Deadbats 09/10 School Report

[Deadbat]

Well as the season is now finally over I thought I would cast my eye over the events of the season; a season that on the whole has had few highlights and to be frank has been a mixture of disappointment and frustration. I will not sit on the fence and tell it how I feel with a brief summary of the season and then a breakdown of the personnel at the club; looking at how they have fared and what is the prospects for next season for each respective department of the club.

(Note – I have not graded all the players due to some barely featuring and as a general rule have not given a grade to those who played 5 games or fewer. However, I have had to grade players based on the games they did play so some players who played a lot more; Bunn than Simonsen for example, may still get a lower grade despite disproportionate number of games in comparison. If I have missed anyone then please say!)

Season review

Seeing the heart of the team not start the season for a variety of reasons was always going to make it a tough ask to replicate last season. Losing Halford, Kenny, Naughton and Naysmith amongst others meant the core of a good side would need replacing. A fair bit of money was spent on signings such as Evans and Williamson whilst more other more low key signings were Taylor, France, Reid and loan players Treacy and Bunn. Most United fans felt a playoff place still could be achieved despite the changes but doubts still remained over whether manager Kevin Blackwell could take United any further after the relative successes of the previous season with fans split in opinion. Some feeling he had done well considering the wage bill being pruned but others feeling he could have made better use of the funds he still had and that he was unable to get the side playing an attractive style of football.

The season began fairly well with a steady if unspectacular point at Boro and then a win at home to Watford with Evans impressive in a scoring debut. The defence was still relatively tight despite the changes and wins at Reading and Derby and draw versus West Brom at the Lane seeing us in and around the top 6. James Harper seemed a good acquisition at the time in exchange for the mainly disappointing Brian Howard and Billy Sharp went to Doncaster on a season long loan. However, despite the win over Wednesday when United threatened to avenge the Boxing Day Massacre for 45 minutes; the away from started to deteriorate and defeats as Coventry, Swansea, Scunthorpe and Swansea heralded a tricky patch where United went 8 games without a win. Injuries began to set in and loss of form of key players and Matthew Kilgallon’s contract situation was not helping. However, the fans were not happy and the first real calls for Kevin Blackwell’s head came after the defeat to Cardiff with the Blades slipping into the bottom half.

United finally got back to winning ways and won a trio of games against Peterborough, Bristol City in a thriller and then at Plymouth. They continued the improvements in and around Xmas with only one defeat at Leicester in the following 6 games which saw them back into the top 6. Kilgallon finally departed though and a one sided defeat at WBA confirmed how far off United were from challenging for automatic promotion this year. Kyle Walker returned to Spurs and more injuries and suspensions saw the revolving door continue to swing open with the goalkeeping and defensive situation the areas hit the most. A hammering at Watford and more disappointments against Derby and Preston saw United slip out of the play off places and they were never to get back amongst them.

However, United continued their excellent home form beating Bristol City in a rare convincing performance and Plymouth in a thriller but the desperate away form continued as they lost at relegation threatened Palace and Peterborough without creating a chance of note! 4 points against QPR and Blackpool in a week threatened to catapult United back into the mix but only getting draws at Doncaster and Cardiff, whilst decent results, were probably not enough at this stage of the season with the gap ever increasing. An abject defeat at home to Scunthorpe saw the season effectively ended and two more games without a win against Barnsley and then at Champions Newcastle followed.

A late flurry of results saw three wins against Coventry, Swansea, Ipswich and a draw at Wednesday that helped relegate the city rivals but overall it was too little, too late.

Staff report

Board

Kevin McCabe - In my time as a United fan he is easily the best chairman we have ever had. He has made us a proper football club with a stadium to be proud of complete with hotel, superb training facilities, the academy, the links into other football clubs (long term impact of course still to be analysed and short term it can be argued these are having little affect on SUFC but maybe has more affect on his global empire) and the way he fought the Tevez affair and won. He is a cute businessman who has made sure we have not gone down the route of many other clubs who have down out of the Premiership. We are as a business and a club a proper entity now in the football and commercial world. We have stability and organisation we never had and in comparison to our cross city neighbours we are streets ahead in customer service, ticketing, facilities and professionalism. We are perhaps now the fashionable club in the city and are arguably comfortably the strongest club in Yorkshire.
However despite all the above there has been some major flaws with McCabe and the boards decisions in recent years. We had a golden opportunity to consolidate as a Premiership club but that fateful rainy day in May against Wigan saw the start of the downward spiral. Yet, with better management and decisions from the board we could have bounced back quickly and fought off this knifing blow.

The start of the fall came with mistakes with key personnel. The likes of Robson and Robinson set the club back with stupid financial decisions and poor policies on player recruitment (ageing players on high wages). He also had a chance to change things last year when Blackwell offered to stand down and I think on reflection this season probably shows he should have shook his hand and looked for a fresh replacement. However, he also wanted someone who could carry on the wage bill shedding and still keep United competing and for all his critics Blackwell was able to achieve these two things that are in many ways at cross purposes. The sales of the two Kyle’s were inevitable (no club in the Championship would have turned down the money offered) but could have been managed better. His comments about putting ‘the shutters down’ and then a week later they had gone. The mismanagement of the season long return of Walker set against a similar situation the other way with Billy Sharp who could not be recalled summed up some of the poor management. Arguably despite the injuries he did keep giving the manager funds to bring loan players in but for the most part the size of the squad was being cut further.

