Blades in America Podcast

[unitedbhoy]

I thought he was quitting Twitter/talking about United?

Can’t help himself. Loves the attention

 

[The Crab]

A stopped clock is right twice a day.

Partridge is right on this one, doesn’t need to sound like he’s enjoying it so much though

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

Comes across well, though he'd have been better advised to do the interview with a local journalist or club channels. Presumably he wanted a soft interview with no uncomfortable questions. Keeps referring to us as 'Sheffield'. Didn't get pressed at all by the interviewer over the dodgy business restructure but it sounds like they have simply chosen not to pay PA his money so we can be competitive this season. Doubt his comment that "It's time to look to the future not the past" will appease PA. Convinced we won't get a points deduction but also openly admits he is not an expert on English football.

Also says he's a very private person and wishes that they would take that photo of the new owners greeting fans off the website.

And a moan about YouTube ads. Towards the end there was an ad every 90 sect. They are really taking the piss these days.

People have been asking for them to make a statement.
This is what it is.
Rather then issued a printed statement, or one of them reading it out, it's been done in this way.
A set of pre-set Q+A that get across what they want to say.

 

[bornablade]

I was quite impressed. Many of us have asked for some communication from the owners and at least we've heard something.

I was pleased that a strong positive reference was made about the academy and the Dore development.

He also referred to last season's squad not being experienced enough hence the signing of certain players this window.

They are looking for further investors although he was honest enough to say that so are many other clubs.

He made reference to the extra £33million owners can invest over 3 years which is positive.

Looking at the comments on YouTube there are many supporters focussing on the fact that he refers to us as 'Sheffield'.
We don't like this but to be honest there are far more important challenges facing these guys than this.

 

[Rodley]

I was quite impressed. Many of us have asked for some communication from the owners and at least we've heard something.

I was pleased that a strong positive reference was made about the academy and the Dore development.

He also referred to last season's squad not being experienced enough hence the signing of certain players this window.

They are looking for further investors although he was honest enough to say that so are many other clubs.

He made reference to the extra £33million owners can invest over 3 years which is positive.

Looking at the comments on YouTube there are many supporters focussing on the fact that he refers to us as 'Sheffield'.
We don't like this but to be honest there are far more important challenges facing these guys than this.

Proof is in the pudding, but no doubt he speaks well.

 

[ZoneManWilf]

This is what irks.

Not the United dedicated media but those who cover both teams, they couldn’t wait to give a platform to those pushing that there should be no penalty for Wednesday. It wouldn’t be fair. It’s harsh on the fans. Haven’t we suffered enough? Etc.

Same folks doubling down that they think there should be an incoming punishment rather than latching onto this and attempting to push the narrative the other way. Get a lawyer on the show to support that no such event has taken place directly or indirectly with Sheffield United and therefore that part of the rules is not applicable.

But no, they’d rather be driven by the fact they feel jilted than look to help protect the club.

Nail on the head for me that.

All the talk from the local press for the pigs was about points deductions being unfair and harming the fans.

All the talk from the local press about our situation (no matter what the actual rights and wrongs are) is about "ooh there could be points deductions for United!".

Why are they not basing the reporting on an outlook of being on the clubs/fans side that no deductions should take place because it's a non footballing matter, like they did for the pigs more obvious rule breaches. They are just stirring the pot the other way.

 

[Kenilworth]

I was quite impressed. Many of us have asked for some communication from the owners and at least we've heard something.

I was pleased that a strong positive reference was made about the academy and the Dore development.

He also referred to last season's squad not being experienced enough hence the signing of certain players this window.

They are looking for further investors although he was honest enough to say that so are many other clubs.

He made reference to the extra £33million owners can invest over 3 years which is positive.

Looking at the comments on YouTube there are many supporters focussing on the fact that he refers to us as 'Sheffield'.
We don't like this but to be honest there are far more important challenges facing these guys than this.

Many of us have worked for companies where the branding is forcefully encouraged. They are most often US owned.

As the head of Sheffield United he should understand the context and the local history. There is no excuse for calling us “Sheffield” whatsoever.

 

[JPBrods]

Just an utterly bizarre piece of communication from the club. I can only assume its intended audience are other wealthy Americans interested in purchasing shit English football clubs.

 

[jim2007]

I found it a bizarre. Naïve is the word that summed it up for me. Sounded a bit like they spaffed £100m on something they had little clue about. Like me thinking to myself "Lacrosse! That's the future!" and buying a club. Then having bought it finally looking up the lacrosse entry on Wikipedia to find out what it's all about.

Some positives. The last seven minutes were illuminating. He makes a good point about the club fulfilling all its financial obligations. However, I also think that the owners are setting themselves up for a game of brinksmanship with the EFL. As many have said above, how can they be in good standing as owners when they refuse to pay the bill for buying the club?

