LouTheBlade
Active Member
After listening to the Trevor Birch interview on RS it really hit home just what a tight financial situation we are in. Regardless of what I think about it, or how poorly I think it has been managed it puts some perspective on the team’s current situation. I know my moods change like the four seasons on a daily cycle but I woke up this morning actually looking forward to the game tomorrow and feeling a little more optimistic. That optimism has taken a hit after listening to the interview from last night I hasten to add. I don’t subscribe to the view that this supposed £46M debt doesn’t impact on the assets of the football club, as TB described, but rather on the property investment side of things. Of course it impacts on the assets of the football side! We are having to sell players and cut the wage bill to service the debt! It’s having a direct effect on the football club, so while I accept the current situation we are in, I don’t accept the quite obvious spin being used. I was born on a Monday, not last Monday! The one and only reason that our debt isn’t as bad as other clubs is because we have a chairman that isn’t pressing for his money back. We are fortunate in that sense because the way I read into it is that the majority of the debt is owed back to Mr McCabe.
We are told belts must be tightened in the summer as well. TB didn’t specifically say whether this would depend on promotion or relegation but the tone of his voice and the way it was put across almost suggested the forecasted budget would be geared towards the Championship. I have no problem with that because we can’t assume promotion at any time. We can assume our status in the Championship, pretty much. The clear message that I got from it was that its tough times ahead. That’s fine, if it has to be it has to be but I want to see us doing things the right way within that remit. For example, instead of spending money on wages and fees for loan players, let’s wipe the slate clean in the summer and build a squad of our own players. It can be done on a modest budget and other clubs are doing it. Get rid of whatever is left of the big earners from the last two seasons and keep a core of KB’s team together (say 15 players). I’m sure we can find some good free transfers with the way the football economy is and let’s give some young lads a chance. There must surely be some talent in our academy that would benefit from being on the fringes of the first team?! I would just like to see maybe a 24 strong squad of our own players. If you’re going to pay 5 loanees their normal PL wages we might as well pay and keep our own players. During tough times we need to stick together and fight by having our own men who are here for the long haul. Not some Jonny Foreigner who is going back to Fulham in 3 months!
One mention I will give is for Kevin Blackwell. I have been less than enamoured with our style of play this season and I find his tactics in some games baffling to say the least. Despite that, I have to admit under the financial restraints I now know of, 6th position in the Championship suggests he is doing remarkably well, regardless of how he is going about it. For those who are about to reply with the suggestion that he has had loads of money to spend on Darius Henderson, David Cotterill etc. etc. yes he did have a decent budget last year. But we were using the parachute payments and we happened to do very well. We finished 3rd last season and were very unlucky not to go up automatically so you can’t really argue with that. I’m not his biggest fan at the moment but I have to take my hat off to the guy, I hadn’t realised just how tight the budget was getting. He has lost a lot of personnel and hasn’t had the salary budget to attract equivalent replacements. Yes we could play much better football and for me, he needs to try. But the directors also need to find some way of helping him find a settled squad of players. The staff turnover has been ridiculous!
Referring back to Saturday’s game, I am looking forward to it with the slightest bit of hesitation. On paper and based on league position we should destroy Derby. That may be harder than anticipated after their uplifting win against Forest. I would air on the side of caution in this one and have a bad feeling in my gut bearing in mind what Watford did to us the other night. Hopefully my gut feeling is mis-informed and the Blades smash them! You can never rule anything out with United. We should be able to put enough out to beat them but this is a MUST WIN game to keep our season on track. I won’t make a prediction on this occasion. I will just keep my fingers crossed, got to the game and get behind the lads. Can I please urge that under the current circumstances we face and the disappointment of the other night, KB and the players need our full backing on Saturday? It’s our job to give them a lift so they can give us one!
UTB :thumbup:
We are told belts must be tightened in the summer as well. TB didn’t specifically say whether this would depend on promotion or relegation but the tone of his voice and the way it was put across almost suggested the forecasted budget would be geared towards the Championship. I have no problem with that because we can’t assume promotion at any time. We can assume our status in the Championship, pretty much. The clear message that I got from it was that its tough times ahead. That’s fine, if it has to be it has to be but I want to see us doing things the right way within that remit. For example, instead of spending money on wages and fees for loan players, let’s wipe the slate clean in the summer and build a squad of our own players. It can be done on a modest budget and other clubs are doing it. Get rid of whatever is left of the big earners from the last two seasons and keep a core of KB’s team together (say 15 players). I’m sure we can find some good free transfers with the way the football economy is and let’s give some young lads a chance. There must surely be some talent in our academy that would benefit from being on the fringes of the first team?! I would just like to see maybe a 24 strong squad of our own players. If you’re going to pay 5 loanees their normal PL wages we might as well pay and keep our own players. During tough times we need to stick together and fight by having our own men who are here for the long haul. Not some Jonny Foreigner who is going back to Fulham in 3 months!
One mention I will give is for Kevin Blackwell. I have been less than enamoured with our style of play this season and I find his tactics in some games baffling to say the least. Despite that, I have to admit under the financial restraints I now know of, 6th position in the Championship suggests he is doing remarkably well, regardless of how he is going about it. For those who are about to reply with the suggestion that he has had loads of money to spend on Darius Henderson, David Cotterill etc. etc. yes he did have a decent budget last year. But we were using the parachute payments and we happened to do very well. We finished 3rd last season and were very unlucky not to go up automatically so you can’t really argue with that. I’m not his biggest fan at the moment but I have to take my hat off to the guy, I hadn’t realised just how tight the budget was getting. He has lost a lot of personnel and hasn’t had the salary budget to attract equivalent replacements. Yes we could play much better football and for me, he needs to try. But the directors also need to find some way of helping him find a settled squad of players. The staff turnover has been ridiculous!
Referring back to Saturday’s game, I am looking forward to it with the slightest bit of hesitation. On paper and based on league position we should destroy Derby. That may be harder than anticipated after their uplifting win against Forest. I would air on the side of caution in this one and have a bad feeling in my gut bearing in mind what Watford did to us the other night. Hopefully my gut feeling is mis-informed and the Blades smash them! You can never rule anything out with United. We should be able to put enough out to beat them but this is a MUST WIN game to keep our season on track. I won’t make a prediction on this occasion. I will just keep my fingers crossed, got to the game and get behind the lads. Can I please urge that under the current circumstances we face and the disappointment of the other night, KB and the players need our full backing on Saturday? It’s our job to give them a lift so they can give us one!
UTB :thumbup:
