January's magic wand...

[Pollingtonblade]

I keep reading posters on here and Adkins himself saying we need to keep in touch until January and then we can push on.

Am I missing something here ? What is going to turn our fortunes round? I totally get that some have blind faith but that's all it is, most of our shit we've accumulated is under contract till next summer, they aren't going anywhere in January as no one will buy them, so there will be no 'cull' that I keep reading about.

And as regards us buying anyone we won't do this anyway till the back end of January.

 

[Borbokisfreekick]

I keep reading posters on here and Adkins himself saying we need to keep in touch until January and then we can push on.

Am I missing something here ? What is going to turn our fortunes round? I totally get that some have blind faith but that's all it is, most of our shit we've accumulated is under contract till next summer, they aren't going anywhere in January as no one will buy them, so there will be no 'cull' that I keep reading about.

And as regards us buying anyone we won't do this anyway till the back end of January.

It's the perfect example of how poorly our club is ran and how the men running the club don't learn from mistakes or plan ahead. They used the same philosophy and method last year.

Fail to get what they need in the summer, sell the best player in the last minute of the window then kid everyone that they will make the signings to get us up in January when the season is half over, and without considering that new players take time to settle in and it's actually quite hard to pull back a 12 point or more gap. Additionally signings in January are most likely going to be more expensive as it's the final window of the season, so makes more sense to do the business in the summer.

What they might consider doing is put together a list of targets between May and June, actually sign some of them, don't sell our best player in August and be held to ransome - keep the player and cut a deal with him i.e. He can go on our terms in January when we know we have sufficient replacements. The player is contracted to us so actually hold him to that. If he doesn't like it then he can sit in the stands.

wouldnt it be nice to actually have people running the club who understand football and have common sense.

Ever since the day Derek Dooley retired the club has been ran pathetically on the football side of things.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Is keeping in touch all Adkins can see happening until January? Is that the limit of this squads capability as far as he is concerned?
It gets more worrying by the day.

 

[Ben_1982]

Because the players out of contract in the summer, who won't be offered a new one will be paid up, loaned out or given free transfers

 

[Blade56]

.......sell the best player in the last minute of the window then kid everyone

Sorry Bfk, can't agree with you on this. We haven't got a best player to sell anymore!

 

[Sean Thornton]

Because the players out of contract in the summer, who won't be offered a new one will be paid up, loaned out or given free transfers

In any of three scenarios there is a financial impact on the wage bill. Add to that the cost of new blood and it makes you wonder if January will be yet another damp squib and it's just more spin.

 

[Blade56]

Biggest anouncement in January is that Jim Phipps has been registered and will turn out as our new central midfielder

That said it could be a positive!

 

[dingledog]

Biggest anouncement in January is that Jim
Phipps has been registered and will turn out as our new central midfielder

That said it could be a positive!

It would be cliche hell, can you imagine Mr Phipps and Mr Adkins doing a double 'positive spin' on why we didn't win again. It's the stuff of nightmares.

 

[mosbolad]

most of our shit we've accumulated is under contract till next summer

I'm sorry Leeds but I really can't agree to referring to Sheffield United players as you do. In your opinion they may not be good enough, and indeed some of the players may not be good enough for a promotion push, but to collectively describe them as 'shit we've accumulated' ?

I just don't get it for someone who professes to support the Blades.

Maybe all signings should be run past a committee of cynical 'fans' to ensure we don't accumulate any more 'shit' at the club.

 

[Bladesince59]

Is there going to be a January sale of 2016/17 season tickets?

 

[wizadry]

If the board don't make money out of it, which is pretty obvious they don't at the moment, they also can't make decent football decisions or seem to know too much on the footballing front which is also pretty obvious then I'm struggling to see what kicks, or what they are actually getting out of it at the minute and also in previous seasons. Answers on a postcard please.

 

[Revolution]

Maybe all signings should be run past a committee of cynical 'fans' to ensure we don't accumulate any more 'shit' at the club.

Good idea. Our fans collectively would veto any signings of:

- crocks
- small players who don't have skills to compensate
- midfielders who don't score or create

This would improve on current transfer policy

 

[Kenilworth]

I'm sorry Leeds but I really can't agree to referring to Sheffield United players as you do. In your opinion they may not be good enough, and indeed some of the players may not be good enough for a promotion push, but to collectively describe them as 'shit we've accumulated' ?

I just don't get it for someone who professes to support the Blades.

Maybe all signings should be run past a committee of cynical 'fans' to ensure we don't accumulate any more 'shit' at the club.

