SUFC Season Review/School Report 14-15 Part One

[Deadbat]

2014/15 SUFC SCHOOL REPORT





As I have traditionally done at the end of the last few seasons; it is that time again when I write a review of the campaign and also compile a school report for the different sections of the club. I will look at how they have fared and what are the prospects for next season for each respective department of the club.




I will begin with the review and a breakdown of the board and manager/s.




Over the next week I will add to this with breakdowns of the players/squad at the club and do the same. Will look at contract situation (may be wrong with some of these so again come in if I have got any wrong) and what might happen to each are of the team.


Feel free to add comments/disagree/debate.....after each post I make.



I have graded the board, the manager, players and the fans; in a traditional school report style of A+ to F- (every player who started at least one game).


However, I have had to grade players based on the games they did play so some players who played a lot more may still get a lower grade despite disproportionate number of games in comparison. Eg- Chris O’Grady 4 games to say Jose Baxter in 25 games but may get a better mark for his performances in these 4 games compared to Baxter over the course of the season. If that makes sense?


Of course whilst I have seen all the home games; I have only seen a handful away so that needs factoring into my analysis.

If I have missed anyone then please say. Feel free to weigh in with critique, opinions and even in some cases agreements!

Season review


The previous season had ended with United just missing the play offs and the super cup run that nearly ended in glory at Wembley. Optimism for a full season under Nigel Clough who had come in and organised a hapless bunch left from David Weir and slowly got them organised and committed. They moved up the table, sprang many a cup surprise and it was reckoned with key additions particularly in the striking area, United were all set for a promotion charge. However three key players had question marks against them; namely John Brayford, Harry Maguire and Connor Coady. The chances of retaining all three seemed slim but fans thought we would at least maybe sign one and keep Maguire. In the end Coady signed for Huddersfield for supposedly £300,000, Brayford returned to be a regular at Cardiff and then the final blow was when Maguire opted to leave in an odd state of affairs that reminded many fans of years gone by. United said they turned down an offer, they then said they had accepted another offer that Hull had not made! He eventually signed but wasted much of the season I the reserves before ending up on loan at relegated Wigan.


So United had gaps to fill but Clough acted quickly signing Chris Basham from Blackpool, Andy Butler from Walsall, Craig Alcock from Peterborough, Jamal Campbell Ryce from Notts County, James Wallace from Tranmere and fresh firepower came in from Michael Higdon from NAC Breda and Marc McNulty from Livingston. United also resigned Chris Porter and Ryan Flynn as well as bringing back permanently Ben Davies. Youngster Harrison McGahey came in from Blackpool and early into the season veterans Iain Turner and Jay McEveley also came in. 11 new players came in which seemed a lot. Many reckoned Butler, Wallace and Higdon would give them power and presence down the spine but in the end all three were complete write offs with Butler barely playing a game and Murphy and Higdon spending most of the season on the physiotherapy table. Many of the rest seemed no better than what we already had but reckoned to give the squad depth but questions over pace and genuine quality still persisted as did the fact a proven goal scorer was still not part of the squad. It was hard to see if the departing trio had been properly replaced and it seemed quantity over quality may have been the worry over the incoming players but of course easy to now say that in hindsight. Still you felt United had a squad that would be strong enough comfortably for the top 6 and push for the top 2. The boardroom was now settled with the co ownership although Jim Phipps now took up the mantle with the Prince being engaged in Saudi Government affairs.


The pre season was an odd affair with the side playing very weak opposition but struggling badly and the team changing every game both in personnel and positions. It seemed Clough had already fell out with new signing Butler and some of the experienced players were now not seen as certain starters. It seemed he had no idea of his best line up and this theme continued throughout the season. We lost in an awful display at York but then beat Fenerbahce.


August


A sunny Bramall Lane saw Bristol City come and win by the odd goal in three. It could have gone either way but a physically strong and quite direct Bristol side won it in a rare away win at the Lane on opening day. Clough had shown his intentions dropping stalwarts Doyle and Collins. A shaky start for the seemingly makeshift back line of Alcock and the young McGahey saw United struggle against the high ball. Higdon impressed leading the line and started as captain which was another odd Clough choice as he had only signed a few days before. A win in the cup v Mansfield saw Butler play and score but he was out again v Coventry with Collins returning. This was another defeat before they got off the mark at Peterborough with Doyle now also back in and Ben Davies impressing as he had in the opening few games; scoring the winner. A narrow win v Crawley followed thanks to an impressive Baxter strike before they surprised Premier League West Ham on spot kicks at the Boleyn Ground. A decent point at Preston followed with Baxter scoring again saw United in mid table but it was more encouraging after a poor start.


September

A late winner from Campbell Ryce that was maybe fortuitous saw off Rochdale before an unlikely comeback at Colchester after more error ridden defensive giveaways had seen the Blades 2-0 down. The 3-2 win saw some of the spirit of the previous campaign come back but masked a lot of the poor play and sure enough a spanking followed at Swindon the next game. United won again in the League Cup but were poor again at home to Gillingham before a late Murphy inspired fight back saw a dramatic win. United were up to 7th but it had been patchy stuff and it was fair to say they had not really going. The team had been changed most weeks and a settled defence was nowhere to be seen.



October

Chesterfield beat United more comfortably than the 3-2 scoreline suggested with Higdon stupidly getting sent off before they edged Hartlepool in the JPT. A late draw at Orient which was reminiscent of the Gillingham game (United coming back but this time conceding late as well as scoring late) and then a better performance at Bradford was followed up by two solid wins v Yeovil and Crewe. It seemed United were on the move and were now up to 5th with games in hand. They then beat MK Dons to continue the League cup progress in a better month.