McCabe’s obsession with the international partner clubs continues to rankle fans when nothing has materialised in terms of players nor funds and his foiled dream to bring World Cup football to the Lane also annoyed some fans. Most supporters want more attention on the manager and the first team squad and still feel this is not happening. Whilst they realise the other aspects of the club have come on leaps and bounds they still see the on field product as mediocre and that the club is no closer to being a top 10 Premiership team as they were when McCabe took the helm over 10 years ago.
Grade C+

Next season

It is difficult to see him putting more funds in and the days of him throwing cash on big signings seems to be at an end. The poor decisions on signings last summer means he will be more carefree with his funds especially if Blackwell does stay. However, recent times his comments at forums over the playing style and mistakes over player recruitment means Blackwell’s future is not quite as secure as it once was. McCabe still seems passionate enough but the appointment of Trevor Birch, a guy known for brokering takeovers suggests he may not be here forever. Maybe a takeover may be happening sooner than we think which would be ironic considering the difficulties other clubs are having getting new investment. What happens over the summer is going to be key. If we keep the manager then McCabe will know that a poor start to the next campaign will see the manager departing one way or another. So does he back him or give him peanuts to spend and watch the inevitable happen? The latter seems more likely and if that is the case then maybe a managerial change would make more sense sooner rather than waiting till the Autumn.

Managerial team

Kevin Blackwell gets a rough time and seems to have more doubters than backers. It is worth looking at the positives and the negatives. He moaned and groaned about injuries, having to bring loan players in and the loss of key players. He is right on all fronts and he has had to watch quality players leave like the two Kyle’s, Kilgallon and lose the likes of Kenny and Naysmith. He has been the fall guy in many ways for the clubs preening and pruning. He has had to get on with things amongst the cut backs and yet still manages to get us competing at the upper echelons and of course was so close to getting us promoted 12 months ago. I think at times he is seen as the fault of everything we do or do not do. I think on the whole he did a great job to stabilise the club when he came in and then nearly achieved the ultimate last year. However, I think on reflection like McCabe he now may wish he had moved on and the last season has seen his reputation somewhat tarnished.

The campaign has seen massive questions raised against his managerial and coaching abilities. He had ample chance to bring in players last summer and failed. Not one of the summer signings could be considered a success with Evans a costly buy (whatever the actual fee was) failing badly and Williamson being a crock for most of the season. Other signings Reid, France, Taylor, Stewart have been complete failures and latterly Harper and Yeates have failed to convince. Most of the loan players have been of poor quality on the whole too or have struggled with only Cresswell being an incoming player that has had consistent success. Aside from the poor decisions on personnel (admittedly injuries have not helped one bit) his style of play and negative tactics have also failed to endear him to the fans. Losing away at struggling sides and failing to even have a shot in inexcusable.

There has once again been too much direct football and lack of a plan B. Also, indiscipline and numerous suspensions are not bad luck but bad play. We have led the division on both fouls and bookings. What is most frustrating is that at times United have played some decent stuff they have looked a good side but this has happened too infrequently. Ultimately whatever the circumstance we still had supposedly the third biggest wage bill and still had enough players with experience and so called ability to be in the top 6. In that regard we failed. Fans put up with poor play/tactics and lack of entertainment last year as ultimately the approach nearly led to promotion but the same style and abject play this year has saw a mediocre league placing. We have had average results and most weeks struggled to even hit average. In that regard the management team has failed.

It is interesting that his two coaches seemed to have switched roles somewhat on recent times with Blackwell’s trust number two Sam Ellis seemingly now less involved and Gary Speed now becoming more central to the coaching both on and off match days. Many United fans clambour for Speed to be more involved with some feeling he should be given a shot as manager. He certainly would attract better players than Blackwell seem to and maybe may play a different style of football but as Robson and McCall has evidenced being a good player is no guarantee to being a success as a manager. One of the most disappointing aspects of the season has been injuries and whilst the likes of fitness coach Dean Riddle was praised in years gone by in his first spell at the club when we had a tendency to always score late goals such was the fitness of the squad, we do seem to be getting injuries week in, week out. Maybe it is just bad luck but it is certain that this side of the club from conditioning to fitness to physiotherapy needs evaluating and needs to improve.

Our Scouting network has failed miserably. When I look at players like Charlie Adam, Graham Dorrans etc being bought cheaply and yet we struggle to sign players anywhere near their ilk with only Jamie Ward in recent years being a player that was bought cheaply and has gone onto be a success. We have all these links with clubs abroad but we have not seen one player come here and make an impact. Our recruitment policy seems to be to sign Premiership reserves or ageing players and we never seem to look at areas like Ireland, Scotland or anywhere in Europe. If I was the board I would be very disappointed at the lack of promising young players with sell on value being identified to the management team. It seems like they are clueless and the loans we have brought in have proved this.

The Academy produced the two Kyle’s but on the whole it is disappointing that we do not seem to have many players ready to make the step up. I would have thought for all the funds put in we would have at least 1 player a season knocking on the door but the fact that our manager does not even name a kid on the bench and would rather just name 5 or 6 substitutes is indicative of the stubbornness of our manager (to prove a point to the board about size of squad) but also the dearth of talent coming through. Supposedly our players just about to embark on the first year of their Academy Scholarships (most are 16 or 17) are a talented bunch but I remember hearing that a few years ago and that came to nothing. It is pleasing that the club recognises that they need to make changes and the appointment of John Pemberton as the Academy head is at least a step to making changes.

Grade C-

Next season
It is still not certain that Blackwell will definitely be around. I hear rumours from various people both close and not so close to the club that an agreed departure may happen sooner than we think but I also hear some of Blackwell and McCabe’s quotes and cannot see him leaving. I think it may be right for a change as Blackwell despite the outgoings still had decent funds in terms of wages outplayed and made poor decisions last year. Faced with even less funds it worries me what he may do this summer? Our scouting network has to help him (or if it a new manager) more. However, I do fear that if he does stay then a tough start to next season will see him forced to leave. That is why it may be better for both parties to part now but then I am not sure who I would bring in? There are some promising young managers out there and the obvious one is O’Driscoll at Doncaster but I remember when Wednesday appointed similar type promising managers in Jewell, Wilson etc and they failed under bigger expectations than their previous clubs. If we did bring another manager in then the fans would have to be more patient and not expect promotion automatically. Would fans cope with another 2-4 years in this division if they could see some direction in terms of the style of play and the level of entertainment and the type of team building; even if this meant mid table for a few years or just in and around the playoffs?

