So... what the feck has happened to this football club?

[unitedbhoy]

It’s the same drab sideways football it was last season . We just had a higher level of player out there last year who could scrape through games winning.

Sell them and replace with clowns like McGuinness them narrow wins quickly turn into defeats.

 

[Ecco1889]

As a team,physically and psychologically we are weak and under any pressure we wilt with ease.

 

[gordoncharles]

We lost two of our best players in the summer which was hardly a surprise. We could have lost another, the one that wins us the most points, but we didn't. This happens to every club, everywhere, every year without fail. Good players leave for better-placed clubs with more money.

All signings are a risk, but at this club the art of it (more than the pseudo-science of it) has been neglected for years because the manager wanted - no, needed - to have complete control. For this we can thank the previous owner, though it was generally accepted here because as football fans we live in the present. We were doing pretty well in 2019 and nothing will change, will it?

Recruitment policy has been neglected for years to the club's detriment. God knows how bad it would be right now if we'd been promoted again - as we should have been. We would have cemented our reputation as the punchline in a Premier League joke. At least the current meltdown is a lot more low-key.

We have a bloated squad, not that it matters because some of those aren't good enough to feature anyway. We still have more than enough decent players to form a side that should be challenging in the top half of the table at the very least.

A decent coach could form what's left into an effective side. But after the Board panicked their answer was to go back, once more, to what they knew.

It's no wonder we don't move forwards, and if you don't move forwards then eventually you get overtaken. The club is run by people with little imagination, but I think a lot of fans are of the same mind, which is why we have another thread suggesting Rowett as manager.

 

[Guesty]

Jettisoned all the experienced players and replaced them with muck. I remember some actively cheering this transfer policy on! We all drank the Kool Aid.

That's hardly fair, plenty of us we decrying our policy of signing AI moonshots over anyone who has ever contributed at this level before all Summer.

 

[Boroblade1889]

Is there anything really materially different about the club or how competently it is run compared with ten years ago in League One? More money out on the pitch, but that's about it. Complete lack of transformation and it is catching up to us.

Nailed it…..We are the same club as when Wilder took over in League One. Nothing has advanced or modernised, strategically, tactically, on and off the pitch.
Maybe that’s what some people want?
Compare and contrast with other clubs who are light years advanced from where they were ten, fifteen years ago - eg the Bournemouths and Brightons of this world.

 

[Bell4]

If Blaster gets back anywhere near the previous levels, he'll be off

Two PL clubs were interested and won't have suddenly gone blind

He shouldn't be shouldering any of this at his age and with his potential at risk here

He is a professional footballer- his job is to get us out of the mire , as is all of them . If he doesn’t like it or any of them don’t then get shut

FFS … namby pamby world we live in

 

[54yrblade]

He is a professional footballer- his job is to get us out of the mire , as is all of them . If he doesn’t like it or any of them don’t then get shut

FFS … namby pamby world we live in

It's the job of any half competent board and manager to get us out of this.

Blaster is just a player who needs to do the best for him.

Pre injury Blaster's future lies elsewhere and not being dragged down to our current levels, by those around and above him.

This is down to years of dreadful strategic planning, wasted PL money, awful decisions and placating a fan base by bringing CW back in a knee jerk panic decision

Actions, meet consequences

 

[Bell4]

It's the job of any half competent board and manager to get us out of this.

Blaster is just a player who needs to do the best for him.

Pre injury Blaster's future lies elsewhere and not being dragged down to our current levels, by those around and above him.

This is down to years of dreadful strategic planning, wasted PL money, awful decisions and placating a fan base by bringing CW back in a knee jerk panic decision

Actions, meet consequences

Are you his dad

 

[Yellarbellyblade]

As a team,physically and psychologically we are weak and under any pressure we wilt with ease.

I commented on this yesterday. When was the last time you looked at the two teams lined up at the start of the game and thought we had the advantage in physical presence? Can’t remember myself. Matos v their number 7 was actually laughable. It was like watching a dads v under 11s kick about game.

 

[54yrblade]

Are you his dad

No. Just very pragmatic about where we are

 

[Bell4]

No. Just very pragmatic about where we are

Me too

And you’re right , the board and management need to take responsibility- but players need to too . Don’t think Arblaster refused his wages for the last 12 months

 

[sheepbridge]

These two comments sum it up perfectly.

More than half this squad aren't Wilder signings.