November

United shaded the South Yorkshire derby at the Lane but lost out to Barnsley by a single goal before they saw off Crewe via a replay in the FA Cup and then dipped out to Walsall in the JPT. A win with 10 men at the Keepmoat was a positive moment in the month with Mark Howard saving a penalty and Murphy scoring a wonderful winner. However they failed to beat either Oldham or Notts County in two poor home draws that both ended 1-1. United remained in the playoffs but the performances had been average at best and lacked the solid defensive play of last season and the counter attacking style of the previous campaign.


December

A defeat at home to MK Dons saw three home games in 10 days herald just 2 points from 9. Chris O’Grady had arrived on loan to give Clough the target man he had craved. A cup win this time in the FA Cup, versus Plymouth was followed up by another draw this time at Fleetwood. In the League Cup at the quarter final stage United showed what they were capable of as a completed and excellent performance saw them beat high flying Southampton at a rocking Lane. The Saints were well beaten in a game United ought to have won more comfortably. The display was superb full of energy, high tempo and good football. It was a far cry from what had been served up much of the season. Sure enough two poor league displays followed with another league game without a win with a raw v Walsall and then an awful defeat at Port Vale in appalling weather conditions with Basham this time seeing red. United were 6th as the new year approached but fans were less than convinced and Bristol City and a clutch of other sides were already seemingly out of sight.



January


A superb win at QPR in round 3 of the FA Cup again showed what united could do with Campbell Ryce to the fore in this game and again a week later as high flying Preston were beaten at the Lane. A defeat at MK followed sadly as the up and down form and results continued. The League cup semi v Spurs saw a battling narrow defeat and then a commendable effort at the Lane when United took a 2-1 lead thanks to the teenager Adams incredible cameo from the bench and were actually a matter of inches away from maybe going through when Reed’s shot went just over with only minutes remaining. Erikson’s class told with a late leveller following up his earlier superb free kick. Sandwiched in between was a draw at Deepdale in the FA Cup with De Girolamo given a rare start and scoring. The main news from this game was the return of talisman Brayford who surprisingly resigned on a permanent deal joining messrs Coutts and Holt at the club. On deadline day Matty Done also came in from Rochdale after impressing since being converted to a front man at Spotland. Swindon were beaten at the Lane with Murphy excelling in this one with a brace showing again united could compete with the top teams in one off games.



February

United needed to see off Preston in the return at the Lane and they could have seen Man Utd down at the Lane in another special cup night at the Lane but after leading they were outmuscled and well beaten in the second half. The league form continued to splutter with a defeat at Gillingham but then suddenly United seemed to go on a run. An excellent win at leaders Bristol City was followed up by a win against Notts County and a good fight back came to earn a draw versus Coventry despite another stupid red card; this time Baxter. A win at Rochdale followed and then the month ended with a comeback draw at Crawley; another game they ought to have won but more positive signs were being seen even if the top two was some way off; there was some hope they could be still caught with games in hand and a run of games at the Lane.



March

Just as February promised much; March saw any hopes of the top two final disappear. Two defeats to Peterborough (two goals in the last 5 minutes) and then to Fleetwood saw the crowd voice their displeasure again. The performances continued to be disjointed with goals conceded at set plays a real feature. Two draws at lowly Scunthorpe and Walsall hardly inspired the fans anymore although they did get back to winning ways with a brace of wins at the Lane v Port Vale and then Scunthorpe. The latter was the best performance of the season in the league and rival manager Laws was purring over the United display. It was back to reality the Saturday after as a late defeat to Crewe saw the fans back down in the doldrums again.



April

A complete performance from the side at Barnsley who were threatening to catch United was one book end of two derby day wins, as Doncaster were also beaten; although in less convincing fashion. Still United now seemed set for the playoffs but they then managed to end the month barely getting a point at Oldham, losing at relegated Yeovil and then drawing to Bradford and salvaging a late point at Orient. They were confirmed as being in the playoffs but it had been a real struggle and many fans lacked confidence this side could rouse themselves as the 4 or 5 excellent cup displays apart; they had maybe only been convincing in another handful of games with away at Barnsley and Bristol City and maybe Scunthorpe, Preston and Swindon at the Lane sticking out. The rest had been. The rest had been ordinary at best.



May

The season ended with Chesterfield at the Lane and a point a piece as United barely hang on to 5th place and so to the Playoffs and Swindon at the Lane….the first leg saw United start flying out of the blocks but could not build on the lead and despite a strange refereeing performance from Mr Bond; Swindon were the better side and stole a late win to give them control going into the home leg. The second leg saw the best and worst of United. The start was appalling and embarrassing. However we did fight back and the unthinkable seemed likely at the death. Still the terrible start and defending undid us and for the most part despite what Clough says they were the better side over the two legs. We were out and the season was over. It ended oddly but taking away the scoreline and the fight back; overall we had proven we were not good enough. We shipped goals freely and were seemingly always playing catch up.


Summary

At the start of the season many thought with the run in to end the season and the cup run, we would be right in the mix for automatic promotion. Despite losing a few players Clough brought a fair few in and was backed throughout the season too. For the most part this season has been a major disappointment. The League Cup run was great and we won at QPR in the FA Cup but in the league we never got going.

We have never played consistently well and for the most part the style of football has been dour. Yes despite trying to win a lot of games 1-0 at best, this approach did not really work. Our defence was so poor and conceded set play goals all season. Clough mismanaged the centre back situation badly and we never had a settled team. We never really had that prolific striker (save for Done in a small stint) and too many players were woefully inconsistent. With the experience and squad we had; we managed to win enough games to stay in and around the top 6 and you never felt we would not get in the playoffs. However too finish 28, 21 and 18 points behind the top three is unacceptable. We saw Bristol, MK and Swindon score freely whilst our approach and attitude to games has seen us get what we have deserved; mostly average results.

