Reality Check

[Rollerball]

Ok shit for at least 4 seasons, not looking like that's going to change soon, considering we have in the last 2 seasons managed to beat or at least play as well as several "better" clubs, why the against burton Albion etc do we struggle?
It's about time a manager in the dressing room gave the precocious prima donnas the truth, to wit give your best as most of you are out of a job come May, and you will not find another job as so many scouts and managers have seen how little commitment you have to this glorious club, without doubt you should be hammering teams in this league week in week out, but since you can't be arsed to actually play for the wages you are paid or the fans that turn out in droves to watch the dross that you serve, I shall no longer stand in the firing line for you, you play well, give it your best I'll stand and take the bullet, you go missing, stroll around for 90 minutes as most of you seem to think is acceptable, I shall throw you to the wolves .
This club doesn't need you, you underachieving under performing so called footballers need this club because after this, your careers are over.
You have 2 choices, carry on as you are and finish your current contract then forget ever playing at a club with more than 3,000 fans or play to the best of your ability drag this club into the championship and just maybe earn a rolling contract with a big club and possibly a transfer.
You decide as your time is very limited.
This is how Adkins should speak to these "footballers" , give it all or risk losing it all.

 

[boo radley]

I cannot wait till I start drinking again.

 

[Harry's Game]

Ok shit for at least 4 seasons, not looking like that's going to change soon, considering we have in the last 2 seasons managed to beat or at least play as well as several "better" clubs, why the against burton Albion etc do we struggle?
It's about time a manager in the dressing room gave the precocious prima donnas the truth, to wit give your best as most of you are out of a job come May, and you will not find another job as so many scouts and managers have seen how little commitment you have to this glorious club, without doubt you should be hammering teams in this league week in week out, but since you can't be arsed to actually play for the wages you are paid or the fans that turn out in droves to watch the dross that you serve, I shall no longer stand in the firing line for you, you play well, give it your best I'll stand and take the bullet, you go missing, stroll around for 90 minutes as most of you seem to think is acceptable, I shall throw you to the wolves .
This club doesn't need you, you underachieving under performing so called footballers need this club because after this, your careers are over.
You have 2 choices, carry on as you are and finish your current contract then forget ever playing at a club with more than 3,000 fans or play to the best of your ability drag this club into the championship and just maybe earn a rolling contract with a big club and possibly a transfer.
You decide as your time is very limited.
This is how Adkins should speak to these "footballers" , give it all or risk losing it all.

Will any of this make the players who's legs have gone run any faster?

Sorry it's a nice thought and and a lot of the passion is admirable, but this isn't 'Mike Bassett England Manager' it's real life and 90% of the current players just aren't good enough and nothing is going to change that.

We need almost a new team and that's a long job, more than the three transfer windows Jim twittered on about, it's closer to another five seasons to sort out.

 

[Leonardo Green]

Reality check.

9th in league 1 and didn't sign anyone.

Doesn't get much lower.

 

[Dalelane01]

10th

 

[Finance Blade]

We are told that the squad size is too big and counter productive. We have players whose contracts are up in the summer and won't be renewed.
So the solution iis simple.
Why not pay up the players contract now that won't be renewed in the summer instantly reducing the squad size to a more manageable level.
The cost of this exercise would be cheaper in the long run . Yes we'd pay the same in wages but would save on the other costs such as training/player welfare costs etc.

 

[Barry Blunt]

Try signing players no prima donnas and players with the right attitude in the first place. They don't have to cost money.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

My father always told me that Life is never Fair. He was right of course.

Finance has always been a factor in football, but gone are the days when gate money was the biggest determinant of the financial status and size of a club. TV revenue and the Premier League Old Boys Club has changed all that. Even before the new deal (which inflated the figures) it has been calculated that a place in the Premiership is worth a guaranteed additional £92,000,000 a season with parachute payments of £86,000,000 over three years to fall back on. Putting it bluntly a play-off victory for the pigs would guarantee them a minimum of £178,000,000 additional income. The new deal for Championship clubs has further exacerbated the disparities with Division One. Our turnover is around £13m the last time I looked.

