Can SUFC be....

[Muttley]

The Club that returns football to how it used to be?
We have Chris Wilder, a principled man and Manager, refusing to be drawn into the madness that it has now become. Refusing to bow down to players' agents, who only have interest in themselves and not their clients, refusing to be drawn into paying extortionate wages and transfer fees that can only damage the game as a whole.
The recent transfers of over £100M will only contribute to crippling the once "Beautiful Game". The so called bigger clubs just getting bigger and bigger and more of a business than a Football Club. The ones further down the pecking order will never be able to compete, which could soon enough see some go under.
With Wilder's stance, not recklessly putting the Club in financial danger, is it a possibility that others will follow suit? The sooner that they realise that they are putting their club in danger by bowing down to agents in particular the better it will be for everyone. All it will take is for more clubs to follow Wilder's lead, grow a pair of bollocks and stand against them for things to start to change.
A wage cap for each division, players in certain age groups etc that agents simply cannot push beyond?
The players themselves having more of a say, and the likes of Jerome Sinclair telling his agent to do one as he is in Sheffield and wants to sign all without being contractually obliged to do as his bloody agent says.
It may be difficult for us in the short term to build a squad capable of challenging any higher by setting these standards but the sooner other clubs wake up and smell the coffee the better it will be for the whole of the game.

 

[stringjunior]

Whilst I would love for this to become reality, I fear that the ship has sailed already

 

[coolhandluke]

The Club that returns football to how it used to be?
We have Chris Wilder, a principled man and Manager, refusing to be drawn into the madness that it has now become. Refusing to bow down to players' agents, who only have interest in themselves and not their clients, refusing to be drawn into paying extortionate wages and transfer fees that can only damage the game as a whole.
The recent transfers of over £100M will only contribute to crippling the once "Beautiful Game". The so called bigger clubs just getting bigger and bigger and more of a business than a Football Club. The ones further down the pecking order will never be able to compete, which could soon enough see some go under.
With Wilder's stance, not recklessly putting the Club in financial danger, is it a possibility that others will follow suit? The sooner that they realise that they are putting their club in danger by bowing down to agents in particular the better it will be for everyone. All it will take is for more clubs to follow Wilder's lead, grow a pair of bollocks and stand against them for things to start to change.
A wage cap for each division, players in certain age groups etc that agents simply cannot push beyond?
The players themselves having more of a say, and the likes of Jerome Sinclair telling his agent to do one as he is in Sheffield and wants to sign all without being contractually obliged to do as his bloody agent says.
It may be difficult for us in the short term to build a squad capable of challenging any higher by setting these standards but the sooner other clubs wake up and smell the coffee the better it will be for the whole of the game.

A noble attempt Mutters but wholly naive .

Don't make the mistake , knowingly or unknowingly , of confusing the principled stance of our Manager with a boardroom bereft of ambition .

 

[Sheffsteel]

Whilst I would love for this to become reality, I fear that the ship has sailed already

Very true..........
Wilder may hold the morale high ground but by doing so there's more chance of a club suffering in the short term.

Sadly it's now a case of "if you can't beat em then you may as well join em"

 

[blademark]

It's a wonderful sentiment but a few months ago Huddersfield were in a comparable situation, and then they went and spent £50m.

 

[snootyfenooty]

Sadly it's now a case of "if you can't beat em then you may as well join em"

It isn't though. I won't be joining the ranks of those paying up to £50 for a ticket any time soon.

 

[Woodwardfan]

We have the Wilder S2 Model for all clubs to envy.

Honest Blades in charge of club and teams. Honest players who sign up to the S2 no fuss, no struts, simple work ethic day in day out. Honest and loyal fans say it as it is and no prawn sandwiches. Work hard play hard, celebrate long and hard.

S2 through and through. Complete opposite to all modern trends. Basic, honest and straightforward.

Even Knill has lived in Sheffield for years so he's adopted as are the rest by now.

 

[Woodwardfan]

It's a wonderful sentiment but a few months ago Huddersfield were in a comparable situation, and then they went and spent £50m.

