Arnold f'ks us off

[CCM_Man]

Hi, I come in peace. I wanted to tell the story from my clubs perspective. Not surprised why alot of people think its rude and arrogant but theres a bit more to this story then meets the eye

Kevin McCabe told one of Australias leading football journalists that Graham Arnold was never a contender or a option for the Sheffield United job. That they had looked at him and decided he wasnt for them. Word of this got back to Graham Arnold who told the journalist before he printed it that it wasnt even close to the truth. Instead of that journo printing McCabes comments he has instead printed Arnolds response. Arnold feels that Sheffield United are trying to besmurch his name and ruin his chances of getting a job elsewhere.

One or two other misconeptions. Nick Montgomery has hardly starred in this league. Had a very disappointing season by his standards. He came 9th in the clubs player of the year awards. Someone said we got thrashed by a obscure Asian club. That obscure Asian club has Marcello Lippi as coach, a player earning 12 mill a season and 3 players from Champs League clubs in its ranks with Lucas Barrios not even good enough to get a start.

 

[Rodders]

Hi, I come in peace. I wanted to tell the story from my clubs perspective. Not surprised why alot of people think its rude and arrogant but theres a bit more to this story then meets the eye

Kevin McCabe told one of Australias leading football journalists that Graham Arnold was never a contender or a option for the Sheffield United job. That they had looked at him and decided he wasnt for them. Word of this got back to Graham Arnold who told the journalist before he printed it that it wasnt even close to the truth. Instead of that journo printing McCabes comments he has instead printed Arnolds response. Arnold feels that Sheffield United are trying to besmurch his name and ruin his chances of getting a job elsewhere.

One or two other misconeptions. Nick Montgomery has hardly starred in this league. Had a very disappointing season by his standards. He came 9th in the clubs player of the year awards. Someone said we got thrashed by a obscure Asian club. That obscure Asian club has Marcello Lippi as coach, a player earning 12 mill a season and 3 players from Champs League clubs in its ranks with Lucas Barrios not even good enough to get a start.

Sometimes this stuff just writes itself.

Whatever way round it all is, it seems like an unholy mess.

 

[CCM_Man]

The average salary of a League One player is £80,000, average Championship players, £211k - just to put Arnold's demands into context. I conclude from this that any or all of the following apply here:

a) He's barking mad
b) He has a worrying delusion of grandeur
c) He knows absolutely nothing of the situation he's been interviewed for.

Whichever it is, I don't want him managing SUFC.

The thing is Arnold has turned down posts in the Middle East that would have seen him earn double the 500k he asked your club for. He hardly has delusions of grandeur. He just expects to be paid more at Sheffield United then he was getting paid at a club that didnt have any true owner up until a few months ago

 

[CCM_Man]

Sometimes this stuff just writes itself.

Whatever way round it all is, it seems like an unholy mess.

Just quoting the man himself TBH. He wasnt happy with his season and nor were we in all honesty. He has to do better next year thats for sure

All I can tell you with 100% certainity is Kevin McCabe started the slanging. The relationship between the two clubs isnt all that flash. Sheffield United tried to take one of our players on trial in the middle of our season which would have seen him miss 2 games and the club blocked it only for him to then go to Rangers on trial and for us to block that move too.

 

[Grecian2000]

Nick Montgomery has hardly starred in this league. Had a very disappointing season by his standards. He came 9th in the clubs player of the year awards.

Get Arnold in NOW! If he can win the league and only have nine players he must be miracle worker.

 

[Rodders]

The thing is Arnold has turned down posts in the Middle East that would have seen him earn double the 500k he asked your club for. He hardly has delusions of grandeur. He just expects to be paid more at Sheffield United then he was getting paid at a club that didnt have any true owner up until a few months ago

Fill your own punchlines in there folks....

 

[CCM_Man]

Get Arnold in NOW! If he can win the league and only have nine players he must be miracle worker.

He's not great but he is a trier atleast.

The stupid thing is the player your club was trying to take on trial would have cost you around 300k to purchase not to mention a 500k per year contract. Id say his delusions of grandeur came a bit from that to be honest (was a GK too named Matt Ryan who signed for Club Brugge in the end)

 

[CCM_Man]

Fill your own punchlines in there folks....

Didnt West Ham United give you like 30 million pounds? How can you be poorer then our club? We were like 3 days away from insolvency and it seems from all the talk we have more money then you.

That has to be a worry surely?

 

[Coily]

The relationship between the two clubs isnt all that flash.

In truth, there really should be no relationship at all. What is there for either club to gain? It was much the same with Ferencvaros, but at least if we wanted to loan players out it didn't take them a day to get there.

Appreciated that McCabe may be the root cause of this, but Arnold has made himself look daft with his rant which doesn't just look to have a pop at Sheffield United but the whole structure of English football.

If he's getting near to the £500k a year already then he may as well stay there, or go after the Middle East / Asian big bucks. He'd have zero chance of getting a role in the Championship or above before his rant, and bugger all chance of anything in English football now.

