Jims Thoughts on SUFC's JTW 2016

[Sirius]

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.


Just one question. Adkins asked us to wait until Januarry when something good would happen WOT?

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.

 

[Blade56]

The bit that got me was its an early victory in the process what of, doing fuck all?

Come clean, board in disarray = club on a downward spiral

He's becoming a legend is Bullshit Jim. That was a prepared statement done in advance in the knowledge nowt was happening.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Of the so called talent, who is there apart from Adams ?, who is out of form. Had he performed this season like we expected, he would have no doubt exited this JTW, so you escaped that one Jim. A lot of people have talked about a big recruitment drive this summer, does anyone really believe that will happen ?. If by a miracle it did, I would hope that NA's incoming troops are of a better standard than what has been demonstrated so far, give or take one or two exceptions.

 

[Blade56]

Jim knows you can't polish a turd but he's always trying to roll it in glitter and get the fans to believe it's no longer shit

 

[Bladesway]

Why is anyone surprised or angry about this? Jim has done what Jim always does. He talks. Some of it sense as well. The most disappointing aspect for me is dragging out the excuse of "past mistakes". Be big enough to talk about the now Jim not blether about previous mistakes (which you oversaw by the way).

His speech is a bit like this transfer window. Nothing to see here, move along.

 

[Coily]

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.

He's not done much, but Adkins has done enough that if we don't get up then he deserves another year to form a team to do so. I can't say I'm surprised we haven't bought anyone, not because we can't (perhaps won't is more accurate) but because if we do manage to fluke our way into the Championship then the chances are whoever we get in wouldn't be good enough for the higher division anyway.

I think there is *some* sense in that possible strategy. One way or another, there is going to be a very high turnover of players at SUFC, because far too many are not good enough for L1, let alone the league above. So get a few loans in to improve the squad - PLEASE!!! - and see it that gives us enough to qualify for the play-offs. If not, they can go and the rebuilding starts. So while I'm sure they aren't writing off the season, they sure as hell aren't going to invest heavily at this point, which with our current position I can reluctantly understand. It would be a very high risk gamble.

So loans it is! And we best be patient, because if we want them to conceivably be involved at Wembley, the earliest we can get them in is on 26th February, 93 days from the final. So only four more league games to get through with this current lot!

 

[Blade58]

When Jimbob says it will take 3 transfer windows to get where we need to be, does he realise that by that time anyone who is anywhere near half decent that are here now will have well and truly fked off due to lack of ambition, or be sold due to the "blades way" and we will not be any better off than we are now. It's called "the circle of life" at Bramall Lane. Or for the cynics, "the circle of bullshit"

 

[Tezza1889]

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).

The blowing of millions was a huge mistake, absolutely.... Then sacking the guy who was setting a team up with those players must have been a worse mistake surely... It was the board that sacked clough wasn't it, just checking I hadn't lost my marbles...

 

[Smirth]

I had wrote this season off anyway so I'm fairly chilled out about this transfer window and pleased we've started doing some of the work in getting players out now.

However, Jim's comment about keeping our "top talent" has really pissed me off. What "top talent"? You've already sold it all and not bloody replaced it! Our top talent was sold in summer and the money from his sale was not reinvested, unless it's all been spunked on a past-his-best 32 year old on a season long loan.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

I gave it until 30 minutes before the end of the JTW before concluding that I had wasted my time, hopes and energies listening to see if we had signed anyone (CB preferably). I read Mr Phipps' Farcebook release this morning.

Some of it did not surprise me, nor does the reaction to it. Some of it did - especially the reference to the number of points off the relegation zone we are from the usually optimistic Mr. Phipps. This suggests to me that the possibility of us going down is at least on the mind of some of the Board.

Ok - so there were three objectives, a) downsize the squad, b) keep the better players, c) improve the squad with strategic additions.

a) Downsize the squad,

The club accomplished the task of getting rid of a whole team of players in number. Whether they are the right ones remains to be seen, but on the face of it you might think this was a success. Technically it may be so, but it was hardly a triumphant victory. We failed to get anything for them. Not one of the so-called starlets (several of whom went to clubs in our neighbourhood) or Cloughie's wonderful signings earned a single penny for our club. Yes its got the wage bill down, and yes the squad size needed cutting as Mr. Clough had bloated it with inadequate players on silly wages. I do hope that, in their invectives against the Board (who do have some culpability - as yet not acknowledged by them) supporters take a moment to thank the Clough brothers and their mate Brannigan for royally screwing our club up with the squad they assembled (with the Board's agreement and the transfer kitty). Anyone can get rid of players if you pay them to go, so my two questions on this are 1) How much did it cost to get rid of these players 2) Having failed to deliver any squad improvements have the club put us in danger of going down as a result of the number of players we got rid off and the damaging effect on morale (players, staff and supporters) resulting from the pronouncement that it will take 3 transfer windows to complete the cull?