You can still spend £50m on honest, hard working players who fit your profiles and your ethos....and we will!!

 

[dingledog]

It's a wonderful sentiment but a few months ago Huddersfield were in a comparable situation, and then they went and spent £50m.

They did, leaving a cool £120 million from their TV income in the bank!! That's being sensible, they also sold season tickets for £199 and gave a £100 discount to long standing supporters, recognising their roots in the community.

 

[bornablade]

I'm sick an tired of hearing or reading about how much a team has cost to assemble and how much a particular clubs wage bill is.

If this is how we relate with others then quite simply on the eve of the season starting we should calculate who has spent most and agree that they will be champions and everyone will be placed according to their spending power. Not even worth kicking a ball.

I'm self employed working in an industry that has national and international companies as my competitors. To compete I know I've got to put a shift in and offer something these guys don't. On a Saturday I want my team to relect my principles. Chris Wilder is delivering that.

Don't let's wave the white flag because a team has a bench that's worth more than our entire team.
Wilder and Knill insist on a strong work ethic. No prima donnas. Play to our strengths. Have no fear. Put a shift in and let's see where it takes us.

I know that the vast majority of Blades want exactly the same and they can and do play their part by the quantity and quality of support given.

The best times at the Lane is when we are up against it. The David v Goliath.

Let's use someone else's extravagance on paying for players and wages to our advantage.

The higher up the league we go the more of those matches we will see. That's when we all come together as one. There is no ceiling to what we can achieve.

 

[loyalblade95]

It's a wonderful sentiment but a few months ago Huddersfield were in a comparable situation, and then they went and spent £50m.

They made well over £170m from that playoff final apparently

 

[Pinchy]

Why would the board be 'bereft of ambition'? What's in it for them?

McCabe is a fan as well as owner. Why would he not want his club to succeed, especially given the TV millions at the end of the Yellow Brick Lane?

 

[Pinchy]

I'm sick an tired of hearing or reading about how much a team has cost to assemble and how much a particular clubs wage bill is.

If this is how we relate with others then quite simply on the eve of the season starting we should calculate who has spent most and agree that they will be champions and everyone will be placed according to their spending power. Not even worth kicking a ball.

I'm self employed working in an industry that has national and international companies as my competitors. To compete I know I've got to put a shift in and offer something these guys don't. On a Saturday I want my team to relect my principles. Chris Wilder is delivering that.

Don't let's wave the white flag because a team has a bench that's worth more than our entire team.
Wilder and Knill insist on a strong work ethic. No prima donnas. Play to our strengths. Have no fear. Put a shift in and let's see where it takes us.

I know that the vast majority of Blades want exactly the same and they can and do play their part by the quantity and quality of support given.

The best times at the Lane is when we are up against it. The David v Goliath.

Let's use someone else's extravagance on paying for players and wages to our advantage.

The higher up the league we go the more of those matches we will see. That's when we all come together as one. There is no ceiling to what we can achieve.

That's well expressed and fine in part. However, It's packed with Bladey parochial naivety. The fact is 'David' only wins once in a while. There is a ceiling for the upanatem underdog and it's a very low one.

I much prefer my team to consistently outplay the opposition, playing the right way, rather than merely win the occasional "Battling Blades against the odds" victory.

 

[andy m]

A noble attempt Mutters but wholly naive .

Don't make the mistake , knowingly or unknowingly , of confusing the principled stance of our Manager with a boardroom bereft of ambition .

Why because they didn't spend the David Brooks tranfser money?

 

[Need4speed]

Very true..........
Wilder may hold the morale high ground but by doing so there's more chance of a club suffering in the short term.

Sadly it's now a case of "if you can't beat em then you may as well join em"

Are but it depends on what you mean by suffering
Personally sacrificing a few points and places for sticking to principles is well worth it

 

[PokerBlade]

We've got to be successful first. A few games into the season is a little premature to be talking about others copying our model. And let's also recognise that we got out of League One by consistently having one of the largest budgets with a highly competitive wage structure that meant we had a much bigger pull to attract players over other sides at that level. How likely was it that when we went in for our targets that Fleetwood or Rochdake would beat us to him? We were the big fish down there, now we're average and trying to establish ourselves.

