Going with what weve got

[Jan Age]

We need to freshen things up around the place.
For too long the same players due to lack of quality competition have been nailed on to start every game. Time to shake things up at the back and in midfield.

Exactly this …. At present at least 70% of the squad can underperform safe in the knowledge they won’t be dropped

 

[Jan Age]

But you did suggest we're midtable, which would require at least 6 squads to be superior to us, and certainly first teams. I just wondered who they were because I don't see it.

Not really…. The strength of squad does not ultimately dictate where the team finishes. Sure it plays a large factor but so does confidence, mindset, motivation and commitment etc. Before we even start to consider if all the first team squad can play to Slavs standard/strategy.

I’m suggesting we need 4/5 players in to freshen things up and tweak the style of play - and I honestly believe that’s what we will get.

I think if we don’t secure any signings we will be top 10. We are so light and short on quality in certain areas this surely is inevitable.

even with the new players there are no guarantees.

 

[TJ blade]

Why would Slav, an experienced manager who by all accounts doesn’t take any nonsense, come into a job without getting concrete assurances about the budget available to successfully do it?

I’m not saying that we have plenty of coin, as thankfully we have a board now who don’t advertise our penury at every opportunity by accepting the first offer that comes along for a player, but I am saying that Slav will have known exactly what he was getting into before accepting the job, whether that’s money available or having to sell to then buy.

Exactly, that would have been talked about surely in the first meeting, can't see for one minute him coming if PA starts waffling on about we got to find £40mill we've then got to sell 4-5 players etc Slav would have told him it's not me you want maybe have a word with Warnock.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Not really…. The strength of squad does not ultimately dictate where the team finishes. Sure it plays a large factor but so does confidence, mindset, motivation and commitment etc. Before we even start to consider if all the first team squad can play to Slavs standard/strategy.

I’m suggesting we need 4/5 players in to freshen things up and tweak the style of play - and I honestly believe that’s what we will get.

I think if we don’t secure any signings we will be top 10. We are so light and short on quality in certain areas this surely is inevitable.

even with the new players there are no guarantees.

Generally, unless there is serious mis-management by the coach/manager the best squads finish at the top.
Confidence, mindset, motivation and commitment are important traits, but I believe we retained and showed the last three in the last few games of the season we just seriously lacked quality and confidence. Confidence comes back and playing at a lower level will greatly aid that, as will playing infront of our home crowd.
A lot of the potential damage would have been removed with the appointment of a new manager, with a new approach, new style, new words, and new back room team.
All 4 of those qualities will be helped by that and while I think it will be the new year before we really look that the team we will be, our experience and current quality will see us through until the new players join and it all comes together.

 

[Carlton Blade]

But you did suggest we're midtable, which would require at least 6 squads to be superior to us, and certainly first teams. I just wondered who they were because I don't see it.

It just depends on what level of performance still exists with these players. We genuinely don't know that yet

 

[ancientblade]

Not really…. The strength of squad does not ultimately dictate where the team finishes. Sure it plays a large factor but so does confidence, mindset, motivation and commitment etc. Before we even start to consider if all the first team squad can play to Slavs standard/strategy.

I’m suggesting we need 4/5 players in to freshen things up and tweak the style of play - and I honestly believe that’s what we will get.

I think if we don’t secure any signings we will be top 10. We are so light and short on quality in certain areas this surely is inevitable.

even with the new players there are no guarantees.

you say were short on quality but thats based on premier league performances against international players every week the championship is so much inferior to the premier league in terms of quality i think your doing our players a diservice by suggesting their not good enough for this level do agree with you 4 or 5 need to come in and im sure they will and if we get the right players in i think weve every chance of finishing top 2

 

[sheff_blade90]

i would like a quality centre back, maybe sean morrison or dael fry. because basham isnt getting any younger & Jack o'connell is out again

but outside of that this team is good enough as is & doesnt need much tweaking. i know its hardly controversial to say we underachieved last season but we chucked away at least 15 pts in 1st half of season because of a bit of bad fortune but mostly because we couldnt hit a cows arse with banjo, it was like kevin de bryune in the build up & mr blobby as soon as we got in front of goal. that 1st win v newcastle shouldve been our 6th

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

Looks to me like we're waiting to see what happens to Ramsdale/Berge before making a decision.

