My take ...

[Revolution]

Very true but we’re heading in that direction already

No, there are some really bad teams and we have proved we can score goals. We won’t go down barring disaster.

 

[Upton_Blade]

I said when we appointed Slav he was the right man but at completely the wrong time unless PA was gouing to fully back him to shape the squad how he wanted and, unfortunately, it appears my worse fears are coming true.

The supposed "big 4" in the division all changed managers in the summer. I still truly believe we got the best manager of the 4 however what we also did was get the manager least like his predecessor and it's harming us massively ATM.

Fulham went from Parker to Silva. Very similar types of managers. Bournemouth went from, in effect, Howe to Parker. West Brom went from Big Sam to a younger, slightly more modern version in Ismael. All these appointments meant hardly any turnover of players was required and they've all hit the ground running unsurprisingly.

This brings us to our next issue, and another by product of the CW years. We don't have a DOF. A true football person that knows the game inside out who wouldv'e known that Slav was the wrong choice unless we were prepared, and could afford, to completely overhaul the playing squad. Instead we went for the best man available and hoped for the best.

IMHO I think a few tweaks would instantly make us much effective but it just seems Slav isn't prepared to change things.

Personally I'd go to 3 at the back. It's there for all to see a 2 isn't working with the players we have. Egan with Davies and Bash either side of him would make us much stronger defensively. Without the overlapping, Wilder tactics it would mean our wingbackswould be free from some of their defensive duties so could easily play RND and Bogle and you could still accomodate both N'Diaye and MGW. The only real issue we're left with is who plays CM and up top. Guieddora surely is worth a shot unless he's injured.

Would look like this:

...................Olsen.................
.......Bash...Egan..Davies...
Bogle.....???.....???.....RND
.......MGW...???...N'Diaye..

 

[Lane Ender]

No, there are some really bad teams and we have proved we can score goals. We won’t go down barring disaster.

Granted but we always look like we will concede

 

[Drunk blade]

said it in another thread weve nowt to lose by sticking mcburnie and brewster in now dont rate either of em but weve no other options who knows it might just work for us and how slav can continually keep playing norwood and fleck together when its obviously not working is both baffling and worrying from a manager supposedly one of the best in the championship

I think the problem with playing mcburnie and brewster is that they are that bad that playing them will devalue them further, at least as its stands another manager may take a punt on them on the assumption that they have not been given a fair chance

Brewster especially looks completely useless when he plays and I'm guessing given the fact that he isn't even getting picked for the match day squad that he isn’t pulling up any trees in training either

 

[bakeblade]

I've a feeling JOC is done, not just with us, but with football itself.

By the time he's back - say early next year in an optimistic punt at his situation - he'll have been out of the game two years nearly and for him to get back into a playing squad which is structurally and tactically different will be massive stress. Add to that that he may need further physiotherapy and rehab and periods out of the game to enable his full recovery and it's clear we might not get the mountain of a defender we once had. Remember Couttsy coming back and how much expectation was heaped on him ... whilst he carefully got himself back into the game and he effectively had to protect his recently fixed leg by not tearing it up every week?

JOC may not even get that far. What a fucking tragedy if so. Such a brilliant player and so integral with our success.

pommpey

He was seen a couple of months ago in my gym, but was only doing walking exercises in the pool.
Bearing that in mind, he's would appear to be some time off full fitness.

 

[Danny_Blade]

I said when we appointed Slav he was the right man but at completely the wrong time unless PA was gouing to fully back him to shape the squad how he wanted and, unfortunately, it appears my worse fears are coming true.

The supposed "big 4" in the division all changed managers in the summer. I still truly believe we got the best manager of the 4 however what we also did was get the manager least like his predecessor and it's harming us massively ATM.

Fulham went from Parker to Silva. Very similar types of managers. Bournemouth went from, in effect, Howe to Parker. West Brom went from Big Sam to a younger, slightly more modern version in Ismael. All these appointments meant hardly any turnover of players was required and they've all hit the ground running unsurprisingly.

This brings us to our next issue, and another by product of the CW years. We don't have a DOF. A true football person that knows the game inside out who wouldv'e known that Slav was the wrong choice unless we were prepared, and could afford, to completely overhaul the playing squad. Instead we went for the best man available and hoped for the best.

IMHO I think a few tweaks would instantly make us much effective but it just seems Slav isn't prepared to change things.

Personally I'd go to 3 at the back. It's there for all to see a 2 isn't working with the players we have. Egan with Davies and Bash either side of him would make us much stronger defensively. Without the overlapping, Wilder tactics it would mean our wingbackswould be free from some of their defensive duties so could easily play RND and Bogle and you could still accomodate both N'Diaye and MGW. The only real issue we're left with is who plays CM and up top. Guieddora surely is worth a shot unless he's injured.

Would look like this:

...................Olsen.................
.......Bash...Egan..Davies...
Bogle.....???.....???.....RND
.......MGW...???...N'Diaye..