Let's not kid ourselves that the hope isn't to stay up here, make some more money, and invest further like the other established teams in this division.

 

[FATTYFOULKE]

The Club that returns football to how it used to be?
We have Chris Wilder, a principled man and Manager, refusing to be drawn into the madness that it has now become. Refusing to bow down to players' agents, who only have interest in themselves and not their clients, refusing to be drawn into paying extortionate wages and transfer fees that can only damage the game as a whole.
The recent transfers of over £100M will only contribute to crippling the once "Beautiful Game". The so called bigger clubs just getting bigger and bigger and more of a business than a Football Club. The ones further down the pecking order will never be able to compete, which could soon enough see some go under.
With Wilder's stance, not recklessly putting the Club in financial danger, is it a possibility that others will follow suit? The sooner that they realise that they are putting their club in danger by bowing down to agents in particular the better it will be for everyone. All it will take is for more clubs to follow Wilder's lead, grow a pair of bollocks and stand against them for things to start to change.
A wage cap for each division, players in certain age groups etc that agents simply cannot push beyond?
The players themselves having more of a say, and the likes of Jerome Sinclair telling his agent to do one as he is in Sheffield and wants to sign all without being contractually obliged to do as his bloody agent says.
It may be difficult for us in the short term to build a squad capable of challenging any higher by setting these standards but the sooner other clubs wake up and smell the coffee the better it will be for the whole of the game.

I'll never understand how it's got to the player working for the agent, not the agent working for the player. What are these players thinking when they sign up with an agent who will have the power to tell him who he can and who he can't play for?

Incredible.

 

[Muttley]

I'll never understand how it's got to the player working for the agent, not the agent working for the player. What are these players thinking when they sign up with an agent who will have the power to tell him who he can and who he can't play for?

Incredible.

It's a bit like 3rd party ownership.....but that's not allowed is it?

 

[Woodwardfan]

I'm sick an tired of hearing or reading about how much a team has cost to assemble and how much a particular clubs wage bill is.

If this is how we relate with others then quite simply on the eve of the season starting we should calculate who has spent most and agree that they will be champions and everyone will be placed according to their spending power. Not even worth kicking a ball.

I'm self employed working in an industry that has national and international companies as my competitors. To compete I know I've got to put a shift in and offer something these guys don't. On a Saturday I want my team to relect my principles. Chris Wilder is delivering that.

Don't let's wave the white flag because a team has a bench that's worth more than our entire team.
Wilder and Knill insist on a strong work ethic. No prima donnas. Play to our strengths. Have no fear. Put a shift in and let's see where it takes us.

I know that the vast majority of Blades want exactly the same and they can and do play their part by the quantity and quality of support given.

The best times at the Lane is when we are up against it. The David v Goliath.

Let's use someone else's extravagance on paying for players and wages to our advantage.

The higher up the league we go the more of those matches we will see. That's when we all come together as one. There is no ceiling to what we can achieve.

We did just that v Derby.

 

[Woodwardfan]

That's well expressed and fine in part. However, It's packed with Bladey parochial naivety. The fact is 'David' only wins once in a while. There is a ceiling for the upanatem underdog and it's a very low one.

I much prefer my team to consistently outplay the opposition, playing the right way, rather than merely win the occasional "Battling Blades against the odds" victory.

I read his post as saying just that. We can have it all ways if we continue with this momentum.

 

[Pinchy]

I read his post as saying just that. We can have it all ways if we continue with this momentum.

Really? Compare the two propositions again, Woody.

 

[JJBlade]

Nice romantic notion but the only club that is going to suffer from it's proud unambitious stance is United themselves, because the money is not going to dry up any time soon.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Really? Compare the two propositions again, Woody.

You read it with your mind with your own agenda I'd say.

