Poll: If we do protest, who are you potesting about?

[Deleted member 875]

Of course it's not acceptable but that would mean I'd be protesting about the results
And I demand that the club start winning matches again.

But I've not known other fans do this type of protests before, normally they just stop going.

I realise the results, players and manager seem terrible
But what would we be asking the board to do?

Eh ignore cv's in the future and don't bring in highly rated tried and tested managers.
Instead we want you to put names in a hat from the lower divisions with poor cv's and pull a name out of the hat at random. Also we don't want you to pay big money for players in the higher leagues. We'd rather you pick players from the lower leagues with little prior quality. Don't bring in tried and tested strikers, bring in unknown strikers with no track record. Don't tell us you want promotion anymore, tell us that you would prefer relegation next year because then cheaper wages could be paid out. Tell us you have no interest in SU and have joined the board to see us fail and waste your money.

Is the above what our fans want to happen?

Football can be a funny game, do the above might produce better results than the current mob.
We could protest and demand that Brian the Blade is put in charge because he said he'd manage us for free.

I'm being a little facetious but hope you see my point. If we protest it's has to be against clear issues and suggestion about what needs to be done to get where we want to be. We can't just say "we're protesting about losing matches and what we want is to win matches. A club our size demands it"

The fact is that we are are going to be a third tier club again for the 6th consecutive season, went we should be so much more than that.

So why do you think we are in our current position.

Serendipity and poor fortune? Or do the results reflect something else going off in the club.

All the evidence seems to lead to the club being mismanaged right from the top. Just need to take a look at where the club is haemorrhaging money, or are allegedly haemorrhaging money, that to me says bad management right from the very top.

If you examine the names that have gained promotion ahead of us in the last 4 years. Charlton Athletic, Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town, AFC Bournemouth, Doncaster Rovers, Yeovil Town, Wolves, Rotherham United, Brentford, Preston NE, Mk Dons, and Bristol City. We should be streets ahead of at least 10 of those clubs. This year it is more than likely that teams like Burton Albion, Walsall and Gillingham will get promoted ahead of us. The common denominator is that we have a turnover that is far in advance of any club currently in League One.

We have got one owner who has royally fucked up with some stupid decisions (Chengdu Blades, Feremcvaros, and a cack handed attempt at turning us in to a global footballing brand) we have got another owner who has only been to 2 or 3 games in the last 3 years since he owned us, and both are absent from the Lane.

We have had a succession of managers who have had their best players sold from under their feet at the start of the season, and not been allowed to adequately replace them.

I'm not just having a go at the board and the people who run Sheffield United for the sake of it, or just throwing my toys out of the pram because of a few poor results.

I'm in the same position as a lot of other people, and my comments are born of frustration. Can anyone tell me why I shouldn't be frustrated, I'm not just another keyboard warrior, I'm someone who puts my money where my mouth is every season, attends the vast majority of games, and a long standing and passionate Blade, but I'm also someone who understands with perfect clarity, and without being arrogant about it, that we should not be in the position, and should have never found ourselves in this position.

Making the point that any form of protest is based on a few bad results, is naive in the extreme, but that isn't the case. Personally I'll not be protested, been there and done that in my younger days and don't have the time and inclination to get involved, and my match days are usually dictated to me by taking a small child with me to most games, but the planned protests in whatever form they take are born of frustration about the spectacular under achievements of the last few years.

I feel that I have perfectly illustrated the reasons why a protest is more than likely to take place, if anyone thinks any differently about the reasoning of the protest, the floor is all yours now

 

[Sean Thornton]

Agree, but I drove 120 miles to Bramall Lane on the day Wilson was appointed, not to chant for the cameras, but to personally hand our season tickets to anyone at Bramall Lane in authority. Not because Wilson once managed Wednesday, but because he was a mediocre manager with a poor CV.

McCabe gave us 'fans' in the car park the opportunity of a meeting to sit with him, Morgan and Wilson to discuss the future. The prats amongst the "baying mob" ( who only bayed for TV cameras) staged a walk out of that meeting as a futile ' protest' which said nothing other than they were not able to talk through the issues.

