CONFIRMED Duffy joins Stoke City on loan

[Ricky]

No winners here at all.

But at least Wilder has proved how hard he is.

 

[Harry's Game]

But at least Wilder has proved how hard he is.

And thats a bad thing?

 

[blademark]

On one hand this is obviously a shame but at the same time, for me, his relationship with the club has been soured by his apparent greed. GLTTL, but I only have so much sympathy.

I wouldn't call it greed, I'd be kind and call it a misjudgement

 

[Bladesman]

I wouldn't call it greed, I'd be kind and call it a misjudgement

He just had a wage increase and still wanted more but no its not greed.

Anyway good luck to Duffy. I did want him to stay regardless of this disagreement but this is all his own doing.

 

[DronnieBlade]

No winners here at all.

But at least Wilder has proved how hard he is.

Yep.

Football club managers / coaches have got to be hard. Wi big muscles. Haven’t they ?

This chapter is closed. And we will NEVER know the full story.

But I wonder if Wilder could / should have handled this better ?

Maybe. Either way, a player that has been instrumental in the clubs (and thus the gaffers) success, has departed under a bit of a cloud. Shame .

UTB

 

[Deepred]

Duffy and Coutts.....very sad to be honest. Wish them both the very best as they both played a massive part in where we re now.

 

[Grappler]

I would imagine the pig fans are thinking, "awww shit, he'll be back at the rust bucket soon".

Once a Bounce Killer, always a Bounce Killer.

Shame it ends like this, but thanks for the memories and good luck to you Mark Duffy.

 

[DronnieBlade]

And thats a bad thing?

I Hear you.

But it ain’t necessarily a good thing either. Think about it.

UTB

 

[ThatJa]

I'll be supporting Duffy this season home and away at Sheffield Wednesday. A goal for him there would be priceless

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

 

[Harry's Game]

I Hear you.

But it ain’t necessarily a good thing either. Think about it.

UTB

He’s almost 35, I love him to bits but an extend contract, with no guarantee we are stopping up, would be lunacy.

 

[Eza Blade]

Must admit I am pretty gutted. He could have played some part this year. It feels like there has been a bit more to this than just the contract.

Fucking Stoke as well!!

 

[Bladesman]

 

[Bladesman]

 

[SUFC Guy]

Stock city

 

[DronnieBlade]

He’s almost 35, I love him to bits but an extend contract, with no guarantee we are stopping up, would be lunacy.

What I was trying to point out is that, in my experience, the best leaders and managers are able to demonstrate more than a degree of flexibility. Trust and respect is earned by demonstrating these traits. Firm but fair.

If you rule with an iron rod, be prepared for said rod to knobble you at some point !

UTB

 

[The Bladesman]

Sickens me seeing him in another kit. The man has done us proud many a time in the past. Will always back the manager but just wish things went differently. Seeing him, coutts and clarke all listed/leave just shows the development of the team but it doesnt change the fact that it saddens me to see em go. Thanks for bringing back the balance at the theatre of rust and killing the bounce, duffy! Once a blade, always a blade!!! UTB

 

[Foxy]

Stock city

 

[SUFC Guy]

Must have seen my comment

 

[Foxy]

Must have seen my comment

Now deleted and re-posted a corrected one, thanks to your ribbing

 

[S64 Blade]

As much as an idiot he seems to have been with the contract situation, it is a sad evening. Feel like one of the family has died.

 

[adebo]

New tweet thanks his team mates and the fans for his time but no mention of the gaffer.

 

[LJBlade]

So that’s that then.

1 yr loan sees out his Blades contract.

Another 33% of THAT Midfield departs. Forever.

All that remains for me to say is thank you Mark Duffy. Thank you so so much. Wonderful footballer, universally adored by all Blades fans (no mean feat is that ).

Really hope you have enjoyed your time here, but all good things come to an end, and sometimes divorces aren’t amicable. As fans, we really shouldn’t hold that against ya .

Sincere best wishes for the remainder of your career .