I like the suggestion, maybe Berge and Freeman in the middle if they could ever remain injury free?

Can't remember if Lopata is left or right footed but to be gradually bedded into the team from the bench sometimes?

I'd suggest Max Lowe who is one of our future players if he doesn't permanently move to Forest or elsewhere but I'm not sure if he can play as a wide midfielder? If not then Osborn starting with RND being more gradually bedded into the team from the bench.

For the centre forward role, Moose played over 70 mins for us on Saturday which I think is probably the most he's ever played for us in a single match? But whenever he is not fit or injured then McBurnie (not hoofing it to him though) and then Sharp to come off the bench if we're needing a goal. If not then Brewster needs the game time.

 

[ancientblade]

I said when we appointed Slav he was the right man but at completely the wrong time unless PA was gouing to fully back him to shape the squad how he wanted and, unfortunately, it appears my worse fears are coming true.

The supposed "big 4" in the division all changed managers in the summer. I still truly believe we got the best manager of the 4 however what we also did was get the manager least like his predecessor and it's harming us massively ATM.

Fulham went from Parker to Silva. Very similar types of managers. Bournemouth went from, in effect, Howe to Parker. West Brom went from Big Sam to a younger, slightly more modern version in Ismael. All these appointments meant hardly any turnover of players was required and they've all hit the ground running unsurprisingly.

This brings us to our next issue, and another by product of the CW years. We don't have a DOF. A true football person that knows the game inside out who wouldv'e known that Slav was the wrong choice unless we were prepared, and could afford, to completely overhaul the playing squad. Instead we went for the best man available and hoped for the best.

IMHO I think a few tweaks would instantly make us much effective but it just seems Slav isn't prepared to change things.

Personally I'd go to 3 at the back. It's there for all to see a 2 isn't working with the players we have. Egan with Davies and Bash either side of him would make us much stronger defensively. Without the overlapping, Wilder tactics it would mean our wingbackswould be free from some of their defensive duties so could easily play RND and Bogle and you could still accomodate both N'Diaye and MGW. The only real issue we're left with is who plays CM and up top. Guieddora surely is worth a shot unless he's injured.

Would look like this:

...................Olsen.................
.......Bash...Egan..Davies...
Bogle.....???.....???.....RND
.......MGW...???...N'Diaye..

i think your spot on there upton slav has to bring basham back in and go to a back 3 and go to a 343 set up with mgw moose and ndiaye as the front 3 the big question marks are the 2 midfielders and the 2 wingbacks with george and enda currently underperforming i would put bogle and osborn in there but totally lost with the 2 midfielders we cant keep playing norwood and fleck there

 

[Carlton Blade]

I said when we appointed Slav he was the right man but at completely the wrong time unless PA was gouing to fully back him to shape the squad how he wanted and, unfortunately, it appears my worse fears are coming true.

The supposed "big 4" in the division all changed managers in the summer. I still truly believe we got the best manager of the 4 however what we also did was get the manager least like his predecessor and it's harming us massively ATM.

Fulham went from Parker to Silva. Very similar types of managers. Bournemouth went from, in effect, Howe to Parker. West Brom went from Big Sam to a younger, slightly more modern version in Ismael. All these appointments meant hardly any turnover of players was required and they've all hit the ground running unsurprisingly.

This brings us to our next issue, and another by product of the CW years. We don't have a DOF. A true football person that knows the game inside out who wouldv'e known that Slav was the wrong choice unless we were prepared, and could afford, to completely overhaul the playing squad. Instead we went for the best man available and hoped for the best.

IMHO I think a few tweaks would instantly make us much effective but it just seems Slav isn't prepared to change things.

Personally I'd go to 3 at the back. It's there for all to see a 2 isn't working with the players we have. Egan with Davies and Bash either side of him would make us much stronger defensively. Without the overlapping, Wilder tactics it would mean our wingbackswould be free from some of their defensive duties so could easily play RND and Bogle and you could still accomodate both N'Diaye and MGW. The only real issue we're left with is who plays CM and up top. Guieddora surely is worth a shot unless he's injured.

Would look like this:

...................Olsen.................
.......Bash...Egan..Davies...
Bogle.....???.....???.....RND
.......MGW...???...N'Diaye..

For all the downside of your manager doing absolutely everything at least the club had direction and consistency. Off the pitch is currently an utter shambles. Wilder would have made sure that didn't happen.

But Wilder was doing way too much. His biggest failing was not hiring some experienced/talented coaches and football administrators to lessen his load. He thought he could do it all. At that level nobody except Dyche can. And even he is starting to waiver

The owner not hiring someone to oversee all the responsibilities that Wilder is no longer here to manage is tantamount to negligence, especially when Mick Rooker has left and seemingly also not been replaced.

