Prince spending big!

[Sheffsteel]

Jim, bet you can’t believe what is happening to our club.
Even the fans of the major players (Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal. Spurs) are starting to take notice.

 

[BladeInIreland]

CW: Couldn't say as to the early mechanics, and I'm not sure that it matters, but the owners decided together.

NA: After Clough there was a lot of discussion. I interviewed all the candidates. It can fairly be said that I took the lead, but the decisions then we're also jointly made after both sides interviewed finalists. I hold my hand up my for the NA decision, though I didn't make it alone. I prefer to own my mistakes. Easier to live with them that way.

Think most of us thought Adkins would have turned out better tbf. Who else was in the running?

 

[JimPhipps]

Think most of us thought Adkins would have turned out better tbf. Who else was in the running?

It was quite the list. Serious consideration was given mainly to managers who had escaped L1. Preference was given to those who had earned promotion to the PL. That was a much shorter list. I think I will leave off giving the names (bad form to name them), but will say the guy chosen was not the most expensive of the lot ... though as it turned out he was a very expensive decision (wasted year). Silver lining (nothing is wasted): CW distinguished himself that season with a second straight promotion to L2, making himself easier to spot as a potential (though I think still not obvious) solution. Hindsight is 20/20. What a decision the CW decision turned out to be. The right man at the right time.

 

[BladeInIreland]

It was quite the list. Serious consideration was given mainly to managers who had escaped L1. Preference was given to those who had earned promotion to the PL. That was a much shorter list. I think I will leave off giving the names (bad form to name them), but will say the guy chosen was not the most expensive of the lot ... though as it turned out he was a very expensive decision (wasted year). Silver lining (nothing is wasted): CW distinguished himself that season with a second straight promotion to L2, making himself easier to spot as a potential (though I think still not obvious) solution. Hindsight is 20/20. What a decision the CW decision turned out to be. The right man at the right time.

Can't blame me for trying League one was a tough nut to crack. Really we tried every angle, and I knew nothing about Wilder at the time. Tbh I thought he was chosen as a cheap gamble, Micky Adams style. Rest is history.

 

[frechyblade]

A great time to be a Blade but let's not get carried away. Just listening to Football Heaven and plenty of Wendies blaming Chansiri for their position.

Don't forget that 5 years ago, he was the second coming, splashing the cash. Any comparison with the Prince isn't the point, but just spending money guarantees nowt.

We are in a fantastic position and the money being spent shows a real level of ambition. These wonder signings haven't kicked a ball yet though, so let's see where we are at the end of the season.

I agree with the sentiment but the difference is AWAK I trust their judgement more than any manager that Wendy have had.
UTB

 

[JimPhipps]

Can't blame me for trying League one was a tough nut to crack. Really we tried every angle, and I knew nothing about Wilder at the time. Tbh I thought he was chosen as a cheap gamble, Micky Adams style. Rest is history.

Certainly no further proof is needed of his worth or fit. We are a much better than just lucky club.

 

[theoneandonly36]

Well done Jim for engaging with fans (again). Adkins was a gentleman and we all wanted him to do well. Was fantastic for me towards end of season even though he knew he was leaving to sign a shirt for my birthday et al.
Wrong management style for what we needed at the time but not foreseeable.
CW is one in a million and can’t be compared. Sounds like this transfer window “money accrued” paid for deals, again a testament to his brilliance.

 

[FallowfieldBlade]

It was quite the list. Serious consideration was given mainly to managers who had escaped L1. Preference was given to those who had earned promotion to the PL. That was a much shorter list. I think I will leave off giving the names (bad form to name them), but will say the guy chosen was not the most expensive of the lot ... though as it turned out he was a very expensive decision (wasted year). Silver lining (nothing is wasted): CW distinguished himself that season with a second straight promotion to L2, making himself easier to spot as a potential (though I think still not obvious) solution. Hindsight is 20/20. What a decision the CW decision turned out to be. The right man at the right time.

At the time Adkins was the best candidate by an absolute mile and even when we got wilder he probably wasn’t the manager with the best CV

 

[Foxy]

We were gunning for managers who had a track record of taking clubs up

I do recall the words in a conversation at the time, very much in the heat of the moment, that apparently placed this at the forefront of the recruitment plan. From that particular conversation, I could absolutely see how Wilder would be overlooked.

We aren't the only football club guilty of overlooking him, thankfully, we had impeccable timing when we finally cottoned on

 

[BladeInIreland]

At the time Adkins was the best candidate by an absolute mile and even when we got wilder he probably wasn’t the manager with the best CV

He was quite highly rated at Hull later. It's funny in football really, fans think it's as clear as somebody is good or bad based on how they do for them alone. Adkins didn't work, it didn't mean he was a bad manager.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Certainly no further proof is needed of his worth or fit. We are a much better than just lucky club.

