MMBUTB
Member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2017
- Messages
- 152
- Reaction score
- 257
I’m going to play devil’s advocate for a minute, to see if there is any other opinion than we are all going to hell in a handcart.
The board have made long‑term decisions that suggest a long‑term vision: safe standing on the Kop, Bramall Lane roof works, and potentially the training ground if that finally gets moving. Yes, we’ve sold marquee players like Brooks and O’Hare, but with Donavan and Brereton Díaz coming in, is the squad actually worse? And we’ve strengthened the bank balance. Selling Gus with a year left could also be seen as sensible.
Last season’s chaos with Selles ruffled feathers, but they recognised the mistake within six games and reversed it. The final league position was shaped far more by the staff who had the majority of the season than by Selles or the board. That summer window could have been the first real reset after income was reducing. Gambles were made, some didn’t pay off, but not much money was spent and we still have two starting centre‑backs to show for it.
I’m not saying everything is rosy, but with parachute payments gone we need a major shift in how we view the club’s finances. The outstanding payment issues may be more to do with the Prince and the ownership relationship than SUFC itself. We should be careful linking on‑pitch performance directly to the board while completely ignoring the quality of the playing staff and how they’re coached.
Right now, CW is definitely the right man for the job. Do I expect wonders? No. But if over this year and maybe next we can readjust as a Championship club without extra payments, I’ll view that as a success — and a platform to find our next Chris Wilder to potentially start challenging for promotion again. In the meantime, it won’t be pretty to watch, and we need to be careful our love affair with CW doesn’t place the blame disproportionately elsewhere. If more comes out to change this, we’ll be the first in the car park with our shoes off.
The board have made long‑term decisions that suggest a long‑term vision: safe standing on the Kop, Bramall Lane roof works, and potentially the training ground if that finally gets moving. Yes, we’ve sold marquee players like Brooks and O’Hare, but with Donavan and Brereton Díaz coming in, is the squad actually worse? And we’ve strengthened the bank balance. Selling Gus with a year left could also be seen as sensible.
Last season’s chaos with Selles ruffled feathers, but they recognised the mistake within six games and reversed it. The final league position was shaped far more by the staff who had the majority of the season than by Selles or the board. That summer window could have been the first real reset after income was reducing. Gambles were made, some didn’t pay off, but not much money was spent and we still have two starting centre‑backs to show for it.
I’m not saying everything is rosy, but with parachute payments gone we need a major shift in how we view the club’s finances. The outstanding payment issues may be more to do with the Prince and the ownership relationship than SUFC itself. We should be careful linking on‑pitch performance directly to the board while completely ignoring the quality of the playing staff and how they’re coached.
Right now, CW is definitely the right man for the job. Do I expect wonders? No. But if over this year and maybe next we can readjust as a Championship club without extra payments, I’ll view that as a success — and a platform to find our next Chris Wilder to potentially start challenging for promotion again. In the meantime, it won’t be pretty to watch, and we need to be careful our love affair with CW doesn’t place the blame disproportionately elsewhere. If more comes out to change this, we’ll be the first in the car park with our shoes off.