People need to stop seeing it as "Wilder v Prince" and start reviewing the actual state of the club. Off the pitch we are currently looking like Wednesday

 

[Nick Jansky]

Can't remember if Lopata is left or right footed but to be gradually bedded into the team from the bench sometimes?

I

He's just gone out on loan for the rest of the season.

 

[Varkanoid]

Page 2 and no one slagging off Pomps, shock horror.

 

[Heely bottoms underpants]

Page 2 and no one slagging off Pomps, shock horror.

I think everyone's lost for words to be honest.

 

[Gavlar]

5-2-3 imo

Get Bash back in the side. MGW/Ndiaye as wingers with one of the strikers. 2x attacking WB’s with Bogle and Osborn.

Problem is what if that doesn’t work?

 

[FinBlade]

We had the changes to seal the game until conceded semi-easy goal and weren't able recover from it.

Changing starting lineup has done us kinda good in those few games it was done and I'd like to see more of those. Make it bit harder for opponents to play against our less seen players and try to boost current starters competing mentality by benching them for game or two.

We have already tried the path of playing with same faces week after week no matter of the result and that didn't seem to be the best tactic. Of course the people calling the shots are professionals and don't have time to read the forums, but one can always wonder..

 

[Geordie Blade]

Page 2 and no one slagging off Pomps, shock horror.

I think he was generous to Norwood this week, if that helps?

 

[Numpty's Dusty Ruts.]

A pretty typical - these days - surrender of anything from a game there to win today. It's typical because we waver from some pretty acceptable approach play with dismal finishing to abject, headless chicken panic within the same forty five minutes of play. Opposition teams have us sussed. Said this for weeks, if not months now. It's a patient, if not predictable pattern, press, deny, press, deny ... stop us scoring ... wait for us to lose the bubble and then we are behind ... then manage the game out whilst Slav moves the deckchairs round on the Titanic. It's been happening for months this. Since lockdown ended we were sussed, last season we were simply slapped to one side and this season even teams like Blackpool ... newly promoted Blackpool ... come to Bramall Lane to feed off Wilder's rotting corpse. Vincent Price cackle

Slav is left with a dilemma here, and it's in HRHs gift to solve it. We clearly have a team now stuffed with yesterday's men, and of those it is also clear we were fortunate to witness them get away with a rare and possibly flukey circumstance of United climbing the league and finishing ninth in the top flight. It's hard stuff to swallow, but there you go. Players across the squad still playing for us who were part of that rise are a mere tenth of what they were now and that is evident in the simple inability to gain anything from on-pitch attacking development, midfield effectiveness and defensive vulnerability. If it weren't for Ndaiye and Gibbs-White, we'd possibly be bottom now. The playing staff outside these two resemble something from the dark days of Adkins or Clough and if you cast your minds back far enough, you'll recall we were tuning in to be relieved we'd come away from Oldham with a draw and were being beaten at home to Peterborough, Wigan and Burton. Now we are simply giving games away with four fifths of the team who last season could call themselves 'Premiership footballers'. I have no idea what to call them these days, because it aint even 'Championship'.

Gage said in the dull commentary 'it's the best Sheffield United play I have ever seen' with no irony in his voice, clearly forgetting we have played better than this and walloped the opposition and on balance played a lost worse and actually won games. I don't think it was anything remarkable. I think it is what was expected of two sides two divisions apart last season with the supposed higher placed club at home in front of an expectant, decent Bramall Lane crowd. But if you play Wilder's players you are gonna get Wilder's legacy ... the total disorganised ability to play in an effective back four, a defensive midfield which is simply pathetic on and off the ball, an attacking array completely at ninety degrees to the legacy squad and as usual, a sole attacker who couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo. Last week we almost gave a way a three goal lead ... this week we gave the game away completely and failed to get back into it.

What needs doing? Well, I did say when Wilder went on TheSheffUtdWay that it will take time to get Wilder out of our bloodstream and unfortunately, week by week we fail the LFT to show we are still infected with him in some bizarre analogy with Long-COVID. It won't be gone either until we ship out and replace every last vestige of the WilderVirus that has in fact infected every bit of Sheffield United and refuses to shift. The antibodies are Ndaiye and MGW ... and they are struggling because the WilderVirus (WILDVID19) had mutated and now has us appearing like the useless bunch of bastards we were last season but now with added uselessness. It's hoped that the vaccine, not expected until January although expensive and difficult to manufacture, may seee us feel worse at first but the vulnerability to playing like a shower of bellends. We need also Basham back in. He is the only player capable of moving back to front with the ball at his feet and can defend better than Davies and is the only player of yesteryear yet to disgrace himself. We need Bogle back in and other significant changes too. Anything, but not more than this shit.

