Billy Sharp - turned down Sunderland

[snootyfenooty]

Sunderland: can we have Billy.. for £x
CW: hmm . interesting offer. what do you reckon Bill?
Bill: not bothered boss
CW: sorry.

Could have saved a lot of fuss by missing out the middle two steps.

 

[super_pig]

Could have saved a lot of fuss by missing out the middle two steps.

indeed. not really a fuss though.. usual S24SU storm in a teacup. clubs get approached all of the time about players. it's football.

 

[Maidenhead]

I don't know where to start with this. Given United's paucity of strikers and inability to sign another it would have been suicidal to sell Billy. At his age, Billy wouldn't have commanded a great deal, definitely insufficient to get a like for like replacement. This sounds nothing more to me than Wilder's got the hump on with him and McCabe saw the $$ signs once again.

I happen to know that McCabe is a big Sharp fan and was instrumental in bringing him back to the Lane first time.

I also know that the club has a policy of informing players when other clubs show an interest as they can hardly keep it secret these days.

Just imagine if you can -
CW - Billy Sunderland have enquired about signing you

BS - Cheers gaffer, tell them I'm flattered but I love it here and I'm just not interested.

Headlines next day - Sharp turns down Sunderland.

 

[Maidenhead]

Sunderland: can we have Billy.. for £x
CW: hmm . interesting offer. what do you reckon Bill?
Bill: not bothered boss
CW: sorry.

Beat me to it.

Im bloody slow on this phone due to ffs

 

[snootyfenooty]

I happen to know that McCabe is a big Sharp fan and was instrumental in bringing him back to the Lane first time.

I also know that the club has a policy of informing players when other clubs show an interest as they can hardly keep it secret these days.

Just imagine if you can -
CW - Billy Sunderland have enquired about signing you

BS - Cheers gaffer, tell them I'm flattered but I love it here and I'm just not interested.

Headlines next day - Sharp turns down Sunderland.

That's probably the way you'd like to imagine how it went, all with blurred lenses, sunshine and flowers. It was probably more like an offer coming in and the board circling like hyenas around a wounded lion. Except the wounded lion, in this case our Billy, bit back and fucked them off.

 

[LJBlade]

Seems that many are missing an obvious point here. If it was Billy who turned Sunderland down then the club (i.e. Wilder/McCabe) must have set up a deal with Sunderland in the first place. However unpalatable this may be for some, I find this fucking staggering. It would be interesting to see how the club would wriggle out of this one if asked a direct question because the "expressed a desire to leave" couldn't be rolled out in this case.

That isn’t how it works. Sunderland would’ve expressed an interest. Wilder, like he said he does with all his players, then put that interest to Sharp who said he wasn’t bothered so it ended there. It never got as far as setting up a deal.

 

[Maidenhead]

That's probably the way you'd like to imagine how it went, all with blurred lenses, sunshine and flowers. It was probably more like an offer coming in and the board circling like hyenas around a wounded lion. Except the wounded lion, in this case our Billy, bit back and fucked them off.

You need to find something that makes you happy.

You're either a very good WUM, in which case I take my hat off to you, or you really are lving a miserable existence.

I'm leaning towards the WUM, and I hope for your sake that I'm right

 

[snootyfenooty]

You need to find something that makes you happy.

You're either a very good WUM, in which case I take my hat off to you, or you really are lving a miserable existence.

I'm leaning towards the WUM, and I hope for your sake that I'm right

Nah mate, I can see straight through the board. Thus it has always been and thus it will always be.

Look at it this way. Billy is in the final year of his contract and in January will be able to set up a pre-contract then and leave for free. The board will be shitting themselves at this prospect.

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Clubs are not allowed to approach the player directly, especially when they are under contract. The first hoop to get through is SUFC itself and they must have sanctioned it for Billy to be asked the question.

I'm sure Utd and Billy know he's not going to be a regular starter especially if we do have another striker coming in.
Blades legend coming towards the end of his career chance of a longer contract, probably decent money, big club.
Very much doubt the transfer fee would be that sufficient to matter to Utd.
Probably did it out of respect to Billy.