Now you need a billionaire with a (I was going to say "good" but will settle on "creative") accountant to bankroll you into the premiership where you are guaranteed a top-up income for years which makes our 20k support relatively meaningless financially in the greater scheme of promotional things. It's sad to say but Wigan could play in an empty stadium and still have a higher turnover than us. We might be big compared to some of the clubs in the Division but we are not a "big" club in the bigger Football League financial picture any more. Nor are we in a good position and I think we need to be at least as careful of not slipping into the relegation zone this season as much as we aspire to the playoffs.

I fear for Sheffield United and our club's future more right now than I have in 55 years of supporting. Now, more than ever, we need cool heads, the right people and to make the right decisions. Otherwise we could very easily turn into a Notts County or worse.

We play Wigan on Saturday - a club that is profiting from the inequalities of football finance thanks to its membership of the Premier League Old Boys Club. I'm not sure what the payment to them this season is (its definitely over £10m) but last season Wigan picked up £20,076,774 in parachute payments alone (twice the amount Wolves did). Wigan are doing what Wolves did in using the money to sustain a good quality squad and adding to it by picking up the better players in the Division. Fair play to them. We would do the same. On second thoughts, on our current track record, we would probably do a Blackpool and screw it up but you get my point - (they got £10m last season).

I am concerned that the consequences of the latest JTW cock-up (no new CH,CMF or striker - thanks to another repeated failure in the transfer market), the jettisoning of virtually a whole team of (admittedly poor) players, the Sword of Damacles ( or should I say 3 JTW's of players cull) dangled over the remnants of the squad and the resultant furore amongst supporters that followed the JTW will result in a divided, depressed and demoralised club, players and support on Saturday. I do fear we going to get tonked on Saturday and there will be a total meltdown, but the money says that Wigan should beat us and should already be runaway leaders in the division. Sorry to say, but financially, they are the Goliath not us right now. If they don't go up this season Wigan only have themselves to blame.

We have to get our act sorted and quickly or end up permanently being a club that used to be great but lives on its memories and its past.

UTB

 

[Esablade]

Who needs reality?
I'll be handing these out before the Wigan game..you can make yer own reality...

 

[BushBlade]

My father always told me that Life is never Fair. He was right of course.

Finance has always been a factor in football, but gone are the days when gate money was the biggest determinant of the financial status and size of a club. TV revenue and the Premier League Old Boys Club has changed all that. Even before the new deal (which inflated the figures) it has been calculated that a place in the Premiership is worth a guaranteed additional £92,000,000 a season with parachute payments of £86,000,000 over three years to fall back on. Putting it bluntly a play-off victory for the pigs would guarantee them a minimum of £178,000,000 additional income. The new deal for Championship clubs has further exacerbated the disparities with Division One. Our turnover is around £13m the last time I looked.

Now you need a billionaire with a (I was going to say "good" but will settle on "creative") accountant to bankroll you into the premiership where you are guaranteed a top-up income for years which makes our 20k support relatively meaningless financially in the greater scheme of promotional things. It's sad to say but Wigan could play in an empty stadium and still have a higher turnover than us. We might be big compared to some of the clubs in the Division but we are not a "big" club in the bigger Football League financial picture any more. Nor are we in a good position and I think we need to be at least as careful of not slipping into the relegation zone this season as much as we aspire to the playoffs.

I fear for Sheffield United and our club's future more right now than I have in 55 years of supporting. Now, more than ever, we need cool heads, the right people and to make the right decisions. Otherwise we could very easily turn into a Notts County or worse.

We play Wigan on Saturday - a club that is profiting from the inequalities of football finance thanks to its membership of the Premier League Old Boys Club. I'm not sure what the payment to them this season is (its definitely over £10m) but last season Wigan picked up £20,076,774 in parachute payments alone (twice the amount Wolves did). Wigan are doing what Wolves did in using the money to sustain a good quality squad and adding to it by picking up the better players in the Division. Fair play to them. We would do the same. On second thoughts, on our current track record, we would probably do a Blackpool and screw it up but you get my point - (they got £10m last season).

I am concerned that the consequences of the latest JTW cock-up (no new CH,CMF or striker - thanks to another repeated failure in the transfer market), the jettisoning of virtually a whole team of (admittedly poor) players, the Sword of Damacles ( or should I say 3 JTW's of players cull) dangled over the remnants of the squad and the resultant furore amongst supporters that followed the JTW will result in a divided, depressed and demoralised club, players and support on Saturday. I do fear we going to get tonked on Saturday and there will be a total meltdown, but the money says that Wigan should beat us and should already be runaway leaders in the division. Sorry to say, but financially, they are the Goliath not us right now. If they don't go up this season Wigan only have themselves to blame.

