Letter to Danny...

[Putney Blade]

Dear Danny,

Scoring 1 goal per game is hardly the stuff of promotion contenders. We appreciate how difficult it must be to have to replace Evans, Williamson, Quinn and Lowton, but we have gone in the total opposite direction. This is worrying. The team lacks goal scorers, and the creativity and pace to create chances. We are steeped in strikers, few are genuine goal scorers. Our lack of creativity is a major concern, this is something that has dogged United for years. Currently too much is placed on the shoulders of MacDonald; asking him to play at the top of his game week-and-week out to overcome the deficiencies elsewhere is unrealistic and dangerous. We have also been lacking pace since the days of Kyle Walker, Flynn is hardly a 'flyer', our inability to create chances by getting behind defences is troubling.

Easy to stand on the 'terraces' I hear you say, but from hearing your after-match press conferences, you appear to believe nothing is wrong, 'we are still unbeaten aren't we'. Am hoping these are public soundbites but privately you are beavering away to line up loanees, 'wheel and deal' to overcome these problems. Lack of goals put's too much pressure on the defence, the Oldham game proved how dangerous this is. This lack of goals will of course come to bite us if not resolved; it will inevitably make our goal of promotion that much harder.

UTB

ps. why did you invest in Porter for another two years? Offers nothing different from we already have, the money could have been invested in creativity and pace elsewhere.

 

[super_pig]

we need PACE..someone who can run with the ball and attack space..
like lowton.. or walker.. or naughton.. umm hold on a minute

 

[stannyblade]

we need PACE..someone who can run with the ball and attack space..
like lowton.. or walker.. or naughton.. umm hold on a minute

All of which are with premier league teams. There is no way on earth if we had kept them (Lowton maybe) they would be still here now

 

[georgebernardshaw]

we need PACE..someone who can run with the ball and attack space..
like lowton.. or walker.. or naughton.. umm hold on a minute

That's going to be difficult, logistically speaking.

 

[upton blade]

what we needed in the squad was wingers to play on the wings , for whatever reason we didnt sign anyone. it reminds me of the warnock era , 9 strikers and no one to supply a decent ball into the box? i really enjoyed watching the team play last season despite how it ended but some of Danny Wilson signings just arent good enough imo. k mac, blackman,apart. dont rate mcmahon, hill, porter, williams, flynn, westlake, howard , cofie is still youngand inconsistant also and are we going to see miller at all? i really hope the team finds some form and can stay up in the automatic picture but i wouldnt bet on it.

 

[gavtheblade]

i appreciate that utd have struggled to see off poor opposition upto now,but remain unbeaten and look good on the road in the way of results.
Blaming wilson is nonsense-he`s done everything the board have asked of him,he`s lost all his talented players except mcdonald,and has had to replace them with free transfers.
Its not a letter to danny wilson we need,its a letter to a rich investor thats willing to put money in the transfer kitty.To be honest with you i think its only a matter of time before it all clicks and we start putting teams to the sword.have faith,sir alex would do well to get the club bouncing again in the 12 games upto now.

 

[travellingblade]

Oh yes, let's go out and sign a few loanees (it's worked a treat in the past), and get ourselves a signing embargo for overstepping the 65% mark.

Get real - get behind the team - we ARE unbeaten, and whilst we are winning away and drawing at home, I'm ok with that.

 

[bartman]

we need PACE..someone who can run with the ball and attack space..
like lowton.. or walker.. or naughton.. umm hold on a minute

you mean like Blackman,Cofe,Flynn ?

No point attacking space if you attacking the wrong space.
No point running with the ball if you run down a blind alley.We didn't have pace last seasosn but we had players who knew what space to get into and when to create something (Willo was good at this)

Trouble is,good players with pace,who can attack and defend,create space and score will not be playing in the third tier for long

 

[bartman]

Dear Danny,

Scoring 1 goal per game is hardly the stuff of promotion contenders. We appreciate how difficult it must be to have to replace Evans, Williamson, Quinn and Lowton, but we have gone in the total opposite direction. This is worrying. The team lacks goal scorers, and the creativity and pace to create chances. We are steeped in strikers, few are genuine goal scorers. Our lack of creativity is a major concern, this is something that has dogged United for years. Currently too much is placed on the shoulders of MacDonald; asking him to play at the top of his game week-and-week out to overcome the deficiencies elsewhere is unrealistic and dangerous. We have also been lacking pace since the days of Kyle Walker, Flynn is hardly a 'flyer', our inability to create chances by getting behind defences is troubling.

Easy to stand on the 'terraces' I hear you say, but from hearing your after-match press conferences, you appear to believe nothing is wrong, 'we are still unbeaten aren't we'. Am hoping these are public soundbites but privately you are beavering away to line up loanees, 'wheel and deal' to overcome these problems. Lack of goals put's too much pressure on the defence, the Oldham game proved how dangerous this is. This lack of goals will of course come to bite us if not resolved; it will inevitably make our goal of promotion that much harder.