He blamed games but Bristol, MK and Preston actually did not play that many less than us with all three having longish runs in various cup competitions too. The season was a bit of a waste of a year and added to this we are now riddled with 10-12 players that I do not see us being any part of a successful future for United if they want to move up the leagues. The playoff dip out was not a surprise at all. We went in with poor form, no confidence and no idea of the strongest side.

 

[Deadbat]

Staff report




Board / Club




Kevin McCabe McCabe must have thought he had at last got a managers appointment right as Clough turned things round and the incredible FA Cup run saw optimism abound. Fast forward 12 months and big questions against a manager are being raised again. McCabe must wonder if he will ever get it right. People may call for patience but the reality is we were miles off promotion again (automatic at least) and he must know a poor start next season and most fans sadly will demand a change again and probably be right do so. Whilst so many clubs have inspired choices like Brentford with Warburton, Bournemouth with Howe; even the less than inspiring ones such as Jackett at Wolves, Cotterill at Bristol City and Grayson at Preston have done the business. We sadly have had 3 now at this level and other than that first season under Wilson (when we had a very strong squad); we have not been close to automatic promotion really.

McCabe himself will argue he has backed Clough and funds were provided over the summer. You could argue he could have given him more backing in the summer and when the likes of Coady was seemingly available and he also failed to get a striker in. However he was given a lot of funds to bring in a number of players and whilst we of course have a wage structure I cannot imagine the players we brought in; many from Championship were on cheap wages. It seemed Clough went for quantity over quality. He was backed even more in January with 4 or 5 more signings. In short, McCabe and the board cannot be blamed for Clough squandering resources and bringing in so many average journeymen, some on multiple year contracts.

We did not spend major money but likes of Brayford and Coutts commanded decent fees and/or wages. Ditto for loan players like McCarthy and O’Grady. He has been backed by the board. I have not heard too many questions having a go at the board latterly and the reality is Clough will have one of the biggest budgets in the league and certainly for budget we have underachieved. Likes of Swindon, Chesterfield who have done as well or better will be nowhere near our budget or squad size.

I have not heard much from McCabe and he has been oddly silent. However from sitting in the South Stand he has been to at least 50% of the games this year, maybe even more; as I often see him slinking off at half time looking as frustrated as the rest of him. Whether it is McCabe or the new investors can we really knock them currently? I would say their job is to pick the manager and then support the manager in funds in simple terms. The latter they have probably done but the former remains to be seen. At the moment sadly it seems after a good start that Clough had shown why he has never won a promotion in the game and why he spent so long in the non league or going nowhere with Derby. Maybe we are jinxed with managers’ appointments, maybe the pressure is too much, but Wolves, Wednesday, Leeds and Forest all found someone who could get them out of this division. Our board has failed in that regard so far. It sounds simple but that is the reality. If we start badly next season McCabe and the rest will have a big decision. I cannot see them sacking him this summer despite all the calls for this. His cup runs and some of the stuff he did last year will have given him a pass for the start of next season from the board (I don’t necessarily agree with that) but be interesting to see how much more funds they give him. They could say you have built your squad and now it is up to you to motivate, adapt and get this side playing but I am unsure he has it in him.

In an odd way despite the club being stuck in this division which is the major annoyance of most fans, the club still seems relatively stable at boardroom level. I look at some of the happenings at clubs like Leeds and many others and they seem to lurch from one crisis to the next. We have a degree of harmony even if the most important things; our league position remains unchanged.


Prince HRH Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud We have heard little from him this season. He was appointed as the Sports Minister for the Government of Saudi Arabia but his son Prince Abdulrahman was to take a position on the board as his Father stepped down as co Chairman whilst keeping his investment in the club and 50% stake. Despite this Jim Phipps has said significant funds have been put in and for the club to remain at this level and keep investing (yes, we get good crowds but that alone is actually not a big income source and also the Maguire money will come into the club piece meal I am sure). It is not as if we are really cutting back and they have continued to do what they can to back the manager in terms of signings. Maybe we could spend more or do more but in reality it has been poor or ineffective signings than lack of funds. Be interesting to see what will happen if we fail yet again next season. I fear he may lost interest and move on as he wanted the club in the Premier League and in reality we are a long way off this (5 years even if we went up next year would still be an big achievement unless we could do a Bournemouth/Southampton of recent times). We will see but I have heard very little from him and maybe this is good; he stays in background unlike some of the other colourful owners from overseas (Tan, Cellino etc) but the reality is fans will argue what has really changed since he came in. They will point to the league position, another poor manager, lack of goalscorer. Can he and the board be blamed for those things? Ultimately they have to take the blame to some degree as they back the manager but they don’t tell him who to sign. They have overseen the process of mismanagement from Clough (no centre backs for much of season, no goalscorer, too many little players etc) but also have to trust the manager too.

