Prince, thank you

[Berkshire Blade]

Yes, I’d like to think that an owner of a League One club might have an idea that Northampton had just smashed League Two. It’s hardly obscure football knowledge.

Considering his solo management appointments of Slav ( who played a system completely different to our squad and without a major rebuild wasn't going to work) and Hecky who happened to be in the building before going back to Wilder I somehow doubt he's a genius pick of manager.

I think McCabe got lucky with it too by the way ( bumping into someone is no way to hunt for a new manager!) but it's clearly mostly on McCabe that one

 

[YES Blade]

Considering his solo management appointments of Slav ( who played a system completely different to our squad and without a major rebuild wasn't going to work) and Hecky who happened to be in the building before going back to Wilder I somehow doubt he's a genius pick of manager.

I think McCabe got lucky with it too by the way ( bumping into someone is no way to hunt for a new manager!) but it's clearly mostly on McCabe that one

Well if the Prince is just lucky that’s been fine with me, it’s better to be lucky than good.

I just find it laughable that some people seem to credit anything good to the manager or luck but all the bad is the fault of the Prince. (not necessarily you, I don’t know your overall view of the Prince)

 

[vas borbokis]

He re hired wilder all on his own though! A lot of us had serious doubts at the time.
Three other clubs' owners hired Wilder in the interim and none saw any real success with him.
Twas a bold move getting him back and it has played extremely well so far.
His (Princes) transfer dealings have been a major factor. He's refused to let anyone take the piss which is a major change of stance from our entire history, at least since I've been a Blade this last 60 odd years.
I'd love him to be kept involved in some way, as part of the new consortium, an investor comfortable with a smaller stake, and with some responsibility for negotiating deals.
The bloke shits bullets at that poker table!

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

From an ownership point of view, you should be putting processes and staff in place to make that success sustainable over the long term. I'd argue we are no further along off the pitch, football planning wise than we were when he took over.

The current batch of great youngsters would seem to contradict that view.

 

[Sean Thornton]

The current batch of great youngsters would seem to contradict that view.

Here we go, facts again.

 

[Carlton Blade]

The current batch of great youngsters would seem to contradict that view.

You think he planned that?

 

[Carlton Blade]

Here we go, facts again.

He planned for a batch of youngsters, good enough for the 1st team to come through at the same time from an academy that sirs outside the UW structure? He should really have tried this before

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

You think he planned that?

Well, he funded the academy, and kept staff in place to enable it, so that was his plan and hope, yes.
You said "From an ownership point of view, you should be putting processes and staff in place to make that success sustainable over the long term" , don't you think this is an example of that?

 

[CaptainMorgans]

He got us a points deduction BECAUSE he held on to Ndaiye and Berge a season more than he probably should have.

Ndiaye turned down Everton. Fulham didn't follow through on Berge.
Prince was happy to sell both.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Well, he funded the academy, and kept staff in place to enable it, so that was his plan and hope, yes.
You said "From an ownership point of view, you should be putting processes and staff in place to make that success sustainable over the long term" , don't you think this is an example of that?

He gets credit for funding it and not pushing through with the plans to have it sit under UW.

He loses points for not replicating the Sheffield based set up and management with the rest of the club.

Again, some good, some not so good.

 

[Darren William]

Nah not for me.

Prince got lucky dropping on Wilder and has just sat back over in Beverley Hills and watched. He's now going to cash in on someone else's hard work!

If you want to know where we'd be under him without Wilder, then look at all United World clubs he in owns and how well they're doing!

Spot on mate

 

[Sheffsteel]

He re hired wilder all on his own though! A lot of us had serious doubts at the time.
Three other clubs' owners hired Wilder in the interim and none saw any real success with him.

That's the strength that I find impressive with the Prince.

He was interviewed when he re-appointed Wilder and admitted that he left on bad terms however as a businessman he doesn't hold any grudges
because at the end of the day he needs to put his personal feelings aside and do what is best for the club.

