The dismantling of Sheffield United

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Cerberus Blade

Cerberus Blade

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Every team goes through a cycle where they grow and build and achieve then stagnate and struggle before they are ready to step up again.

How long you stay in any one of those phases depends on how well the team is managed through it.

I felt United, last season, had it all going for them and with a bit more backing could have pushed onto the next level. But without it would run out of steam this season and be on the decline. Ageing strike force, makeshift midfielders, defenders who are supposed to be attackers? No sorry, not for me! Defenders occasionally getting forward yes! Absolutely. Main attackers being defenders? No thanks. Get some money spent on proper strikers you tight gets!

That chicken is coming home to roost. Sharp can’t even get in the team. League 2 players like Lundstram are keeping Duffy out of the starting 11, and we can’t afford to compete at this level for strikers!

Maybe the answer IS to sell O’Connell for £8m to free up some cash? But then there’ll be a revolt over the incoming players wages if we use that to sign a striker.

I think this season will be all about dismantling the current squad and planning for an assault next season.
 

It's indisputable that the strike force is too old, the midfield is makeshift and Lundstram is L2. Can't see too much wrong with the OP except for the selling of JOC bit. The Brooks money is still available so fucking well use it before it disappears into the black hole.
 
Some sympathy with the OP but if we sold JOC we'd just buy even more centre backs as usual.
 

There were problems with our side on Saturday and we're all well aware of them.

My thing is, I'm still not sure how much better it's reasonable to expect us to be. It's disappointing not to win a game but what right do we have to expect to be better than recently Premiership Swansea? Woodburn and Egan should be good signings but they also aren't enough to turn us into a top six team imo. And while they're clear signs that we're improving the budget and aiming for a higher calibre of player, they aren't in the category of "big money" signings by any stretch.

I'd love to see us going a step further this year but another tenth place finish would be anything but a disaster. Getting out of League One needed to be done asap, establishing ourselves as a threat in the Championship is not a short term project.
 
snootyfenooty said:
It's indisputable that...
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Ok. Let’s see how it pans out then.

I think the players we’ve signed are no better than what we had. I think we will need better than what we have now to get out of this division. I think this season will see us overhaul the squad, especially the strikers.

I predicted a 14th place finish before a ball was kicked this season. And that Wednesday will be above us. I’ll stick with that too.

Call me all the names you like but that’s where I think we are at this season and I said it before the season started. So no, I’m not over-reacting to one result, and no I don’t want rid of Wilder, I totally respect the bloke and think he’s an excellent manager. But he’s not a bloody magician FFS!
 
Cerberus Blade said:
Ok. Let’s see how it pans out then.

I think the players we’ve signed are no better than what we had. I think we will need better than what we have now to get out of this division. I think this season will see us overhaul the squad, especially the strikers.

I predicted a 14th place finish before a ball was kicked this season. And that Wednesday will be above us. I’ll stick with that too.

Call me all the names you like but that’s where I think we are at this season and I said it before the season started. So no, I’m not over-reacting to one result, and no I don’t want rid of Wilder, I totally respect the bloke and think he’s an excellent manager. But he’s not a bloody magician FFS!
Click to expand...

That would be a big success with our budget, so job done!
 
Cerberus Blade said:
Every team goes through a cycle where they grow and build and achieve then stagnate and struggle before they are ready to step up again.

How long you stay in any one of those phases depends on how well the team is managed through it.

I felt United, last season, had it all going for them and with a bit more backing could have pushed onto the next level. But without it would run out of steam this season and be on the decline. Ageing strike force, makeshift midfielders, defenders who are supposed to be attackers? No sorry, not for me! Defenders occasionally getting forward yes! Absolutely. Main attackers being defenders? No thanks. Get some money spent on proper strikers you tight gets!

That chicken is coming home to roost. Sharp can’t even get in the team. League 2 players like Lundstram are keeping Duffy out of the starting 11, and we can’t afford to compete at this level for strikers!

Maybe the answer IS to sell O’Connell for £8m to free up some cash? But then there’ll be a revolt over the incoming players wages if we use that to sign a striker.

I think this season will be all about dismantling the current squad and planning for an assault next season.
Click to expand...
This striker we get CB for £8-10m, what wages do we put him on bearing in mind, CW will not upset the spirit in the camp. Not disagreeing by the way.
 