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

Billy recently said he wouldnt play for another English team bar us, so I am not surprised one bit he turned this down. Plus he can still score goals at Championship level, so probably thinks he doesnt need yet another season at L1 level.

 

[Maidenhead]

Nah mate, I can see straight through the board. Thus it has always been and thus it will always be.

Look at it this way. Billy is in the final year of his contract and in January will be able to set up a pre-contract then and leave for free. The board will be shitting themselves at this prospect.

We're never going to agree on that.

I take a fairly laid back pragmatic approach whilst you seem to have a very deep "anti board" agenda.

Whilst I don't agree with your views I do respect them, and your right to express them.

I'm not one for conversions, unless they're on a rugby league field, so I'm happy to disagree and hope you have a good day

 

[grafikhaus]

If he was good enough to be starting he would be
Why would the manager leave him out if he was his best striker

Because, like Duffy and soon-to-be Coutts, their game-time needs to be managed carefully. Duffs. is one of our best players, yet only put a full 90 minute stint seven times out of 28 games last season. Doesn't mean CW doesn't rate him.

One of the advantages of being the manager is that they know if a player has picked up a knock in training or is otherwise less than 100 % fully fit.

Making public awareness of such gives the opposition an advantage so they don't.

One of the advantages of being an armchair manager is that we do not have all this information and so make speculative guesses as to why our preferred team choices are not always followed.

Utd are a better team with Billy starting.
I'm sure the stats will back me up on this.

I'm not sure about 'starts' (let alone 'better team' ) but Billy's record last season was: Starts: 28 Substituted: 20. On as sub: 6. Results when he started? W: 15 D: 4 L: 9. Those results would seem to show our results are better when Billy starts, but - like Duffs - do we start him or hope they would be an 'impact sub'? Games like Middlesbrough last Tuesday would suggest the 'impact sub' role would be too little, too late.

Not easy, this manager lark.

 

[snootyfenooty]

I'm sure Utd and Billy know he's not going to be a regular starter especially if we do have another striker coming in.
Blades legend coming towards the end of his career chance of a longer contract, probably decent money, big club.
Very much doubt the transfer fee would be that sufficient to matter to Utd.
Probably did it out of respect to Billy.

As long as Billy is a 1 in 2 goalscorer none of that applies. I can't believe some of the opinions flying around.

 

[Fanny magnet]

Because, like Duffy and soon-to-be Coutts, their game-time needs to be managed carefully. Duffs. is one of our best players, yet only put a full 90 minute stint seven times out of 28 games last season. Doesn't mean CW doesn't rate him.

I think you misunderstand the context of my post if you read the thread I was questioning why Sharp and duffman were left out and that it was a mistake and someone countered by asking how do you know they weren't carrying a knock or niggle ?

Then I questioned why they were on the bench then

 

[LoughboroBlade]

That isn’t how it works. Sunderland would’ve expressed an interest. Wilder, like he said he does with all his players, then put that interest to Sharp who said he wasn’t bothered so it ended there. It never got as far as setting up a deal.

Exactly this. He’s highlighted that when offers come in, he lets players know, even if he wants them to stay. That’s incidentally how the Evans deal came about – it was only at the point that Evans’s reaction highlighted he was eager for the deal that Wilder was minded to get rid. No different in him highlighting the offer to Sharp, and Wilder couldn’t have been any clearer that he’s pleased he’s staying.

 

[Sean Thornton]

If he was good enough to be starting he would be
Why would the manager leave him out if he was his best striker

Some people know more about football than Wilder. You need to factor that into the equation.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Some people know more about football than Wilder. You need to factor that into the equation.

And a few others to boot Seanie boy

10 bob a week fella.

10 bob a week

UTB

 

[Grappler]

Didn't CW say (on Radio Sheff) that Sunderland made an approach to the club, and he doesn't hide things from his players, so he told Billy, who said, not interested.

Not sure what all the fuss is about.

