Jim Phipps - Article and Interview

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He seems like a lovely bloke and PR man but a crazy choice to be Football Club Chairman as this statement conclusively proves:-

<< Courting controversy as ever, but I have spoken to a few former players voicing similar views, Phipps’ biggest regret was the decision to sack rookie boss David Weir, despite dreadful results, three months into the season. “I really liked him and what he was trying to do,” said Phipps >>
 
Sothall_Blade said:
He seems like a lovely bloke and PR man but a crazy choice to be Football Club Chairman as this statement conclusively proves:-

<< Courting controversy as ever, but I have spoken to a few former players voicing similar views, Phipps’ biggest regret was the decision to sack rookie boss David Weir, despite dreadful results, three months into the season. “I really liked him and what he was trying to do,” said Phipps >>
Click to expand...
They had to change that. In the interview he said his biggest regret was that he didn't waterboard Adkins for signing Hammond and Woolford.
 
Fantastic. Spoke to Jim at length on the platform at Gillingham train station. Lovely bloke and always had United in his heart. Like we've seen at Swansea, it's always tough taking an American under our football wing.

Schweinstieger's interview with the American press even today proves that.
 
He voted for TRUMP!!!

Great interview and thank you for sharing, fascinating insight.
 



Sothall_Blade said:
He seems like a lovely bloke and PR man but a crazy choice to be Football Club Chairman as this statement conclusively proves:-

<< Courting controversy as ever, but I have spoken to a few former players voicing similar views, Phipps’ biggest regret was the decision to sack rookie boss David Weir, despite dreadful results, three months into the season. “I really liked him and what he was trying to do,” said Phipps >>
Click to expand...

To be fair, Weir and his team did give an air of professionalism, forward thinking and spoke of modern and innovative plans. Had the chance to speak to him and Lee Carsley privately and candidly in their early tenure and they certainly presented a good picture and plan (yes, I know it's easy for people in football to sound like they know what they are doing, but it actually had some substance).

In practice, I think they were a little wet behind the ears and didn't necessarily appreciate the difficulty of the situation and the complexities of asking players at our level to do and buy into certain things - Once it started getting difficult, I think they lacked the experience in management to roll with the punches, re-evaluate their immediate plans and turn things back around.

It needed changing and he was a broken man, but I can see that there would be regret that it didn't work out and his grand plan failed before it even got going.

In some instances, the plan had also spiralled from the initial ideas and there were certain situations and setups that just simply weren't Sheffield United, if that was also a sign of things to come... then absolutely the correct decision to end it there. Without turning it into a "Bladey" argument, clubs tend like ours to be successful when their identity is clear and EVERYONE within the club is pulling in the same direction.

As regards the article, it contains a number of topics which I spoke with JimPhipps about soon after his arrival at the club for an intended article/Q&A I was going to do, I can only say he's a man that has certainly led an interesting and varied life and it's good that the Blades and Sheffield register as a positive experience amongst the things he's done. Whatever your personal thoughts on his performance or methods, the fact he's not run for the hills and ignored that he ever came to the Lane speaks volumes on how he bought into things.
 
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Phipps: "I didn't micro-manage the club, we had professional managers to do that".

Quite right. Our Board have not "micro-managed" the club at any stage.
 
Sothall_Blade said:
He seems like a lovely bloke and PR man but a crazy choice to be Football Club Chairman as this statement conclusively proves:-

<< Courting controversy as ever, but I have spoken to a few former players voicing similar views, Phipps’ biggest regret was the decision to sack rookie boss David Weir, despite dreadful results, three months into the season. “I really liked him and what he was trying to do,” said Phipps >>
Click to expand...


So did I.
 
Foreign owners appoint people who know diddly squat about football.

Thank goodness we only have a half one.
 
Just a thought on all this lovein for a nice chap JP .

IMO if the McCabe family had sold out fully to The Prince and the CEO was JP with the board being completly under his jurisdiction , were would we be today . In a mess perhaps .

As we know with absent foreign football club owners , ( never mind what league they are in ie premier or league 2 ) , would we have finished up in a Leyton Orient dilemma if McCabe sold out 100% . What it brings home to me , is instead of singing the praises of a nice bloke JP who in the history of Sheffield United as only been there for a weekend . We should all be singing the praises of Kevin , Simon and Scot McCabe .

Kevin McCabe took the foot of the gas . He seems with Chris Wilder at the helm to have got his appetite back .

JP was just passing through , nothing more ,nothing less . Yes a nice bloke .
 
I think it would be fitting for the club to invite Jim over for one of the final games of the season for us to show our appreciation of how he did 'serve' our club and although promotion did not occur there were many high points that we all enjoyed during his time with us.
 
Lord Bos of Eckington. said:
As we know with absent foreign football club owners , ( never mind what league they are in ie premier or league 2 ) , would we have finished up in a Leyton Orient dilemma if McCabe sold out 100% . What it brings home to me , is instead of singing the praises of a nice bloke JP who in the history of Sheffield United as only been there for a weekend . We should all be singing the praises of Kevin , Simon and Scot McCabe .
Click to expand...

I think that's a flawed conclusion because...
  • The Prince has put a significant amount of money in. It was McCabe who pulled the plug on the spending before the Prince came on board (Julian Winter's remit was to run Utd at cost).
  • Weir was brought in prior to the Prince arriving.
  • McCabe's tenure has achieved a lot but he's also responsible for what has been the longest prolonged period of lower league football in our entire history.
  • Yes, Phipps enabled the Brayford deal, but in doing so was trusting Clough to manage his budget to achieve a balanced squad. Clough let him down on that score.
  • I can't credit McCabe's (inspired) decision making in picking Wilder without recalling his previous decisions which have been so ill-fated.

I'm really not anti-McCabe, and I know Phipps wasn't a football man. But I do think the apportioning of credit and blame is a messy business at United.
 
Good interview.


Frustrating and wrong that he was put in a position to have an influence on the football side.

Unfair that he was hung out to dry as the lone voice to communicate with fans during an unorganised and turbulent period for the club.

Undoubtedly a good man who there's plenty to admire about.

He'll read this thread too.... Get yourself back over here for a game soon Jim!
 



JimPhipps said:
Thanks for the write up. It was nice chatting with you. The article is nicely done and reflects not just our discussion accurately, but the way I feel about the Blades. UTB!
Click to expand...

Hi Jim. I'm not the bloke who interviewed you and wrote the article. I just saw it and posted a link to it. Great to see you're still a Blade though. UTB
 
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