Mee 36. Ings 33 last minute panic buys. McGuiness and Ogbene from free falling Luton. Barry, rabbit in headlights. Soumare finding his feet in championship. Wtf is he supposed to do ???
Coventry beckons. God help us.

Not sure that is true. 6 of the starting 11 were here last year, and 10 of the 19 were, plus we have a couple of first team players out injured.

Yes a couple of good players were sold, and would have been sold in Anel and Souza, and we lost experienced players in Moore and Robinson although they got slated most of last season, and could say Mee and Ings have replaced that experience and have much better credentials as players.

But the big thing is, Wilder was brought back to fix these issues and hasn't made much difference.
Clubs make managerial appointments to fix issues, a lot of clubs in the championship made changes this summer, most are doing far better than we are and they're working with players they've never worked with or had any say in buying. Cannon anyone?

I actually think having Wilder back but with half the squad that's his and half that isn't is working against us. There isn't that new manager / new broom affect for most players, and let's be honest, the second half of last season wasn't great. Recruitment has been poor, there's no denying that but I would hope for better than we've seen so far.

 

[Kenilworth]

Nailed it…..We are the same club as when Wilder took over in League One. Nothing has advanced or modernised, strategically, tactically, on and off the pitch.
Maybe that’s what some people want?
Compare and contrast with other clubs who are light years advanced from where they were ten, fifteen years ago - eg the Bournemouths and Brightons of this world.

The factor you neglect to add is that they have spent an absolute fortune to get there.
Both have new grounds and new infrastructure. Both have a recruitment model that demands a massive investment.
Brighton were homeless for a good while, too.

Easy to forget what’s behind it all, isn’t it?

 

[Cyprus Blade]

It is a pretty woeful picture across the piece. Faceless new owners anxious to make their stamp on the club, but clueless in their knowledge and decision making, As a club foreseeably losing key players and taking inadequate steps to replace them. Appointing a largely unproven manager who wanted to change the way the existing players could (or wanted to) play. Recruitment of substandard replacements based on pseudo-scientific and flawed models rather than expertise, leaving the new manager in an even deeper hole. Awful knee-jerk panic buys after the ship has sailed. Predictably sacking the new manager and making him the fall guy for collective mistakes and attitudes. Re-appointing a manager who's tactical adaptability is poor, whose best years are long behind him and who would divide the fan base. Add to that his increasingly delusional statements such as " I don't think we are a million miles off winning games and being a decent side" whilst denying any personal responsibility for anything negative. Players who lack ability, cohesion, commitment and attitude. I had hoped I was joking when I predicted pre-season

Nightmare season. Both Sheffield clubs relegated. The Government, fearing another brick out of the red wall, steps in and takes over both clubs merging them as Sheffield City and selling all players with a value over £1m, together with Bramall Lane to go towards paying for pensioners winter fuel payments. Training grounds sold and training (and youth matches) transferred to Concord Park to symbolise the new unity. New club shirt is red and blue stripes available from Sports Direct. Poundstretchers announced as shirt sponsors with a picture of Derek Dooley as the club badge. Matches will be played at the rustbucket (North stand demolished to make way for a premium priced car park - saxon remains are found during demolition and declared a site of architectural interest by Sheffield City Council and taken out of use whilst excavations proceed.). Fearing trouble the FA stipulates former blades and owls fans must be segregated in the remaining stands. South Yorkshire's finest double policing costs to generate overtime money. Terry Curran appointed club ambassador. Danny Wilson brought out of retirement as manager with Chris Basham and Barry Bunion named as his assistants. The club announces no matches will be played on a Wednesday and no press statements will include the phrase "the players are united". The club inherits all debts and embargoes from parent clubs and embraces a new youth only policy as it looks forward to lucrative local derbies with Sheffield FC and the merger of the men's and women's squads.

Otherwise a season of mediocracy characterised by frequent defensive mistakes and an inability to hit a barn door with a banjo let alone a cannon.

I hope the above "prediction" doesn't happen, but right now I cannot see us beating the pigs despite the hole they have dug themselves. Things need sorting and quickly or Divisions 1 and 2 are looming.

UTB

 

[Kenilworth]

It's the job of any half competent board and manager to get us out of this.

Blaster is just a player who needs to do the best for him.

Pre injury Blaster's future lies elsewhere and not being dragged down to our current levels, by those around and above him.

