Squad Numbers 2015/16

[mattbianco1]

1 Howard
2 Brayford
3 Harris
4 Basham
5 Collins
6 McEveley
7 Flynn
8 Baxter
9 Done
10 Sharp
11 Murphy

I'm sure we'd all sleep easy if they could just get that sorted.

Collins won't change number. He's had #15 since he signed for us and Maguire took it last time

 

[Fiery Blade]

Does it matter what number is on their backs ???
When we have right or left back with 21, centre forward with 24, right back with 5, left winger with 9 - the world has gone mad !
Couldn't give a toss what numbers are on their back as long as they go out there and put in 100% effort and play some quality football !
Numbers mean nothing !

 

[Wardy1889]

It's just the way some people are. I also get a bit ocd with squad numbers. But hey ho, I won't slit my throat over it. As long as the eleven on the pitch put 100% in and hopefully come away with three points more often than not.

 

[Newbury Blade]

Does it matter what number is on their backs ???
When we have right or left back with 21, centre forward with 24, right back with 5, left winger with 9 - the world has gone mad !
Couldn't give a toss what numbers are on their back as long as they go out there and put in 100% effort and play some quality football !
Numbers mean nothing !

They do mean something and it does matter because it connects with the romance and history of the game and the traditions of our club.
The numbers have to be allocated on some basis, and unless it's done totally randomly (eg by drawing them out of a hat), there has to be some kind of system or rationale for it – and by doing it in the way we OCDers have been advocating not just keeps us happy, it also accords with the the history of SUFC.
Put it this way: these things might not matter to you, but because TC wore 10, and Deano wore 10, I'd be a lot happier with Billy Sharp wearing 10 than, say, Alcock or the third-choice goalkeeper.

 

[Fiery Blade]

They do mean something and it does matter because it connects with the romance and history of the game and the traditions of our club.
The numbers have to be allocated on some basis, and unless it's done totally randomly (eg by drawing them out of a hat), there has to be some kind of system or rationale for it – and by doing it in the way we OCDers have been advocating not just keeps us happy, it also accords with the the history of SUFC.
Put it this way: these things might not matter to you, but because TC wore 10, and Deano wore 10, I'd be a lot happier with Billy Sharp wearing 10 than, say, Alcock or the third-choice goalkeeper.

But as you allude to Currie wore 10, Deano wore 10, Joe Shaw wore 5, Agana wore 9, etc etc when Currie was injured his replacement wore 10 et al
The game has changed, we now have much larger squads than we used to do !
By your criteria, say Adams starts the season on the bench wearing say 27, comes on at Gillingham and scores a hattrick and is first choice every game for the rest of the season and Woolford is sat on the bench wearing 7 - it doesn't really matter !
History and tradition went out of the window when Sky TV got involved with football - it is the way it's gone !
For some reason every player has to have a number - Oh for the days when it was 1-11 and look in the programme who is wearing the shirts !

 

[Newbury Blade]

But as you allude to Currie wore 10, Deano wore 10, Joe Shaw wore 5, Agana wore 9, etc etc when Currie was injured his replacement wore 10 et al
The game has changed, we now have much larger squads than we used to do !
By your criteria, say Adams starts the season on the bench wearing say 27, comes on at Gillingham and scores a hattrick and is first choice every game for the rest of the season and Woolford is sat on the bench wearing 7 - it doesn't really matter !
History and tradition went out of the window when Sky TV got involved with football - it is the way it's gone !
For some reason every player has to have a number - Oh for the days when it was 1-11 and look in the programme who is wearing the shirts !

Yes, but even in them days I got upset when Woody was injured and John Harris gave Reece the No 7 shirt, with Scullion No 11, instead of swapping them round.

 

[mattbianco1]

Fiery Blade numbers do mean a lot.

Brayford should be number 2 definitely. The thing is, we really need to have a rule and stick to it.

1.Numbers are up for grabs each season i.e. nobody is safe.
or
2. You can only take a number that isn't taken.

If we go down the number 2 route. Brayford can have Alcock's number ONLY if Alcock moves on.

I read today that Memphis Depay at Man Utd is afer the #7 shirt. He has worn #9 all pre-season but now Di Maria has left has made a case for #7.

 

[Fiery Blade]

In the scheme of things.............................................................

 

[Barney]

I'm with Fiery on this, who gives a flying what is on their back ffs.