 

[8lade]

In fairness Pommpey, I would make a fairly confident guess that a large proportion of the Sunderland first team squad are on more than what Billy is earning here. I think it likely they would have at the very least matched what we are giving him.

they really wanted Bill.

It would be money well spent and Sunderland were right to look at him. In league 1 Billy Sharp is the (Footballing) Kingmaker.

Thank fuck he turned it down though, all this 'new signing Monday', 'it's close', 'almost over the line' bollox is getting on my tits. I wouldn't be surprised if we unveiled James Harper as the star signing again on Monday.

 

[Sean Thornton]

And a few others to boot Seanie boy

10 bob a week fella.

10 bob a week

UTB

As someone has said, 3 games in

 

[CaptainMorgans]

Noticeable at the end of the game how CW threw his arms around Bill and pushed him towards us only to be dashed off like it's nutin.

Heroes divided

Noticed this too. Our fans were signing the Billy Sharp song, Wilder put his arm around him and pushed him towards the fans in front of the other players, Billy pushed him off and didn’t look happy.

 

[madeinsheffield]

Any player not starting every game should be a bit pissed off, that's what keeps them hungry for when they are playing. CW has always spoken about competition for places, players pushing each other.

I hope Billy gets a few starts now, I think he's earnt it.

 

[alcoblade]

Oh.

Bravo.

Let me test the water, once again. Not necessarily just with you LJB.

Of the other 91 clubs in the top four divisions,and from a pool of the 3 that we have, namely Leon, Billy and McG, how many other clubs place Billy in this selection in 3rd place ?

Playing 3rd fiddle to both Leon and McG ?

I’ll venture my educated guess.

Zero. Precisely zero.

0/91. Nada. Squat.

I’d ask you,and a wide selection of others, to consider precisely why this might be !!

UTB

Nobody can answer why that might be when you have absolutely fuck all evidence that it’s the case in the first place.

 

[Sabella's Socks]

I happen to know that McCabe is a big Sharp fan and was instrumental in bringing him back to the Lane first time.

I also know that the club has a policy of informing players when other clubs show an interest as they can hardly keep it secret these days.

Just imagine if you can -
CW - Billy Sunderland have enquired about signing you

BS - Cheers gaffer, tell them I'm flattered but I love it here and I'm just not interested.

Headlines next day - Sharp turns down Sunderland.

This is pretty much exactly what happened.

Wilder was asked about this specific point (Sunderland and Billy) in his interview.

He said it's policy to tell players of any interest.

Billy was told of Sunderland's interest as a matter of policy.

He said No.

 

[Revolution]

He said it's policy to tell players of any interest.

That strikes me as a bad policy.

It's also not a great idea to broadcast it.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Nobody can answer why that might be when you have absolutely fuck all evidence that it’s the case in the first place.

The clue was in the word “Guess”.

So glad you picked up on this

UTB

 

[alcoblade]

The clue was in the word “Guess”.

So glad you picked up on this

UTB

Okay. I guess that I know the lottery numbers for next Saturday.

So I’ll ask you to explain why I’m such a genius?

It doesn’t make any sense, does it?

 

[DronnieBlade]

Okay. I guess that I know the lottery numbers for next Saturday.

So I’ll ask you to explain why I’m such a genius?

It doesn’t make any sense, does it?

Wanna go a pound each ??

UTB

 

[N20 Blade]

Noticed this too. Our fans were signing the Billy Sharp song, Wilder put his arm around him and pushed him towards the fans in front of the other players, Billy pushed him off and didn’t look happy.

Yes it looked awkward and forced tbh with Billy appearing embarrassed/annoyed. It’s an appropriate gesture sometimes e.g. Slater at Ipswich but not in this instance. Hopefully not a big deal at all though and more indicative of Wilder’s relief at the win, than anything more sinister.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Noticed this too. Our fans were signing the Billy Sharp song, Wilder put his arm around him and pushed him towards the fans in front of the other players, Billy pushed him off and didn’t look happy.

Think you’re looking to much into it. Playful push, Sharp clearly uncomfortable to be singled out as anyone would. I thought it came across as mildly entertaining.