He said Wilder knows the club better than anyone, still knows most of the players and due to his recent struggles at Boro and Watford he comes with a point to prove. He also said although he had arguments with Chris he likes him as a person and appreciates his honesty and openness.

Last season it became obvious early in the season that Heckingbottam had accepted we were relegated.
My issue was we would break all the records under Hecky and struggle to break 10 points.

So I supported Wilder's return mainly because we have no option and he would be the best person to put in a strategic plan regards a rebuild the following season. Besides he's already performed a miracle when he made a struggling league 1 side move up to the table to compete for a Champions league spot. So under Wilder.....once he gets some momentum then anything is possible.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Nah not for me.

Prince got lucky dropping on Wilder and has just sat back over in Beverley Hills and watched. He's now going to cash in on someone else's hard work!

If you want to know where we'd be under him without Wilder, then look at all United World clubs he in owns and how well they're doing!

Luck plays a big part in any ownership.
It's all a gamble...you just try to put the odds in your favour.

If you're saying he's only done well at SU due to good luck.
Then you could equally say his other United World clubs have only struggled due to bad luck.

At the end of the day the facts show he's been the best owner of Sheff Utd in 50 years.
Obviously not perfect and deserves negative criticism in some areas....but overall he's been successful here.

 

[dn5 shaun]

Give your head a wobble son. If we achieve promotion this year (still a long way to go admittedly) it will be 3 promotions to the top flight in 6 years. That would have seemed unthinkable before his arrival.
He’s overseen one of our most successful periods of the club. He’s bought players for big money (numerous 20 million pound buys). He’s backed managers and seems a top bloke. Whatever happens he deserves massive respect

And if we miss out on promotion by 2 pts there will only be one person to blame, Just like the most embarrassing season in our history. Hammered every week with players who couldn't stand up after a hour last season.

 

[dexter101]

Is any club fan base huge fans of the owners? There is the odd one or two but they either are unheard and mediocre or they are messing the whole thing up.

We don't have to sing his name from the stands, I also don't think its fair to say he was terrible. We could be in a far worse place than we are now.

I just hope if this goes through, the new owners at the very least just bring some stability to the current state of affairs.

As the saying goes, leave the shirt in a better place than you found it. Fair to say, we are in a better place now than in L1.

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

And if we miss out on promotion by 2 pts there will only be one person to blame, Just like the most embarrassing season in our history. Hammered every week with players who couldn't stand up after a hour last season.

So should he have sold players to free up cash to make the installment and avoid the points deduction?

 

[Shadota]

Is any club fan base huge fans of the owners?

I think owners tend to go under the radar when things are going well.

When a team is successful, it's the players and manager who are first to be praised, and rightly so because they've produced the results on the pitch. But folks tend to leave it there, and neglect to go further with recognition. Nothing wrong with that of course, it's just reactionary.

The only times I've really seen a fan base really show their appreciation for ownership, were at a) Leicester, both when they won the league, and when the owner died in that helicopter crash; b) Newcastle, when the current owners bought the club; and c) our neighbours at S6, when Chansiri rocked up (for all the good that did them)

 

[dn5 shaun]

Well it wouldn't have mattered if he had seen as we finished rock bottom and were the butt of all jokes across the country. And we would have a bigger cushion at the top right now.

 

[Cappy]

Get out of our club you very successful owner you!

 

[Harry's Game]

Andy Reading this thread right now…..

 

[ATL Recs]

I really don't get the fawning over him.

If him and McCabe hadn't have hired Wilder 8 years ago, then we may still be in the wilderness now.

Most of the infrastructure we have was built before he came along e.g. academy

He's also managed to get us a points deduction, lost players like N'Diaye and drag us through a messy court case with his partner

Yes McCabe got lucky with Wilder and he was another cheap option and yes the academy and other developments were down to him but lets be upfront here the Prince has done more player asset wise than McBlade and try to make us a sustainable premiership outfit.

 

[ATL Recs]

Considering his solo management appointments of Slav ( who played a system completely different to our squad and without a major rebuild wasn't going to work) and Hecky who happened to be in the building before going back to Wilder I somehow doubt he's a genius pick of manager.

