Nigel's Philosophy

[billyblademan]

Right at the end of the RS interview after the Fleetwood game, Rob Staton asked a legitimate question, about whether the 9 point gap between us and the top two was a concern. Clough's response was that the playoff's was the main aim, and if we could challenge the top two we would.

Now, as the board, I imagine the minimum target you would set Nigel would be to finish in the playoffs, but the main aim has to be automatic promotion (nobody wants the gamble of the playoffs, particularly us with our spectacularly shit record). His response, therefore, concerns me a little. I think the minimum requirement should be the playoffs, and anything less than the top 2 should be a disappointment. Just think how far away we are from the team we had first season down here. We were crushing teams 3/4-0 a lot of the time - we look nowhere near that now. We look like a team that could scrape it's way out of the division, and that's what's so disappointing. Going from one of the best teams the league has seen in recent years (every other season, the 11/12 team would have got promoted), to a side that is happy to get a point at Fleetwood Town.

I quite like Cloughy, and the run we went on last season was sensational, but the fact that we're so far from being a convincing promotion team is really frustrating. The good feeling about the club was great last year, even after the meaningless home win against Coventry last game of the season. It was clear that 3/4 quality players were needed in the close season - instead we've brought in about 3 times that amount, and as a result we've got a 'fairly good' squad. In this division, that's just simply not acceptable.

Yes, at times, we play some fairly pretty stuff, but we never ever look like we're gonna absolutely tonk a team 3 or 4 nil, as we did under Wilson. In fact, under Wilson, at least when we played badly, we had a genuine goalscorer in Ched, and we'd end up getting an unlikely draw. We haven't had a genuine goalscorer since (the nearest one Blackman, we sold after half a season), and so even the shite sides in the league (there are many), we're not pummeling.

All in all, being a playoff side just isn't good enough. Hopefully COG can resolve, but I still think we're still short in notable positions, not least a winger. McCarthy, despite looking reasonably solid for most of a game, manages to make goal conceding mistakes (he must have a must play clause in, as Nosworthy had), and if Wallace isn't going to play in CM, and Bash is going to be CB, then we need someone there. Not to mention that RB is up for grabs.

Hopefully, we can recruit wisely next month, but it also seems like the 'we're going to thrash these boys' mentality has gone, and that's rather frustrating. Was it 11 home wins in a row under DW we had? It was like turning up on a Saturday afternoon, and the 3 points was guaranteed. Seems a long, long time ago.

 

[Tynemouth Blade]

I could not agree more!
Pre-season we were the bookies favourites for promotion and with good reason based on the end of last season, but poor replacement of key players lost just hasn't helped us kick on. However with the quality still in the squad, the resources of the club and support (especially compared to the likes of Fleetwood!) we should be in the top 2 places. Much of the blame has to be with negative Nigel and his tactics and players under performance.

 

[Sirius]

I could not agree more!
Pre-season we were the bookies favourites for promotion and with good reason based on the end of last season, but poor replacement of key players lost just hasn't helped us kick on. However with the quality still in the squad, the resources of the club and support (especially compared to the likes of Fleetwood!) we should be in the top 2 places. Much of the blame has to be with negative Nigel and his tactics and players under performance.

Normally I. Am an optomist but by waiting until. January tostrengthen the team IMO we have left it too late. The teams above us have settled in very nicely and are able to score goals. The gap between us and them is increasing. We may have left it far too late

 

[Gavlar]

Right at the end of the RS interview after the Fleetwood game, Rob Staton asked a legitimate question, about whether the 9 point gap between us and the top two was a concern. Clough's response was that the playoff's was the main aim, and if we could challenge the top two we would.

Now, as the board, I imagine the minimum target you would set Nigel would be to finish in the playoffs, but the main aim has to be automatic promotion (nobody wants the gamble of the playoffs, particularly us with our spectacularly shit record). His response, therefore, concerns me a little. I think the minimum requirement should be the playoffs, and anything less than the top 2 should be a disappointment. Just think how far away we are from the team we had first season down here. We were crushing teams 3/4-0 a lot of the time - we look nowhere near that now. We look like a team that could scrape it's way out of the division, and that's what's so disappointing. Going from one of the best teams the league has seen in recent years (every other season, the 11/12 team would have got promoted), to a side that is happy to get a point at Fleetwood Town.

I quite like Cloughy, and the run we went on last season was sensational, but the fact that we're so far from being a convincing promotion team is really frustrating. The good feeling about the club was great last year, even after the meaningless home win against Coventry last game of the season. It was clear that 3/4 quality players were needed in the close season - instead we've brought in about 3 times that amount, and as a result we've got a 'fairly good' squad. In this division, that's just simply not acceptable.