This is down to years of dreadful strategic planning, wasted PL money, awful decisions and placating a fan base by bringing CW back in a knee jerk panic decision

Actions, meet consequences

What wasted PL money?
Anyone else who has just relied on the wedge from the Prem is pretty much in the r same boat as us. Norwich, West Brom, Southampton, even Leicester (despite their cheating).
Those clubs that have an advanced infrastructure have piled on oodles of coin to get there.
That’s your reality. It’s living within the means of the cash you generate. We’d still be pissing about in L1 if it wasn’t for Wilder and Knill discovering some magic beans FFS.

 

[Kenilworth]

It is a pretty woeful picture across the piece. Faceless new owners anxious to make their stamp on the club, but clueless in their knowledge and decision making, As a club foreseeably losing key players and taking inadequate steps to replace them. Appointing a largely unproven manager who wanted to change the way the existing players could (or wanted to) play. Recruitment of substandard replacements based on pseudo-scientific and flawed models rather than expertise, leaving the new manager in an even deeper hole. Awful knee-jerk panic buys after the ship has sailed. Predictably sacking the new manager and making him the fall guy for collective mistakes and attitudes. Re-appointing a manager who's tactical adaptability is poor, whose best years are long behind him and who would divide the fan base. Add to that his increasingly delusional statements such as " I don't think we are a million miles off winning games and being a decent side" whilst denying any personal responsibility for anything negative. Players who lack ability, cohesion, commitment and attitude. I had hoped I was joking when I predicted pre-season


I hope the above "prediction" doesn't happen, but right now I cannot see us beating the pigs despite the hole they have dug themselves. Things need sorting and quickly or Divisions 1 and 2 are looming.

UTB

I don’t get this argument that one manager was shoved under the bus for poor recruitment but the old manager can’t get a tune out of them because he is tactically inept. It’s just lazy bollocks. Wilder is not tactically inept, nor is Knill. They got a tune out of a decent squad last year but Burnley and Leeds had better players. That’s not a tactical difference that’s a quality difference.
Look at the state of us now. Far lower quality, recruitment based on a child’s computer game, panic squad filling with whatever detritus was left at the end of the window, no height or fight in those recruited, a rookie manager who destroyed all confidence in the squad. There are no tactics that survive a lack of quality, spirit or fight. We’ve all witnessed it week after week. All this horse shit about tactics being negative and inflexible. He’s trying to get a tune out of a box of nails with a soiled G-string attached to it.

 

[Dan Emery]

Me too

And you’re right , the board and management need to take responsibility- but players need to too . Don’t think Arblaster refused his wages for the last 12 months

He doesn't owe Utd anything. He was injured within the course of his employment. If you were signed off long term sick from your job (for whatever reason) and upon your return found the place had gone down the pan, do you think because you'd continued to be paid (as per whatever the terms of your contract were) you owed a responsibility to stick it out or do you agree you would be within your rights to see alternative employment to protect your own interests/future? Let's be clear here too, Arblaster hasn't been sat on his backside for 12 months, he's been recovering and rehabbing and fulfilling his side of the contract.

 

[54yrblade]

What wasted PL money?
Anyone else who has just relied on the wedge from the Prem is pretty much in the r same boat as us. Norwich, West Brom, Southampton, even Leicester (despite their cheating).
Those clubs that have an advanced infrastructure have piled on oodles of coin to get there.
That’s your reality. It’s living within the means of the cash you generate. We’d still be pissing about in L1 if it wasn’t for Wilder and Knill discovering some magic beans FFS.

Fairy tales only happen once

 

[Boroblade1889]

The factor you neglect to add is that they have spent an absolute fortune to get there.
Both have new grounds and new infrastructure. Both have a recruitment model that demands a massive investment.
Brighton were homeless for a good while, too.

Easy to forget what’s behind it all, isn’t it?

What they also had/have is a vision and they executed it. Nobody mentioned or is disputing the level of financial investment….new grounds and infrastructure don’t come for free.
The “ recruitment model that demands a massive investment” (citation required) arguably reduces the risks of expensive mistakes like your Brewsters and Cannons

Easy to forget what’s behind it all isn’t it?

 

[Kenilworth]

Fairy tales only happen once

Yep. And if you’re not going to rely on that then you need a huge stash of cash.
That’s the game these days and it’s why many people are getting passed off with it.

 

[Kenilworth]

What they also had/have is a vision and they executed it. Nobody mentioned or is disputing the level of financial investment….new grounds and infrastructure don’t come for free.
The “ recruitment model that demands a massive investment” (citation required) arguably reduces the risks of expensive mistakes like your Brewsters and Cannons

Easy to forget what’s behind it all isn’t it?

Vision all you want.
Without the cash they are just pipe dreams.

