Does anyone know what this is about?

[Cerberus Blade]

I know it's early in the morning and I've not long since woken up, but I've read this article by James Shield's, in today's Star. twice - and I still don't know what he's talking about?

United face some looming threat apparently - about what I'm not sure? And there's summat about Stephen Quinn, and Steau Bucharest an' all. Then there's what looks like an unrelated piece about Chris Wilder and United spearheading a change for Championship fixtures?

I think I'll go back to bed - it's too complicated for me!

https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/foo...ming-on-the-horizon-at-bramall-lane-1-9358882

 

[Houston_Blade]

I know it's early in the morning and I've not long since woken up, but I've read this article by James Shield's, in today's Star. twice - and I still don't know what he's talking about?

United face some looming threat apparently - about what I'm not sure? And there's summat about Stephen Quinn, and Steau Bucharest an' all. Then there's what looks like an unrelated piece about Chris Wilder and United spearheading a change for Championship fixtures?

I think I'll go back to bed - it's too complicated for me!

https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/foo...ming-on-the-horizon-at-bramall-lane-1-9358882

I’ve been up 3 hours and it looks like bollocks to me as well.

 

[stringjunior]

You'll be shocked when you discover the truth behind James Shield's article.

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

Crikey, that’s rubbish writing isn’t it?

Obvious enough what he’s driving at, in the end, but you have to be a bit of a detective to work it out. Which is fine if you’re William Faulkner. Not so fine for a local sports journalist.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Exhibit 9,987 showing that Hunter S. Thompson was the only journo who could turn out readable copy when utterly bolloxed.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

You'll be shocked when you discover the truth behind James Shield's article.

You been reading Football League World or HITC again string?

"These are the 3 players Sheffield United must sign now"

"These are the 3 players Sheffield United must axe now"

"These are the 3 things that Sheffield United must do now"

"These are the 3 wishes that I was granted by a fairy Godmother who turned out to be a perverted bus driver in disguise"

that sort of stuff eh?

 

[McGrath]

It's about Premier League clubs trying to change the rules so they only have to play clubs like us peanuts to nick our best academy players

 

[Snowman]

I wonder if he has a proper job and views journalism as a hobby.

 

[alcoblade]

I’m not sure what’s complicated about that article, even if his conclusion is slightly dubious.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I do like reading some of his stuff tbf. And I think he raises an interesting perspective on some things. I also think his post-match video reports are a pretty accurate view of what happened. Even though the way he delivers it is about as interesting as listening to the Eckington Blade on RS, talking about his mate Sean and the Essex Bee.

I sense there's a deep inner frustration about the bloke. I think he really wants to be writing about things more interesting than football. I think he wants to show off his literary prowess and the football columns of the Sheffield Star aren't really the place to do that. That frustration comes through in articles like this one, where he is keen to give us a pot pourri of loosely related events and see if we can find the main thread of his argument. Sometimes also, he loves to bring a big, or unusual, word or two, into his script. I can understand that. I like words, always have done, especially ones that few people understand. I just love launching them out there, in conversation, and watching folk struggle to understand what the fuck I'm on about. I think there's a bit of that in him too.

Anyhow, enough of this schadenfreude for now.

 

[derfblade.3]

Just read it and it's like watching a film with a shit ending. I thought there was more to come after the last advert.
Makes my blood boil much like someone not finishing their sentenc................

 

[mattbianco1]

What he's saying is that Premier League clubs with all their money are using all the lower teams as unofficial feeder clubs... almost catch 22 for teams like us.

We can't compete in the transfer so have invested heavily in an academy. That academy produces the talent only for the PL teams to cherry pick who they want from it, like a feeder club.

Its a very long winded article about nothing we didn't know basically

 

[mattbianco1]

I do like reading some of his stuff tbf. And I think he raises an interesting perspective on some things. I also think his post-match video reports are a pretty accurate view of what happened. Even though the way he delivers it is about as interesting as listening to the Eckington Blade on RS, talking about his mate Sean and the Essex Bee.

