Hero to Zero to Hero in 10 Days - What next?

[William Henry Foulkes]

Woodwardfan i don't really see what you're getting at? I think the reactions after losing 4-0 at Gillingham after being told by Phipps, Adkins and anyone else on the SUFC PR bandwagon were entirely justified. People talked of how it was a shock defeat, but it came as little to surprise to most on here,

I think it was a shock if you'd been to pre-season; it looked like we were better organised and the problems had been fixed.

If you'd been to pre-season you saw Problem, Fix, Problem
If you'd not been to pre-season you saw Problem, Nothing, Problem or maybe even worse Problem, Dreams and Promises (Again), Problem

Though in a way it's all a bit academic.

 

[Blade82]

That's just ridiculous ,he had a decent game for his standards ,but the only thing I agree with was his finish.Wallace showed what a midfielder should do in the few minutes he was on.

We'll agree to disagree on that one then. Both Wallace and Baxter together is an exciting prospect.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Every scrap of criticism was justified after a 4-0 annihilation by Gillingham at this lowly level, on the opening day of the season no less.

Strongly disagree with that.

It seemed pretty clear to me (and others) that Adkins and the Board have a) the motivation and b) the track record to change things.

A heavy defeat is often easier to remedy than a close defeat.

On the other side of this, I don't think we romped way with it last night, I had my heart in my mouth most of the game bc of how we wasted situations and goalscoring opportunities; and defensively - especially our LHS - we are very vulnerable.

If "early pacesetters" Coventry were coming to the Lane on Saturday I think we might have a lot of trouble. As it is it's Blackpool and it looks like they will be (touch wood) less of a test, but they're still a professional team (for now) and have it in them to exploit our weaknesses.

If they do we will have to outscore them. Which is the way we are playing.

 

[coaxingstar71]

adkins seems to have got Baxter looking miles trimmer
lost 5 stone ,,, in a day (circa Peter Kay )

View attachment 12933

So unrecognisable from his former self, the bastion of accurate reporting and reasonable judgment, The Sheffield Star, captioned this picture as 'Billy Sharp after scoring the 3rd goal'.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

That's just ridiculous ,he had a decent game for his standards ,but the only thing I agree with was his finish.Wallace showed what a midfielder should do in the few minutes he was on.

Tbf that run from Wallace was bc their midfield were knackered - he just ran past them, they were yards off it; this time you can see it on the highlights as well. That said he has to have the intelligence to see that run and make it.

The link up and finish at the end are great to watch.

Baxter, some good touches, getting the ball down, and a willingness to run (he made it all the way to the edge of their box in the 85th minute) but what about that blind pass where he nearly played their forward in.

 

[coaxingstar71]

He had a decent game but MOM ? Ran the show ? Come on.

Even for you to accept he had a 'decent game' shows you must be softening in your views of Mr Baxter!

 

[coaxingstar71]

I think we should just accept that us fans react differently after a game. Some of us think it's the end of world after a defeat and others take it more in their stride. It was abundantly clear after the first game that some felt that no lessons had been learned since last season, here we go again, same owd, same owd... and especially after our usual pre-season optimism. I think it makes you think you've been betrayed, again, into believing that this season will be our season, we'll start with a solid win and go from there and the fans (particularly those loyal ones that went) were massively let down. And the way to let off that steam is to come on here and have a rant.

Then, there are those fans who are not as cynical, always thinking the next game will be different. Must be nice to be like that. These fans are the ones who will think, hey, it's just the first game, there's another 45 to go yet.

There are also the conspiracy theorists - they believe it's all a pre-ordained plot by the club board and management to dupe the fans into thinking the club want success but actually they want to stay in this league so they don't have to pay inflated wages whilst still attracting 20,000 mugs every week.

The point of course is that we all have our own way of supporting the club and we should just accept each other...... though it wouldn't be as much fun.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

I think we should just accept that us fans react differently after a game. Some of us think it's the end of world after a defeat and others take it more in their stride. It was abundantly clear after the first game that some felt that no lessons had been learned since last season, here we go again, same owd, same owd... and especially after our usual pre-season optimism. I think it makes you think you've been betrayed, again, into believing that this season will be our season, we'll start with a solid win and go from there and the fans (particularly those loyal ones that went) were massively let down. And the way to let off that steam is to come on here and have a rant.

