19 days and counting....

[Darthblade]

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?

No we haven't done enough yet ........

Still need to dispose of the listed few plus Scougal .......

Still need GK, CH, CM, CF, and a winger ........

Not holding breath .......

UTB & FTP

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

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

We still wouldn't get promoted.

 

[Blade56]

With about 15 days to KO I usually get really over optimistic (typical clapper) unable to see us losing a game all season. Promotion nailed on, big name players coming in and ripping the league a new one.

This season I'm having to deal with a new emotion, pessimism. We've run the squad down to a real 3rd division side. We're losing targets to the likes of Rotherham and Burton Albion and we've got a no name manager and he's failed to put a squad together or shift some of the dross regardless of his tough initial approach. I can't see us getting owt from Bolton when we can't even score a goal against Halifax and at best a foresee a struggle to make the play offs again.

As I repeatedly state I think I know summert about football but contradict that by supporting the Blades for the best part of 60 years. I think I've morphed into a slasher disillusioned by every signing and rumour of our jewels being linked with low fee transfers to nothing sides (and calling Ché our Jewel sez it all).

But as I say I know nowt about football. We'll probabley sign a goalie, CB, CMF and a striker of note tomorrow (no, calm down Blade58 im not ITK I'm being ironic) and go on to win the league with a record number of points by playing fast attacking football. We'll struggle to hang on the Tufty's and Knill and McCabe will sell us for a zillion yen to the Chinese state bank.

Think it was BushBlade that reminded me I claimed to have rediscovered my football Mojo but I've really not got any expectations after Tuesday night other than another disappointing, embarrassing and frustrating campaign of slow ineffective football. Anyone feeling clappy with 15 days to go?

 

[GreasyChipBeattie]

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

Have to agree HG. To be honest, I'm struggling to think where else a midfielder could get 10 goals from other than from midfield

 

[BushBlade]

With about 15 days to KO I usually get really over optimistic (typical clapper) unable to see us losing a game all season. Promotion nailed on, big name players coming in and ripping the league a new one.

This season I'm having to deal with a new emotion, pessimism. We've run the squad down to a real 3rd division side. We're losing targets to the likes of Rotherham and Burton Albion and we've got a no name manager and he's failed to put a squad together or shift some of the dross regardless of his tough initial approach. I can't see us getting owt from Bolton when we can't even score a goal against Halifax and at best a foresee a struggle to make the play offs again.

As I repeatedly state I think I know summert about football but contradict that by supporting the Blades for the best part of 60 years. I think I've morphed into a slasher disillusioned by every signing and rumour of our jewels being linked with low fee transfers to nothing sides (and calling Ché our Jewel sez it all).

But as I say I know nowt about football. We'll probabley sign a goalie, CB, CMF and a striker of note tomorrow (no, calm down Blade58 im not ITK I'm being ironic) and go on to win the league with a record number of points by playing fast attacking football. We'll struggle to hang on the Tufty's and Knill and McCabe will sell us for a zillion yen to the Chinese state bank.

Think it was BushBlade that reminded me I claimed to have rediscovered my football Mojo but I've really not got any expectations after Tuesday night other than another disappointing, embarrassing and frustrating campaign of slow ineffective football. Anyone feeling clappy with 15 days to go?

It's all very predictable. We start the close season quite well, bring in a few players and we think 'we just need x, y and z' and we wait and we wait. Then, after the board realises that we might struggle a bit, we get y. And then, just before the window shuts we sell someone.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

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

1. Adkins reduced the size of the squad and would have reduced it further had he been kept on to manage the retained list so perhaps you mean a “reverse Clough diet” as he was the only one who assembled a huge squad.


2. For most of last season our CBs were Collins, Edgar and McEvelet with McGahey as back up. We now have Wilson, O Connell and Wright. Time will tell whether this bunch is any better.


3. You may be right about the harmony time will tell. As for playing players in their proper positions, I suppose we’ll see. We still don’t appear to have a left winger (or right if Duffy plays on the left). Hopefully we’ll address that.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

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.

