Kevin McCabe

[judge]

most of the people on here slagging him off were slagging him off during the promotion season for not backing warnock sooner ,even though they couldnt stand warnock or winning or even enjoying themselves

 

[metalblade]

There are a lot of people asking for responses, and I don't fancy writing a dissertation to reply to them all.

But here's a few general points I've picked up on, which I wish to respond to:

1. I fail to see how McCabe can be blamed fro anything which occurs on the field. He appoints the manager, from then on it's the managers choice who he picks and how they perform. The chairman is simply the money man (with the exception of Chelsea) and the manager will come to KM and ask if we can afford a certain player who he feels will improve the team. If player X ends up being sh*t, no blame can be put on the chairman surely?
2. Selling the youth players. We actually haven't been robbed on many of our products at all. If a premier league club comes in for one of our players with a fair offer (Walker, Naughton, Jagielka, Tonge, Lowton, Slew) who are we to stand in the kids way? I don't buy into this "we don't even get the benefit of their service first". Every aforementioned player has been seen for a MINIMUM of one full season in a blades shirt, except Slew, who I think we can all agree we got a good deal out of! I'm sure Walker had only played 5 games for us when he was sold, you can't really count a player who was loaned back to us for half the season then whipped away again on the last day of the transfer window either.
3. This quote from metal "just take a look at the top clubs in the country did any of them get where they are by selling their best talent before they got one season out of them ?" Well no ofcourse not, but if you're at a top club why would you leave? if you are a real prospect, why would you remain at a League 1 club?? Not really a valid argument, we have sold our better players whichever division we have been in, fair enough being in the lower leagues does make hanging on to players that much harder.
4. "Plenty thought Beattie was not required" - Well they were wrong. We'd have probably gone down that season without his goals!

Realistically, we have a solvent club producing young, exciting talent. Many of which will leave whilst we're in League 1, but the have the facility to produce them is mainly down to him. Several first team member plus at least 5 of our weekly bench consists of our academy products, so to say we don't gain the benefit is quite frankly nonsense! I'm not saying KM is the best chairman in the history of football, but the abuse he receives is somewhat ill-founded and unfair. How on earth can anyone say we have a solvent club McCabe would have us believe he is bank rolling us to the tune of a £million each month which is it solvent or need McCabe's monthly cheque ???
As for the academy making up our bench so what Wilson would sooner play Cresswell, he only plays the youngsters when he has no other options

UTB

 

[blader]

As for the academy making up our bench so what Wilson would sooner play Cresswell, he only plays the youngsters when he has no other options

Metal, I always thought of myself as a pessimistic and cynical person, but this makes me feel I'm happy-go-lucky! It clearly means you will never give credit to the club for anything. You complain that he doesn't play the youngsters, and when he plays the youngsters, you say it's because he has no other option? Which you know isn't true, firstly, when was the last time Cresswell got more than 10 mins in any match? Ironside has been first choice reserve for a while now.

We must have one of the youngest squads in the football league. On Saturday, we had 12 under 23s in our squad. If that's not playing youth, I don't know what is!!

You accept that being in the lower leagues makes holding on to players harder. Well, we didn't sell one single academy graduate when we were in the premier league. Which suggests that we would have kept all our best youth players if we were in the top flight, don't you think? To repeat my point, if a higher club comes in with a decent offer for a young player, who are we to stand in their way, especially if they want to go? I don't remember us selling any academy graduate against their wishes. They all went willingly, and we have never sold any players massively under their market value (at the time) and have even got the upper hand in a couple of deals (Tonge and Slew come straight to mind!)

 

[StarBlade]

There are a lot of people asking for responses, and I don't fancy writing a dissertation to reply to them all.

But here's a few general points I've picked up on, which I wish to respond to:

1. I fail to see how McCabe can be blamed fro anything which occurs on the field. He appoints the manager, from then on it's the managers choice who he picks and how they perform. The chairman is simply the money man (with the exception of Chelsea) and the manager will come to KM and ask if we can afford a certain player who he feels will improve the team. If player X ends up being sh*t, no blame can be put on the chairman surely?
2. Selling the youth players. We actually haven't been robbed on many of our products at all. If a premier league club comes in for one of our players with a fair offer (Walker, Naughton, Jagielka, Tonge, Lowton, Slew) who are we to stand in the kids way? I don't buy into this "we don't even get the benefit of their service first". Every aforementioned player has been seen for a MINIMUM of one full season in a blades shirt, except Slew, who I think we can all agree we got a good deal out of!
3. This quote from metal "just take a look at the top clubs in the country did any of them get where they are by selling their best talent before they got one season out of them ?" Well no ofcourse not, but if you're at a top club why would you leave? if you are a real prospect, why would you remain at a League 1 club??
4. "Plenty thought Beattie was not required" - Well they were wrong. We'd have probably gone down that season without his goals!