 

[mattbianco1]

I'm with Fiery on this, who gives a flying what is on their back ffs.

It is as important as us not wearing blue and white stripes

 

[Barney]

It is as important as us not wearing blue and white stripes

That's important i'll give you that.

 

[Punk Blade]

Oh for the days when it was 1-11 and look in the programme who is wearing the shirts !

But in those days the programme was only correct if the same team was named in the same order in consecutive games. These days the full squad list is always correct in the programme (save for any signings in the past day or two).

I don't think it matters who has what number, but it can give an indication as to who is likely to be a first choice and who is more of a squad player. It also shows that the club is organised (or otherwise) during summer recruitment and preparing for game one.

I remember one season we announced the list without a number 8, clearly anticipating a key attacking signing before the window closed. I believe 8 remained vacant for most/all of the season...

 

[SandyMcBlade]

In the old days you played for the shirt and which number you had on your back told the spectators what position you were playing in..
In those days there were no substitutes .....

 

[Newbury Blade]

For what it's worth … the big climbers are Freeman (26 to 2), Coutts (18 to 8), and Calvert-Lewin (36 to 27).
And the biggest sliders are Scougall (10 to 16), Alcock (2 to 21), and McGahey (17 to 32).
No great surprises there except for Coutts, perhaps, bearing in mind that people were asking earlier if he fits in with NA's plans. The number suggests the answer is yes.

 

[mosbolad]

Here they are, apologies if someone beat me to it.

http://www.sufc.co.uk/news/article/sheffield-united-squad-numbers-2598778.aspx

The full list of numbers can be found below.


1 Mark Howard
2 Kieron Freeman
3 Bob Harris
4 James Wallace
5 John Brayford
6 Chris Basham
7 Ryan Flynn
8 Paul Coutts
9 Jamie Murphy
10 Billy Sharp
11 Jose Baxter
12 Marc McNulty
13 George Willis
14 Matt Done
15 Neill Collins
16 Stefan Scougall
17 Martyn Woolford
18 Conor Sammon
19 Jay McEveley
20 Jamal Campbell-Ryce
21 Craig Alcock
22 Louis Reed
23 Michael Higdon
24 Diego De Girolamo
25 George Long
26 Terry Kennedy
27 Dominic Calvert-Lewin
28 Callum McFadzean
29 Che Adams
30 Kieran Wallace
31 Connor Dimaio
32 Harrison McGahey
33 Florent Cuvelier

 

[Cheebley]

That is their own fault. You should never put a name and number on a new shirt until the season's squad numbers have been announced. The club shop tell you this when you purchase too.

This is a good read and is why it "matters"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squad_number_(association_football)

So in the UK a formation is usually

1
2, 5, 6, 3
7, 4, 8, 11
9 ,10

or

1
2, 5, 6, 3
7, 4, 8, 11
10
9
​

Whereas on the continent #4 is usually CB with #6 CM.

​

I'll go with that fella!!

 

[BeakerBlade]

Can anybody think how Coutts has snatched the number 8 shirt?

 

[coaxingstar71]

Here they are, apologies if someone beat me to it.

http://www.sufc.co.uk/news/article/sheffield-united-squad-numbers-2598778.aspx

The full list of numbers can be found below.


1 Mark Howard
2 Kieron Freeman
3 Bob Harris
4 James Wallace
5 John Brayford
6 Chris Basham
7 Ryan Flynn
8 Paul Coutts
9 Jamie Murphy
10 Billy Sharp
11 Jose Baxter
12 Marc McNulty
13 George Willis
14 Matt Done
15 Neill Collins
16 Stefan Scougall
17 Martyn Woolford
18 Conor Sammon
19 Jay McEveley
20 Jamal Campbell-Ryce
21 Craig Alcock
22 Louis Reed
23 Michael Higdon
24 Diego De Girolamo
25 George Long
26 Terry Kennedy
27 Dominic Calvert-Lewin
28 Callum McFadzean
29 Che Adams
30 Kieran Wallace
31 Connor Dimaio
32 Harrison McGahey
33 Florent Cuvelier

You have to admit it's strange that although there aren't the wholesale changes as suggested by some, me included, that Brayford get 2, McEveley 5 etc and yet there are some odd changes like Higdon arbitrarily moving from 21 to 23 and Alcock gets 21 when he could have just had 23. I wonder if the players have a meeting about it to decide and like us on here, some will be bothered and request a certain number and others won't give a toss.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Scougall (10 to 16)

Coincidentally, also the age range Scougs is most commonly placed in by those meeting him for the first time.

