How much do we need to spend in January?

[Bladesman]

Getting rid of some of what we have got would help.

We actually don't need to spend that much and we should look at buying some key players from this league.

Doing some sort of trade for Sawyers would be a good move considering he is not going to renew his contract at Walsall. Offer them Flo in part exchange?

 

[Snowman]

We can't afford to spend what we need. If I was a very sensible owner, I would let Adkins clear out the shite at the end of the season and then invest what I could. If that failed I would walk away and cut my losses. Football and in particular the lower leagues is soon going to be a waste of time.

 

[blade.i.am]

The board won't want to bring in many until we get rid of a few. The big rebuild starts in the summer when a fair few are out of contract. Hopefully Adkins won't just rely on bringing in old alumni from former clubs. I am happy to give him until next Xmas to produce a squad likely to gain promotion; failure to get promotion in 2 seasons not acceptable. Providing, of course, the board back him in the transfer market.

 

[robbiez666]

If we'd have sorted this in summer, then we'd not have needed to spend anything (or relatively little). JTW involves spending much more money as no free transfers and many potential loanees already snapped up.

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Thought Adkins expected promotion this year and laughably said we'd finish top a few weeks ago.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

I think far too many of our fans our chucking the towel in far too early. We're in League 1, not Champions League, Premier League or even the Championship, we're in the 3rd tier and it's not brilliant. Adkins gets the right players in (steel right down the spine) in January and its easy enough to batter this division. There's plenty of quality in the squad - Adams, Done, JCR, Sharp, Baxter, Reed, Scougall, Brayford even Sammon and Coutts - they just need someone to do the spade work for them.

You got one thing right, the division is not brilliant.....and look where we are in it. At least three of the players you named are not quality.....not from any realistic perspective. If we had that many quality players we would be respectably placed in the division.

I wish some of you would stop deluding yourselves. As a fellow Blade I could cry for you.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Normal clubs seem to get them for next to nothing on loan deals. Maybe one day we'll actually wake up and try it.

Happening all the time under our noses Ricky, we just plod along.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Coventry have used the loan market brilliantly some great signings all of them was what we needed ie Turner a solid centre half ,Armstrong say no more Billigarama a very combatative midfielder and that winger from Norwich Murphy ..Although its not May yet Blades and with Brayford and Edgar back soon then the defence will be better and we hopefully can go on and nick a few wins before christmas but maybe i'm been stupid and me heart is ruling my head .

I suspect they have a decent scouting system in place, something that is alien to us.

 

[alcoblade]

Do you remember the days when we had a team full of players who put everything into the game and really wanted to play for Sheffield United? this would at least be a good start for present or new players.

We canned it all for a new ethos. "Just look at Swansea".

That worked well for us.

UTB

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Oh and how the fuck have they got the money for these ! They can't even pay the rent !

Exactly, look at the clubs that have been on their arses in recent times, Bournemouth, Pigs, Leeds and Leicester, top of the premier league for gods sake. Someat wrong somewhere.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

You got one thing right, the division is not brilliant.....and look where we are in it. At least three of the players you named are not quality.....not from any realistic perspective. If we had that many quality players we would be respectably placed in the division.

I wish some of you would stop deluding yourselves. As a fellow Blade I could cry for you.

Not in the third division when they're getting bullied out of it every week, hence the need for a few minders down the spine of the team to win 'um the right to play.

 

[s10blade]

IMO the problem isn't necessarily money. Yes we do sell our best players etc. but we do spend money. In fact, we spend too much on journeymen, untested players, inflated wages because they play for SUFC. This is why we run at a loss. We have a board who have no clear transfer policy.

Someone needs to sit down and be clear on what direction the club needs to go in and how. It's painstakingly obvious we won't progress wasting money on has beens, crocks etc. but we just make the same mistakes over and over and over again.

I have zero desire for the transfer window to open because as shit as we think we are at the time, transfer windows make us even worse.

 

[Woodwardfan]

It's a bit of a horse's arse frankly because the new manager's signings have not contributed much yet: Edgar, Woolford, Hammond, Sammon and Sharp ( who has only 4 outfield goals to his name).

Surely all five can and will do much better as the season unfolds and at least 3 of them should become "main men". If they don't then the season is a write-off already.

Added to that we have relatively unused quality in Done, Brayford and Reed, all first choices for me when fit.

If we assume they do come to the party then we should concentrate any budget on quality rather than quantity and only sign players who we are happy will contribute immediately and still be first team choices in the second and third years of their contracts; even at this level they will not be cheap but plaease not "more of the same".

We have good players and enough to know that a couple of key signings could provide the spark for them all to contribute more.

Turnbull has been here long enough by now and should show us what he can do with a "couple of rabbits out of the hat".

For me: 1) central midfield powerhouse to coin a good phrase from above ( Hammond is not of that ilk).
2) Fast striker

I reckon central defence with Edgar partnering Basham or Collins is fine. If Kennedy gains fitness any of those three to partner him. McGahey, McEveley and even Brayford provide cover in emergencies. K.Wallace played there in pre-season friendlies.

 

[mulroeblade]

Shopping list -
Josh windass - Accrington
George moncur - colchester
Bradley Dack - gillingham
Uche Ikpeazu - port vale
Tom Bradshaw - walsall
Mark Beevers - Millwall.

I could pick 3 or 4 players every week who play for the opposition that are they type of players we are crying out for!

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Not in the third division when they're getting bullied out of it every week, hence the need for a few minders down the spine of the team to win 'um the right to play.

The poor little darlings it's so unfair. They can have all the bullies and minders they want, it won't magic talent which as in 95% of cases is the real reason for poor results.