I sense there's a deep inner frustration about the bloke. I think he really wants to be writing about things more interesting than football. I think he wants to show off his literary prowess and the football columns of the Sheffield Star aren't really the place to do that. That frustration comes through in articles like this one, where he is keen to give us a pot pourri of loosely related events and see if we can find the main thread of his argument. Sometimes also, he loves to bring a big, or unusual, word or two, into his script. I can understand that. I like words, always have done, especially ones that few people understand. I just love launching them out there, in conversation, and watching folk struggle to understand what the fuck I'm on about. I think there's a bit of that in him too.

Anyhow, enough of this schadenfreude for now.

Best thing he can do is put on some weight (loads), create an agenda about a football club, then make sure you talk about them in every article you write. That way, he'll get employed by a national paper and get to eat scones and drink coffee every Sunday morning in front of Sky TV cameras.

 

[Lmaobob]

It's a bit like when you were at school and had to write a 3000 word essay

Sheffield United and their manager, Chris Wilder, who used to be a ballboy for Sheffield United and used to play for them. He is now manager and has been in charge for 100 games.

Chris Wilder, who is Sheffield United manager, started out his career as a ballboy for Sheffield United and was a professional football player for them also. He has recently taken charge of his 100th game.

Taking charge of his 100th game, Chris Wilder, who used to be an ex professional footballer for Sheffield United, look to have their hopes to finish in a play off position BOOSTED this season with a KEY PLAYER RETURNING. "Jake Wright, is still 4 weeks away from returning to u23 matches"

It's same old shit, same old same old same old. Just re-worded.

 

[SwissBlade]

I know it's early in the morning and I've not long since woken up, but I've read this article by James Shield's, in today's Star. twice - and I still don't know what he's talking about?

United face some looming threat apparently - about what I'm not sure? And there's summat about Stephen Quinn, and Steau Bucharest an' all. Then there's what looks like an unrelated piece about Chris Wilder and United spearheading a change for Championship fixtures?

I think I'll go back to bed - it's too complicated for me!

https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/foo...ming-on-the-horizon-at-bramall-lane-1-9358882

I read it and understood that we're going to have to sell our best young talent to survive!

Over my dead body!

 

[derfblade.3]

It's a bit like when you were at school and had to write a 3000 word essay

Sheffield United and their manager, Chris Wilder, who used to be a ballboy for Sheffield United and used to play for them. He is now manager and has been in charge for 100 games.

Chris Wilder, who is Sheffield United manager, started out his career as a ballboy for Sheffield United and was a professional football player for them also. He has recently taken charge of his 100th game.

Taking charge of his 100th game, Chris Wilder, who used to be an ex professional footballer for Sheffield United, look to have their hopes to finish in a play off position BOOSTED this season with a KEY PLAYER RETURNING. "Jake Wright, is still 4 weeks away from returning to u23 matches"

It's same old shit, same old same old same old. Just re-worded.

So he has managed us for 100 games and been a ballboy?

 

[derfblade.3]

I read it and understood that we're going to have to sell our best young talent to survive!

Over my dead body!

 

[Lmaobob]

So he has managed us for 100 games and been a ballboy?

Not quite sure. I think so. Might need him to do another article just to be sure

 

[SwissBlade]

So he has managed us for 100 games and been a ballboy?

Not quite sure. I think so. Might need him to do another article just to be sure

Apparently theres a book about him

 

[Carlton Blade]

That sounds like something I would have written as a teenager. Lots of enthusiasm for the subject, jumping quickly from point to point and then back again. Feels like he's just submitted a first draft and not re-read it.

A for effort and D for execution. Maybe he had a looming deadline and had to put something together quickly? To be fair, an editor should maybe have tweaked things to make it flow

 

[Bert]

Bert read it earlier and said to himself .. What the f*** was all that about?

 

[Russ]

I always fancied being Editor of The Star. Sadly it’s never a role they’ve introduced...

 

[Harrisblade]

Just read it and it's like watching a film with a shit ending. I thought there was more to come after the last advert.
Makes my blood boil much like someone not finishing their sentenc................