I'd have a lot more time for this if it had been Paul Walker sat in the other chair and not 'no socks US motivational speaker dude' whoever he was?

Nature abhors a vacuum. At least this has given us some, albeit massively massaged, context.

Still, if we win 5-0 this afternoon, I won't give a shit!

 

[Houston_Blade]

I’d rather watch Blades Ramble or Sheff United Way and that’s saying something.

 

[Kenilworth]

Just because he has blessed us with his narrative is not a reason to let him off the hook if actions don’t back it up.

If they have invested in data based identification and recruitment how come
1. There are no additions to the players in the academy from that
2. We’ve sold the three most productive attacking options in the squad and replaced only one of them with a 19 year old, talented but unproven loan, from the defacto data club.
3. The only additions have been loans and frees.

If the academy is a full focus then what are their plans and time frames? Easy to say but he’s been quoted before as saying that the academy will only progress if we have funds from an EPL promotion. The only news I have heard about any progress is the interview Bettis gave when he said architectural plans were being commissioned, in readiness for EPL cash to fund. There is still the blocker of the cricket square at Dore and finding a suitable alternative, otherwise no development can be made.

He hasn’t actually confirmed new investors, has he? Is it the case that his interview appears to have claimed there are potential new investors? Like anything PE related there is a lot of positioning and spin and market perception involved. If the actual business trend doesn’t follow what it needs to be, that investment won’t materialise. I suspect any new investment is probably tied to a promotion, too.

Everything strikes me as though they have no long term goal. It looks like they are cutting costs and commitments (the £35m issue with PA) so they can dump it at their earliest convenience. They won’t get £100m for it so they have to shape it to get to a point they can exit without too much pain.
Their lack of understanding and naivety on English football, suggests this was more of an investment vehicle rather than a vanity project for them. If it was vanity then they’d be more clued up on the sport, the traditions and they’d be wanting to be seen at rhe matched. Think Chansiri splashing his name all over the Sty, for personal acknowledgment. Think Storch doing his PR appearances and socials. None of that from these two - so it’s not a vanity project for them.

Just because an American “businessman” does a piece to camera, doesn’t mean he is always telling the whole truth. He’ll recognise the harm negative publicity affects the brand so he is offering a spin to counter that. He wouldn’t do it otherwise.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the company restructuring was solely based on what they (or their legal advisors) know they could get away with in the US and haven’t taken any account of how companies are regulated and ruled in the UK. I often see US people catch a cold when they suddenly learn that the rest of the World doesn’t operate or follow the same path as the US.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

isn't paying the previous owner in full part of their obligations

 

[PokerBlade]

Thought it was tone deaf and unclear who it was for. As though someone's crafted it to give the appearance of talking to people unfamiliar with football while really being a puff piece to soothe the concerns of our fans.

Talking about the importance of holding onto youth without mentioning Brooks.

Talking about fans and managers always wanting to spend money when our fears are we've sold our best talent and reinvested none of the money while knowing they haven't even paid up what they agreed to.

Talking about having a squad good enough for play-offs when we're worse off than we were last season when things weren't good enough.

I could go on but the fucking preview clip couldn't even spell Premier League properly.

 

[HeySethUTB]

I was impressed with the way he spoke, he also clearly has friends in the sports ownership game which is encouraging.

What I don’t understand is why after saying that the owners need to speak, they are criticising the platform on which he spoke. He’s done what people wanted.

As for the court case, anyone with any legal knowledge knows that he can’t just start telling all, and no this doesn’t mean he has something to hide, it means he’s not being stupid.

It’s clear some still back the prince, I watch a ramble clip and he highlighted two red flags about the new owners, rather than the fact the prince was so desperate to sell he hid certain things from Rosen and essentially stalked him down while he was visiting his son at university. Rosen could and was will within his rights to tell them to do one.

His Rosen naive, almost certainly, is he stupid not at all. Should this have been done earlier, almost certainly, should we criticise him for doing something we’ve asked, not at all.

Questions still need to be answered, but at least a small step in the direction has happened.

 

[GeorgeDonis1889]

Thought it was tone deaf and unclear who it was for. As though someone's crafted it to give the appearance of talking to people unfamiliar with football while really being a puff piece to soothe the concerns of our fans.

Talking about the importance of holding onto youth without mentioning Brooks.

Talking about fans and managers always wanting to spend money when our fears are we've sold our best talent and reinvested none of the money while knowing they haven't even paid up what they agreed to.

Talking about having a squad good enough for play-offs when we're worse off than we were last season when things weren't good enough.

I could go on but the fucking preview clip couldn't even spell Premier League properly.

I genuinely cannot believe there are so many people eating this up. It was so embarrassing and so patronising. But tbf it works on them. So many easily charmed by this snake oil salesman

 

[GeorgeDonis1889]