You are lucky you didn't follow us for the 40 odd years I did before now, luck doesn't come into it as you say - we were just shite most of the time.

Massive praise to the Prince and his team, he's kept quiet since coming in but as the saying goes actions speak louder than words. Hope he keeps backing king Wilder and we keep on progressing. For the first time in my life I now feel we not only belong in the PL but we can excel in it.

Fantastic UTB

 

[Houston_Blade]

CW: Couldn't say as to the early mechanics, and I'm not sure that it matters, but the owners decided together.

NA: After Clough there was a lot of discussion. I interviewed all the candidates. It can fairly be said that I took the lead, but the decisions then we're also jointly made after both sides interviewed finalists. I hold my hand up my for the NA decision, though I didn't make it alone. I prefer to own my mistakes. Easier to live with them that way.

Brave man making that admission on here. Tin hat and Kevlar vest time I reckon Did he give you any crazy metaphors in the interview?

The one that can really put the final nail in your coffin Jim..........

Did you sanction the transfer and contract of Dean Hammond?

Now being serious, it’s good to hear some perspective from inside and as much as some of your Twitter cheerleading annoyed me before I think you’ve always been a very honest and approachable bloke.

I do think it’s easy for us Blades to laugh about the bad at the moment though when we have it so good, you might not have made the Adkins admission if we were still floundering in league 1 after our 17th terrible managerial appointment in 10 years.

 

[JimPhipps]

At the time Adkins was the best candidate by an absolute mile and even when we got wilder he probably wasn’t the manager with the best CV

True.

 

[BigBed]

When will we be seeing you back at the Lane Jim??

 

[Sheffsteel]

At the time Adkins was the best candidate by an absolute mile and even when we got wilder he probably wasn’t the manager with the best CV

When we appointed Adkins it was a statement of ambition and a really big coup to appoint a manager with such an impressive cv.
In the early days I also loved his positivity which was a contrast to her dour Nigel Clough. We were big favourites for promotion.

I went to Adkins final game against Scunthorpe and after the match is probably the lowest I’ve ever felt in my 40+ years supporting the club.
It suddenly dawned on me that we could be in league 1 for another 10 years and become like a Notts County or Bradford.
Also towards the end I absolutely hated Adkins positivity...in post match interviews he came across as deluded saying how we’d played well.
Also with Wednesday doing so well and having such an ambitious owner I realised that SW would probably dominate the city of decades to come. I started taking my 7 year old grandson to our matches during Adkins final season and it crossed my mind that I was probably being cruel encouraging him to be a Blade.

The board received criticism but I thought we have done everything right....shown ambition appointing the best manager in the league and some decent players.

I was in mourning so much that when we appointed Wilder I wasn’t enthused.......he was a fan of the club but so was Micky Adams and he struggled badly.
Also the irony is that Wilders cv was related to doing a great job with small clubs who have no money in the non league....so thought his appointment was worrying in that it hinted that no money would be available as we would be bringing in players that Wilder knew in league 2 and the non league.

His transformation of our club is like something out of the Bible....when you think of the last 4 years it’s like a miracle and the frightening thing is that under Wilder you feel that anything is possible (even Champions League) He could become a modevrn day Brian Clough...one of the greatest managers the game has seen.

 

[Nick Jansky]

When we appointed Adkins it was a statement of ambition and a really big coup to appoint a manager with such an impressive cv.
In the early days I also loved his positivity which was a contrast to her dour Nigel Clough. We were big favourites for promotion.

I went to Adkins final game against Scunthorpe and after the match is probably the lowest I’ve ever felt in my 40+ years supporting the club.
It suddenly dawned on me that we could be in league 1 for another 10 years and become like a Notts County or Bradford.
Also towards the end I absolutely hated Adkins positivity...in post match interviews he came across as deluded saying how we’d played well.
Also with Wednesday doing so well and having such an ambitious owner I realised that SW would probably dominate the city of decades to come. I started taking my 7 year old grandson to our matches during Adkins final season and it crossed my mind that I was probably being cruel encouraging him to be a Blade.

The board received criticism but I thought we have done everything right....shown ambition appointing the best manager in the league and some decent players.

I was in mourning so much that when we appointed Wilder I wasn’t enthused.......he was a fan of the club but so was Micky Adams and he struggled badly.
Also the irony is that Wilders cv was related to doing a great job with small clubs who have no money in the non league....so thought his appointment was worrying in that it hinted that no money would be available as we would be bringing in players that Wilder knew in league 2 and the non league.

