It's time for some action.....

[super_pig]

Or, as has been proposed, McCabe doesn't see us being promoted as viable. Sure, we'd cop for some prize money and an increased bounty next season, but from his point of view, if this is how we take failure down here, imagine what he is going to have to invest next season upstairs in the Championship. We will need every single player clearing out, with no exceptions. Brayford would be run ragged, Sharp would not (and has not proven he could) be able to thwart Championship defences and Done would fade fast through lack of chances. McCabe knows that. He knows we would have to have huge investment to even think about evading the drop back down.

pommpey

and he wouldn't get that many extra fans to pay for it!

 

[Dkc]

I just read on another thread that the players are not trying in order to get Adkins sacked.

Now I'm reading that our Co-Chairman doesn't actually want promotion and actually wants us to remain in League One.

Any more conspiracy theories going?

 

[Grappler]

McCabe IS trying to sell the club, he wants out and wants as much money as he can (can't blame him for trying to recoup as much of his investment as he can). The problem is, we are too expensive, as a League One/Division Three club. It was cheaper to buy the scum from S6 in the Championship than to pay McCabe's going rate for us in League One.

 

[blade.i.am]

Perhaps as a protest we could do a reverse Delia Smith. All congregate on the pitch and shout 'where are ya?' At the directors box.

 

[pommpey]

I just read on another thread that the players are not trying in order to get Adkins sacked.

Now I'm reading that our Co-Chairman doesn't actually want promotion and actually wants us to remain in League One.

Any more conspiracy theories going?

Thing is, you have just reclassified sound business strategy as a 'conspiracy theory' and downgraded it. In fairness, if McCabe has invested as much as we all speculate and it has turned to ashes, then whatever else he has in the club within the layers of business empire he has built is indeed his, and why should he give a fat fuck if a few Unitedites have sand in their fannies because we are in div three? The cost of the land, the hotel and the other liquefiable assets are obviously steady so his cash in there is safe as. He'll only sell if he can cover his own costs, or at least minimise the losses. He's not likely to sell because us lot are saying 'fucking go' on an internet forum.

The only way he'll be forced out is if his stock in the club drops, if there's a compounded campaign within the boardroom or if he gets a blindingly great offer, and even then dear readers, you'd better pray that the incoming investor has the cash to rebuild the team and isn't someone who will have flats built on Bramall Lane within five years and us looking at our accoutrements and wondering what happened to our club.

There's no conspiracy. Just realistic outcomes.

pommpey

 

[Dkc]

why should he give a fat fuck if a few Unitedites have sand in their fannies because we are in div three?

Money's not everything to McCabe. Remember, he's a Unitedite too.

Does he really want to risk becoming hate-figure no. 1 by keeping us in L1 for the rest of his days? I find it hard to believe that he's balking at the "cost" of promotion. But even if this were true, why would he not want us to go up and give it a go on the cheap? Even if we don't stay up for more than a season what have has lost financially?

 

[pommpey]

Money's not everything to McCabe. Remember, he's a Unitedite too.

If clause 1 were true, we'd still have Maguire, McDonald, Quinn, Murphy, Blackman et al. See also clause 2

Does he really want to risk becoming hate-figure no. 1 by keeping us in L1 for the rest of his days? I find it hard to believe that he's balking at the "cost" of promotion. But even if this were true, why would he not want us to go up and give it a go on the cheap? Even if we don't stay up for more than a season what have has lost financially?

What does it matter? Was he at today's game? He spends most of his time in Belgium and has United simply as a standing asset in his portfolio, or at least, it's assets within. As long as we stay in Div 1 and 20k keep rolling the turnstiles and we have the odd cup run, what changes, except the cash he has lost already? If we went up, it would take between £20-25m to assemble a squad with enough strength and depth to maintain a position upstairs. You can't honestly imagine any of the current set of players have anywhere near enough to cut it in the league above, surely?

He's done his sums, and we are better where we are. For him, anyway.

pommpey

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

And it's not about boycotts or car park protests - it's time for real change in the club.