Bornablade at no stage said anything about hoofball or kick and rush or even outmuscling the opposition.

He said Wilder was providing the way forward already and nobody thinks it's not proper football surely. We do outplay the opposition as we did millionaire Derby last Saturday.

I took it as read that Bornablade wants the style we are seeing as well as the fight we are already seeing also. His point is about effectiveness beating salaries i.e. David and Goliath on salaries, not raw muscle or hoof.

I'll ask him.

 

[Woodwardfan]

I'm sick an tired of hearing or reading about how much a team has cost to assemble and how much a particular clubs wage bill is.

If this is how we relate with others then quite simply on the eve of the season starting we should calculate who has spent most and agree that they will be champions and everyone will be placed according to their spending power. Not even worth kicking a ball.

I'm self employed working in an industry that has national and international companies as my competitors. To compete I know I've got to put a shift in and offer something these guys don't. On a Saturday I want my team to relect my principles. Chris Wilder is delivering that.

Don't let's wave the white flag because a team has a bench that's worth more than our entire team.
Wilder and Knill insist on a strong work ethic. No prima donnas. Play to our strengths. Have no fear. Put a shift in and let's see where it takes us.

I know that the vast majority of Blades want exactly the same and they can and do play their part by the quantity and quality of support given.

The best times at the Lane is when we are up against it. The David v Goliath.

Let's use someone else's extravagance on paying for players and wages to our advantage.

The higher up the league we go the more of those matches we will see. That's when we all come together as one. There is no ceiling to what we can achieve.

Bornablade. In your post which I and 4 others 'liked' did you mean to imply that on our wage budget we should just concentrate on outmucling the opposition or hoofball or kick and rush. By reference to 'David and Goliath' did you suggest we do not or should not play with the style we have seen under Wilder?

I took issue above with Pinchy's reply to you above in which he said that you favour the 'up and at'em approach' in your 'parochial Bladey naivety'! Any comment?

.

 

[bornablade]

Bornablade. In your post which I and 4 others 'liked' did you mean to imply that on our wage budget we should just concentrate on outmucling the opposition or hoofball or kick and rush. By reference to 'David and Goliath' did you suggest we do not or should not play with the style we have seen under Wilder?

I took issue above with Pinchy's reply to you above in which he said that you favour the 'up and at'em approach' in your 'parochial Bladey naivety'! Any comment?

.

I was brought up in the era of Currie and Woodward and look forward to the days when we can play that type of football in the top league.

But football has changed. Money does talk and excuse the pun it's no longer a 'level playing pitch' and so it's necessary to find strengths elsewhere but at the same time not to give up on principles and start playing 'hoof'.

The high pressing game is crucial.

Last season I remarked that after watching MOTD there were teams namely Middlesborough and Sunderland who were lazy in their approach to the game. Result relegation. Conversely Bournemouth worked hard for each other when they were not in possesion and played football when they had the ball. How long Bournemouth can survive with this tactic I'm not sure but it's proved effective so far and for each season they remain in the Premier league the stronger they become financially.

Bournemouth have found another strength.

To take it to another extreme. Barcelona play the ball on the ground (too much tippy tappy for some) and yet to me they are at their most impressive when they don't have the ball. No lazy prima donnas at the Nou Camp. They harass and press teams until they get it back. And the process starts again. They're almost personally offended when the other team has the ball.

So to answer your question Woody. I'm an advocate of playing football on the deck and Wilder has brought in players who can do this but those same players have to be 'battlers' when we lose possesion.

 

[Woodwardfan]

I was brought up in the era of Currie and Woodward and look forward to the days when we can play that type of football in the top league.

But football has changed. Money does talk and excuse the pun it's no longer a 'level playing pitch' and so it's necessary to find strengths elsewhere but at the same time not to give up on principles and start playing 'hoof'.

The high pressing game is crucial.