His transformation of our club is like something out of the Bible....when you think of the last 4 years it’s like a miracle and the frightening thing is that under Wilder you feel that anything is possible (even Champions League) He could become a modevrn day Brian Clough...one of the greatest managers the game has seen.

What a great post. I started taking my youngest daughter in those days and felt similarly guilty, having started watching false dawn after false dawn since I first watched us in 1968 and expecting absolutely nothing good.

These days I’m the boring old fart constantly telling her not to expect it always to be like this, but I actually think that we might be on the brink of a special era. I hesitate to wish for that because we have been kicked in the teeth so often, and it is hard to process what has happened in the last 4 years. I’ve shed tears over the Blades over the years, Stamford Bridge, Cardiff & many others. Its great to have this big lump in my throat for good reasons.

 

[Kev Gee]

Brave man making that admission on here. Tin hat and Kevlar vest time I reckon Did he give you any crazy metaphors in the interview?

The one that can really put the final nail in your coffin Jim..........

Did you sanction the transfer and contract of Dean Hammond?

Now being serious, it’s good to hear some perspective from inside and as much as some of your Twitter cheerleading annoyed me before I think you’ve always been a very honest and approachable bloke.

I do think it’s easy for us Blades to laugh about the bad at the moment though when we have it so good, you might not have made the Adkins admission if we were still floundering in league 1 after our 17th terrible managerial appointment in 10 years.

Great post.
When NA was appointed, there was not one Blade who doubted that he was the man for the job. Infact I remember there being a big campaign on here and on Twitter for us to show some ambition and to go and get Adkins. This was also the same with the permanent Brayford signing.

No-one could have forseen that Adkins was nothing but a fraud. How he came to us with his CV of success was astonishing when you think about it.

 

[BushBlade]

It was quite the list. Serious consideration was given mainly to managers who had escaped L1. Preference was given to those who had earned promotion to the PL. That was a much shorter list. I think I will leave off giving the names (bad form to name them), but will say the guy chosen was not the most expensive of the lot ... though as it turned out he was a very expensive decision (wasted year). Silver lining (nothing is wasted): CW distinguished himself that season with a second straight promotion to L2, making himself easier to spot as a potential (though I think still not obvious) solution. Hindsight is 20/20. What a decision the CW decision turned out to be. The right man at the right time.

Even now, I think it’s hard to criticise the Adkins appointment. On the face of it, he seemed ideal. The one thing that struck me, with the benefit of hindsight is that he seemed to be a very different personality than Clough, who had recruited most of the first team. I got the impression that players who responded to Clough’s management style didn’t seem to click with what Adkins was trying to do.
And, conversely, some of those instantly responded to Wilder, who, like Clough, is blunt, direct and very clear about what he expects from his players.
Was this something you considered at the time and, if you recruited again, is it something you’d look at? Do you think it was an issue, looking back, or am I miles out?

 

[Varkanoid]

A great time to be a Blade but let's not get carried away. Just listening to Football Heaven and plenty of Wendies blaming Chansiri for their position.

Don't forget that 5 years ago, he was the second coming, splashing the cash. Any comparison with the Prince isn't the point, but just spending money guarantees nowt.

We are in a fantastic position and the money being spent shows a real level of ambition. These wonder signings haven't kicked a ball yet though, so let's see where we are at the end of the season.

Thing is there is spending money ie Aston Villa and messing it up and spending money shrewdly. For once manager and owner are in the same page and it's been years since this has happened. Blades spent money but carefully.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Well, it was either lose some early or plough ahead and lose a lot in the hope that someone would come along and magic up the asking price. Unsurprisingly, nobody did.

So how would you have done it, other than spending 24 hours a day at it? We know why the club didn’t sell. Tell us your magic formula.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Even now, I think it’s hard to criticise the Adkins appointment. On the face of it, he seemed ideal. The one thing that struck me, with the benefit of hindsight is that he seemed to be a very different personality than Clough, who had recruited most of the first team. I got the impression that players who responded to Clough’s management style didn’t seem to click with what Adkins was trying to do.
And, conversely, some of those instantly responded to Wilder, who, like Clough, is blunt, direct and very clear about what he expects from his players.
Was this something you considered at the time and, if you recruited again, is it something you’d look at? Do you think it was an issue, looking back, or am I miles out?

The thing that bothers me about the Adkins appointment with hindsight - as you say it did look a decent appointment at the time - was if he came out with his geese talk bollocks at interview?

