Now is the time for Clough to go

[Guesty]

The only highlights for me from last night are Done's goal - sublime - and the ref's excellent performance.

Yes! Well said. We've had some right cabbages at the Lane so it was refreshing to see a Ref do such a good job. Good on yer.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

No point getting shut of Clough right now, but at the end of the season if we don't make the playoffs I think it will be time for him to go. Make and fail in the playoffs and I would give him till Xmas to be head and shoulders clear in the automatics. I think the clock is ticking for Nigel. I do wish he would stop the public fingerpointing at individuals in the team after defeats - it does him no credit. .

 

[super_pig]

They wouldn't have been naught but a madman 's pipe dream if we'd managed to hang on at the death, and still might not be if we beat Fleetwood and others stumble.
Fleetwood is definitely the last chance auto promo saloon

sorry mate.. i spend most of my saturday afternoons in the shoutbox trying to uplift people but as optimistic as i am.. we've blown it now.. get used to the idea.. i feel a lot better. it's the hope that kills you. not the fear

 

[Davie Blade]

Yet again negative Nigel as done his best to not win a game.
Why oh why did he take both forwards off. Sparky may not have been great but with a midfield like ours which cannot pass a ball to someone's feet when they are being marked by bigger stronger players is ridiculous.
He says about the tempo in the first half not being good, it's been the same all season. Have a bet on uniteds home games being goalless at half time you would be quids in. It's still not too late to get someone in who can get this lot playing attacking football. I know this won't happen with the useless board we have here
I have 5 words for Negative for the Fleetwood game ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK

BLADESMAD is

 

[silver blade]

Yet again negative Nigel as done his best to not win a game.
Why oh why did he take both forwards off. Sparky may not have been great but with a midfield like ours which cannot pass a ball to someone's feet when they are being marked by bigger stronger players is ridiculous.
He says about the tempo in the first half not being good, it's been the same all season. Have a bet on uniteds home games being goalless at half time you would be quids in. It's still not too late to get someone in who can get this lot playing attacking football. I know this won't happen with the useless board we have here
I have 5 words for Negative for the Fleetwood game ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK ATTAeCK ATTACK

You don't think he will win manager of the month then?

 

[memorable]

I keep seeing references to Clough having a go at some fans behind the dug-out but can't find any posts about what was said. Does anyone know?

 

[Cyprus Blade]

I saw a thing on twitter which said it was about Flynn's injury - NC said something along the lines of "What do you expect me to do - play 4 subs ??" - also said it was aimed at the Directors box after the comments came from there. Not sure whether that is right or not.

 

[sitwell]

Bringing on Adams was an obvious substitution and to a lot around me.

how when we had used 3 subs ?

 

[BarcaBlade]

I'm looking forward to Crewe. I have an away Subbuteo game I can line up to coincide.

 

[billyblademan]

the fact we've had four seasons in this l

the thought of going to the likes of Crewe Colchester & rochdale again makes me shudder

Gillingham and Port Vale however just make the mouth water in anticipation...

 

[OllyBlade]

If more football happens with this man then football success might be achieved some day. If not the football against the teams from railway towns may continue. Football will still happen either way. Football.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Yet again negative Nigel as done his best to not win a game. /QUOTE]

What's that smell?

 

[HillmortonBlade]

Gillingham and Port Vale however just make the mouth water in anticipation...

I would be as excited about playing Stoke as I am about Port Vale, other than it would mean we were in a higher division. I can't really differentiate between these sides.

 

[bladesmanluke]

Yet again negative Nigel as done his best to not win a game.
Why oh why did he take both forwards off. Sparky may not have been great but with a midfield like ours which cannot pass a ball to someone's feet when they are being marked by bigger stronger players is ridiculous.
He says about the tempo in the first half not being good, it's been the same all season. Have a bet on uniteds home games being goalless at half time you would be quids in. It's still not too late to get someone in who can get this lot playing attacking football. I know this won't happen with the useless board we have here
I have 5 words for Negative for the Fleetwood game ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK

I am right royally pissed off with Nigel Clough and his pathetic, mind numbing tactics, but no, now is not the time for him to go. Look what happened when we sacked Wilson right before the playoffs? It'll be shit, but we'll finish top 6 and then we just hope for the best. If we don't go up this season, then is the time for him to be fucked right off

 

[SE9 Blade]

So 1 loss after a run which saw him nominated for Manager of the Month and we want him sacked? Well done Blades, you make me proud!

 

[raul]

I NBW-ed it last night so cant comment on the game, but based upon the various reportage I'm a bit surprised at the full on melt down because it sounded like pretty much most home games this season. Slow start, occasional flurry and general sense of disappointment at a side who never seem to want to do more than the bare minimum they think will win a game. Which brings me to my bigger issue - I have absolutley no idea what NC is trying to do. I have no idea about how he wants us to play, what his prefeered formation is, what his (look away now alcoblade ) ethos is.

With NW - like it or not - you knew what he believed in. Ditto (and ditto again) KB and DW. With NC, I just see various shades of grey. Players come into and go out of the side weekly, formation chanes weekly and we get an occasional performance where you think "Right, got it and so have the players" but that feeling goes just as quickly as it come.

So, I have no idea whether he's a good manager or not. I have no idea if we will go up or not. In short, I have no idea and after over a year in charge with some unbelivable highlights it's this that troubles me the most.

What are we trying to do and how are we going about it? Anyone?

 

[grafikhaus]

I saw a thing on twitter which said it was about Flynn's injury - NC said something along the lines of "What do you expect me to do - play 4 subs ??" - also said it was aimed at the Directors box after the comments came from there. Not sure whether that is right or not.

