attention to those who are in the anti-Clough brigade

[Davie Blade]

Didn't win today.

Yes, that's my point. They only had success several years after investment. The 3 seasons of ours you've mentioned there are before we got the prince involved. So what you're saying isn't relevant. We've had the big money backing for like, 18 months. It'll take time to sink in, won't it? We're not gonna be Chelsea overnight, are we? It doesn't work like that.



This is something that you all seem to be latching onto, the "abysmal" standard of football, even though we have literally, just this weekend, even after weeks of what most of us can agree is poor form, we have only just dropped out of the top 6. So us, on shit form, are competitive for the play-offs in this league. That's a statistical fact. You're all so entitled because we were in the top flight 20 years ago. Well you know, we're not any more, are we. With the current squad matched with our recent form, this is a completely fair position for us to be in, and there are plenty of clubs way worse off than us.

What makes me fucking chuck is that if we'd have scraped a 1-0 win on yesterday, you'd all be going on about the genius of Clough's tactical display and McNulty's the best English striker since Lineker and how we're gonna follow the model set out by Southampton and win the Champion's League in 3 years and all war will be ended on earth and everyone can go and live in the Bahamas now because everything is right with the world and all our problems are dead and gone and we earn 5 grand an hour by drinking Gin and Tonic through a curly straw.

But we lost 1-0, so now because we're 7th the whole season is a write-off, apparently.

My point being we have been the Man City of L1 for 4 seasons.
We can disregard the ''additional investment'', as we've arguably been the biggest club ,with the biggest wage bill, biggest academy , in L1 and it has got us where exactly.
A side getting crap and crapper ever year.
Besides, every club has to abide by the FFP, (except Man city who've driven a coach and horses through them, which was yet another reason why the analogy was false).

The 7th place nonsense is just that.
1.5 points a game is what matters.
I saw through Clough a lot longer than the last match mate. He is a window dresser politician , with nothing in the shop.
BTW McNulty isn't English, clue was slightly in his name.

 

[Silent Blade]

That why your called Silent?

My answer would be too long winded so I will try to make it short and simple. I believe that we have better pulling power than Preston, MK Dons etc (Brizzle and Swindon are already up) when it comes to persuading players that will strengthen our squad (whether we sign them before Feb 2nd at 11pm or on a loan after that) and then we will win more league games than in the last 24. Come April and May I think we will have the advantage over the other play off contenders with our large squad. Nigel's style is more suited to Cup games than in League games and that is where it shoyuld come into handy during the play-offs and breaking the 90 year duck at Wemberlee!!

 

[Bladesway]

Yes, that's my point. They only had success several years after investment. The 3 seasons of ours you've mentioned there are before we got the prince involved. So what you're saying isn't relevant. We've had the big money backing for like, 18 months. It'll take time to sink in, won't it? We're not gonna be Chelsea overnight, are we? It doesn't work like that.



This is something that you all seem to be latching onto, the "abysmal" standard of football, even though we have literally, just this weekend, even after weeks of what most of us can agree is poor form, we have only just dropped out of the top 6. So us, on shit form, are competitive for the play-offs in this league. That's a statistical fact. You're all so entitled because we were in the top flight 20 years ago. Well you know, we're not any more, are we. With the current squad matched with our recent form, this is a completely fair position for us to be in, and there are plenty of clubs way worse off than us.

What makes me fucking chuck is that if we'd have scraped a 1-0 win on yesterday, you'd all be going on about the genius of Clough's tactical display and McNulty's the best English striker since Lineker and how we're gonna follow the model set out by Southampton and win the Champion's League in 3 years and all war will be ended on earth and everyone can go and live in the Bahamas now because everything is right with the world and all our problems are dead and gone and we earn 5 grand an hour by drinking Gin and Tonic through a curly straw.

But we lost 1-0, so now because we're 7th the whole season is a write-off, apparently.

McNulty is English? That's what I got out of that.

 

[Sirius]

Lets give our verdicts / postmortem at the end of the season . Yes disappointing and frustrating up to press ,but we need to stick with the manager , and not start all over again on the changing manager merry-go round . Yes pissed off , but we are not yet down and out.

Play offs are more than achievable , and winning them is .

UTB

IMO we have no alternative than to stick with Nige. If by any chance we fluke it to the Championship, quite a few of our players would not be out of place
If I were looking into a shop window, I would want to 'use the lay-by method of trading and put some of them them aside until next season.

In their places I would install, perhaps a couple from the bargain basement. big ugly bastards who would not be intimidated . This would not be the football that I prefer but I believe that I could live with us kicking a few up in the air for a change. After all the refs deem this to be most acceptable.
I ask you, what chance do our lightweight midgets have, without protection from the refs.