We've now become established in England's third division. Some realities need to sink in, and we need to shape up for a leaner future;

1. Owner - Kevin McCabe - He should put us on the market and signal his intention to move on. After more than a decade in charge, he has failed, miserably. I don't subscribe to the idea he hasn't invested enough. He is just a serial, piss poor decision maker. Poor and cheap managerial appointments, poor structuring on the boardroom, poor appointments of key decision makers, poor yet big investments into sideshows (China, Hotels, leisure clubs) that have failed. A complete and utter failure, unfortunately.

2. Jim Phipps - Time to quit the social media. His positive spin is inevitably sucked up by the masses, creating expectation that exceeds realities. If you talk about investment into the team, fans inevitably think of new money, not using money form cup runs and player sales to fund the disastrous signings made by previous failed managers.

3. The Academy - Close it, save millions a year, and take the cash injection form selling the land. There's a case that player sales have paid for it - but what positives have come out of the academy overall? Again, raised expectations, the odd exceptional output that had to be sold for the very debt created by the thing that created them. We'd be much better speculating on young players from elsewhere, key players in key positions, at the time we actually need them.

4. The transfer policy - it must be torn up and re-written. We must stop paying a fortune to catch ageing falling stars with zero potential resale value. We have invested a fortune in this area, and still managed to leave the impression that we've done it on the cheap - such is the complete failure of successive management teams to invest wisely.

5. The current manager - we must give him time to rebuild. BUT, he must be told that he has continued with the same failed transfer strategy, and it musts top now. His signings have been, on the whole, poor. The latest window just encapsulates it, perfectly demonstrated today, We resign a 32 year old player on an enormous salary who looks nothing more than an average third division player, and miss out on the young up and comer who formed part of the latest team to roll up and walk all over us.

6. The current team - release every single player who's contract is up. Listen to offers for every single player.

Season over for me. We should put our focus on the summer rebuild, and treat the remainder of the season as preparation for that. Anything positive that comes form this season is an unforeseen bonus from here.

UTB

What an accurate, well written and considered post. Best one I've ever seen on this forum and massive respect to you for putting it across so well. There isn't a single part of it I don't agree with.

Someone should send this to the club and I for one am happy to say it speaks for me as well.

 

[davidpinder]

Dear oh dear we are in a real mess aren't we. So what is there that we can actually do about it? If I'm honest I don't know. McCabe will NEVER just up and leave this football club he has to much invested in it and has a totally different value on things than everyone else. No one in there right mind will buy this club for what McCabe will want to get and with him owning anything worth selling we have a real problem.

Adkins isn't doing himself any favours, his team selection is poor, signings very average, he actually seems to be after the wrong type of player. I think it's time now to look at some of the younger players, DCL needs a shot and a decision needs to be made over Diego. We need hungry players out there a team that wants to win, not one that is happy to just collect the pay cheque ever week. Poor loans need to be sent back and fringe players with no future need paying off what have they got left 3 months? Not going to cost the earth.

The board need a crisis meeting and have to decide if any investment is going to be made on the first team because if we are losing money now with 20k every week what happens when it becomes 15k.? I spoke to 3 people today definitely not renewing, fed up with the lies and false promises.

This clubs in a mess and needs a total clear out from board level all the way to the tea lady and it needs to start now.

 

[Laverstandforever]

we invest a lot in our academy, but what is the point in it, when we don't manage to give Dimaio and Diego any chance in the first team, probably put 1,000s of hours into developing them and it got no where

 

[alcoblade]

we invest a lot in our academy, but what is the point in it, when we don't manage to give Dimaio and Diego any chance in the first team, probably put 1,000s of hours into developing them and it got no where

We don't put them in the first team because they aren't good enough. Just like the vast majority of their predecessors, for whom many people called for first team opportunities, and have now disappeared into football backwaters.

UTB

 

[Bladesince59]

Burton Albion are a better proposition than Sheff Utd. Would you ever believe it?