At the moment under Blackwell it is a confused muddle of what we are trying to do and even though we flirted with the playoffs there has been no sense of purpose or direction for the future and the summer of change in personnel is evidence of this lack of forward planning. There is no way we should be faced with another 6-10 outgoing players and the same coming in but that is what is happening. If we had brought in decent players in the first place and had some good young players then we would not have to keep chopping and changing. My fear is that Blackwell will be churning out the same excuses about it being a new team, no consistency etc this time next year and we will be in pretty much the same position at best or at worst fighting to stay away from the lower reaches of the divisions. Sure it is not all his own fault and has had to cut the budget but he still had made some poor decisions. I do not think we will go down but will struggle to even be serious contenders for the top 6 but more than that I do not see these and I see no sign of the playing style and type of recruitment seeing us move forward under his management. That is why I would be bold and make a change.

 

[Deadbat]

Goalkeepers

Paddy Kenny - Paddy made a stupid mistake and as he said recently he could easily have been released for breach of contract. I do think the ban was a little harsh but they had to set a precedent. It is clear to we really missed him this season and whilst his decision making both on and off the pitch is certainly questionable; he is still an excellent shot stopper and a personality that we have missed.

Mark Bunn - Bunn came in and initially looked good, commanding his area, organising the defence and showing good handling. However, he had a run of games where he let in a number of long range shots; many that he ought to have saved and questionable footwork and confidence began to affect him. He was taken out of the team and the likes of Bennett and Ikeme came in. He did come back in and was man of the match in the game against Peterborough and began to get back to his early season form. In all he was a mixed bag and we certainly never looked entirely convincing in that position. I am sure he will have a long career but will have to improve in order to be a number one in the top two divisions. Grade C

Steve Simonsen - Simonsen came in and did really well. We immediately looked to be more solid at the back and he showed his ability go boss the area and also in making important saves. We generally looked a lot more assured and he was one of the loan players that was a definite success. Grade B+

Ian Bennett - Bennett played briefly and a howler in the cup at home to Port Vale did not help his cause. The fact that Bunn struggled so much and yet Bennett still was not able to come in and play a regular spell of games shows that whilst a solid professional his days as a first choice keeper at this level are over. Might be retained in a coaching capacity.

Carl Ikeme - He came in and looked to improve the backline initially but he did not last very long as he quickly picked up an injury and ended up back at Wolves and then on loan at QPR.

Mihkel Aksalu - Another goalkeeper signed from overseas but will he go the same way as the likes of Wilko De Vogt, Justin Haber or will he actually contend? On the plus side he is physically imposing at least and has years on his side. It would be good if he could be a genuine back up to Paddy and would save us having to plunder funds to sign another keeper.

Next season

Kenny will start the season as number one and needs to be a solid number one who plays nearly every game. He needs to command his box/take crosses as well as being the good shot stopper we know he is. Aksalu has the chance to be the number two and of course Bennett may be retained in a coaching and part time player capacity. I think Simonsen would have been a good addition but he is not going to come in as a number two and with cut backs and priorities in other areas it seems we may start the season with these two with maybe Bennett employed in a coaching role and bit part back up.

Defence

Chris Morgan - After the controversy of the Hume incident the previous season; Morgs had actually settled down and led us well and of course to near promotion. This season he was one of the few players to come out of the season with real credit. He missed a few games towards the end of the season through injury and of course always gets at least one suspension but still played 37 times and was the one player holding our fragile back line together despite numerous back line partners and losing his long term partner and perfect complement Kilgallon. He has been a real leader of the team and club and continues to put his body on the line at all times. He seems to know more than ever his strengths and weaknesses and it is rare he makes mistakes or loses his rag these days. A solid professional who most clubs’ fans may dislike due to his no nonsense style but whom the same fans would love at their club as many fans forums testify. Grade A-

Matthew Kilgallon - It was an odd season for Killa’. He began the season fairly well as the defence looked to carried on solid form from the previous year but then as the team struggled he began to have a mixture of loss of form and injury problems. With talks over his future coming to the fore it did affect his form. However, he got back into the team and began to get back to the standard of before. Some would say cynically just in time for the transfer window re-opening! It seemed like he may stay at least until the end of the season but mid way through January Sunderland came in with the sort of money United were looking for and he was off. He has been in and out of the Mackems side but I am sure given a run he can prove a credible Premiership defender due to his pace and reading of the game. A big loss to United but the failure to go up and re-negotiate a new deal meant the writing was on the wall. Grade B-

Kyle Walker - Walker was thankfully back on loan at United just before the start of the season and showed the same qualities that had seen Spurs sign him. Strong, fast and athletic Walker looked head and shoulders above many others. His runs forward often saw him United’s best attacking threat but at times he did become careless in a defensive position over elaborating (goal at home to Newcastle a casing point). Overall, he looked a class act though and it came as a real blow when Walker was taken back to Spurs right on the deadline; especially when Naughton was loaned to Middlesbrough on the same day. Walker has now began to feature for Spurs and both will go onto have solid Premiership careers if given enough opportunities. Who knows one or both may even contend for international honours eventually. A real shame we only saw them for around a season a piece. Grade B+

Derek Geary - Geary deserves a lot of credit for getting back at all into consideration for professional football. He looked a little ring rusty at times and seemed to have lost a yard of pace as shown by the game at Leicester where the winger Dyer gave him a difficult time. He still showed the same fighting qualities and tenacity he always had done and was in and out of the team post Christmas. An injury at Notts Forest seemed to have put paid to his career at United but he did manage to get back and make the bench for some of the final few league games. With his injury record and not always being a regular even when fit under Blackwell when he first took charge, it seems inevitable he will leave but he hopefully can get a decent contract somewhere in League 1/3 for next season. Grade C-

Andy Taylor - Taylor was brought in as the starting left back to replace Naysmith but after a fairly decent start he became horribly exposed as United began to struggle. He looked short of confidence and soon was taken out of the team. The fact his replacement was Jordan Stewart said it all about how out of his depth he looked. He was in and out of the team from that point afterwards usual coming out due to poor performances and injury. He did get back in towards the end of the season and did a little better but the truth is he looked far from ready for this level. Any kind of winger with pace or power would cause him problems but more than that his positional sense and inability to get close to his men were the main issues with him. He is fairly decent on the ball and can strike a decent cross/free kick but is weak physically and this allied to poor decisions both with and without the ball means he will be a squad player at best next season. Grade D-

