Jim Phipps summed up our current predicament perfectly...

[LSF]

And his son was the agent for a lot of the players he signed, just mention that too, like.

Touche!

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

My understanding is the McCabe and sons are very much pro Clough ( especially that the club does need stability ) . However he may well be now out voted , as he cannot run a autocratic club anymore .

Remember Phipps is a Prince man , so does not wholly speak for the full board . McCabe esteem has gone up in my estimation this season , by holding his council . Unless he is the silent assassin .

UTB

 

[Bladesway]

hate to point out getting to a play offs is regarded as doing something
maybe not to some with delusions of grandeur or expectations fuelled by bookies lists

Oh come on, I support Clough and think he should be given time but your in the madhouse if you think that not winning the play offs is anything other than failure. Nothing to do with big club mentality but we really should, given the funding and the time be looking to win the league/promotion firstly and if not then going to win the play offs. You go in with any other thought and you are beaten before you get there. What next, well at least we gave it a go?

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Bway, have a look at my posts at the time. I also predicted our fans might turn on Brayford before the season finishes and recently they nearly did.

I said Done was on a hiding to nothing too, but the lad has done well and Clough doesn't play him anyway!!

Ant striker playing in our set up is on a hiding to nothing.

Fans will not turn on Brayford .

Done is playing with a injury , so a little stop start .

Boardroom issues may take over the footballing issues in weeks to come .

UTB

 

[BladeFisher]

Thank you and my apologies on a vey serious matter , which cannot be taken lightly , as it not only affects the future of Clough ,but more importantly the club.

I will use spell check

UTB

A spell check wouldn't have helped since both words exist my Lord. Didn't they teach you anything at Eton?

Enjoy reading the posts by the way

 

[Woodwardfan]

He is also the most succesful football manager ever

Judge, if you are comfortable with jobs for the family then that is up to you. I'm not and I say so. You state that you are and then we are all out and about with it.

Do you know about the Ferguson deals with his son's clients? Did you know what Fergie did to Preston when they sacked his son? I wouldn't have supplied Preston with the players in the first place either.

Not my kind of business ethics. If they are yours then say so by all means.

 

[blade too long]

Yeah - my delusion of grandeur is that we are far better than a third division bobbar club but I should amend my expectation as it appears to be unrealistic, unwarranted, over optimistic, trite and so passé

How dare I
How very dare I

hate to point out when Clough took over we were the very definition of bobbar
polishing turds takes time

 

[davidpinder]

Don't like some of Jims post.m(some you can't argue with)

The Thing is I think we all know who will sell out or very nearly sell out there allocation if we got to wembley and none of the other 3 would get close in fact MK Dons dont have that many fans. I think it's the fact that we keep turning out such shite every week is the reason why we are so negative about our forthcoming playoff campaign.

Sorry I don't believe anyone has the right to ever question our fans whether we are being negative or not, we've put up with a lifetime of disappointments they've only been around 2 minutes.

 

[LSF]

I think someones moved the goal posts , either Clough or the board . I don't think its Clough .

Didn't someone say at the dinner ( think it was Phipps , Clough should be the manager for the next 20 years ) .

The Phipps message may have been released , before Clough gets in himself , as who is to say the negative vibes affecting Clough and the players , is not coming from the terraces , but direct from the board , (and whispers are affecting the players and Clough demeanour , and he thinks fuck it. )

We have no idea whats going on behind closed doors , with in fighting politics , but it is there for all to see , something is affecting the performances on the pitch .

UTB

Kind of fits in with something a reliable source intimated to me after the Doncaster game..

 

[judge]

Judge, if you are comfortable with jobs for the family then that is up to you. I'm not and I say so. You state that you are and then we are all out and about with it.

Do you know about the Ferguson deals with his son's clients? Did you know what Fergie did to Preston when they sacked his son? I wouldn't have supplied Preston with the players in the first place either.

Not my kind of business ethics. If they are yours then say so by all means.

i dont have any business ethics

 

[Woodwardfan]

i dont have any business ethics

Nor did Hitler or Tony Blair and they were successful in their time in power. Thatcher too in the eyes of some.

 

[judge]

Nor did Hitler or Tony Blair and they were successful in their time in power. Thatcher too in the eyes of some.

Thinks its ovaltine time mate

 

[Woodwardfan]

Thinks its ovaltine time mate

Thinks its ovaltine time mate

Oh, it's gone above your head has it?

 

[judge]

Oh, it's gone above your head has it?

Yeah twice

 

[Woodwardfan]

Yeah twice

Typical Fergie fan

 

[OllyBlade]

I think Phipps should be keeping quiet this time of the season. It's all very well communicating with the fans but this is too open and just serves to destabilise Clough and all the team, by getting all those calling for the manager's head into even more of a frenzy.

