McCabe

[raul]

Back in the days of the 'old' BladesUnited, when fans were queuing up to sing McCabe's praises and say he's the greatest Chairman we've ever had, etc., I posted a note of caution. I said that I had never met McCabe but he was making all the right noises and I hoped that the fans' optimism was fully justified. However, when things seem too good to be true, they often are. From memory, I don't think my post got a single response (nothing new there!).

It now seems my natural caution/scepticism of all things was justified. But then again, nobody likes a smart arse!

There were a few like minded souls Broomhill, it's been interesting to watch the transformation.

 

[super_pig]

>We'll ignore the fact that SOD is another manager who rates Monty as well
source please.. i think you just make these up

 

[bottletree]

I too was one of McCabes big fans and thought what great things he was doing for the club, but in the clear light of day and hindsight and other factors its obviously been an horror show with him at the helm. The quicker he goes the better the club will be without him.

 

[JohnDenver]

The quicker he goes the better the club will be without him.

That entirely depends on how he leaves and what he chooses to do with his owings. I don't dislike McCabe. He's made a series of mistakes over the last four years, which have culminated in this mess. But if he no longer wants to chuck good money after bad, it remains his decision.

Are we seriously saying that any chairman of SUFC must be a benefactor? What are the odds of find someone like that?

 

[Houso]

That entirely depends on how he leaves and what he chooses to do with his owings. I don't dislike McCabe. He's made a series of mistakes over the last four years, which have culminated in this mess. But if he no longer wants to chuck good money after bad, it remains his decision.

Are we seriously saying that any chairman of SUFC must be a benefactor? What are the odds of find someone like that?

Precisely. I do love the "McCabe Out" threads.

This isn't the same as wanting a manager out with hundreds of individuals who would be willing to have a crack at it for a wage. For those who want him out, tell us who will step in to take over this mess from McCabe?

We can wank over the thought of Mandaric all we like, but the pigs are only debt free until he gets bored or dies, and then they're in the shitter again.

McCabe has failed sadly, through a mixture of bad decisions and bad luck. That said, when he sells up, I will always remember him for the better elements of his tenure, rather than the poor appointments he made.

 

[lenners]

Relegation to League One would be the signature of McCabe's legacy.
For those falling over themselves to see him as a benefactor, you must be bonkers.
He's a businessman who will have known doors would open to him through the club's overseas interests and as we know one of them was entirely owned by him anyway.
He's also got a hotel for a quid and though he took on the mortage that mortgage was somewhat less than when it started out.
The money he put in has gone into shares, increasing his ownership, increasing his influence and increasing the return he could eventually receive from a sale.
The other money he has put in in terms of loans is there to be repaid and is being repaid through Tevez.
Wild notions of McCabe chucking £50m at the club for no return do not tally with the reality.

 

[JohnDenver]

Relegation to League One would be the signature of McCabe's legacy.
For those falling over themselves to see him as a benefactor, you must be bonkers.
He's a businessman who will have known doors would open to him through the club's overseas interests and as we know one of them was entirely owned by him anyway.
He's also got a hotel for a quid and though he took on the mortage that mortgage was somewhat less than when it started out.
The money he put in has gone into shares, increasing his ownership, increasing his influence and increasing the return he could eventually receive from a sale.
The other money he has put in in terms of loans is there to be repaid and is being repaid through Tevez.
Wild notions of McCabe chucking £50m at the club for no return do not tally with the reality.

I never said he was a benefactor, and I don't expect him to be. I'm just saying you can only truly judge his balance when he leaves and has settled his loans. No question he's lent the club a lot of money. Which is something many people can't or wouldn't do. The issue is how these are settled in the final analysis.

That said I do agree if we're in Div1 when he goes, his legacy will be severely tainted.

 

[broomhillblade]

Wild notions of McCabe chucking £50m at the club for no return do not tally with the reality.

I'm sure the world is full of generous people willing to chuck £50 million at a football club for purely unselfish reasons.

 

[lenners]

I'm sure the world is full of generous people willing to chuck £50 million at a football club for purely unselfish reasons.

No, it isn't.
But the notion of £50m being put into United by McCabe is often trotted out without question.
It is highly likely that McCabe has made money out of his involvement with United and has hugely increased his international profile along the way.

