Is there currrently an indipendent fans association?

[JJ Sefton]

Bearley had the problems with a jute mill in India, as I recall, something to do with it polluting a large area after some kind of leak. I think it hit his finances and he couldn't afford to subsidise us further so wanted out.

I think that was a bit after. Brealey put his share of the club on the market in 1987 and no bugger was interested.

 

[itsinyerblood]

I totally understand the cynycism here, but I just don't wish to stand back and watch my club implode anymore. I'm at the point where doing ANYTHING is preferable to doing nothing.

Mmmm.....not entirely sure there's an absolute in that comment. Sometimes no deal is better than any deal that happens to offer more than is currently on offer. In the eyes of some I think the idea of a new deal that somehow replaces the existing regime heralds all manner of promised delivery. If I recall, wasn't the game changing nature of the Prince's involvement sold as being on a, relatively speaking, Liverpool scale investment?

I do get your point Fjortoft's Aeroplane, the ambience of despair and desperation that runs through the club, and has for many seasons, needs a methodology that's savvy, resourced, and able to deliver on it's promises rather than offering glib pronouncements that mean next to nothing for hardened Blades. I know all about the behind the scenes support, and of course this is a necessity, and yes, we have bought players in recent seasons, but the overall level of mediocrity has caused an imbalance in player quality that means we are staggeringly poor.

 

[BushBlade]

I think that was a bit after. Brealey put his share of the club on the market in 1987 and no bugger was interested.

And within three years we were a top flight club and he still couldn't get rid.
Was it around that time that Knighton could have had Man U for about £20m? I remember him saying after, when his funding fell through, that he knew he could have got his money back easily just by selling a couple of players. I think he cited Giggs being worth £15m at the time.
Football was as undervalued then as it's overvalued now.

 

[JJ Sefton]

And within three years we were a top flight club and he still couldn't get rid.

He got rid in 1990. To a bloke who, it turned out, had no cash.

 

[BushBlade]

He got rid in 1990. To a bloke who, it turned out, had no cash.

Technically he didn't but we thought he had, so did he.
What a farce.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Technically he didn't.

Only because Woolhouse ran out of cash to keep up the payments.

 

[Darren]

He got rid in 1990. To a bloke who, it turned out, had no cash.

I've got a feeling it was 92 actually after we had been in the top flight for 2 years.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Memries...

http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/foot...eek-luton-town-3-sheffield-united-6-1-7606243

 

[BushBlade]

Only because Woolhouse ran out of cash to keep up the payments.

That's a big 'only'. But I'll rephrase; It took him until some time between 1990 and 1993 to find a buyer with the financial capability to actually complete the purchase of the club.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Go on, I'll ask. Why was MacDonald so bad? He built the new stand, pumped some money into the club and saw us seriously challenging for promotion to the PL for a couple of years. Admittedly, he got fed up, pulled the plug and left us swanning around the lower reaches of D2. But things never got anywhere near as bad as they have under McCabe.

You've answered your own question.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Brealey was no more shady than McCabe.

There are quite a few Indians who would disagree with that.

 

[Darren]

You've answered your own question.

Have I? He gave us two seasons of challenging for promotion, built a new stand and when he left, left us pretty much where he had found us, struggling in the 2nd tier. McCabe, on the other hand, took an established 2nd tier side and turned it into one probably about to break the club record for seasons outside the top two tiers and having given us the longest sustained period of shit football in the club's history.

 

[Silent Blade]

Have I? He gave us two seasons of challenging for promotion, built a new stand and when he left, left us pretty much where he had found us, struggling in the 2nd tier. McCabe, on the other hand, took an established 2nd tier side and turned it into one probably about to break the club record for seasons outside the top two tiers and having given us the longest sustained period of shit football in the club's history.

He made a lot of money from putting us in the Stock Market. Charles Green admitted this. Also he wanted us to merge with Wendy

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

We're not at our lowest ebb. That was relegation to Division 4 in 1981

Funny you should mention that I was wondering what exactly was our lowest position that season, and therefore ever.

 

[Silent Blade]

BIFA was an excellent idea that ended up being hijacked by a few look at me Bigger Blades who liked to hear their names on the Radio and see their pictures in the Star.

I thought it was a great idea too and I became a member of BIFA, went to "meet the board" or "meet the manager" meetings (Matt Bell kindly wrote down what was being said at the meetings I went to). Yes there were unreasonable questions by some of the fans who obviously dont understand how much power the football agents have over transfer dealings and wages also making suggestions on who we should sign (I remember Darren Wrack being mentioned because this fan saw him after just one game and said "what a player!" to Adrian Heath which was so embarrassing). I then decided not to go to anymore of these meetings because like you said that these meetings are hijacked by those who really have nothing to say but like the sound of their own voices.

Big Jim Phipps thought using twitter to communicate with the fans was a great idea but I knew that he will be receiving questions from fans who have never read the SUFC accounts, dont understand why we cannot easily get rid of players who arent performing etc. Am not surprised that it has worn him out

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Anyone read Animal Farm ?

Reading it atm

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Have I? He gave us two seasons of challenging for promotion, built a new stand and when he left, left us pretty much where he had found us, struggling in the 2nd tier. McCabe, on the other hand, took an established 2nd tier side and turned it into one probably about to break the club record for seasons outside the top two tiers and having given us the longest sustained period of shit football in the club's history.

This, I am flabbergasted that Mcabe gets very little stick compared to Brearley / Mcdonald.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

I totally understand the cynycism here, but I just don't wish to stand back and watch my club implode anymore. I'm at the point where doing ANYTHING is preferable to doing nothing.

I just don't buy that the club is imploding.

I'd like to see Adkins here for years to come. I think we could be building the foundations for a bright future - as long as we get behind the project.

 

[pommpey]

Fact is that Brealey left us in a better state than he found us, on and off the field, and gave us four seasons of top flight football. McCabe has given us one season and turned us from an established Division Two side into an established Division Three side.

BOOM!

If I could 'like' this post any more times, I would. Just study what Stow has said there, fellow Bladesmen. Try your hardest to disprove the truth in those words and splice in Darren's

McCabe, on the other hand, took an established 2nd tier side and turned it into one probably about to break the club record for seasons outside the top two tiers and having given us the longest sustained period of shit football in the club's history.

and go figure what the fuck is going on with this club. When I mention 'Common Denominators' I mean it. A flurry with post-Bassett, the rise-and-fall of Warnock, post-Warnock demise ending in the day before yesterday, a dismal cop-out against a team we should by rights be taking three points from.

If anyone thinks our ongoing policy of flogging our best players and pinning our hopes on the likes of Sharp, Done and Brayford as a panacea to haul the rest into the next division then I'd like to see your working out. There's a reason statements such as the investment won't come until we are up in the next division and that is entirely McCabe-shaped and his want to retain value to eventually sell. We are all being treat like mugs, and when I controversially named ST buyers 'cabbages' earlier this season (and fielded a lot of shit for it - deservedly) it wasn't meant in context from my viewpoint. It is seemingly how I feel he sees the loyal fans who turn up week in week out to see us fail, whilst he covets and protects his golden egg.

pommpey