Battle of the Big Beasts

[Alfreton14Blade]

Nah, not Citeh v PSG.

Gilly v Wally.
2-1, Walsall.

If only, if only, if only...

Fair to say that IF we could replicate the form of the last two home games into away games, & IF the season were 10 games longer, then these two would be eminently catchable.

As it is, we're heading into all the "known unknowns" of the off-season. WILL there be any money? WILL the strikeforce be sold? WILL Adkins have the personal qualities & the wherewithal to fashion his own promotion-winning squad?

At least next season's Division Three will be very similar to this season's - it'll hold no fears &, with no outstanding sides in it, will be there just asking to be won.

 

[Bartleby]

Bollocks! Much as I wanted Walsall to win to stuff Burton (or rather Cluff) I wanted Gillingham to win more to stuff dingles. Sad to be just an observer of other clubs fortunes now and feck all to play for

 

[SK10Blade]

Bugger, I thought that said breasts.

 

[blade too long]

1 Wigan 41 35 80
2 Burton 41 16 76
3 Walsall 40 17 71
4 Bradford 41 9 70
5 Millwall 41 18 69
6 Gillingham 41 20 68
7 Barnsley 41 12 65
8 Rochdale 41 6 61
9 Scunthorpe 41 6 59
10 Sheff Utd 41 5 59
11 Southend 41 1 59

still mathematically possible , in Narnia

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

Burton Albion v Barnsley
Bradford City v Millwall

Barnsley v Bradford City

Barnsley - Promoted

 

[PeteBlade]

1 Wigan 41 35 80
2 Burton 41 16 76
3 Walsall 40 17 71
4 Bradford 41 9 70
5 Millwall 41 18 69
6 Gillingham 41 20 68
7 Barnsley 41 12 65
8 Rochdale 41 6 61
9 Scunthorpe 41 6 59
10 Sheff Utd 41 5 59
11 Southend 41 1 59

still mathematically possible , in Narnia

It was a sad day for all when you moved out of Narnia yourself.

 

[Bartleby]

1 Wigan 41 35 80
2 Burton 41 16 76
3 Walsall 40 17 71
4 Bradford 41 9 70
5 Millwall 41 18 69
6 Gillingham 41 20 68
7 Barnsley 41 12 65
8 Rochdale 41 6 61
9 Scunthorpe 41 6 59
10 Sheff Utd 41 5 59
11 Southend 41 1 59

still mathematically possible , in Narnia

yeah, I've got access to the league table over here, ta, but it still in't going to happen.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Nah, not Citeh v PSG.

Gilly v Wally.
2-1, Walsall.

If only, if only, if only...

Fair to say that IF we could replicate the form of the last two home games into away games, & IF the season were 10 games longer, then these two would be eminently catchable.

As it is, we're heading into all the "known unknowns" of the off-season. WILL there be any money? WILL the strikeforce be sold? WILL Adkins have the personal qualities & the wherewithal to fashion his own promotion-winning squad?

At least next season's Division Three will be very similar to this season's - it'll hold no fears &, with no outstanding sides in it, will be there just asking to be won.

This league gets harder every year and will do the more time we spend in it . Next year will be even harder due to expectations being higher of automatic promotion for the blades .

Being in the top 6 for a number of teams is a nice bonus . For us being in the top 2 is a must and necessity .

We have no right to get out of this league , it has to be earned which increases the pressure .

We have not had players who can deal with playing for SUFC . You don't need a league filled with outstanding sides , you only need a league full of teams who are more organised and hungry , and you fail as we have done for the last 5 seasons . Caution is the key and respect for others . No opposition will be a walkover.

UTB

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Sad to be just an observer of other clubs fortunes now and feck all to play for

Too right. Pretty amazing that, as the cricket season starts, we've got zero to play for in Division Three!

Stress-free end to the season, but boring.
Meanwhile, the likes of East Wolverhampton & Kent play out their vital, promotion-centred battles.

 

[Bartleby]

Bugger, I thought that said breasts.

yeah I did initially as well - click bait eh?

 

[PokerBlade]

Fair to say that IF we could replicate the form of the last two home games into away games

Fair to say that almost no team goes through the season without a couple of good games. Even in the relegation season we had a few "If we played like that every week..." moments.

Bradford would've said that when they were on their cup run. Chesterfield said it when they were on their way to the Paint Pot trophy and relegation.