 

[blade67]

Stalemate 50/50 was never going to work. We will see our club in ashes before the current greedy owner and HRH see eye to eye about moving forward. With all due respect alcoblade we can do the square root f feck all but I recognise you pain and passion and commend it

I don't agree. Fans making the board feel uncomfortable will have an impact eventually. it did with brearly and we were languishing halfway up the championship when those protests took place

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

Completely agree with point 1, as that will be the real catalyist for change. However, his stranglehold on the club is too great.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

And it's not about boycotts or car park protests - it's time for real change in the club.

We've now become established in England's third division. Some realities need to sink in, and we need to shape up for a leaner future;

1. Owner - Kevin McCabe - He should put us on the market and signal his intention to move on. After more than a decade in charge, he has failed, miserably. I don't subscribe to the idea he hasn't invested enough. He is just a serial, piss poor decision maker. Poor and cheap managerial appointments, poor structuring on the boardroom, poor appointments of key decision makers, poor yet big investments into sideshows (China, Hotels, leisure clubs) that have failed. A complete and utter failure, unfortunately.

2. Jim Phipps - Time to quit the social media. His positive spin is inevitably sucked up by the masses, creating expectation that exceeds realities. If you talk about investment into the team, fans inevitably think of new money, not using money form cup runs and player sales to fund the disastrous signings made by previous failed managers.

3. The Academy - Close it, save millions a year, and take the cash injection form selling the land. There's a case that player sales have paid for it - but what positives have come out of the academy overall? Again, raised expectations, the odd exceptional output that had to be sold for the very debt created by the thing that created them. We'd be much better speculating on young players from elsewhere, key players in key positions, at the time we actually need them.

4. The transfer policy - it must be torn up and re-written. We must stop paying a fortune to catch ageing falling stars with zero potential resale value. We have invested a fortune in this area, and still managed to leave the impression that we've done it on the cheap - such is the complete failure of successive management teams to invest wisely.

5. The current manager - we must give him time to rebuild. BUT, he must be told that he has continued with the same failed transfer strategy, and it musts top now. His signings have been, on the whole, poor. The latest window just encapsulates it, perfectly demonstrated today, We resign a 32 year old player on an enormous salary who looks nothing more than an average third division player, and miss out on the young up and comer who formed part of the latest team to roll up and walk all over us.

6. The current team - release every single player who's contract is up. Listen to offers for every single player.

Season over for me. We should put our focus on the summer rebuild, and treat the remainder of the season as preparation for that. Anything positive that comes form this season is an unforeseen bonus from here.

UTB

The Academy facility is also the training facilities for the first team.
That's indoor and outdoor pitches, gym, physio rooms, manager's offices etc.
If you close it and sell off the land, where do the first team go for training?
Would the club need to build new training facilities elsewhere? How much would all that cost?

Does it really cost "millions a year" to run The Academy? Why would it after the initial outlay?
Could we close just the "young player" part of the academy and keep the training facility?
How much would that save the club per year?
Would it be more cost-effective to keep it open and produce a Naughton/Walker/Maguire every 5 years?

What is true is that the costs of running a training facility/academy seem to be shrouded in unnecessary mystery.
Some think it must cost millions to run which we can never recoup.
Others think it must surely be turning an overall profit.

Maybe this could be a straightforward aim of any fans group.
Greater transparency on certain areas of the club's finances?
I'm not talking specific players wages just how much the academy facility costs to run and such like.

It probably doesn't even need a new fans group to find this stuff out.
As Foxy mentioned, the channels of communication are already open.
Any chance of asking this question at the next fans/club meeting Foxy or Linz?

