Phipps on Radio pig in next few minutes

[Grappler]

It is cheerful mate, remembering the days when Championship top 10 / play offs was our minimum aim!

true, I remember feeling gutted when we finished ninth one season, under Blackwell

 

[FriethBlade]

But if the quality that has been identified is unavailable then surely we are right to not go and buy someone else who's not what we want but available

Mate I identified Kate Moss as my future wife , I figured out pretty quickly that although she was the quality I desired she wasn't available so rather than settle for the 5 fingered shuffle for the rest of my life I married my missus (who is still premier league your understand ).

If our manager and scouts can't identify one centre half otherthan Burn who is significantly better than Collins they are in the wrong job !

 

[Dkc]

I think it was 1998 - we finished 6th, Sunderland finished 3rd.

We won 2-1 at home and lost 2-0 up there.

Crap. I thought that 6th might just be our lucky finishing place.

So I presume we've finished in all possible play-off positions - 3rd, 4th. 5th. 6th, and even 3rd-bottom of the second division when that put you in play-offs instead of 6th in the 3rd division.

 

[BushBlade]

I think it was 1998 - we finished 6th, Sunderland finished 3rd.

We won 2-1 at home and lost 2-0 up there.

Well thanks for cheering us all up Echo mate.....[/QUOTE]
Almost equalised near the end, right save. I thought it was going in.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

What standard of players do you expect to bring in, if we don't go up? We are struggling to bring in better players than we have got because we are in League 1. I seriously can't get my breath that fans think it would be better to stay in this division. One minute everyone is kicking off because we've spent 5 years in the division, the next we want to stay for another year. FFS!

Already covered this early on another thread. It would be a disaster says I if we have to rebuild a third division team but...

Pointed out on another thread that we have to rebuild at the end of the season due to so many contracts running out.
Be a major disaster if we have to build a third division team again on three year contracts and not a second division team.

So much pressure Mr Adkins

#15 GRUMPY BLADE, Sep 18, 2015

... I hadn't thought of players hanging around who wouldn't go out on loan because of their contracts.
Hadn't thought that the best appointment of a manager in yonks would suddenly not perform as per his CV, why not I asked myself?

Thinking about what happened with Higginbotham, that makes me think that Adkins is purposely under performing for the good of the club.

I can't think of any other reason. If Adkins wanted players to drive us forward to promotion he would get them, I'm sure the club can fund a couple of decent players.

Why haven't we? Imagine having to keep most of the 10/12 players that we want shut of AND having to play division two football with them.

 

[blades78]

Already covered this early on another thread. It would be a disaster says I if we have to rebuild a third division team but...

Pointed out on another thread that we have to rebuild at the end of the season due to so many contracts running out.
Be a major disaster if we have to build a third division team again on three year contracts and not a second division team.

So much pressure Mr Adkins

#15 GRUMPY BLADE, Sep 18, 2015

... I hadn't thought of players hanging around who wouldn't go out on loan because of their contracts.
Hadn't thought that the best appointment of a manager in yonks would suddenly not perform as per his CV, why not I asked myself?

Thinking about what happened with Higginbotham, that makes me think that Adkins is purposely under performing for the good of the club.

I can't think of any other reason. If Adkins wanted players to drive us forward to promotion he would get them, I'm sure the club can fund a couple of decent players.

Why haven't we? Imagine having to keep most of the 10/12 players that we want shut of AND having to play division two football with them.

Fair point made, but I sincerely hope that this is not the case for the majority of players that are out of contract. Even if it was and we were in the championship, they wouldn't get in the team and either be paid off or loaned out similar to Higdon, Wallace etc.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Are the players really that shit, or are we just not playing together as a team? On paper, a team including Adams, Sharp, Brayford, Harris, Done, Flynn, Reed, Baxter, Coutts and Edgar should be ripping this division apart. Most of our signings have done well at other clubs - that's why we signed them. Apart from Wigan, our first team is probably the most expensive in the division. They can't all be shit, can they?

That's a question I can't answer.

Something doesn't add up.

 

[judge]

That's a question I can't answer.

Something doesn't add up.

Theyre not shit they can perform on their day

Problem.is they have a lack of balls and only turn it on when they feel like it

 

[PeteBlade]

There's more than just "quality of players" that factor into what you've seen and our league position, though.

Regarding "The Board" - Can I remind everyone that we were told on day one that serious investment would only be made once we achieved promotion?

When was this said? And how were they expecting to achieve promotion?

I remember them saying that because the investment was 'game changing' then we no longer needed to sell our best players and that serious investment would be made on the first team.