I prefer to use the term bobbar.
Getting beaten by Fleetwood and Crewe - two years in succession tells you that it's bobbar.
8th place after 17 games (over a third of the season gone) when it could easily be 9th if the team immediately below us manages a draw in their game in hand - confirms that bobbar is definitely on the menu.
9 points adrift of the automatics already suggests a degree of bobbar
Been bobbar for 5 years and counting.
We won't be bobbar as soon as we start challenging for promotion from the Championship.
Until then, yes, we stink the place up.
You can dress it up any way you want to - the results and performances tell you that it's bobbar.

All you can look forward to in January is Mr Hanky, the Christmas Poo.
Watch out for him in your stocking

He may even be on Twitter for all we know.

 

[mosbolad]

Good idea. Our fans collectively would veto any signings of:

- crocks
- small players who don't have skills to compensate
- midfielders who don't score or create

This would improve on current transfer policy

Well yes Clough certainly signed his fair quota of those. I think one of the last straws for the board was when he tried to sign a player from Derby who was coming back from injury and hadn't played for a year or so. Can't recall his name.

 

[Revolution]

Well yes Clough certainly signed his fair quota of those. I think one of the last straws for the board was when he tried to sign a player from Derby who was coming back from injury and hadn't played for a year or so. Can't recall his name.

Shaun Barker. He hadn't played for something like 3 years.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I would imagine that Adkins thinks we will improve from January on the grounds that he is constantly working to try to improve the players and will have had six months to asses the squad properly and identify those he wants to move on. He will then seek to move some on and bring others in. He wouldn't be looking to do that if he didn't think it would improve us. Therefore, it's quite reasonable for him to believe we will be better after January.

I suspect we won't be so improved that we make a charge into the top 2 though. I think we will see some improvement and I still fancy us for a top 6 finish.

 

[mosbolad]

I prefer to use the term bobbar.
Getting beaten by Fleetwood and Crewe - two years in succession tells you that it's bobbar.
8th place after 17 games (over a third of the season gone) when it could easily be 9th if the team immediately below us manages a draw in their game in hand - confirms that bobbar is definitely on the menu.
9 points adrift of the automatics already suggests a degree of bobbar
Been bobbar for 5 years and counting.
We won't be bobbar as soon as we start challenging for promotion from the Championship.
Until then, yes, we stink the place up.
You can dress it up any way you want to - the results and performances tell you that it's bobbar.

All you can look forward to in January is Mr Hanky, the Christmas Poo.
Watch out for him in your stocking

He may even be on Twitter for all we know.

Subtle difference here Kenilworth, you are describing the results and performances as 'bobbar', and I agree they not been that good on the whole however there's still a very long way to go in the season.

Poster Leeds was describing the players as 'accumulated shit'. That's what I disagree with. Yes it's semantics but there you go, I'm just not one for abuse of the players. It strikes me as being like a spoilt child who gets mardy and starts crying and throwing toys around because things aren't as they would like them.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

To be fair, our last couple of January transfer windows have been very positive. 2 Januarys ago it turned a Clough team that was laboriously grinding out some tough-to-watch results (Bristol City away springs to mind) into one that went on the cup and league run. Last January we were much stronger following Brayford and Done joining, though with a reduced impact to the previous year. There is a chance the team's fortunes will be transformed if we get the right people in and the wrong people out. But there's also a chance bugger all will happen. If it's the latter, we're in a lot of trouble.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

My magic wand would be for Brayford, Kennedy and J.Wallace to get fit and remain fit.
Spend the Murphy money on a top quality new goalie and all-round midfielder.
Allow Hammond and Edgar to return to their clubs if necessary to achieve and help fund this.

If we did this, get a few results and increase confidence and consistency of selection, I don't think we would be too far off a good team.

__________New-GK
Brayford Basham Kennedy Harris
JCR New-CM J.Wallace Adams
_______Sammon Sharp

Subs:- Long, Freeman, Collins, Coutts, Baxter, Flynn, Done

 

[super_pig]

Maybe all signings should be run past a committee of cynical 'fans' to ensure we don't accumulate any more 'shit' at the club.

great idea.. where do we sign up?

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I think we've got more chance of signing Harry Maguire, Jamiue Murphy, Kevin McDonald, Nick Blackman, Matt Lowton and Stephen Quinn back than we have of consistently selecting Kennedy and Wallace for the remainder of the season.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

I think we've got more chance of signing Harry Maguire, Jamiue Murphy, Kevin McDonald, Nick Blackman, Matt Lowton and Stephen Quinn back than we have of consistently selecting Kennedy and Wallace for the remainder of the season.