Then, there are those fans who are not as cynical, always thinking the next game will be different. Must be nice to be like that. These fans are the ones who will think, hey, it's just the first game, there's another 45 to go yet.

There are also the conspiracy theorists - they believe it's all a pre-ordained plot by the club board and management to dupe the fans into thinking the club want success but actually they want to stay in this league so they don't have to pay inflated wages whilst still attracting 20,000 mugs every week.

The point of course is that we all have our own way of supporting the club and we should just accept each other...... though it wouldn't be as much fun.

And there are those who think too that losing 4-0, spinelessly, at this level isn't acceptable whatever the circumstances...

As you say though, we all have our different ways of supporting the club. We're a broad church.

 

[VespaBlade]

adkins seems to have got Baxter looking miles trimmer
lost 5 stone ,,, in a day (circa Peter Kay )

View attachment 12933

That'll be the Crystal Meth he's on..........................

 

[coaxingstar71]

And there are those who think too that losing 4-0, spinelessly, at this level isn't acceptable whatever the circumstances...

As you say though, we all have our different ways of supporting the club. We're a broad church.

I thought I'd covered those in the first paragraph but fair play.

 

[him behind you]

Cast your minds back 10 days when we lost to Gillingham, in fact have a read of a couple of the remarkable threads from that weekend.

Cast your minds back to last Friday when Murphy left us, in fact have a read of a couple of the remarkable threads then.

Three straight wins and the mood has changed. Is that all it takes?

Adkins has still only been with us for 76 days and knows he can soon dip down another big, steep drop in the roller coaster job he has taken on.

Some posters should have a look at their posts over the past 10 days and just keep their powder dry when we next lose a game as we surely will. Let's support the man and the club. We are SUFC, a League 1 club of five years standing, not Real Madrid. Give the man time to do his job and appreciate he has a an unusually long injury list at this stage of the season and with Murphy's departure has to do without him and his two other very best players for a while.

What? It's the Board's fault, sorry, get real.

Got to admit WWF, Forget 10 days, I'm amazed how quickly things can change in 7 days. Been away for a week and decided to catch up with the forum this morning - wow.

- Murphy sold after putting in a transfer request. Disappointing because I thought we were keeping our best players BUT that's football. Apparently though, it's the board's fault and the forum goes into meltdown.
- Our Manager is branded a "liar" because a couple of his press interviews don't tally. One may not have been the whole truth but it's a bit much dissecting his every word and calling him a liar.
- We win 2 league games on the trott - one of which (last night) even suggests that we have a manager who can change things to a plan B during a game to win it.
- Although not as early as some of us would have liked, our "liar" of a manager seems to have quickly addressed the failings of the opening game.
- Samon, who I said looked rusty at best against Morecambe, suddenly looks like he's more than just a battering ram.

It's early days but I can't wait until Saturday. If, as we would normally do, we completely cock it up against Blackpool, I may (just to sacrifice myself for the greater good you understand) go away more often.

 

[alcoblade]

Even though I havent seen one dig at Adkins these past 10 days.

I could have sworn that you started a thread along the lines of "taking time to assess our squad has ruined our season".


I'm also sure we had a lengthy debate where I pointed out the difficulty in moving on our dead wood, and you rejected this outright, complaining that the manager should already have done this.

Have I got that wrong?

UTB

 

[Barney]

I could have sworn that you started a thread along the lines of "taking time to assess our squad has ruined our season".


I'm also sure we had a lengthy debate where I pointed out the difficulty in moving on our dead wood, and you rejected this outright, complaining that the manager should already have done this.

Have I got that wrong?

UTB

That's not a dig at Adkins, but the board for not attempting the obvious earlier.

Come on, I thought we'd gone through this....

 

[alcoblade]

That's not a dig at Adkins, but the board for not attempting the obvious earlier.

Come on, I thought we'd gone through this....

"Have I got that wrong" was rhetorical.


