Interview With Collins

[Tyler Durden]

In fairness a very decent and a candid read.

http://www.viewfromthejohnstreet.co...e-failed-to-win-promotion-to-the-championship

 

[Bladesince59]

In fairness a very decent and a candid read.

http://www.viewfromthejohnstreet.co...e-failed-to-win-promotion-to-the-championship

It does seem fair. What a twat Clough was but I already knew that.

 

[PeteBlade]

An excellent and very honest interview to be fair.

Id love to know the players he's alluding to, Brandy was definitely one of them.

He seems to share our frustrations and echo some of the reasons we think have stopped us going up.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

A good read and Collins comes across as a decent bloke. He got a lot of stick on here for always shouting at others but from his comments there I think there’s a sense of frustration that he felt, despite his limited ability he was always giving his all and that if other more talented players had taken that approach, we might have done better.


It seems a good move for him. I wouldn’t have wanted to keep him beyond the end of the season but I wish him well.

 

[TJB.]

'When you look at people like Sean McGinty, Jasper Johns, Fabian Brandy.'

Let's do that.

Jasper Johns from what I can tell hasn't had a club since he left us.
McGinty is at Aldershot Town.

And where has Febian ended up? Well...

 

[Grappler]

A couple of seasons ago, coming out after the Oldham game (at Oldham) I was stuck in queue of cars on the wasteland (before they built the new car park), and we were there so long that the teams had warmed down, showered and were coming out, Collins walked out with an older bloke, who could have been his dad. He had played a good game, so I shouted , "good game today mate, well done", he smiled and almost blushed, and shouted "thank you", and waved.

He had almost a shyness to him, and that one meeting with him always left me scratching my head when I read of rumours that he was a bad influence in the dressing room, he just didn't seem the type.

Not saying he was a great player, or I am right and the rumours were wrong, just my personal observation.

 

[Bladesman]

I still think Collins is holding back on saying anything that will show him in a bad light.

I am sure there was a bust up between Collins and Butler with Doyle getting involved. Clough for all his faults won't have just dropped him for no reason.

Collins is no saint and needs to stop painting himself as one.

 

[mosbolad]

I'm afraid I just don't agree with this Collins love-in

Whilst yes it was an interesting read, once again nothing is ever Collin's fault. He is just a helpless victim of other peoples action and of course off the pitch it appears still just as quick to point the finger at others.

"I always acted professionally and gave 100 per cent.To be perfectly honest if everyone who came through the door had done and played like that in my time we probably wouldn't be in that league."

I'm always wary of any sentence that contains 'to be perfectly honest'. Basically he's saying 'if only everyone was as good as me we would have been promoted'?

“It was all just freak so that year I don't think the blame can be levelled at anyone,” said Collins. Except of course he did just that a few paragraphs earlier.

“Davie Weir did a lot of good things but never managed to get the rub of the green,” said Collins. (Winning 1 match out of 13?).

“At that time with the recruitment policy I think we probably signed four or five players who aren't playing professional football anymore. When you look at people like Sean McGinty, Jasper Johns, Fabian Brandy. Maybe you can look back at that with some regret.”
Were these the good things that Weir did?

"Davie didn't win enough but some performances we completely controlled the game. We dominated teams off the park with the ball and some results could have gone either way."
My memory is somewhat different culminating in losing to Hartlepool and young Davie getting the sack but there yer go.

“Throughout the whole time I've always told the total truth,” he said. “There was no big bust-up, there was no isolated incident where we had a shouting match. I wasn't late for training or anything.There were no words or explanation about what happened. I wasn't given the opportunity to fight for my place from the bench or in the squad. That opportunity just wasn't there. He clearly wanted to excommunicate me. There was no real reason for it. I was told I wasn't in the squad by Gary Crosby and things gradually got worse for me. Then after November I was told I could leave and wouldn't be training with the first team anymore, I'd be training with the Under-21s."

So according to Collins, for no reason whatsoever, none at all, zero, nothing, he was the model professional, he was excommunicated and dropped to play in the 21's? Mmmm, I am not defending Clough at all but this does not quite ring true.

Clough’s black book. “I was the most high profile case when you bear in mind over the previous three seasons I had played 150 games,” he said.
High profile in his own mind maybe.