Not even with a magic wand?

 

[mosbolad]

great idea.. where do we sign up?

The worrying thing is I have no doubt you genuinely think you could do a better job!

 

[super_pig]

The worrying thing is I have no doubt you genuinely think you could do a better job!

neither do i and i reckon a few on here could do the same.
seriously though. .it is common knowledge that we need a CB and a box to box midfielder .. we've needed one for one and a half seasons. why do we keep buying half fit midfielders in the vain hope that they will become world beaters after career ending injuries.. does Jesus work in the medical department?? it isn't difficult.

 

[mosbolad]

neither do i and i reckon a few on here could do the same.
seriously though. .it is common knowledge that we need a CB and a box to box midfielder .. we've needed one for one and a half seasons. why do we keep buying half fit midfielders in the vain hope that they will become world beaters after career ending injuries.. does Jesus work in the medical department?? it isn't difficult.

With his CV I can't imagine Adkins is oblivious to the needs of the team. He will know what is needed, what we don't know as fans, well me anyway is finances, availability, willingness of a player to move to league 1 and also the difficulty of moving on current players who aren't seen by Adkins as part of the future of the club when they are still under contract to United.

As fans its easy we just say, buy him, or him, or him and him, or him, him and him, job done! (well of course til they don't perform or the new team dynamics aren't exactly as they should be)....

Adkins has only been here five minutes in the scheme of things. Its took Clough nearly 2 seasons to not get us promoted.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Forget promotion this season. It's not happening and I've long been resigned to it.

We need at least another 12 months to churn the shite out. I say that because I think it's going to take 2 or 3 windows to release/sell enough to make budgetary space for an adequate squad. For once they need to stick with the manager for continuity purposes and in order to carry out the huge task in the way that he wants to. Scapegoating yet another manager and sacking him is not the answer.

I'm prepared for the long haul and at least another season in League One after this. There is no magic wand and our history with transfer business suggests that even if we eventually get it right it will be cultivated over some time and partly due to a little luck, which always comes around for any team every now and then.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Cloughy's two Januaries were very active - no major sale, lots of clearing out, & significant incomings.

It won't necessarily transform our season, but I do reckon we can expect a positive & active January (in terms of both outgoings & incomings).

 

[judge]

I prefer to use the term bobbar.
Getting beaten by Fleetwood and Crewe - two years in succession tells you that it's bobbar.
8th place after 17 games (over a third of the season gone) when it could easily be 9th if the team immediately below us manages a draw in their game in hand - confirms that bobbar is definitely on the menu.
9 points adrift of the automatics already suggests a degree of bobbar
Been bobbar for 5 years and counting.
We won't be bobbar as soon as we start challenging for promotion from the Championship.
Until then, yes, we stink the place up.
You can dress it up any way you want to - the results and performances tell you that it's bobbar.

All you can look forward to in January is Mr Hanky, the Christmas Poo.
Watch out for him in your stocking

He may even be on Twitter for all we know.

I.prefer shit

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Forget promotion this season. It's not happening and I've long been resigned to it.

We need at least another 12 months to churn the shite out. I say that because I think it's going to take 2 or 3 windows to release/sell enough to make budgetary space for an adequate squad. For once they need to stick with the manager for continuity purposes and in order to carry out the huge task in the way that he wants to. Scapegoating yet another manager and sacking him is not the answer.

I'm prepared for the long haul and at least another season in League One after this. There is no magic wand and our history with transfer business suggests that even if we eventually get it right it will be cultivated over some time and partly due to a little luck, which always comes around for any team every now and then.

We can get rid of about 14 who are out of contract in the summer so shouldn't need more than that. If we can get someone to also take Woolford and then the loans going back as well, we will have a clean slate to start from in the summer.

 

[BushBlade]

If the board don't make money out of it, which is pretty obvious they don't at the moment, they also can't make decent football decisions or seem to know too much on the footballing front which is also pretty obvious then I'm struggling to see what kicks, or what they are actually getting out of it at the minute and also in previous seasons. Answers on a postcard please.

Good question. I think KM has Randy Lerner syndrome (sounds like a Carry On joke); wants rid, can't get anywhere near his asking price, doesn't want to put more money in.
The Prince strikes me as one of those rich blokes who buys a yacht without realising how much it costs to run one. Or a kid who whines about wanting a puppy until he gets one and then whines about having to look after it and loudly announces he's taking it for a walk every time he does so, like he's some kind of martyr.