Jim Phipps is the opposite to the Prince. He is now the co chairman and is heavily involved. He comes back from Saudi, from North America or wherever else he is in the world to be at many matches and his passion and interest in the club cannot be faulted. His recent interviews reveal an intelligent man who knows what the fans want. He does seem genuinely in touch with the fans. He always tried to communicate on twitter and sometimes gets a rough ride (but he never hides other than the obligatory ‘wheels up’ occasionally after a bad defeat to indicate he will be out of range to respond!). He seems a genuine guy who wants to ensure the Prince’s investment bears fruit and he does seem to want to get to know fans. Why would he spend hours chatting to fans in bars, or sit on the Kop, if he did not care? It is past doing it just for attention or to be liked. He has become a bit of a man of the people type chairman and seems liked by many. He admits he does not know football and maybe there lies the weakness. It seems total trust has bene put in Clough who makes all decisions on football and signings and even though we have Mal Brannigan involved, his expertise seems to be more financial/wages etc than knowledge of football. It concerns me that the key decisions on player personnel is entrusted to one man as Phipps and most of the rest of the board state, they do not really know about this side. Phipps like the Prince has been involved for nearly 2 years now. He seems as interested as ever but with the end of the season ending in the predictable play off burn out; it will be interesting to see if his passion remains. He has seemed one of the board who had indirectly been critical of Clough (his tweets indicate how unhappy he has been at times) but I still think they feel committed to Clough in the short term. I think off the feel they have made strides to communicate better and he is a key part of that. Some will say he should stay off twitter but they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Phipps for the most part handles himself sensibly on there and at least has the bottle to come on and try and explain things even if he gets a volley of abuse in return.

One big error they made this season was the Ched Evans issue. They really errored on this in terms of letting it go so far in terms of the decision to let him train was somehow influenced by the PFA. They clearly were always going to let him train and wanted to bring him back. The fact that they completed misread what the public reaction would be was laughable. Surely they must have known?! However after it all kicked off they backed out because I felt of financial reasons rather than losing a few public patrons. I think they knew sponsors may pull out etc. I felt it had gone so far that they may as well have carried on. It would have gone on for a while but eventually the news hounds and even rival fans would not have made so much of it. Evans has been given a bit of a rough ride. As abhor able as the act and what happened; the fact is he has been hounded out of the game from the media. My issue with united is their complete mismanagement of the whole situation. They went so far with a difficult situation and then effectively pulled out. They did neither with no clear authority to either not sign him or to carry through what they had started. It was all a bit of a mess and entirely their own causing.



Selahattain Baki is another quite vocal on twitter. He posts pictures of his other passion, Fenerahce and flares/smoke bombs in one breath but then backs SUFC’s stance on stopping such things in another! He seems to be at odds with being a fan and a board member but is another who seems very passionate and is seemingly very involved day to day.


Mal Branniganwas a mate of Clough’s at Derby and I am sure NC had a hand in him coming to the Lane as Managing Director. He is the man who seems to be involved in the transfers and a lot of the financial stuff. He has allowed us to bring in quite a range of players from Champ downwards but I am not sure how much he has to say on the actual players; just the contractual side. He is also involved in some of the other ‘money’ related decisions day to day.


In terms of other aspects to the club; it is good we have a few local business such as DB Logistics and also John Holland Cars involved but I wouldn’t have thought they bring in much in terms of big revenue. I felt with all the above international contacts we may be able to get a bigger sponsor internationally revenue wise. Of course Top Spring is still involved but I just felt listening to Phipps talk about the interest from international partners; the fact our main sponsor is a second hand (albeit pretty expensive motors) car show room in Brightside that most people have never heard of; is not going to give us as much income as we would maybe hope. On the plus side the deal with Adidas was a major positive after all the issues with previous suppliers. We now get kits made early; never mind before the season and have a very professional supplier for our merchandise and some decent stuff in the shop. It may cost more but the quality is so much better. The kits we had this year were decent (even if they were not always bespoke – Livingston home from 2 years ago for instance as change yellow). Next season we have a kit that is more bespoke (although some says it looks like a Forest away kit of a few years ago!) but has really divided opinion. It is actually a really nice kit. Clean looking, it is a simple design and up close looks good but from the stands it clearly is not a striped shirt and appears a white shirt. It is something different and is only for a year but it is too far removed from what I would want to see SUFC play in. Still I remember the Avec diamonds effort so we have had worse. For one season I will live with it but I am sure I and many will still moan often next season that we do not feel we are watching United.


The ticket prices have still remained ok and whilst match day it is still pricey for League One Football; it is similar to many other grounds. Season tickets were a similar price and they have a decent range of offers. They try and promote things and generally have engaged with supporters. Things are far better than they used to be in terms of communications, ticket office engagement/response etc. I am sure we have all had gripes with certain things over the years but the club has made real strides in many things off the field.


John Garrettsupporters liaison officer, always seems to do a decent job behind the scenes and always spoke well when on the radio or at forums. He seemed a nice connection between the fans and supporters and at least we heard him and seemed to want to speak to the fans (unlike some of the previous ones that filled such a role where it was more of a clique I felt).


Mark Todd has done a sterling job with the Sheffield United community foundation and they seem very visible around the city and beyond in terms of the educational and community stuff. My own son attends the camps quite a bit and the people who do the coaching and organising are brilliant with the kids. The camps are great value too and my little un is always raving about them when he comes home.


As an aside the two groundsmen; Glenn Nortcliffe and Kelly Barrowclough have battled on with the pitch. We had another poor winter and lots of snow but despite some of the issues the pitch was not as bad as in previous years and compared to SWFC and Blackpool etc and many more; it held up ok. However it is not before time that we needed a new pitch and the much vaunted Desso system will be in place next year hopefully giving us a pitch (half fibre, half amazing or maybe just grass) where out erm….passing football… will thrive! I do think there is a lot of physical sides in this league and we do need a decent surface with width where we can get beyond sides more. It is odd our rivals are getting the same pitch almost instantly when we had to wait a year. Guess money talks!


Grade B-


Next season

The board now seems to be stuck in the same situation every year. We have failed to get out of the division. Questions are raised against the manager and his skills to get the side out of the division. Again. They must wonder if they can ever get it right and hope somehow Clough can find something in terms of personnel and approach. If he doesn’t; then the inevitable change will have to come again and the cycle starts again.