Pointless shopping in Aldi if you know in 2 weeks time you can afford a splurge in M&S food...

 

[Bashamed]

Centre half, centre midfielder or maybe 2 and an attacker with pace is what I'd want to add ideally. Maybe bin Burke off. Sharp, McG, McBurnie, Brewster and Jebby have potential to be a great group of forwards next season. Depending on outgoings. Midfield is very light if Berge goes

 

[ancientblade]

Looks to me like we're waiting to see what happens to Ramsdale/Berge before making a decision.

Pointless shopping in Aldi if you know in 2 weeks time you can afford a splurge in M&S food...

you could well be right regarding rammy and sander and i think at the minute were being linked with centre backs because whether those 2 go or not we definetly need 2 new centre backs to come in my opinion is that rammy and sander will both go if we can get near to our asking price

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

you could well be right regarding rammy and sander and i think at the minute were being linked with centre backs because whether those 2 go or not we definetly need 2 new centre backs to come in my opinion is that rammy and sander will both go if we can get near to our asking price

Exactly. But if we got £60m+ from selling those two, we can start buying shit hot CBs instead of two-bob PL loans or PL squad rejects...

Will make a huge difference!

 

[robbiez666]

 

[Bladeinleeds]

Looks to me like we're waiting to see what happens to Ramsdale/Berge before making a decision.

Pointless shopping in Aldi if you know in 2 weeks time you can afford a splurge in M&S food...

take your point and understand all transfer go late as people wait for dominos to fall.

the issue with waiting until we sell before we buy is that the selling clubs aren't stupid and know you’ve now got a wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket and the asking price doubles…

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

take your point and understand all transfer go late as people wait for dominos to fall.

the issue with waiting until we sell before we buy is that the selling clubs aren't stupid and know you’ve now got a wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket and the asking price doubles…

The converse of that argument is that we spunk £20m on x2 CBs and the buying clubs know we're out of pocket so start offering us less for Berge/Ramsdale because they know we're now skint...

 

[Carlton Blade]

i would like a quality centre back, maybe sean morrison or dael fry. because basham isnt getting any younger & Jack o'connell is out again

but outside of that this team is good enough as is & doesnt need much tweaking. i know its hardly controversial to say we underachieved last season but we chucked away at least 15 pts in 1st half of season because of a bit of bad fortune but mostly because we couldnt hit a cows arse with banjo, it was like kevin de bryune in the build up & mr blobby as soon as we got in front of goal. that 1st win v newcastle shouldve been our 6th

We also were extremely lucky in a number of the games we won. We were the worst team in the league, comfortably

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

We also were extremely lucky in a number of the games we won. We were the worst team in the league, comfortably

The 'go with what we've got' argument becomes null and void when/if we're back in the PL in 12 months time and know 95% of our squad aren't fit for purpose at that level...

I'd like to think 3 new faces this summer; 1 or 2 in Jan followed by 3 next Summer is a good progression and moves us towards where we need to be.

Going with what we have just kicks the can down the road - as does getting PL loans in.

 

[Keen Blade]

Many supporters are speculating about players coming in, with no knowledge of the Prince and the board’s cash flow.
Slav will have his work cut out to land even one permanent transfer, and the rest will have to be affordable loans.
There is still a debate among fans about the funding available, but it’s possible that both sides are half right.
Don’t expect too much from the purse holders and you won’t be disappointed.
Most fans can see the obvious gaps that need filling, but I suspect the club has only limited funds available. Probably less than Slav was expecting.
On the plus side, we have a squad that we know are capable of improvement, and a new mannager who should be able continue that improvement.
The transfer market is riddled with insecurity and most clubs will be hesitant with spending plans. We are not alone, but we are still a division lower than we were last season, with a squad the requires few personnel changes, until the managers sees the size of this new task.
Please be patient with all these difficulties. Give the club a chance.
Supporters are back, yay.

