APB for Trev and Kev

[lenners]

Has anyone seen or heard from a Trevor Birch or a Kevin McCabe recently?
Birch is the chief executive of a major English football club struggling with its finances and rapidly losing its customers.
McCabe is the multi-millionaire owner of the same club and is believed to need those customers to help repay him money.
If anyone sees either of these men, please encourage them to make contact with the supporters of Sheffield United.

 

[Fiery Blade]

If no one turned up on Saturday then perhaps we might see them surface.
I can't believe the apathy amoungst the fans - they moan and groan with each other and on RS yet they won't vote with their feet!
Perhaps its the fact that the've got a season ticket so they use it!
Don't go Saturday - This season is up the wall so another poor result won't affect anything but a crowd of 10,000 would speak volumes

 

[Fiery Blade]

PS
It is obvious that Blackwell will not resign The fans have got to make this happen if that is what they want. Vote with your feet and make McCabe and Birch do something instead of hiding!!!

 

[frechyblade]

I think it was mentioned the other week that no other 'Product' creates such brand loyalty.

You have a poor meal in a restaurant, you don't go again. A dodgy pint in a pub, you stay away. Have a crap holiday, don't use them again and put a claim in.

None of this happens with our 'Product' in any great numbers. I'm as guilty as most of blindly just turning up on match days because thats what we do. If it wasn't for the fact I take my son I'd seriously consider having a session in the standard instead.

UTB

 

[Wards]

If no one turned up on Saturday then perhaps we might see them surface.
I can't believe the apathy amoungst the fans - they moan and groan with each other and on RS yet they won't vote with their feet!
Perhaps its the fact that the've got a season ticket so they use it!
Don't go Saturday - This season is up the wall so another poor result won't affect anything but a crowd of 10,000 would speak volumes

I do hope you're joking.

I'll be there on Saturday supporting my team, regardless of what's (or what's not) happening. I do think a lot of you are getting wound up by very little tbh. We're starting to sound like Wendy fans each passing week.

 

[Torrix1889]

Couldn't agree more, the silence is deafening.

I'm not going on Saturday, I'm not an ST holder but I can't justify the outlay and whilst I am sure I wont be missed it's my way of protesting!

 

[beightonblade]

sum sort of gentle protest shud be organised...... not a shoes off thingy in the car park but sumat more visual in the ground !

 

[LouTheBlade]

I do hope you're joking.

I'll be there on Saturday supporting my team, regardless of what's (or what's not) happening. I do think a lot of you are getting wound up by very little tbh. We're starting to sound like Wendy fans each passing week.

I know you're only trying to be positive Wards and you're clearly very loyal but I can understand how others feel. Everyone is fed up of it. We shouldn't be a second rate club all the time.

With the increasing cost to fans it is becoming more and more ludicrous to tolerate lack of value over the course of the season. People are frustrated and hurt by the club's decline and I fully understand it. If the directors had any initiative they would come out and address the supporters with some sort of statement of intent. But the lack of direction is baffling everyone and driving most away.

If the supporters aren't vociferous and don't voice their feelings then the malaise will continue and the club will start to lose the revenue from the more fickle sections of support. None of us want that I'm sure.

 

[Fiery Blade]

I do hope you're joking.

I'll be there on Saturday supporting my team, regardless of what's (or what's not) happening. I do think a lot of you are getting wound up by very little tbh. We're starting to sound like Wendy fans each passing week.

At least Wendy appears to have a manager who knows what he is doing!
This blind faith that everything is fine and will turn out great is sickening!
It obviously doesn't matter to you that our club is in rapid decline and you seem to think it's fine
Its not fine it's disgraceful
You get served up sh!te, told sh!te, but you don't seem to care
Well I do bloody care and will not rest until that clown Blackwell has gone!!!

 

[Wards]

At least Wendy appears to have a manager who knows what he is doing!
This blind faith that everything is fine and will turn out great is sickening!
It obviously doesn't matter to you that our club is in rapid decline and you seem to think it's fine
Its not fine it's disgraceful
You get served up sh!te, told sh!te, but you don't seem to care
Well I do bloody care and will not rest until that clown Blackwell has gone!!!