 

[BeatleBlade]

Cuvelier 33. I wonder if he's about to be shipped out when he is back to full fitness.

 

[Newbury Blade]

Cuvelier 33. I wonder if he's about to be shipped out when he is back to full fitness.

No reason to assume that – he was No 34 last season so has in fact moved up slightly.

 

[mattbianco1]

Can anybody think how Coutts has snatched the number 8 shirt?

Coutts is a bloody good player. Cannot believe how many people don't see it.

He had his flaws yes but he will be a great player for us.

 

[BeatleBlade]

No reason to assume that – he was No 34 last season so has in fact moved up slightly.

But that was because he was injured I think and then Clough randomly went off him. He was a fairly low number when he first signed.

 

[BeakerBlade]

Coutts is a bloody good player. Cannot believe how many people don't see it.

He had his flaws yes but he will be a great player for us.

I'm prepared to give him another chance under Adkins, but I saw nothing other than loose passes and awful movement from him last season.

 

[Angef1Blade]

For me, it's like why the cutlery has to be in specific compartments in the cutlery draw, in other words my OCD.

I'm old fashioned when it comes to numbering and firmly believe that keepers wear No.1, Right back 2, Left Back 3, Centre Backs 5 and either 4 or 6, centre mids are 8 and either 4 or 6, right wing 7, left wing 11 and forwards 9 and 10.... ridiculous I know. It annoyed me that Murphy was wearing 9 when he spent most of the season playing wide, it annoys me that Baxter wears 11 and would never play left wing.

It even annoyed me when Argentina decided to number their 78 World Cup Squad alphabetically so Ossie Ardiles wore No.1! Wrong, wrong, wrong!!

I believe that the squad numbers won't be juggled (to my continued annoyance), Brayford will still be 5 and any new players will be allocated available numbers.

Being 'proper old school' - I'm with you on that coaxingstar71

 

[loyalblade95]

http://www.sufc.co.uk/news/article/sheffield-united-squad-numbers-2598778.aspx

Straight from the SUFC website so these are for definite

 

[Fiery Blade]

Cuvelier 33. I wonder if he's about to be shipped out when he is back to full fitness.

That will be next August then with his track record !

 

[Cyprus Blade]

The old numbering system was useful for spectators in recognising the position and role of opposition players and the way the team is set out but its not crucial and probably no longer appropriate for what has become increasingly a squad game.

To be honest I am not overly fussed about who wears what number nowadays as I can recognise our players even with my failing eyesight but it may make a psychological difference to a player to wear a 1-11 squad number as I think there is still a bit of a cultural hangover from the old pre-squad number days about "the first 11".

Some shirts do have significance for certain clubs - for most of us its the 10 shirt - I wondered whether clubs would adopt the American practice of retiring a number in honour of a great player, but personally I hope not. I would prefer we retained the number 10 in the hope it would motivate a player.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

The old numbering system was useful for spectators in recognising the position and role of opposition players and the way the team is set out but its not crucial and probably no longer appropriate for what has become increasingly a squad game.

To be honest I am not overly fussed about who wears what number nowadays as I can recognise our players even with my failing eyesight but it may make a psychological difference to a player to wear a 1-11 squad number as I think there is still a bit of a cultural hangover from the old pre-squad number days about "the first 11".

Some shirts do have significance for certain clubs - for most of us its the 10 shirt - I wondered whether clubs would adopt the American practice of retiring a number in honour of a great player, but personally I hope not. I would prefer we retained the number 10 in the hope it would motivate a player.

There was a brief Twitter exchange between Sharp and Deane yesterday about the Number 10 shirt.

Sharp wanted to wear it bc Deane was his hero. Deane wished him well.

 

[Balham]

But that was because he was injured I think and then Clough randomly went off him. He was a fairly low number when he first signed.

He wore 16 in his first season.

Coutts at 8 is a good move, I've said that I think McEveley will surprise some doubters in the thread about the captaincy but in terms of players who I think are unfairly maligned by Unitedites, Coutts is up there.

I still don't like Murphy wearing 9 but there you go. Freeman wearing 2 is a good sign; he'll be a revelation.