Olsen 5/10: Nothing spectacular. Not a chance with the goal and some pretty standard stops and blocks
Baldock 3/10: Losing the bubble and losing it quick. Great servant to the club but seemingly lost now down that right hand side both defending and attacking
Egan 4/10: Proof if ever he is not good either next to Davies or in a back four. And with that awkward fact, it is difficult to know how Slav can continue with a one dimensional, inflexible player
Davies 5/10: Marginally better than Egan but only just. He isn't the replacement for O'Connell and no one is. We seem doomed to find that.
Stevens 2/10: Really shoddy, espcially being caught so far forward for their goal and his weak chase back to marshal their player not to get a shot in. Elsewhere, piss poor
Fleck 4/10: A load of possession and involvement in patches but with the end result of nothing
Norwood 4/10: Like Fleck, pissing about more than creating and in his usual quarterback chucking it into no ones hands role
Osborn 5/10: reverted back to Mr Huff-and-Puff
MGW 6.5/10: Plenty of endeavour but in places naïve and patchy
Ndaiye 6.5/10: Better player but still with the end result of fuck all. He worked hard to make stuff happen but with no one around him on the same wavelength, how is he supposed to have any positive effect?
Mousset 4.5/10: Some flurries, but apart from the bar being hit, back to 'no-goals'. And what the fuck is wrong with his fitness?

Sharp 3/10: Ineffective
McGoldrick 3/10: Ineffective
McBurnie 3/10: Ineffective

Next game - Forest. They'll spank us.

pommpey

Good and accurate Pommpey. What struck me was the lack of drive and unwillingness to "have a pop" up front, or almost a fear that "having a pop" isn't what we do, and it won't work. I'm no believer in hoof, but having a go at possession football isn't working so actually trying to make the opposition defence and keeper work a bit surely wouldn't do any harm? This has been going on now for a very long time. As for the midfield and defence, what I saw after Blackpool scored was just panic and chaos. I don't know the answer to this, but I do know that it continues, the trap door will beckon. I like Slav and want him to succeed, but am unsure if he can do it with this team.

 

[Alan Birchenall's hair]

I have a Wednesday mate who watches any football he can, whenever he can. On our rise from L1 to Prem, he used to say grudgingly that if Utd only had any good forwards we would be murdering teams 5-0 every game with all the chances created from all over the pitch. And I agree. Some said Billy, Leon, Mcgoldrick etc fired up our ascent. But I think someone like Deano would have seen us finish 20 points clear in each division. So I think the main reasons for our ascent were JOC monstering the left hand side, Bash controlling the right, and Duffy prompting and getting beyond the front 2 to often be our furthest player forward (Ha! Can you see any of our midfielders doing that now?). For various reasons, these 3 aren't really there any more. So they couldn't cover up the striking problems in the Prem, and they can't now. Brewster, Mcburnie, Burke and Moose are pretty shite. Billy is too old. Ndiaye started OK, but now seems to flatter to deceive. A half decent striker would have ensured that we hadn't lost many of the games that we have lost this season by keeping us in the game. Wilder couldn't find one. If Slav doesn't, then nowt much will change (Wish he could do the old pals act and get Mitrovic.......)
One more thing. Having Norwood playing centrally a couple of yards in front of Egan may make sense in a back three, when Egan is always the solo last man, with no help within 5yds ether side of him. But FFS we have a back 4 now. It's just a waste of a midfielder to have someone that far back. May as well let Egan and Davies do the initial pass into other midfielders. And it's not even as if Norwood is any good at it.......

 

[bladesince64]

I can't understand why SJ hasn't brought Goudioura back as a defensive midfielder.
In the games that he played in we looked far more solid and he got around the pitch winning the ball and showing some good touches and keeping the ball moving.
Got to be better than the two CMs that seem to be undroppable.

 

[ChrisBlade]

We clearly have a team now stuffed with yesterday's men, and of those it is also clear we were fortunate to witness them get away with a rare and possibly flukey circumstance of United climbing the league and finishing ninth in the top flight. It's hard stuff to swallow, but there you go. Players across the squad still playing for us who were part of that rise are a mere tenth of what they were now and that is evident in the simple inability to gain anything from on-pitch attacking development, midfield effectiveness and defensive vulnerability.

It won't be gone either until we ship out and replace every last vestige of the WilderVirus that has in fact infected every bit of Sheffield United and refuses to shift.

Pommpey, the team has indeed badly deteriorated and several of these players have become poor shadows of who or what they were in the early parts of their career with us. That is beyond debate, a rare point that probably all of us would agree on irrespective of where we fall in the "glass half full vs glass half empty" spectrum.

How would you expect them and their legacy to be viewed in, say, ten years? I am asking because I have accepted that several of them have been overtaken by time and will now limp to the exit door (whenever they reach it). In ten years, all of them will be gone.

But the question remains. Let's say we shift Norwood, Enda and Fleck by mid-2022. Sharp, Egan, Baldock and Didzy follow by early 2023. At that point, United will be middling Championship.