But it's not blind faith, where has this dividing line come from again? We know things aren't rosy, I've pointed as much out in other threads. We know the finances are a bit of a mess at the moment, but I still believe that in the long term were still not far off having a successful business model to work from.

And yes, there's been a decline in the standard of player (I don't see how any club in this division can sustain a wage bill that we had at the start of the season and we've reduced it accordingly), but that decline is fully in line with the decline we're going to see in football as a whole from the summer onwards. I think there will be some stark realisation come the summer that clubs are living well out of their means and assets are going to be stripped from a lot of play-off/promotion chasing clubs - Forest and Cardiff being the two who's gonna have to face up sharpish.

We all know there's problems, but these problems are widespread and could easily apply to a lot of clubs in this division. What I'll still do on a matchday is turn up and support the team, despite who's in charge. This bitter and poisonous attitude our fans have developed is not doing us any favours at all.

What is not turning up really going to achieve? If you think that McCabe isn't fully aware of the situation then you're all wetter behind the ears than I thought. I think he's fully aware of the supporters feeling towards the management and I'm sure he'll do something about it if he see's fit. It's very naive to think a multi million pound company doesn't monitor it's customers views, I'm sure the likes of Trevor Birch are reporting back to him all the time and their minions are canvassing opinion from this very board as well as others.

I don't like Blackwell, I don't know anyone that really does but I think for the job that had to be done this season he's made a good fist of it given the injury problems. But I do like my club and as a supporter of the club I'll be doing what I can to see us get a result on Saturday - in what should be a decent game against the Dingles.

 

[lenners]

I'm not sure I buy this idea of loads of other clubs struggling with a financial reality we foresaw that others didn't.
Cardiff are a special case because of who they've got running them but the rest?
Who else has a £50m debt to contend with?

 

[Blade Blade]

But it's not blind faith, where has this dividing line come from again? We know things aren't rosy, I've pointed as much out in other threads. We know the finances are a bit of a mess at the moment, but I still believe that in the long term were still not far off having a successful business model to work from.

And yes, there's been a decline in the standard of player (I don't see how any club in this division can sustain a wage bill that we had at the start of the season and we've reduced it accordingly), but that decline is fully in line with the decline we're going to see in football as a whole from the summer onwards. I think there will be some stark realisation come the summer that clubs are living well out of their means and assets are going to be stripped from a lot of play-off/promotion chasing clubs - Forest and Cardiff being the two who's gonna have to face up sharpish.

We all know there's problems, but these problems are widespread and could easily apply to a lot of clubs in this division. What I'll still do on a matchday is turn up and support the team, despite who's in charge. This bitter and poisonous attitude our fans have developed is not doing us any favours at all.

What is not turning up really going to achieve? If you think that McCabe isn't fully aware of the situation then you're all wetter behind the ears than I thought. I think he's fully aware of the supporters feeling towards the management and I'm sure he'll do something about it if he see's fit. It's very naive to think a multi million pound company doesn't monitor it's customers views, I'm sure the likes of Trevor Birch are reporting back to him all the time and their minions are canvassing opinion from this very board as well as others.

I don't like Blackwell, I don't know anyone that really does but I think for the job that had to be done this season he's made a good fist of it given the injury problems. But I do like my club and as a supporter of the club I'll be doing what I can to see us get a result on Saturday - in what should be a decent game against the Dingles.

Is he fully aware? How do you think he knows? He doesn't attend games. He sees our reasonably high attendances that haven't really dropped. He has no idea of how bad the football is, or do you think he tunes in to praise or grumble every Saturday?

 

[cooperblade]

How do you think he knows? He doesn't attend games.

He does, doesn't he?

 

[Micalijo]

I'm not sure I buy this idea of loads of other clubs struggling with a financial reality we foresaw that others didn't.
Cardiff are a special case because of who they've got running them but the rest?
Who else has a £50m debt to contend with?

Neither do I. You'll only find Duncan Disorderly and probably Foxy who do - both of whom I believe are on McCabe's payroll!