When in Rome etc

 

[Zanzibar]

Yes but what can we do as fans but to support the club , and lower our expectations and hope for the play offs , and not a relegation dog fight .

The truth is that we are a middle of the road team , punching above our weight .

UTB

Really? Punching above our weight? You might want to reconsider that.
I won't lower my expectations for anyone or anything...they may be battered from time to time by my team but they remain faithfull to me.
If you lower your own expectations then you play into the hands of unambitious Boardrooms.

 

[Grappler]

NC said on Radio Sheffield a few weeks ago that his plan was to hopefully get O Grady back and play him alongside McNulty, so he does at least see that we need 4-4-2 to break down some of these league one teams. I assume he thinks that Higdon and McNulty or Porter and McNulty would not achieve the same results. I said it before, the last time O'Grady played at the lane, when the teams lined up, he looked like the big PE teacher standing next to the third year school team!

 

[Edinblade]

If Utd were mad enough to sack Clough, just imagine the PR and how prospective managers would look at us. Here's what the headline could look like:
"Sheffield United sack Clough after he's led them to two major cup semi finals (that could still be one semi and one final) The fourth round of the FA cup having defeated premiership opposition away from home 3 0 and sit handily for the playoffs having been staring relegation in the face this time last year."
Who the heck would want to work for a club who sack their manager with that kind of record.
I still think we will reach the playoffs and for the first time will feel we have a good chance.
To change now would bring no guarantee of anything and would be totally unfair on Clough who, I think will show us a lot of loyalty if he succeeds.

 

[Pinchy]

We know what aint right McCabe and Co hired in Clough another Danny Wilson to steady the ship and run the team on a shoe string. Luckily we have had two very good cup runs which papers over the cracks, the reality is nothing has changed apart from we have an American to blow warm air up the fans arses as most can now see through McCabe and his past bullshit.

All good populist Bladey stuff but wholly inaccurate. Still, who cares about that?

 

[metalblade]

All good populist Bladey stuff but wholly inaccurate. Still, who cares about that?

Go on then humour everyone and tell us what as changed half the support is waiting with bated breath for your pearls of wisdom.

 

[Pinchy]

If Utd were mad enough to sack Clough, just imagine the PR and how prospective managers would look at us. Here's what the headline could look like:
"Sheffield United sack Clough after he's led them to two major cup semi finals (that could still be one semi and one final) The fourth round of the FA cup having defeated premiership opposition away from home 3 0 and sit handily for the playoffs having been staring relegation in the face this time last year."
Who the heck would want to work for a club who sack their manager with that kind of record.
I still think we will reach the playoffs and for the first time will feel we have a good chance.
To change now would bring no guarantee of anything and would be totally unfair on Clough who, I think will show us a lot of loyalty if he succeeds.

Good Pele!

Accurate, logical common sense? There's no room for that on here mate. Knee-jerk nonsense goes down far better with the single-cells.

 

[blade too long]

realism is the key
we employed clough a fifteen months ago into a pre, prince club
we were rock bottom of the league , couldnt buy a win under Weir and confidence was lower than owls fans
The squad was stripped bare of quality and depth andneeded revamping totally, but first job was to turn SS Sinking Ship around and the only remit was stay up , going up was not even an option
We managed that in spades and got in some real quality loans that boosted confidence and really poor players got better.
The summer we hoped to build on thatbut were frustrated at not being able to aquire the players we wanted eg coady brayford , but not for the want of trying, Clough wanted us to go with our own 24/5 man squad, not rely on loans , but its meant the quality dropped a bit as we couldnt get the players we needed, but we arent adrift we are contending for a play off and hopeful of aquiring the 2/3/ maybe 4 to add the extra 10% of quality to get us in the mix .
The reality bit is the scarsity of that available talent prepared to come into league one, its no picnic picking up quality players on a league rules restricted budget, we cant go out and spend the equivalent of Wilfred Bony s left leg in this division . Patience nowadays is required as we trawl through the net we cast to see what we can land, but we will get there then its down to gelling and playing as a team . Its a work in progress , we all want 4-0 wins every game but its myth that that happewns anyway
Fine margins turn games most of the time we just need that little bit more

 

[Pinchy]

Go on then humour everyone and tell us what as changed half the support is waiting with bated breath for your pearls of wisdom.

There's no point. I've said it all before. Time after time after time. It doesn't suit the Agenda so the single-cells will take no notice and continue, as you have ably demonstrated, with the usual drivel.