I think McCabe got lucky with it too by the way ( bumping into someone is no way to hunt for a new manager!) but it's clearly mostly on McCabe that one

I seem to recall that the FANS CHOICE was Slav and the Prince went out and got him

 

[Berkshire Blade]

I seem to recall that the FANS CHOICE was Slav and the Prince went out and got him

Absolutely it was a popular choice. Doesn't make it the right one. I'll give him credit on quickly pivoting but it was an expensive mistake

 

[Tazzy]

For me supporting us for 54 years. With the prince at the helm this has been a roller coaster of a ride so for that i thank you .Just hope the ride continues with the new guys

 

[Sheffsteel]

And if we miss out on promotion by 2 pts there will only be one person to blame, Just like the most embarrassing season in our history. Hammered every week with players who couldn't stand up after a hour last season.

It doesn’t work like that.

It’s a similar example where I hear if Norwoods ghost goal had counted then we’d have beat Villa and they would have been relegated. When in reality if the Norwood cross had counted as a goal...then Villa would have likely reacted by gambling pushing men forward and pulled a goal back...then with momentum and wind in their sail they could have gone on to win.
So arguably the disallowed ghost goal gave us an extra point...who knows what might have happened.

Similar with the 2 point deduction...it meant we started the season under immediate pressure focusing the minds.
First match...you'd normally go away to Preston and be satisfied with a draw but it was the deduction meant it almost became a must win game for us.

So daft as it sounds...you could say the 2 post deduction that put our players under pressure
has resulted in them stepping up and rising to that pressure turning it into an advantage.

I agree with your final point though, last season was probably the worse season supporting the club in 50 years.
Obviously we've had much worse teams but I've never turned up to so many matches accepting we have no chance.

 

[DeanLearner'sCat]

"We were in the wilderness before he arrived"? We were still in the wilderness after he arrived. The first couple of years he was here were pretty terrible. Wilder was the catalyst for the turnaround, not the ownership.

He became sole owner when we were a Premier League club and now we're a Championship club. As sole owner, he's overseen two all-time bad relegation seasons, one promotion (achieved despite a transfer embargo that was his fault) and potentially another (despite a two point deduction and a paper thin squad)

Like McCabe before him, I think there are far worse owners around, but he's been a mixed bag.

And Errea are shite.

 

[YES Blade]

It doesn’t work like that.

It’s a similar example where I hear if Norwoods ghost goal had counted then we’d have beat Villa and they would have been relegated. When in reality if the Norwood cross had counted as a goal...then Villa would have likely reacted by gambling pushing men forward and pulled a goal back...then with momentum and wind in their sail they could have gone on to win.
So arguably the disallowed ghost goal gave us an extra point...who knows what might have happened.

Similar with the 2 point deduction...it meant we started the season under immediate pressure focusing the minds.
First match...you'd normally go away to Preston and be satisfied with a draw but it was the deduction meant it almost became a must win game for us.

So daft as it sounds...you could say the 2 post deduction that put our players under pressure
has resulted in them stepping up and rising to that pressure turning it into an advantage.

I agree with your final point though, last season was probably the worse season supporting the club in 50 years.
Obviously we've had much worse teams but I've never turned up to so many matches accepting we have no chance.

We could’ve spent last season in the Championship and after a failed promotion, be a mid table Championship club right now (maybe lower).

Last season was utter wank, but I very much doubt we’d be top of the Championship without the Prem season and the parachute payments.

 

[Sean Thornton]

So should he have sold players to free up cash to make the installment and avoid the points deduction?

Surely, squirrel the money away in Switzerland?

 

[Sean Thornton]

You think he planned that?

Just luck……

 

[Carlton Blade]

Just luck……

Not at all. But unless there's now an endless conveyor of Championship ready teenagers, a couple s season then it's fair to say luck plays a part.

There's good process, ideas and implementation at the academy and really good people in senior positions. It's a shame it wasn't replicated across the whole club