Clough's Business

[robbiez666]

I wish I could share your optimism Itsinyourblood and Lord Bos. I've been let down too many times by the club to be optimistic. As I've said, we're not far off in terms of points and we could quite easily go up. It's not the likeliest outcome given the evidence so far. January will be huge. Not only in terms of business we do but others as well.

My initial post was about Clough's success in the transfer market. Which, at this moment in time, looks poor. I'm not blaming him completely for this. There's obviously more to it behind the scenes. I'm sure if he had game-changing money to spend he would do better.

 

[alcoblade]

It's an odd one because the favorites are normally those who do the most work and put the most effort in. I'm not sure Higdon falls into that category. Scougs for instance doesn't deserve a place at the moment.

Good points, but I suspect Higdon falls into the Keith Edwards category. Not every player has to run for everything, and goals win games.

UTB

 

[sheffielder]

Don't think that is a particarly accurate or balanced view.

McCarthy, Porter and Butler aside don't agree with any of them.

So you think Basham is a good midfielder?

 

[alcoblade]

so £8m is not game changing. You could be right, you might be wrong.

All I ask is that NC is given some decent amount of time to do what is needed. It might not work, it might work, but he needs to be give time. You may be proved ultimately correct, you might not - no body knows unless you are a pal of Dr Who

UTB

Are you not at all uncomfortable with swallowing the £8m investment line?

I've always backed the financial statements from the club over the years. This one seems incredibly fanciful.

I can't wait to see the breakdown, but doubt we will.

UTB

 

[robbiez666]

Good points, but I suspect Higdon falls into the Keith Edwards category. Not every player has to run for everything, and goals win games.

UTB

I think both Higdon and McNulty have shown they have goals in them. My gripe with Higdon is that he's clearly unfit to the point of ridiculousness. H eseems like a Lambert type of player, but if he's going to play upfront on his own he needs to put a shift in every week.

 

[alcoblade]

I think both Higdon and McNulty have shown they have goals in them. My gripe with Higdon is that he's clearly unfit to the point of ridiculousness. H eseems like a Lambert type of player, but if he's going to play upfront on his own he needs to put a shift in every week.

He won't do it because he can't. Look at his goals on YouTube, he's never been mobile. The team has to get up and around him.

I accept that it's a waste playing him until the last 30 when it seems we are allowed to attack rather than stroke the ball from side to side. But that said, I still have hope that a team playing in front of 20,000 fans in a tin pot league might eventually be daring enough to play with some strikers and attacking intent.

UYB

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Are you not at all uncomfortable with swallowing the £8m investment line?

I've always backed the financial statements from the club over the years. This one seems incredibly fanciful.

I can't wait to see the breakdown, but doubt we will.

UTB

Not uncomfortable at all - quite surprised and would defo question where £8m has gone. Yes it will be interesting to see - perhaps United have taken a leaf out of Gordon Brown's book of double announcing the same investment twice! That nobhead spin doctor - Burnley supporter, Iraq dossier fixer (allegedly) was to blame for most of it.

UTB

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Not uncomfortable at all - quite surprised and would defo question where £8m has gone. Yes it will be interesting to see - perhaps United have taken a leaf out of Gordon Brown's book of double announcing the same investment twice! That nobhead spin doctor - Burnley supporter, Iraq dossier fixer (allegedly) was to blame for most of it.

UTB

Fulwood Blade , as you are a advocate of the future and not looking back. The parallels with labour regarding division , turmoil ,chaos , split , mess , with the Blades makes good reading . The days of creative accounting at The Lane are long gone . Transparency on and off the field is the key . This club cannot afford to mess things up . Speculate to accumulate and promotion is guaranteed.

Believe it or not , we are a lot better off , than the majority of the 92 league clubs.

Financial soundness and stability will count for nothing , without promotion . Some board members , funders , can easily forget ,that we are a football club , first and foremost .

UTB

 

[Fulwood Blade]

I like Clough. He did a great job last year. I have faith in him winning away games and cup games.

He has a blind spot with home games. He has been a bit unlucky with injuries but even taking this into account is far too defensive at home. This is going to cause us to miss automatic promotion, and hence promotion, as a team that struggles to score a lot of goals is not usually a playoff winning team.

I'm not disinterested in the club progressing. I just think it won't progress whilst McCabe is involved in decision making. Every major football decision the club has made since 2007 has been wrong, and in many cases disastrous. The club has finished in a lower position 5 years in a row. The one constant is McCabe.

If half of the energy spent on dealing with the Evans situation had been spent on getting a forward in from the start of the season we might be better off. Misplaced priorities, not for the first time.

You think we will go up automatically. Unless we abandon the false 9 at home and have someone (whether at the club or brought in from elsewhere) who can put the ball in the net regularly this is not going to happen. That is not negativity, it is realism.

And I hope we do make it this year because next year we will likely face at least one relegated team with more resources than us, and you can bet that, as in 2013 with wolves, we will choose not to try to compete and will slash payroll, which will see us start a 6th year in this league.

On NC, ok room for improvement in home games. He is trying for a striker, but at least NC is not being rushed - please remember the rash decision by Wier to bring in........you know who?

On McCabe - better the devil you know - we know what we get with him. Would you seriously want someone like Chelino at Leeds?

I think we should go up, given our present position - the going gets tough after January - we will come IMHO into our own - others will fall away.

UTB

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

So you think Basham is a good midfielder?

I think he started slowly but is looking to be a decent midfielder at this level.
He looks like he could be a very good centre half in my opinion.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

I hope he is being paid with Cheques Post Dated 2015 then !!

Next time he appears watch him in a tackle, its half hearted, which is probably a confidence thing.

