19 days and counting....

[The_Green_Man]

Until we kick off the season against Bolton!

Seems to have flown around a bit quicker this year thanks to the Euros and stuff!

So have we done enough?........We have a former player and die hard Blades fan in the hot seat now who is intent on playing attacking football............We've had 6 arrivals and a bit of dead wood shipped out.

Final preparations anybody?? What needs sorting at the last gasp?? Obviously the extra CB and target man are currently hopefully being addressed.....Anything else? A wide man maybe?

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Until we kick off the season against Bolton!

Seems to have flown around a bit quicker this year thanks to the Euros and stuff!

So have we done enough?........We have a former player and die hard Blades fan in the hot seat now who is intent on playing attacking football............We've had 6 arrivals and a bit of dead wood shipped out.

Final preparations anybody?? What needs sorting at the last gasp?? Obviously the extra CB and target man are currently hopefully being addressed.....Anything else? A wide man maybe?

Get John Prescott in, he's a wide man.

 

[Barney]

CB, ST and most important of all; a goal scoring central midfielder.

 

[larkymasher]

I am still a little worried on the Centre Backs.

O'Connel looks the best of the 3. Wilson's track record looks average in the extreme and Wright is a L2/ Conference player at best.

i hope we get in a proven right sided centre back and i will be happier.

 

[Harry's Game]

We are still three maybe four players light of a squad that I believe could challenge for the play offs.


(The club have remembered that there is no emergency loan window this time haven't they?)

 

[wizadry]

Until we kick off the season against Bolton!

Seems to have flown around a bit quicker this year thanks to the Euros and stuff!

So have we done enough?........We have a former player and die hard Blades fan in the hot seat now who is intent on playing attacking football............We've had 6 arrivals and a bit of dead wood shipped out.

Final preparations anybody?? What needs sorting at the last gasp?? Obviously the extra CB and target man are currently hopefully being addressed.....Anything else? A wide man maybe?

I think there will be quite a few whose season doesn't start until the week after, what with all the Geoffrey Boycotts happening. Lets hope our players don't have the same thoughts.

 

[Esablade]

I'd like to see two or three more in during the next week or so...certainly...

 

[Harry's Game]

I'd like to see two or three more in during the next week or so...certainly...

Centre Back, Centre Forward and Winger are musts for me.

Would like to see a midfielder with the ability to get around 10 goals per season from midfield brought in if I am being really Greedy.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

We're probably about 5 or 6 quality players short of a promotion winning squad.

You've got to remember that ever since Neil Warnock left this football club 14 out of every 15 players that pull on the shirt turn to absolute shit.

We excel at putting together teams that are fewer than the sum of their parts.

Get ready for more of the same in 2016-17 lads.

 

[CaptainMorgans]

To be honest I think we're still a little bit weak all over the park.

I've never fully rated George Long as a safe pair of hands and we no longer have an experienced deputy for him. Full back - we're OK so long as Brayford stays fit and Freeman remains as back up, I think Freeman's given a hard time on here, he's capable and Hussey should go well too.

Our centre half situation has improved (it couldn't really get worse), but, like others, I don't think Wright and Wilson should be first teamers and I'll be worried if we go into the season with only our current options.

Wings - aside from Duffy, whose form will likely fluctuate, we're short of options, Che might fill in here but he needs to add a lot more positional awareness to his game. Middle of the park - I like Fleck, I think he can work well in a 3 man central midfield, he's neat and tidy, but not a box to box, athlete and he doesn't score many either. Basham, unfortunately, just isn't a great footballer, he's not got a bad engine on him and he's got a good attitude but he's not intelligent enough to play the holding role and not good enough to contribute at the other end of the field.

Up top - we're pretty well stocked in relation to our competitors. Done , McNulty, Che and Sharp all have goals in them at this level, I'd back all of them to hit a 1 in 3 strike rate with a run of games behind them. Would really like to see Leon Clarke brought in, he'd bring goals and something very different, but surely we'd have to move someone on?

Anyway, it all probably sounds a little more negative than it is, but to mount a title challenge (which should always be our aim) I think we need to replace Long. Then bring in an experienced, solid centre half to partner O'Connell and then another Connor Coady type for the middle of the park. Southampton have a young lad called Harrison Reed, he's probably beyond us as I think he was knocking on the door down there, but someone like that on loan would be ideal for us.

 

[Bladesman]

Until we kick off the season against Bolton!

Seems to have flown around a bit quicker this year thanks to the Euros and stuff!

So have we done enough?........We have a former player and die hard Blades fan in the hot seat now who is intent on playing attacking football............We've had 6 arrivals and a bit of dead wood shipped out.

Final preparations anybody?? What needs sorting at the last gasp?? Obviously the extra CB and target man are currently hopefully being addressed.....Anything else? A wide man maybe?

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I think we need either a direct pacey winger or a big strong centre forward with Adams filling the other role. Ideally, we'd have both.

Another centre back better than Wilson and Wright would be good.

Could do with a GK to push George for the number 1 spot.

Ideally, another box to box midfielder too.

Then we'd have a very strong squad for the division.

 

[larkymasher]

I don't think our wish list of players will happen.

It does sound very much like another Centre Back and forward will be the last of the signings.

The left midfield/ wide man is a huge problem. That is the one position that we have no genuine player for. Yes we have players who can fill in there, but no one player who you can categorize as a wide left midfielder.

Unless he puts Wright at left back and pushes Hussey forward. That may work?

 

[Bladesway]

Get John Prescott in, he's a wide man.

And a left winger.

 

[HoodedClaw]

Definitely need another CB, would like another CM and I still feel we're a slow side so a bit of pace either out wide or up top would be nice.