Yes, at times, we play some fairly pretty stuff, but we never ever look like we're gonna absolutely tonk a team 3 or 4 nil, as we did under Wilson. In fact, under Wilson, at least when we played badly, we had a genuine goalscorer in Ched, and we'd end up getting an unlikely draw. We haven't had a genuine goalscorer since (the nearest one Blackman, we sold after half a season), and so even the shite sides in the league (there are many), we're not pummeling.

All in all, being a playoff side just isn't good enough. Hopefully COG can resolve, but I still think we're still short in notable positions, not least a winger. McCarthy, despite looking reasonably solid for most of a game, manages to make goal conceding mistakes (he must have a must play clause in, as Nosworthy had), and if Wallace isn't going to play in CM, and Bash is going to be CB, then we need someone there. Not to mention that RB is up for grabs.

Hopefully, we can recruit wisely next month, but it also seems like the 'we're going to thrash these boys' mentality has gone, and that's rather frustrating. Was it 11 home wins in a row under DW we had? It was like turning up on a Saturday afternoon, and the 3 points was guaranteed. Seems a long, long time ago.

I think Clough is being realistic, that's where we will finish at best. Its crap to be in this position again for the 4th season in a row, but that's where we are.
PS I don't think wingers are a our problem, we have Flynn, JCR and Murphy, all above average for this level. Its goals we need and a proper goalscorer as you mention. I agree that defensively we aren't as good as we should be.

 

[grafikhaus]

Normally I. Am an optomist but by waiting until. January tostrengthen the team IMO we have left it too late. The teams above us have settled in very nicely and are able to score goals. The gap between us and them is increasing. We may have left it far too late

I find this optimism about 'January' baffling. Has NC ever said that we will 'go for it' in the JTW?

Expect the usual 'we have our targets', 'they just didn't want to come', 'why would they drop down to League One?', 'better offer elsewhere' blah, blah.

 

[Small Mendonca]

Well if we are aiming for the play offs in this terrible league then that is just ridiculous.

That post just sums up that our board have a lack of ambition and if Clough actually believes in this then the name 'Negative Nigel' is apt.

 

[Blade56]

I think Clough is being realistic, that's where we will finish at best. Its crap to be in this position again for the 4th season in a row, but that's where we are.
PS I don't think wingers are a our problem, we have Flynn, JCR and Murphy, all above average for this level. Its goals we need and a proper goalscorer as you mention. I agree that defensively we aren't as good as we should be.

We have the component parts and ingredients of a promotion team, problem is the chef ain't much good. Nice guy NC gets away with being so negative because people are in awe of his dads name. We will be an also ran team under him because he and the board do not have the ambition of the fans. Be prepared for a long spell of mediocrity where a battle for 5/6th place is seen as a good season

 

[blader]

We have the component parts and ingredients of a promotion team

Really? If you believe that, I think you are equally to blame for lack of ambition at this club. This is the worst squad we have had in my lifetime, and can't be far off the worst ever? The tactics aren't great, but we can't play expansive, attractive football when we don't have expansive, attractive footballers. They cost money - a concept completely lost on our board and some fans it appears!

 

[anglian blade]

Really? If you believe that, I think you are equally to blame for lack of ambition at this club. This is the worst squad we have had in my lifetime, and can't be far off the worst ever? The tactics aren't great, but we can't play expansive, attractive football when we don't have expansive, attractive footballers. They cost money - a concept completely lost on our board and some fans it appears!

I have seen far worse squads but had to remember a side that found it so hard to score goals. We have not scored 2 goals in a league game since 21 October.

 

[bornablade]

Cloughie is a methodical type of guy. He's given certain members of this squad their opportunity from August - present, there are some who have not grasped their chance and I believe he will strengthen in January with proven players. Then we will push on toward an automatic promotion spot. if he wishes to tell us play offs are his aim that's fine by me. I think Cloughie and his management team are really aiming higher than that.

To say we are too far off the leading pack, think back to last season. Who would've thought that in February we would just fail to make the play offs? For those with longer memories think back to 1990/ 91 when we had about 4 points at this stage of the season.

Keep believing. 2015 is going to be our year

 

[Worksop_Blade]

I can't wait for the next guy to come in and fire this squad up, Derby County style.

Both Clough and Phipps will be out on their arses when they experience first hand the Play Offs with Sheffield United.

5 Seasons in League One.

Wow

 

[judge]

Been getting stick on here all season for saying it but the club to me from the top down is sending out a message of lets scrape in the play offs and hope for the best

I havent seen one single sign from them all season that they either really want promotion or know how to get it

Apart from a few "true blades" on here I think everyone is starting to get that message

 

[Esablade]

I blame Ched.

