Jims Thoughts on SUFC's JTW 2016

[metalblade]

Jam tomorrow wouldn't be so bad if we were getting bread and butter today but unfortunately we are getting dry bread and have been for years.

 

[Roygbiv]

If that's a genuine comment from Jim and not some boardroom bullshit, then it suggests to me that Adkins will be given what he needs in the summer and January 2017 to get us up. It is however confirmation that this season is a write-off.

Its been obvious this season was seen as a write off for a while now. I don't think the board or manager truly knew how bad we were and now realise that aside of throwing money at the problem the only way to try and build again is by shipping out 90% of them and starting over. Its gonna take a while though. Not often do clubs buy a new squad and make it work first time

I think its harsh on the season ticket holders that this season has been given up on by the board . The players too arent total idiots. They will know we are way short and morale will probably have suffered a bit with no new faces coming in. Add to that a lot of them know its unlikely that they will be at the club next season and it really is asking a lot for Adkins to get them in the play offs. Its going to be a depressing end to the season which will naturally impact season ticket sales next term . The one hope is thst every player out of contract is released at the end of the season and adkins can at least build a new team that may entertain those who are still turning up

 

[Bladesman]

Well he hasn't got a crystal ball has he? There's no guarantee that Adkins will get all his targets in the summer. Sound like jimbo is just heading his bets whilst also hinting at future transfer activity so the season ticket renewals don't fall off a cliff.

Who is to say Adkins is going to want to stick around?

 

[Bartleby]

Keeping top talent????!!!!

Fuck me, what 'top talent' is there left at Bramall Lane now?

Guess what he means is we didn't sell Brayford or Adams

 

[PokerBlade]

panic or cosmetic acquisitions

Panic signing is when you need cover up front and you wake up hungover the next day realising you wrote out cheques for Akinbiyi AND Horsfield.

Panic signing would not be bringing in a defender when you're falling woefully short of your pre-season ambitions.

Fuck off, you fucking tool.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Well done Jim on not trading away top talent in JTW 2016. How many bids did you turn down and who were they for? Why did you not pursue the same policy of "preserving strength for the future" in ATW 2014 and ATW 2015"?

How embarrassing it must be for Messrs Adkin and Turnbull that they have not been able to identify and recruit a single player who would improve a side lying 7th in the third tier. Despite having no lack of resources and being in a position to offer substantial six figure sums for the right players.

This does not bode well for ATW 2016. If a lack of resources has not prevented them from recruiting now, what change in circumstances will enable the football professionals to attract their top targets in the close season and transfer windows thereafter?

 

[Barney]

How on earth can you draw that conclusion from what he wrote?

Well otherwise he'd be admitting that Adkins hadn't learnt from the mistakes of any of the previous managers in this summer just gone. Which is true IMO, but I doubt he'd want to be putting that message across.

 

[Roygbiv]

Does make me wonder if Adkins will walk after all this. Despite his mistakes this season he can do better than us at the moment and he probably knows it

 

[Roygbiv]

Jim is adamant on Facebook that there has been no falling out at board level.

As a side note there doesn't seem to be a single person on any of the social media sites that Phipps uses that isn't giving him and the board both barrells. So much anger

 

[Rustyblade]

Of course it might just possibly have helped a smidgen, Jim old lad, if you'd let Nigel in on the grand plan so he would have considered it unwise and inappropriate to keep reciting the mantra of "keep in touch till January". Don't you think? Unfortunately, with that statement you just issued, you deserve all you're getting. Not personally, you understand but you appear to be the only conduit we have.

 

[PokerBlade]

Jim is adamant on Facebook that there has been no falling out at board level.

As a side note there doesn't seem to be a single person on any of the social media sites that Phipps uses that isn't giving him and the board both barrells. So much anger

They deserve it.

If they'd told us that Adkins first job would be to clear out the shite and then start building from scratch then I won't pretend I'd have been too happy, but I could understand it. Instead what we've had is another season of insisting that money is available, the Murphy money is going straight back into the team, and that the sole ambition is promotion.

And now we get this. We're way off the pace, we have little to hope for, and he's telling me it's good that we didn't panic buy. If promotion is the priority we must have better players. It's that simple.

I'm supposed to sit here and believe that there isn't one player available who's better than: McEveley, Collins, Woolford, Sammon,

Congratulations, Phipps. You've created enough smoke and mirrors that I'm not exactly sure what the problem is. I am sure that every word he's written tonight is top level spin. Something somewhere is broken and pretending that everything is fantastic pisses me off more than whatever the truth might be.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

Recruiting process: By my reckoning, counting JTW 2016, it will take at least three transfer windows to complete the work of addressing past recruiting errors and excesses.