OK, a deliberately brief summary, just for those who have been in the sandpit with their ears closed:

We have a very good manager. He's building better things at our club. It's a work in progress and will take time, not least because of the lasting damage done by Hoofers like Semipro and Quickfix.

We have new owners. They did not buy in for a pound. They are, pause and listen for once, contractually obliged to invest in our club. A return to the Premier League is an agreed objective.

There has already been substantial investment and there will be more, not least before the end of this month. Unlike most of our S2 cave dwellers, neither NC nor the directors believe in spending money just fort the sake of it or signing players just to prove we can, whether they are good enough or not. Do you seriously think that Prince Abdullah has taken ownership of an English third division club and committed his Chief Executive to huge time and expense in order to do and achieve....nothing? To what point or purpose?

Nigel has not yet completed a full season in charge. In that time he has taken us from relegation certainties (or so some of you said at the time) to the edge of the play-offs and led us to unimaginable successes (according to many of you we were about to be battered in all these games) in the FA and League Cups.

Yes, this season has been frustrating and disappointing so far. NC has made some odd decisions and the tactics and selections have been puzzling at times. However, the season is only half-way through and throwing in the towel already is for bottlers and cowards. We are building a proper football club. It can't be done overnight. Hoof can, of course, and many of you long for its shameful return, but anyone with more than a single braincell (That, I appreciate, is a problem for some) knows it doesn't work and has been consigned to the garbage bin everywhere except the heartland of Dinosaur Dave.

Now, you won't agree with much, if any of that. It doesn't suit your Anti-United agenda. It happens, however, unlike the monotonous cliched drivel beloved of so many of you, to be accurate.

Some of you need to give the boring, repetitive team orders a rest. Put the vitriol-filled wax crayons away for a while and have a think for once, then we can talk sensibly. At the moment the same people are churning out precisely the same well-rehearsed lines ad nauseam. You might want to be careful what you wish for.

 

[longinthe toothblade]

For me it's now play offs at the best. Changing a manager is not the answer. The players and tactics need to reflect the fearless attitude of cup matches.

That said teams in this division play totally different against us than the teams we've scalped in the cup.

For as long as I've followed this club we have never consistently beat the teams we should and as a result have never run away with the league or been nailed on for promotion. The season we gained auto Reading ran away with it while we went to the last couple of games.

We need to stick with Clough for at least this season get behind him and the team and see what comes of it.

It's an arse of a league and the sooner we're out the better, but this is the Blades and we all know it's a bitch.

Don't disagree with a lot of this.

Sacking NC at this point is plain silly though.

Getting a bit tired of him prattling on about how opposing sides raise their game against us, with "men behind the ball". We ain't Barcelona, same tactics are applied against Bristol and Swindon but they appear more accomplished than we are at breaking it down and 'making hay'. Difference for me is that they back themselves, are far more direct and most of all, they know where the goal is. Our scoring record is very poor. 4th or 5th worst in the whole of the division last year and I think there's 15 better than us already this year. A good defence will generally ensure that you don't lose games, but in order to win them [and put opposing defences on the back foot] you have to score goals.

We have suffered this problem for a year and a half and despite the club saying that they were going to try to do something about it, so far, they haven't.

That's not all down to NC though. None of us really know what constraints he and his back room team are working to / with and it might be very difficult for him. I know what Danny W went through and it was made very very difficult for him to function in the market.

 

[metalblade]

There's no point. I've said it all before. Time after time after time. It doesn't suit the Agenda so the single-cells will take no notice and continue, as you have ably demonstrated, with the usual drivel.

OK, a deliberately brief summary, just for those who have been in the sandpit with their ears closed:

We have a very good manager. He's building better things at our club. It's a work in progress and will take time, not least because of the lasting damage done by Hoofers like Semipro and Quickfix.

We have new owners. They did not buy in for a pound. They are, pause and listen for once, contractually obliged to invest in our club. A return to the Premier League is an agreed objective.

There has already been substantial investment and there will be more, not least before the end of this month. Unlike most of our S2 cave dwellers, neither NC nor the directors believe in spending money just fort the sake of it or signing players just to prove we can, whether they are good enough or not. Do you seriously think that Prince Abdullah has taken ownership of an English third division club and committed his Chief Executive to huge time and expense in order to do and achieve....nothing? To what point or purpose?

Nigel has not yet completed a full season in charge. In that time he has taken us from relegation certainties (or so some of you said at the time) to the edge of the play-offs and led us to unimaginable successes (according to many of you we were about to be battered in all these games) in the FA and League Cups.