I think too many people are jumping to this conclusion. We have signed CBs that have, in their recent past player most of their football for Oxford, Oldham and Rochdale. And only one of them is young enough that they’re likely to improve significantly.


I’m not saying that automatically makes them shit but it’s a million miles from guaranteeing that they’ll be an improvement on a foursome of Collins (experienced header and kicker who struggles against pace- bog standard league 1 CB), Edgar (Decent all rounder but not the dominant force to lead a promotion charge and drag others up to his standard, McEveley (average to poor utility player but with a decent attitude) and McGahey (inexperienced and clumsy but a decent physique with the potential to improve).


There seems to be an assumption that what we had was the worst out there. It wasn’t. It was pretty average for the league we are in and I’ve seen nothing to suggest we’ve done anything other than move the furniture around with like for like players. People wanted the old guard released so we could sign the likes of Tafazolli, Nelson, Pierre, McFadzean, Beevers, Cameron etc. but as pommpey called it, with the possible exception of O Connell who seems decent on paper, we’ve just replaced them with cheap barry oddknob signings that nobody had hard of.


I really hope Wilder instils a mentality that makes our team more than the sum of it’s parts. Because it’s parts are unlikely to be good enough for promotion.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

With about 15 days to KO I usually get really over optimistic (typical clapper) unable to see us losing a game all season. Promotion nailed on, big name players coming in and ripping the league a new one.

This season I'm having to deal with a new emotion, pessimism. We've run the squad down to a real 3rd division side. We're losing targets to the likes of Rotherham and Burton Albion and we've got a no name manager and he's failed to put a squad together or shift some of the dross regardless of his tough initial approach. I can't see us getting owt from Bolton when we can't even score a goal against Halifax and at best a foresee a struggle to make the play offs again.

As I repeatedly state I think I know summert about football but contradict that by supporting the Blades for the best part of 60 years. I think I've morphed into a slasher disillusioned by every signing and rumour of our jewels being linked with low fee transfers to nothing sides (and calling Ché our Jewel sez it all).

But as I say I know nowt about football. We'll probabley sign a goalie, CB, CMF and a striker of note tomorrow (no, calm down Blade58 im not ITK I'm being ironic) and go on to win the league with a record number of points by playing fast attacking football. We'll struggle to hang on the Tufty's and Knill and McCabe will sell us for a zillion yen to the Chinese state bank.

Think it was BushBlade that reminded me I claimed to have rediscovered my football Mojo but I've really not got any expectations after Tuesday night other than another disappointing, embarrassing and frustrating campaign of slow ineffective football. Anyone feeling clappy with 15 days to go?

That’s not dissimilar to how I see it. I just hope the signings that look good on paper (Fleck, Duffy and O Connell) hit the ground running and the others (Wilson, Wright, Hussey) perform to an acceptable standard.


I don’t see a huge difference between our team and a lot of the division. Burton, Yeovil, Donny etc. didn’t have great quality when they went up. Given that we’re not going to do a Wolves and hoover up all the best talent around this level to have a dominant side, I hope we can find a winning formula to grind it out the hard way but it’s more hope than expectation.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Have to agree HG. To be honest, I'm struggling to think where else a midfielder could get 10 goals from other than from midfield

In 2013/14, wasn’t Baxter a midfielder getting 10 goals up front?

 

[BushBlade]

That’s not dissimilar to how I see it. I just hope the signings that look good on paper (Fleck, Duffy and O Connell) hit the ground running and the others (Wilson, Wright, Hussey) perform to an acceptable standard.


I don’t see a huge difference between our team and a lot of the division. Burton, Yeovil, Donny etc. didn’t have great quality when they went up. Given that we’re not going to do a Wolves and hoover up all the best talent around this level to have a dominant side, I hope we can find a winning formula to grind it out the hard way but it’s more hope than expectation.

I still think it's a two year plan. This year is about a further trimming of the wage bill. Whatever the board are telling us, promotion is a lower priority than sorting out our ridiculous wage bill situation which the board allowed to happen in the first place.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I still think it's a two year plan. This year is about a further trimming of the wage bill. Whatever the board are telling us, promotion is a lower priority than sorting out our ridiculous wage bill situation which the board allowed to happen in the first place.