“My thoughts were always to play for Sheffield United until I was no longer wanted."
But Collins was engineering a move out of the club, so maybe he was told he was no longer wanted? He doesn't mention that funnily enough.

So frankly I'm not particularly taken in by good ol' honest Collins. He paints a picture of his time at the club with him as the high profile victim of simply bizzarre decisions, when he was the top pro that could have led us to promotion? Well whatever........

Having said all that, of course it must have been a very worrying time when his son was ill and I am pleased he has recovered and wish the Collins family well in their adventure abroad.

 

[Balham]

It's pretty clear that in some minds Collins the off-the-pitch person (decent bloke by all accounts) and Collins the on-the-pitch footballer (not good enough for us) have become blurred and he became the focal point for our extended stay in League One.

On the Clough falling out: it's highly likely that Collins won't have had a clue why Clough froze him out; that was just his (NC's) way. One day you were in the squad, the next you'd done something to offend him and that was that.

Neill Collins did his best for United over his 5 years here but let's face it, that was at least two years too long. At least he's indoctrinated his kids.

Whilst yes it was an interesting read, once again nothing is ever Collin's fault. He is just a helpless victim of other peoples action and of course off the pitch it appears still just as quick to point the finger at others.

I'll drag up the quote from a mate now at a club Collins has played for in the not too distant past:

You really don't want to point out Collins' role in any goals conceded. It was never his fault

"I always acted professionally and gave 100 per cent.To be perfectly honest if everyone who came through the door had done and played like that in my time we probably wouldn't be in that league."

I'm always wary of any sentence that contains 'to be perfectly honest'. Basically he's saying 'if only everyone was as good as me we would have been promoted'?

I don't think he's saying that at all. What I think he's saying is "if everyone put in the effort and made the most of the ability they'd got like I did then we'd have been promoted" and I suspect it's aimed at Jose Baxter (as well as a few of the others in the current squad) too.

 

[sitwell]

You can hear the tears landing on the paper. Shit footballer ,got a fucking lot out of Sheffield United ,far too much. Good riddance.

 

[pommpey]

He was a bit bobbar though, wasn't he?

With Maguire, they were like husband a wife, at each other all the time but working well to keep oppositions at bay. When Maguire left, it showed how good Collins really was, and it wasn't that good. From all I remember he had all the attributes, but none of the applicability. Compare him, if you will with Morgan, Page, Beesley and Jags ... an CBs we have had playing for us and tell me what your comparitors are.

As for being a nice bloke, I'd rather him be a whale sized cunt but boss the penalty area. Think Hyppia and Hertzog, but bellends to a man, but their workrate and defending acumen was pretty good.

pommpey

 

[Esablade]

A couple of seasons ago, coming out after the Oldham game (at Oldham) I was stuck in queue of cars on the wasteland (before they built the new car park), and we were there so long that the teams had warmed down, showered and were coming out, Collins walked out with an older bloke, who could have been his dad. He had played a good game, so I shouted , "good game today mate, well done", he smiled and almost blushed, and shouted "thank you", and waved.

He had almost a shyness to him, and that one meeting with him always left me scratching my head when I read of rumours that he was a bad influence in the dressing room, he just didn't seem the type.

Not saying he was a great player, or I am right and the rumours were wrong, just my personal observation.

It's always the quiet, shouty ones...

 

[Grappler]

It's always the quiet, shouty ones...

ha ha yes mate, you are probably right!

 

[BushBlade]

'When you look at people like Sean McGinty, Jasper Johns, Fabian Brandy.'

Let's do that.

Jasper Johns from what I can tell hasn't had a club since he left us.
McGinty is at Aldershot Town.

And where has Febian ended up? Well...

Well, at least it has a happy ending.

 

[Grappler]

I still think Collins is holding back on saying anything that will show him in a bad light.

I am sure there was a bust up between Collins and Butler with Doyle getting involved. Clough for all his faults won't have just dropped him for no reason.

Collins is no saint and needs to stop painting himself as one.