Clapper

 

[Pedro Verde]

I suspect the club has only limited funds available. Probably less than Slav was expecting.

Thats bollocks Slav will have been given a budget before he took the job
Do you really believe the club will start moving the goalposts within a month of him starting the job
If its less than was agreed he will be straight out of the door

 

[Revolution]

Thats bollocks Slav will have been given a budget before he took the job
Do you really believe the club will start moving the goalposts within a month of him starting the job
If its less than was agreed he will be straight out of the door

It wouldn’t be the first time the club has done that (although the present regime hasn’t done it)

 

[guancheblade]

There is still time but this squad is so full of obvious holes from its construction over the last 2 years, I’d be concerned we’ve employed a guy to play his style of football and given him non of the tools to be able to do that.

But not surprised. This is Sheffield United after all.

Burke and even perhaps Moose do fall into that wide forward category you mention so clearly we are not at zero in that department.

It's central defence where we are practically shot. Either he goes two at the back and we risk exposing some of Basham's frailties, or he goes with three and Jack Robinson is a starter. Me no likey either of those two scenarios. A Ben Davies loan would be the logical solution given the state of play.

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

No ins or outs yet and we start 2 weeks on Saturday. Who'd be happy to go with what we have plus a couple of loans?

A midfield picked from Berge, Fleck, Norwood, Osbourn, Bogle and Slater would be more than decent in the championship.

A back line from Rammers, Egan, Basham, Baldock, Robinson, Stevens and RND would be as good as any.

We know we don't need any forwards so apart from a.couple of.loans to add strength in depth I wouldn't be too unhappy to see us go with what we have.

Although the Prince might be given it seems to be accepted wisdom you have to sell 40m of.talent when u go down

As long as we don’t sell anyone then yes I’m happy.

We also need Rammers back, we got go into the first game with Verrips or Fodringham.

I’m less concerned about signings and more concerned about the squad quarantining in a period where competitors are gaining match fitness.

We know what happened with the weather / training issues last season and how we started

 

[FriethBlade]

As long as we don’t sell anyone then yes I’m happy.

We also need Rammers back, we got go into the first game with Verrips or Fodringham.

I’m less concerned about signings and more concerned about the squad quarantining in a period where competitors are gaining match fitness.

We know what happened with the weather / training issues last season and how we started

That's my biggest concern, losing Rammers at the last minute as we have no depth in that position at all.

Unless Boris changes the rule all clubs are going to go through periods of players isolating. Just another hard to control factor managerrs are going to have to come to terms with

 

[Balham Blade]

Dont disagree , but how much did norwhich/watford freshen it up?

Norwich did it quite cannily, they sold Lewis and Godfrey for a combined £40m and then went and loaned Gibson and Giannoulis with clauses to make those transfers permanent (£10.5m and £7.25m respectively, including loan fees) if they were promoted. They also signed decent Championship players at relatively small fees (Hugill £3m, Dowell £2m).

We also were extremely lucky in a number of the games we won. We were the worst team in the league, comfortably

Not sure about that. West Brom were as inept: better going forward, worse at the back. Take away that blue moon 5-2 win at Chelsea (who fell apart after Thiago Silva's 28th minute red card) and reverse the 1-0 win at the Hawthorns to a justified three points to us and they'd have finished bottom. Don't get me wrong, we were deservedly relegated but the Baggies were just as bad as us.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Norwich did it quite cannily, they sold Lewis and Godfrey for a combined £40m and then went and loaned Gibson and Giannoulis with clauses to make those transfers permanent (£10.5m and £7.25m respectively, including loan fees) if they were promoted. They also signed decent Championship players at relatively small fees (Hugill £3m, Dowell £2m).