First we just needed Collins back, then we just needed that striker, then we just needed that midfielder, now we need some enforcers. What will we need after that doesn't work?

That myth about getting bullied in the third division always makes me laugh as well. Perhaps that was the case in the 1990's. Players get a lot more bullied out in the Championship and Premier League where players are generally fitter, stronger and more athletic. Someone only has to score from a set piece in this division to qualify as physical. Pathetic excuses.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

It's not about money, the priority is on:

- players that can do a job from their first game.
- a player that can lead as captain and ruffle a few feathers - both for the opposition, but also within our squad.
- pace
- power

Regardless of positions we need to fulfil the above criteria - either with one player for then lot or a number of players

We don't need anymore strikers, we need someone to keep the following players out of the side:
JCR
Collins
Hammond

Achieve the above and we'll finish top 10 at least

Dreaming of a top 10 finish in the third fucking division?

Wow, just wow.

 

[JJBlade]

What does it matter ?
If we spend £100,000 we'll get three crap players in
If we spend £286 million pounds we'll get 150 million crap players in.

It's the clubs mentality "Nobody good will sign for us so let's get loads of shit instead and hope for the best"

 

[Borbokisfreekick]

What's alarming is that we're hoping that we spend money in January to address the problems everyone knew we had in May!!

The summer transfer window was a disaster and essentially ruined our season and wasted another season as soon as it closed. We have no chance of automatic promotion now and it would be a miracle if we won the play offs.

The season to be frank is a disgrace. It has sucked the life out of our fans, my own enthusiasm for the team/club is at an all time low, and it all comes down to the terrible transfer business in the summer and Adkins inability to get the best out of what he has.

The only hope for January is that we finally buy one or two good center halves, a mobile and fit central midifielder, a striker under the age of 26 who can score goals and a winger with pace who can actually beat a man and cross a ball.

If we don't do the above then we can say goo d bye to any slight hope of the play offs and then we have to cling to the hope that we'll get what we need in the summer.

I just wish we could fast forward through the rest of this season and start again next August with people who actually know how to run and manage a football club.

 

[Lawrence]

This is a real question, and i know you don't need to break the bank to sign good players, you just need to find the right players, but its January, no club in any league will want to sell their better players, so realistically how much money are we going to need to spend in January?

The positions i think we need..

A new striker
A new Center back (maybe two?)

On the back of that i can think of about 5-6 players who could be sold in January too..

Scougall
Coutts
Woolford
Flynn
Alcock
McEveley
Cuvelier

Same question was asked last summer, and the summer before, and the summer etc, and every transfer window for god knows how many years, so don't hold your breath. To be honest I would like to see us acquire 3 or 4+ good pro's, on relatively small wages which would (hopefully) guarantee thoughs who come in are 100% playing for our club, wearing my shirt with pride and passion! players that supporters can empathise with and not just feel they are just more players jumping on the graveyard train!

They don't have to be super talented, after all we are in the 3rd division. All I want from a player is passion, pride and drive that's what I'm looking for, give me that and you will have my respect... We can get the super talented world beaters later, after we have moved on from this nightmare!

 

[Hunkerby]

I suspect they have a decent scouting system in place, something that is alien to us.

You hit the nail on the head - well done.

 

[SwissBlade]

Dreaming of a top 10 finish in the third fucking division?

Wow, just wow.

Dreaming? It's the stuff of nightmares, but it's also the reality... Sadly

 

[SwissBlade]

First we just needed Collins back

That's one thing we never needed. Hindsight being that wonderful thing, we should've got rid after the first season in league one. Harry made him look acceptable.

The only time I'd put "Collins" and "need" together is if the sentence contains "get rid of" as well

 

[stannyblade]

We seem to have been having the same discussion before every transfer window and get the same result each time. Anybody think this one will be different?

 

[I should coco]

Some, me included have mentioned the word "Charlton" weeks ago.

A great player in his time but surely a bit past it to do a job for us?

I agree it's a crap division, but surely a 78 year won't make that much difference...

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Our signings in Jan will be Hammond and Edgar, that's all folks.

We are run by total and utter morons when it comes to transfer policy.

I wish not only could we start again but that Mcabe Phipps the prince an co would all fuckoff and someone with interest of pushing us up the leagues takes over - get shut of the likes of Morgan and start with football coaches and managers.

I couldn't give a fuck about admin Leicester have been there twice and are top of league and Coventry are top of league now

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

That's one thing we never needed. Hindsight being that wonderful thing, we should've got rid after the first season in league one. Harry made him look acceptable.

The only time I'd put "Collins" and "need" together is if the sentence contains "get rid of" as well

Completely agree but for some reason a lot of our supporters seemed to think he was going to come back into the side an entirely different player.

 

[JohnDenver]

Completely agree but for some reason a lot of our supporters seemed to think he was going to come back into the side an entirely different player.

It wouldn't annoy me so much but Collins was signed on big wages due to our relegation fight. And he's still here all these years later. If we're going to be this bad we can at least do it with cheaper more promising players.

 

[SwissBlade]

It wouldn't annoy me so much but Collins was signed on big wages due to our relegation fight. And he's still here all these years later. If we're going to be this bad we can at least do it with cheaper more promising players.

Yeah no wonder he's happy to be here and loves the club... Where else can you be shit at your job and get paid handsomely for it....

 

[Wapping Blade]

Yeah no wonder he's happy to be here and loves the club... Where else can you be shit at your job and get paid handsomely for it....

Iraq?

 

[SwissBlade]

Iraq?

Boom! Tap in despatched from a yard