silverfox
Well-Known Member
From the Star........
SHEFFIELD United have devised a detailed strategy designed to ensure they mount a strong challenge for promotion next season.
The project, which has been overseen by manager Kevin Blackwell, encompasses areas from player recruitment to spying on opposition teams and will be implemented when the first team squad return to training at the end of next month.
United's grand vision for the future complements another project -"Blades Way" - designed to ensure a determined and disciplined working environment behind the scenes at Bramall Lane and the club's training complex at Shirecliffe.
Blackwell, who recently embarked on a review of United's scouting operation, is already understood to have identified to staff he believes are necessary to help exploit their overseas contacts to the full.
Having aggressively expanded into foreign markets following the purchase of Chengdu Blades and Ferencvaros, United also confirmed the appointment of commercial and marketing expert Michael Farnan as an executive director in an attempt to improve their profile overseas.
Kevin McCabe, United's plc chairman, said: "What we achieve is by design.
"It is not by accident.
"One of the things that has really impressed me about Kevin is the way that he goes about his work.
"He has excellent strategic qualities and is an excellent thinker on the game.
"A lot of people talk about what they want to do, about their aims and aspirations.
"But, really, that's just words.
"What actually matters is whether you achieve them and how you achieve them."
One area where Blackwell's attention to detail should be particularly beneficial is tweaking the options at his disposal.
The former Leeds and Luton chief has already told United's hierarchy that he plans to cut the number of names on the roster to a more manageable 24 or 25.
However, Blackwell's decision has been taken for footballing rather than financial reasons.
Addressing the imbalance on the roster he inherited from Bryan Robson, particularly the numerically differences between attack and defence, is one of his first priorities with some of United's centre-forwards
likely to be allowed to leave when the transfer window re-opens.
SHEFFIELD United have devised a detailed strategy designed to ensure they mount a strong challenge for promotion next season.
The project, which has been overseen by manager Kevin Blackwell, encompasses areas from player recruitment to spying on opposition teams and will be implemented when the first team squad return to training at the end of next month.
United's grand vision for the future complements another project -"Blades Way" - designed to ensure a determined and disciplined working environment behind the scenes at Bramall Lane and the club's training complex at Shirecliffe.
Blackwell, who recently embarked on a review of United's scouting operation, is already understood to have identified to staff he believes are necessary to help exploit their overseas contacts to the full.
Having aggressively expanded into foreign markets following the purchase of Chengdu Blades and Ferencvaros, United also confirmed the appointment of commercial and marketing expert Michael Farnan as an executive director in an attempt to improve their profile overseas.
Kevin McCabe, United's plc chairman, said: "What we achieve is by design.
"It is not by accident.
"One of the things that has really impressed me about Kevin is the way that he goes about his work.
"He has excellent strategic qualities and is an excellent thinker on the game.
"A lot of people talk about what they want to do, about their aims and aspirations.
"But, really, that's just words.
"What actually matters is whether you achieve them and how you achieve them."
One area where Blackwell's attention to detail should be particularly beneficial is tweaking the options at his disposal.
The former Leeds and Luton chief has already told United's hierarchy that he plans to cut the number of names on the roster to a more manageable 24 or 25.
However, Blackwell's decision has been taken for footballing rather than financial reasons.
Addressing the imbalance on the roster he inherited from Bryan Robson, particularly the numerically differences between attack and defence, is one of his first priorities with some of United's centre-forwards
likely to be allowed to leave when the transfer window re-opens.