Yeah that certainly has to happen and is happening. My concern is that the new recruits (some of them anyway) have 2 year deals and may not be good enough so we're going to be needing more "deadwood" out next summer and if we get them out and bring in someone we've never heard of will be optimistic thinking "well he must be better than... (insert name (Jake Wright/ James Wilson/ Chris Hussey etc.)). Meanwhile whichever player has shown the most promise is sold (maybe Fleck or DCL- I think Adams will be gone this summer). Maybe we sack the manager again just for shits and giggles while we're at it to complete the cycle.

I suppose the only saving grace is that by spending less money, we're probably wasting less money.

People seem to think that our options are to waste money or to barely spend money. Personally I've love to see us try a revolutionary method called spending money wisely. I don't think it's happened since Warnock was in charge and even then, he wasted plenty. Just that he got some excellent bargains to offset it.

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

With about 15 days to KO I usually get really over optimistic (typical clapper) unable to see us losing a game all season. Promotion nailed on, big name players coming in and ripping the league a new one.

This season I'm having to deal with a new emotion, pessimism. We've run the squad down to a real 3rd division side. We're losing targets to the likes of Rotherham and Burton Albion and we've got a no name manager and he's failed to put a squad together or shift some of the dross regardless of his tough initial approach. I can't see us getting owt from Bolton when we can't even score a goal against Halifax and at best a foresee a struggle to make the play offs again.

As I repeatedly state I think I know summert about football but contradict that by supporting the Blades for the best part of 60 years. I think I've morphed into a slasher disillusioned by every signing and rumour of our jewels being linked with low fee transfers to nothing sides (and calling Ché our Jewel sez it all).

But as I say I know nowt about football. We'll probabley sign a goalie, CB, CMF and a striker of note tomorrow (no, calm down Blade58 im not ITK I'm being ironic) and go on to win the league with a record number of points by playing fast attacking football. We'll struggle to hang on the Tufty's and Knill and McCabe will sell us for a zillion yen to the Chinese state bank.

Think it was BushBlade that reminded me I claimed to have rediscovered my football Mojo but I've really not got any expectations after Tuesday night other than another disappointing, embarrassing and frustrating campaign of slow ineffective football. Anyone feeling clappy with 15 days to go?

Very good plausible summary, except maybe for China paying McCabe in Japanese currency...

 

[BushBlade]

Yeah that certainly has to happen and is happening. My concern is that the new recruits (some of them anyway) have 2 year deals and may not be good enough so we're going to be needing more "deadwood" out next summer and if we get them out and bring in someone we've never heard of will be optimistic thinking "well he must be better than... (insert name (Jake Wright/ James Wilson/ Chris Hussey etc.)). Meanwhile whichever player has shown the most promise is sold (maybe Fleck or DCL- I think Adams will be gone this summer). Maybe we sack the manager again just for shits and giggles while we're at it to complete the cycle.

I suppose the only saving grace is that by spending less money, we're probably wasting less money.

People seem to think that our options are to waste money or to barely spend money. Personally I've love to see us try a revolutionary method called spending money wisely. I don't think it's happened since Warnock was in charge and even then, he wasted plenty. Just that he got some excellent bargains to offset it.

Warnock made loads of mistakes but was given sufficient time to rectify them.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Warnock made loads of mistakes but was given sufficient time to rectify them.

True but he helped himself by conducting some very good deals and building up some goodwill before his big blunders (Akinbiyi, Horsefield, Fathi, Seck, Sommeil etc.).

He'd signed the likes of Brown, Ndlovu, McCall, Windass, Kabba, Asaba, Pesch, Chief, Page, Morgs, Quinn, Bromby, Geary etc. Overall, more good than bad for me.

 

[BushBlade]

True but he helped himself by conducting some very good deals and building up some goodwill before his big blunders (Akinbiyi, Horsefield, Fathi, Seck, Sommeil etc.).

