Early 2014-15 predictions

[oaklandrdblade]

...and Doncaster. Neither will be a force.

Didn't you tell us all this a couple of years ago

 

[stannyblade]

1st. Sheffield United
2nd - 24th the rest

Just to shut the pigs up the perfect season would be two other local teams going up as well with Wendy relegated as Donny was this season with last kick of game

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Ask me again on September the 2nd (or the 1st or 3rd, whenever the transfer window closes).

I think if we keep the core of the squad together, bring back at least one of Coady/Brayford, and add some considerable quality all over the pitch (I'd include a striker and replacements for Collins and Doyle in this) then we'll be going up as champions. Not doing a Wolves job and romping to the title with 100+ points and goals, but we'll win it nonetheless.

If we keep most of the squad together but don't really do much in the transfer window then I'll predict that we'll have a season similar to Wilson's last year; getting results whilst also being quite frustrating, not really scoring many and also dropping more points than a top 2 team should be, eventually ending up about 5th or 6th.

If we lose any more than 1 or 2 key players (Harry, Murphs, Flynn, Scougall, Harris) and don't bring anyone of good quality in to replace them then we'll be in for a long season stuck cantering around mid table, having the odd decent spell but never really looking likely to break the play-offs; thankfully this shouldn't (and won't) be a scenario that needs considering.

Right now I'd say about 3rd/4th, if asked to guess. For all the recent positive results the lack of goals is still a big issue and unless this is rectified then we'll struggle to really score enough to sustain a push for the top 2 (we simply just can't keep relying on 1-0's and 2-1's for a whole season because sooner or later our luck will turn, it always does!); however I'm also confident that Nigel will address the weaknesses in the squad and successfully build a team capable of challenging consistently at the top. Whatever happens though, he should be given time to build and have no 'finish in x position next year or you get the sack' objective hanging over his head (unless of course he has a Weir-level disaster of a season, but that won't happen!).

Based on the make up of the league, our supposed financial situation and our manager automatic should be the target and not going up will be a fail.

BUT

Mr Clough has put him self in a position where he will have time to build something special as for once the manager is our best asset.
Let's hope he becomes the next Dario Gradi.

 

[SwissBlade]

Bloody hell some of you lot have no sense of adventure... The season ended Two days ago and you want to wait before predicting some wild fantasy of league domination next year...

 

[Edinblade]

I'm extremely confident we'll finish 1st. However I'm not so confident we'll reach the FA Cup semi's again.

 

[Damski]

Next season I feel the league will be less competitive, in terms of reaching the top 6. The 2 clubs who have spent the most money on squad development have taken the automatic spots this season, and that says it all, really. When I saw us play Wolves at the Lane this season, they fully outclassed us. They were ready for The Championship months ago. Preston will win the play-offs, and that's essentially the 3 teams gone that are not only currently the strongest squads in the league, but also those who have the best scope for development, nicely tucked away in the Championship.

As said earlier, Rotherham and Leyton Orient will drop off, like Tranmere did this season. Peterborough will maintain a presence, and if they can strengthen their squad and if Ferguson can stop it all from imploding like it nearly did this season, they'll be top 6 again. Doncaster should be top 6 also. I think Barnsley will be mid-table and as for Yeovil, well I think they were more surprised than anyone when they won the play-offs. I wouldn't be surprised if they finished in the bottom half of the table, maybe they'll even get relegated.

We should be aiming for no less than 1st. SUFC now have a good basic squad that will stay, players like Flynn, Murphy, Howard, etc, ain't going anywhere. Loan players like Coady and Brayford will be missed, and star players like Maguire may go for the big bucks in the higher divisions, but the club now has the financial resources to replace any key players leaving. I also expect to see a clear-out of the average players on high wages, the dead wood being replaced by new signings and loanees. There'll be plenty of movement in the squad over the summer, and the team that lines up for game 1 of the season may be very different to the one that played so well against Coventry at the weekend. Bottom line - We. Need. A. Fucking. Striker. Says a lot when our goal difference is +2 over an entire season after finishing 7th, and our top scorer is a tap-in artist and the subject of ironic chanting from the stands. As said before in this thread, grinding out 1-0's and 2-1's ain't enough.

As long as Clough is given freedom to continue imposing his simple, no-nonsense results-based strategy with players of his own choosing, Sheffield United will enjoy a good season. I said we should be aiming for 1st, but maybe a more realistic target would be top 4. I doubt there'll be a runaway winner like Wolves this season, so we'll be right in the mire for the title throughout the season, however the top 6 for Sheffield United is almost a certainty.

tl;dr - Let's try and win it. Aim for the stars, land on the moon.