 

[BushBlade]

Theyre not shit they can perform on their day

Problem.is they have a lack of balls and only turn it on when they feel like it

It's always the case with lower league players though. I saw Porterfield's lot have some shockers away in our first season back in the third. Morris, Edwards, lot of 'em.
When you're recruiting at this level it's just as important to assess consistency as it is ability.

 

[JonnyRed(WCFC)]

And it only takes one bad apple in the squad with an attitude if said apple is one of the higher earners to have a detrimental effect on the rest of the players who have been working their proverbials off for peanuts in comparison.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

When was this said? And how were they expecting to achieve promotion?

Phipps said it very early after the Prince bought in - in a curious statement linking it to FFP erroneously - In truth I think they expected to be out of Div 1 a lor easier than it is proving.

 

[judge]

The writing was on the wall when the takeover/ investment was announced after the window closed

That simple act would encapsulate the princes involvment with us

 

[Bartleby]

"There are things we need to do better and we will leave it up to the professionals to address these deficiencies".

Felt sorry for him I must say but of the few bits I could make out that was one I picked up on at the time.

Just listened again and in answer to the question about "who does Adkins work with now to complete transfers and who makes the decision" he said they are "working to build a technical board that provides support in that process" and they are " not as far along that development as we want to be, more progress needs to be made this month so we can be ready for the ???? season" - couldn't quite make that out - close season? FFS how long does it take to get a process in place to tell a manager if he can sign a player or not?? This is the worrying thing for me , it sounds like a completely dysfunctional management.

 

[Bartleby]

, and even 3rd-bottom of the second division when that put you in play-offs instead of 6th in the 3rd division.

and we went down as a result, so not true that we have never got out of a division via the play-offs :-(

 

[BushBlade]

Felt sorry for him I must say but of the few bits I could make out that was one I picked up on at the time.

Just listened again and in answer to the question about "who does Adkins work with now to complete transfers and who makes the decision" he said they are "working to build a technical board that provides support in that process" and they are " not as far along that development as we want to be, more progress needs to be made this month so we can be ready for the ???? season" - couldn't quite make that out - close season? FFS how long does it take to get a process in place to tell a manager if he can sign a player or not?? This is the worrying thing for me , it sounds like a completely dysfunctional management.

Yes, I noticed that. I was expecting a very straightforward answer, not some rambling bollocks.
Anyway, looks like we've broken Jim.

 

[Bartleby]

Anyway, looks like we've broken Jim.

Looks like it's all broken to me. My take on this is that , after realising the mistakes made in allowing Clough to sign too many players, they can't agree now on letting Adkins sign any and it makes me suspect the rumours of a rift on the board are true. It also gives Adkins the perfect excuse to walk and get himself out of this mess with his reputation still (reasonably) intact, though I hope he doesn't.

 

[BushBlade]

Looks like it's all broken to me. My take on this is that , after realising the mistakes made in allowing Clough to sign too many players, they can't agree now on letting Adkins sign any and it makes me suspect the rumours of a rift on the board are true. It also gives Adkins the perfect excuse to walk and get himself out of this mess with his reputation still (reasonably) intact, though I hope he doesn't.

I have a slightly different take. I think it was a straight gamble, like we did with Robson. Throw a load of money at it in the hope we go up and don't think too carefully about what happens when we don't.
We've committed one of the oldest sins in football; allowed a manager to spend all the money we had and then sack him before he can finish the job. Or, we simply have all our money to the wrong man, depending on your opinion of Clough. Either way, it was foolish.

All this crap about too many players is just a smokescreen to try to cover up the fact we're run by pillocks. It's just the latest buzz word from KM, the latest excuse for our failure. It's just like with Robson, KM was seduced by the name, by a former England and Liverpool player. He bent over backwards and then let out a sharp cry of surprised when his arse was fucked.

Ever seen Braveheart? The bit where the king is abroad looking after his other interests and the kingdom is turning to shit under his idiot son?

 

[TonyAgana]

We've committed one of the oldest sins in football; allowed a manager to spend all the money we had and then sack him before he can finish the job. Or, we simply have all our money to the wrong man, depending on your opinion of Clough. Either way, it was foolish.

Have a read back through some of the press-pieces during Clough's first season about how they were 100% happy they'd got the right man and how failure to achieve promotion "next season" WOULD NOT result in his sacking - it really makes you wonder what the fuck went on in that meeting, or it brings into question how woefully naive they were in making such statements. It looks, in retrospect, like a complete clusterfuck of the highest order; they changed the remit, not Nigel Clough.

 

[Bartleby]

I have a slightly different take. I think it was a straight gamble, like we did with Robson. Throw a load of money at it in the hope we go up and don't think too carefully about what happens when we don't.
We've committed one of the oldest sins in football; allowed a manager to spend all the money we had and then sack him before he can finish the job. Or, we simply have all our money to the wrong man, depending on your opinion of Clough. Either way, it was foolish.