 

[Sothall_Blade]

This is what we would be losing and having to recreate similar elsewhere

 

[Kenilworth]

It's too near to the Sty - that's the problem

 

[Taramasalata]

Part of the problem is that past fans initiatives ended up being headed up by the egotists, the look at me, im a bigger blade therefore my opinion is the only one that matters and I get my face on tv as the face of the fans..on the whole bifa and suisa ended being toothless hagiographers for the club.

id love to ge involved in a fans group that pushed for real change, but seeing as I decided that giving my money to a club going nowhere was pointless when they apoointed robson and have only been to a handful of matches since, I would be seen as not a proper blade...

the only way forward is to develop a clear mandate of what fans want...you can take a sounding from here, blades mad etc but thats only getting those who can be arsed to go online to talk about our club...do we want a club run by the fans? Why not get to mr mcacbe and see how much he would take if the fans bought it from him...

but the biggest problem is, and I say this with all due respect to those I know and have known for years on this site, I wouldnt want anyone from this site, or any internet site like this anywhere near running our club...

 

[Chali 2na]

You're right, it is time for some action:

 

[alcoblade]

Part of the problem is that past fans initiatives ended up being headed up by the egotists, the look at me, im a bigger blade therefore my opinion is the only one that matters and I get my face on tv as the face of the fans..on the whole bifa and suisa ended being toothless hagiographers for the club.

id love to ge involved in a fans group that pushed for real change, but seeing as I decided that giving my money to a club going nowhere was pointless when they apoointed robson and have only been to a handful of matches since, I would be seen as not a proper blade...

the only way forward is to develop a clear mandate of what fans want...you can take a sounding from here, blades mad etc but thats only getting those who can be arsed to go online to talk about our club...do we want a club run by the fans? Why not get to mr mcacbe and see how much he would take if the fans bought it from him...

but the biggest problem is, and I say this with all due respect to those I know and have known for years on this site, I wouldnt want anyone from this site, or any internet site like this anywhere near running our club...

I'd bet there are plenty if people on this site who could run the club better than McCabe has. In fact, it would be difficult to do a worse job.

Not all fans believe we should "sack the board" and "spend more money". It's poor decisions, not lack if investment, that has fucked us over.

UTB

 

[Northyorksblade]

1.Yes. I dont want to go again this season to be honest. I actually dislike going to games at the moment and we realistically have nothing to play for
2.No, I am almost certainly not getting one next season

Will you still Do your view from, from afar? Although of course you didn't say you wouldn't be going and actually, you don't have to be there to do view from.

 

[Taramasalata]

I'd bet there are plenty if people on this site who is somuch fun!!!!ould run the club better than McCabe has. In fact, it would be difficult to do a worse job.

Not all fans believe we should "sack the board" and "spend more money". It's poor decisions, not lack if investment, that has fucked us over.

UTB

I have the balls to say I would enjoy running the club, with someone elses money...football manager Is so much fun...the problem is fans want instant success...we have a raft of players on decent money, if no one wants them, we are stuck until the contract runs out....we need a policy of young hungry players, set a wage ceiling, stick to that...

most importantly is honesty..to everyone...honesty in the accounts, honesty in dealing with the press, the fans, everyone...

most important is the realisation we may be in this league a bit longer for radical change to work...

 

[Dkc]

Their decision-making may be poor but I believe that Kev and Jim are - or at least think they are - working in the club's best interests, not their own or the interest or their other businesses. I also think it will come good next year under Adkins. We just need to accept that the rebuilding job is bigger than anyone thought, and let Adkins get on with it.

 

[The Bohemian]

Oops

 

[Rodley]

We need a chairman who understands football and offers continuity when managers come and go. There's no overarching plan or philosophy in the medium to long term. It's "here you go Nige, have £2m to sign a right back". There's no coherent strategy.

 

[The Bohemian]

And it's not about boycotts or car park protests - it's time for real change in the club.

We've now become established in England's third division. Some realities need to sink in, and we need to shape up for a leaner future;

1. Owner - Kevin McCabe - He should put us on the market and signal his intention to move on. After more than a decade in charge, he has failed, miserably. I don't subscribe to the idea he hasn't invested enough. He is just a serial, piss poor decision maker. Poor and cheap managerial appointments, poor structuring on the boardroom, poor appointments of key decision makers, poor yet big investments into sideshows (China, Hotels, leisure clubs) that have failed. A complete and utter failure, unfortunately.