Realistically, we have a solvent club producing young, exciting talent. Many of which will leave whilst we're in League 1, but the have the facility to produce them is mainly down to him. Several first team member plus at least 5 of our weekly bench consists of our academy products, so to say we don't gain the benefit is quite frankly nonsense! I'm not saying KM is the best chairman in the history of football, but the abuse he receives is somewhat ill-founded and unfair.

UTB

So, if he appoints a manager who loses every game, then the chairman has no blame whatsoever? He appointed Robson, nuff said! I cannot believe that we detach the decision makers from the consequence so easily. As for being a solvent club, we lose millions each year and the only way we appear to be solvent is year after year another asset of the football club is transferred outside to some holding company or other, to whom we owe the debt, who, incidentally is owned by the man we're debating..

 

[Bergen Blade]

We must have one of the youngest squads in the football league. On Saturday, we had 12 under 23s in our squad. If that's not playing youth, I don't know what is!!

Age of the players on Saturday:

19​

26 19 34 21​

24 24 31 23​

23 32​

Average age: 25.09

In our division, Tranmere, Crewe and Bury have fielded teams this season with the average age of around 21-22. There are clubs in all divisions who have fielded far younger teams than the one we started on Saturday.

Conclusion

Young bench. Not so young starting eleven.

 

[metalblade]

Spot on Bergen and this is the reason that when we picked up some injuries and suspensions Danny Wilson had no back up and was forced to give a few youngsters their first real starts in a local derby against the most physical side in this league. Wilson is fast becoming a poor man's Bryan Robson boring sideways football then hoof from back to front, he also like giving players the wrong side of thirty 3 yr contracts.

 

[Fiery Blade]

Cannot for the life of me work out why Doyle, Porter and Cresswell were given new contracts and I would question Collins (although he has been reasonable in this division) he really struggled in the Championship the
year we were relegated

 

[Revolution]

Cannot for the life of me work out why Doyle, Porter and Cresswell were given new contracts and I would question Collins (although he has been reasonable in this division) he really struggled in the Championship the
year we were relegated

Cresswell had to be given a new deal because of the FFP regulations.
If you think we wouldn't miss Collins, I would refer you to the results since he got injured.
I take your point re Porter and I still think he might go during the window.
Doyle? Meh. I'm not a huge fan, but there are bigger problems in the side than him.

 

[Fiery Blade]

Cresswell had to be given a new deal because of the FFP regulations.
If you think we wouldn't miss Collins, I would refer you to the results since he got injured.
I take your point re Porter and I still think he might go during the window.
Doyle? Meh. I'm not a huge fan, but there are bigger problems in the side than him.

Collins has been good since we were relegated but I am not sure he can hack it in the league above - With Cresswell I think we would have been better to pay him off!

 

[blader]

Collins has been good since we were relegated but I am not sure he can hack it in the league above - With Cresswell I think we would have been better to pay him off!

How many of our players can hack in in the league above? If they all could, we would be walking the league! We need to have players good enough for League 1 at the moment, which I think it's fair to say Collins is. IT's another debate, but I believe only McDonald, Maguire, Long and maybe Blackman would be good enough in the championship.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Age of the players on Saturday:

19​

26 19 34 21​

24 24 31 23​

23 32​

Average age: 25.09

In our division, Tranmere, Crewe and Bury have fielded teams this season with the average age of around 21-22. There are clubs in all divisions who have fielded far younger teams than the one we started on Saturday.

Conclusion

Young bench. Not so young starting eleven.

To be fair, just looking at those raw numbers you would say that Wilson has got the blend just right.
A spine of three experienced players (31 and over), three youngsters (21 and under) and five in their early-mid 20's.
What we may be lacking is players who are at the peak of their powers (i.e. 27 to 30).
Players of that age should have all the experience, fitness and tactical awareness required.
However, they don't come cheap which is probably why we don't have any.

As I've said before if we could keep the best of our early-20's and the youngsters together for another 3-5 years, our prospects could be very bright. But will we?

 

[super_pig]

so explain this to me
if we have all of these ex academy players in the squad (presumably on ex academy wages).. then where does the wage bill go?? does Cresswell and Doyle take 90% of the budget by themselves??

 

[Fiery Blade]

How many of our players can hack in in the league above? If they all could, we would be walking the league! We need to have players good enough for League 1 at the moment, which I think it's fair to say Collins is. IT's another debate, but I believe only McDonald, Maguire, Long and maybe Blackman would be good enough in the championship.