In terms of investment I get the feeling they will pump more in whoever the manager. I think the board and the new investors want to do what they can to get out but are caught between chucking absolutely daft money that has no guarantee with sensible investment with some risks (Brayford). If they knew silly money would mean they would get out; they would probably do it but now will be wary after giving Clough a lot of scope to bring players in and it not working. On one hand they have to get the manager right and then the quality signings and players to get us out will follow. They must get the first right but have done the second option with the question mark still looming over the manager.

Will be interesting to see what happens over the summer. I think they will keep the faith with the manager and give him more funds but will have expressed that changes have to be made in philosophy as much as personnel.

Off the field; the ground looks good and remains one of the best outside the top flight. Yes they could make changes to the Kop and other aspects but without us moving up the league it is not a priority. Ticket prices have remained decent really and it is not expensive compared to some other grounds at this level (certainly for season tickets) in a ground of decent comfort and facilities (Kop aside maybe).

They just need to get that manager appointment right and get it right on the pitch and with the crowds and support there then the club really could take off but at the moment everything seems rather stagnant due to the product on the pitch which ultimately determines the success of a football club.

 

[Deadbat]

Managerial team/Coaches



Nigel Clough

Clough went from being seen as the saviour a year ago to somehow who now is much maligned and seen as the problem while we are not any nearer to getting out of this division. I think 95% of fans including myself felt that we had finally got a manager who would get us moving upwards. He got the side disciplined, organised and a fast breaking side that during some of the run to finish 13/14 season; was entertaining to watch.

Questions started to arise when we lost three key players; not Clough’s fault; but then from having a pruned squad with a lot of the erm…rubbish jettisoned. We needed maybe 4 or 5 real quality players to replace the outgoing 3 and then 2 really good proven goalscorers. Clough then proceeded on an odd transfer binge signing young, old, journeymen, injury prone and some on the surface decent players. I felt Butler would be a decent addition and Wallace, if fit, was a good move too. However, a lot of journeymen such as Basham, Alcock, Campbell Ryce, Higdon did not fill me with confidence. It did seem a lot of ordinary players rather than real quality. We at least had a deep squad though. Sadly this proved our undoing as we never knew our best team and never built partnerships in the side or any kind of cohesion. The team was rotated every week; win or lose.

Sides like Bristol and Preston had smaller squads but kept a good spine and had a settled eleven much of the season. Clough from pre season moved players around, fell out with players quickly (Butler, Collins, Campbell Ryce, McNulty) and never seemed to know his best side.

The pre season was poor and then we began with two defeats. After this it was a mostly poor season in terms of performances and as I have said earlier you could count number of really good performances in the league at least on one hand. We stayed in touch with the top two but they sailed away from us (well the top 4 did) and from Christmas onwards it was playoffs at best which was desperately disappointing. Clough pointed the move from 3rd bottom to playoffs but Bristol City went from 2nd bottom to top and won the league at a canter.

The results and performances were woefully inadequate with some shocking home results and displays. We would win a few and have the odd decent performance but then a few bad ones and this pattern continued. We never got going.

Aside from the team selections, we lacked proper centre halves as although Collins and even maybe Butler may have not been good enough then why did he sign the latter and surely they would have prevented the countless number of set play goals conceded. This was never addressed all season.

Players were played out of position with Flynn and Basham ending spells in defence but then Brayford bought as a right back ended up centre back. We finished the season with two reserve full backs as centre back and the whole centre back position and how it ended up was farcical. He talked of starting with Maguire, Collins and Butler and ending with none but the latter two he fell out with and if he did not rate them why did he not properly replace them? We had keepers out of form but with Long also making mistakes on loan were stuck with what we had there. It was all a bit of a mess but the general lack of quality in the division meant despite only winning 19 out of 48 games we still made the playoffs before the fade out.

Up front we never had a focal point. Higdon was a disaster either unfit, suspended or out of form. McNulty showed flashes but Clough fell out with him and he too was inconsistent when he played. O Grady came and seemed to be an answer but went back. Done came in and did well but he too was messed around; allegedly injured but always on the bench. Davies did alright as a leader of the line but did not score goals.

He brought in an inordinate number of small players and then moaned we were mismatched on set plays for height. Here is an idea Nigel? Sign some taller players for a division that is known for its physicality. That or some pace. We are loaded with average slow and small players. We have little difference makers and one we had as much as I criticised his signing, Campbell Ryce, he fell out with him too!

More than all the above was the approach. We were incredibly negative. We played one up top much of the year, barely attacked sides and it was so slow in the approach and tempo. We never changed to a different plan and it seemed like we wanted to settle for a 1-0 if we could get it. As other sides around us or higher scored fours, fives and sixes; we could barely manage two goals. Clough rarely blamed himself; if ever and seemed to blame referees, talk about opponents (Yeovil were seen as a tough ask before we lost!) and generally seemed to have no idea how to halt our average to poor play. There was the odd decent performance and glimpse but mostly it was poor to watch and you had no sense this side had it in them to turn on the style and win the playoffs. I hate this ‘we are a big club and average 20,000 so should be hammering teams’ type of attitude but in reality we are playing the likes of Fleetwood or Crawley and at best trying to sneak 1-0 wins. It is a totally unacceptable approach. If it had worked; as it did the previous season (but had some decent breaking attacking stuff at pace too) then fine. If we were winning and had gone up; then I accept it. Winning is everything in football. However we were not winning consistently and were dull to watch. So he failed on both accounts.