On that day McCabe showed so much belief and support for Wilson, who he had wanted at Bramall Lane for years going back to his only years of success at Barnsley, that I started to believe Wilson maybe deserved a chance. Instead of handing in my tickets I thought , give the man, this reasonable, personable man who talks nothing but common sense, a chance. After all Morgan thinks he is 'the man', too, Morgan could not have been more supportive of the new manager ( I happen to think Morgan is an opportunist after his allegiance to the Clough era as well).

Wilson proved to be what he is - a safe pair of hands and a non-achiever.

Should I have handed in our season tickets that day? ( McCabe knew roughly who and what I was about through a mutual mate) Yes I bloody well should have done because McCabe was selling himself short. Why? Because he showed his ambition with the appointment of Robson and that disaster induced him to play safe thereafter.

The prince has not played safe. His sacking of Weir was right. His appointment of Clough was a master stroke. Trouble is Clough spent a load and had delusions of grandeur, running the club, running football, just like his dad. Nothing wrong wth that but you have to be good enough!

Adkins looked a good appointment, nobody on this site thought otherwise. He's had a bad start. I'm personally panicking, thank goodness I'm not Kevin McCabe. He has a 50 pc say, maybe less. He's a Blade. I'm a Blade. He's responsible, I'm not. He couldn't care more than me or Bladesway, but it's his problem. I only wish I could help.

So The Prince sacked Weir. The Prince appointed Clough and the Prince let Clough blow the budget. Did he sack Clough and appoint Adkins ? Looks like the last two years disasters are solely down to him then. No wonder McCabe is alleged to be refusing to put any more money in.

Assuming of course you've got that all correct and its not just your latest "theory" disguised as fact.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Fine you're entitled to your opinion as I am mine.... What would you like to see happen?

1. board to appoint a manager with a proven track record
2. develop a style of play consistent throughout the club so a) juniors are schooled in the Sheffield United way from the time they start and b) we won't need ruinously expensive wholesale change of playing staff when a manager leaves
3. build a leaner squad - all of potential first team players
4. recruit players with pace - and ability of course
5. develop young players from within the club, and give them a pathway to the first team - if they are good enough

We have the manager. The other points have all mentioned in recent interviews. We could add to it. But it's a good start.

Shorter term I wanted clear communication from the club on our priorities. Adkins made that absolutely crystal clear short term and long term in his interview.

 

[Jan Age]

Well we agree on the first point.

The rest is what has already been said most of it recently through Adkins. So what would YOU actually want to happen?

Yesterday's interview spoke volumes for me. Adkins has spoken to the owners (not the none existent board) who have told him what's going to happen and then left him to face the music ( in the absence of their chosen Spin doctor ).

In a previous post all my points relate to clearer,meaningful, direct communication from the owners through an appropriate forum (not social media and not Jim )

For the past 12 months we have constantly been told one thing only for another to happen. I, for one am sick to death of it. Now is the time to fix relations with the fans so we can move on together.

At the moment I personally don't want the board removing but if they are unwilling to the minimum (what the above is) then they've done with me.

A protest on Saturday ... Yes
Clear reasons for protest needed ... Yes

Oh and the 'blades way' ... Does anyone even know what that is? We've been banging on about that since relegation from the prem.

Are you Jim Phipps

 

[Sheffsteel]

WHF,

I think point 2 is a major problem where we've gone wrong.

About 4 years ago the board realised we need a vision and we modelled our club on Swansea and Southsmpton to play the Barcelona esque tippy tappy style. All levels at the club have been told MUST keep possession.

For the past few years we've brought in many players comfortable on the ball who can pass, the Paul Couts type.

Many are probably great 5 a side players but we lack so much pace and physicality then when we play a low quality direct league 1 team we struggle to contain them.

The irony is that Bayern blew away Barca the other year playing a fast direct closing down style. Borissia Doetmund play the same and now Leicester and Watford have gained massive success playing a better version of Warnocks direct style.

So do we want a patient passing style or go back to a Bassett/ Warnock up and at em style?

 

[Bergen Blade]

The fact is that we are are going to be a third tier club again for the 6th consecutive season, went we should be so much more than that.

So why do you think we are in our current position.

Serendipity and poor fortune? Or do the results reflect something else going off in the club.

All the evidence seems to lead to the club being mismanaged right from the top. Just need to take a look at where the club is haemorrhaging money, or are allegedly haemorrhaging money, that to me says bad management right from the very top.

