by the end of January

[flash-blade]

We'll be between 8th or 9th in the table, I think the pressure will prove to much and the fans will completely turn on Cloughy. It serves him right to a certain extent as I think he COULD be a good manager, he's just to stubborn and one dimensional.
Against Port Vale, he played his cards in the open.
We were crying out for a win, he'd harped on about Nults and COG playing together, we had no right back. So instead of playing a 3-5-2 which would have perfect given the personnel available, we play a young centre half who is struggling as it is at right back. Its unreal, if he gets the sack he can blame no one but himself. The team is not good enough to be in the top two at the moment but there is no excuse for falling out of the top 6. Also McCabe wants to have a good look at himself as 5 seasons in this league is a monumental failure given the support from our brilliant fans. Pass me a rope.

 

[davidpinder]

We'll be between 8th or 9th in the table, I think the pressure will prove to much and the fans will completely turn on Cloughy. It serves him right to a certain extent as I think he COULD be a good manager, he's just to stubborn and one dimensional.
Against Port Vale, he played his cards in the open.
We were crying out for a win, he'd harped on about Nults and COG playing together, we had no right back. So instead of playing a 3-5-2 which would have perfect given the personnel available, we play a young centre half who is struggling as it is at right back. Its unreal, if he gets the sack he can blame no one but himself. The team is not good enough to be in the top two at the moment but there is no excuse for falling out of the top 6. Also McCabe wants to have a good look at himself as 5 seasons in this league is a monumental failure given the support from our brilliant fans. Pass me a rope.

Exactly what i was saying to Gary Sinclair last night we could be around 10th and out of both cups, season over.

 

[dingledog]

And the Fax machine will still not have been repaired.

 

[sothall blade]

Exactly what i was saying to Gary Sinclair last night we could be around 10th and out of both cups, season over.

name dropper

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Sounds like we have lost another game again - silly me.

UTB

 

[blader]

It's really quite naive to think you can just thrown a team into 3-5-2 and expect it to work, whoever the personnel, if theyve never played it before. I give you Manchester United as exhibit A.

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

However short we are, and however much we love Bashenbauer at centre-half, surely the best thing to do at Port Vale was stick Bash at full-back and bring McCarthy back in the middle. McGahey was awful.

 

[dublin 10 blade]

Blades , let's just calm down , the style of football isn't to my liking either , and the only side to give us a proper hiding
was Swindon, them Chessie fuckers getting a man sent off doesn't really count in my book ,
I trust the man that saved us from the 4th division to get us promoted this year , no I don't mean the board either
At the moment I'm watching a team we played off the park a couple of weeks ago holding the league leaders 1-1 at home
( scummers ) as Pompey would say , and if memory servers me right they rightly hammered there team for that display .
Our team is most definitely not above criticism and some of it is 100% right on the button ,
All you lucky fuckers that can get to see them most weekends even with some dogshit displays , don't know how
envious I am of some of you being able to roll up to the lane and cheer / jeer them on ,
While it may not feel good at the moment Blades , some of us with age under our belts will know ,
Shitter teams and shitter displays , relegation with last kicks of the season , Boxing Day defeat , and piss poor displays
worse than anything on display even now .
Hold your breath to cool your porridge Blades .
As always U.T.B.

 

[Woodwardfan]

It's not a good way to help a young player like McGahey in his development to play him out of position. If ever a player did not have the build for full back it's McGahey. McEveley can play full back and Collins has played central defence a few times. So has Kennedy.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Blades , let's just calm down , the style of football isn't to my liking either , and the only side to give us a proper hiding
was Swindon, them Chessie fuckers getting a man sent off doesn't really count in my book ,
I trust the man that saved us from the 4th division to get us promoted this year , no I don't mean the board either
At the moment I'm watching a team we played off the park a couple of weeks ago holding the league leaders 1-1 at home
( scummers ) as Pompey would say , and if memory servers me right they rightly hammered there team for that display .
Our team is most definitely not above criticism and some of it is 100% right on the button ,
All you lucky fuckers that can get to see them most weekends even with some dogshit displays , don't know how
envious I am of some of you being able to roll up to the lane and cheer / jeer them on ,
While it may not feel good at the moment Blades , some of us with age under our belts will know ,
Shitter teams and shitter displays , relegation with last kicks of the season , Boxing Day defeat , and piss poor displays
worse than anything on display even now .
Hold your breath to cool your porridge Blades .
As always U.T.B.

Well said Dublin - it unfortunately falls on deaf ears and the same old rhetoric is rolled after another defeat.

UTB

 

[Fulwood Blade]

It's not a good way to help a young player like McGahey in his development to play him out of position. If ever a player did not have the build for full back it's McGahey. McEveley can play full back and Collins has played central defence a few times. So has Kennedy.