I was told by someone who was fairly in-the-know back then (connected to the club, but no longer is), that it was a bust up between Andy Butler and Doyle. Something along the lines of Clough had promised Butler the captain's arm band, as part of the deal to get him to sign for the club. No one else at the club knew, so on the training pitch Doyle was barking the orders out and so was Butler, Butler tells Doyle that he is the Captain, Doyle thinks he is trying it on and says "news to me", they square up to each other (for all his lack of height, I believe this part, can't see Doyle backing down), and Collins steams in behind Doyle to back him up.

Butler shouts to Clough, "who's in charge at this club, you or him, who makes the decisions?", next thing Butler was out.

Could be totally wrong, but that is the way I heard it (more or less)

 

[LoughboroBlade]

I was told by someone who was fairly in-the-know back then (connected to the club, but no longer is), that it was a bust up between Andy Butler and Doyle. Something along the lines of Clough had promised Butler the captain's arm band, as part of the deal to get him to sign for the club. No one else at the club knew, so on the training pitch Doyle was barking the orders out and so was Butler, Butler tells Doyle that he is the Captain, Doyle thinks he is trying it on and says "news to me", they square up to each other (for all his lack of height, I believe this part, can't see Doyle backing down), and Collins steams in behind Doyle to back him up.

Butler shouts to Clough, "who's in charge at this club, you or him, who makes the decisions?", next thing Butler was out.

Could be totally wrong, but that is the way I heard it (more or less)

That would go a little way to explaining Clough's subsequent weird decision to give the captaincy to Higdon in the Bristol City game. He perhaps thought the whole thing was extremely petty, so to highlight how unimportant it was he just handed it to one of the least qualified people in the starting XI...

 

[Grappler]

That would go a little way to explaining Clough's subsequent weird decision to give the captaincy to Higdon in the Bristol City game. He perhaps thought the whole thing was extremely petty, so to highlight how unimportant it was he just handed it to one of the least qualified people in the starting XI...

May be mate. It also explains the sudden disappearance of Butler.

None of us were there of course, so I can only repeat what I was told.

 

[Damski]

Great read. I think at the end of the day, Collins has been average at best for us and perhaps Clough felt that and deemed him surplus to requirements. It's great that he gave his all, but it doesn't make him a good player. We've only got Collins' side of the story, but if it's true that Clough delegated giving Collins the bad news to someone else, that's unprofessional and poor management. I like to reserve judgement until I hear both sides tho.

I'd forgotten Collins had been here for so long. Average player, but I'll always admire him for being part of that back 4 that got like 9 (correct me if I'm wrong stats bods) clean sheets in a row during that wonderful run in Clough's first season.

 

[Revolution]

Great read. I think at the end of the day, Collins has been average at best for us and perhaps Clough felt that and deemed him surplus to requirements. It's great that he gave his all, but it doesn't make him a good player. We've only got Collins' side of the story, but if it's true that Clough delegated giving Collins the bad news to someone else, that's unprofessional and poor management. I like to reserve judgement until I hear both sides tho.

FOr what it's worth JCR told exactly the same story about the circumstances in which he was dropped and loaned out by Clough - Clough never spoke to him or told him why.

 

[sitwell]

I heard butler had a big poo , Doyle claimed it , they had a fight about it and higdon walked in. Clough gave him the armband. Collins played like one and was dropped

 

[Woodwardfan]

As one who supported Collins on here times many, not because he was a world-beater but because he was an honest player, the interview is just what I'd expect from a bloke who always did his best.

It also confirms all I worked out about Clough and what I sensed about Weir who was simply a victim of circumstances, working to the new 'austerity budget' , only here five minutes but a lot to offer which he has proved elsewhere, albeit as a No.2 as yet.

I honestly think we would be better off at this moment in time if we had kept Weir and carried on without the prince's money. That's not ungrateful to the prince, it's rather a realisation that something needs to change drastically and by now Weir, and the new model which was his brief, would be bearing fruit or it would have failed by now; my guess is that it would be something special by now but we'll never know. Yes his signings were poor but they were cut-price and would never have had the financial effects that some of these other characters have had overpaid on 3 year contracts.

Personally I now realise that I was wrong about Danny Wilson, you can't hear so many good things about a bloke from serious pros and quality people, without realising the man did a very good job with us under difficult circumstances.