These recruiting errors and excesses.
Are they referring to the time before they arrived or since they've been here?

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

Jim is adamant on Facebook that there has been no falling out at board level.
r

The first five words sums it up.

What the fuck are they discussing the business dealings on Facebook?
Facebook?

Fuckin' Jokebook.

Keep quiet, say no more, you're making Sheffield United look ridiculous.

Facebook. Fuck Off.

 

[Bladesman]

Recruiting process: By my reckoning, counting JTW 2016, it will take at least three transfer windows to complete the work of addressing past recruiting errors and excesses.

These recruiting errors and excesses.
Are they referring to the time before they arrived or since they've been here?

Just another statement that means that they blame Nigel Clough.

 

[brownie4583]

They deserve it.

If they'd told us that Adkins first job would be to clear out the shite and then start building from scratch then I won't pretend I'd have been too happy, but I could understand it. Instead what we've had is another season of insisting that money is available, the Murphy money is going straight back into the team, and that the sole ambition is promotion.

And now we get this. We're way off the pace, we have little to hope for, and he's telling me it's good that we didn't panic buy. If promotion is the priority we must have better players. It's that simple.

I'm supposed to sit here and believe that there isn't one player available who's better than: McEveley, Collins, Woolford, Sammon,

Congratulations, Phipps. You've created enough smoke and mirrors that I'm not exactly sure what the problem is. I am sure that every word he's written tonight is top level spin. Something somewhere is broken and pretending that everything is fantastic pisses me off more than whatever the truth might be.

Well if Lee Turnbull can't find a CH better than Collins,a midfielder who is better than Woolford,or a keeper better than Long/Howard he needs to go now!
Pay me £2000 a week I will find them no problem

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

Just another statement that means that they blame Nigel Clough.

The Sheriff's blaming the Deputy scenario.
The buck stops with them, no one else.
If they allowed Clough to blow millions without any question, it's their mistake(s).

 

[Roygbiv]

They deserve it.

If they'd told us that Adkins first job would be to clear out the shite and then start building from scratch then I won't pretend I'd have been too happy, but I could understand it. Instead what we've had is another season of insisting that money is available, the Murphy money is going straight back into the team, and that the sole ambition is promotion.

And now we get this. We're way off the pace, we have little to hope for, and he's telling me it's good that we didn't panic buy. If promotion is the priority we must have better players. It's that simple.

I'm supposed to sit here and believe that there isn't one player available who's better than: McEveley, Collins, Woolford, Sammon,

Congratulations, Phipps. You've created enough smoke and mirrors that I'm not exactly sure what the problem is. I am sure that every word he's written tonight is top level spin. Something somewhere is broken and pretending that everything is fantastic pisses me off more than whatever the truth might be.

I wonder if they are genuinely aware of just how many supporters they have managed to turn against their own club. Quite an achievement

 

[PokerBlade]

Well if Lee Turnbull can't find a CH better than Collins,a midfielder who is better than Woolford,or a keeper better than Long/Howard he needs to go now!
Pay me £2000 a week I will find them no problem

I'll put the list of available transfers in a hat and guarantee to pull out a better player than Woolford.

 

[PokerBlade]

I wonder if they are genuinely aware of just how many supporters they have managed to turn against their own club. Quite an achievement

They seem genuinely clueless. We're not even playing in our own colours with our own badge any more.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

How long ago did Jim write this latest manifesto?

Might have been added 01 February, but that diatribe wasn't written yesterday.

How many Unitedites have LinkedIn accounts? Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, why not just put it on the OS?
Then everyone can read it.

The lunatics are taking over the asylum.

 

[Roygbiv]

Lots of former players and employees criticising the club on twitter tonight. Seems everyone can why people are angry other than the people that matter.

Also notice that Phipps has put up a poll where fans can vote what they think of the transfer window. The options being:

1.,Not happy that we didn't sign anybody
2.Happy we got rid of unwanted players
3.Happy we kept our most talented players

The first one is winning with currently 95% of the vote

I don't want to be dramatic but I think our club just might be absolutely fucked

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

I wonder how long Jim will continue to put up with the flack for though.

As long as there's "Greenback $$$" ...

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

Lots of former players and employees criticising the club on twitter tonight. Seems everyone can why people are angry other than the people that matter.