UTB

ps. why did you invest in Porter for another two years? Offers nothing different from we already have, the money could have been invested in creativity and pace elsewhere.

So you have written this letter to Danny to have a moan and the only question you have asked is why he signed Porter. The fact we lost 3 strikers in a short period of time last season (Evans,Creswell,Hoskins) and was only left with Porter would suggest he is ensuring we have cover

target men- Kitson(only til Jan),Cresswell and Porter
alongside- Blackman,Cofe or Miller

This makes sense to me...we will know by the transfer window in January if these are the right players

There has been wholesale changes to the team. Play off losers often have poor starts the following season(Reading last season for example) yet we are above the best footballing side of the division in MK Dons.

We aren't playing the best,and we aren't scoring enough and our wages are committed now with little room for wheeling and dealing but the critism on here after 12 games is astonishing,imo. Would it look better if we had won seven,drawn 1 and lost 4 or would some fans still be unhappy as we would be losing 1 in 3.

 

[bartman]

what we needed in the squad was wingers to play on the wings , for whatever reason we didnt sign anyone. it reminds me of the warnock era , 9 strikers and no one to supply a decent ball into the box? i really enjoyed watching the team play last season despite how it ended but some of Danny Wilson signings just arent good enough imo. k mac, blackman,apart. dont rate mcmahon, hill, porter, williams, flynn, westlake, howard , cofie is still youngand inconsistant also and are we going to see miller at all? i really hope the team finds some form and can stay up in the automatic picture but i wouldnt bet on it.

Hill,Flynn,Howard not good enough ? You not seen them play this season then ?

 

[gavtheblade]

evans will be back on november 7th,all our problems will be solved.

 

[SwissBlade]

Dear Danny,

Scoring 1 goal per game is hardly the stuff of promotion contenders.

Dear Putney Blade,

Yet after a quarter of the season were still sitting 3rd in the league and unbeaten. It's mad easy this league, we don't even have to try hard.

So, What's your point.

Regards,

Danny.

 

[gavtheblade]

Dear Putney Blade,

Yet after a quarter of the season were still sitting 3rd in the league and unbeaten. It's mad easy this league, we don't even have to try hard.

So, What's your point.

Regards,

Danny.

if at the final quarter of the season we are in the top 3 still,i think a lot of people on here will eat there own words swiss.

 

[SwissBlade]

if at the final quarter of the season we are in the top 3 still,i think a lot of people on here will eat there own words swiss.

Especially if we start bagging goals but losing 4-3...

 

[blade too long]

Dear Danny
what are you doing , come on , this is sheffield united
why arent we winning every game 5-0 at least
I think its disgusting we aren't 23 points clear and haven't scored over 100 goals already
I dont think this is asking too much, as every club other than us are shit no hopers, not fit to be on the same pitch as us
buck up your ideas , and try and sign Aguero off man city
Yours mellow blade, the voice of reason

 

[metalblade]

Sick of reading this we are unbeaten shit.................. 2 words BURTON ALBION

 

[SwissBlade]

Sick of reading this we are unbeaten shit.................. 2 words BURTON ALBION

Four words: We're unbeaten since burton...

 

[Pinchy]

One word will do - Irrelevant. Everyone knows we are talking about League games.

 

[metalblade]

Mind you we didn't really lose the play off final did we, remind me again which division we play in is it the same one as Charlton, Huddersfield and the pigs. About time some Unitedites extracted their heads from up their own arses.

 

[grafikhaus]

Despite playing mostly garbage, we're in third place, unbeaten and it appears a very weak division. They are the facts.

However, it seems Tranmere, like Charlton last season, are building up a lead that will allow them the odd slip-up. Even this early on, it could be that only one automatic place is up for grabs. (If someone - MK Dons, Swindon etc. overhaul Tranmere, it will be because they've hit a great run of form. The chances of that team being us looks most unlikely).

Saturday was awful. The late goal I can cope with - it's becoming a feature under Wilson. Ditto the lack of tactical awareness.

What I cannot forgive is the cowardly, inept surrender on our home turf. Quite the worst I seen in 50+ years.

Danny Wilson will be remembered as 'The Nearly Man'. Us last season, Swindon etc.

 

[raul]

Dear Danny,

Crack on with doing your best with the resources at your disposal, build on their strengths and iron out (as far as possible) their weaknesses. If you're best is good enough, we'll get promoted (at that stage you'd be wise to resign) and if it's not, we won't and there will be people calling for the return of Quickfix seeing how well Port Vale are doing.

You know the score

All the very best for the season ahead

Raul

 

[super_pig]

you mean like Blackman,Cofe,Flynn ?

