Home truths.

[Sean Thornton]

Did you see Duffys tweet before the game tonight ? I wouldnt play Ampadu in midfield ,Norwood should be playing ? From someone who should know I reckon.

Probably studied for his coaching badges when spending all his time on the bench before dropping to L1.

 

[AdamSufc1997]

This is where Wilder has been let down for me.
The modern game requires knowledge of foreign markets, and that is not the managers job.

He needs help, and the club need to put the infrastructure in place.


Not sure if he's still unemployed, but if Steve Walsh is out there get him in.
The man responsible for creating the system that found mahrez/kante/vardy/ndidi/soyuncu/fofana etc.
Also guys like Drogba at Chelsea.

Prince wanted Van Winckel to be involved and Wilder said no so he didn't want the help but he needs to take it. I like the Brentford way as when they need to sell players they easily search for replacemetns and sell them on if need be. We could have used money to do something similar

 

[sitwell]

Prince wanted Van Winckel to be involved and Wilder said no so he didn't want the help but he needs to take it. I like the Brentford way as when they need to sell players they easily search for replacemetns and sell them on if need be. We could have used money to do something similar

From what I hear van winkel has become involved, and this has contributed hugely to our failings,

 

[gordoncharles]

....a European scouting network which is certainly functional if not good.

This was what was needed but wasn't in place, maybe because of the club's position in the last half dozen years, maybe because the manager didn't want to look there anyway.

Either way it was a mistake not to consider it in 2017.

However, it's pointless now. Championship clubs are not likely to be signing players with enough points to qualify for a work permit. We missed that boat.

 

[Large Mendonca]

Did you see Duffys tweet before the game tonight ? I wouldnt play Ampadu in midfield ,Norwood should be playing ? From someone who should know I reckon.

and following his "performance" tonight for their goal, I wouldn't have Ampadu anywhere near Centre Half either

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Yes I know we’re down.......It’s just so fucking hard to accept when we’ve still got half the season to go.
This is going to be a slow and torturous death.
Can’t they just give everybody 3 points and let us fuck off now?

 

[Keef Chedwyn]

We're a local club for local people. The first team must be recruited from the UK and youth from the GT League.

If it goes tits up, find reasons why it's not our fault, footballing gods etc.

 

[Ndlovu's Glove]

The long and short of it is that Sheffield United will never pay the wages required to progress further and become an established PL side. You've hit the nail on the head talking about Maupay, Watkins, Cash and Robinson, they're all far better than what we recruited (hence their bigger contracts at other clubs).

I've loved this journey and can't wait to see us re-establish ourselves as an attacking side in the Champ, beating teams and kicking on again. It's all part of the ride. It makes me cringe seeing people asking for Wilder's head, I can't think of a single manager who would progress us better than him. The level of entitled-ness over the last 4 months is disgraceful, everyone's entitled to an opinion but christ, anyone would think we're Arsenal with the way people have been kicking off.

On the brightside, it'll be easier to get a ticket when we're allowed back in.

 

[Yogi]

This was what was needed but wasn't in place, maybe because of the club's position in the last half dozen years, maybe because the manager didn't want to look there anyway.

Either way it was a mistake not to consider it in 2017.

However, it's pointless now. Championship clubs are not likely to be signing players with enough points to qualify for a work permit. We missed that boat.

I think it’s both really. What’s clear is the club certainly wasn’t planning on being where we are in the time frame we arrived in.

 

[Yogi]

Prince wanted Van Winckel to be involved and Wilder said no so he didn't want the help but he needs to take it. I like the Brentford way as when they need to sell players they easily search for replacemetns and sell them on if need be. We could have used money to do something similar

Everyone likes the Brentford way most fans of most clubs would want the kind of model. The issue is it takes time they’re almost a decade into that project. I’d love united to have a similar long term vision the issue is football is fickle and clubs priorities very often change like the wind.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

How do you work that out?

Brentford paid a Championship fee because they're a championship club......

Signing Toney would have required a fee very close to the one paid for Brewster, in fact reports suggest it's £15 million for Brentford as it is.

Toney cost Brentford an initial fee of £5m (rising to £9.75m) because that's the highest any team was prepared to pay for him. It wouldn't have cost us anymore because we were a PL team. Toney is now worth at least £10m, moving upwards by £500k with every goal he scores.

Brewster has set us back at least £20m, if not more, and is probably now worth £10m in cold hard cash terms. Remember we pulled the same trick with both Freeman & CR.

We could've got Ahearne-Grant and Toney for £20m, and kept CR. We chose Brewster & Burke, and got rid of CR. In the cold light of day I know which of those two options I would rather have now.