Also notice that Phipps has put up a poll where fans can vote what they think of the transfer window. The options being:

1.,Not happy that we didn't sign anybody
2.Happy we got rid of unwanted players
3.Happy we kept our most talented players

The first one is winning with currently 95% of the vote

I don't want to be dramatic but I think our club just might be absolutely fucked

I know three places where i'd stick poles up today.

 

[Roygbiv]

How long ago did Jim write this latest manifesto?

Might have been added 01 February, but that diatribe wasn't written yesterday.

Yeah it seems obvious that it was pre-written . Way too detailed to be composed on the hoof.

I wonder if we had any plans at all to sign anyone. Adkins being at the U21 game, No interviews from Adkins leading up to the deadline, Phipps pre written speech to why we didn't sign anyone.............

.......seems very much like the people working hard behind the scenes had given up a while back

 

[Keen Blade]

Its been obvious this season was seen as a write off for a while now. I don't think the board or manager truly knew how bad we were and now realise that aside of throwing money at the problem the only way to try and build again is by shipping out 90% of them and starting over. Its gonna take a while though. Not often do clubs buy a new squad and make it work first time

I think its harsh on the season ticket holders that this season has been given up on by the board . The players too arent total idiots. They will know we are way short and morale will probably have suffered a bit with no new faces coming in. Add to that a lot of them know its unlikely that they will be at the club next season and it really is asking a lot for Adkins to get them in the play offs. Its going to be a depressing end to the season which will naturally impact season ticket sales next term . The one hope is thst every player out of contract is released at the end of the season and adkins can at least build a new team that may entertain those who are still turning up

Every player out of contract in the summer EXCEPT Adams, Harris, K.Wallace, Edgar & Long , should go.

ie: Hammond, Sammon, Flynn, JCR, Baxter, Cuvelier, Collins, Kennedy, McGahey, McEveley & Howard.

But Hammond will stay (you know it).

Of those who are still in contract, these should be sold/paid-off: Scougall, Woolford, McFadzean & DGRO.

But Woolford will stay (you know it).

That leaves us with a realistic prospect of the following squad:

New first-choice goalie, Long as cover;

Brayford, new RB cover, new CB x2, Edgar as cover, Harris, K.Wallace;

Coutts, Basham, Hammond (Capt. while NA is here), Reed, new & pacy CMF x2, new RW, new LW (new ones have to be goalscorers);

Sharp, Done, Adams, DCL, new C/F x 2.

That's a principle squad of 23.

9 new recruits who are A) YOUTHFUL & B) HAVE SOME PACE & C) HAVE SOME QUALITY & D) HAVE SOME POTENTIAL TO DEVELOP ...........think Brian Deane.

Like in 1988, we aren't rich enough to buy the finished article - so we have to SCOUT WELL and find players who are going to take themselves (and us) upwards.

 

[robbiez666]

Jeez, what football fans clamoured for the most was nonsensical business-speak.

 

[Borbokisfreekick]

Still fuming at Jim's ridiculous statement, the more I've thought about it the more angry I've gotten.

It shows a clear lack of respect for the fans and his comments are insulting to our intelligence.

Jim may be a nice guy, blah blah blah, but as far as I'm concerned, this ill advised and pathetic statement of his should be enough to have him sacked/removed from his position.

There is no direction at this club, we are so amateurish it's unreal. Its as if we a part time organization.....part time owners and chairman, with a part time mentality treating a once great club and proud fan base as a part time interest.

 

[Caveblade]

Let's cut to the chase. Jim is an American spin doctor with little experience in the world of "soccer".

That is a pre prepared message of spin and is complete rubbish. But there again McCabe is the King of Spin and it is classic lines such as keep in touch until Jan and the promise that they are chasing x player that have been fed to us for years.

It has been obvious to us all what this team needs for months if not years, the lack of action in the window speaks volumes about the commitment of our board.

The bit about holding onto our talent is frankly insulting. You sold the fookin talent in September Jim, just like last year and every other year. The cubboard is bare!

I am saddened that my team is mired in mid table in a poor league and we will spend at least one more season here whilst we look up enviously at teams like Rovrum who have shown more ambition.

Anyone who says we can still get promoted is deluded, this is one of the poorest squads I have ever seen.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

They're looking towards next season to pull out of S2 4SU

Well it reads to me like like they are looking at next season for recruitment as they have not offloaded all the dross they wanted to.

 

[Harry's Game]

Presumably now he has conceded we are not realistically going to be challenging for promotion to the Championship until at least the 2017 / 18 season (because reading between the lines of all the other guff that's what it says) can someone ask him what the plan is regarding season ticket sales? Do they expect people to keep shelling out their hard earned for at least two years more of mid table third division football.