Yes, this season has been frustrating and disappointing so far. NC has made some odd decisions and the tactics and selections have been puzzling at times. However, the season is only half-way through and throwing in the towel already is for bottlers and cowards. We are building a proper football club. It can't be done overnight. Hoof can, of course, and many of you long for its shameful return, but anyone with more than a single braincell (That, I appreciate, is a problem for some) knows it doesn't work and has been consigned to the garbage bin everywhere except the heartland of Dinosaur Dave.

Now, you won't agree with much, if any of that. It doesn't suit your Anti-United agenda. It happens, however, unlike the monotonous cliched drivel beloved of so many of you, to be accurate.

Some of you need to give the boring, repetitive team orders a rest. Put the vitriol-filled wax crayons away for a while and have a think for once, then we can talk sensibly. At the moment the same people are churning out precisely the same well-rehearsed lines ad nauseam. You might want to be careful what you wish for.

Well that is disappointing I was waiting for some new insight but all we get is same owd same owd, hoof, bladey bladey, single cells, dinosaur Dave blah blah hoof semi pro blah blah only thing missing is non blade wankers and you call others repetitive

 

[longinthe toothblade]

There's no point. I've said it all before. Time after time after time. It doesn't suit the Agenda so the single-cells will take no notice and continue, as you have ably demonstrated, with the usual drivel.

OK, a deliberately brief summary, just for those who have been in the sandpit with their ears closed:

We have a very good manager. He's building better things at our club. It's a work in progress and will take time, not least because of the lasting damage done by Hoofers like Semipro and Quickfix.

We have new owners. They did not buy in for a pound. They are, pause and listen for once, contractually obliged to invest in our club. A return to the Premier League is an agreed objective.

There has already been substantial investment and there will be more, not least before the end of this month. Unlike most of our S2 cave dwellers, neither NC nor the directors believe in spending money just fort the sake of it or signing players just to prove we can, whether they are good enough or not. Do you seriously think that Prince Abdullah has taken ownership of an English third division club and committed his Chief Executive to huge time and expense in order to do and achieve....nothing? To what point or purpose?

Nigel has not yet completed a full season in charge. In that time he has taken us from relegation certainties (or so some of you said at the time) to the edge of the play-offs and led us to unimaginable successes (according to many of you we were about to be battered in all these games) in the FA and League Cups.

Yes, this season has been frustrating and disappointing so far. NC has made some odd decisions and the tactics and selections have been puzzling at times. However, the season is only half-way through and throwing in the towel already is for bottlers and cowards. We are building a proper football club. It can't be done overnight. Hoof can, of course, and many of you long for its shameful return, but anyone with more than a single braincell (That, I appreciate, is a problem for some) knows it doesn't work and has been consigned to the garbage bin everywhere except the heartland of Dinosaur Dave.

Now, you won't agree with much, if any of that. It doesn't suit your Anti-United agenda. It happens, however, unlike the monotonous cliched drivel beloved of so many of you, to be accurate.

Some of you need to give the boring, repetitive team orders a rest. Put the vitriol-filled wax crayons away for a while and have a think for once, then we can talk sensibly. At the moment the same people are churning out precisely the same well-rehearsed lines ad nauseam. You might want to be careful what you wish for.

Again, some very good points made but you don't need to be such a smart arse - most of us on here want the same thing. Just because you are [appear] brighter than some, and just because some folk on here disagree with you, there's really no need for the vitriol from you either?

Let's all of us keep it civil, eh!

 

[Worksop_Blade]

Sacking NC is not the answer at this stage but at the end of the season if we are still in League One then questions will have to be asked.

An £8.9million wage bill should be producing better results than LWDDLDDLWL.

A silent creeper of a problem since we dropped out the Championship is the rising apathy and the acceptance of mediocracy from the fanbase, just a reminder that 8 seasons ago we were beating Arsenal, Spurs, West Ham & Newcastle as equals and not plucky 3rd division cup underdogs.

If you stop questions the people in power they begin to think they are doing an okay job.

 

[Pinchy]

Again, some very good points made but you don't need to be such a smart arse - most of us on here want the same thing. Just because you are [appear] brighter than some, and just because some folk on here disagree with you, there's really no need for the vitriol from you either?

Let's all of us keep it civil, eh!

The problem is, mate, that some are very good at dishing it out, but don't like a taste of their own medicine. It's debate, not tea and scones!

 

[longinthe toothblade]

The problem is, mate, that some are very good at dishing it out, but don't like a taste of their own medicine. It's debate, not tea and scones!

