23rd of February 2018..The fork in the road..

[zablade]

The day Sheffield United realise there are two directions to go.

The Doncaster / Rotherham route, keep signing lower league players with potential, have a good season or two in the second tier then Sell your better players to the Premier League clubs and then drop back down to League one for a few seasons before winning promotion and repeating...

Or...

Realise that you need to invest in better players to push on, take a risk, and get the players to be competitive in a promotion race in The Championship.

 

[Foxy]

We got to this position (much improved from a number of years) by selling 'luxuries' and signing sensibly.

We need to invest to push on absolutely, but not for the sake of it.

The problem is, were now in a position in which nobody will be investing significantly, with no signs of a quick resolution.

That my friends is the true fork in the road.

 

[west_yorks_blade]

how very dramatic.

 

[Harry's Game]

To be honest people realised most of that anyway.

Not as easy to sort out though.

 

[Rodley]

We got to this position by selling 'luxuries' and signing sensibly.

We need to invest to push on absolutely, but not for the sake of it.

The problem is, were now in a position in which nobody will be investing, with no signs of a quick resolution.

That my friends is the true fork in the road.

Gunfight at the OK Corralle?

 

[Stretch]

Encouragingly though we have just [for the first time in a while] got through 2 transfer windows without selling our best players.

Personally I wouldn't give up on the project just yet. A few tweaks here and there, one or 2 players back from injury and in the squad and we'll be wondering what the fuss was about.

Nothing against us spending a few more quid but a quick glance down the road shows what happens if you go ape shit and chuck money in the wrong places. Whatever happens we still need to [and should] look to find young, cheap talent from the lower leagues. A balanced approach will see us better off in the long term.

 

[Carlton Blade]

The day Sheffield United realise there are two directions to go.

The Doncaster / Rotherham route, keep signing lower league players with potential, have a good season or two in the second tier then Sell your better players to the Premier League clubs and then drop back down to League one for a few seasons before winning promotion and repeating...

Or...

Realise that you need to invest in better players to push on, take a risk, and get the players to be competitive in a promotion race in The Championship.

You can only spend what you've got. You don't have to look far to see a club teetering on the edge of disaster based on investing poorly. We aren't Arsenal, hoarding piles of cash.

I am interested, what would you class as an acceptable risk? Forget wages, what sort of outlay on transfer fees do you think constitutes the second option?

 

[zablade]

Encouragingly though we have just [for the first time in a while] got through 2 transfer windows without selling our best players.

Personally I wouldn't give up on the project just yet. A few tweaks here and there, one or 2 players back from injury and in the squad and we'll be wondering what the fuss was about.

Nothing against us spending a few more quid but a quick glance down the road shows what happens if you go ape shit and chuck money in the wrong places. Whatever happens we still need to [and should] look to find young, cheap talent from the lower leagues. A balanced approach will see us better off in the long term.

The managers interview sounds like he is about to give up on the project.

 

[zablade]

I am interested, what would you class as an acceptable risk? Forget wages, what sort of outlay on transfer fees do you think constitutes the second option?

Think Brighton.

 

[sitwell]

how very dramatic.

How very predictable

 

[Carlton Blade]

Think Brighton.

£10m+ in one season? We seem so far away from that. I don't know that it's even an option

 

[Carlton Blade]

Think Brighton.

In fact, £20m over 2 seasons? Just don't see it.

 

[zablade]

How very predictable

Keep clapping.

Money talks in football now, that Wall Street crash for football clubs isn’t coming.. we have to step up or step out, the clock is ticking to the closed shop in football and we need to get into it before the door shuts.

 

[zablade]

In fact, £20m over 2 seasons? Just don't see it.

See post 13.

Feeder club in a new set up or demonstrate we can be at least a second string major player.

 

[Bellypork]

You can only spend what you've got. You don't have to look far to see a club teetering on the edge of disaster based on investing poorly. We aren't Arsenal, hoarding piles of cash.

I am interested, what would you class as an acceptable risk? Forget wages, what sort of outlay on transfer fees do you think constitutes the second option?

Yes, but Wednesday's woes aren't down to poor investment, it's more to do with crippling injuries and a play-off hangover.

I'd like to see what Wilder could do with a fit Wednesday squad. Jeez.

Wilder's out of court in that interview.

It must be psychological, because he must surely know that the players have played a blinder to get to seventh, and two points outside the play-offs.

The problem as I see it is that bringing in big money signings unsettles the dressing room, as with Forestieri/Fletcher.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Yes, but Wednesday's woes aren't down to poor investment, it's more to do with crippling injuries and a play-off hangover.

I'd like to see what Wilder could do with a fit Wednesday squad. Jeez.

Wilder's out of court in that interview.

It must be psychological, because he must surely know that the players have played a blinder to get to seventh, and two points outside the play-offs.

The problem as I see it is that bringing in big money signings unsettles the dressing room, as with Forestieri/Fletcher.
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No such thing as a fit Wednesday squad though. They are in trouble because they gambled on players with spotty injury histories. Fees are so high now that what they spent doesn't guarantee you a lot

 

[Carlton Blade]

See post 13.

Feeder club in a new set up or demonstrate we can be at least a second string major player.

Not doubting your logic or sentiment. Just no idea where the funds come from without mortgaging everything to the hilt or finding new investment (so far has been unsuccessful).

 

[zablade]

Not doubting your logic or sentiment. Just no idea where the funds come from without mortgaging everything to the hilt or finding new investment (so far has been unsuccessful).

It’s the last chance saloon, and not just for us.We May as well give it a go, we have nothing to lose as the current League set up will be gone in a decade.

This doesn’t just apply to us it applies to the likes of Ipswich, QPR, Bolton etc. Take that risk of being being Leicester or Poertsmouth.

Or alternatively suffer a slow death anyway.

 

[Stretch]

The managers interview sounds like he is about to give up on the project.

But just a few days ago he was gushingly confident.
Not sure what to make of Wilder's interview myself. It could be either: how he really feels; an attempt at reverse psychology; a message to Kev and the Prince to pull their fingers out; touting for a job elsewhere, the biggest over reaction that I have witnessed by a Blades manager in many a year. Who knows?

One thing I will say though is that 60 minutes of Duffy might have won us that game. Shit performances aside, I do think Chris dropped a clanger with his starting 11 tonight.

 

['Doc' Pace my hero]

I've not heard the interview,but if he said that we were absolutely shit tonight then he was spot on.

 

[Robby Blade]

Not seen the game, or the interview. What I have seen are the embarrassingly cringeworthy comments on S24SU. We have had the best football I've seen watching the Blades for 60 years. One shit performance and the spoiled children are out in force

 

[Sirius]

You can only spend what you've got. You don't have to look far to see a club teetering on the edge of disaster based on investing poorly. We aren't Arsenal, hoarding piles of cash.

I am interested, what would you class as an acceptable risk? Forget wages, what sort of outlay on transfer fees do you think constitutes the second option?

The problem right now, because of the transfer window is that we can spend bugger all.. I was of the opinion that we should have carried on with our pre transfer window squad who had gelled as a formation. New players will need time to prove themselves and they have not yet done that We did not have sufficient points on board to gamble on new players quickly settling in Having said that Wilder and Knill and the team have far exceeded my expectations so far

 

[Jonboy60]

Not seen the game, or the interview. What I have seen are the embarrassingly cringeworthy comments on S24SU. We have had the best football I've seen watching the Blades for 60 years. One shit performance and the spoiled children are out in force

This thread is saying nothing that hasn’t been said by CW tonight. Give it a listen. He’s either honest and telling how it is, or he’s the most embarrassingly cringeworthy commentator of us all.