around £500,000 which is sizeable in this league. Therefore with 11 goals in open play and 4 penalties in 33 games of which he has played every minute in his preferred position could the money have been better spent? We are unlikely to ever see a return on the transfer fee as he is now 30 yrs old and we did have one of the leagues top scorers from last year already in place in Done (a man that has been sidelined all season by Adkins). With this in mind is the signing of Billy Sharp enough to argue that not all of Adkins signings have been poor and as such he should be trusted with next seasons budget?

Could've spent the money better, but we wouldn't have.

 

[SwissBlade]

Take Sharps goals away and we're league two next season, so he's a good piece of business. The biggest problem is finding the right player to play along side him which has been Adkins problem all year, in March already and he still doesn't know his best team.

Porter and McNulty both played fewer games and how many did they score?

 

[HoodedClaw]

Take Sharps goals away and we're league two next season, so he's a good piece of business. The biggest problem is finding the right player to play along side him which has been Adkins problem all year, in March already and he still doesn't know his best team.

The problem for me is that I don't think we have a "best" team, whatever we put out is useless.

Out of interest in your view what's our "best" team?

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Sharp was a sub v Coventry and missed the games at Donny and Bury didn't he? Surely that's 15 goals in 31 starts and one sub appearance? Nearly a 1 in 2 record despite an atrocious midfield and the lack of a decent target man to play off.

Surely lack of a decent target man *when Sammon's not playing*.

;-)

 

[PokerBlade]

Sharp's limitations are often evident. His hold up play can go from alright to plain awful during games. He's not the quickest. He is, however, what every set of fans is constantly screaming out for: a proven goalscorer. Players of his type are invaluable because they simply aren't that common.

Listen to football phone-ins over a season and keep a tally of the times you hear the phrases "what we need is a goalscorer" or "someone who puts the ball in the back of the net" or similar (don't actually do this, you'll run out of paper).

The fact that Sharp's scored the goals he has in a side this poor is a credit to him. He's exactly the calibre of player we should be looking at. We've got the best poacher in the division. Shame we sold Murphy and decided to spend the season playing without wingers or even a decent attacking midfielder.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Surely lack of a decent target man *when Sammon's not playing*.

;-)

Well, I still think that Sammon is our best target man but he's been underachieving. The on-going vicious cycle with the souring of his relationship with the crowd coupled with loss of form and confidence means that he's probably reached the point of being useless now. Even at his best though, he was no COG.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Well, I still think that Sammon is our best target man but he's been underachieving. The on-going vicious cycle with the souring of his relationship with the crowd coupled with loss of form and confidence means that he's probably reached the point of being useless now. Even at his best though, he was no COG.

This is pretty much exactly the way I see it.

He did well away at Blackpool in front of a small crowd, if he's ever going to perform again then tomorrow would be a good chance.

I'd start him though, if I was going to play him at all. No good as a sub. You need to find out about his form and be able to remedy it if needs be.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

This is pretty much exactly the way I see it.

He did well away at Blackpool in front of a small crowd, if he's ever going to perform again then tomorrow would be a good chance.

I'd start him though, if I was going to play him at all. No good as a sub. You need to find out about his form and be able to remedy it if needs be.

Yeah maybe although I'm leaning more to just playing those that will be here next season

---------------------Long

Brayford-----Edgar--Baptiste---Wallace
---------------------Reed
---------------Whiteman-Basham
Done-----------------------------------Adams
----------------------Sarp

I know the CBs are loanees but might earn permanent deals. If we're changing the system I'd consider DCL or DdG up top with Sharp in place of a midfielder. Probably have Hammond and Woolford as part of the squad too as they'll probably be here next season. That might allow Basham to drop in to replace one of the loanees.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

It's fun to imagine sometimes, isn't it...

...almost helps you forget the reality for a moment.

You set your sights rather low, what would the standing of that team be? Nick Blackman, world beater. Perhaps in his own eyes.

