Might I inject a note of positivity?

[coaxingstar71]

This is one of the biggest factors going against us and it's something I call 'The Cloughover'.

We are still suffering from some elements of Clough's reign. Although I praise him for recruiting Adams, Done and Brayford, there were many others who had question marks over them at the time of signing and still do to this day. It's alright some saying we need to buy X, Y and Z, but the squad is huge and nobody will be on a pittance. We can't just throw money at the problem and if the squad is overloaded with some bang average or injured players, it becomes harder to shift people on while they're under contract. Case in point = Craig Alcock; both injured whilst the window was still open and a pretty poor player in my eyes. Who's gonna buy him?

We allowed Clough to pursue the players he wanted within the budget (even stretching it hugely in Brayford's case). He created a huge squad which was way off the quality needed for automatic promotion. He might be gone but his legacy is still very much alive with this squad, and it'll be a while before Adkins can truly shape the squad he wants.

I absolutely agree with this - just checked the contracts thread and although it's now a little out of date, most of the squad are contracted to the end of June 2016 and in some cases 2017. Interestingly it says that Higdon was only contract to the end of June 2015 with an option for a further year, so can only assume that was taken.

I think some live in football fantasy land - we need to spend money on players, let's bring loan players in, let's get rid... etc etc. It's not that easy though is it. There's the FFP to contend with, plus the club can ill afford to just pay up players contracts, let them go, then spend even more cash on new players.

I said several times at the start of the season that this manager needs time to mould his own side and he can't do that in one season, so apart from the odd addition such as Edgar, he's stuck with what he's got. I also said that as long as we played more positively, then I didn't expect auto promotion in the first season. After we beat Swindon, I think we all got a bit carried away.

Have to say that the performance on Tuesday was one of the most inept I've seen from a blades team but I'm not foolish enough to think that means this set of players aren't capable of winning games, as evidenced by the games we have won.

What we don't want is another change of manager, we need to give Adkins time even if we don't get promoted this season.

As the OP said, keep the faith - UTB.

 

[sheffielder]

We do have a big squad but it's unbalanced. People keep on talking about when we have Brayford, Flynn and Done back etc; however that's not where we are struggling right now. We need a CB and CM and it's glaring and has been since the start of last season. We also need to get a loan in at left back until Harris comes back.

We need someone desperately to come into that midfield and be able to boss and organise whoever is working alongside him. Currently we have two players who have neither the ability or experience to manage our midfield.

We aren't far away at all, and when the players from the first paragraph, come back on top of the CB and CM we should be a steam train. We needed to pay that little bit extra to get two players over the line, however we didn't and that's gone now. What hasn't gone is that we need to bring people in now and freshen this up. We have too many players who want to be chief, but neither have the ability or mental strength to play their own game and manage the team.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Edgar looks like a good signing but it seemed to be a knee jerk reaction after Gillingham rather than getting him early

The Edgar deal was underway before Gillingham. Of course.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

He created a huge squad which was way off the quality needed for automatic promotion. He might be gone but his legacy is still very much alive with this squad, and it'll be a while before Adkins can truly shape the squad he wants.

To me it looks a lot like we've got, in the main, a 4-5-1 squad playing a 4-4-2 system. I think this is most obvious - as it's bound to be - in centre midfield.

Does anyone think we need a CM and a CH?

 

[sheffielder]

The Edgar deal was underway before Gillingham. Of course.

You forgot to put the Of Course in brackets or make bold..

 

[Harry's Game]

To me it looks a lot like we've got, in the main, a 4-5-1 squad playing a 4-4-2 system. I think this is most obvious - as it's bound to be - in centre midfield.

Does anyone think we need a CM and a CH?

Need more than that, two defenders, two midfielders.

 

[metalblade]

To me it looks a lot like we've got, in the main, a 4-5-1 squad playing a 4-4-2 system. I think this is most obvious - as it's bound to be - in centre midfield.

Does anyone think we need a CM and a CH?

The same players couldn't dominate midfield when they were playing 4-5-1 they need moving on.

 

[DiggerBlade]

first time on forum so go steady with me agree with alot of whats been said but the one thing that keeps going round my head is we will not get promoted with a back four that collins and mceverly are in and it could be november before we start to get our better players back and at it

Valid opinion.

Welcome mate.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

first time on forum so go steady with me agree with alot of whats been said but the one thing that keeps going round my head is we will not get promoted with a back four that collins and mceverly are in and it could be november before we start to get our better players back and at it

Welcome.