2. Jim Phipps - Time to quit the social media. His positive spin is inevitably sucked up by the masses, creating expectation that exceeds realities. If you talk about investment into the team, fans inevitably think of new money, not using money form cup runs and player sales to fund the disastrous signings made by previous failed managers.

3. The Academy - Close it, save millions a year, and take the cash injection form selling the land. There's a case that player sales have paid for it - but what positives have come out of the academy overall? Again, raised expectations, the odd exceptional output that had to be sold for the very debt created by the thing that created them. We'd be much better speculating on young players from elsewhere, key players in key positions, at the time we actually need them.

4. The transfer policy - it must be torn up and re-written. We must stop paying a fortune to catch ageing falling stars with zero potential resale value. We have invested a fortune in this area, and still managed to leave the impression that we've done it on the cheap - such is the complete failure of successive management teams to invest wisely.

5. The current manager - we must give him time to rebuild. BUT, he must be told that he has continued with the same failed transfer strategy, and it musts top now. His signings have been, on the whole, poor. The latest window just encapsulates it, perfectly demonstrated today, We resign a 32 year old player on an enormous salary who looks nothing more than an average third division player, and miss out on the young up and comer who formed part of the latest team to roll up and walk all over us.

6. The current team - release every single player who's contract is up. Listen to offers for every single player.

Season over for me. We should put our focus on the summer rebuild, and treat the remainder of the season as preparation for that. Anything positive that comes form this season is an unforeseen bonus from here.

UTB

An erudite and carefully considered post Alco, which captures several of the key issues blighting our club over recent years.

1. McCabe: with a large tinge of sadness it is difficult to argue with your summary of his tenure being, at this point, an abject failure. Given the very distant prospect of promotion, it is very likely we will spend a minimum of 6 years in the lower leagues, under his stewardship, i.e. as many as the previous 100+ years before he took over.

2. Phipps: It's more than just his social media profile. He's been put in an impossible situation - asked to do a job which he has neither the knowledge nor experience to fulfil. The outcome is poor decision-making, inconsistent communication and a general sense of malaise.

3. Academy: A huge disagreement on this one. Let's leave aside the economic argument as without the actual numbers that's mainly speculation (the money received for Kyle's, Jags, Lowton and Maguire would have made a big dent though). For me, much of the pleasure in watching the Blades over the Academy years has been in seeing home-grown talent come through and prosper. Even this season, seeing at least one player - Billy - who really seems to care and feel the pain of our current predicament, raises the spirit a little.

4. and 5. Transfers/Adkins: absolutely bang on. The biggest question mark hanging over Adkins is his transfer market strategy to date. We simply won't get out of Div 3 using older players on their way down. He made reference to targeting younger players in a recent interview, so hopefully the penny has dropped.

6. "Listen to offers for every single player." Isn't that continuation rather than change?

To your blueprint I would add:

7. Find an owner/CEO who understands football. Stop running the football side of the club like a North East Counties outfit, i.e. using willing supporter/volunteers who happen to have some time to commit. Just because someone has succeeded in business does not equip them to make key decisions in a football club, which requires an understanding of both football and business. Several years ago McCabe lamented the failure of the club's exec's to deliver his strategy. At that point he stopped using Scarborough execs and hired Trevor Birch on £250k p.a. This was at least a step in the right direction in terms of a thought process (Birch being an ex pro and qualified accountant) but we needed more than cost savings and accurate accounting.

Ideally, the owner would have the required nous to do the job (think Daniel Levy, Steve Gibson, Jeremy Peace et al) but failing that the club needs to invest time, effort and ultimately money in finding an exec who understands players, agents, managers and the full workings of a football club (think: David Gill, David Dein, Karren Brady et al).

I haven't got a suggestion - yet! - for the role and a preference would be to find a hands-on owner who really gets it.

 

[Roygbiv]

Will you still Do your view from, from afar? Although of course you didn't say you wouldn't be going and actually, you don't have to be there to do view from.

Yeah, i'll still do it. I still care about the club and I always will. I just feel like we as the fans are being cheated. At the moment I am just getting nothing from the going to The Lane and to be honest it hurts. It's also a complete waste of money.