We have gone through this. It doesn't alter the fact that you were criticising Adkins, and at the same time talking complete and utter bollocks (sorry fella, harsh reality due here).

It really would be better (you were not remotely by yourself) to stop digging and admit that emotions got the better of you.

UTB

 

[Woodwardfan]

Mentioning no names I reckon it would be a good idea for some to read every post they have written these past 10 days. Of course it's their privilege but to pretend nothing happened is self delusional.

My point in writing this OP is to encourage posters to count to 10 next time things go wrong and make measured comments which are not simply rants for letting off steam and rather show some bottle and sense of knowing where we are as a club and that our manager is the very early stages of what he is trying to achieve. Why? Because it's in all our interests to unite the club and encourage our manager and owners to back us as much as we back them - that's called loyalty and a relationship which can grow over time.

In another thread a serious poster makes the valid comment that our new owner could pack it all in at some stage. It would be best if we fans didn't drive him away and the manager come to that, because our manager would undoubtedly get another good job elsewhere if he chose to leave.

Apart from all that the manager has only been in post 70 odd days - fact.

My signature for the past year has been " If we sign good players and play positive football let's look for stability" We may be nearly there, but as some say above, it's very early days.

 

[Barney]

We have gone through this. It doesn't alter the fact that you were criticising Adkins, and at the same time talking complete and utter bollocks (sorry fella, harsh reality due here).

It really would be better to stop digging and admit that (you were not remotely by yourself here) emotions got the better of you.

UTB

No because the belief in what the board should have done remains, whether we have won 3 games in a row or lost 3 games in a row. The (IMO) wrong approach to this season hasn't set us up in the best possible way for a promotion push, that's not to say we won't get promoted, just that I don't think we prepared as best we could have done.

Now I'm not sure if you're trying to get one back over me after feeling dis-satisfied with the validity of your points in our previous discussions, but if we're making suggestions, I would suggest that you try and refrain from attempting to start a disagreement with me at any given opportunity, when it has been, for some time now, well established that our views differ on how we should have approached this season.

 

[Woodwardfan]

No because the belief in what the board should have done remains, whether we have won 3 games in a row or lost 3 games in a row. The (IMO) wrong approach to this season hasn't set us up in the best possible way for a promotion push, that's not to say we won't get promoted, just that I don't think we prepared as best we could have done.

Now I'm not sure if you're trying to get one back over me after feeling dis-satisfied with the validity of your points in our previous discussions, but if we're making suggestions, I would suggest that you try and refrain from attempting to start a disagreement with me at any given opportunity, when it has been, for some time now, well established that our views differ on how we should have approached this season.

Barny - why not re-read each of your posts and the replies all over again and then give your view.

 

[Barney]

Barny - why not re-read each of your posts and the replies all over again and then give your view.

Would you like to elaborate on what exactly I have said which goes against what I have said in this thread perhaps?

 

[alcoblade]

No because the belief in what the board should have done remains, whether we have won 3 games in a row or lost 3 games in a row. The (IMO) wrong approach to this season hasn't set us up in the best possible way for a promotion push, that's not to say we won't get promoted, just that I don't think we prepared as best we could have done.

Now I'm not sure if you're trying to get one back over me after feeling dis-satisfied with the validity of your points in our previous discussions, but if we're making suggestions, I would suggest that you try and refrain from attempting to start a disagreement with me at any given opportunity, when it has been, for some time now, well established that our views differ on how we should have approached this season.

Barny, you will learn that I say everything how I see it. One of those obvious things is that football fans have a tendency to blow in the wind, and to follow opinion like sheep. The re writing if history is another trait, and I can't let it go unchallenged here.

You will do well to think of this before you post. And when you post material that makes sense, I'll like and praise it like any other post.



UTB

 

[Bladesway]

Cast your minds back 10 days when we lost to Gillingham, in fact have a read of a couple of the remarkable threads from that weekend.

Cast your minds back to last Friday when Murphy left us, in fact have a read of a couple of the remarkable threads then.

Three straight wins and the mood has changed. Is that all it takes?

Adkins has still only been with us for 76 days and knows he can soon dip down another big, steep drop in the roller coaster job he has taken on.