 

[beightonblade]

Forget the SOD thing because its speculation and rumour, just take bear facts into account and you can clearly see that Kevin McCabe is the reason we are in this mess. Some will blame Warnock, some Blackwell, some Robson, some Speed and now some Adams. One common factor overrides all and its Kevin McCabe. In my opinion his mistakes are as follows:-

He shouldn't be sacking Managers until he has a better replacement lined up. He let Warnock go without thinking about who would replace him (he managed to fuck that up big time), he sacked Robson without having a better replacement lined up (Blackwell just filled his boots afterwards because he was cheap option), he fired Blackwell having absolutely no one lined up and then when we said we were being patient and waiting for the right man for the job to come up (following Speed leaving) he shat his pants and took Adams because he was a Blade and would buy him some Blade points. The man is a recruitment nightmare.

He shouldn't have let Warnock spend bits and bobs on bits and bobs players in the JTW when we were in the Premiership. Knowing (as we all knew then) that one top class signing would have all but put us safe he let Wanock do his speculate to accumulate and didn't say "Neil, heres a great big pot of money go get us one player who will stand out head and shoulders above the rest".

He shouldn't have put his other interests ahead of first team investment. Its the reason we struggled to get up to the Premiership in the first place (a little shrewd money in the right places would have ensured we got ourselves up the tree a couple of years earlier. Its the reason we got relegated. Its the reason we sold BT. Its the reason we had/have global connections which have to date benefitted the first team to the tune of How High Dong and Li Tie! Oh and don't forget how the links have forged us a load of Hungarians and an Estonian reserve, reserve keeper.

Anyone remember comments like "Europe in 5 years"?

He shouldn't have gone anywhere near the World Cup 2018 bid. We were never going to get anything of a benefit out of Sheffield Council and the Pigs were always going to be a step ahead of us. Also, it was always a long shot if we were ever going to see the World Cup played in England in our lifetimes (we won't by the way).

He shouldn't have fired Kevin Blackwell this season having committed to him the back of last. Its totally unhinged the team this season and had Blackwell been in charge we would have been a good few points better off as a minimum. Do we have a better man in now? He plays direct football and has made most of his living in the lower leagues. Ooooh I'm moist at the thought of Micky Adams and his entertaining brand of Football.

Any one of these errors is bad enough but bring them together and you have the reason we are in this sorry, sorry mess. Why we are going to get relegated and probably be overtaken by the Pigs (we have already been overtaken by Leeds).

FFS, we were at the start of what should have been a golden age for the Blades. How the hell has it ended up here? On a personal level I am disgusted at what McCabe has done to the club from what was a very promising position only 4 years ago. He has almost single handedly butchered the heart from the club, turned us all into plastic ticket wielding clients rather than fans and marched us backwards to where we were last in the late 80's. Now that really does take some doing.

This is the best post i have ever read on a Blades forum....... yer've won a badge !

 

[dingledog]

Any money 'invested' by McCabe in the blades will be earning a very very good rate of interest. No one should be fooled into thinking he has generously put 50 million in. He has made a fortune out of the team.

 

[broomhillblade]

Any money 'invested' by McCabe in the blades will be earning a very very good rate of interest. No one should be fooled into thinking he has generously put 50 million in. He has made a fortune out of the team.

Here we go again. McCabe has said publicly that he's not taking a penny in interest out of his loans to the Blades. Have you any proof that his statement is untrue?

 

[yorkshirecoast]

This is the best post i have ever read on a Blades forum....... yer've won a badge !

Agreed. Excellent summary. Heartbreaking the way McCabe has fucked it up. You would hope he would feel some responsibility and provide big funds to help the club put things right. But he won't of course. Oh to have an owner like Doughty at Forest or Coates at Stoke. The best McCabe can do now is write off the debts, most of which are a direct result of his poor decisions, and put the club up for sale.

 

[Worksop II]

Here we go again. McCabe has said publicly that he's not taking a penny in interest out of his loans to the Blades. Have you any proof that his statement is untrue?

McCabe has said that he hasn`t taken any interest, he has never said he wont take any interest.

You can bet there is a loan account clocking up the £s owed.

He may never take it.

 

[alcoblade]

Here we go again. McCabe has said publicly that he's not taking a penny in interest out of his loans to the Blades. Have you any proof that his statement is untrue?

I think the burden of proof is the other way around. His loans are on the accounts and acquiring interest. That's the cold hard fact. McCabe telling us in a fans forum that he wont actually take it is to be evidenced at some point in the future. Right now, he's charging interest.