 

[wardonia_blade]

The transfer fee for Sharp is totally justified and we have already had our return on the investment. For without his goals we would have gone down.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Very good point. I've been very impressed with Billy this season, he's done ok goal scoring wise, i said that i'd be surprised if he scored 10 goals at the start of the season, perhaps i shouldve specified 'from open play', with just a quarter of the season left, he should at least hit 15 goals.

However, i've got to say, the more i see of Billy and United this season, i firmly believe that he was not the striker that we desperately needed.

Jim Phipps said, of Clough, in an email "failure to recruit a front end, failure to recruit/get along with central defenders" were contributory to Clough's sacking. Well Adkins has delivered Sharp and Sammon, but neither really solve the problem up front. I think (as others have mentioned) Murphy would've helped to boost Billy's Supply lines, because in fairness, Che, JCR, Woolford, Done, Flynn, Coutts and anyone else put on the wings haven't delivered, so it might not all be down to the central striker. However, i still think an O'Grady type was what we needed.

Agree that Billy is desperately , almost frantically, overrated. Last two games he's ben like a tin soldier.

 

[SwissBlade]

Agree that Billy is desperately , almost frantically, overrated. Last two games he's ben like a tin soldier.

ha ha there is a difference between overrated and not being the right man that we need. in fairness, McNulty got a dozen goals last year and he's very similar to billy. i'd have gone with McNulty this year but gone out to get O'Grady...

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Again, agree mate. The one worrying point, one that for me still hasn't been given a convincing answer, was the managerial conviction that Murphy wouldn't be sold - with the added sucker punch that teams with ambition don't sell their best players - only for a couple of weeks later to discover that, blow me, Murphy had been sold and there was nothing we could do to prevent this from happening. No, of course we couldn't, we only had him signed for an additional two years, I mean, only two years. I've covered this before so I don't intend to over-egg this particular pudding, but it was the bare-faced assertion that Murphy wouldn't be sold that took my breath away. How are any of us expected to take the word of anyone connected with the Blades when the supporters are treated with contempt? I doubt that will go down well with the more amiable section of our fan base (of which I'm generally one), but this season was destined for little more than mid-table glory, yet the club still expects punters to dip their hands into their pockets and divvy up the readies for another campaign?

They need to be told to fuck off. Stay away.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

ha ha there is a difference between overrated and not being the right man that we need. in fairness, McNulty got a dozen goals last year and he's very similar to billy. i'd have gone with McNulty this year but gone out to get O'Grady...

I kind of agree with this although Billy brings much more than McNulty in terms of workrate and character. However, I agree O Grady was more the type of striker we needed given what we had. Thing is, Sammon was supposed to be that signing.

 

[SwissBlade]

I kind of agree with this although Billy brings much more than McNulty in terms of workrate and character. However, I agree O Grady was more the type of striker we needed given what we had. Thing is, Sammon was supposed to be that signing.

Yeah I think Sammon's problem, apart from being a bit shit, is that he's not the first choice striker. Perhaps if he'd been the first choice he might've been a more dominant force. But he kind of saunters about a bit... Billy being the first choice together with Sammon's shiteness and lack of fitness mean that he's never going to be that big man, feared by all league one...

Like Davis and Higdon last year, he's not the full package.

Leon Clarke would've also been the same gamble. But I think given his experience at this level he'd have been a better bet.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Yeah I think Sammon's problem, apart from being a bit shit, is that he's not the first choice striker. Perhaps if he'd been the first choice he might've been a more dominant force. But he kind of saunters about a bit... Billy being the first choice together with Sammon's shiteness and lack of fitness mean that he's never going to be that big man, feared by all league one...

Like Davis and Higdon last year, he's not the full package.

Leon Clarke would've also been the same gamble. But I think given his experience at this level he'd have been a better bet.

Yeah Clarke probably would have been better. Sammon made a decent start but when it became clear he couldn't judge the flight of the ball to give himself a chance to win headers, people got on his back a bit and the confidence seemed to drain out of him. When he's played recently, he looks like he doesn't want to be there. The midfield being too poor to play 442 coupled with the desire to get Adams and Done into the team has made it all the harder for him.