The honey moon is most definitely over for Clough. Many want him gone now. I would not lose any sleep if he did go. I do not think he will get us up being honest (hope I am wrong) but I thought he could a year ago so I know nothing. We may have moved up position wise but are we any further forward (taking away the Weir disaster) than we were when Wilson went. We have more contracts we are lumbered with; a number of crocks (Kennedy, Wallace, Higdon) due to some awful recruitment and lack any clear plan of how to get out of this division because for all the talk of how the players are better suited to a division above and that is the philosophy; it is useless if we are stuck here and cannot get out of it!

However as I have said a poor start next season and the decision might be easy for them. They then have the likes of me saying ‘They have got to get the next manager right!’ Again. I do not want a change again and the cycle of managers at the Lane is ridiculous but is only happening as they guys they put in charge simply are not doing it. After last year, I am not sure if we kept Clough another 3 years whether we would improve. His interview post Swindon was embarrassing as he lauded players such as Brayford and castigated others whom he had picked (McNulty). He seemed rather ranked that anyone could question his job security but the reality is even if he remains he is now firmly under the glare. He seems stuck in his ways and has little in the way of innovative ideas or new approaches. He seems quite old fashioned in his approach and has been managing now for a good 15 years. If he is not going to change now; then unsure he ever will. It is a big summer and start to next season (if he remains) as not only will it define his stay as SUFC manager but will decide his fate as a manager moving forward. If he leaves here due to continued poor performances and results then his next move is League One (lower) or League Two and he will ultimately be consigned to being a lower league manager.


Grade D-


Chris Morgan has stayed around and seems to have been as much Clough’s number two as Andy Garner; sometimes doing press conferences and being fairly vocal in the press. He has carried on running the reserves…sorry under 21’s and done reasonably well mixing a team full of fringe players and some young talent and has mostly won games. He will be pleased likes of Calvert Lewin and Reed have pushed on but also disappointed that likes of Dimaio and Khan have not quite progressed in terms of first team games. It was odd that the former did not get any loan action. There is a lot of young players that seem to be doing ok in Morgan’s development squad but then with such a big squad and so many of them being midfielders which is so crowded be hard for many to push on.

Morgan spoke recently about being happy to be a coach and has now been here for 3 years (with those 2 brief caretaker spells) but I do wonder if at some point; even if non league he wants to give is a bash at being number one. I think a lot will depend on what happens with Clough. I was surprised he kept him around and seems to have liked him but if NC goes then new man inevitable bring in new faces. Seems a bit of an institution at the Lane though.


Andy Garner Garner is someone that never comes across as the most intelligent when I listen to him and his rants and raves on the side line do not do him any favours. He has taken some of the pre and post match conferences for Clough but again his comments never seem particularly insightful beyond we played well or played poorly (although to be fair to Clough he only wheels his assistants out if we win – this may seem brave that he comes out on defeats etc but then he blames everyone but himself when he does speak!). Garner is another that seems quite old fashioned in his approach (watch his pre match stuff/warm ups – deary me) and I worry we do not have any innovative ideas or approaches.


Gary Crosby Never hear from him and he is sometimes on the bench and sometimes in the stand. Another one of Cloughy’s mates; not sure what he does as he does not have any involvement in the reserves or youth. Whatever he does there is no sign of it being put into positive practice on the field.


Darren Ward and Martin Taylor Not sure why we need two goalkeeping coaches. We do not have one decent keeper, let along two yet we have two coaching them. Whatever they are doing it is not working as we have had howlers and poor decisions all season long. Know it is not their fault but they are essentially coaching them. The kicking for instance of Howard has been atrocious and not improved all season. What do they work on in training?

Fitness or should I say strength and conditioning coach is Lee McMahon assisted by Lee Rickards, attempt to keep the players in peak condition. Masseur Luke Smith also helps out whilst when injuries are sustained, the medical team of Matt Brown and Ed Owen are the physiotherapists. The amount of injuries may be bad luck but we definitely need to improve in that regard although the people carrying out medicals on likes of Wallace, Kennedy and Higdon before offering contracts need taking to task really.



In addition, United's performance analyst is Mike Allen. Again another that whatever he is telling Clough is either not working or he is ignoring! To keep conceding similar goals from corner, free kicks and seemingly never score from such situations at the other end suggests we are not really working on anything either using analysis from ICT / games or in day to day practice.


Nick Cox heads up the Academy operations although after having respected youth coaches like Pemberton (Cotterill’s number two at Ashton Gate), Unsworth (back at Everton) and Hoyland (not in work) round we now seem to have a system by committee with coaches with the younger and former player Travis Binnion and the more experienced John Dungworth seeming to be the main coaches. The youth set up has seen many more break into the reserves and also be involved in the first team but they will be sad to see Adams, Wallace and others brought in. The former looks a prospect to be fair when we had a number coming through. The current u18’s took some real shellacking’s this season and seemed to field a number of younger players as those who would be eligible seemed to be playing higher level; even near the first team. They lost 10 on the bounce and got trounced at home to Wednesday but of course all age groups have some good crops and some not so strong and it is ridiculous to think we can keep churning out Reed, Walker types every season or so. I am sure with the set up they have despite some of the new rules limiting us to how long we can keep them and also attract them due to loopholes in academy rules; we will be more attractive to parents and young kids than most other clubs in this part of the country. I think it is important to keep it going and propel it forward as despite current first team struggles it has seen a lot of players come though and a lot of players have brought in a fair bit of money.


Simon Clough is the chief scout in another one of NC’s old boys / family act. As is Michael Forsyth. Our signings have for the most part been really poor so another department that has to have major questions against him. His scouting team also does a poor job at preparing us for opponents judging by type of goals conceded and how so many players seem to have such good days against us having done little for much of rest of season.