Rating - minus C - very qualified success/borderline fail.

b) Keep the better players,

Again, on the face of it, a success. But was our resolve actually tested? Did we turn down a bid of £10.59 from Hibs for Scougall and a £1.25m offer for Baxter from Wolves? I doubt these existed - just figments of the JTW fever that seemingly sweeps the nation. Did we receive offers for Brayford, Sharp or Adams ( the only three that are actually worth more than a weekly bus pass)? Did Pompey offer us a few quid to take McNulty on a permanent? Again I doubt it particularly as the club's track record in showing some desire to put up at least a token resistance to predatory bids is singular in its absence and went missing sometime in 1930's when we turned down Arsenal's bid for Jimmy Dunne (only to capitulate the following season at a greatly reduced fee). But then its not hard to keep your better players if most of them aren't very good, are on high wages for the division, don't want to leave the gravy train and no bugger wants to buy them.

Rating - C - qualified success

c) Improve the squad with strategic additions,

Wait until the JTW said Adkins ad nauseum. Stay in touch till January and then push through in the second half of the season. Well we didn't panic buy. That is the ONLY positive that the Board can put on it. Once again our legendary inability in the transfer market (and this with a new scout and new transfer committee set up) failed spectacularly to deliver more than 3 targets (according to the press) that were achievable and managed to sign precisely none of them. So what are the club going to do about this aspect of the club's infrastructure - probably put their trust in a carpet salesman and his brother. Again please pause to thank the Clough brothers and their mate Brannigan for wanting to control this when they were here and for their expert decimation of the transfer budget and the positively Victorian set-up they wanted. Scouting at the Lane has been crying out for modernisation and overhaul since the days of Jimmy Sirrell - our policy seems to be to hope we drop lucky with a manager who is any good in the transfer market. And then they go and get Robson and all the other useless tossers. Bring back Dooley.

Rating - E - Clueless.

 

[zablade]

I wonder what the majority of the current squad think about the chairman basically telling the world he thinks their recruitment was a mistak and he wishes he could get rid of Mir of them?

 

[Whiston Blade]

I wonder what the majority of the current squad think about the chairman basically telling the world he thinks their recruitment was a mistak and he wishes he could get rid of Mir of them?

I couldn't give a shit what the players think about Jim's statement. They are not fucking kids who we must pamper and wrap in cotton wool. Tell em how it is, it can go two ways. Either you buck up, work hard and put in a shift every game or you can sulk but don't expect a new contract.

Simples.

 

[bartman]

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?

A veiled admission it was a mistake to sign Done and Brayford as we couldn't afford them ?

 

[stringjunior]

Crikey, this all makes painful reading this morning.

I'm going back to bed

 

[robbiez666]

One quote to hold on to for summer when Brayford, Done and Adams go

• Keeping top talent: During JTW 2016, we have not traded away top talent. While the financial realities and economics of the modern game make essentially every club a trading club, we have managed to preserve strength for the future in this window.

 

[yorkshirecoast]

Had little time for Phipps after his previous ramblings but that latest statement is a disgrace. The guy is bonkers. What a clueless set of clowns we have running - or rather ruining - our club.

 

[PeteBlade]

If he was hoping that utter load of toss he's penned would placate the fans, he's in for a rude awakening.

Quick thoughts before I bow out as that article has angered me more than our awful recruitment policy.

1: Keeping top talent. Putting to one side the fact that we don't have any, have we turned down a single bid for a single player? Would we ever?

2: 3 transfer windows to sort out the mistakes and excesses of the past. So, we, the fans have to pay for the incompetence of the morons in charge while they continue to blame Nigel Clough?

3: Lack of transfer activity not down to lack of resources? Yet we fail to bid for a single player? Pull the other one.

4: Promotion is possible this season if we pull together and the fans shout a bit louder? Yet you, as a board, have offered absolutely no support to the manager whatsoever in our quest to do this. You've given up. But don't think we should?

As Roy says, he's not to blame, he's simply a paid mouthpiece.

But something clearly isn't right at this club. And we're stuck with these morons running it.

 

[Rodders]

Clough setting the Club back financially almost on a comparative par with Robson?

 

[Rodders]

A veiled admission it was a mistake to sign Done and Brayford as we couldn't afford them ?

Given they're 66% of our team that can actually do anything in this league, you would hope not.

 

[BeakerBlade]

Phipps can shove his statement up where the sun don't shine. What a load of rubbish. The fact of the matter is that we - the fans - have been lied to yet again. If we were willing to spend money to improve our squad (which shouldn't be difficult) in Januray then we would have done it.
Like mentioned previously, this sugar coated outlook on the JTW must have been prepared at least before deadline day.