So why hand out three year contracts unless............we are planning a longer stay in the Pub League ?

 

[StarBlade]

So why hand out three year contracts unless............we are planning a longer stay in the Pub League ?

I think it's a default length. Most people would prefer longer-term security rather than short-term, footballers included. Getting players to sign short contracts really only works when the players have very few options available.

 

[FleaPitBlade]

Have I missed something with McCabe? Am I the only person who still has an ounce of respect for the man?

No, you're not.

I met him recently and found him to be a total gentlemen who's enthusiasm and passion for SUFC is incredibly infectious.

 

[Foxy]

No, you're not.

I met him recently and found him to be a total gentlemen who's enthusiasm and passion for SUFC is incredibly infectious.

You were pretty lucky to catch him last week too, as he wasn't going to make it due to other commitments last I heard

You should have asked him about the Kyles, I don't think he's heard that one

 

[FleaPitBlade]

You were pretty lucky to catch him last week too, as he wasn't going to make it due to other commitments last I heard

He obviously wanted to meet me!

 

[alcoblade]

No, you're not.

I met him recently and found him to be a total gentlemen who's enthusiasm and passion for SUFC is incredibly infectious.

I think most United fans would agree. But that's not what most would (or should) judge him on. And I doubt McCabe would want to be judged on that in a business sense either.

UTB

 

[raul]

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

i dont know what his intentions are, but the facts are hes hopeless at running a football club.quote]

He's not running the club, he's running his businesses sat in Brussels.

Biggest mistake was to pay Turry to run it. It was Turry who brought in his mate Robbo.

But this all old ground, we need to move on.

I'm not sure Wilson is the man to take us forwards but if there is a doubt amonst the fans there must be a doubt amonst the players?

 

[JohnDenver]

I'm not sure Wilson is the man to take us forwards but if there is a doubt amonst the fans there must be a doubt amonst the players?

There are always plenty of fans who doubt. They doubted Warnock, doubted Bassett...

Players are usually more to blame than the manager at such times. They know they won't be sacked. They know they won't be blamed. They can afford their cowardice as the fall guy is the boss.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

There are always plenty of fans who doubt. They doubted Warnock, doubted Bassett...

Players are usually more to blame than the manager at such times. They know they won't be sacked. They know they won't be blamed. They can afford their cowardice as the fall guy is the boss.

Fair point.

I think the current run of fortune started against Tranmere.
From the kick off the ball went out for a goal kick and no one in the ground was interested.
The player let the ball run away, ball boy didn't fetch the ball and the goalie wasn't interested.

Now I saw it a an instruction from the management to run the game at our pace, it's our manor, we'll do what we want, when we want but to me it puts the team to sleep.

We need a kick up the arse on the pitch, need to close down quicker; work harder when we haven't got the ball, our game will follow on naturally.

 

[JohnDenver]

We need a kick up the arse on the pitch, need to close down quicker; work harder when we haven't got the ball, our game will follow on naturally.

Agree with that. It should be a given but it certainly isn't at the mo.

I suspect the fact that McDonald and Doyle have no competition for their places is at the heart of it. Last season McDonald was dropped in Autumn, then came back with a bang.

Time for Danny to bring a little discomfort to their posteriors via the medium of his size 9s.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Agree with that. It should be a given but it certainly isn't at the mo.

I suspect the fact that McDonald and Doyle have no competition for their places is at the heart of it. Last season McDonald was dropped in Autumn, then came back with a bang.

Time for Danny to bring a little discomfort to their posteriors via the medium of his size 9s.

Needs a size 12

 

[COME BACK CHED]

Would like to see him at Wembley, or would he be bad luck ? , no bigger Blade

 

[Dkc]

Would like to see him at Wembley, or would he be bad luck ? , no bigger Blade

Hope he gets offered tickets by the club, and PA too.

Might be best not to seat them together though.

 

[DifferentClass]

Hope he gets offered tickets by the club, and PA too.

Might be best not to seat them together though.

Feyt Neyt at Bramall Lane, highest attendance in yonks!

 

[The Bohemian]

Would like to see him at Wembley, or would he be bad luck ? , no bigger Blade

He’ll be at Wembley and so he should be. Not sure about “no bigger Blade” but am sure that no Blade put more money or effort into trying to move our great club forward.

It’s also clear from his book that he got on pretty well with PA. The problems were with his acolytes.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Hope he gets offered tickets by the club, and PA too.

Might be best not to seat them together though.

They’ve long since made up. McCabe’s main beef was with Giansiracusa, not PA.

 

[Rodley]

Hope he gets offered tickets by the club, and PA too.

Might be best not to seat them together though.