Not sure about that. West Brom were as inept: better going forward, worse at the back. Take away that blue moon 5-2 win at Chelsea (who fell apart after Thiago Silva's 28th minute red card) and reverse the 1-0 win at the Hawthorns to a justified three points to us and they'd have finished bottom. Don't get me wrong, we were deservedly relegated but the Baggies were just as bad as us.

I think chance creation is a better indicator of ability. And definitely a better indicator of future success. If we played that season 100 times with the same injuries etc I'd expect United to finish bottom at least 70% of the time. You can't win if you can't create chances. West Brom were always a threat to score 1+ goals a game

 

[andy m]

It wasn't. Norwich at home was.

This is pointless

You are right it is pointless but Brighton was the 50th game so you are wrong as well

 

[ancientblade]

I think chance creation is a better indicator of ability. And definitely a better indicator of future success. If we played that season 100 times with the same injuries etc I'd expect United to finish bottom at least 70% of the time. You can't win if you can't create chances. West Brom were always a threat to score 1+ goals a game

thats right but only because we had no recruitment in the midfield area at least 2 should have been brought in before the start of last season

 

[Jan Age]

you say were short on quality but thats based on premier league performances against international players every week the championship is so much inferior to the premier league in terms of quality i think your doing our players a diservice by suggesting their not good enough for this level do agree with you 4 or 5 need to come in and im sure they will and if we get the right players in i think weve every chance of finishing top 2

Which is also what I think in terms of 4/5 in and top 6… but for me (and it is only an opinion of course) certain players are not up to it and we are risking it expecting the same level of performance/fitness from others that we’ve had previously.

Risking it with:

Stevens - whom for whatever reason sulked for the whole of last season and looked a stone over weight.

Didzy - first name on the sheet for me but another year older is it reasonable to expect in to go a whole season without injury.

Basham - as with Didzy re age and injury but 2nd name on team sheet for me.

not up to it:

Moussett - Who I believe has some mental health issues and I really hope he focuses on getting the help with that rather than football.

Burke - should have tried to be an Olympic runner.

Robinson - not good enough to be automatic first choice.

That’s my 6 and some of them I really rate so as we both said 4/5 in should cover us and shake things up a bit. From that 4/5 I would expect 3 to challenging for a place in the starting 11 and 2 to improve the overLl

 

[Carlton Blade]

You are right it is pointless but Brighton was the 50th game so you are wrong as well

You win

 

[ancientblade]

Which is also what I think in terms of 4/5 in and top 6… but for me (and it is only an opinion of course) certain players are not up to it and we are risking it expecting the same level of performance/fitness from others that we’ve had previously.

Risking it with:

Stevens - whom for whatever reason sulked for the whole of last season and looked a stone over weight.

Didzy - first name on the sheet for me but another year older is it reasonable to expect in to go a whole season without injury.

Basham - as with Didzy re age and injury but 2nd name on team sheet for me.

not up to it:

Moussett - Who I believe has some mental health issues and I really hope he focuses on getting the help with that rather than football.

Burke - should have tried to be an Olympic runner.

Robinson - not good enough to be automatic first choice.

That’s my 6 and some of them I really rate so as we both said 4/5 in should cover us and shake things up a bit. From that 4/5 I would expect 3 to challenging for a place in the starting 11 and 2 to improve the overLl

i think enda may be moved on dont think hes got the pace for the lwb spot in slavs team injuries will be an issue but we are playing at a lower level so still think were well set especially if 3 or 4 additions are brought in

 

[Danetheblade]

i think enda may be moved on dont think hes got the pace for the lwb spot in slavs team injuries will be an issue but we are playing at a lower level so still think were well set especially if 3 or 4 additions are brought in

I'd like to see enda either moved on or replaced with RND. Think he's definitely ready now for the first team.