 

[Mad Mick]

I'm very disappointed. In my view the team is worse now than what it was 2 to 3 years ago. We have lost McGuire and Murphy without any replacements. Even getting back Chris Porter would have looked positive. I'd take him any day over Sammonela. We are supposed to have backers with deep pockets, but all we do is sell and then patch up. A 5 year old could tell you we need a good centre half and a good big un up front. Yet all I see is spin and empty words. I'm proud to be a clapper, but this is not the way to go. This division is killing us, and yet all we are doing is treading water. We will make make the play offs again I believe, but we don't have the quality or ability to get promotion imho. I hope to god I'm wrong.

 

[Booker4]

Jim knows you can't polish a turd but he's always trying to roll it in glitter and get the fans to believe it's no longer shit

That made me laugh out loud! I've slept on it now, and I feel (moderately) better. I know that non sports fans would say I just care too much. My wife certainly says that, but what wife probably doesn't! Reading Jim's statement makes me conclude a few things:

The good signs:
1 Jim and presumably the Prince ARE still interested in the club (although that's my assumption and feeling as opposed to concrete info). I think it would be very unwise to put out his statement, appearing like we're in it together and for the long haul re future windows if there was about to be an announcement of the Prince leaving etc, although who knows with us.
2 We did clear some, but not all the dead wood in this window.
3 We didn't panic buy.
4 I don't fear Adkins resining as much as I did before this statement, but who knows what lies ahead this season.

Negative conclusions
1 Financially, whatever Jim says, we appear to be going back to the pre Prince days when we sell our better players (Murphy being the last) and not reinvesting back into the team.
2 I find it hard to believe that there isn't a single target that Adkins wants and that could be obtained in this window by our finances. We've concluded that there isn't better available players within our finances than Collins for example. Now Collins has been a good player, but he's slow and makes the odd error per game which often costs us. There are more I could mention, and we've effectively said we'll go with it.
3 We've almost definitely cemented our place in mid table now, in what was a very average league. Our rivals have strengthened or not lost their better players, with the exception of Posh losing Washington, but they've added several new younger players - something we fail to do.
4 We've had to pay off most of the players who have left.

So what now?
Since we're stuck with what we've got I reckon Adkins needs to reintroduce a bit of creativity in this side, again. Adams should be starting alongside Sharp or on one of the wings. Surely a talent that good can only improve by playing, and Sammon nor Done has done enough to start regularly. I would play Basham in centre defence instead of Collo and then sign a centre mid on loan who does have a faster and better engine than Basham and Hammond. There MUST be someone available, with all of the young players not getting a game in the prem, or players at the likes of Wolves who aren't getting a game, who have experience of this league already. I'm hopeful that we will be able to find someone better. We still have 2 loans available, possibly more if we don't play all five of them. I'm not sure youth loans contribute either to this.

Essentially we all know we need a smaller squad but with better quality. So we can still afford a decent wage bill (when we've cleared much of this squad) but its spent on bringing in some real quality, as opposed to the current situation, with 4 players for every position and yet not one outstanding player in each position in the majority of cases.

 

[Pollingtonblade]

The worrying thing I picked up is Jim saying lots of players out of contract this summer, they are hardly going to be motivated to play for new ones now they've said they won't get new deals.

 

[Rodders]

The worrying thing I picked up is Jim saying lots of players out of contract this summer, they are hardly going to be motivated to play for new ones now they've said they won't get new deals.

Yep, its clear the season is written off. If we sneak into the play-offs its a bonus but i think the Club are taking this season to reduce numbers then bring in new faces when the old ones leave in the summer.

 

[bladesadviser]

"....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....."

At least three transfer windows?

So if my maths is correct it will be Jan 2018 before this is concluded. What a stupid statement, that is implying that every player that comes in from now will be a success and won't need moving on. That doesn't happen at any clubs. Also easy to blame the man who isn't here anymore

 

[Esablade]

I dunno, pure speculation but I can certainly imagine the board chucking players at Adkins at the last minute saying 'we've got to get someone in or we'll get crucified'

...and Adkins saying 'get the fuck out of here'

 

[Esablade]

So if my maths is correct it will be Jan 2018 before this is concluded. What a stupid statement, that is implying that every player that comes in from now will be a success and won't need moving on. That doesn't happen at any clubs. Also easy to blame the man who isn't here anymore

Think that one is aimed at priming us for renewing Collins' contract

 

[cooperblade]

Like the majority I'm very disappointed that we haven't managed to bring a single player in.

My big concern however remains that we won't be as ruthless as we need to be in the Summer when it comes to the big clear out. I'd be amazed if Hammond and Woolford aren't here next season and all the evidence to date points to a manager who is too nice and gives too many chances.

 

[Esablade]

Posted on linkedin too..he means 'business'!

 

[Kev Gee]

A pretty terrible statement by all accounts.

I expect season ticket sales to drop through the floor at the end of another season in L1.

It looks like even darker days are on the horizon unless some new owner comes in out of the blue to sort this all out.

Could KMCs ownership be the worst in our history?