He'd signed the likes of Brown, Ndlovu, McCall, Windass, Kabba, Asaba, Pesch, Chief, Page, Morgs, Quinn, Bromby, Geary etc. Overall, more good than bad for me.

He signed some shite before then. Loads of shite. But he also got some good ones too.
It wasn't just buying players he got wrong, it was team selections, tactics, game management. But again, they were occasional mistakes and they never got completely on top of him.

The goodwill came from him saving us from relegation when he took over and probably lasted two or three years. Clough saved us and his goodwill was expiring whilst simultaneously taking us to the second major cup semi-final in two seasons.

The constant chopping and changing of managers and the boom and bust mentality that accompanies it is one of the biggest reasons we're still in L1.

 

[blade too long]

1. Adkins reduced the size of the squad and would have reduced it further had he been kept on to manage the retained list so perhaps you mean a “reverse Clough diet” as he was the only one who assembled a huge squad.

.

it was his remit to reduce it far more than he did and balance it with a few incomings

did neither

 

[1danewhitehouse]

it was his remit to reduce it far more than he did and balance it with a few incomings

did neither

Who told you that?

How was he supposed to do it? The board decides who we can pay up to leave so he could only move on those who had takers. Most of them did move on loan.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

He signed some shite before then. Loads of shite. But he also got some good ones too.
It wasn't just buying players he got wrong, it was team selections, tactics, game management. But again, they were occasional mistakes and they never got completely on top of him.

The goodwill came from him saving us from relegation when he took over and probably lasted two or three years. Clough saved us and his goodwill was expiring whilst simultaneously taking us to the second major cup semi-final in two seasons.

The constant chopping and changing of managers and the boom and bust mentality that accompanies it is one of the biggest reasons we're still in L1.

Yeah agree with most of that but he didn't have the relative budget Clough did and signed some real bargains along the way. He also had his rag tag bunch fighting and scrapping for everything.

I agree he still got plenty wrong though as all managers do. It's no coincidence that our most successful managers of my lifetime are the ones we gave time to get it right.

 

[larkymasher]

I think too many people are jumping to this conclusion. We have signed CBs that have, in their recent past player most of their football for Oxford, Oldham and Rochdale. And only one of them is young enough that they’re likely to improve significantly.


I’m not saying that automatically makes them shit but it’s a million miles from guaranteeing that they’ll be an improvement on a foursome of Collins (experienced header and kicker who struggles against pace- bog standard league 1 CB), Edgar (Decent all rounder but not the dominant force to lead a promotion charge and drag others up to his standard, McEveley (average to poor utility player but with a decent attitude) and McGahey (inexperienced and clumsy but a decent physique with the potential to improve).


There seems to be an assumption that what we had was the worst out there. It wasn’t. It was pretty average for the league we are in and I’ve seen nothing to suggest we’ve done anything other than move the furniture around with like for like players. People wanted the old guard released so we could sign the likes of Tafazolli, Nelson, Pierre, McFadzean, Beevers, Cameron etc. but as pommpey called it, with the possible exception of O Connell who seems decent on paper, we’ve just replaced them with cheap barry oddknob signings that nobody had hard of.


I really hope Wilder instils a mentality that makes our team more than the sum of it’s parts. Because it’s parts are unlikely to be good enough for promotion.

I could not agree more regards the Centre Back issue. Make no mistake it is an issue.

The defender signings are on the whole very uninspired. These are released players from lower league / stature clubs. What they are, are cheap options that may, just may be better than we think.

i would have had Beevers and Greer every day of the week. Big, experienced and a real hard look about them.

Pray to god i am wrong, i am just waiting for the new centre back and forward we were promised last week that would be in prior to the Grimsby match !!