Jordan Stewart - Stewart came in for Lee Hendrie and it seemed a good deal in that we got Hendrie off the books but of course Stewart was another fairly high earner and still had another 2 seasons left on his contract. Stewart was always one of those players that you saw play against you and felt he should be a decent footballer. Tall, fairly quick and athletic but the problem was he is a pretty woeful footballer. He was tried at left back and left midfield but was equally poor in both positions. Some of his performances were so bad many Blades were actually laughing at him such was the disbelief at some of the things he did when he kicked the ball. He got into bad positions but more than that he was technically erm...hopeless and can barely pass nor kick the ball in the direction he wants it to go. The irony is that he injured himself clearing the ball with a typically clumsy attempt with his wrong foot in the game against Barnsley and might be out for some time. Grade E

Nyron Nosworthy - Nosworthy was brought in and seen as someone who could give the backline some pace, experience and stability as the injuries continued and he showed he could play in a number of positions ranging from centre back to left back to right back. He showed some real moments of Gus Uhlenbeek with some awful mistakes and ability to take too many touches coming to the fore. At times we realised how good Kilgallon was and you wondered how Nosworthy had ever played top flight football. However, to be fair to Nyron he did improve as his loan went on and in the final stages of the season he was one of our more consistent players and the mistakes disappeared altogether. He showed he was a solid pro and his form was such that some fans have advocated signing him. Grade B-

Paul Connolly - As United looked to plug more gaps with the ever increasing injury list; a reserve Derby right back was hardly the sort of incoming signing that would have fans salivating. Connolly though did a solid job and was steady at the tail end of the season. On the evidence we saw he might not be a bad shout as a permanent signing if he can replicate the no frills, solid defensive displays he showed. Grade B

Kyle Bartley – Bartley began his spell at United fairly well against Preston and then Bristol City but then he lost his form and a number of mistakes and error ridden performances saw him taken out of the team. He returned but was at fault for the goal at Cardiff and then a shaky performance at home to Scunthorpe sae him taken out of the side again. He did return for the final few games and actually was very good against Swansea. Clearly for a young kid he relies a lot on confidence. It was sad to see him just booting the ball out in some games after he had been harangued for trying to dribble the ball out of defence. He has the right build to potentially be a player but I am not sure he is ready for even the Championship yet and thus would not advocate bringing him back on a season long loan. Grade C

Marcel Seip – Seip’s loan signing was due to the fact that there was the potential of Kilgallon leaving the club. He looked very good initially and was able to show good reading of the game and a decent football brain (did not just punt it clear). He got injured and was out of the side for almost two months. When he did return he was a bit part layer and was in and out of the team. He always did ok I thought but he did clearly lack pace and with Morgan alongside him you feared for us against quicker teams. Also, for a fairly big guy he could be moved rather too easily by strikers. Probably will not return I feel as if he was going to be a contender for next season he would have been used more. Grade C-

Andrew Davies – Davies was a player that always seemed to have nightmares at the Lane; either sent off or scoring own goals! I was not enthused about him making his debut against Wednesday but he just about got through that game. He played some games and was substitute for others but never really convinced and to me it always looked like an error was around the corner. Grade D-

Toni Kallio - Kallio began his United career at Plymouth and supposedly impressed and also set up the equaliser at QPR. However, he was recalled by Fulham at the end of the month. He did come back in early February and the home fans finally got chance to see him. To be frank he looked pretty hopeless and was pedestrian, clumsy and error ridden. He played 6 games before an injury saw his second loan spell ended. In truth he was struggling when he did play and was certainly one of our poorer forays into the loan market. Grade D-

Jonathan Fortune - To his credit he stayed at the club and fought for a contract; supposedly training with the club for nothing earlier in the season. He finally got a contract which was borne more out of the injury crisis we had but a nervy, slow debut at Barnsley followed and he was a squad player for much of the rest of the season. A trio of games at Bolton where he did ok, against Blackpool where he scored and then at WBA where he was not the only one taken apart was his final games in a United shirt although he was often an unused substitute. Won’t return. Grade D

Gary Naysmith – Naysmith was supposedly going to be out until Christmas but when he was ready to come back he re-injured himself and was set back further. It seemed with his big contract winding down he would not play for United again but he made a surprising comeback against Swansea and started the final two games of the season as United kept two clean sheets and he showed what a solid defender he is. Be great if we could somehow swing a deal to get him back as he is one of the better left backs outside the top flight. Not blessed with pace nor power; he just does the basics that many of the others who tried this position could not do; namely stop his winger, prevent crosses, clear the ball and get in good positions.

Leigh Bromby – Bizarre that Blackwell said he should never have been allowed to leave when he brought him back but then let him go again. An awful performance from United at home to Port Vale seemed to be the end for both him and Billy Sharp under Blackwell. The fact that he is now only a squad player in league one probably confirms that this is one Blackwell got right as he was never totally convincing in the latter stages of his United career at both right back and centre back. Ironically he may have never been let go if we had known the injury crisis we were about to experience.

Matt Lowton – Was substitute for quite a few games in the final stages of the season and started against Ipswich. He is actually older than some think and is nearly 21 and is someone has been around the club for quite a while and obviously had spells with Sheffield FC and in Hungary. Hopefully he can push on and be a regular squad player next season. His ability to play right back, centre back and midfield will help him.