 

[puppet]

I don't understand the obsession with Ampadu. Did we have a load of blank team sheets printed out before the season with his name accidentally left in one of the spaces or something? We've tried him in defence and central midfield and he's looked at best, not bothered. Norwood can't be expected to come on with ten minutes left every week and suddenly turn on the style, especially with a terrified and demoralised looking team who are 0-1 down.
We've signed the Derby lads, one of whom has had one substitute appearance and scored, then doesn't even come off the bench and the other, who was brought in at LWB with Stevens dropping to LCB - where he's looked out of his depth because its not his true position, costing us goals in the process, why wasn't Lowe played in defence and Stevens retained in his position? Bogle should have started last night in RCM to link up with Baldock and Basham when we were on the front foot.
These are two glaring mistakes/over-looks by CWAK imho.

 

[AdamSufc1997]

From what I hear van winkel has become involved, and this has contributed hugely to our failings,

No way the players we signed are recommended by Van Winckel, Paul Mitchell is probably the man to blame

 

[The Bear]

We got over promoted, when we went up in 2018-19, we did it on the back of a settled side who had few injuries, if we had a few injuries we wouldn’t have gone up as we had very little strength in depth. Therefore we needed almost an entirely new second string of players who were up to the top division as well as bolstering the starting XI. Bear in mind when we went up we did so with several players who had been playing L1 and made the jump in two seasons. Basham, JOC, Fleck, Sharp are 4 prime examples. Baldock and Stevens too. It was a big ask and we did remarkably well last season but it was also bound to catch up with us at some point.

We aren’t an attractive prospect for new signings and can’t offer the wages other clubs can. The first season after promotion we went after Neal Maupay but couldn’t match what Brighton was offering so we ended up with McBurnie. Same this season when we went for Matty Cash, Villa then nipped in with an offer that blew us out the water, same with Robinson who went to Fulham and I think we was also after Ollie Watkins, same result. That is why we ended up with Brewster, Bogle and Lowe. Same with Ramsdale, he was the best we could afford with the budget.

We’ve been hit harder by the lack of crowds than anyone else in the PL. Look back to last season and plenty of the wins came in front of packed houses at a vibrant and noisy Bramall Lane or in front of loud and raucous away ends. That undoubtedly gave the players a lift when they needed it, push tired minds and bodies through the pain barrier. Take the crowd away and if you are taking 5%-10% away from the team.

What we need to do is accept the situation for what it is. Relegation is a case of when, not if, and how much respectability we can claw back. We need to think now about next season. I think Wilder has enough credit to have a go at taking us back, because that hasn’t worked out too badly for Norwich with Farke. With the squad we have got now, it looks very well equipped to be a potent force in the League below, in terms of first team quality and the quality of back ups. Writing this season off should now be a case of taking one step back to take two steps forward.

What has become apparent is how many miracles Wilder pulled off over the last 4 years and how many rabbits he pulled out of the hat. He hasn’t become a bad manager overnight, circumstances have just caught up with him and he will be feeling it more than most, but looking at the wider picture, we are in a far better state than we was when he came in, I think we should remember what he has done for us, and he hasn’t become a bad manager over night, and when we drop he will be the ideal man to get us moving again.

Just one problem with that.

How many players will want to remain?

 

[LONDON_BLADE]

The long and short of it is that Sheffield United will never pay the wages required to progress further and become an established PL side. You've hit the nail on the head talking about Maupay, Watkins, Cash and Robinson, they're all far better than what we recruited (hence their bigger contracts at other clubs).

I've loved this journey and can't wait to see us re-establish ourselves as an attacking side in the Champ, beating teams and kicking on again. It's all part of the ride. It makes me cringe seeing people asking for Wilder's head, I can't think of a single manager who would progress us better than him. The level of entitled-ness over the last 4 months is disgraceful, everyone's entitled to an opinion but christ, anyone would think we're Arsenal with the way people have been kicking off.

On the brightside, it'll be easier to get a ticket when we're allowed back in.

Thats a +1 here... I did think us Blades had more about us, with each other through 'thick and thin' and all that. It disappoints me to see some of the reactions on here! I expect in the main they will be fans that didn't get the stick some of us had in the Eighties!
All said, we all are hurting but its these times that make us what we are - a stubborn more resilient tribe than the other lot.

We are still the top dogs in the city right now, and they are a right shit-show... enjoy that at least.

COYRWW

 

[sitwell]

No way the players we signed are recommended by Van Winckel, Paul Mitchell is probably the man to blame

You think Berge ,Ampadu and Brewster are a result of Paul Mitchell scouting. OK.