 

[blade too long]

There have been momentous changes at the club in recent weeks
the bloated squad has been thinned in a sort of reverse Adkins diet
what needed sorting most a dearth of centre backs has moved on leaps and bounds compared to the total inaction of last season
Players I saw at training were all smiles and enthusiastic, a far more harmonious looking group
Dones grin summed up the feeling that players being asked to play in their proper positions has lifted the whole group

happy players are better players
don't think there was much joy about last season

the squad is far more manageable ,,and easier to predict now players are to resume their rightful positions
still think theres some more to come and maybe 1 to go

 

[bladestrivia]

for me deffo new keeper and a big daft striker leon clark could be theanswer but yet again 3 years to late

 

[dblade56]

We're probably about 5 or 6 quality players short of a promotion winning squad.

You've got to remember that ever since Neil Warnock left this football club 14 out of every 15 players that pull on the shirt turn to absolute shit.

We excel at putting together teams that are fewer than the sum of their parts.

Get ready for more of the same in 2016-17 lads.

Why don't we buy every player in the championship, league 1 and league 2, then we can have a real go.

GET REAL

 

[elgoog44]

There have been momentous changes at the club in recent weeks
the bloated squad has been thinned in a sort of reverse Adkins diet
what needed sorting most a dearth of centre backs has moved on leaps and bounds compared to the total inaction of last season
Players I saw at training were all smiles and enthusiastic, a far more harmonious looking group
Dones grin summed up the feeling that players being asked to play in their proper positions has lifted the whole group
View attachment 18570
happy players are better players
don't think there was much joy about last season

the squad is far more manageable ,,and easier to predict now players are to resume their rightful positions
still think theres some more to come and maybe 1 to go

could not agree more, looks like there is a different vibe about the squad, as long as they do it on the pitch in the new season, I will be a happy man.

 

[Clarkey87]

Wright is a L2/ Conference player at best.

Is that because he hasn't played above that level until now?

I disagree because we haven't seen what he is capable of at this level. May easily make that step up.
Let's face it, former championship experienced players certainly haven't worked for us in recent years in this position (Collins - did he also have a stint in the prem with Sunderland?)
It was the same when we were in the championship - bringing in players from above (Nosworthy!) - our track record of bringing in decent players from above is poor with exception of a very small few.

Always with a punt signing a player who want to prove he can take that step up rather than a player who is a non-entity in the league above. (And who generally is on their way down in their career)

I am happy with our CB situation that can only get better. It certainly can't be any worse than the previous two seasons where we didn't really have any.
The fact we have 3, with other players I the team who, in an absolute emergency, can play there as well, I'm happy for us to focus towards another position at this time.

 

[Jehovah]

We definitely need a new starting keeper.

 

[FTPE]

for me deffo new keeper and a big daft striker leon clark could be theanswer but yet again 3 years to late

I'm sure hes only a year older than our Billy. Neither have ever relied on pace either.
Im up for signing him because all the other target men that seem to be considered arent goalscorers .

 

[I should coco]

Im up for signing him because all the other target men that seem to be considered arent goalscorers .

He's 31 and Wiki says 107 goals in 365 games which isn't too bad. He has also played well against us which always sways things.

I'll try to bite my tongue a bit with the 'Pig' thing and give him a chance to run his trotters off.

 

[Grecian2000]

and a big daft striker leon clark could be theanswer

Certainly fits the "daft" part of the equation.

Wasn't he the daft twat that broke his foot (or similar) kicking a hoarding at BTDBL whilst visiting with the Piggy Shite?

 

[I should coco]

Wasn't he the daft twat that broke his foot (or similar) kicking a hoarding at BTDBL whilst visiting with the Piggy Shite?

No, it's even better than that.

Last game of the season at the Pig and he scored against Palars so broke his toe celebrating, as you do.

Game finished 2-2 and they went down. Ho ho ho.

 

[Grappler]

Certainly fits the "daft" part of the equation.

Wasn't he the daft twat that broke his foot (or similar) kicking a hoarding at BTDBL whilst visiting with the Piggy Shite?

It wasn't against us, it was in the televised last game of the season that sent the pigs down, brilliant viewing and well worth the TV license fee for that alone

 

[FTPE]

He's 31 and Wiki says 107 goals in 365 games which isn't too bad. He has also played well against us which always sways things.

I'll try to bite my tongue a bit with the 'Pig' thing and give him a chance to run his trotters off.

haha The pig part bothers me too, but Wilder did have talks with Alex Revell, a 33yr old with 122 goals in 541 games. I understand the importance of a target man but he still needs to be a goal threat for me.

 

[Grecian2000]

Ha ha. Knew it was a game I'd seen. Tool.

 

[larkymasher]

Is that because he hasn't played above that level until now?

I disagree because we haven't seen what he is capable of at this level. May easily make that step up.
Let's face it, former championship experienced players certainly haven't worked for us in recent years in this position (Collins - did he also have a stint in the prem with Sunderland?)
It was the same when we were in the championship - bringing in players from above (Nosworthy!) - our track record of bringing in decent players from above is poor with exception of a very small few.

Always with a punt signing a player who want to prove he can take that step up rather than a player who is a non-entity in the league above. (And who generally is on their way down in their career)

I am happy with our CB situation that can only get better. It certainly can't be any worse than the previous two seasons where we didn't really have any.
The fact we have 3, with other players I the team who, in an absolute emergency, can play there as well, I'm happy for us to focus towards another position at this time.

Take your point pal.... My point is at 30 years old, if he was anything more than a L2 player he would have already done it.

Towards the end of Collins sufc stint he was poor, but prior to that he served us extremely well.

Lets hope it all works out well

 

[super_pig]

CB, ST and most important of all; a goal scoring central midfielder.

still.
i'm in a time machine