UTB

---------- Post added at 07:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:03 PM ----------

Forget the SOD thing because its speculation and rumour, just take bear facts into account and you can clearly see that Kevin McCabe is the reason we are in this mess. Some will blame Warnock, some Blackwell, some Robson, some Speed and now some Adams. One common factor overrides all and its Kevin McCabe. In my opinion his mistakes are as follows:-

He shouldn't be sacking Managers until he has a better replacement lined up. He let Warnock go without thinking about who would replace him (he managed to fuck that up big time), he sacked Robson without having a better replacement lined up (Blackwell just filled his boots afterwards because he was cheap option), he fired Blackwell having absolutely no one lined up and then when we said we were being patient and waiting for the right man for the job to come up (following Speed leaving) he shat his pants and took Adams because he was a Blade and would buy him some Blade points. The man is a recruitment nightmare.

He shouldn't have let Warnock spend bits and bobs on bits and bobs players in the JTW when we were in the Premiership. Knowing (as we all knew then) that one top class signing would have all but put us safe he let Wanock do his speculate to accumulate and didn't say "Neil, heres a great big pot of money go get us one player who will stand out head and shoulders above the rest".

He shouldn't have put his other interests ahead of first team investment. Its the reason we struggled to get up to the Premiership in the first place (a little shrewd money in the right places would have ensured we got ourselves up the tree a couple of years earlier. Its the reason we got relegated. Its the reason we sold BT. Its the reason we had/have global connections which have to date benefitted the first team to the tune of How High Dong and Li Tie! Oh and don't forget how the links have forged us a load of Hungarians and an Estonian reserve, reserve keeper.

Anyone remember comments like "Europe in 5 years"?

He shouldn't have gone anywhere near the World Cup 2018 bid. We were never going to get anything of a benefit out of Sheffield Council and the Pigs were always going to be a step ahead of us. Also, it was always a long shot if we were ever going to see the World Cup played in England in our lifetimes (we won't by the way).

He shouldn't have fired Kevin Blackwell this season having committed to him the back of last. Its totally unhinged the team this season and had Blackwell been in charge we would have been a good few points better off as a minimum. Do we have a better man in now? He plays direct football and has made most of his living in the lower leagues. Ooooh I'm moist at the thought of Micky Adams and his entertaining brand of Football.

Any one of these errors is bad enough but bring them together and you have the reason we are in this sorry, sorry mess. Why we are going to get relegated and probably be overtaken by the Pigs (we have already been overtaken by Leeds).

FFS, we were at the start of what should have been a golden age for the Blades. How the hell has it ended up here? On a personal level I am disgusted at what McCabe has done to the club from what was a very promising position only 4 years ago. He has almost single handedly butchered the heart from the club, turned us all into plastic ticket wielding clients rather than fans and marched us backwards to where we were last in the late 80's. Now that really does take some doing.

Mr Batho, can you make sure McCabe gets to read this? I think it's a perfect summary of how the majority of fans now view McCabe's tenure. If the club want to know why the fans are so disillusioned, then look no further.

UTB

 

[Compound_Legend]

Only one thing I wanna ask him...

 

[Rattly Noise]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. If it really was so easy we'd all be running multi-million pound businesses. The only absolute fact is that McCabe is a far more successful businessman than any of us (and if you are more successful then make him an offer). Sure, many of his decisions haven't worked out as he (and we) would have wished, but that's no different to any business both inside and outside of football. It's an incredibly difficult job, which is why the rewards are so big for those who make a success of it.

It's frustrating for us that he doesn't want to keep bankrolling us, but I'm sure if someone comes along with a decent offer then then he'll happily sell up.

 

[alcoblade]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. If it really was so easy we'd all be running multi-million pound businesses. The only absolute fact is that McCabe is a far more successful businessman than any of us (and if you are more successful then make him an offer). Sure, many of his decisions haven't worked out as he (and we) would have wished, but that's no different to any business both inside and outside of football. It's an incredibly difficult job, which is why the rewards are so big for those who make a success of it.

It's frustrating for us that he doesn't want to keep bankrolling us, but I'm sure if someone comes along with a decent offer then then he'll happily sell up.

It's a difficult job? Not employing Bryan Robson wasn't difficult, for starters. But we went for style over substance so that we could massage our public image.