I am sure I will always fondly remember almost all of them. What you call "a rare and possibly flukey circumstance of United climbing the league and finishing ninth in the top flight" is a process of four outstanding seasons. It also is and will be a complete outlier in twenty years of mediocrity. So to me, in my assessment of them as human beings and factors of either personal fun or pain, current results are almost immaterial.

I can write off a season or two. Anything we get from this one is now a bonus. I wrote it off around Millwall at the latest. So I don't quite get the spirit of weekly anguish and hyperbole. You obviously have a column to write here, I get that. But does every game hurt and offend, even if pretty predictable and even though it's just one of those years? A first year of genuine nothingness after five of non-stop high drama?

How will you view them in ten years? A success and fond memory? Conflicted and hit and miss? Or some of them as frauds who got away with it for a honeymoon period, but who ultimately became a weekly insult to your lofty sensibilities?

Put simply, I agree that many should leave sooner rather than later. But however long they stay, they'll leave well in credit for me. "Wilder's rotting corpse" was a truly magnificent beast. My grandma is now a rotting corpse, too. As is my granddad who I never even knew. Died too early in my youth for any memories.

As legacies go, grandma was a magnificent creature who will forever be treasured. A few rough years towards the end and whatever happened in the casket since turned out to be immaterial to me in my assessment of her. She is the Wilderbeast. The unknown grandad, well, he's the Nigel Adkins year...

How do you expect to view John Egan and John Fleck in ten years? Are they in better or worse standing than Paul Coutts and Mark Duffy who never scaled the full heights, but checked out without having red wine on their expensive wedding shirts?

 

[pommpey]

Pommpey, the team has indeed badly deteriorated and several of these players have become poor shadows of who or what they were in the early parts of their career with us. That is beyond debate, a rare point that probably all of us would agree on irrespective of where we fall in the "glass half full vs glass half empty" spectrum.

How would you expect them and their legacy to be viewed in, say, ten years? I am asking because I have accepted that several of them have been overtaken by time and will now limp to the exit door (whenever they reach it). In ten years, all of them will be gone.

But the question remains. Let's say we shift Norwood, Enda and Fleck by mid-2022. Sharp, Egan, Baldock and Didzy follow by early 2023. At that point, United will be middling Championship.

I am sure I will always fondly remember almost all of them. What you call "a rare and possibly flukey circumstance of United climbing the league and finishing ninth in the top flight" is a process of four outstanding seasons. It also is and will be a complete outlier in twenty years of mediocrity. So to me, in my assessment of them as human beings and factors of either personal fun or pain, current results are almost immaterial.

I can write off a season or two. Anything we get from this one is now a bonus. I wrote it off around Millwall at the latest. So I don't quite get the spirit of weekly anguish and hyperbole. You obviously have a column to write here, I get that. But does every game hurt and offend, even if pretty predictable and even though it's just one of those years? A first year of genuine nothingness after five of non-stop high drama?

How will you view them in ten years? A success and fond memory? Conflicted and hit and miss? Or some of them as frauds who got away with it for a honeymoon period, but who ultimately became a weekly insult to your lofty sensibilities?

Put simply, I agree that many should leave sooner rather than later. But however long they stay, they'll leave well in credit for me. "Wilder's rotting corpse" was a truly magnificent beast. My grandma is now a rotting corpse, too. As is my granddad who I never even knew. Died too early in my youth for any memories.

As legacies go, grandma was a magnificent creature who will forever be treasured. A few rough years towards the end and whatever happened in the casket since turned out to be immaterial to me in my assessment of her. She is the Wilderbeast. The unknown grandad, well, he's the Nigel Adkins year...

How do you expect to view John Egan and John Fleck in ten years? Are they in better or worse standing than Paul Coutts and Mark Duffy who never scaled the full heights, but checked out without having red wine on their expensive wedding shirts?

You almost sound like you accepting the decline and excusing it away as some unfortunate mishap yourself.

As for 'writing off a season or two', this:

a. we had that point of view when were were dumped out of the PL under Warnock. Successive seasons of us 'writing off this season' led us to 11th in the third tier with everyone saying ;'what the fuck happened to Sheffield United?' and some even saying (quite rightly) 'that's where they belong'.

b. we are a club who by point of principle 'write seasons off'. I'm not sure we should be doing this today however when at least 70% of our available squad is the team that took us to ninth in the top flight with talk of a European position whispering in our ears. We have a lot of players in that squad also who last season were raking in media and appearance fees for FIFA to football cards and sponsorships aplenty, as well as a Premier League footballers wage. Watching them anused every week didn't suggest to me that we were in truth anything but part of that twenty years of mediocrity once again and results this season just confirm that. Want proof? Okay, last Saturday. That.