We have to get our act sorted and quickly or end up permanently being a club that used to be great but lives on its memories and its past.

UTB

I agree with all of that apart from that it might already be too late for us. We're already in a situation whereby the Championship is becoming full of clubs on these high parachute payments. It's becoming harder every year to compete unless you have a wealthy benefactor. Look at how much boro have spent over the past two or three years.

As you've pointed out, the knock effect is having clubs like Wolves and Wigan in L1. It has also led to fairly wealthy owners injecting cash into L1 clubs as we've seen with Bristol City and Bournemouth. We can't even bully our way out of L1.

Whilst I think football is heading towards a crash, I'd be surprised if it's within the next few years and during that time we risk falling even further behind unless the board grasp the nettle and either put serious money into the club or give a manager long enough to actually build a side.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Putting it bluntly a play-off victory for the pigs would guarantee them a minimum of £178,000,000 additional income.

Our turnover is around £13m the last time I looked.



UTB

Taking the pigs out of the equation that is frightening.

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

My father always told me that Life is never Fair. He was right of course.

Finance has always been a factor in football, but gone are the days when gate money was the biggest determinant of the financial status and size of a club. TV revenue and the Premier League Old Boys Club has changed all that. Even before the new deal (which inflated the figures) it has been calculated that a place in the Premiership is worth a guaranteed additional £92,000,000 a season with parachute payments of £86,000,000 over three years to fall back on. Putting it bluntly a play-off victory for the pigs would guarantee them a minimum of £178,000,000 additional income. The new deal for Championship clubs has further exacerbated the disparities with Division One. Our turnover is around £13m the last time I looked.

Now you need a billionaire with a (I was going to say "good" but will settle on "creative") accountant to bankroll you into the premiership where you are guaranteed a top-up income for years which makes our 20k support relatively meaningless financially in the greater scheme of promotional things. It's sad to say but Wigan could play in an empty stadium and still have a higher turnover than us. We might be big compared to some of the clubs in the Division but we are not a "big" club in the bigger Football League financial picture any more. Nor are we in a good position and I think we need to be at least as careful of not slipping into the relegation zone this season as much as we aspire to the playoffs.

I fear for Sheffield United and our club's future more right now than I have in 55 years of supporting. Now, more than ever, we need cool heads, the right people and to make the right decisions. Otherwise we could very easily turn into a Notts County or worse.

We play Wigan on Saturday - a club that is profiting from the inequalities of football finance thanks to its membership of the Premier League Old Boys Club. I'm not sure what the payment to them this season is (its definitely over £10m) but last season Wigan picked up £20,076,774 in parachute payments alone (twice the amount Wolves did). Wigan are doing what Wolves did in using the money to sustain a good quality squad and adding to it by picking up the better players in the Division. Fair play to them. We would do the same. On second thoughts, on our current track record, we would probably do a Blackpool and screw it up but you get my point - (they got £10m last season).

I am concerned that the consequences of the latest JTW cock-up (no new CH,CMF or striker - thanks to another repeated failure in the transfer market), the jettisoning of virtually a whole team of (admittedly poor) players, the Sword of Damacles ( or should I say 3 JTW's of players cull) dangled over the remnants of the squad and the resultant furore amongst supporters that followed the JTW will result in a divided, depressed and demoralised club, players and support on Saturday. I do fear we going to get tonked on Saturday and there will be a total meltdown, but the money says that Wigan should beat us and should already be runaway leaders in the division. Sorry to say, but financially, they are the Goliath not us right now. If they don't go up this season Wigan only have themselves to blame.

We have to get our act sorted and quickly or end up permanently being a club that used to be great but lives on its memories and its past.

UTB

A quite excellent write up Cyps.
The financial divide between the Prem and our league is staggering.
As has been oft-commentated, we had our parachute payments and let Robbo fritter it away.
We p*ssed away the Cheatin' Hammers' cough-up sums.
We have since survived by the sale of assets. The Kyles ,Maguire, Blackman, Murphy etc.
The assets are now running low. The future could well be as bleak as the Saudi economy.