 

[SwissBlade]

Swiss, you strike me as an urbane, sophisticate type of a guy. What secrets can you impart for the winning formula that could be passed on to the manager at SUFC? With your penchant for world touring, teaching the locals how to dine properly, how to fold a napkin and the like, I'm sure passing on that secret formula of reaching the pinnacle of automatic promotion with a champion's meddle dangling around his neck is something that young Nigel would be forever appreciative of. Plus, with your talent for understatement, why not break the league stranglehold of just 3 points for a win? We're SUFC for god's sake! We should be entitled to as many points as we like. It's only fair, after all, as you so rightly say, Nigel has to cut the crap and gain automatic promotion in consecutive seasons. We're Blades, and with that comes responsibility UTB

I'm not asking for automatic in consecutive seasons, just winning the league next season and then upper end of the table in the championship.

However, i'm happy to share my experiences with Nigel, should he ask. Although i'm sure he wouldn't be too fussed to hear about my favourite airline champagne

 

[davidpinder]

Barnsley!!!!Pah,chesterfield will finish above those.
Preston will win the playoffs this term.
I think we will be the team to beat next next year.Main auto rivals will be peterborough and donny imo.

Chesterfield ha don't make me laugh, they will do exactly the same as last time they came up. Donny will be there and Peterborough and Preston if either don't go up.

 

[wizadry]

I'm extremely confident we'll finish 1st. However I'm not so confident we'll reach the FA Cup semi's again.

No,we will get to the final this time and wendies will hammer us 53-0 and they will have all 90,000 fans inside wembley

Wonder how their wembley megamegamegamega thread is going on for the final this year by the way

 

[davidpinder]

Top 2 and win JPT clough loved the day at Wembley and that has to be easiest route.

 

[itsinyerblood]

I'm not asking for automatic in consecutive seasons, just winning the league next season and then upper end of the table in the championship.

However, i'm happy to share my experiences with Nigel, should he ask. Although i'm sure he wouldn't be too fussed to hear about my favourite airline champagne

My god man, you're a proper little Noel Coward. Airline champagne?!?!

In all seriousness, I agree Swiss, the responsibility that Nigel has for getting us out of this poxy division next season is immense.

There's been a lot of discussion on here over the last few days about United's rightful place in the scheme of things. Some reckon we're a Championship side at best who make occasional dalliances into the top flight. My take, and I'm not a romantic, is that perceptions can change if there's a desire behind the scenes to change existing perceptions.

The criteria I use amongst current clubs are Southampton and Swansea. Both were once lower tier teams, now both appear to exist (even though it's a struggle at times) and survive in the top tier. Whatever the respective arguments about the Prem, many of which are valid, where else is there for us to go? We may not set the world alight, but the infrastructure we're lead to believe is now in place should be able to accommodate the budgetary demands we'll face as we rise. As I say, it all depends on the desire that exists behind the scenes. McCabe may have once had this desire but it vanished some time ago, so now we wait for the Prince to further his investment so that we, the supporter's, can see a quality of player added to the club's books that are a marked improvement on what we've come to expect.

 

[stannyblade]

My god man, you're a proper little Noel Coward. Airline champagne?!?!

In all seriousness, I agree Swiss, the responsibility that Nigel has for getting us out of this poxy division next season is immense.

There's been a lot of discussion on here over the last few days about United's rightful place in the scheme of things. Some reckon we're a Championship side at best who make occasional dalliances into the top flight. My take, and I'm not a romantic, is that perceptions can change if there's a desire behind the scenes to change existing perceptions.

The criteria I use amongst current clubs are Southampton and Swansea. Both were once lower tier teams, now both appear to exist (even though it's a struggle at times) and survive in the top tier. Whatever the respective arguments about the Prem, many of which are valid, where else is there for us to go? We may not set the world alight, but the infrastructure we're lead to believe is now in place should be able to accommodate the budgetary demands we'll face as we rise. As I say, it all depends on the desire that exists behind the scenes. McCabe may have once had this desire but it vanished some time ago, so now we wait for the Prince to further his investment so that we, the supporter's, can see a quality of player added to the club's books that are a marked improvement on what we've come to expect.

Starting with Brayford please Prince

 

[Ollessendro]

It's too early to tell., as it depends on the pre-season's wheelings and dealings. I went for 1st though, as our form since February indicates that. I expect us to lose Maguire though and think we might struggle to keep Murphy. I don't expect to see Brayford or Coady next year, but adding Freeman and Davies would be coups. We could end up with a much worse squad than the one thjat finished the season though.