It's very often true, it just doesn't matter if it's not realistic.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Fair to say that almost no team goes through the season without a couple of good games. Even in the relegation season we had a few "If we played like that every week..." moments.

Bradford would've said that when they were on their cup run. Chesterfield said it when they were on their way to the Paint Pot trophy and relegation.

It's very often true, it just doesn't matter if it's not realistic.

The next 2 or 3 weeks are gonna be quite telling. Is the welcome ramping up of performance levels (against top 6 sides) a flash in the pan? Or is it genuinely the result of things finally coming together?

For a meaningless, petering-out end of season, there's a hell of a lot hanging on the next 5 games I'd suggest.

 

[spongebobblade]

Barnsley........ A place where even the pigeons fly upside down cause there's nowt worth shitting on......
Can we please be the team that smugly ends there play off hopes please??

 

[Tyler Durden]

Barnsley........ A place where even the pigeons fly upside down cause there's nowt worth shitting on......
Can we please be the team that smugly ends there play off hopes please??

That would be some measure of revenge for getting relegated by the bastards.

Now that is something to play for.

 

[PokerBlade]

The next 2 or 3 weeks are gonna be quite telling. Is the welcome ramping up of performance levels (against top 6 sides) a flash in the pan? Or is it genuinely the result of things finally coming together?

For a meaningless, petering-out end of season, there's a hell of a lot hanging on the next 5 games I'd suggest.

Why will the coming 3 weeks be more telling than the previous 40?

It seems like part of our pattern where somehow we forgive a bunch of players who have had poor seasons and decide that against the odds they're bound to be better next campaign. Hence why we gave McEveley a year's extension, watched him be awful for most of the it, and now discuss "Well, he has looked better, if he keeps up this form," and so on.

 

[Ricky]

Game in hand on Burton, 5 points behind, 6 games left, 4 at home.

COME ON WALSALL, YOU CAN DO IT!

 

[Higgo's Belly]

Game in hand on Burton, 5 points behind, 6 games left, 4 at home.

COME ON WALSALL, YOU CAN DO IT!

I do not understand this total obsession with Clough. Do we not have enough issues of our own to concentrate on, without spending all our time hoping that Burton lose. I do not care if Burton, Gillingham or Walsall go up. All that I'm personally bothered about is that we are going to be in this awful league again next season, when one or possibly more of these tin pot teams will be in the Championship.
Why, when a manager departs, do we then have to hate them and wish failure on them for the rest of their career. Clough rescued us from Weirs nightmare reign, taking us from the lower reaches of the division to seventh and then the play offs the next season, without even throwing in the cup semi finals as well. I believe there were many memorable moments to remember during Clough's reign. He was badly treated by the board, however thats done now. He was an honourable man who did nothing but try his best for the Blades. Can we not wish him well and move on. We have more than enough problems of our own to concentrate on

 

[Ricky]

I do not understand this total obsession with Clough. Do we not have enough issues of our own to concentrate on, without spending all our time hoping that Burton lose. I do not care if Burton, Gillingham or Walsall go up. All that I'm personally bothered about is that we are going to be in this awful league again next season, when one or possibly more of these tin pot teams will be in the Championship.
Why, when a manager departs, do we then have to hate them and wish failure on them for the rest of their career. Clough rescued us from Weirs nightmare reign, taking us from the lower reaches of the division to seventh and then the play offs the next season, without even throwing in the cup semi finals as well. I believe there were many memorable moments to remember during Clough's reign. He was badly treated by the board, however thats done now. He was an honourable man who did nothing but try his best for the Blades. Can we not wish him well and move on. We have more than enough problems of our own to concentrate on

An 'honourable' man would've put the good of the club ahead of his own ego and agendas. Clough never came close to doing that. He disregarded and disrespected the board and the fans with many things he did and said. He was in it for himself first and foremost. He's an incredibly stubborn, arrogant, petulant and selfish individual. He's ultimately set the club back at least two years. We are very well rid of him. I wish him nothing but failure. He doesn't deserve the privilege of being a professional football manager. If his name wasn't Clough I suspect he would've never had it in the first place.

 

[Tyler Durden]

An 'honourable' man would've put the good of the club ahead of his own ego and agendas. Clough never came close to doing that. He disregarded and disrespected the board and the fans with many things he did and said. He was in it for himself first and foremost. He's an incredibly stubborn, arrogant, petulant and selfish individual. He's ultimately set the club back at least two years. We are very well rid of him. I wish him nothing but failure. He doesn't deserve the privilege of being a professional football manager. If his name wasn't Clough I suspect he would've never had it in the first place.