Flynn?? i'm faster than him..
it goes without saying you have to attack the 'right' space.. that's usually the one with no defenders in it

 

[super_pig]

Dear Danny
what are you doing , come on , this is sheffield united
why arent we winning every game 5-0 at least
I think its disgusting we aren't 23 points clear and haven't scored over 100 goals already
I dont think this is asking too much, as every club other than us are shit no hopers, not fit to be on the same pitch as us
buck up your ideas , and try and sign Aguero off man city
Yours mellow blade, the voice of reason

what an utterly ridiculous post
we aren't winning games AT ALL
i think it is disgusting that we have thrown away 20 points this season from winning positions

grafik has it bang on.. we surrendered.. we are sheffield united.. we are crap but we never surrender like that at the lane.. stuff the tactical nuances.. THAT is what is winding me up

 

[Bladesway]

Fuck me, third in October and we are apparently doomed. Just a couple of things to chuck on the fire if I may.

Does anyone really believe what players/managers say any longer to the media? If you do I presume you still believe in the tooth fairy. They stand there because they have to. They just trot out the same old crap to send people away. Of course Wilson and a team of scouts/coaches etc will be scouring the world to get the right players in. I assume some people also think he just sits there in a chair smoking a big king ted thinking he has cracked it.

We are in the third division and the quality of the players we have/will get reflects that. They are poor compared to what we had in the past. The wage bill has had to be slashed so the quality has gone with it. Seems some of our supporters need to get over this and face up to the fact that we are where we are. We have been here before and no doubt will be here again. I can understand uproar over how the hell did we get here, but now we are here we really need to knuckle down and get on with the job in hand. It's shit, we all know it is.

Finally, please tell me you didn't really ever post that letter did you? You care, no doubt like we all do but it just looks like the snivellings of a boy who didn't get what he wanted for his birthday.

10th in March and we have a problem, but 3rd in October and still (like it or not) unbeaten? Christ there really is no pleasing some people.

 

[blade too long]

the rule of thumb is 2 points per game , means a great chance of promotion
we are doing that
the rule of thumb is less than 1 point a game means relegation
wednesdays doing that

as to the above what players manager or whoever says are no substitute fot the fact the table doesnt lie

we are third , and have an empty loss column
if that sickens you , you have problems

as to poor displays they happen, doesnt mean we are crap

 

[Fiery Blade]

More important than the loss column is the win column -the frustration coming out is the fact that we are dropping points needlesly and do not appear to be learning from the experience
Several games we have been the better side Colchester, Coventry, Notts County only to gift the opposition goals - Bury Donny and Oldham were dire performances - we should be 12 points better than we are now - which would put us top of the league
It is a poor division but we have not played well and keep making the same mistakes - thats why people are not happy
We still have the largest wage budget in the league - we still have some of the better players in the league - they are professional footballers - start being professional and play to your potential!
We cannot afford displays like Bury, Oldham - it drains confidence in both the team and the supporters!

 

[super_pig]

>the rule of thumb is 2 points per game , means a great chance of promotion
we are doing that
i reckon you redo your maths mate.. 22/12 = 1.83

>as to poor displays they happen, doesnt mean we are crap
this is an astonishingly short term view..
BUT as a general trend it tends to suggest that you will start losing again sooner or later..

when bootwell was in charge we heard 'all' of this before and had 'all' of these discussions before.. some of us were of the opinion that although we were third in the league and kept grinding out incredibly tedious one nil wins, at some point our lack of quality would see us plummet down the table

it did.. in one season we went from playoff contenders to straight out of the bottom

it's like blackwell groundhog day all over again.. boot it down the middle.. scrape a lucky goal.. hang on for the win.. just when you thought we'd got rid of this crap.. no wonder i'm f**ked off with it

 

[Bladesway]

Your being a bit pedantic if you are hanging your hat on 1.83 points not being close to 2 points per game. As for poor displays we started last season poorly. I well remember seeing us stutter and splutter against Walsall (who if they had taken their chances would have won) but play them off the park for 20 minutes, score 3 goals and it was enough. To say and compare this with Blackwell (I assume this is who you are on about) it unfair. Also, bearing in mind Blackwell got the boot early in our relegation campaign so you may hate him, but he wasn't the reason we went down. Actually his sacking was probably one of the main reasons but there you go.

It isn't like Blackwell groundhog day, we are unbeaten, we are third. We are in a position where sometimes it isn't going to be pretty. Something people moaned about last season is we were all pretty passing and got muscled out of it. You can't have it both ways.

I wonder with some of our fans whether they actually want to go and see the team play or just want something to moan about. If so its a bloody expensive hobby to leave unfulfilled every week.

 

[blade too long]

pedantic , 1,83 x 46 =84 points which can be enough
but we will prevail with more than that

 

[Deleted member 875]

Dear Danny.

You should be listening to my wise words of advice on Radio Sheffield. You haven't properly replaced Ched Evans, you need to buy strikers and midfielders. You also need to throw cups at players (i did it when i was a manager in the Meadowhall Sunday League)

Regards

Brian (The Blade)