It will all depend on the singings and how we do in the transfer market. I highly doubt we will be able to attract players as good as Coady, Brayford and maybe even Freeman on permanent deals. Can Clough use his Derby connections again? Did he just get lucky in his loan signings last season or can he repeat them?

The core of the squad is still very good though. Decent keeper, Doyle and Collins are good enough at this level, defence is generally solid, Flynn and Murphy on the wings are excellent and Baxter and Scougall has talent (and can make things happen). We need at least one striker (probably two) and a creative/ball playing centre mid to have a top 2 challenging squad. We'll need further squad additions though, as injuries and lack of form will come in to play. We saw that when Flynn and Murphy were quiet we struggled for example. We need a plan B, not just an excellent first team. We've seen (from Wilson's first season and this season) that having explosive full backs can really cause damage in this league, so no matter what happens I hope we can have those. Clough getting rid of McMahon and brining in Brayford gives me hopes for this.

I think the division will be weaker next season, in the sense that there are no stand out candidates. That said, it will be competetive. I hope Preston win the play offs, as I see them as a threat. I agree that Rotherham and Orient will fall away, but think that Posh could come good. I am amazed they did so 'badly', considering they have a manager with a good record at this level and they got relegated from the Championship the season before with 50odd points (without the team being dismantled). Bristol City have had a 2nd half of the season similar to ours (bar the cup) and you would fancy them to build on that. They only lost twice since Feb (once to us) and I would expect them to make the play offs next season. I think 2012/13 should show us not to write off the relegated teams. That said, Yeovil look desperately poor. Barnsley are pretty gash too and Wilson has struggled to get out of this division in the past. Donny would be my bet of the relegated teams to have the strongest challenge for the top 2.

 

[JohnDenver]

It's too early to tell., as it depends on the pre-season's wheelings and dealings. I went for 1st though, as our form since February indicates that. I expect us to lose Maguire though and think we might struggle to keep Murphy. I don't expect to see Brayford or Coady next year, but adding Freeman and Davies would be coups. We could end up with a much worse squad than the one thjat finished the season though.

It will all depend on the singings and how we do in the transfer market. I highly doubt we will be able to attract players as good as Coady, Brayford and maybe even Freeman on permanent deals. Can Clough use his Derby connections again? Did he just get lucky in his loan signings last season or can he repeat them?

The core of the squad is still very good though. Decent keeper, Doyle and Collins are good enough at this level, defence is generally solid, Flynn and Murphy on the wings are excellent and Baxter and Scougall has talent (and can make things happen). We need at least one striker (probably two) and a creative/ball playing centre mid to have a top 2 challenging squad. We'll need further squad additions though, as injuries and lack of form will come in to play. We saw that when Flynn and Murphy were quiet we struggled for example. We need a plan B, not just an excellent first team. We've seen (from Wilson's first season and this season) that having explosive full backs can really cause damage in this league, so no matter what happens I hope we can have those. Clough getting rid of McMahon and brining in Brayford gives me hopes for this.

I think the division will be weaker next season, in the sense that there are no stand out candidates. That said, it will be competetive. I hope Preston win the play offs, as I see them as a threat. I agree that Rotherham and Orient will fall away, but think that Posh could come good. I am amazed they did so 'badly', considering they have a manager with a good record at this level and they got relegated from the Championship the season before with 50odd points (without the team being dismantled). Bristol City have had a 2nd half of the season similar to ours (bar the cup) and you would fancy them to build on that. They only lost twice since Feb (once to us) and I would expect them to make the play offs next season. I think 2012/13 should show us not to write off the relegated teams. That said, Yeovil look desperately poor. Barnsley are pretty gash too and Wilson has struggled to get out of this division in the past. Donny would be my bet of the relegated teams to have the strongest challenge for the top 2.

Good summary that. But I'm much more optimistic on player retention and recruitment that you. Hopefully some good early business will keep the good feeling alive.

 

[Ollessendro]

Good summary that. But I'm much more optimistic on player retention and recruitment that you. Hopefully some good early business will keep the good feeling alive.

Keeping Maguire would be a Sheffield Wednesday sized boost. More important than brining in Coady or Brayford. Harry would be very difficult to replace. 3rd best defence in the league this season, 2nd best in 12/13 and 6th best in 11/12. Maguire has played a big part in that, as well as Collins being a rock (but he will stay). Defence is not an area that worried me .... provided Maguire stays.

 

[Pinchy]

There is no indication at all of Maguire leaving. Us Blades always assume the worst, don't we?

Pleasant surprises ahead for some of you, whether you like it or not....

 

[grafikhaus]

Ole, ole, ole, ole,

Campeone, Campeone!



Better start practising

On that note, did anybody watch 'Late Kick Off' on Monday? It showed Chezzie & Scunthorpe fans celebrating and, it must be said, a bigger bunch of obese, sad, retarded cunts would be harder to find outside of an 'Eddie Stobart Spotter' convention.

 

[grafikhaus]

Some reckon we're a Championship side at best who make occasional dalliances into the top flight. My take, and I'm not a romantic, is that perceptions can change if there's a desire behind the scenes to change existing perceptions.

The criteria I use amongst current clubs are Southampton and Swansea. Both were once lower tier teams, now both appear to exist (even though it's a struggle at times) and survive in the top tier.

And both of these are slowly but surely getting reined in. Southampton are about to sell their best players and possibly lose their manager to Spurs. Expect Swansea to return from whence they came shortly.

The Championship is where we belong. Extremely competitive and packed with United-sized teams. Several bring many thousands of away fans and there's always the faint hope of returning to the PL (Promised Land? ).

In the PL every team must, like sharks, move forward or die. Unless you've got vast funds, that doesn't apply to United. Look at teams like Hull. Spending fortunes just hoping to stay in the PL. And once you've seen the same teams for a few years (and spent £50-£60 for the privilege) it gets boring.

I doubt if many Burnley fans are enthused about another 9 months of pain.

 

[Ollessendro]

There is no indication at all of Maguire leaving. Us Blades always assume the worst, don't we?

Pleasant surprises ahead for some of you, whether you like it or not....

just like we didn't hear anything about Lowton leaving, but all of a sudden he was gone. Maguire has shown he can play at a higher level and will attract interest from Championship and maybe even Premiership clubs. I'd love to think thew 'Clough factor' will mean that he would stay on with us for another season, but I am just being realistic. If a team in a higher division comes in with a decent bid, will we really turn it down?

 

[itsinyerblood]

And both of these are slowly but surely getting reined in. Southampton are about to sell their best players and possibly lose their manager to Spurs. Expect Swansea to return from whence they came shortly.

The Championship is where we belong. Extremely competitive and packed with United-sized teams. Several bring many thousands of away fans and there's always the faint hope of returning to the PL (Promised Land? ).

In the PL every team must, like sharks, move forward or die. Unless you've got vast funds, that doesn't apply to United. Look at teams like Hull. Spending fortunes just hoping to stay in the PL. And once you've seen the same teams for a few years (and spent £50-£60 for the privilege) it gets boring.

I doubt if many Burnley fans are enthused about another 9 months of pain.

Hi graf, I understand the thinking behind your opinion and it has a lot of merit, but as for the doom and gloom about S'hampton, I think a lot of what you postulated remains to be seen. There's a lot of paper talk in what you say, and with that comes a huge chunk of licence. It may well be that some of their players are sold, but forecasting is a dodgy business at the best of times, so I'd prefer to be patient and see how things pan out. Doesn't your point about seeing the same teams apply to any other division? Point taken about the ticket price, now that is a serious pain, unfortunately it goes hand in hand I'm afraid. As for Pochettino's departure, we'll see. Spurs is a managerial 'elephant's graveyard', where the in and out doors are constantly moving. This won't have gone unnoticed by any manager worth their weight in opportunity, so it's by no case a done deal.

Put it like this, if we settle for the Championship it sends out a message that the club, it's Directors, and most fundamentally, the Manager, have settled for a lack of aspiration.....so maybe we'll settle for a once a decade visit to a play-off, or semi-final, that should be worth returning to SUFC year in, year out for, can't wait to see the same second rung teams over and over and over and...........

 

[Pinchy]

just like we didn't hear anything about Lowton leaving, but all of a sudden he was gone. Maguire has shown he can play at a higher level and will attract interest from Championship and maybe even Premiership clubs. I'd love to think thew 'Clough factor' will mean that he would stay on with us for another season, but I am just being realistic. If a team in a higher division comes in with a decent bid, will we really turn it down?

Unless it is exceptional, Yes. Our financial profile has changed. We are now properly committed to the objective of promotion to the Premier League. I know it's hard for cynical Blades to contemplate, but it's true. The sale of Harry for a 'decent' offer is outside the scope of that objective. It would need to be a Premiership offer at Premiership levels.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Looking at the poll I think it's pretty much nailed on we'll finish 6th.

 

[Ollessendro]

Unless it is exceptional, Yes. Our financial profile has changed. We are now properly committed to the objective of promotion to the Premier League. I know it's hard for cynical Blades to contemplate, but it's true. The sale of Harry for a 'decent' offer is outside the scope of that objective. It would need to be a Premiership offer at Premiership levels.