Last season I remarked that after watching MOTD there were teams namely Middlesborough and Sunderland who were lazy in their approach to the game. Result relegation. Conversely Bournemouth worked hard for each other when they were not in possesion and played football when they had the ball. How long Bournemouth can survive with this tactic I'm not sure but it's proved effective so far and for each season they remain in the Premier league the stronger they become financially.

Bournemouth have found another strength.

To take it to another extreme. Barcelona play the ball on the ground (too much tippy tappy for some) and yet to me they are at their most impressive when they don't have the ball. No lazy prima donnas at the Nou Camp. They harass and press teams until they get it back. And the process starts again. They're almost personally offended when the other team has the ball.

So to answer your question Woody. I'm an advocate of playing football on the deck and Wilder has brought in players who can do this but those same players have to be 'battlers' when we lose possesion.

Exactly.

 

[Benny and the Blades]

We're going back to the John Harris day's when the national press called us " A Workman like team" .....

 

[Cerberus Blade]

The Club that returns football to how it used to be?
We have Chris Wilder, a principled man and Manager, refusing to be drawn into the madness that it has now become. Refusing to bow down to players' agents, who only have interest in themselves and not their clients, refusing to be drawn into paying extortionate wages and transfer fees that can only damage the game as a whole.
The recent transfers of over £100M will only contribute to crippling the once "Beautiful Game". The so called bigger clubs just getting bigger and bigger and more of a business than a Football Club. The ones further down the pecking order will never be able to compete, which could soon enough see some go under.
With Wilder's stance, not recklessly putting the Club in financial danger, is it a possibility that others will follow suit? The sooner that they realise that they are putting their club in danger by bowing down to agents in particular the better it will be for everyone. All it will take is for more clubs to follow Wilder's lead, grow a pair of bollocks and stand against them for things to start to change.
A wage cap for each division, players in certain age groups etc that agents simply cannot push beyond?
The players themselves having more of a say, and the likes of Jerome Sinclair telling his agent to do one as he is in Sheffield and wants to sign all without being contractually obliged to do as his bloody agent says.
It may be difficult for us in the short term to build a squad capable of challenging any higher by setting these standards but the sooner other clubs wake up and smell the coffee the better it will be for the whole of the game.

I posted something somewhere ages ago saying Wilder's approach could break the mould. I sincerely hope so. Someone needs to show that the current trend of spending millions on average players is not only a joke but a tragedy to the game.

 

[WILLIAM H BONNEY]

The Club that returns football to how it used to be?
We have Chris Wilder, a principled man and Manager, refusing to be drawn into the madness that it has now become. Refusing to bow down to players' agents, who only have interest in themselves and not their clients, refusing to be drawn into paying extortionate wages and transfer fees that can only damage the game as a whole.
The recent transfers of over £100M will only contribute to crippling the once "Beautiful Game". The so called bigger clubs just getting bigger and bigger and more of a business than a Football Club. The ones further down the pecking order will never be able to compete, which could soon enough see some go under.
With Wilder's stance, not recklessly putting the Club in financial danger, is it a possibility that others will follow suit? The sooner that they realise that they are putting their club in danger by bowing down to agents in particular the better it will be for everyone. All it will take is for more clubs to follow Wilder's lead, grow a pair of bollocks and stand against them for things to start to change.
A wage cap for each division, players in certain age groups etc that agents simply cannot push beyond?
The players themselves having more of a say, and the likes of Jerome Sinclair telling his agent to do one as he is in Sheffield and wants to sign all without being contractually obliged to do as his bloody agent says.
It may be difficult for us in the short term to build a squad capable of challenging any higher by setting these standards but the sooner other clubs wake up and smell the coffee the better it will be for the whole of the game.

What every club needs to do is say im talking to the player direct no agents,its ok them on golf course saying no get me more or forget it,players should have enough bottle to go in the room and sort his own contract out and not hide behind an agent.the sooner that happens the better for me as agents are just me me me

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

It's actually a very, very easy fix. All players are members of the PFA, who offer representation as part of the subscription players pay. Clubs all sign up to an agreement to only deal with the union for transfers. Agents gone!