 

[metalblade]

The thing that epitomised Adkins reign was the players walk of shame after the last game hardly anyone stayed to clap, probably more stayed to give them some abuse those that could be arsed to make the effort.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Great post.
When NA was appointed, there was not one Blade who doubted that he was the man for the job. Infact I remember there being a big campaign on here and on Twitter for us to show some ambition and to go and get Adkins. This was also the same with the permanent Brayford signing.

No-one could have forseen that Adkins was nothing but a fraud. How he came to us with his CV of success was astonishing when you think about it.

He wasn’t a fraud, he was the wrong man at the wrong club at the wrong time. But still a very good manager with a decent CV. I guess we all need a scapegoat but there was a lot more wrong at that time than just NA.

 

[theoneandonly36]

Nigel needed high quality players who played well even within themselves. He wasn't a blood and thunder manager. He was a tactician and a diplomat who brought the best out of good players. However, we only had a few and I’m sure he will look back at his recruitment as the main reason for failure. Wilder is fantastic in adversity and prepared to get shut the minute people slack. He is not loyal to failure even if he has brought them in- he just moves on. His database of good lower league players and outstanding judgement is the best I have seen.

 

[Gulpy]

So how would you have done it, other than spending 24 hours a day at it? We know why the club didn’t sell. Tell us your magic formula.

Since when was asking for market value a magic formula?

 

[Sean Thornton]

Since when was asking for market value a magic formula?

Where will you have garnered interest from and how? You don't have a clue. He found the Prince who's given CW the keys to the safe, not just the petty cash tin. Which multi millionaires are in your contacts book?

In any event, it wasn't so much a price, more that he wanted 50/50 cashwise and an absolute minimum of 51% decision making wise. As has been confirmed on here, an issue which came up to my knowledge well before the Charlton FA Cup game, when most of us were pretty happy.

 

[Gulpy]

Where will you have garnered interest from and how? You don't have a clue. He found the Prince who's given CW the keys to the safe, not just the petty cash tin. Which multi millionaires are in your contacts book?

In any event, it wasn't so much a price, more that he wanted 50/50 cashwise and an absolute minimum of 51% decision making wise. As has been confirmed on here, an issue which came up to my knowledge well before the Charlton FA Cup game, when most of us were pretty happy.

I thought it was obvious that we are talking about after Prince came on board. The Prince wasn't and isn't the problem, he has shown us that this JTW. It's pointless having this discussion if you're not going to be sensible and recognise like most people that McCabe could have probably sold his shares much earlier if he had been willing to accept less dosh. He could have avoided all the court case shit.

 

[Sean Thornton]

I thought it was obvious that we are talking about after Prince came on board. The Prince wasn't and isn't the problem, he has shown us that this JTW. It's pointless having this discussion if you're not going to be sensible and recognise like most people that McCabe could have probably sold his shares much earlier if he had been willing to accept less dosh. He could have avoided all the court case shit.

You claimed you'd have been able to do what McCabe failed to do.

Now you're saying you were talking about after the Prince came onboard.

Okay then, with a business partner, 50/50, how would you have gone about selling your shares? Play around with timelines all you want, the question remains the same. All you've come up with is work harder and cut the price. (Therefore losing your own money) Where's the market place you would go to?



And by the way, post 48 suggests we were in fact discussing matters before HRH came onboard. "Complete takeover".

 

[Gulpy]

You claimed you'd have been able to do what McCabe failed to do.

Now you're saying you were talking about after the Prince came onboard.

Okay then, with a business partner, 50/50, how would you have gone about selling your shares? Play around with timelines all you want, the question remains the same. All you've come up with is work harder and cut the price. (Therefore losing your own money) Where's the market place you would go to?



And by the way, post 48 suggests we were in fact discussing matters before HRH came onboard. "Complete takeover".

Mainly after the Prince came onboard but the point stands for before too. Maybe 'work harder and cut the price' is all I've come up with because that was the answer? What makes you think that wasn't the answer? It was infinitely a better choice than the shitshow he ended up conducting by losing a big court case.

 

[Nick Jansky]

You claimed you'd have been able to do what McCabe failed to do.

Now you're saying you were talking about after the Prince came onboard.

Okay then, with a business partner, 50/50, how would you have gone about selling your shares? Play around with timelines all you want, the question remains the same. All you've come up with is work harder and cut the price. (Therefore losing your own money) Where's the market place you would go to?



And by the way, post 48 suggests we were in fact discussing matters before HRH came onboard. "Complete takeover".

The Prince, now he has his hands fully on the tiller, is running us like a 21st century business. His son in law is very impressive too. Its a big step forward, enjoy the ride.