I get the "Loyal Blades go no matter what" stance but I think that by turning up and supporting I am somehow supporting the shambles that has happened. To be honest I am a bit confused to what to do. I don't want to see the club die but I find it near impossible to support almost anything about it at the moment. It's the worst I have ever known it as Blade and that's not being melodramatic. I'm not old enough to recall the 4th division but we all look back at the Heath years and laugh about how bad things were.....................things are currently a lot worse than that.

 

[metalblade]

Trust me this is worse than the fourth division at least then we could see a way out and the much maligned chairman broke the bank to make sure we only had the one season in the basement league. At the moment I don't see a way out of the mess we are in McCabe is slowly strangling the life out of the club and it's supporters. He has to go for us to progress.

 

[Elsecar_Blade]

And it's not about boycotts or car park protests - it's time for real change in the club.

We've now become established in England's third division. Some realities need to sink in, and we need to shape up for a leaner future;

1. Owner - Kevin McCabe - He should put us on the market and signal his intention to move on. After more than a decade in charge, he has failed, miserably. I don't subscribe to the idea he hasn't invested enough. He is just a serial, piss poor decision maker. Poor and cheap managerial appointments, poor structuring on the boardroom, poor appointments of key decision makers, poor yet big investments into sideshows (China, Hotels, leisure clubs) that have failed. A complete and utter failure, unfortunately.

4. The transfer policy - it must be torn up and re-written. We must stop paying a fortune to catch ageing falling stars with zero potential resale value. We have invested a fortune in this area, and still managed to leave the impression that we've done it on the cheap - such is the complete failure of successive management teams to invest wisely.

5. The current manager - we must give him time to rebuild. BUT, he must be told that he has continued with the same failed transfer strategy, and it musts top now. His signings have been, on the whole, poor. The latest window just encapsulates it, perfectly demonstrated today, We resign a 32 year old player on an enormous salary who looks nothing more than an average third division player, and miss out on the young up and comer who formed part of the latest team to roll up and walk all over us.

UTB

Agree completely with these three.

As for the rest - I think Phipps needs to take a break from Twitter/Facebook for now. And when he returns - and I think he should - I think he should use it purely to keep the fans in the loop rather than the over-positive things he posts at the moment. I've no issue with him favouriting, liking or re-tweeting heartfelt Blades stories or little Blades fans at their first games and such, that's a nice touch that should be applauded rather than got rid of. But he needs to temper the inane positivity and refrain from after-match in-depth discussions as they are harming his credibility and giving his detractors a stick to beat him with. He doesn't need to discuss transfer policy on Twitter. He doesn't need to make bold claims about promotion on Twitter. He needs to use it for communication purposes only. And no more bloody polls.

Academy - I see the point you're making alcoblade but I think closing it would detract from the dream we'd all love to see. A team made up of several of "our own" - Adkins has alluded to this as a long term aim and I would love to see it happen. Realistically, while we're in this division, we have to sell to make it pay but if we get into the Championship or, utter it quietly, the Premier League down the line, it would become less of a financial "burden" - I'd rather we held on to that "dream" for now.

Agree with point 6 to an extent too - rather than say we will get rid of non-contracted players or listen to offers for all though, I think we need be pragmatic that some of our players ARE good enough or WILL be good enough with better players. Adkins needs time to bring his own men in and adopt his own style at SUFC. I agree that transfers like Hammond and Woolford have to stop - though I will point out that we all thought Hammond would be a good signing - and there needs to be a larger element of cherry picking the best League 1 players, hungry and up and coming, rather than Championship rejects. We do have a few players that deserve a chance to be here next season without the dross like Collins et al.

 

[Grappler]

Kevin McCabe is going nowhere unless he gets the money he thinks he can get by holding out for it.

I think he needs to be realistic and accept a down payment, with a plan that pays him more when we get to the Championship, so much a year while we are in the Championship and then a big pay off if we get to the Premier League.

But the above is what I want, not what he wants.