At no point BEFORE we spent tens of millions of pounds that we didn't have on property, at the peak of a property super bubble, would I have supported it.

I was quite supportive when I thought we were investing Tevez / premiership / parachute money on alternative income streams. I was horrified when it became clear the debt we'd built up. And even then it wasn't enough. We then committed to develop half of the ground to house 3 matches that we could retain 15% of the gate money. Fortunately, to the horror of many, the FA handed us a get out of gaol free card and we were spared the ridiculous financial burden.

McCabe's decisions have been totally and utterly piss poor and he's left us it the shit. Why on earth anyone would want to excuse him because he's more successful in business than they are is beyond me.

UTB

 

[raul]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. If it really was so easy we'd all be running multi-million pound businesses. The only absolute fact is that McCabe is a far more successful businessman than any of us (and if you are more successful then make him an offer). Sure, many of his decisions haven't worked out as he (and we) would have wished, but that's no different to any business both inside and outside of football. It's an incredibly difficult job, which is why the rewards are so big for those who make a success of it.

It's frustrating for us that he doesn't want to keep bankrolling us, but I'm sure if someone comes along with a decent offer then then he'll happily sell up.

It absolutely is different to normal business if you get rewarded for success but expect your money back for failure.

 

[Rattly Noise]

It absolutely is different to normal business if you get rewarded for success but expect your money back for failure.

Sounds like banking?

---------- Post added at 11:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:42 PM ----------

McCabe's decisions have been totally and utterly piss poor and he's left us it the shit. Why on earth anyone would want to excuse him because he's more successful in business than they are is beyond me.

UTB

Not a question of excusing him. He's a millionaire isn't he? Clearly has made a few good decisions in life, even if he's made some bad ones when it comes to us. I don't look up to him just because he has more cash than me (don't look up to him at all). I just think it's a matter of fact that he knows a hell of a lot more about running a football club than me and disagreeing with some of his decisions doesn't change that.

 

[lenners]

Sounds like banking?

---------- Post added at 11:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:42 PM ----------

Not a question of excusing him. He's a millionaire isn't he? Clearly has made a few good decisions in life, even if he's made some bad ones when it comes to us. I don't look up to him just because he has more cash than me (don't look up to him at all). I just think it's a matter of fact that he knows a hell of a lot more about running a football club than me and disagreeing with some of his decisions doesn't change that.

One, look at the facts of what's happened.
Two, consider widely the reality of the 'business success' of people who run football clubs, how well they run them and often why they get involved in the first place.

 

[GlosBlade]

Awesome post Bladesway, and very sobering that we would without a doubt not be doing so badly this season with Blackwell still in charge, letting someone build a team and then sacking him after 2 league games is possibly the most insane decision of a long string of very poor managerial related decisions

And on the 50 million thing its perhaps almost inevitable that this is in todays press....

Dave Whelan has told ESPNsoccernet he is ready to write off £50 million as he seeks to ensure Wigan are free of debt in advance of his eventual handover of the club.

If Carlsberg did football chairmen...........

 

[puppet]

Awesome post Bladesway, and very sobering that we would without a doubt not be doing so badly this season with Blackwell still in charge, letting someone build a team and then sacking him after 2 league games is possibly the most insane decision of a long string of very poor managerial related decisions

And on the 50 million thing its perhaps almost inevitable that this is in todays press....

Dave Whelan has told ESPNsoccernet he is ready to write off £50 million as he seeks to ensure Wigan are free of debt in advance of his eventual handover of the club.

If Carlsberg did football chairmen...........

McCabe is a disgrace. I am so proud I have never liked the man, never trusted the man and never believed in the man. A cricket loving Scarborough lover whos tenuous claims to have been brought up in the same street as my father (he's way too posh to have been brought up in Alderson Road, no matter what he says) dont and never will give him his Blades credentials.
The MILLIONS made from player sales, since the PL exit can no way have been paid out in wages. The Tevez-Santander trade-off... is this money the club has loaned to under-pin the losses of Blades Realty, or money already paid back to McCabe? We were going to shit miracles suing West Ham and getting that money... now its gone before we even received it to keep a load of loanees and lesser waged signings?? Biggest load of balls I've ever heard in my life... we couldn't keep Kilgallon, Kenny, Beattie etc... yet we're still in dire financial straits despite bringing in replacements on much lower wages, or in Killas case, not a replacement at all.
Sorry.... but hes a shark and always has been. And we are now in a much worse position than we were when Warnock took over, so cheers for that Kevin.