Not sure if you went v PV woodwardfan, but Magahey was all out of sorts at FB. Would have expected a little better than what we actually saw. Accept he was playing out of position, but the lad was abysmal on the day and would like to think he is playing with zero confidence as against he is just a poor signing. He looked as though he could be a decent player early doors in August, but at the moment things don't look good for him. Tjhis is how a reserve side comes into it's own - sadly few clubs have them and after playing for the first team, it's a bit of a retrograde step to put him in the development squad but may be that's what he needs.

UTB

 

[finlaytheblade]

Sounds like we have lost another game again - silly me.

UTB

Where do we get these negative fans from fulwood they should have been around when we got relegated to 4th division
when Walsall beat us at bramall lane .we are on the up whether we go up this season or not patience!! we can still do it this
season may have to be play offs so what (bin boozin fulwood does it show) ha ha

 

[Large Mendonca]

Frigging negative fans ???? you all deserve a chairman like Kevin McCabe if that's what you think.

You'll see how many fans are negative next season with season ticket sales as we begin our 5th League 1 campaign.

 

[Grappler]

Frigging negative fans ???? you all deserve a chairman like Kevin McCabe if that's what you think.

You'll see how many fans are negative next season with season ticket sales as we begin our 5th League 1 campaign.

I am afraid I agree, last years great second half to the season flowed over into this season, great gates for any division, never mind League One. We need to get out this time around, we almost did it last time, too much to ask, but if we can stop leaking silly, daft, soft goals and start grinding out results, we can still do it.

 

[dublin 10 blade]

I am afraid I agree, last years great second half to the season flowed over into this season, great gates for any division, never mind League One. We need to get out this time around, we almost did it last time, too much to ask, but if we can stop leaking silly, daft, soft goals and start grinding out results, we can still do it.

Agree, but some want 5-0 every game against tinpot teams in a tinpot league ( sounds very piggish ) but we have to scrap
to get out of this league , and FFS don't take it into the corners while winning at home !
3points is 3 points even while winning 1-0

 

[UnitedBlade]

At the end of January, we'll be looking forward to the loan window opening, marvelling at the inventiveness for why we've missed all our January targets.

 

[Grappler]

Agree, but some want 5-0 every game against tinpot teams in a tinpot league ( sounds very piggish ) but we have to scrap
to get out of this league , and FFS don't take it into the corners while winning at home !
3points is 3 points even while winning 1-0

I will take 3 scrappy points every week if it gets us promoted.

 

[grafikhaus]

So much pessimism! Look, we haven't played today and are still 6th! Win the game in hand, buy 2 or 3 real talents in January and...I've just woke up.

 

[Blade58]

I will take 3 scrappy points every week if it gets us promoted.

Absolutely!

But there lies the problem. We can't win a game for toffee. No wins at home in the league since Oct. No wins in the league last 6. Piss poor I'm afraid

All this bollox about coming on strong second half of the season. All poppy cock. There is no sound basis for assuming we will come good. Yes, we might strengthen, but A. Clough's record thus far bringing in what amounts to a new team, aint exactly impressive and B. when Clough says we will get stronger, must we assume then that the other teams in and around us won't strengthen and get stronger also?

Sounds a lot like "jam tomorrow" to me.

 

[Grappler]

Other teams will strengthen as well, I am sure. We need 3-5 good signings, is that possible?

 

[Blade58]

Other teams will strengthen as well, I am sure. We need 3-5 good signings, is that possible?

3 - 5 signings I doubt, although we know Cloughs record regards quantity over quality

And if we do make 5 signings, is anyone on here confident that they will be of the right calibre?

Add to that Cloughs strategy and tactics and it might not actually matter how many signings he makes if he continues with the same set up

I'm certainly no fan of Higdon, but having our top 3 scorers sat on the bench against Vale, says a great deal about Cloughs strategy.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

Personally my expectations of this season are fast receding as much as a result of our Nige's tactics. I would like us to bring in a competent C/H that doesn't kick off a dressing room row, a decent RB with a beard, a capable holding player in MF who isn't forever injured and a CF with a bit of pace. I'd like to see Porter, Collins, McGinn and Higdon out of the door. I would like to see us not to have to rely on Doyle for MF - time he went and we got someone better.

 

[judge]

Cant wait to see which injury prone cast offs we fail to sign this transfer window

 

[Kenilworth]

Cant wait to see which injury prone cast offs we fail to sign this transfer window

You'll be lucky. We can't afford them.

 

[boo radley]

We will have about 40 mins more of daylight.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

It's not a good way to help a young player like McGahey in his development to play him out of position. If ever a player did not have the build for full back it's McGahey. McEveley can play full back and Collins has played central defence a few times. So has Kennedy.