I couldn't have summed it up better.

 

[Ricky]

I couldn't have summed it up better.

Always reassuring to know it wasn't just me who saw Clough for what he really is. I can't believe how so many of our fans just couldn't see it.

The way he tried to manage the club was insulting.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Always reassuring to know it wasn't just me who saw Clough for what he really is. I can't believe how so many of our fans just couldn't see it.

The way he tried to manage the club was insulting.

Many still can't see what that man has done to this club in the long term, or they refuse to because they can't accept that "their man" got the boot.

The Cult of Clough use the very simplistic argument of us finishing 5th as a reason for him supposedly being a better manager. Failing to realise that his destructive methods and the sheer arrogance in his approach directly led to the problems we continue to have today.

Few managers other than Adkins have had to take charge of such a dysfunctional state of affairs. Those who continually slate him demonstrate a baffling lack of perspective and context.

 

[Barney]

Many still can't see what that man has done to this club in the long term, or they refuse to because they can't accept that "their man" got the boot.

The Cult of Clough use the very simplistic argument of us finishing 5th as a reason for him supposedly being a better manager. Failing to realise that his destructive methods and the sheer arrogance in his approach directly led to the problems we continue to have today.

Few managers other than Adkins have had to take charge of such a dysfunctional state of affairs. Those who continually slate him demonstrate a baffling lack of perspective and context.

Adkins and Clough have provided disappointments in different ways. Adkins hasn't been backed as much, but what he has had was enough to see substantial progress and the vast majority of it has been wasted.

Clough was a poor manager that ultimately underachieved by a staggering 20 points. Not only was it such an underachievement, it was made worse by the fact that it was a direct result of his horrid personality and wretched recruitment policy.

 

[Grappler]

Barnsley........ A place where even the pigeons fly upside down cause there's nowt worth shitting on......
Can we please be the team that smugly ends there play off hopes please??

What about their fans?

 

[Champagneblade]

How frustrating we couldn't make at least one of the efforts count on Saturday.

I see Walsall needed half the efforts and corners to make short work of them. And the were the away side.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

The colossus that is Wigan have dipped their toe in this league then fucked off again. . . . . .and we never laid a "glove" on them.

 

[grafikhaus]

That would be some measure of revenge for getting relegated by the bastards.

Now that is something to play for.

I do not understand this total obsession with Clough.

We don't have a 'total obsession with Clough' any more than with Barnsley. Both have fucked the Blades in recent years and it's understandable if we want to see them fail.

 

[PeteBlade]

The colossus that is Wigan have dipped their toe in this league then fucked off again. . . . . .and we never laid a "glove" on them.

How many of us laughed at them when they said they would get 100 points?

They aren't going to finish too far off that.

 

[Esablade]

How many of us laughed at them when they said they would get 100 points?

They aren't going to finish too far off that.

Spent money buying good players...when it went a bit wobbly, bought more good players in January to push on...simples...

 

[Ricky]

They won't be too far away from 100 but they've still made pretty hard work of a shocking division. Ultimately though they've still pissed it, even with an inexperienced manager.

How much better off would we be now financially and as a club if we'd just spent what they have or at least signed the type of players they have as soon as we were relegated?
But this club doesn't think like that. I expect this to be another summer of minimalist transfer window efforts and we'll continue to lose money for another 5 years in this league. Really prudent.

 

[nowtfancy]

Many still can't see what that man has done to this club in the long term, or they refuse to because they can't accept that "their man" got the boot.

The Cult of Clough use the very simplistic argument of us finishing 5th as a reason for him supposedly being a better manager. Failing to realise that his destructive methods and the sheer arrogance in his approach directly led to the problems we continue to have today.

Few managers other than Adkins have had to take charge of such a dysfunctional state of affairs. Those who continually slate him demonstrate a baffling lack of perspective and context.

I look forward to reading a thread that you dont turn into a way out of perspective clough slating session.
The simplistic argument of league position progressing for the first time in how many years? Never mind, at least we've gone back to declining with a manager that's nice and shiny.

People can only say how they saw it - I enjoyed moving up the table, and I enjoyed more of clough's matches than any manager since NW.
But don't let that stop you telling people how they should think.