If its making your head sore don't go trawling old threads, they'll kill thi.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

This is our current squad, with my view of how high up they could realistically expect to be regulars. Inj = injury prone/injured, unp = unproven)

Goalkeepers (3):
Howard (L1), Long (L1), Willis (unp)

Full backs (6)
McEveley (L1), Harris (Ch), Brayford (Ch, inj), Freeman (Ch), Alcock (L1), McFadzean (L2)

Centre backs (4)
Edgar (Ch, on loan), Collins (L1), Kennedy (Ch, inj), McGahey (L1)

Wingers (4)
Adams (Pr), Flynn (L1, inj), Campbell-Ryce (L1), Woolford (L1)

Central midfielders (6)
Basham (Ch), Coutts (Ch, inj), J Wallace (Ch, inj), Cuvelier (unp, inj), Reed (L1), Dimaio (unp)

Forwards (5)
Sharp (Ch), Sammon (L1, on loan), McNulty (L1), Done (Ch, inj), Higdon (L1)

Luxury players** (3)
Baxter (Ch/Cf*), Scougall (L1), De Girolamo (unp)

Utility*** (1)
K Wallace (L1)

I reckon that of the current first team squad of 30 players, 11 could play at a higher level. Of those 11, 5 are out injured - three of whom are chronically injury prone (Coutts, J Wallace and Kennedy). That means that we can only field 6 players who I think should be capable of getting us out of this division and we're short at centre half, goalkeeper and centre midfield - key positions.

Our problem is that we've got a huge squad, the majority of whom signed from higher divisions. We still haven't learned the lessons which got us relegated to this division in the first place.

*Baxter: Championship technically, Conference mentally.
**Luxury players don't fit into Adkin's traditional 4-4-2 formation
***I honestly didn't know where to put Kieron Wallace. He's covered centre mid, left wing, left back and centre half without nailing any one position down.

Four championship midfielders Balham, two of whom played the other night and performed like mid table league two players.

 

[Ted Danson]

I think some live in football fantasy land - we need to spend money on players, let's bring loan players in, let's get rid... etc etc. It's not that easy though is it. There's the FFP to contend with, plus the club can ill afford to just pay up players contracts, let them go, then spend even more cash on new players.

I said several times at the start of the season that this manager needs time to mould his own side and he can't do that in one season, so apart from the odd addition such as Edgar, he's stuck with what he's got. I also said that as long as we played more positively, then I didn't expect auto promotion in the first season. After we beat Swindon, I think we all got a bit carried away.

If thats the case and we're so strapped why did we sack a manager and an entire backroom staff which was obviously going to have the effect of having to spend a hell of a lot more money this season? They could have just given Clough probably half the cash it cost to get rid of him and he would have addresses the issues we had in the squad and would have a real chance of promotion this season.

Adkins has signed players too so its not as if he had no money, its just his signings werent in the positions we needed, pissing all the money away on Sharp was foolish

 

[BushBlade]

If thats the case and we're so strapped why did we sack a manager and an entire backroom staff which was obviously going to have the effect of having to spend a hell of a lot more money this season? They could have just given Clough probably half the cash it cost to get rid of him and he would have addresses the issues we had in the squad and would have a real chance of promotion this season.

Adkins has signed players too so its not as if he had no money, its just his signings werent in the positions we needed, pissing all the money away on Sharp was foolish

You think we didn't need strikers?

 

[coaxingstar71]

If thats the case and we're so strapped why did we sack a manager and an entire backroom staff which was obviously going to have the effect of having to spend a hell of a lot more money this season? They could have just given Clough probably half the cash it cost to get rid of him and he would have addresses the issues we had in the squad and would have a real chance of promotion this season.

Adkins has signed players too so its not as if he had no money, its just his signings werent in the positions we needed, pissing all the money away on Sharp was foolish

The board obviously felt that Clough wasn't the man to achieve this - I thought he would have got one more season, even though I wasn't disappointed to see him go.

There must be budgets for salaries and transfers taking into account the FFP rules, otherwise, presumably, we WOULD be signing more players wouldn't we? Neither you or I know if the money used to pay off the Clough 'team' comes from the same pot as salaries and transfers.

Have to agree I thought there were more pressing priorities than spending around £500k on a striker, but for the moment I'm keeping faith that the manager knows better than me!