 

[FleaPitBlade]

The thing is Arnold has turned down posts in the Middle East that would have seen him earn double the 500k he asked your club for. He hardly has delusions of grandeur. He just expects to be paid more at Sheffield United then he was getting paid at a club that didnt have any true owner up until a few months ago

Turned them down or didn't get them and went bleating to the press about how he 'didn't want the stupid job anyway'?

The more I hear of Graham Arnold the more I think he is Australia's version of Neil Warnock

 

[CCM_Man]

In truth, there really should be no relationship at all. What is there for either club to gain? It was much the same with Ferencvaros, but at least if we wanted to loan players out it didn't take them a day to get there.

Appreciated that McCabe may be the root cause of this, but Arnold has made himself look daft with his rant which doesn't just look to have a pop at Sheffield United but the whole structure of English football.

If he's getting near to the £500k a year already then he may as well stay there, or go after the Middle East / Asian big bucks. He'd have zero chance of getting a role in the Championship or above before his rant, and bugger all chance of anything in English football now.

I dont think it hurts his chances that much. Puts his name out their for all to see if anything. No offence but the relationship began when you as a club were much bigger, much wealthier and much better. Perhaps if you were still in the Championship you could have bought some of the players we have sold this summer. ATM we are more likely to be buying players off you which is no way for this type of relationship to work.

 

[CCM_Man]

Turned them down or didn't get them and went bleating to the press about how he 'didn't want the stupid anyway'?

The more I hear of Graham Arnold the more I think he is Australia's version of Neil Warnock

Turned them down.

Your ignoring the fact Kevin McCabes lies started this whole situation. The idea Graham Arnold was going to let a journo report that Sheffield United turned him down when they clearly hadnt is crazier then any comments he made

 

[bladeinspaceandtime]

I dont think it hurts his chances that much. Puts his name out their for all to see if anything. No offence but the relationship began when you as a club were much bigger, much wealthier and much better. Perhaps if you were still in the Championship you could have bought some of the players we have sold this summer. ATM we are more likely to be buying players off you which is no way for this type of relationship to work.

There's "putting your name out there" and making yourself look like a reight fuckin' bellend.

 

[FleaPitBlade]

The idea Graham Arnold was going to let a journo report that Sheffield United turned him down when they clearly hadnt is crazier then any comments he made

Was he offered the Sheffield United job, then?

 

[CCM_Man]

Was he offered the Sheffield United job, then?

Im 100% sure Sheffield United offered him a contract to sign. He mentioned it at a club dinner I attended a short time before this all broke out. He told me and others at our table pretty similar things. Namely that the board didnt offer much money and wanted to sign the players without the coaches input and for Arnold to then play the style of football they believe will win the league

He was interviewed a few weeks ago now

 

[Balham]

I think from a post of a conversation someone on BladesMad had with McCabe, United were interested in seeing what Arnold had to say but weren't sufficiently convinced and thought that there were better candidates.

Maybe McCabe did say something to a journalist over in Oz but the bottom line is that while Graham Arnold has raised his profile over here, he should realise that football in the UK is a fairly closed community and it wouldn't take much for any side considering him to find out the truth of the matter. The chances are that he's done himself more harm than good with an outburst like this and as bladeinbolton says, he could have handled this in a much better way. Sure, he's done well to take the Mariners to the title in Australia but - rightly or wrongly - that doesn't mean much over here and instead he just looks like a greedy child who's thrown a mardy because he's not got his way.

I would imagine that he probably came out and said something about wanting a short passing game but came unstuck when asked about the general style of play in League One, which is basically kick and rush.

Im 100% sure Sheffield United offered him a contract to sign. He mentioned it at a club dinner I attended a short time before this all broke out. He told me and others at our table pretty similar things. Namely that the board didnt offer much money and wanted to sign the players without the coaches input and for Arnold to then play the style of football they believe will win the league

He was interviewed a few weeks ago now

He should have done his research better then. The board is notorious for meddling and he was off his rocker if he thought that he'd get £500k pa. Maybe it's because the exchange rate is so bad at the moment.

That said, anyone looking at our recent signings would know that "the board...wanted to sign the players without the coaches' input" is horseshit; yes, Kitson was a board signing but every other player we've signed over the past two seasons was Wilson's choice.

Does he often have outbursts of ego-ridiculousness like this? Maybe the "Australian Neil Warnock" description isn't so far off.

 

[CCM_Man]

Arnolds style of play is a 4-2-3-1 with a heavy focus on providing a solid back 4 and playing the ball out from the back with goal scoring wide players (normally a striker or two) and a hold up player uptop to bring the midfield 3 into the game.

Im surprised the club would want Arnold to coach the side to play League One standard football. Surely the goal should be to play beyond that standard ie. not kick and rush football?

 

[Balham]

Arnolds style of play is a 4-2-3-1 with a heavy focus on providing a solid back 4 and playing the ball out from the back with goal scoring wide players (normally a striker or two) and a hold up player uptop to bring the midfield 3 into the game.