 

[Bladesway]

Sorry, I don't agree Wards. I am generally of a sunny disposition and would like to think that there is something positive happening somewhere. What currently seems to be happening is McCabe has his fingers in his ears and is going laaa laaa laaa laa, pretending nothing is going wrong and we have a club in freefall. We have fallen well short and I always said that our aim was the play offs. Well that isn't going to happen. Who is to blame? I don't think Blackwell has helped, I don't think a crippling injury crisis has helped, however head and shoulders above it all is Kevin McCabe. Quick to take the credit for all and everything going right he is hidden away from us all and when he does come out all we will hear is how he is hurting as much as we are. Thing is, he is the only one not hurting right now. Guaranteed to cash in when he has had enough, guaranteed in his and his families future no matter what happens to the club and guaranteed to spend the rest of his days in luxury.

The only way this bastard will suffer is if enough people don't show. Forget shoes off and all that bollocks. Forget blaming Blackwell because he isn't the instigator in chief. Don't show, spend your Saturday afternoon somewhere else and enjoy it instead of watching the wretched fare served up by that shower of no marks.

When he does talk about the future, ask him about the Kyles. They were the future. Ask him where all the acadamy lads have suddenly vanished to. We had a "production line" due out a couple of years ago. Now I see nothing. Ask him why we have to beg, steal and borrow players when teams like Blackpool and Doncaster Rovers can get above us in the table on lower crowds and fewer loanees.

Right now, we are in a right bloody mess. But don't blame Blackwell, all he does is shuffle the deck chairs. Its McCabe who has run us into the iceberg and will have us sunk if he carries on.

 

[Worksop_Blade]

sum sort of gentle protest shud be organised...... not a shoes off thingy in the car park but sumat more visual in the ground !

Thats a good idea like the Yellow and Green striped scarves over in Manchester?

SUFC fans could all start wearing RED and BLACK striped scarves. The red representing the club colours and the passion that the fans have and the Black representing being left in the dark by the board and the slow death that is being brought to the club by mismanagement.

Just an Idea, either that or do what I have done for the majority of the season and not go.

 

[JohnDenver]

Neither do I. You'll only find Duncan Disorderly and probably Foxy who do - both of whom I believe are on McCabe's payroll!

Our financial reality is worse than most. We've lost parachute payments and are paying for the Robbo era gambles we made on Beattie, Naysmith et al.

Other clubs will be scaling back, but not to the extent we have.

 

[SwissBlade]

I'll be there Saturday regardless, I've paid for my season ticket but its not about that, I enjoy the day out even if the football is a crappy side show. I'll give the team the backing they deserve...whatever that may be.

Win lose or draw it won't change my view on Blackwell. I'll try and contain my anti Blackwell sentiments, but to be honest, it'll now take a lot for me to hold back a tourettes style outburst, especially with the way he reacts to us Fans.

Not sure we need both McCabe and Birch there. Birch, if he's worth his salary and McCabe trusts his word, then he'll give McCabe a full run down.

One thing that came out from Fradi was that McCabe claimed to not realise how bad things were there. Lets hope that's not the case at the Lane.

I won't be joining a LUHG style scarf waiving, I won't be shoeless in the car park (although I may observe on the way to the Lion), I won't be boycotting the games. Like Trade Unions I see these things as dividing the club and fans further.

I agree that a constructive letter should be sent to Birch/ McCabe to ask questions, my questions are mostly still valid in response to Birch's RS Q&A. But I said yesterday that I've renewed because I also have this Blind, Deaf and dumb faith that the club will do the right thing. McCabe after all is Blade and business man...Its just a matter of when rather than if

Lets hope I'm right...

 

[Deleted member 2102]

I'm not sure I buy this idea of loads of other clubs struggling with a financial reality we foresaw that others didn't.
Cardiff are a special case because of who they've got running them but the rest?
Who else has a £50m debt to contend with?

I do, how many clubs make a profit in the CCC? They have used to debt to pay wages. This will have to end as finance is not available / too expensive. How can a club like Coventry, say, finance their wage bill with crowds of less than 20k? As for the debt levels, this depends entirely what it is secured against. I would rather have 100 million of debt secured against real assets than against Franny Jeffers.