Now I'm not sure here, but wasn't Flynn struggling before we made our third and final sub? If so, and I'm no medical expert, I thought Flynn was in so much distress that he certainly won't be available for Saturday. Even if all the subs were on before the injury, as others have said, any sane technical area would have brought him off rather than exacerbate the injury.

Clough had a good, arm-waving rant to the director's box at around the hour mark. Might be wrong, but Barry Fry was sat at the front (of the DB) and he can be a stirring little...

 

[BeatleBlade]

No point in getting him to go. Mistakes like last night happen, that is football. If we got our business done like Bristol did last year then we would be up there right now but we are stuck in the play offs as a result. If we don't get promoted this year I have every confidence that next year we will win the league.

 

[super_pig]

it isn't the actual defeats that people are pissed off about..
it is the 'manner' of the defeats.. if we'd lost 5-3 and had a good go that would be fair enough

 

[Lane Ender]

how when we had used 3 subs ?

I meant in preference to Freeman

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

Yet again negative Nigel as done his best to not win a game.
Why oh why did he take both forwards off. Sparky may not have been great but with a midfield like ours which cannot pass a ball to someone's feet when they are being marked by bigger stronger players is ridiculous.
He says about the tempo in the first half not being good, it's been the same all season. Have a bet on uniteds home games being goalless at half time you would be quids in. It's still not too late to get someone in who can get this lot playing attacking football. I know this won't happen with the useless board we have here
I have 5 words for Negative for the Fleetwood game ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK

The problem is at the other end of the park. We should be able to see off a 1-0 home win with 2 mins plus stoppage time to go. Central defence isn't strong enough or good enough.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

No point in getting him to go. Mistakes like last night happen, that is football. If we got our business done like Bristol did last year then we would be up there right now but we are stuck in the play offs as a result. If we don't get promoted this year I have every confidence that next year we will win the league.

It was always a three year plan.

Yes I want out and I want out of this league this season but Clough is a lot term project and this time we need to wait and be patient.

 

[super_pig]

It was always a three year plan.

Yes I want out and I want out of this league this season but Clough is a lot term project and this time we need to wait and be patient.

are we there yet?? but dad.. i'm fed up of being patient
i've been patient since 1972

 

[wizadry]

Now I'm not sure here, but wasn't Flynn struggling before we made our third and final sub? If so, and I'm no medical expert, I thought Flynn was in so much distress that he certainly won't be available for Saturday. Even if all the subs were on before the injury, as others have said, any sane technical area would have brought him off rather than exacerbate the injury.

Clough had a good, arm-waving rant to the director's box at around the hour mark. Might be wrong, but Barry Fry was sat at the front (of the DB) and he can be a stirring little...

It's alright, we've got JCR to help out that side of the pitch.............Oh shit, i forgot

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

it isn't the actual defeats that people are pissed off about..
it is the 'manner' of the defeats.. if we'd lost 5-3 and had a good go that would be fair enough

We'd probably give them a round of applause as well!

 

[Lane Ender]

are we there yet?? but dad.. i'm fed up of being patient
i've been patient since 1972

Weve had plenty of good times since 72 SP

 

[Captain]

Clough brought Butler in to be that powerful centre half we need at both ends of the pitch , don't know what went on but our defending from set pieces is crap our corners are food n drink for any half decent defence and he let him go.Big mistake.Also play offs not a cert, some teams putting a run together behind us, another roller coaster ride for long suffering Blades

 

[longinthe toothblade]

Will we make the play-offs? YES? are you sure?

Spot on. The talk of automatic is absolutely ridiculous - has been for weeks. By the same token, I simply don't understand why folk think that the play offs are a 'shoe in'.

There appears to be a few teams around us hitting some form at the moment - and more importantly playing well at the same time. With the exception of the Bristol game, we have been acquiring points without playing great - in fact we have been very ordinary but got the rub of the green. Our luck changed last night and we were exposed for what we are.

Last 13 games is going to be a real dog fight and with others hitting form, nothing is certain at all. If we don't pick ourselves up and forge some form of consistency [starting Saturday] I reckon we could well be overtaken by a couple of teams over the run in.

 

[longinthe toothblade]

They wouldn't have been naught but a madman 's pipe dream if we'd managed to hang on at the death, and still might not be if we beat Fleetwood and others stumble.

Fleetwood is definitely the last chance auto promo saloon

A lot too many "if's" mate. Auto went weeks ago. Just because it's mathematically possible doesn't mean that it is going to happen. It isn't our right and you need to back it up with your play too. Our play recently [home and away] with the exception of Bristol has been very average - but we've enjoyed the rub of the green and so we've picked up points. That's a very fragile position to be in and last night our luck ran out.

Auto is long gone and the play offs ain't certain either.

 

[robbiez666]

No point getting rid of him now, it's too late. The issues are irreparable this season. If we go up through the play-offs then that's two managers who failed to do a little homework. Start again at the end of the season regardless for me. For me, Clough has:

Been responsible for the worst re-season I can remember
Been able to bring in an unprecedented amount of players - most of whom have been underwhelming
Been able to pay off contracts. Thus, getting rid of dead would instead of being burdened with them
Consistently turned a team which has underperformed
Consistently turned out a team who play negative tactics
Purposely built a team of small players
Not addressed any issues with the spine of the team whilst still bringing in 20? (I've lost count)
Been given an incredible amount of money to spend at this level
Shopped in a very small market
Never played a settled team
played players out of position
bought injury-prone players

If you ignore the cup runs, the league form has been poor. In terms of goals, performances and clean sheets