Im surprised the club would want Arnold to coach the side to play League One standard football. Surely the goal should be to play beyond that standard ie. not kick and rush football?

Maybe he's a better fit than I first thought: playing strikers on the wings has been a failing of the last few Sheffield United managers.

It could be that the panel just didn't like him. That does happen at interviews.

 

[raul]

Speak for yourself......

 

[Balham]

Speak for yourself......

Unlike some posters, that is all I ever do

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

That was Arnold's opportunity to make a good name for himself and he blew it. Now he'll forever be known as the Dickhead that publicly slags off potential employers.

 

[Laxy]

NZ Blade is quite right, Arnold has lead a very average side to a win in a poor league. A poor over hyped league full of 10th rate Brazilians & never have been Europeans all looking class because the local fare in aussie is shiter than a dingo`s arse on the barbie.

Central coast are currently getting whipped by obscure asian sides in their version of the champions league. trust me we don`t want a manager from this tepid little australian league, CCM are mind numbingly boring, monty is absolute minge & so is his tosspot of a manager. He`s got a big gob though.

They made it to the round of 16 and got knocked out by a Lippi coached Chinese club with the likes of Lucas Barrios who earns more than the entire mariners squad combined in a season.

There are 3 Brazilians in the league.

And for what it's worth Heskey wouldn't be in the top 100 players

 

[Balham]

CCM_Man and Laxy I don't think anyone can argue that Arnold hasn't done a decent job at the Mariners and losing in the second round of the Asian Champions' League to Guangzhou Evergrande is nothing to be ashamed of.

That does not prevent his comments about United being best ill-advised and at worst downright unprofessional.

 

[Bladesman]

They made it to the round of 16 and got knocked out by a Lippi coached Chinese club with the likes of Lucas Barrios who earns more than the entire mariners squad combined in a season.

There are 3 Brazilians in the league.

And for what it's worth Heskey wouldn't be in the top 100 players

Lucas Barrios I wondered where he went to.

Lewandowski started scoring and Barrios seemed to disappear from Dortmund.

 

[Ashtonsmashton]

post: 504384, member: 875"]Emile Heskey turned in one of the best attacking performances I have ever seen at the lane. It went a long way to help starting this rot

One game wow

 

[Pinchy]

That was Arnold's opportunity to make a good name for himself and he blew it. Now he'll forever be known as the Dickhead that publicly slags off potential employers.

Or the outside observer who told it like it is? He only echoed what sensible Blades have been saying for years. It has certainly ruffled a few parochial S2 feathers, hasn't it? Much like when Quinn disclosed that Semi-Pro and Quickfix had set his career back significantly with their exhilarating brand of anti-football.

At last, the truth is out there front and centre, in all it's inglory, and not a second too soon. What a pity it took an Aussie to make people listen. Some of us, much closer to home, were way ahead of him.

Incidentally, who will forever be known as the Dickhead who appointed a dinosaur to help select a modern football manager? I think we should be told, don't you?

 

[Bergen Blade]

Whatever style a candidate stands for, the panel, if at all competent, should be asking him challenging questions about his tactics and preferences.

Our panel has refused to follow up his comments on playing style though, just focusing on Arnold's wage demands, and it's now turned into a debate over whether he was offered the job or not. All a bit silly.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Well things don't look good but it's he had to convince the panel of his football philosophy, not the other way around.

Wrong. Interviews are a two way street to decide a) if you're a good fit for the company or b) if the company is a good fit for you. Only mugs and the desperate think that interviews are solely about a)

 

[Foxy]

Your ignoring the fact Kevin McCabes lies started this whole situation. The idea Graham Arnold was going to let a journo report that Sheffield United turned him down when they clearly hadnt is crazier then any comments he made

Why, when maintaining a silence throughout the process, would Kevin McCabe tell the press that we had "turned down" someone who wasn't actually particularly considered a serious candidate by the majority of the public until he chose to comment?

In full knowledge of his past (falling out with senior players in the national team and bleating to his mates in the press) and present (vocal on players been given trials against his will, other examples of his outspoken nature)... would a man

• who is/was a director of the club he's currently employed by
• who employs one of his mates in a key role at the academy
• who has known one of his current players for in excess of a decade

offer him the post?

Why, if so against his brand of football, unwilling to let him make any decisions and having annoyed him enough to need to spit the dummy out, would he offer him the job?

Then, having stupidly offered him a job he'd know he didn't want and that we'd decided he wasn't suitable for, would he decide to tell the press we've turned him down? What would he achieve by doing that exactly?

 

[Kev Gee]

Im still struggling to see how Dave Bassett deserves to be on the panel & instrumental in helping us choose our next manager.

He hasnt been involved seriously in a football club for the past decade.

Not only that but when he was last here as an advisor to Mickey Adams. He didnt help at all. How much involvement did he have? was he to blame for our failures in the transfer market that ultimateley ended up with us relegated?
After all he was Adams' chief advisor after Alan Cork. He must have had a say.