All this crap about too many players is just a smokescreen to try to cover up the fact we're run by pillocks. It's just the latest buzz word from KM, the latest excuse for our failure. It's just like with Robson, KM was seduced by the name, by a former England and Liverpool player. He bent over backwards and then let out a sharp cry of surprised when his arse was fucked.

Ever seen Braveheart? The bit where the king is abroad looking after his other interests and the kingdom is turning to shit under his idiot son?

agree about the squad size being a smokescreen. While it's true it is too large a squad, we are also told 6 figure bids were turned down, so which is it? We need some proper straightforward communication from the club not that farce of an interview on tuesday's RS.

 

[BushBlade]

Have a read back through some of the press-pieces during Clough's first season about how they were 100% happy they'd got the right man and how failure to achieve promotion "next season" WOULD NOT result in his sacking - it really makes you wonder what the fuck went on in that meeting, or it brings into question how woefully naive they were in making such statements. It looks, in retrospect, like a complete clusterfuck of the highest order; they changed the remit, not Nigel Clough.

Basically it's like me judging a ballet competition. I have no idea what's good and what's shit.

 

[BushBlade]

agree about the squad size being a smokescreen. While it's true it is too large a squad, we are also told 6 figure bids were turned down, so which is it? We need some proper straightforward communication from the club not that farce of an interview on tuesday's RS.

It's no bigger than last year. We shipped out Murphy, Doyle and Davies and a couple of loans and bought in Sharpy, Woolfordy and three loans.

 

[TonyAgana]

Basically it's like me judging a ballet competition. I have no idea what's good and what's shit.

It sounds tin-pot to say it but the fans know football better than the board. It's as simple as that.

 

[Bartleby]

It's no bigger than last year.

Maybe not but when I last checked it was the biggest in the division by a country mile, think Peterborough's was the next largest squad.

 

[Blade58]

Can barely hear him, but from the parts you can hear he sounds like a broken man!

Regardless of the poor line where we could hardly hear a word he said, he's usually quite assured and confident when he speaks. However, that interview was the first time I have heard him mumble, stutter, show hesitancy and basically show how uncomfortable he was having to address radio Sheffield

There was something in that interview that for whatever reason, he seemed very embarrassed about

 

[BushBlade]

Maybe not but when I last checked it was the biggest in the division by a country mile, think Peterborough's was the next largest squad.

Did you include every player with a contract over the age of 16?

 

[Bartleby]

Did you include every player with a contract over the age of 16?

haha, no not quite as in depth as my spreadsheet on player heights. It was just based on entries for each L1 team on wikipedia - according to which we currently have a squad of 28 (inc 3 in on loan) plus 6 out on loan. Peterborough have 30 (inc 2 in on loan) plus 6 out on loan. Wigan is 27 and 5. Don't know how accurate or consistent this info is and can't be bothered to find that out, but we no longer seem to have a squad miles bigger than any other in L1.

 

[Keen Blade]

I have a slightly different take. I think it was a straight gamble, like we did with Robson. Throw a load of money at it in the hope we go up and don't think too carefully about what happens when we don't.
We've committed one of the oldest sins in football; allowed a manager to spend all the money we had and then sack him before he can finish the job. Or, we simply have all our money to the wrong man, depending on your opinion of Clough. Either way, it was foolish.

All this crap about too many players is just a smokescreen to try to cover up the fact we're run by pillocks. It's just the latest buzz word from KM, the latest excuse for our failure. It's just like with Robson, KM was seduced by the name, by a former England and Liverpool player. He bent over backwards and then let out a sharp cry of surprised when his arse was fucked.

Ever seen Braveheart? The bit where the king is abroad looking after his other interests and the kingdom is turning to shit under his idiot son?

I think he must have bent over forwards in that metaphor , Bush , baby !

 

[Dkc]

Regardless of the poor line where we could hardly hear a word he said, he's usually quite assured and confident when he speaks. However, that interview was the first time I have heard him mumble, stutter, show hesitancy and basically show how uncomfortable he was having to address radio Sheffield

There was something in that interview that for whatever reason, he seemed very embarrassed about

Agree he sounded downbeat but he's been recovering from illness

 

[FriethBlade]

It's the fact that a while back he stated the Murphy money was available to invest on players and now he's had to admit that it's going on the monthly running costs. Nothing changes in how the club is run so unsurprisingly nothing changes in the outcome on the pitch.

The board should be ashamed that after 5 yrs in this division clubs likes Walsall, Burton and Gillingham are miles ahead of us.