Next season

Clough is certainly at a critical moment in his SUFC and indeed his own managerial career. Last season he could do no wrong and was seen as the man we had wanted for the last 6 or 7 years after stumbling from one poor appointment to another. A year later and he has to admit his team’s performances (taking away the cup runs) and the overall finish to the season was unacceptable. Sadly he has not admitted mistakes in key matters, the centre of the defence, the lack of height, the lack of a proven goalscorer and more than most his negative approach to games.

It will be interesting few weeks. I think it is fair to say there is a split amongst fans. Some point to Karl Robinson and others who had 4 or 5 seasons to build a side but then others point to Clough having a very big budget and the success of Steve Cotterill in a similarly short amount of time. Quite a few fans want him moved on feeling his approach, excuses, petty fall outs and mostly poor transfer policy means he looks no closer to taking this team up. Those that defend him feel he has still progressed us up the league and that another change will be no good for the club. I agree to some extent and I am sick of changing manager but we keep changing managers simply because they are not good enough. Out of the last 3 managers, does anyone seriously think retaining them would have led to the side going on to further success eventually. Nope. Messrs Adams, Wilson and Weir have all gone onto either more failure; even lower down the league or not gone back into management. The reasons why we keep changing them is because they are rubbish managers.


I would not lose any sleep if the board pulled the trigger. From the outside of the club it may seem harsh to the non SUFC fans but those fans have not seen the mostly dire performances this season that has seen the team scrape into the playoffs and finish so far off automatic with the previously mentioned large budget and squad (bigger than any other in the league). He has never won promotion in his career and the success of Derby (in comparison) since has to be noted (could argue he built a foundation to some degree).


I get the sense Clough won’t change his approach. He is so stubborn and he won’t adapt, innovate or change things. He keeps the same approach and even if it is not working, will continue plodding along. He does not admit mistakes and his negative tactics and lack of desire to attack are fundamental principles that we will be stuck with if he remains.


So the board has an ultimatum. They either keep him or (I think they will incidentally despite mixed messages from Phipps and many trying to read things from his comments) or they move him on and then they have to remove 4 or 5 more coaches, chief scout and his assistant etc. It would not be cheap (but that should not be reason for doing it). I do think if he is retained he needs to be brought into the board room and asked to explain what has gone wrong, from his awful recruitment and botched pre season to the other fundamental weaknesses I discussed above. If he continues to make mistakes and cannot try and move forward and concede he needs to change way we approach games (taking games to teams and attacking more) then if I were the board I would consider things very carefully. I think they will keep him but the pressure will be on him to recruit better this summer and ensure we start well. If we do not then I don’t think Mr Phipps and co will wait too long before they pull the trigger.

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Nigel Clough

Grade D-

Excellent post(s) as usual but come on, D- for a manager that got us to the League Cup Semi Final and into the play-offs?

What ever his faults, those are decent achievements and deserving much better than D-.

 

[Roygbiv]

Love these deadbat. Looking forward to the rest

 

[Small Mendonca]

Agree with all of that. It's a sad state of affairs.

 

[Rodley]

Agreed. Superb stuff.

 

[Deadbat]

Excellent post(s) as usual but come on, D- for a manager that got us to the League Cup Semi Final and into the play-offs?

What ever his faults, those are decent achievements and deserving much better than D-.

Interesting I canvassed 4 or 5 mates and most said much lower. I was the one justifying the D- grade compared to their E and E-!

I think anything more than a C- would be ridiculous for so many mistakes he has made this season. Overall we won 19 out of 48 games at League One level.

 

[alcoblade]

I think anything more than a C- would be ridiculous for so many mistakes he has made this season. Overall we won 19 out of 48 games at League One level.

And the biggest squad in the league could not field ONE center back.

UTB

 

[Deadbat]

Yes, frightening. We had 20+ midfielders though!

 

[Deleted member 1486]

One big error they made this season was the Ched Evans issue. They really errored on this in terms of letting it go so far in terms of the decision to let him train was somehow influenced by the PFA. They clearly were always going to let him train and wanted to bring him back. The fact that they completed misread what the public reaction would be was laughable.

Good read, only got this far but wanted to comment, with the benefit of hindsight this seems fairly easy to say, but surely NOBODY can say they would have expected it to go off as it did before it happened? I'd have laughed if you'd told me it (his non-return) would be front page news on the major news sites around the world, one of the most talked about stories of the year, a trending twitter tag for months and even brought up in the house of commons. I'm still genuinely surprised at how long they managed to perpetuate the news cycle with this one story.

I think the board acted entirely correctly. Some people had obviously made some promises to Ched, they didn't just bring him back and hand him a contract or parade him in front of the pitch in a united kit, thank god (I'm not even sure he actually trained did he? AFAIK they tested the water with a press release saying he was going to train to see which way the wind was blowing, and got hit with a force 12 hurricane!). They did wait it out, I expect, much like me, they thought it might blow over given time or that the few stories that were sensibly calling for a debate on the rehabilitation of offenders might gain ground, but the headlines escalated if anything (and they correctly pulled the plug on the whole thing).

I'm just really not sure what they could have done differently?

 

[Deadbat]

I was not surprised by reaction to Evans. It happened at other clubs when he was going to sign them. It would happen again with another footballer who was a convicted rapist. Adam Johnson has been involved in an incident recently that whilst different; has still been front page headlines. Footballlers doing wrong make easy press. Sadly

 

[robbiez666]

Excellent post(s) as usual but come on, D- for a manager that got us to the League Cup Semi Final and into the play-offs?

What ever his faults, those are decent achievements and deserving much better than D-.

I don't get this. He's had a lot more money and leeway in the transfer market than any other manager. He's been allowed to bring in all his mates in the backroom and still a failure. I think D is about right.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Managerial team/Coaches



Nigel Clough

Clough went from being seen as the saviour a year ago to somehow who now is much maligned and seen as the problem while we are not any nearer to getting out of this division. I think 95% of fans including myself felt that we had finally got a manager who would get us moving upwards. He got the side disciplined, organised and a fast breaking side that during some of the run to finish 13/14 season; was entertaining to watch.