 

[Maidenhead]

We have the component parts and ingredients of a promotion team, problem is the chef ain't much good. Nice guy NC gets away with being so negative because people are in awe of his dads name. We will be an also ran team under him because he and the board do not have the ambition of the fans. Be prepared for a long spell of mediocrity where a battle for 5/6th place is seen as a good season

Unfortunately the ambitious fans do not have the money to join the board.
Shame

 

[raul]

Nor are they required. The Prince, The Family, Jim and Sela are mightily ambitious themselves. They mention it reasonably frequently.

 

[judge]

Unfortunately the ambitious fans do not have the money to join the board.
Shame

What ? A quid ?

 

[yorkshirecoast]

A disgraceful comment from Clough. Yet more evidence that he is out of his depth. The aim of Sheffield United is to finish in the top 6 of Division 3? Wtf? I suppose we shouldn't be surprised given his ulta cautious and mind numbingly boring approach to matches.

 

[JohnDenver]

This is the worst squad we have had in my lifetime

Here's the 2012 play-off squad we took to Yeovil.

Sheffield Utd

• 25 Long
• 02 Westlake (Higginbotham - 55' )
• 05 Maguire Booked
• 06 Hill
• 15 Collins
• 08 Doyle
• 11 McDonald Booked
• 26 McFadzean (Flynn - 87' )
• 09 Porter
• 23 Murphy
• 24 Ironside (Kitson - 64' )

Substitutes

• 35 Coyne
• 04 Higginbotham
• 07 Flynn
• 21 Chapell
• 33 Barry
• 14 Kitson
• 27 Whitehouse

 

[Houso]

At the moment, Nigel for me is the oddest mix of adventurous and stubborn.

Try Basham in his secondary position of defence... uncover a superb central defender at this level.... play him there sporadically despite continually excellent performances.

Bring in a young striker from Scotland who didn't really come with the brightest of reputations... give him numerous chances off the bench where he scores time and time again.... keep him on the bench.

He'll find a winning formula, and then chop and change the next game without need. Or we'll have an awful game, and he'll persist with the same setup. If only he could find some balance between the two. I personally believe we have the makings of a top two side, but we just need to find that form.

He's an excellent and progressive manager when we're playing well, but he retreats into his shell an inordinate amount when we hit a rough patch. We've just got to hope we get the former when we end up in the playoffs this coming Summer. If there's any solace to find, it's in the fact that he manages the big occasion brilliantly and I expect to win a playoff final if we do indeed get there.

 

[JJBlade]

Going up via the play offs is always the clubs main aim.
It brings an extra few quid in regardless of the gamble
They're not clever enough to realise that following on from the end of last season and building on the one bit of feelgood factor we've had for years would have seen 25,000 at every home game this season.
Once again they blew it, they hoped Clough would be able to do it on the cheap and still get us to the play off Final as well. In their eyes it's win/win.
Any other club would just think "Storm the fucking division and have done with it" but not United, if it can be done in a cheap, unimaginative, boring, crap, miserable way they will find it.
Jeesus, they can even turn a potential promotion season into a shit one.

 

[blader]

Here's the 2012 play-off squad we took to Yeovil.

Sheffield Utd

• 25 Long
• 02 Westlake (Higginbotham - 55' )
• 05 Maguire Booked
• 06 Hill
• 15 Collins
• 08 Doyle
• 11 McDonald Booked
• 26 McFadzean (Flynn - 87' )
• 09 Porter
• 23 Murphy
• 24 Ironside (Kitson - 64' )

Substitutes

• 35 Coyne
• 04 Higginbotham
• 07 Flynn
• 21 Chapell
• 33 Barry
• 14 Kitson
• 27 Whitehouse

The fact you picked one specific game and didn't just name the season's squad means you know in reality, you're trying to manufacture a point here. That season, the vast majority of games included: Williamson, Lowton, Evans, Quinn and Cresswell.

If you're going to genuinely debate 2011/12 against this currebt mob, I am happy to debate it, but for your benefit I recommend you don't!

 

[JohnDenver]

The fact you picked one specific game and didn't just name the season's squad means you know in reality, you're trying to manufacture a point here. That season, the vast majority of games included: Williamson, Lowton, Evans, Quinn and Cresswell.

If you're going to genuinely debate 2011/12 against this currebt mob, I am happy to debate it, but for your benefit I recommend you don't!

I was referring to the 12/13 squad - the one that ended up losing the playoff at Yeovil. Typo in my post.

 

[Rufus Smalls]

A disgraceful comment from Clough. Yet more evidence that he is out of his depth. The aim of Sheffield United is to finish in the top 6 of Division 3? Wtf? I suppose we shouldn't be surprised given his ulta cautious and mind numbingly boring approach to matches.

Totally agree. The first thing Clough should have said to his players in pre-season is ... "Right you lot my aim this season is to win this league and anything else is not acceptable "

I have no idea whether he did or didn't but all the indications show that ambling along just inside the play off zone is the plan and that he is happy with the current situation. Hope I'm wrong.