Next season

The defence is a bit of a middle to say the least. Most of the above have either gone or will be gone by August. Morgan will thankfully remain and return as captain and as the defensive lynchpin. Remaining by default due to their contracts will be Taylor and Stewart. However the latter two are both injured and may not even be fit for the start of the season due to cruciate injuries. Even if they were fit they are not the answer and should be squad players at best. The rest? I do not think Geary nor Fortune will be given contracts due to age/injury record and probably rightly so even though sentiment may see some suggest for Geary to be given another year. I would love us to bring Naysmith back but fear that if we cannot afford to keep Monty then we have no chance of keeping Naysmith who would allegedly have to take over a 50% pay cut to remain. If we could somehow do it by offering longevity of his contract then his return should be a no brainer. The loan players? Nosworthy is on Premiership wages and will go back, Seip has probably not done enough nor has Bartley who seems a few years away yet. Connolly let no one down but he too is supposedly on decent wages. If we could sign him and Naysmith it gives us two steady if unspectacular full backs. If we cannot sign these then we need three new ‘starting’ defenders and this is the area that we had built success in previous years. This is going to be the biggest work for the manager in the offseason. We need to make the centre back partner for Morgan the most important signing of the off season and then we need two solid full backs, akin to the ones mentioned if we cannot bring them back for financial reasons. Of course even after we do that then we need backup too as short of the youngster Lowton we are desperately thin unless other youngsters like Roe and Brown can show they are ready.

 

[Deadbat]

Midfield

Nick Montgomery – Monty was once again exceptional for the most part. His energy, tackling, harrying and ground coverage means he often was an inspiration. At times he would do the work of two players and seemed to be all over the field. His commitment and work rate were simply phenomenal. However, his passing was still pretty ragged as was his touch and inability to do the basics in terms of creating things. Still, if he even had an inkling of quality in such areas he would be playing Premiership football week in, week out. It seems pretty certain he is leaving as the offer we have made is not what he is looking for. I think we should do our utmost to keep him and he would take some replacing. We should also keep some logic in the situation and realise that if he wants money way in excess of what we can afford then we cannot be also held to ransom. United need to pitch their top offer now and give him a deadline to respond. If he does not then we have to move on and as Blackwell says give ourselves enough time to get replacements in. I hope we can somehow hold onto him as he has been a great servant to United and one that will be missed if he does depart as unfortunately I expect to happen. My gut feeling is that he will end up at Leeds or at QPR this summer Grade A-

Stephen Quinn – Gets heavily criticised by a lot of United fans and became a big scapegoat when United did struggle for results and performances. He undoubtedly has flaws, in that he often is careless with the ball, tried to do too much first time and his silly flicks/blind passes often see us lose possession too easily. He has maybe regressed since his promise of three years ago but he still is a pretty decent Championship midfielder and has an eye for goal, is a really good finisher and works very hard for the team. I am still not totally convinced he can cut the mustard at top level but he is not as bad as many of us make out and the fact he started 37 games says as much about his tenacity and work rate to as Blackwell’s supposed favouritism of him. For all his critics, he would probably still start for most of the Championship sides outside the top 3 or 4. He still needs to be more consistent and if we were being super ambitious I would perhaps prefer him to be a squad player rather than a regular week in, week out but with the potential of major changes to other areas of the team he will probably be a starter again next season. Grade B-

Lee Williamson –Williamson was out injured for the opening months of the season and did not feature until late October. He got into the team but struggled to stay there because of injury as much as poor form. Indeed when he did play he looked good, showing he could pass the ball, win tackles and have the energy to be a box to box midfielder. A performance against Palace saw him stand out just before Christmas. It seemed United always did well when he did play but he played too infrequently due to back/leg injuries and only started 14 games. A vital goal at Hillsborough gave him further kudos but another injury means we may not see him for the opening few months of next season; a repeat scenario to this season. He looks like he could be a good signing but unfortunately his inability to stay fit means he remains a question mark in the long term. Grade C+

James Harper – Harper was a player that always did well against United and seemed to be central to Reading’s rise to the top flight. A good athlete, that could pass, score goals and get up and down; he seemed a great signing in exchange for the disappointing Howard. However, like Howard before him the high hopes would be dashed fairly quickly as United fans realised why Harper had not been a regular in recent days at the Madjeski. Harper still could pass the ball but often it was sideways or backwards. More worryingly his legs seem to have gone and he often struggled to last full games. At times he had decent games but the poor or anonymous ones seemed to exceed the positive ones. He was never a nailed on regular and he had spells out of the team. At times he seemed so far behind the play and his penchant for pointing/shouting but not actually influencing the play himself maddened many United fans. His comments towards the end of the season that United had not entered into any kind of negotiation to bring him back suggested it is a mere formality that he will not come back. A real disappointment as United fans had high hopes of him when we signed him but the reality is that he may even struggle to get a contract anywhere in the top 2 divisions now. Grade D+

Jamie Ward – Ward was United’s best attacking player to start the season. He had spells as a striker but was primarily used as an out and out right winger and he was mightily effective in such a role. He was prolific as a goalscorer too netting against Watford, Reading, Coventry and a vital one against Wednesday. Most of our best attacking moves came through him and he was looking an absolute bargain and inspired signing. His injury and absence coincided with United’s poor form. He returned but was not quite as effective in the period before Christmas as he had been. He scored vital late winner against Preston but he was even rotated in and out of the side during this period. He continued to pick up niggly injuries and was then rushed back with the season slipping away in an important game against Barnsley and pulled up lame and his season was done. Getting him fit and firing again is vital next season as he will be a key man. Grade B

Mark Yeates – Yeates was impressive in United’s season opener at Boro as an opponent and had always looked a good player at Colchester. He seemed a decent signing; although slightly perplexing was that a similar type player Cotterill had been allowed to leave. Yeates is not as quick as Cotterill but probably works harder for the team. He began well and was impressive in home games against Derby and Bristol City and scored at Preston. His early promise seemed to peter out a little and he was not a regular started towards the end of the season but a good end to the season with impressive performances against Swansea and Ipswich bodes well for next season. He has to be more consistent. When he attacks defenders and dribbles with the ball he looks a threat but he needs to exert himself more and impose himself on his opponent. Grade C