UTB

 

[Muttley]

McCabe is a disgrace. I am so proud I have never liked the man, never trusted the man and never believed in the man. A cricket loving Scarborough lover whos tenuous claims to have been brought up in the same street as my father (he's way too posh to have been brought up in Alderson Road, no matter what he says) dont and never will give him his Blades credentials.
The MILLIONS made from player sales, since the PL exit can no way have been paid out in wages. The Tevez-Santander trade-off... is this money the club has loaned to under-pin the losses of Blades Realty, or money already paid back to McCabe? We were going to shit miracles suing West Ham and getting that money... now its gone before we even received it to keep a load of loanees and lesser waged signings?? Biggest load of balls I've ever heard in my life... we couldn't keep Kilgallon, Kenny, Beattie etc... yet we're still in dire financial straits despite bringing in replacements on much lower wages, or in Killas case, not a replacement at all.
Sorry.... but hes a shark and always has been. And we are now in a much worse position than we were when Warnock took over, so cheers for that Kevin.

UTB

Seconded!!

 

[beightonblade]

The way he has behaved with the Blades is unforgiveable in my book.............. that is unless he proves me wrong.....writes off the debt and places the freehold in a life rent trust with the Blades as sole winners !

 

[Grecian2000]

McCabe is a disgrace. I am so proud I have never liked the man, never trusted the man and never believed in the man. A cricket loving Scarborough lover whos tenuous claims to have been brought up in the same street as my father (he's way too posh to have been brought up in Alderson Road, no matter what he says) dont and never will give him his Blades credentials.
The MILLIONS made from player sales, since the PL exit can no way have been paid out in wages. The Tevez-Santander trade-off... is this money the club has loaned to under-pin the losses of Blades Realty, or money already paid back to McCabe? We were going to shit miracles suing West Ham and getting that money... now its gone before we even received it to keep a load of loanees and lesser waged signings?? Biggest load of balls I've ever heard in my life... we couldn't keep Kilgallon, Kenny, Beattie etc... yet we're still in dire financial straits despite bringing in replacements on much lower wages, or in Killas case, not a replacement at all.
Sorry.... but hes a shark and always has been. And we are now in a much worse position than we were when Warnock took over, so cheers for that Kevin.

UTB

I'll go along with all that EXCEPT the bit where you appear to be slagging him for liking Cricket. Never seen him watching the Tykes EVER (and long may it remain so).

 

[puppet]

I'll go along with all that EXCEPT the bit where you appear to be slagging him for liking Cricket. Never seen him watching the Tykes EVER (and long may it remain so).

he is some leading light (chairman? president?) of scarborough cricket club and missed the unveiling of the jimmy hagan memorial to attend a function there, hence my reference to that.

 

[God]

Nothing wrong with Monty except the fact that he can't play football! I thought he always played to his strenghts anyway, accumulating the most misdirected passes and fouls given away every game, or am I watching someone else????

 

[GlosBlade]

I don't expect McCabe to write of his 50M, he just needs to recognise that his investment has gone down in value and allow Birch to look for investors who will pay a fair market value and who have a sound strategy for taking the club forward. Other teams do get investment but no-one is going to put their hand in their pocket for 50M for a championship team in the state we are in. Given the size of this city, and the evidence of recent 30,000 gates the right investor with the right manager could make United (or Wednesday for the matter) a mid table Premiership side in a few seasons.

We are stuck with mediocrity now without even the agony of administration/rebirth as a potential way out, we'll be able to pay the HMRC and the wages of increasingly poor players but thats about it.

Kevin McCabe has joined the long list of failed chairmen of our club over the past 30 years, all the stories are different but the outcomes much the same. Do the decent thing Kevin, take the market value and go.

 

[DP8789]

I think the burden of proof is the other way around. His loans are on the accounts and acquiring interest. That's the cold hard fact. McCabe telling us in a fans forum that he wont actually take it is to be evidenced at some point in the future. Right now, he's charging interest.

UTB

---------- Post added at 07:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:03 PM ----------



Mr Batho, can you make sure McCabe gets to read this? I think it's a perfect summary of how the majority of fans now view McCabe's tenure. If the club want to know why the fans are so disillusioned, then look no further.

UTB

here here! both great posts