PokerBlade said:
There were problems with our side on Saturday and we're all well aware of them.

My thing is, I'm still not sure how much better it's reasonable to expect us to be. It's disappointing not to win a game but what right do we have to expect to be better than recently Premiership Swansea? Woodburn and Egan should be good signings but they also aren't enough to turn us into a top six team imo. And while they're clear signs that we're improving the budget and aiming for a higher calibre of player, they aren't in the category of "big money" signings by any stretch.

I'd love to see us going a step further this year but another tenth place finish would be anything but a disaster. Getting out of League One needed to be done asap, establishing ourselves as a threat in the Championship is not a short term project.
Click to expand...

The team we put out on Saturday was a backward step on what we had last season. The GK position was neutral, one's as good as the other, Egan should be a marginal step up from Stearman but the jury's still out, its too early to judge him, Lundstram appears to be favoured over Duffy and McGoldrick replaced Brooks which isn't even worth discussing. So if we finish the same or lower than last season we will have regressed, not improved. That's shocking.
 
nopigfansintown said:
That would be a big success with our budget, so job done!
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It was a big success last season for sure. Fantastic! I totally respect Chris for what he’s done for us and I just wished we’d have pushed the boat out a bit in Jan because I think he could have got us in the play offs at least.

All I’m saying is we missed a big chance last season and this one won’t be as good. The squad hasn’t improved actually, it’s got weaker. That’s my honest opinion. And Chis will have some serious changes to make this season to keep us competitive. He’ll do it, I’ve no doubt. But I think we are in for a lower half finish because there’s a lot of “weeding” to be done.
 
If this team needs dismantling and rebuilding what's left of the Brooks money isn't enough. O'Connell AND Fleck will have to go.
 
Cerberus Blade said:
Every team goes through a cycle where they grow and build and achieve then stagnate and struggle before they are ready to step up again.

How long you stay in any one of those phases depends on how well the team is managed through it.

I felt United, last season, had it all going for them and with a bit more backing could have pushed onto the next level. But without it would run out of steam this season and be on the decline. Ageing strike force, makeshift midfielders, defenders who are supposed to be attackers? No sorry, not for me! Defenders occasionally getting forward yes! Absolutely. Main attackers being defenders? No thanks. Get some money spent on proper strikers you tight gets!

That chicken is coming home to roost. Sharp can’t even get in the team. League 2 players like Lundstram are keeping Duffy out of the starting 11, and we can’t afford to compete at this level for strikers!

Maybe the answer IS to sell O’Connell for £8m to free up some cash? But then there’ll be a revolt over the incoming players wages if we use that to sign a striker.

I think this season will be all about dismantling the current squad and planning for an assault next season.
Click to expand...

Bruce Tuckman's, innit. :)

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Jonboy60 said:
This striker we get CB for £8-10m, what wages do we put him on bearing in mind, CW will not upset the spirit in the camp. Not disagreeing by the way.
Click to expand...
Good question mate.

I think, at some point, Chris won’t have any option but to have a player, or players, on lots more money than the others. He hasn’t come to terms with that idea yet, but at some stage he will have to if he wants to take this club forward.

Look back to when he came in 2 years ago. What did he say? I’ll tell you ad verbatim:

He said: “ The days of Sheffield United spending big money on players has gone”.

Which is one of the strangest things I ever heard from a United manager’s mouth! “Big money signings?” Who exactly? I can only think of one... Beattie, in the past 40 years. And that was peanuts by today’s standards.

This statement was maybe meant to appease his new bosses? I don’t know? But it was bullshit, although coming from Wilder, a man who I trust not to bullshit us, it was just downright strange!

I think, more than anything, it tells a tale about how Wilder thinks you can compete without spending big money. You can to a certain extent, but not for long, not at this level.

In his own mind Chris probably feels he’s pushed the boat out this summer on signings. He probably feels we can’t or shouldn’t spend any more on wages than what we have done already.

But times have moved on. I don’t agree with it or like it for one minute, but we cannot get out of this division in an upward direction unless we are going to pay the going rate to attract top players.

I’m not sure Wilder has reached that conclusion yet, but he will have to eventually. Just like he’s had to change his mind about “big money signings”.
 

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