Clough's more questionable decisions look aimed at sending a message to particular players rather than necessarily being the best football options. This season we've had:
- Higdon starting as captain (message to those that have possibly been bickering over the captaincy)
- Alcock and McGahey starting together in the middle (message to Collins/Butler following preseason form)
- McGahey at right back (message to remaining central defenders that Basham/McEveley now preferred)

Unfortunately for Nigel, none of these seem to be working. Which makes trying to defend how he handles others like McNulty and De Girolamo (which I have done this season) substantially more difficult. I notice the latter had a bit of a swipe in the press recently at how he was played when he returned from his initial loan:

"To be fair, playing on the right wing here is a little bit different," De Girolamo reasoned. "With Russ (Penn) just inside of me, he keeps telling me to push on if the ball breaks forward and I know that I can trust him to fill in.

"At United, I was expected to defend more than attack and that's not really my game. As long as I'm attacking, I'm happy and, if it's helping the team out letting Hydey and Wes play up to, I will happily do it."

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Where do we get these negative fans from fulwood they should have been around when we got relegated to 4th division
when Walsall beat us at bramall lane .we are on the up whether we go up this season or not patience!! we can still do it this
season may have to be play offs so what (bin boozin fulwood does it show) ha ha

I am going to try and give a reasoned answer to your question finlay:

Everyone has to remember that the forum is a place for everyone - even people with negative views.

Many on here wouldn't have seen the really dark days and I remember the Walsall game well. I didn't actually go, I was at a pre arranged trip in Norfolk (never expected to be relegated) but can remember being outside a department store in Norwich called Jarrolds looking through the window at 4.40pm waiting for the BBC video printer to splurt out our result (no social media/smart phones in those days) - Sheff U 0Walsall 1 - absolutely devastated. For low we had sunk.

Anyway, don't know what makes people so despondent - sure we have issues but the continual griping over old and well trodden ground is a mystery at times - it is as though some people want to be proved right and thrive on doom and gloom seeing as we are at present struggling.

I am cross at times, Basham at PV for instance, which gifted 3 points to PV and made the 6.5 hour trip home a real chore. Scoogs continued run in the team and the talent called Baxter who just seems to waste what he's got - great shift at Donny, but how about that all the time.

As for this season - we are "almost" out of automatic, and as some have written already, could be totally out of it by end of January. But equally we could beat QPR (as they WILL play a reserve team), fluke something v Spurs and hopefully sign a few players which knits the team together.

Stay positive!

UTB

 

[Darthblade]

I am going to try and give a reasoned answer to your question finlay:

Everyone has to remember that the forum is a place for everyone - even people with negative views.

Many on here wouldn't have seen the really dark days and I remember the Walsall game well. I didn't actually go, I was at a pre arranged trip in Norfolk (never expected to be relegated) but can remember being outside a department store in Norwich called Jarrolds looking through the window at 4.40pm waiting for the BBC video printer to splurt out our result (no social media/smart phones in those days) - Sheff U 0Walsall 1 - absolutely devastated. For low we had sunk.

Anyway, don't know what makes people so despondent - sure we have issues but the continual griping over old and well trodden ground is a mystery at times - it is as though some people want to be proved right and thrive on doom and gloom seeing as we are at present struggling.

I am cross at times, Basham at PV for instance, which gifted 3 points to PV and made the 6.5 hour trip home a real chore. Scoogs continued run in the team and the talent called Baxter who just seems to waste what he's got - great shift at Donny, but how about that all the time.

As for this season - we are "almost" out of automatic, and as some have written already, could be totally out of it by end of January. But equally we could beat QPR (as they WILL play a reserve team), fluke something v Spurs and hopefully sign a few players which knits the team together.

Stay positive!

UTB

I understand your argument here; and I was there for that Walsall game when that useless t**t Givens sent us down by missing the penalty. I was also at every match bar one of the 4th Division season which was as invigorating as the relegation season was soul destroying !!

I think what pisses many people off this season is that we have spectacularly failed to capitalise on the momentum from last season and for the sake of spending a "modest" amount of money in the summer this could have been sooooo different.

It's not rocket science to realise that you cannot expect a "midget" midfield to compete favourably in this agricultural Division, particularly when the referees are so inept and incompetent. It was apparent from late September that our "master plan" was NOT working and that significant changes were required. The Club have failed on a Biblical scale to address the issues that 20,000 people can see clearly from the stands.

Regrettably, I believe that the Club have gambled this year on getting promoted on "the cheap", which is why there has been little investment in the squad and what has taken place is largely quantity instead of quality. Our 5 / 6 man midfield fails to dominate even lower table teams, because they are simply "bullied" off the ball every week and Scougal is a perfect example of this. He has been a passenger in almost every game this season as opposing teams know that he can just be outmuscled with impunity.

Unfortunately, I don't see much changing this season, because imho, we require as a minimum 1 x RB 2 x CH 2 x CM 1 x CF in order to have a chance to reach and compete in the playoffs. Reach AND compete is the point here, because our playoff record is as bad as it gets and we will be playing two of Preston / MKD / Swindon in the playoffs if we were to get there. At the moment we cannot live with any of them over 2 matches.

I do not see us seriously investing in the JTW so therefore I'm not just being negative here, I'm being realistic when I expect us to finish the season in 7th to 10th place with the current squad.
UTB & FTP