 

[1889]

You think Berge ,Ampadu and Brewster are a result of Paul Mitchell scouting. OK.

Let’s not miss McBurnie off the list, anyway if I was a betting man I’d wager it was David Blunkett

 

[Booker4]

I agree with most of that.

but it doesn’t excuse 2 points from the last 19 games. It’s unacceptable - most championship clubs would put up more of a fight than this. I reckon 15 would have more points than we do. It’s beyond pitiful return for the resources spent and how we know we can play. We are an embarrassment, and when we go one down the game is over.

The squad building has been dire for the last 2 years. £120m and we are literally worse than the side that came up. Whatever happens he needs to thoroughly look at our recruiting strategy, because it’s not right for the top level. He needs to ask for help abs support because they have got it more wrong than right recently.

you give Brentford 120m and out wage structure, they establish themselves at the very highest level imo.

Brentford's recruitment works well and they've unearthed gems. But they're in the Championship and they buy players for a couple of million quid and develop them for 2/3 years and sell them on. To do that in the Prem is much harder unless they spend much bigger fees and wages and then they'll be up against much bigger clubs to compete for players. They may sustain it for a while but ultimately I think they'd struggle like Bournemouth did in the end. I take your point that Brentford have great recruitment; they have a special model. I'm sure we can learn from it, but I'm not so sure they'd succeed so well with it in the PL.

We bought Fleck, O'Connell, Stevens, Basham and Lundstram for small fees of free, and they developed in League One and the Championship. But there's no way any of them could have gone straight into the Prem as they were when thy arrived. I think we need to judge Ramsdale and Brewster signings in a year or two for the full assessment, Yes they needed to be good enough now, but ultimately they were also bought for the future also, Brewster particularly. We can't afford a more polished gem and it's much harder to polish players in the Prem while we need results against teams who can buy the finished article.

 

[Bladeinleeds]

Brentford's recruitment works well and they've unearthed gems. But they're in the Championship and they buy players for a couple of million quid and develop them for 2/3 years and sell them on. To do that in the Prem is much harder unless they spend much bigger fees and wages and then they'll be up against much bigger clubs to compete for players. They may sustain it for a while but ultimately I think they'd struggle like Bournemouth did in the end. I take your point that Brentford have great recruitment; they have a special model. I'm sure we can learn from it, but I'm not so sure they'd succeed so well with it in the PL.

We bought Fleck, O'Connell, Stevens, Basham and Lundstram for small fees of free, and they developed in League One and the Championship. But there's no way any of them could have gone straight into the Prem as they were when thy arrived. I think we need to judge Ramsdale and Brewster signings in a year or two for the full assessment, Yes they needed to be good enough now, but ultimately they were also bought for the future also, Brewster particularly. We can't afford a more polished gem and it's much harder to polish players in the Prem while we need results against teams who can buy the finished article.

I agree, the point has to be to maximise the resources available . Especially if we can’t spent 70,80,90k per week on players.

But I believe that if you gave Brentford 120m they would be able to find players in the 5m to 15m range to compete and wouldn’t need to pay them extortionate money. I don’t for example think they would have gone for like Freeman or Callum Robinson. I think give them better resources and they don’t have to go for the completely hidden gems - they have kind of moved on to that level with the signings made in the last 18m. How many of our starting 11 gets into theres? Fully fit, Egan, JoC and berge?? That’s probably it for me.

There is Probably no point In us keeping hammering the recruitment. What’s done is done and in our defence they can all improve and get better With age and experience. And To be fair for Brewster and ramsdale, going down could be the best thing to happen to them, get some confidence back keep some clean sheets and finally score some goals.

 

[Welshblade]

We had two seasons in the same Division as Brentford and they paid more on transfers and wages that we did and had the bigger scouting network so why aren’t they already in the PL?

Brentford have an amazing model they make millions from developing players every year and have a very sustainable model. They are spending more to develop even better players and I honestly think when they break it into the prem they will be main stay. Look how long it took Leeds to break into the prem and how they are doing.

Also look at their players they developed that are in the prem, O'Connel and Egan out best defenders, and honestly think Watkins or even Maupay would out score our strikers and have put us in a better position then we are now.

 

[AdamSufc1997]

You think Berge ,Ampadu and Brewster are a result of Paul Mitchell scouting. OK.

Berge is Van Winckel Ampadu and Brewster would say Mitchell recommended them

 

[CentralQuay]

Berge is Van Winckel Ampadu and Brewster would say Mitchell recommended them

It's easy to say that though, the reality is nobody knows.

I'd expect Wilder to have had knowledge of all 3 of those players, they're fairly well known players for fans, let alone a professional football manager.