Glen Little – Little did enough in pre season to earn a one year deal but he was often only used as a sub due to his age and lack of fitness. He did have a decent game against Doncaster but then was poor at Scunthorpe and returned to the bench for some time. We never really saw him again until the end of the season when he was brought back coming on to good effect against QPR and Scunthorpe then starting games against Cardiff, Barnsley and Coventry. He was one of United’s better players in the run in but the comments of Sam Ellis suggest that it may be too little, too late. His lack of pace and mobility and not being able to last a full 90 minutes means his clever football brain and ability to make things happen may be in vain. Would still be mightily effective lower down the leagues in short bursts if he wanted to go on playing. Grade C

David Cotterill – Cotterill always split opinions. Some saw him as a match winner who had pace and crossing ability but even those fans had to admit he was very frustrating. His critics felt he was a luxury player who played well rarely and who was not a team player and intimidated by physical contact. The truth was probably somewhere in between but it is clear that he got fewer chances than many other players who had been equally inconsistent which seems odd considering the time and money Blackwell spent to make his signing permanent the summer before. His performance in the home leg against Preston was like night and day compared to the woeful performance in the final and he was mostly a sub for the opening months of the season. Scored a couple of goals at Reading and against West Brom but seemed to be in the managers dog house and mostly used as a substitute. When he was given a start the wretched defeat at Blackpool might have been the final straw. Given a chance to go back to Wales, Blackwell spoke of home sickness and family problems which may have elements of truth but the reality was he was never going to be a regular whilst the manager remained here. He has done fairly well at Swansea but I have noted that even there he is used more at home than away and the maddening inconsistency seems to remain. I don’t think he was ever the answer but then considering the abject performances of many others it seemed strange that he was singled out and moved on.
Grade C-

Brian Howard – A player who came in with great expectation from Barnsley but never really delivered at the Lane. Very slow and weak, he was a liability defensively and was not as creative or effective as a passing midfielder as many thought he would be. At times Monty/Quinny had to do his running for him. He did score 2 vital goals against Reading and Preston in the previous campaign but like others was anonymous at Wembley. Began the season in the team but was allowed to leave when we had the change to pull off a swap with Harper. A deal that many United fans, including myself enthused about at the time. Howard has been in and out of the Reading team since he left the Lane. Grade D

Lee Hendrie – Hendrie was suspended for his antics in the playoff final at the end of the previous campaign and did not even feature on the bench. His signing and the 3 year contract that came with it was an utter disaster and one of the financial burdens that messrs Robinson and Robson should never have been allowed to go through with. A player that is all but done at the top level and the lack of interest from other clubs should have been a tell tale sign when he left Villa. Now playing for Brighton and still unable to last 90 minutes.

Keith Treacy – Treacy was one of United’s better players in the early stages of the season; assisting in goals against Watford, Wednesday and scoring a peach against Leicester. He showed a nice left foot and could whip in some dangerous crosses and liked to take the shot on. He did not seem to relish the physical play and he also was rather slow for a winger. His form dropped off a bit about the same time as United’s but it was odd how despite being still one of our better performers he was in and out of the side. It seemed he may have had a fall out with the manager as his loan was curtailed and he returned to Blackburn. Signed for Preston later in the season. Grade C

Ryan France – France was supposedly snatched from under the noses of Wednesday who were set to sign him after a trial period. He was seen as a useful utility player who could do a job in midfield or at full back. He played the first game and did alright in midfield but had a shocker versus Port Vale at right full back. He only played a further two games defeats at Coventry and Blackpool and we barely saw him again. He was apparently out injured but the fact no fans even wondered where he was or when he was back says it all. Still has another year left on his contract but another that we should be trying to move on as he is not going to be a major contributor. A poor and unnecessary signing. Grade E-

Kyel Reid – Reid was a player that just needed a chance and was a raw diamond according to Blackwell but he only started one league cup game and was sub in a further 7 games. In the brief cameos he did have he did not look much like a game changer but to be fair to him he was often only given 5 minutes to affect things. Loaned back to London; and Charlton and did well there scoring some vital goals but it has been noted that even there he is often a substitute. He has another year left but odds are on him leaving this summer but I doubt United will get a fee and it may be he is simply allowed to sign elsewhere whether it be Charlton or somewhere else Grade E-

Next season

Like the defence this area is not clear and we also have a great deal of uncertainty here. Ordinarily Montgomery would be the first one back and we should of course do our best to retain him but it should not be at all costs. If he does go that leaves us with Quinn, Ward, Yeates and Williamson out of the potential first teamers. Of course Williamson will be out for the start of the season too. I cannot see Harper or Little coming back and the likes of France and Reid will not be contenders for the starting eleven even if they do return. France may remain but Reid may have done enough to see us able to offload him. We are not too bad in the wing positions as Ward will be a key man wide right if he remains fit and maybe Yeates in either of the wide positions can be effective with Quinn and Cresswell also being able to do a job wide left. However, we really need to sign at least two central midfielders with Monty probably leaving and with Williamson out injured we have literally no one in the middle of the park. We need to somehow find some quality here and get two players that between them can get box to box, tackle, break up play, see a pass and score goals. Not an easy task but just as with Morgan’s new partner a vital part of whether we can move forward and be successful.

 

[Deadbat]

Forwards

Darius Henderson- Another player that really splits opinion and again probably rightly so! He scored 12 goals in only 28 starts and was one of our better players earlier on in the season. At his best was a physical target man who held the ball up well and brought others into play with an underrated touch and powerful heading ability. At his worst he was clumsy, immobile and a liability with his daft habit of getting booked/sent off or conceding unnecessary fouls. I have always been a fan of him and feel if we play to his strengths (and I do not just mean high balls up to his head) we can use his height/physical hold up play to bring others into play and provide chances for his fellow players. However, at times I have become more frustrated with the stupid fouls and him preferring to wrestle defenders than go for the ball. He makes things easy for referees and it is no surprise to see he commits more fouls than most players in the league. Would I keep him? Probably yes but he needs to cut out the daft fouls and do what is good at. If he can stay fit and not get suspended he can still be a major player for us but many would prefer he moved on and we played with the likes of Evans, Sharp etc. I feel most teams need a player like Henderson at this level and if we surrounded him with better service and did play the ball on the floor he could still be effective but he needs to improve on how he finished the season as I felt he ended the season badly with some poor performances and then he got injured and missed the final few games; ironically games we won. Grade B-