But every time he makes contact he comes out holding or favouring a leg or an ankle.

Its nice to know we have time to cajole along and pay for this amount of talent for years ..................

And .... have you seen the size of his feet ?

If he hadn't had the injuries, and he hadn't needing nursing through he wouldn't be at our club.
Risk worth taking.

 

[Darthblade]

I'll give you my take on proceedings in a hit, miss or jury's out verdict

I won't be as scathing as the original post but overall you have to say the business has not been the best. The ones that have done well have been more surprising with ones you would expect to shine going from poor to a disaster.

Like with most we will have to wait till end of season but currently I would say....

7 MISS / 2 HIT / 4 JURY'S OUT

Porter - Abysmal decision to re-sign. He is a player that is simply not good enough. Sure he has had his moments at the club but he has never been consistent but offered no more than a handful of decent games in 4 seasons (kept him for 4 seasons!). Seems an nice guy but developed a cult following for being rubbish! Waste of resources = MISS

Butler - We don't know what has gone on. Maybe he fell out with Clough. Maybe Clough just got it wrong and signed someone that he now perceives he is not good enough. However you would suggest it is more the former as with the amount of goals we have conceded, him binning Collins and trying everyone but him suggests that have fell out. He was one of the better defenders in the division the last few years so surely deserved a chance unless something major has gone on. However he will almost certainly be allowed to leave in January and will never start a league game for the club.= MISS

McEveley - I thought he was a poor signing. Another journeyman who was perceived as a squad player. On the way down and without a club. More waste of wages I felt but to be fair he has been very good most of the time. The last few week he has had two poor games but that should not take away fact that at full back and particularly centre back he has done well. = HIT

Higdon - Brought in as a target man who could win headers, score goals and bring others into play. Against Bristol City in the first half he did all of this but since then although he had scored a few goals; he has been really poor for me. Stupid sending off that cost us a game and an inability to hold down a spot; mixed with injuries. He looks slow, unfit and for a big man does not get off the ground. = MISS

McNulty - Began season looking a bit out of his depth but then had a nice spell where he got a series of poachers goals and looked a threat. Works hard and does try and bring others into play. However he has now got involved in a daft incident outside football setting him back. Clough seems quite critical of him at times (harshly in some instances). Still only young, he can improve but does need to play as part of a two for me. He has some qualities but needs to consistently perform not in glimpses as we have shown so far. You could argue he needs a run of games of curse. = JURY'S OUT

JCR - Like McEveley not a signing that inspired me. a player that has had so many clubs and never played at the top level. Frustratingly inconsistent wherever he has been before and has shown this at SUFC. I would say he has made a better impression than I thought he would. He has been our main threat for many games this season but as been better as a sub and being an impact player completely inconsistent. His crossing is poor much of the time but then now and again he delivers with a goal or a cross of rare quality. = HIT

McCarthy - Started badly at Chesterfield and then settled down and was decent for a run of games showing his experience but then was poor again in the last two home games and of course got sent off. The defence generally has improved since he came in though. = JURY'S OUT

Wallace - A crock is right I am afraid. When he has played he has looked decent in most games with box to box play, power, passing and tenacity. When he has played well then we have looked a good side controlling midfield. However he rarely lasts more than a game at a time and even in games he plays often is done long before the end. Hamstrings, calf, groin,, you name it; he injures it. Keep hearing how we have to be patient with him but he barely plays. Played 18, 19 and 16 games in the last three full seasons. That says it all. = MISS

Basham – Would have said Miss almost definitely up to a few weeks ago. He looked awful in midfield with no presence, poor touch and slow. However he was given a chance at centre back and has excelled and I cant recall a poor games since he went there and was excellent in a few matches in this position; looking better than what we already had there. Ironically he was put back into midfield v Oldham and played well there. Maybe he has his confidence back.
Mixed start though overall. = JURY’S OUT

Turner – Cover player. Played in JPT but for me an odd signing as we have Long, Willis etc. Thought the latter was supposed to be a great prospect so is he not capable of being on the bench and playing odd games. Seems another waste of wages. If Howard gets injured then sign a back up if he needs another = MISS (Not his fault but a waste of more resources)

Davies – Was out best player to start the season and scored and assisted on numerous goals. However no one was quite sure what position he was meant to be whether not a defender, but not a forward. He had a few ordinary games and then got injured and we have not see him since. A useful squad player in that he can play a number of positions. = JURY’S OUT

Alcock - One of the better players at the start of the season but is now looking like a distinctly average – poor player is the correct verdict. He looks poor at the moment and we are significantly worse than we were when we had the likes of Brayford there. He is even poorer than McMahon in my opinion. = MISS

McGahey – A young player who may have potential but I have to admit he looks very raw and his technical ability is not the best. He has never convinced when he has played and some of our poorer games and games we conceded came when he was one of the two centre backs. Maybe he will come along but the fact even now at League One he is not really good enough does not fill me with confidence. If he cannot excel at this level unsure whether he would develop enough for me. = MISS (with proviso that is just on what he has done so far – he may improve of course but seen nothing to suggest he is the answer short or long term)

Would agree with all but Alcock & Basham.
Alcock has been poor in the last couple of weeks but I think he's better than McMahon.
Basham is an average CM but I think is quite reliable at CH and I would play him at CH with McEveley instead of Mcarthy who I'm not impressed with.

But we still need a striker that can score goals regularly or we will be in Div 1 again next year with what we currently have.
UTB & FTP

 

[robbiez666]

Add in Adams, Wallace and O'Grady and Clough has fulfilled his promise of having a squad of 17. shame he wasn't clearer and said 17 of his own players brought in. A squad full of average. If that.