c. Every game does, actually produce that reaction. I can't help it. I just want Sheffield United to win and not feel that knot of gnawing anguish which tells me we are anything but a team full of incompetents. The five glorious seasons were just that but the arrogance and intransigence of our then manager when everything was going south last season told me that as much as he had built everything up so tall, the fundamentals of the football was shockingly shaky and easy to beat. Even if he had a plan b. he would have ignored it, so set in his ways he was. And when it came to us being relegated, the fucker jumped ship.

d. To that end, he has left a rotting corpse, the decay is now stinking the place up. He gave our problem children long contracts and we are stuck with the fuckers. He bought terrible players for a fat fee whom are practically worthless, busted or simply unable to play football. What we have now is a manager trying to fuck with a soft on. The team he presides over is practically useless and prone to either gifting the opposition with an undeserved lead, or if we are in front, looking like it's a temporary setback for them until they force us into giving it up. Are you saying this isn't something I should write posts about? I mean, really? If you were at the Lane last Saturday and you were trudging out of the exits (I don't go much, but fuck me, I know what this feels like, believe me) what exactly were your thoughts as you went for your bus/taxi/train/helicopter/jetpack? If it was anything but 'fucking hell' then you are simply conditioned. It wouldn't be so bad if we actually played well and got beat. We didn't. After they scored, they were in charge. As much as we pressed and tried, they were in charge. We scored nil, they scored one. The stink goes on.

I refuse to write nice writeups when it's not deserved, or anything other than what I think. FYI I think this club is in deep shit now, with only two players, one a loanee, worthy of the shirt. We will have a right job shifting the contracted failures and will have to bite the bullet on losses of the expensive acquisitions. A complete clear out is what is needed and as most know, that will possibly even involve losing Ndaiye, to a Murphyesque 'undisclosed' with the residuals used to cover losses from other acquisitions.

pommpey

 

[ChrisBlade]

You almost sound like you accepting the decline and excusing it away as some unfortunate mishap yourself.

As for 'writing off a season or two', this:

a. we had that point of view when were were dumped out of the PL under Warnock. Successive seasons of us 'writing off this season' led us to 11th in the third tier with everyone saying ;'what the fuck happened to Sheffield United?' and some even saying (quite rightly) 'that's where they belong'.

b. we are a club who by point of principle 'write seasons off'. I'm not sure we should be doing this today however when at least 70% of our available squad is the team that took us to ninth in the top flight with talk of a European position whispering in our ears. We have a lot of players in that squad also who last season were raking in media and appearance fees for FIFA to football cards and sponsorships aplenty, as well as a Premier League footballers wage. Watching them anused every week didn't suggest to me that we were in truth anything but part of that twenty years of mediocrity once again and results this season just confirm that. Want proof? Okay, last Saturday. That.

c. Every game does, actually produce that reaction. I can't help it. I just want Sheffield United to win and not feel that knot of gnawing anguish which tells me we are anything but a team full of incompetents. The five glorious seasons were just that but the arrogance and intransigence of our then manager when everything was going south last season told me that as much as he had built everything up so tall, the fundamentals of the football was shockingly shaky and easy to beat. Even if he had a plan b. he would have ignored it, so set in his ways he was. And when it came to us being relegated, the fucker jumped ship.

d. To that end, he has left a rotting corpse, the decay is now stinking the place up. He gave our problem children long contracts and we are stuck with the fuckers. He bought terrible players for a fat fee whom are practically worthless, busted or simply unable to play football. What we have now is a manager trying to fuck with a soft on. The team he presides over is practically useless and prone to either gifting the opposition with an undeserved lead, or if we are in front, looking like it's a temporary setback for them until they force us into giving it up. Are you saying this isn't something I should write posts about? I mean, really? If you were at the Lane last Saturday and you were trudging out of the exits (I don't go much, but fuck me, I know what this feels like, believe me) what exactly were your thoughts as you went for your bus/taxi/train/helicopter/jetpack? If it was anything but 'fucking hell' then you are simply conditioned. It wouldn't be so bad if we actually played well and got beat. We didn't. After they scored, they were in charge. As much as we pressed and tried, they were in charge. We scored nil, they scored one. The stink goes on.

I refuse to write nice writeups when it's not deserved, or anything other than what I think. FYI I think this club is in deep shit now, with only two players, one a loanee, worthy of the shirt. We will have a right job shifting the contracted failures and will have to bite the bullet on losses of the expensive acquisitions. A complete clear out is what is needed and as most know, that will possibly even involve losing Ndaiye, to a Murphyesque 'undisclosed' with the residuals used to cover losses from other acquisitions.

pommpey

Ok. You make your current discomfort quite clear. Obviously, United annoy you more than they ever annoy me. I use them to bring me joy, but have my filters that stop me from getting too depressed over a period of crap football.

When I left on Saturday, I felt "another game we should have won." I was frustrated at losing. And disappointed at the lack of response in the final 15 minutes. I did not feel personally offended. I never feel like anybody owes me a sense of well-being. It is purely for myself to make myself happy. Footballers and music are my two best tickets to happiness. But if I was honest, a defeat and crap football annoy me less than a car journey in which the guy at the wheel exclusively plays music I hate for two hours. It's still football, at least.