 

[albinonick]

• We have three very good goalkeepers, ones just gone out on loan Jake Eastwood. Top goalies need a good defence in front of them which builds confidence in the gk. Like wise a couple of saves early on or a good claim from a cross gives the defence confidence. It also gives us confidence in the stands. Its time to be positive and give em a chance

 

[larkymasher]

• We have three very good goalkeepers, ones just gone out on loan Jake Eastwood. Top goalies need a good defence in front of them which builds confidence in the gk. Like wise a couple of saves early on or a good claim from a cross gives the defence confidence. It also gives us confidence in the stands. Its time to be positive and give em a chance

I have no problem being positive and usually am. It is only an opinion on the 3 centre backs, but link that to 2 young keepers in Long and Ramsdale and i think there is every reason to be concerned. As i say, all i want is out of this awful league and get back to some decent away days and clubs that will bring more than a few hundred to The Lane........

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I could not agree more regards the Centre Back issue. Make no mistake it is an issue.

The defender signings are on the whole very uninspired. These are released players from lower league / stature clubs. What they are, are cheap options that may, just may be better than we think.

i would have had Beevers and Greer every day of the week. Big, experienced and a real hard look about them.

Pray to god i am wrong, i am just waiting for the new centre back and forward we were promised last week that would be in prior to the Grimsby match !!

I like the look of O Connell on paper. Young, big, has experience of playing at this level and was well rated by Rochdale fans and made captain there. He ticks a lot of boxes. But Wilson and Wright are players seemingly not wanted by any other club that seems to be aiming for promotion which is a big concern.

If we'd got say Beevers, Nelson and O Connell, I would be a lot more comfortable.

 

[Darthblade]

I still think it's a two year plan. This year is about a further trimming of the wage bill. Whatever the board are telling us, promotion is a lower priority than sorting out our ridiculous wage bill situation which the board allowed to happen in the first place.

I agree with you mate ........ I think the Board's first priority has been to cut the wage bill as much as they can to reduce their required input and I don't think they've really given much priority to getting promoted this season.

They may say that they want promotion ( because that's what supporters want to hear ) and I'm sure that they do, but you don't get promoted from this Division without a competitive, consistent squad and I think we're still 4 / 5 decent players short of that.

My guess is that Tufty's been told that he's not bringing in much more until the transfer listed lot are cleared out and I don't think he'll see much of the transfer proceeds if we sell Adams & DCL either.

My guess at the moment ........ another very frustrating season for the long-suffering, loyal Blades supporters and a lot of "spin" from the Board .......

UTB & FTP

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

I'm not looking forward to it at all,i think we are going to get a big slap in the face again in the first game,just like last season.


Key positions not being sorted out again,weak as piss midfield will just be bypassed by oppo teams again.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I agree with you mate ........ I think the Board's first priority has been to cut the wage bill as much as they can to reduce their required input and I don't think they've really given much priority to getting promoted this season.

They may say that they want promotion ( because that's what supporters want to hear ) and I'm sure that they do, but you don't get promoted from this Division without a competitive, consistent squad and I think we're still 4 / 5 decent players short of that.

My guess is that Tufty's been told that he's not bringing in much more until the transfer listed lot are cleared out and I don't think he'll see much of the transfer proceeds if we sell Adams & DCL either.

My guess at the moment ........ another very frustrating season for the long-suffering, loyal Blades supporters and a lot of "spin" from the Board .......

UTB & FTP

I just hope that, with all that in mind the board recognize this and don’t sack the manager when he fails to get us promoted. Let’s stick with him and see if he can improve the team year on year til he takes us up.

 

[Barney]

I like the look of O Connell on paper. Young, big, has experience of playing at this level and was well rated by Rochdale fans and made captain there. He ticks a lot of boxes. But Wilson and Wright are players seemingly not wanted by any other club that seems to be aiming for promotion which is a big concern.

If we'd got say Beevers, Nelson and O Connell, I would be a lot more comfortable.

Big question marks over Wilson and Wright. As you say, players who were at league two and lower league one level, and both at an age where they're unlikely to improve any further, so there's nothing to be gained as far as resale value is concerned.

O'Connell and Fleck are fantastic signings on the face of it.

I'll be happier if we get at least one more CB as impressive as O'Connell, but perhaps slightly older or more experienced.

There's no way on planet Earth that we're unable to match Oxford in negotiations, so Nelson was perfectly realistic, and missing out on him was a mistake. Although there's no room to assume we were ever even interested.