People are more excited about the prospect of his being sacked than of the possibility that we might still go up! I'm no Clough fan, really, but this is ridiculous. It might not be a great reflection of his work this season but it also says something about the mentality of fans. Yes, maybe Blades have a right to be a bit impatient, but there has to be some context. We still might get an unlikely boost and go up. Get a grip.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

what were your expectations starting from scratch in august ,

A reasonable ambition of automatic promotion which funnily enough was the target of the Board according to JP.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

A polite 'testicles' to that post. Remember we have been there or thereabouts every season after we have been relegated losing to 'udders and Yeovil in two play off competitions. I would be pretty cheesed off if I were McCabe at our continual failure to get over the line. It really is shite. It would be like Man U not getting into the Champions League. One season maybe but three, four, five?

How is Clough responsible for our prolonged stay in Division 3? He's had less than one season at trying to get us out. If "failure" after one season is the standard - then Yes we'll need a revolving door.

 

[JasonEllis]

unthinking constant criticism is affecting players confidence , the fans moaning
are to blame for indifferent displays , as the players feel the lack of love ,

Or alternatively:

Regular (if not constant) mediocre and/or lacklustre performances are affecting supporter confidence, the players on the pitch and the coaching staff on the sideline are to blame for poor performances, as the players and staff are the ones with the chance to ultimately change their own fortunes and that of the club who employ them...

Seriously, it's the fans' fault?!

 

[BeatleBlade]

Sensible and rational from Jim as always which only maintains my faith in him. However, give him another year Jim. I know it has been a disappointment but not a total failure. He's got it right before, he can again.

 

[longinthe toothblade]

How is Clough responsible for our prolonged stay in Division 3? He's had less than one season at trying to get us out. If "failure" after one season is the standard - then Yes we'll need a revolving door.

You're chasing 'likes' again

 

[longinthe toothblade]

Or alternatively:

Regular (if not constant) mediocre and/or lacklustre performances are affecting supporter confidence, the players on the pitch and the coaching staff on the sideline are to blame for poor performances, as the players and staff are the ones with the chance to ultimately change their own fortunes and that of the club who employ them...

Seriously, it's the fans' fault?!

No of course it's not. It's a ridiculous quote.

United fans turn up in their bloody thousands, week in week out and those sorts of numbers deserve a lot better on the pitch and off it. This constant sniping by the desperate is a joke and apart from the blindless patriots, the likes of Phipps and Clough certainly know better. When you are panicking or simply looking for excuses it's much easier to blame everyone else isn't it.

Yes we can do without the 'boo boy's' and 'daft rants' but unfortunately it's a by product of what we are witnessing on the pitch. What was noticeable to me on Saturday was how eager the fans were to get behind the team. First half was like a morgue but second 90 when the team pushed on a bit, the whole of the crowd was immediately lifted. Yep, the crowds demeanor didn't last long but neither did the quality of the play on the pitch.

Was it another point gained or two points lost? To be honest I don't really give a shit but like many of the 19,000 to 21,000 who regularly turn up and pay their money I want to see us having a go, I want to see something positive and exciting, I want hope, and I want to be entertained.

Give us that and the crowd will pay the team back in shovel fulls - they always have.

Average gates of over 19,000 and they are having a go at the fans - Phipps and co you are taking the piss!

 

[Sirius]

It's hedging not edging. The Board aren't gardeners. A person/organisation hedges bets.

And a gardener may put hedging around his patch and attend to the hedges around the edge.

 

[bornablade]

I was reading the other day an article about John Carver and his opinion that managing Newcastle is the most difficult in football.

Many enlightened companies conduct exit interviews when key personnel leave their businesses. Not sure if it's possible to carry out these type of interviews but it would be interesting to gauge the opinions of the likes of Robson, Blackwell, Morgan, Carver, Adams, Weir, Wilson on what were the major factors in the Blades continually underperforming since 2006 (and before that).

The club may already have this information that has never been revealed to the rest of us. IMO there are at least two constants - the McCabe family and the supporters. Each of these at some time have been held responsible for our current situation.

With a 'no strings attached', transparent interview these guys could reveal another common denominator that runs through the club that the rest of us have missed.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

By my recollection (regarding the fans)...

We went into the '97 playoffs believing we could win, and particularly fancied the final having just beaten Palace comfortably close to the end of the season.

'98 our form was poor going into the playoffs, but we got behind the lads and gave it everything in the home leg and deserved a slender lead.

2003 was no contest. We knew we were the best team in the playoffs, and I personally believed we were better than Leicester and at least as good as Portsmouth with automatic promotion sacrificed by two epic cup runs. The playoff semi final was one of the best nights we've seen and there was great confidence and optimism in the stands, even at 2-0 on the night. Again we were confident and positive going into the final, but 0-3 at half time is certainly beyond the influence of the fans. I even thought we might stage a remarkable come back when we got the penalty.

2009, having missed out on automatic promotion on the final day, again there was cause for optimism for the playoffs. Negative thoughts of losing the game were more like a running gag of how we never score in these big games, but I don't think we'd written off our chances before we got there.

2012 we were reeling a bit from our sudden striker shortage, but there was no reason to believe beating Huddersfield over 90 minutes, 120 minutes or 22 penalties was beyond us. Perhaps there were more pre-game predictions of defeat but I don't think the fans were being negative, just recognising a pattern.

2013 our form was poor and yes, we finally started to show that we're fed up of playoff disappointment.