Some posters should have a look at their posts over the past 10 days and just keep their powder dry when we next lose a game as we surely will. Let's support the man and the club. We are SUFC, a League 1 club of five years standing, not Real Madrid. Give the man time to do his job and appreciate he has a an unusually long injury list at this stage of the season and with Murphy's departure has to do without him and his two other very best players for a while.

What? It's the Board's fault, sorry, get real.

I get where you are coming from. You often find the making of a person isn't how they fail because we all do, its about how they respond. Currently the response has been perfect and measured. That is what matters. I avoided this place like the plague last couple of weeks, with good reason by the look of it.

I understand there have been people offering to fight other fans over their opinions. If that truly is where we are then its usurped Blades Mad as the lunatic fringe in a summer.

 

[Bladebri]

If we win our next game I want Adkins out.

 

[Grecian2000]

I understand there have been people offering to fight other fans over their opinions.

Nay, that's poor form. You can't go around teasing with snippets like that and no link. Where are these "threats of violence" threads, I need to see them?

 

[Barney]

Barny, you will learn that I say everything how I see it. One of those obvious things is that football fans have a tendency to blow in the wind, and to follow opinion like sheep. The re writing if history is another trait, and I can't let it go unchallenged here.

You will do well to think of this before you post. And when you post material of sense, I'll like and praise it like any other post.



UTB

But what you're not grasping is a thing called an opinion.

Opinions will always differ, no matter what the subject, I am and always have been, (and you can quote me on this from our previous discussions), willing to agree to dis-agree after a calm discussion, as I respect other people's opinions even if I don't necessarily agree with them, but it seemed you weren't then and evidently you aren't now hence the initiation of another disagreement.

You're arriving at a mis-informed conclusion that every post that doesn't fit in with your views is not 'material of sense'. Surely that's an awful conclusion to be making, even you have to admit that.

 

[alcoblade]

But what you're not grasping is a thing called an opinion.

Opinions will always differ, no matter what the subject, I am and always have been, (and you can quote me on this from our previous discussions), willing to agree to dis-agree after a calm discussion, as I respect other people's opinions even if I don't necessarily agree with them, but it seemed you weren't then and evidently you aren't now hence the initiation of another disagreement.

You're arriving at a mis-informed conclusion that every post that doesn't fit in with your views is not 'material of sense'. Surely that's an awful conclusion to be making, even you have to admit that.

I'll end it at this;

You are entitled to any opinion you hold.

If that opinion is overly critical of a manager who has been in place for only 2 months, I'm entitled to the opinion that you are talking bollocks.

Whether I should dress that up in a less direct, nicer way is more debatable.

UTB

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Woah there cowboy.

We fucking crashed - badly in our first game with witness accounts saying the team was all over the shop, in particular the back four, to blame of all of the goals. Even our opponent supporters that day were saying 'is it really that easy?' and 'what the fuck happened to Sheffield United?' The lack of investment in the back four said it all with Collins and McEverley looking like pub-side pissheads.

Then suddenly Jamie Murphy, a significant (if not massively prolific, but ranged against the rest of the team, possibly our best prospect) winger isn't playing and we all feel that low tummy ache we felt with McDonald, Blackman and Maguire. Then guess what? He's fucking sold.

So forgive people the barefaced cheek to be cynical, given this pattern in the past has led to season after season of underwhelming failure here, two streets downtown from the bright lights of Main Street. We've not really trod that path for some years now and wish at sometime to be back.

Sure - we beat Morecambe (it wasn't pretty or conclusive, was it) and beat Chesterfield - a team which again, witnesses say are not the team they threaten to be. Last night was a brilliant illustration of what this team is capable of

Let's see where we are at the end of September. The league will have settled and I expect us to be at least in the top two if last night's great result is anything to go by. We have to go back to Swindon to exorcise last season (and that will be a test) and a couple of Yorkshire derbys, and if we can champion that, maybe, just maybe ... we might be getting there.

pommpey

"Witness accounts". Well I suppose we did get murdered ;-)

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Got to admit WWF, Forget 10 days, I'm amazed how quickly things can change in 7 days. Been away for a week and decided to catch up with the forum this morning - wow.