As to my initial football question, that still is open. Are you saying the current stink has eroded the happy memories? How do you expect to view these players in ten years? No more talk about Saturday, but your general view in hindsight.

As I said, my memories will be happy ones. This sorry decline will slip from my mind as it is in keeping with the before and the after. The four year happy bubble will be what my memory and continued love for the club will be fed by.

Another football question: With your mindset of demanding basically consistent high standards where clubs ought to perform according to your assumed place in the hierarchy, which team in England would you need to support to go home mostly happy on a Saturday afternoon?

It strikes me that what you bemoan above applies to 85 teams in the league if you average out performances in 5 year bands. They all are mismanaged or uninspiring.

In our first five year band under Wilder, we were the best team in England from a supporter point of view - bar none. We had high win ratios, two promotions, the novelty of a chase for Europe and (for us) rare Prem football, home-grown elements across key positions and a stable, cheap team everybody related to. That trumps tired serial winning.

The only one close in that period would be Liverpool as they won a first Premier League title. Even Man City had an infinitely inferior fan experience as they were just treading water at their - admittedly - superb high level. But as you say, expectations are pitched according to where you rank as a club, so Man City winning a few League Cups and titles did not detract from a certain lifelessness of their fan life and the fact that they woefully fall short of winning the one thing they really want by Pep over-cooking things time and time again when simple measures might yield more success.

If we say we are now two years into the next five year band, are we really worse than bottom half of 92 other fan experiences? Or are we being spoilt by the fact that for 30 years we have either fought relegation or aimed for promotion until at least 5 matches from the end in about 20 to 25 of them?

What have Blackburn or Preston had to shout about for 20 years? Wednesday, Ipswich, Forest? There are many more examples. I'd say we are overall a fairly rewarding fan experience, even though we obviously require the ability to enjoy and rationalize a lot of hardship and nearly-weres. But at least we are not dead boring with nothing riding on it for years on end. I may lack ambition in your eyes, but am fine with that.

PS: Ideally straight on to the question if possible, not pick holes into whatever in my post you take objection to.

 

[Alan Birchenall's hair]

Try 6 pints before each match. Always improves the fan experience, win or lose.

 

[Hague Blade]

Can I play?

I like the pommpey take on things as it’s, for me, and I appreciate this is entirely personal, a salve to the posts I have to read about “we can still make the top two“ and “play offs for definite“ and the classic “best squad in the Championship”. I can’t do relentless unfounded optimism or blind faith, and so I’d prefer more voices that tend to the downside. I don’t see how we have a thread mocking the Wendy fans for being deluded, when plenty of posters in the General Blades Chat have exactly the same affliction.

maybe I’d like just a few more slashers and a few less clappers if you like. As I say, that’s just how I’m wired up - it’s a facet of my character and even my employment is about risk analysis and mitigation: working out what‘s the worse that can happen, and preparing for it. Being a pessimist isn’t all bad - you do tend to get a lot of pleasant surprises - and it means I do quietly enjoy the voices that speak against the crap about “just needing a full Pre-season” or “if we play to his strengths, he’ll get 20 goals in the championship”.

Gloomy, maybe, but I’d just say realistic. I get that for many football is all about escapism, and living in hope, but for me at least I prefer to Eeyore along and get a nice surprise when things actually go well for t’Blades.

 

[pommpey]

Ok. You make your current discomfort quite clear. Obviously, United annoy you more than they ever annoy me. I use them to bring me joy, but have my filters that stop me from getting too depressed over a period of crap football.

Yep. Each to his own. If we all had your POV or al had mine, this place would be an entropic grey area of boredom

When I left on Saturday, I felt "another game we should have won." I was frustrated at losing. And disappointed at the lack of response in the final 15 minutes. I did not feel personally offended. I never feel like anybody owes me a sense of well-being. It is purely for myself to make myself happy. Footballers and music are my two best tickets to happiness. But if I was honest, a defeat and crap football annoy me less than a car journey in which the guy at the wheel exclusively plays music I hate for two hours. It's still football, at least.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'personally offended'. I have never been personally offended by United at any stage of their existence whilst I have been alive. I do however, being a supporter, expect them to win, or at least if losing, be beaten by a team clearly better at the game than them. Can you say that about Blackpool, or any of the others we have lost to so far this season? I expect better. It's good to do so, or in my opinion, it's not worth following competitive sport at all.

As to my initial football question, that still is open. Are you saying the current stink has eroded the happy memories? How do you expect to view these players in ten years? No more talk about Saturday, but your general view in hindsight.