UTB !

 

[blader]

I was referring to the 12/13 squad - the one that ended up losing the playoff at Yeovil. Typo in my post.

Still though.... Also, so what? Still doesn't prevent this from being one of the worst squads we have ever had.

 

[JohnDenver]

Still though.... Also, so what? Still doesn't prevent this from being one of the worst squads we have ever had.

Which is a different statement to...

This is the worst squad we have had in my lifetime

This season's squad hasn't plumbed the depths of performance that we saw in 2013. It's also got more depth, but lacks a couple of standout players.

 

[blader]

Which is a different statement to...



This season's squad hasn't plumbed the depths of performance that we saw in 2013. It's also got more depth, but lacks a couple of standout players.

The depths f 2013? At this stage during that season, we were 3rd, with a goal difference of +11 and only lost 2 games all season. Mate, we are getting progressively worse every season, nothing thus far suggests we are as good as that side. We were also only 1 point behind top as well, AND (here's the key thing) we were UNBEATEN at home. Remember what that felt like?

 

[Harry's Game]

Mid table investment, + Mid table squad, + Mid table manager = Mid table finish.

We will never finish in the top two with Clough in charge he doesn't know how to do it.

A couple of seasons of play off defeats to look forward to is the best we will get.

 

[JohnDenver]

The depths f 2013? At this stage during that season, we were 3rd, with a goal difference of +11 and only lost 2 games all season. Mate, we are getting progressively worse every season, nothing thus far suggests we are as good as that side. We were also only 1 point behind top as well, AND (here's the key thing) we were UNBEATEN at home. Remember what that felt like?

Yup, at that stage it was 2012. The football we saw throughout 2013 was the worst I've seen in my lifetime by a wide margin. This season's efforts aren't sufficiently better to make me happy, but I do think we've bottomed-out, even if things are incredibly frustrating just now.

 

[Tynemouth Blade]

What ? A quid ?

I'll go halves with you?

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Right at the end of the RS interview after the Fleetwood game, Rob Staton asked a legitimate question, about whether the 9 point gap between us and the top two was a concern. Clough's response was that the playoff's was the main aim, and if we could challenge the top two we would.

Now, as the board, I imagine the minimum target you would set Nigel would be to finish in the playoffs, but the main aim has to be automatic promotion (nobody wants the gamble of the playoffs, particularly us with our spectacularly shit record). His response, therefore, concerns me a little. I think the minimum requirement should be the playoffs, and anything less than the top 2 should be a disappointment. Just think how far away we are from the team we had first season down here. We were crushing teams 3/4-0 a lot of the time - we look nowhere near that now. We look like a team that could scrape it's way out of the division, and that's what's so disappointing. Going from one of the best teams the league has seen in recent years (every other season, the 11/12 team would have got promoted), to a side that is happy to get a point at Fleetwood Town.

I quite like Cloughy, and the run we went on last season was sensational, but the fact that we're so far from being a convincing promotion team is really frustrating. The good feeling about the club was great last year, even after the meaningless home win against Coventry last game of the season. It was clear that 3/4 quality players were needed in the close season - instead we've brought in about 3 times that amount, and as a result we've got a 'fairly good' squad. In this division, that's just simply not acceptable.

Yes, at times, we play some fairly pretty stuff, but we never ever look like we're gonna absolutely tonk a team 3 or 4 nil, as we did under Wilson. In fact, under Wilson, at least when we played badly, we had a genuine goalscorer in Ched, and we'd end up getting an unlikely draw. We haven't had a genuine goalscorer since (the nearest one Blackman, we sold after half a season), and so even the shite sides in the league (there are many), we're not pummeling.

All in all, being a playoff side just isn't good enough. Hopefully COG can resolve, but I still think we're still short in notable positions, not least a winger. McCarthy, despite looking reasonably solid for most of a game, manages to make goal conceding mistakes (he must have a must play clause in, as Nosworthy had), and if Wallace isn't going to play in CM, and Bash is going to be CB, then we need someone there. Not to mention that RB is up for grabs.

Hopefully, we can recruit wisely next month, but it also seems like the 'we're going to thrash these boys' mentality has gone, and that's rather frustrating. Was it 11 home wins in a row under DW we had? It was like turning up on a Saturday afternoon, and the 3 points was guaranteed. Seems a long, long time ago.

Billyblademan , good post . Just aiming for the play offs , is not good enough or acceptable . OK i feel we have been in third gear , but Mr Clough has not fixed the clutch . Disappointing again at Fleetwood . Something has got to change and unfortunately it will not be the management , therefore it has to be the playing staff . January transfer window ,is make or break time for us.

Sum up - not good enough or acceptable.

UTB