- Murphy sold after putting in a transfer request. Disappointing because I thought we were keeping our best players BUT that's football. Apparently though, it's the board's fault and the forum goes into meltdown.
- Our Manager is branded a "liar" because a couple of his press interviews don't tally. One may not have been the whole truth but it's a bit much dissecting his every word and calling him a liar.
- We win 2 league games on the trott - one of which (last night) even suggests that we have a manager who can change things to a plan B during a game to win it.
- Although not as early as some of us would have liked, our "liar" of a manager seems to have quickly addressed the failings of the opening game.
- Samon, who I said looked rusty at best against Morecambe, suddenly looks like he's more than just a battering ram.

It's early days but I can't wait until Saturday. If, as we would normally do, we completely cock it up against Blackpool, I may (just to sacrifice myself for the greater good you understand) go away more often.

You missed the one about ST holders being cabbages? Another highlight

 

[Pinchy]

Let's not get carried away I agree we shouldn't be slagging him after 1 loss but neither should we be saying he's a hero after 2 league wins.

It seems he has set us up to play a more attacking entertaining style of football and at the minute it is delivering results. However this does leave us a bit open (a point with NA as recognised)

He will get my full support over the whole season and then I will pass judgement.

He still needs to sign 3/4 players for me and that will form part of the criteria he is judged on.

In summary a positive start with promising signs but still a way to go to prove be we are serious promotion contenders.

When you pass judgement will you sack him if you are not satisfied?

There is a long way to go before any team, in any league, proves to be serious promotion contenders. For example, I would back us to finish above every one of the teams presently above us in the league.

Your name has two "A"s.

 

[Barney]

I'll end it at this;

You are entitled to any opinion you hold.

If that opinion is overly critical of a manager who has been in place for only 2 months, I'm entitled to the opinion that you are talking bollocks.

Whether I should dress that up in a less direct, nicer way is more debatable.

UTB

I hate to carry on this petty disagreement but after all that, you're still under the impression I was overly critical of the manager?

I was mainly critical of the board, then pointed out a perfectly valid fact that NA hadn't moved for a defender at which point there had been more than enough time for one to have been signed, in fact we signed two strikers instead which although they're looking like good signings thus far, if you cast your mind back then, we were crying out for a defender and for me that had to be of the highest of priority and there were no excuses to assume what we had was good enough.

Now, because the boards mistake could possibly have a big impact on our destiny this season, I was and still am very critical of them.

With the manager, rather than being 'overly critical' or saying the manager went to zero as the thread title goes, I'd prefer to call it a blatantly obvious and accurate observation of one mistake the manager made that proved to cost us three points at Gillingham. Nothing more, nothing less. Unfortunate mistake but not half as costly as the board have potentially made.

Like I say, I didn't agree with the way we went about things the way we did in pre-season, as I don't think we have given ourselves the best possible opportunity for promotion, even though it's certainly possible if NA can continue to get them playing as they have recently and bring in a few more key signings. But one thing is for sure, no matter how much I dis-agree with our approach to the season, I will be giving my full support whenever and wherever I can and sincerely wish my team the best of luck as would any blade.

From this post onwards though I invite you to join me in a mutual agreement on one thing, and that is the fact that we don't agree.

 

[Pinchy]

The problem I have with the self-proclaimed "cynics" is that they rightly reserve the right to say as they please, often in hugely exaggerated and insulting terms, but bristle with indignation when the more reflective of us exercise exactly the same right in relation to their premature exasperation.

Can we never suffer a defeat without labelling a manager tactically inept and wanting to "Sack the Board"?

A small minority on here sometimes behave like petulant brats. Have a tantrum at me if you like, but I'll keep on saying it. It's my right, you know...

 

[Silent Blade]

Justin Edinburgh took over as manager last February, Gills finished last season quite strongly. Many of us under estimated Gillingham before the start of this season. They get 7 points from their first three matches. Last night they had 14 shots to Bradford's at Valley Parade and won by 2-1. Sometimes a smaller squad mentality works better. No one expected Bournemouth to have a fantastic season in 2014-15!