Ched Evans – I was delighted we managed to sign Evans as the bits I had seen of him for Man City and on loan at Norwich he looked a really promising young player. Big, strong and powerful; he also always looked a goal threat with a ferocious shot. He came in and was excellent against Watford with a well taken goal and performance. He was often the one who missed out away from home as Blackwell went for Henderson as we employed the one up front. He seemed to suffer from not having a regular run in the team and the goals completely dried up. His confidence suffered and it got to the stage where he could not do much right. What surprised many was his deficiencies even n the basics of control, touch and passing. He always showed he had a decent shot but he actually was not even getting in positions to even get chances. His work rate also left a lot to be desired and he often was either taken off on the hour mark or as the season progressed became employed more as a substitute. All in all, whatever the fee was and even the board/manager seem to disagree on this; he still cost a fair bit and has been a major disappointment so far. A big season for him next year as no one will be interested in signing him so he has to bounce back and show why United chose to invest quite a significant sum in him. If he has another poor season he could go from being a promising player at a top Premiership club to someone that may have to start again in the lower leagues. At the moment my concern is I have not seen many qualities or positives in him thus far that means he could turn things around. Grade D

Richard Cresswell – I have to admit I was not too pleased when I saw we signed him as this was atypical of Blackwell’s buys; an ageing journeyman whose best days had gone. However, he scored against Doncaster and looked ok before sustaining a rib injury and being out of the side until he returned to plunder a real purple patch of goals. QPR took the brunt of his ability to be in the right place at the right time as he scored 3 goals in 3 games against them in league and cup. He often was relatively quiet in games if still hard working and sensible when in possession of the ball. However, his ability to score goals could not be understated and the fact he finished with 13 goals in 28 starts is a remarkable statistic especially as a great deal of those games he played wide left. A surprisingly good buy and one that will be useful to have around next year both on the left hand side and up front. His finishing is excellent and he never gives up. A good honest club man who every team would appreciate. Grade B+

Henri Camara – Camara came in after a trial and initially turning down our offer. Instantly showed snippets of Premiership class. He scored in his first start against Peterborough and then for much of the next few months he usually started at home but was a substitute away from home. He showed his pace over a few yards and his quick feet and ability to beat a man. He also showed he could look disinterested and amble around in games with little work rate off the ball. It was disappointing that Blackwell felt he could not use him much away from the Lane. For the final months of the season he was not a regular and then got injured before making a surprising return against Wednesday as a sub where he helped us come back. His high wages and his lack of consistency means despite the class he does possess, he will not be brought back and will probably head to Europe. Grade C+

Billy Sharp – Sharp had not really done enough under both Robson and Blackwell whatever arguments raged about the style of football not suiting him. He clearly fell out with the manager and given a chance to get his wages off the books he was loaned to Doncaster. It was folly that we did not have a recall considering the amount of injuries we had but Blackwell was so stubborn he cut off his nose to spite his face and let personal disagreements get in the way of what was right for the club. Of course he went to Doncaster and scored a lot of goals and looked a threat, in the same way he did at Scunthorpe. A lot of fans blamed Blackwell for this and felt we did not get the best out of Sharp and that may be true but it can be argued Sharp had plenty of opportunities the previous two seasons and never quite did it. Even if we did not play to his strengths he hardly looked a top drawer player in the games he had played and no one really shed a tear when he left. In my mind the pressure of playing for United did affect him with it being his boyhood club and being a big fish in a smaller pond suits him more. Fans will argue he should be given another chance at the Lane but the only way he probably comes back is if Blackwell leaves. I have to say whilst I have not agreed totally with Blackwell on many of his personnel moves, his decision to let Sharp leave was not one that I protested about. Good players should do well and stand out regardless of systems/tactics and I feel Sharp has never really done it for United. Sad as I was desperate for him to do well here and would like nothing more for him to come back and prove me wrong. However, I do think he will depart this summer but of course we need to get a fee.

Next season

Cresswell, Henderson and Evans will all be back. Sharp is a question mark. He is under contract for another season but if Blackwell remains and a suitable bid comes in then he will surely depart. One thing we are badly missing up front is pace and if Sharp goes we would need to sign at least one more striker anyway unless Ward is utilised more up there. I think Henderson and Cresswell will compete for one spot (Cresswell can also play out wide left too) and maybe Evans and one other to be brought in will compete for the other.

Conclusion

Returning players (currently)
Goalkeepers - Kenny, Aksalu
Defence - Morgan, Taylor, Stewart, Lowton
Midfield - Quinn, Williamson, Ward, Yeates, France, Reid
Forwards - Cresswell, Henderson, Evans, Sharp

So to summarise by my calculations we have 16 players under contract to return next season and the likelihood is that we may lose Sharp and maybe Reid and France too. So that would leave us with 13 or 14 and with Aksalu and Lowton being young players it means we would need to sign at least 7 or 8 players and most of them would content to start. The centre of defence, the full back positions and the centre of midfield being areas that need for the most part completely re-building and the need to inject pace being key throughout the team as this season has been the slowest United side we have seen in many years. Hopefully Blackwell and McCabe’s words about scouting some time ago when the season was effectively over rings true and we can finally get the recruitment right after a few poor off seasons of over spending on ageing players (Robson) and then on players who are simply not good enough (Blackwell).

We are still not 100% certain who the manager is going to be and Blackwell is not certain to return but whoever is in charge is going to have to change they style of play, the approach and also much of the personnel. It is not going to be easy to say the least but at least it will not be a quiet offseason!

The fans

The fans have turned up in their numbers once again and to average close to 25,000 is a remarkable achievement considering the entertainment and style of football being often served up. To keep going week in, week out despite some awful games and performances was really pleasing. United fans have also gone away from home and if not in the same numbers as previous seasons with as much passion despite a wretched run of away performances and results. Next season we may be more than likely around the 20,000 mark as crowds drop and it is vital that the team/board show some sort of plan this summer to move forward if they want to retain the new/returning fans they have built up over the last 4 or 5 seasons especially the amount of young fans they now have attending.