 

[Pollingtonblade]

It's because of useless fuckers like this we are where we are this twat stole 5 years wages from us and I couldn't give a flying fuck what he says/thinks.

 

[BushBlade]

It's because of useless fuckers like this we are where we are this twat stole 5 years wages from us and I couldn't give a flying fuck what he says/thinks.

It's because of useless fuckers like this we are where we are this twat stole 5 years wages from us and I couldn't give a flying fuck what he says/thinks.

Bit harsh. Anyone would think he was part of a side that got us relegated.....

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

I was told by someone who was fairly in-the-know back then (connected to the club, but no longer is), that it was a bust up between Andy Butler and Doyle. Something along the lines of Clough had promised Butler the captain's arm band, as part of the deal to get him to sign for the club. No one else at the club knew, so on the training pitch Doyle was barking the orders out and so was Butler, Butler tells Doyle that he is the Captain, Doyle thinks he is trying it on and says "news to me", they square up to each other (for all his lack of height, I believe this part, can't see Doyle backing down), and Collins steams in behind Doyle to back him up.

Butler shouts to Clough, "who's in charge at this club, you or him, who makes the decisions?", next thing Butler was out.

Could be totally wrong, but that is the way I heard it (more or less)

So to conclude Butler was fucked on a gentleman agreement , players shit on each other , Clough shit on everyone , even McCabe . Yes the lane is a looney bin .

For all the players gone , all the players that are going to go , Clough gone . Good riddance to bad blood .

Adkins is bringing some decorum to the proceedings .

Would we have been better off if Clough had fucked Collins off and kept Butler , who knows , but Butler ain't pulling any trees up at Donny .

Collins has done better out of SUFC than SUFC out of Collins. No love in with me for the fella.

You just couldn't make it up , unless it was Villa.

UTB

 

[Davie Blade]

Great read. I don't need Clough's side of the story. Not that I am closing my mind but the evidence to me is pretty overwhelming.
Too may people frozen out, the lies on his non existent injury , the arrogant interviews, the piss poor man-management skills, the confirmation by several players, still continuing in the same manner at Burton..
Why would Doyle lie in this article?

What a hideous abominable way to treat with your own players
Clough is so far up his own ass he forgets, IT IS PLAYERS WHO MAKE THE MANAGER NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

 

[JohnDenver]

There's one obvious truth he's avoiding in these comments. Clough thought he wasn't good enough and decided to bomb him out. He was right about that too - quite clearly, Collins wasn't good enough.

That's a different issue to why he didn't let him back in when we had a centre back shortage, but there's no mystery as to why he was dumped.

 

[Harry's Game]

Collins was never a great signing to start with.

However thre seems to be number of similar things being said about Clough and the same situations already developing at Burton.

Not a day goes by I am not glad Clough is no longer our manager, but the damage he did and money he wasted is likely to leave us stuck in this league for years.

 

[Robboblade1889]

He was a mediocre player who was an ever present in one of the worse periods of our history!! I watched him closely at times and he was very good at passing the blame onto others. The games he played in the season we were relegated from the championship were some of the worse performances I have seen form a player in a Blades shirt he was truly woeful!
So he bigs up the united fans and so he should the garbage we have had to endure in the last few season has taken most fans to breaking point! At the end of the day he should have gone a long time ago but while he was picking up a good wage he wasn't going anywhere!!

 

[BushBlade]

He was a mediocre player who was an ever present in one of the worse periods of our history!! I watched him closely at times and he was very good at passing the blame onto others. The games he played in the season we were relegated from the championship were some of the worse performances I have seen form a player in a Blades shirt he was truly woeful!
So he bigs up the united fans and so he should the garbage we have had to endure in the last few season has taken most fans to breaking point! At the end of the day he should have gone a long time ago but while he was picking up a good wage he wasn't going anywhere!!

Yeah but it's not his fault.

 

[bladeinspaceandtime]

There's one obvious truth he's avoiding in these comments. Clough thought he wasn't good enough and decided to bomb him out. He was right about that too - quite clearly, Collins wasn't good enough.

That's a different issue to why he didn't let him back in when we had a centre back shortage, but there's no mystery as to why he was dumped.

Clough should have had the balls to tell him to his face if he wanted to drop him.