I think my point is that positivity and confidence hasn't helped in any previous playoff campaign. We've believed in our chances going into four finals and failed to score a single goal. I think we can be forgiven for expecting yet another playoff failure and not getting excited at the prospect. Fans being thoroughly fed up of being stuck in League One AND a string of playoff final defeats is understandable, and moaning about that away from matches won't have any impact on the players.

Whilst we may be sick of Wembley think on, Villa have managed only four trips since our recent saga started in '93 although they did win the league cup twice [94+96].

2010 saw them in the semi's of both cups.

We don't do too bad and it may be a long time to wait if we hit a patch of not going so enjoy every minute, they may be your last.

[Not aimed at Punk but all Blades]

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I was reading the other day an article about John Carver and his opinion that managing Newcastle is the most difficult in football.

Many enlightened companies conduct exit interviews when key personnel leave their businesses. Not sure if it's possible to carry out these type of interviews but it would be interesting to gauge the opinions of the likes of Robson, Blackwell, Morgan, Carver, Adams, Weir, Wilson on what were the major factors in the Blades continually underperforming since 2006 (and before that).

The club may already have this information that has never been revealed to the rest of us. IMO there are at least two constants - the McCabe family and the supporters. Each of these at some time have been held responsible for our current situation.

With a 'no strings attached', transparent interview these guys could reveal another common denominator that runs through the club that the rest of us have missed.

Don't think we missed owt, the board have employed some dross.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Thank fuck for that - if he had his hands anywhere near this, Cloughy would be gone and we would have Rob Kozluk in charge

But Kozzie is ex Derby so the moaners would start day one.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

No of course it's not. It's a ridiculous quote.

United fans turn up in their bloody thousands, week in week out and those sorts of numbers deserve a lot better on the pitch and off it. This constant sniping by the desperate is a joke and apart from the blindless patriots, the likes of Phipps and Clough certainly know better. When you are panicking or simply looking for excuses it's much easier to blame everyone else isn't it.

Yes we can do without the 'boo boy's' and 'daft rants' but unfortunately it's a by product of what we are witnessing on the pitch. What was noticeable to me on Saturday was how eager the fans were to get behind the team. First half was like a morgue but second 90 when the team pushed on a bit, the whole of the crowd was immediately lifted. Yep, the crowds demeanor didn't last long but neither did the quality of the play on the pitch.

Was it another point gained or two points lost? To be honest I don't really give a shit but like many of the 19,000 to 21,000 who regularly turn up and pay their money I want to see us having a go, I want to see something positive and exciting, I want hope, and I want to be entertained.

Give us that and the crowd will pay the team back in shovel fulls - they always have.

Average gates of over 19,000 and they are having a go at the fans - Phipps and co you are taking the piss!

Of course it is not the fans fault.

Remember when we were competing at the current level of Ipswich and Wolves we all wanted more, managers and players were slagged off back then.

Most Blades see us in a position of competing for the top end of division two as a minimum level.

No wonder we moan whilst we are in the third.

Even if we were in BC's position some would complain until the season ended and we were finally out of this shit league.



I understand were those that moan are coming from but it doesn't help doing it on match day.

 

[Woodwardfan]

I was reading the other day an article about John Carver and his opinion that managing Newcastle is the most difficult in football.

Many enlightened companies conduct exit interviews when key personnel leave their businesses. Not sure if it's possible to carry out these type of interviews but it would be interesting to gauge the opinions of the likes of Robson, Blackwell, Morgan, Carver, Adams, Weir, Wilson on what were the major factors in the Blades continually underperforming since 2006 (and before that).

The club may already have this information that has never been revealed to the rest of us. IMO there are at least two constants - the McCabe family and the supporters. Each of these at some time have been held responsible for our current situation.

With a 'no strings attached', transparent interview these guys could reveal another common denominator that runs through the club that the rest of us have missed.

Our biggest hope is that the prince changes our fortunes and what happened before he arrived is to some degree academic. Yes KM is still there but I think its fair to say he will be less and less involved in the decision making and definitely the funding as time goes on.

There is no doubt in my mind that KM was indeed instrumental in recruiting Clough. I doubt if he will be involved in the choice of the next manager somehow. Whether the prince and his man Phipps have the knowledge to make a choice who knows, mind you they couldn't do much worse! If they pappoint "advisors" then we could be in real trouble, but again how much worse could our choices get.

 

[Punk Blade]

Whilst we may be sick of Wembley think on, Villa have managed only four trips since our recent saga started in '93 although they did win the league cup twice [94+96].

2010 saw them in the semi's of both cups.

We don't do too bad and it may be a long time to wait if we hit a patch of not going so enjoy every minute, they may be your last.

[Not aimed at Punk but all Blades]

I take your point, and I often think how we must get more Wembley trips than most clubs. We've surely had more cup semi finals from outside the top flight in the last 20 years than any other club which has made our poor league position during some of that period more bearable. If we make the playoff final that'll be three Wembley trips in four seasons as a League One club.

But if given the choice of going to umpteen playoff finals and FA Cup semi finals and winning naught, or going to one cup final and seeing the Blades win some silverware there's no contest.