..that's me told x

 

[Kenilworth]

If Utd were mad enough to sack Clough, just imagine the PR and how prospective managers would look at us. Here's what the headline could look like:
"Sheffield United sack Clough after he's led them to two major cup semi finals (that could still be one semi and one final) The fourth round of the FA cup having defeated premiership opposition away from home 3 0 and sit handily for the playoffs having been staring relegation in the face this time last year."
Who the heck would want to work for a club who sack their manager with that kind of record.
I still think we will reach the playoffs and for the first time will feel we have a good chance.
To change now would bring no guarantee of anything and would be totally unfair on Clough who, I think will show us a lot of loyalty if he succeeds.

Agree about NC but there is no evidence to point to anything other than disappointment again IF we manage to scrape into a top 6 place.

I just don't share your optimism about a successful Play Off campaign - the logic goes that our cup exploits are great and we beat teams in higher divisions but we get bullied out by teams in our own league and if you look at our record against the other teams at the top 10 of league 1 it's woeful (Preston apart and 10 man Bradfud that nearly equalised - should have done - when we were 1 up) - Preston will not fuck up this time if we are matched up again with them in the play offs - they will be even more physical, as that's the way they now know they will beat us over two legs.

Anyway, likelihood is that MKD will finish 3rd and we won''t get any higher than 6th - in those circumstances the first game will be at Bramall Lane and MKD will adopt the same tactics as last time and we will have no advantage going into the away leg. Same tactics of spoiling and cutting out Murphy from the game will be applied (our one element of proper quality) and the result will be yet another ignominious exit from a lottery that we should have had more about us to avoid in the first place.

 

[Kenilworth]

Again, some very good points made but you don't need to be such a smart arse - most of us on here want the same thing. Just because you are [appear] brighter than some, and just because some folk on here disagree with you, there's really no need for the vitriol from you either?
Let's all of us keep it civil, eh!

The problem is, mate, that some are very good at dishing it out, but don't like a taste of their own medicine. It's debate, not tea and scones!

Actually, Pinchy is really just a big soft pussy cat.
You give him vitriol he'll give you crayons
you give him spite - he single cells you
you give him a logical argument - he tends to debate it - ..........or ignore you

 

[Pinchy]

..that's me told x

No, not you at all!

 

[Pinchy]

Actually, Pinchy is really just a big soft pussy cat.
You give him vitriol he'll give you crayons
you give him spite - he single cells you
you give him a logical argument - he tends to debate it - ..........or ignore you

There are about half a dozen on here who know how to debate with me. They know who they are and they do it very well.....

 

[Kenilworth]

There are about half a dozen on here who know how to debate with me. They know who they are and they do it very well.....

Thank you, thank you , thank you for not ignoring me, oh holy one

 

[Pinchy]

Thank you, thank you , thank you for not ignoring me, oh holy one

You should set up some on-line tutorials....

 

[Kenilworth]

You should set up some on-line tutorials....

I have - they are on here

 

[Edinblade]

Agree about NC but there is no evidence to point to anything other than disappointment again IF we manage to scrape into a top 6 place.

I just don't share your optimism about a successful Play Off campaign - the logic goes that our cup exploits are great and we beat teams in higher divisions but we get bullied out by teams in our own league and if you look at our record against the other teams at the top 10 of league 1 it's woeful (Preston apart and 10 man Bradfud that nearly equalised - should have done - when we were 1 up) - Preston will not fuck up this time if we are matched up again with them in the play offs - they will be even more physical, as that's the way they now know they will beat us over two legs.

Anyway, likelihood is that MKD will finish 3rd and we won''t get any higher than 6th - in those circumstances the first game will be at Bramall Lane and MKD will adopt the same tactics as last time and we will have no advantage going into the away leg. Same tactics of spoiling and cutting out Murphy from the game will be applied (our one element of proper quality) and the result will be yet another ignominious exit from a lottery that we should have had more about us to avoid in the first place.

Your logic over the playoffs doesn't add up. Theres no guarantee MKD will finish 3rd, its just as likely to be Preston. That leaves two places, hopefully us and one other. The other possibly Bradford I would hope we would beat in the final if they got through. So now what chance do we have against MKD or Preston with the second leg away from home. As daft as it may sound I think we could beat both of them. In the same way we beat QPR 3 0 we can do it again in a knock out situation, which is what we are so good at. I would feel confident about beating any of them at Wembley in the final.

 

[judge]

There are about half a dozen on here who know how to debate with me. They know who they are and they do it very well.....

 

[Kenilworth]

Your logic over the playoffs doesn't add up.

Is it still Panto season?

Oh, yes it does

 

[shorehamview]

There are about half a dozen on here who know how to debate with me. They know who they are and they do it very well.....

Is it those who whisper sweet nothings in your ear and offer to buy you a pint of Ye Olde Foaming Ale at the next possible opportunity?