My blood boils at the fucking constant repetition of videos that you're not remotely interested in and the way that bits from previous articles you've already show up in every other article.
I used to enjoy looking through the previous versions (when it eventually loaded), but reading through the current Star football pages is like looking through a visual mine-field and is ABSOLUTE SHIT

 

[SheepdipBlade]

I thought it could be read in two ways ( but I'm not really awake yet ). Either the future is that we'll be selling our young uns for peanuts - or that we'll become the official feeder club of a PL side.
I remember Leeds wanting us to have that kind of set up with them in the eighties

 

[Cerberus Blade]

That sounds like something I would have written as a teenager. Lots of enthusiasm for the subject, jumping quickly from point to point and then back again. Feels like he's just submitted a first draft and not re-read it.

A for effort and D for execution. Maybe he had a looming deadline and had to put something together quickly? To be fair, an editor should maybe have tweaked things to make it flow

I don't think they have editors nowadays. Not being sarcastic btw - I genuinely don't think they do, not like in the old way of doing things anyhow. At one time the editor would be someone who would be feared in the press office. Someone that the budding journo's would want and need to impress for their work to find its way into the newspaper.. Acting a bit like a film Director, dictating what happens when and how, cutting out bits, adding bits, polishing the article, rejecting articles and replacing them with other better or more pertinent articles. Insisting on the highest standards to keep the quality of the publication up.

I get the impression now that the journo's are given licence, more or less, to write what they want and are up against tight deadlines to fill the columns and minimal checking goes into the final version. I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek about Shield's article, yes I understood it, I just felt it was a little bit "all over the place" in coming to the point about what he wanted to say. But as you've said, it's probably expected.

 

[Carlton Blade]

I don't think they have editors nowadays. Not being sarcastic btw - I genuinely don't think they do, not like in the old way of doing things anyhow. At one time the editor would be someone who would be feared in the press office. Someone that the budding journo's would want and need to impress for their work to find its way into the newspaper.. Acting a bit like a film Director, dictating what happens when and how, cutting out bits, adding bits, polishing the article, rejecting articles and replacing them with other better or more pertinent articles. Insisting on the highest standards to keep the quality of the publication up.

I get the impression now that the journo's are given licence, more or less, to write what they want and are up against tight deadlines to fill the columns and minimal checking goes into the final version. I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek about Shield's article, yes I understood it, I just felt it was a little bit "all over the place" in coming to the point about what he wanted to say. But as you've said, it's probably expected.

The prevalence of internet only articles reduces the need for quality editing I suppose? Haven't read The Star in well over 5 years but I'm guessing the standard of copy in the actual paper is better?

 

[raimond]

Shiiiiiiiiiiiit, it's about North Korea innit

 

[Dnblade]

So it's about greedy Prem clubs hoovering up all the young talent for a pittance,and giving clubs lower down no incentive to produce players anymore;and no chance of getting a future sell on fee.
Meanwhile the top clubs will moan about these kids not developing through lack of game time etc,as they have no intention of giving them a chance in the first team...and they need to find a solution (that suits them) that allows them to carry on stockpiling young talent...probably under 23 teams in L1 and L2..it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[dc_blade]

Editor: James, give me 800 words on the potential impact on United of this new "feeder club" scheme.

James Shields: 800 words? That's barely enough for a long, portentous introduction!

Ed: Just do the intro then and we'll publish that on its own. Saves you the trouble of researching the topic.

JS: On it.

 

[nopigfansintown]

i think this was the key part of the article, although admittedly it's not clear: "Premier League members are now suggesting, albeit via a network of naive lackeys, that feeders clubs are the best way forward if the domestic game is to thrive".

Read more at: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/foo...ming-on-the-horizon-at-bramall-lane-1-9358882

I was making the other points he's clumsily making, or attempting to make, several years ago. The more interesting point is how United have successfully navigated the increasingly difficult player development terrain - which he hasn't broached (I have). How have we done this, and can it continue to thrive after this new "Land grab" (to use his phrase)? His point about the authorities using England's 'success' to rubber stamp EPPP as a success is an interesting point. He could have countered it with a detailed itenary of the England players backgrounds to counter it though.Tell us why the establishment of designated "feeder clubs" wont work.I'm glad he has written an article on this type of subject though.I also agree that Shield's solution is a key part of the overall solution.