However, in my view and I include myself in this (my reports are indicate of this) the fans have not been very patient. Maybe rightly so considering the levels of performance but at times it has had an adverse affect on players who have been panicky and often given the ball away. Maybe players should be bigger and stronger than that but I do feel United fans are quick to turn on players and the likes of Quinn and Henderson have had a raw deal at times. It seems like we have been nearer the bottom than top listening to some of the moans and groans on the terraces. We have waited years and years for us to have any kind of success but it seems the recent single season in the Premiership and the growth in everything in and around the club has many fans thinking we ought to be winning/getting promoted every week/season. We maybe need to have a little more patience. Granted I expect more entertainment and it has been dire this year and I have been one of the harshest critics. My fear is when/if Blackwell leaves then a new manager will not get the time to turn things around as fans expect instant success. If an O’Driscoll came in would he get a couple of seasons to exert his influence and would fans put up with mid table if they could see the product was better and there was some direction? I would like to think so but fear it would not be the case. I think United fans are not the only one who are like this and many now are in the culture where they expect success and yesterday. We perhaps need to reflect on the years of mediocrity before we jump up and down so much. Grade B-

 

[Blade]

very good work deadbat, thanks for the effort. agree with most of that.

 

[Rudders]

Thanks deadbat for this and all the reports throughout the season - keep them coming. Interesting times ahead for the Blades.

I suppose the football gods evened it up a bit for all Utd fans this weekend who (from most accounts outside the club) have had to sit through a lot of the very turgid stuff this season!

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

My mouth waters at the prospect of Ward and Sharp playing consistently in the same team together next season. I hope it happens.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Big thanks Db.


I guess that's monty and morgan as players of the year then? I would stick cresswell on the same grade as his goals have won us many points.

 

[grafikhaus]

That's all very well, Deadbat but why can't we be a top 20 club with investment incoming and guaranteed promotion next season?

Seriously, and with all due respect to Claridge (none), that's a fair summing up not only of your own skills but the difference between us and the pigs. While those knuckle-draggers took theirselves back to Barnsley South yesterday, our fans have the ability to see beyond short-termism. We all know the season just gone wasn't the best, but with some prudent signings in the summer we can be 'there or thereabouts' next season. (Damn, even beginning to sound like Claridge...)

 

[DuncDisorderly]

Thanks DB. I don't always agree with your analysis, but for anyone not able to make the game, especially Blades in faraway places, we would be a lot poorer without it.

I watched an interview with Ian Holloway when he explained his change of heart over style of play. Whether it is self inspired by the criticism, or because McCabe has tugged his chain, I think that there has been a bit of a change of heart about our style of play too, and better is to come. But please dont make us play like Swansea or Donny. neat trianges, passing along the back four, and no idea what to do when we get to the penalty area? At our best we play good football, but it has to be effective football.

Anyway. If we can't enjoy our own success, we can at least take heart in the failure of our 'elder cousin', and enjoy their demise. You never know, this time next year we could be celebrating our promotion to the PL looking forward to welcoming Man U and Chelsea to BDTBL, and they could be struggling in Div 1, maybe in administration, and getting beaten by Exeter and Rotherham (in that 'other' Sheffield Derby....).

Life as a Blade isn't all that bad. UTB...

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Good work Deadbat and a good read.

I'm sure the Blade's exile's would keep you in free beer if they ever met you.

 

[SoccerCynic]

I echo the thanks to Deadbat. When reports have appeared on the official website they have often confirmed my thoughts which were undermined by the failure of official club responses who would make any excuse and never accept we have performed badly. I disagree with the positions on Monty and Hendo who far too often concede possession to the opposition but I wont squabble and repeat all those arguments here. My glass is half empty at the moment as I see little to be optimistic about and I strongly disagree with him about the decision to sell both Kyles. At the risk of repeating myself, if we cannot compete for the signatures of top players we must do all we can to hang on to our own talent....at least in the short term. It appears that they were quite happy to remain on relatively low wages and their fee has just disappeared in to the Bramall Lane black hole. If we are serious that our youth policy is a major factor in development of the playing staff what economic sense is there in cashing in at the earliest opportunity. It would be interesting to see the real financial balance involved taking the cost of replacements fees and wages into consideration and the actual amount of money received. I suspect that their value would only have increased given a season with us and, with hindsight, would we have suffered the defensive problems that hit us so hard. We talk of patience, should we not also be patient with our young prospects and retain them while we can.

 

[Blade]

Thanks DB. I don't always agree with your analysis, but for anyone not able to make the game, especially Blades in faraway places, we would be a lot poorer without it.

I watched an interview with Ian Holloway when he explained his change of heart over style of play. Whether it is self inspired by the criticism, or because McCabe has tugged his chain, I think that there has been a bit of a change of heart about our style of play too, and better is to come. But please dont make us play like Swansea or Donny. neat trianges, passing along the back four, and no idea what to do when we get to the penalty area? At our best we play good football, but it has to be effective football.

Anyway. If we can't enjoy our own success, we can at least take heart in the failure of our 'elder cousin', and enjoy their demise. You never know, this time next year we could be celebrating our promotion to the PL looking forward to welcoming Man U and Chelsea to BDTBL, and they could be struggling in Div 1, maybe in administration, and getting beaten by Exeter and Rotherham (in that 'other' Sheffield Derby....).

Life as a Blade isn't all that bad. UTB...

i appreciate the optimism. I've been following united around 20 years and in that time I think I've suffered more heartache than any of my friends who support other clubs being a blade is pretty bad quite often but I wouldn't have it any other way. There's always next year and hopefully we'll play well in more than a handful of games and get some value for our time and efforts.

 

[Come from away]

As an exile, many thanks DB. Just as I love to read Linz's pre-season reports I always enjoy and look forward to your reviews as you are able to share a sense of the game. I am not interested in agreeing or not, but am interested in any serious perspective on the team's performance. Cheers, mate. UTB!