You can sit there for hours willing it to happen, telekinesis and all that, but without a wedge of epic proportions your vision will be just that, some nebulous fantasy that you can never realise.

That’s not difficult to forget or understand.

 

[Boroblade1889]

Vision all you want.
Without the cash they are just pipe dreams.

As I said above, “….nobody is disputing the level of investment…”

You can sit there for hours willing it to happen, telekinesis and all that, but without a wedge of epic proportions your vision will be just that, some nebulous fantasy that you can never realise.

That’s not difficult to forget or understand.

I think that ends this exchange

 

[Kenilworth]

As I said above, “….nobody is disputing the level of investment…”

I think that ends this exchange

Glad you agree with my take that it’s more to do with investment than just a vision without funding.

 

[Boroblade1889]

FFS …. Go on then, I’ll bite….Could you show me where in my post I stated that executing a vision didn’t need “funding”

 

[Kenilworth]

FFS …. Go on then, I’ll bite….Could you show me where in my post I stated that executing a vision didn’t need “funding”

You stated that they had/have a vision and executed it. Then the funding bit, which sounded as though it was incidental to having a vision.
My point was that having a vision is all well and good but if you haven’t got the wedge you may as well not have one. The two are inextricably linked.

Your post stated that the vision is the critical piece and that, whilst they also had funding and you can’t get away from the fact that is important, the vision was the key thing. I disagree. No money, no honey.

 

[dc_blade]

We had two sensible options last summer:

1. Stick with Wilder, let him continue to dictate transfer policy and the run the club his way. I think he would've got us into the play offs again but there are questions about the sustainability of this approach over the long term.

2. Go all-in on a modernization effort. Have a plan in place well before the end of the season with a vision for a recruitment strategy and an off-field structure (Director of Football, Head of Recruitment, etc) to make it happen. Appoint these people first and let them lead the search for a new manager once Wilder was sacked. Do the manager search properly, interview prospective candidates (you know, like any competent business does). Go into the summer transfer window with a clear plan to replace the players we were always going to lose.

Instead, we sacked Wilder without making the wholesale changes needed to replace the huge role he plays at the club. Let some rando poker player dictate our transfer strategy at the beginning of the window. Appointed an inexperienced coach (not a manager) on a whim, left him floundering in the transfer market, and then panicked at the end of the window. Sacked him and went back to the safe pair of hands.

I still think Wilder will keep us up but it's imperative we get next summer right or we're going back to the doldrums where he found us in 2016.

 

[Boroblade1889]

You stated that they had/have a vision and executed it. Then the funding bit, which sounded as though it was incidental to having a vision……………….…..er, no?
My point was that having a vision is all well and good but if you haven’t got the wedge you may as well not have one. The two are inextricably linked…………...not disputing that?

Your post stated that the vision is the critical piece and that, whilst they also had funding and you can’t get away from the fact that is important, the vision was the key thing. I disagree. No money, no honey……………………er, no ?

I’m done here, I’d hate to think I was relying on you for a witness statement…

 

[Kenilworth]

I’m done here, I’d hate to think I was relying on you for a witness statement…

Bang to rights

 

[ATL Recs]

See Luton
Does not take much for stuff to snowball.

I'd say sacking wilder was a knee jerk reaction from new owners, who appointed someone who didn't understand the squad and playing style etc, who then couldn't polish them, and now here we are..

If relegation is avoided, time to rebuild and build it up - what would have going into the PL achieved I wonder? (Nothing)

I don’t get this argument that one manager was shoved under the bus for poor recruitment but the old manager can’t get a tune out of them because he is tactically inept. It’s just lazy bollocks. Wilder is not tactically inept, nor is Knill. They got a tune out of a decent squad last year but Burnley and Leeds had better players. That’s not a tactical difference that’s a quality difference.
Look at the state of us now. Far lower quality, recruitment based on a child’s computer game, panic squad filling with whatever detritus was left at the end of the window, no height or fight in those recruited, a rookie manager who destroyed all confidence in the squad. There are no tactics that survive a lack of quality, spirit or fight. We’ve all witnessed it week after week. All this horse shit about tactics being negative and inflexible. He’s trying to get a tune out of a box of nails with a soiled G-string attached to it.

All true then we reappoint the manager who’s league form post Coventry was bottom 4 the writing was on the wall last season
For me Wilder MK2 lost all credibility when he had 6 weeks and a budget to find a replacement for Souter and look what happened -that was incompetent

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

And... This.