UTB

Does he read this forum?

 

[DronnieBlade]

Does he read this forum?

I could tell you, but then I’d have to ...........

.

UTB

 

[spongebobblade]

He just had a wage increase and still wanted more but no its not greed.

Anyway good luck to Duffy. I did want him to stay regardless of this disagreement but this is all his own doing.

Was it a wage increase he wanted or just a longer contract? Can understand if he wanted an extension but surely he should have backed his ability and shown for the rest of this year he had what it takes in the premier league. Sadly it’s cost him his dream of playing in the top flight and the best years of his career with a club and fans that loved him look to be over

 

[boss hog]

All the best Duffs ,you wrote your name in blades folklore, best of luck at stoke bounce killer.

 

[Ron_Justice]

Apparent greed being the key words. No one can honestly say to me, with him moving on loan to Stoke City, that he’ll be getting more money, some people need to have a think about what they say before they slag the duffmeister off. He’s been integral to us been where we are now, he isn’t greedy as he’s dropped divisions to play football many times before.

Good luck Duffy, you deserve it.

Not saying he's ended up on more money, but the catalyst for this whole thing was him pushing for a new contract. He presumably knew the contract philosophy of the club / Manager so, really, he only has himself / his agent to blame. Personally, I suspect he could sense that his time with us was coming to an end - probably one final season - and was attempting to extend his lucrative PL contract. Regardless, as has been said many times already, no one is bigger than the club and CW is custodian for now so it's only right that final decisions go through him.

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Absolutely gutted with this one, this is the heaviest hearted GLTTL I've ever said.

He is symbolic of our rise, he was Wilder's first signing and instrumental, integral, pivotal to our style of play over these past three magical, mind-blowing, magnificent years. The Wilder years and the Wilder system are the best I have seen and totally challenged everything I knew being a Blade to be at times, no longer were we solely a selling club, no longer were we based primarily on attrition football, no longer were we languishing, no longer - above all else - were we destined to do things the 'United way' of decades previous and to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. We no longer needed to worry about Wembley hoodoos, because the way we were going about it, we didn't need Wembley, we weren't (in Chris' words) "fannyin' abaht".

And within all that, we built a side that we could rely on to compete, as close-knit a bunch as you could name. Every match day you'd expect passion, togetherness and in these whirlwind last 3 years, every match day you turned up expecting to get something from the game - all the while playing this magnificent football, easy on the eye, captivating and unique. Our Sheffield United actually turned up, actually entertained, "playing proper football, the Sheff United way".

In the midst of all of that? Mark Duffy. One of the cleverest footballers I have ever seen, epitomising our journey; written off, forgotten about, and suddenly without any warning, playing the best football of his career. Retaining possession, skipping past his man, recycling the ball, seeing the pass that others couldn't, playing the triangles in the corner, he was our most instrumental player. Our rise has been built on a tight knit squad, familiar faces, now fan favourites - present week in, week out. Freeman, Fleck, Coutts, Basham, O'Connell, Stevens, Sharp, latterly Norwood, Baldock, Henderson, Egan, the list goes on. Duffy was the one that made the system tick. We looked a better team with him on the pitch. Only Billy Sharp leaving would have upset me more.

And above all else, we've achieved all this on a budget that in no way compares to a sizeable chunk of the championship table, let alone the Premier League.

So Duff, thank you and good luck. Time will tell how this will play out for you and for us, but I can't help but think you made this possible. Yes, no player is bigger than the club, but you were integral to our system and you played the biggest part. We've had a job on trying to replace you in previous attempts and I still believe we will. I hope we don't sacrifice the style of play that has been so iconic and helped to get us where we are, the play that you made possible and the Premier League dream that you helped us to achieve. I can't help but think that you should be here with us, enjoying every step of the way.

Utterly gutted, UTB.

 

[Blend-it-like-Harris]

Saddest transfer news for many a year - Stoke City fans don't have a clue what a gem they have got.

 

[Antonb]

I have tears in my eyes watching that