I'd say yes to that first question, because the decline last season was so unexplained, so uncontrolled and so embarrassing. We became the team everyone beat with ease and week in, week out we played the same football, under two different managers, in fact. In ten years I will view these players who built up the club and allowed its collapse with equal effort. Comparing the club which was promoted in 1971-72 to the team that was relegated in 1975-76 is a prime example. They weren't the same players yet the up and down of recent years contains at least 85% of that original team.

Another football question: With your mindset of demanding basically consistent high standards where clubs ought to perform according to your assumed place in the hierarchy, which team in England would you need to support to go home mostly happy on a Saturday afternoon?

Is it 'high standards' expecting a former Premier League club to beat a former League One club at home? Wind that back to the end of last season and we are a PL club and Blackpool are a L1 club. They come to BDTBL in the cup and go away winners. What would be your view on that?

It strikes me that what you bemoan above applies to 85 teams in the league if you average out performances in 5 year bands. They all are mismanaged or uninspiring.

But I don't support them

In our first five year band under Wilder, we were the best team in England from a supporter point of view - bar none. We had high win ratios, two promotions, the novelty of a chase for Europe and (for us) rare Prem football, home-grown elements across key positions and a stable, cheap team everybody related to. That trumps tired serial winning.

So you'd take romantic, esoteric gains over winning every week? As boring as it sounds, tired winning every week brings you more than 'novelty' as you call it

If we say we are now two years into the next five year band, are we really worse than bottom half of 92 other fan experiences? Or are we being spoilt by the fact that for 30 years we have either fought relegation or aimed for promotion until at least 5 matches from the end in about 20 to 25 of them?

So the last few seasons has 'spoiled' us mere mortal fans, huh? We shouldn't expect any more than what we get, when teams like Pompey, Wigan, Sunderland, Bolton and Swindon have spent more seasons in the PL than we have. A team from the sixth biggest city in the UK?

What have Blackburn or Preston had to shout about for 20 years? Wednesday, Ipswich, Forest? There are many more examples. I'd say we are overall a fairly rewarding fan experience, even though we obviously require the ability to enjoy and rationalize a lot of hardship and nearly-weres. But at least we are not dead boring with nothing riding on it for years on end. I may lack ambition in your eyes, but am fine with that.

Blackburn won the title in 1994-95 and spent long periods in the top flight. Forest won the European Cup twice in succession in the 80s and again, spent a long time in the top flight. The pigs won a major trophy in the 90s, Ipswich in the 70s and were never far away from the scrap near the top.

Us? Fourth Division Champions in the 80s and Div One a few years ago.

PS: Ideally straight on to the question if possible, not pick holes into whatever in my post you take objection to.

Apologies if I am debating your points. I trust you are happy with my answers.

pommpey

 

[blade67]

Norwood 4/10: Like Fleck, pissing about more than creating and in his usual quarterback chucking it into no ones hands role

Generally a fair My Take and I don't really disagree on Norwood's score this week. I picked it out because he also reminded me of a quarterback, especially late on. My Take was he looked like a quarterback, who looks up, sees absolutely fuck all is on and is left with two choices. Chuck it away (pass back to the goalie) and go go for it on the next down. cue boos, or go for the impossible pass and risk giving it away - Cue boos.

I get that you don't like him and you aren't alone, but he's getting shafted by his team mates most weeks

 

[pommpey]

I get that you don't like him and you aren't alone, but he's getting shafted by his team mates most weeks

I don't 'don't like him'. It's not a vendetta. I despair sometimes at his predictable crap and his midfield weakness. Let's not forget, when we were already relegated last season. many on here said Norwood would be brilliant in this league.

He isn't. Let's not have to drop another level to find his true playing capacity.

pommpey

 

[blade67]

I don't 'don't like him'. It's not a vendetta. I despair sometimes at his predictable crap and his midfield weakness. Let's not forget, when we were already relegated last season. many on here said Norwood would be brilliant in this league.

He isn't. Let's not have to drop another level to find his true playing capacity.

pommpey

I was probably one of the ones saying he'd excel in this league, based as much on his 3 promotions in 3 seasons as anything he did last year.

He's certainly not what our defence needs in front of them. Our problem is that Slav won't/can't play either of his summer signings instead.My main point, was that despite his weaknesses he isn't being helped by his team mates

 

[ancientblade]

I don't 'don't like him'. It's not a vendetta. I despair sometimes at his predictable crap and his midfield weakness. Let's not forget, when we were already relegated last season. many on here said Norwood would be brilliant in this league.

He isn't. Let's not have to drop another level to find his true playing capacity.

pommpey

i was one of them pommpey do you think the players are playing for this manager ? most of em are too bad to be true

 

[Cheesebored]

I was probably one of the ones saying he'd excel in this league, based as much on his 3 promotions in 3 seasons as anything he did last year.

He's certainly not what our defence needs in front of them. Our problem is that Slav won't/can't play either of his summer signings instead.My main point, was that despite his weaknesses he isn't being helped by his team mates

Third best player tonight behind Bash and MGW. But there's no vendetta.