 

[lenners]

I do, how many clubs make a profit in the CCC? They have used to debt to pay wages. This will have to end as finance is not available / too expensive. How can a club like Coventry, say, finance their wage bill with crowds of less than 20k? As for the debt levels, this depends entirely what it is secured against. I would rather have 100 million of debt secured against real assets than against Franny Jeffers.

I would guess that none make a profit.
But how many have to find £5m in interest payments connected to a £50m debt before they start considering the rest of the books?
And realistically, SWFC are now in a better financial position than us.
They have half the debt and a friendly bank plus a defined plan for potential investment.
Their crowds have increased this season, ours have dropped and are continuing to drop.
They also have a chairman who communicates openly with the fans. A lot of it is guff but we could sorely do with someone at SUFC communicating a lot more openly right now.
All clubs will have financial problems but we seem to have much worse problems than many others.

 

[Deleted member 2102]

I would guess that none make a profit.
But how many have to find £5m in interest payments connected to a £50m debt before they start considering the rest of the books?
And realistically, SWFC are now in a better financial position than us.
They have half the debt and a friendly bank plus a defined plan for potential investment.
Their crowds have increased this season, ours have dropped and are continuing to drop.
They also have a chairman who communicates openly with the fans. A lot of it is guff but we could sorely do with someone at SUFC communicating a lot more openly right now.
All clubs will have financial problems but we seem to have much worse problems than many others.

Realistically Len SWFC are in no way a stronger financial position than us. What is their defined plan for receiving investment? Their bank is naturally friendly but what about their other creditors namely D Allen? They have a chairman who does indeed communicate with their fans, most of which seems to be ill considered drivel or attacks on fans who dare question him. As for interest payments again it depends on what type of assets the debt is secured against, ie do they pay a return? SUFC are clearly not in a fantastic financial condition, I doubt very much ours is amongst the worst in the division.

 

[JohnDenver]

And realistically, SWFC are now in a better financial position than us.

Would you really swap? Really really?

(really?)

 

[AlienWoodward]

Neither do I. You'll only find Duncan Disorderly and probably Foxy who do - both of whom I believe are on McCabe's payroll!

That's a cheap swipe at Duncs and Foxy.
Slag Blackwell and McCabe all you like but the above two are allowed their thoughts even if you don't agree with them.

 

[JohnDenver]

That's a cheap swipe at Duncs and Foxy.
Slag Blackwell and McCabe all you like but the above two are allowed their thoughts even if you don't agree with them.

I'd very much like to be on McCabe's payroll. If Robbo can get on it, anyone can.

 

[Darthblade]

sum sort of gentle protest shud be organised...... not a shoes off thingy in the car park but sumat more visual in the ground !

Somebody had a "Blackwell Out" banner in the corner stand the other week, but the Stewards waded in and confiscated it. The reason given, despite much crowd protest was that they didnt have a Fire Safety Certificate for the banner !!!!!
What a load of Boll***s.
But you're correct ...... we need to collectively make our feelings known to the Board, whilst still supporting our team.
UTB

 

[beightonblade]

Somebody had a "Blackwell Out" banner in the corner stand the other week, but the Stewards waded in and confiscated it. The reason given, despite much crowd protest was that they didnt have a Fire Safety Certificate for the banner !!!!!
What a load of Boll***s.
But you're correct ...... we need to collectively make our feelings known to the Board, whilst still supporting our team.
UTB

sumat nice an easy that everybody has access to fast and thats cheap as chips eg hold up a A4 white sheet of paper ..... its the visual aspect that excites me

 

[Houso]

There aint half some childish spiteful bollocks going in this thread.

 

[beightonblade]

There aint half some childish spiteful bollocks going in this thread.

its what forums are for .....................aint it ?

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

sum sort of gentle protest shud be organised...... not a shoes off thingy in the car park but sumat more visual in the ground !

You could always bare your @rse

 

[beightonblade]

You could always bare your @rse

what again ?