Not out of the question. We've seen Maguire can go toe to toe with Premiership strikers and that will not be lost on Premiership clubs. If we get a £4m offer (like with Lowton) can we turn it down? It's not just about having the financial fire power to say no, it's about the player too. If a bid comes in and Harry is keen to go (it would be understandable if he wanted to play at a higher level) will we stand in his way. It rarely works to turn down a transfer when a player is keen to leave. Perhaps I am being cynical, but personally I think that the realities of football might mean that he goes this summer.

 

[Pinchy]

Not out of the question. We've seen Maguire can go toe to toe with Premiership strikers and that will not be lost on Premiership clubs. If we get a £4m offer (like with Lowton) can we turn it down? It's not just about having the financial fire power to say no, it's about the player too. If a bid comes in and Harry is keen to go (it would be understandable if he wanted to play at a higher level) will we stand in his way. It rarely works to turn down a transfer when a player is keen to leave. Perhaps I am being cynical, but personally I think that the realities of football might mean that he goes this summer.

I would think (just my opinion) that £4m would make us stop and think seriously. Harry has been terrific since NC took over. I would love to see him stay long term, but you can do a lot of damage with £4m! When you said 'decent' I thought you meant perhaps 1-2m.

As for Lowton, I'm happy with that deal. We had no choice at the time and, anyway, he hasn't got a beard.

 

[Guesty]

I agree, £4M I think would be good money for Maguire. I suppose the question is can we replace him?

I use the example of Cabaye at Newcastle, yes £26M was an excellent price for him, PSG paid over the odds. But Newcastle couldn't or didn't replace and have slipped down the league at an alarming rate. So was £26M worth it to them? With us and Maguire, £4M would seem a very fair price for a good third tier Centre Half but if we can't replace him or the money isn't reinvested, is it worth it?

 

[wizadry]

I agree, £4M I think would be good money for Maguire. I suppose the question is can we replace him?

I use the example of Cabaye at Newcastle, yes £26M was an excellent price for him, PSG paid over the odds. But Newcastle couldn't or didn't replace and have slipped down the league at an alarming rate. So was £26M worth it to them? With us and Maguire, £4M would seem a very fair price for a good third tier Centre Half but if we can't replace him or the money isn't reinvested, is it worth it?

Get what your saying guesty,but i'd be very suprised if we couldn't get a replacement for that price in league 1,if anyone actually wants him that is ,and if they are actually willing to pay that for a league 1 centre back

 

[Pinchy]

Get what your saying guesty,but i'd be very suprised if we couldn't get a replacement for that price in league 1,if anyone actually wants him that is ,and if they are actually willing to pay that for a league 1 centre back

We could buy a whole team for League One! That's why you'd have to think very carefully about an offer at that level.

 

[Pinchy]

Looking at the poll I think it's pretty much nailed on we'll finish 6th.

It's an honest poll, Nuddy. We've all voted in good faith.

 

[wizadry]

We could buy a whole team for League One! That's why you'd have to think very carefully about an offer at that level.

Don't think they would all have beards though for that price,the whole price tag of the team would rise to about £20 million

 

[itsinyerblood]

I'm not prone to forecasting, but a reminder of why Nigel was appointed might clarify our objective for next season.

Clough's first job was to ensure we remained in this division. In case anyone forgets, we were genuine candidates for relegation, and after a slow start where Clough needed to assess the players at his command, we began to settle, slowly moving out of the bottom three, and week by week we saw a shambles of a team understand what the manager required.......fast forward, a fantastic cup run where, round by round, superior opposition were put to the sword, culminating in a semi-final that delivered everything but the result we had all hoped for. Add to that an outside chance of gaining a play-off position, sadly several games too late I'm afraid, and with a feeling throughout the club and it's supporters that at last we have something to look forward to.

Clough took this club by the scruff of the neck. The cull we're beginning to see is that of a man with his gaze fixed on the job in hand, that of strengthening his squad in order that we're equipped to deal with a campaign that will test us both at home and on our travels.
What Clough has done for me personally is to give me faith in his ability to do the job in a way that make us a force to be reckoned with. As the retention list is announced, it will serve notice on those who remain, either apply yourselves or seek employment elsewhere.

I can't wait until the new season begins, by then we'll see a squad fit for purpose (at least I hope we will). The scenes that we've witnessed since Nigel was appointed were a sign of things to come. We finally have a manager deserving of our support. It's clear he's a man you wouldn't want to cross, witness the behaviour of Brandy and how he wouldn't buckle down. It's why character is important to Clough, if you think you're Bertie Big Bollocks you'll soon be shown the exit door, which is exactly how it should be.

Well done Nigel, I hope this is just the start of a great journey with you as Director of Operations. UTB