If you examine the names that have gained promotion ahead of us in the last 4 years. Charlton Athletic, Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town, AFC Bournemouth, Doncaster Rovers, Yeovil Town, Wolves, Rotherham United, Brentford, Preston NE, Mk Dons, and Bristol City. We should be streets ahead of at least 10 of those clubs. This year it is more than likely that teams like Burton Albion, Walsall and Gillingham will get promoted ahead of us. The common denominator is that we have a turnover that is far in advance of any club currently in League One.

We have got one owner who has royally fucked up with some stupid decisions (Chengdu Blades, Feremcvaros, and a cack handed attempt at turning us in to a global footballing brand) we have got another owner who has only been to 2 or 3 games in the last 3 years since he owned us, and both are absent from the Lane.

We have had a succession of managers who have had their best players sold from under their feet at the start of the season, and not been allowed to adequately replace them.

I'm not just having a go at the board and the people who run Sheffield United for the sake of it, or just throwing my toys out of the pram because of a few poor results.

I'm in the same position as a lot of other people, and my comments are born of frustration. Can anyone tell me why I shouldn't be frustrated, I'm not just another keyboard warrior, I'm someone who puts my money where my mouth is every season, attends the vast majority of games, and a long standing and passionate Blade, but I'm also someone who understands with perfect clarity, and without being arrogant about it, that we should not be in the position, and should have never found ourselves in this position.

Making the point that any form of protest is based on a few bad results, is naive in the extreme, but that isn't the case. Personally I'll not be protested, been there and done that in my younger days and don't have the time and inclination to get involved, and my match days are usually dictated to me by taking a small child with me to most games, but the planned protests in whatever form they take are born of frustration about the spectacular under achievements of the last few years.

I feel that I have perfectly illustrated the reasons why a protest is more than likely to take place, if anyone thinks any differently about the reasoning of the protest, the floor is all yours now

There is general consensus that we're underperforming and the frustration is fully understandable. For me, the lack of long term planning is the main reason for our problems. I would support a protest about that - but this one seems to be about something else, and the effect of it may be even more pressure on the club to win promotion next season and even more short term planning.

Regarding the alternatives in the OP:

Manager - I think it was a mistake to sack Clough and Adkins has been disappointing. But another managerial change won't mean more long term planning. There will be a big clear out in the summer and we'll just have to hope we'll start progressing when the manager is allowed to bring in players that fits his approach.

Prince/Phipps - Before they came in we were letting a lot of club employees go. Julian Winter was brought in to make cuts all over the place. Our signings were Febian Brandy, Jasper Johns, Sean McGinty, Stephen McGinn and Lyle Taylor. The playing staff budget has clearly been increased and the management have been allowed to bring in a lot of players, some expensive ones too.

McCabe - Mistakes has been made, but who's lining up to replace him? I reckon there's some financial contribution from him still? Personally I wish he'd brought in a Director of Football as there has been a lack of continuity and identity, especially when managers come and go, but most fans don't seem to see the point. I understand people are fed up, but is there a consensus among fans about what we want our owners to do at this point?

 

[DI36O]

We're not going to come to an agreement on this because people have widely differing views on the players, who brought them here and for how much.

If you think the players are objectively great it's Adkins' fault.

If you think the players are objectively substandard it's either Adkins' fault for hiring 2 or 3 of them in particular or Brannigan or Clough et al's fault for bringing a lot of them in or you point the blame higher up for rubber stamping, but I don't think many people have a clear idea on exactly who decided we should offer a contract for how ever much money to which players. We don't know if we're looking at the team Adkins really wants or the team he was told to make do with.

In short, aside from opinions on players most people are just making guesses and assumptions about what goes on and pulling their reasons out of their backsides. You need more information.

It's not even by accident. The need for confidentiality when it comes to wages and budgets is somewhat conducive to mutual arse covering, especially with all this United Together positive group think.

You can always ask for the information, like who's fault was Conor Sammon, and if you don't think they're justified in not being open and truthful enough, you could always protest against that.

Or vote with your feet in general dismay, which seems inevitable, but then with fewer matchgoing fans there will no longer be a great mystery about why we fare less well than Walsall or Southend.