Questions started to arise when we lost three key players; not Clough’s fault; but then from having a pruned squad with a lot of the erm…rubbish jettisoned. We needed maybe 4 or 5 real quality players to replace the outgoing 3 and then 2 really good proven goalscorers. Clough then proceeded on an odd transfer binge signing young, old, journeymen, injury prone and some on the surface decent players. I felt Butler would be a decent addition and Wallace, if fit, was a good move too. However, a lot of journeymen such as Basham, Alcock, Campbell Ryce, Higdon did not fill me with confidence. It did seem a lot of ordinary players rather than real quality. We at least had a deep squad though. Sadly this proved our undoing as we never knew our best team and never built partnerships in the side or any kind of cohesion. The team was rotated every week; win or lose.

Sides like Bristol and Preston had smaller squads but kept a good spine and had a settled eleven much of the season. Clough from pre season moved players around, fell out with players quickly (Butler, Collins, Campbell Ryce, McNulty) and never seemed to know his best side.

The pre season was poor and then we began with two defeats. After this it was a mostly poor season in terms of performances and as I have said earlier you could count number of really good performances in the league at least on one hand. We stayed in touch with the top two but they sailed away from us (well the top 4 did) and from Christmas onwards it was playoffs at best which was desperately disappointing. Clough pointed the move from 3rd bottom to playoffs but Bristol City went from 2nd bottom to top and won the league at a canter.

The results and performances were woefully inadequate with some shocking home results and displays. We would win a few and have the odd decent performance but then a few bad ones and this pattern continued. We never got going.

Aside from the team selections, we lacked proper centre halves as although Collins and even maybe Butler may have not been good enough then why did he sign the latter and surely they would have prevented the countless number of set play goals conceded. This was never addressed all season.

Players were played out of position with Flynn and Basham ending spells in defence but then Brayford bought as a right back ended up centre back. We finished the season with two reserve full backs as centre back and the whole centre back position and how it ended up was farcical. He talked of starting with Maguire, Collins and Butler and ending with none but the latter two he fell out with and if he did not rate them why did he not properly replace them? We had keepers out of form but with Long also making mistakes on loan were stuck with what we had there. It was all a bit of a mess but the general lack of quality in the division meant despite only winning 19 out of 48 games we still made the playoffs before the fade out.

Up front we never had a focal point. Higdon was a disaster either unfit, suspended or out of form. McNulty showed flashes but Clough fell out with him and he too was inconsistent when he played. O Grady came and seemed to be an answer but went back. Done came in and did well but he too was messed around; allegedly injured but always on the bench. Davies did alright as a leader of the line but did not score goals.

He brought in an inordinate number of small players and then moaned we were mismatched on set plays for height. Here is an idea Nigel? Sign some taller players for a division that is known for its physicality. That or some pace. We are loaded with average slow and small players. We have little difference makers and one we had as much as I criticised his signing, Campbell Ryce, he fell out with him too!

More than all the above was the approach. We were incredibly negative. We played one up top much of the year, barely attacked sides and it was so slow in the approach and tempo. We never changed to a different plan and it seemed like we wanted to settle for a 1-0 if we could get it. As other sides around us or higher scored fours, fives and sixes; we could barely manage two goals. Clough rarely blamed himself; if ever and seemed to blame referees, talk about opponents (Yeovil were seen as a tough ask before we lost!) and generally seemed to have no idea how to halt our average to poor play. There was the odd decent performance and glimpse but mostly it was poor to watch and you had no sense this side had it in them to turn on the style and win the playoffs. I hate this ‘we are a big club and average 20,000 so should be hammering teams’ type of attitude but in reality we are playing the likes of Fleetwood or Crawley and at best trying to sneak 1-0 wins. It is a totally unacceptable approach. If it had worked; as it did the previous season (but had some decent breaking attacking stuff at pace too) then fine. If we were winning and had gone up; then I accept it. Winning is everything in football. However we were not winning consistently and were dull to watch. So he failed on both accounts.

The honey moon is most definitely over for Clough. Many want him gone now. I would not lose any sleep if he did go. I do not think he will get us up being honest (hope I am wrong) but I thought he could a year ago so I know nothing. We may have moved up position wise but are we any further forward (taking away the Weir disaster) than we were when Wilson went. We have more contracts we are lumbered with; a number of crocks (Kennedy, Wallace, Higdon) due to some awful recruitment and lack any clear plan of how to get out of this division because for all the talk of how the players are better suited to a division above and that is the philosophy; it is useless if we are stuck here and cannot get out of it!

However as I have said a poor start next season and the decision might be easy for them. They then have the likes of me saying ‘They have got to get the next manager right!’ Again. I do not want a change again and the cycle of managers at the Lane is ridiculous but is only happening as they guys they put in charge simply are not doing it. After last year, I am not sure if we kept Clough another 3 years whether we would improve. His interview post Swindon was embarrassing as he lauded players such as Brayford and castigated others whom he had picked (McNulty). He seemed rather ranked that anyone could question his job security but the reality is even if he remains he is now firmly under the glare. He seems stuck in his ways and has little in the way of innovative ideas or new approaches. He seems quite old fashioned in his approach and has been managing now for a good 15 years. If he is not going to change now; then unsure he ever will. It is a big summer and start to next season (if he remains) as not only will it define his stay as SUFC manager but will decide his fate as a manager moving forward. If he leaves here due to continued poor performances and results then his next move is League One (lower) or League Two and he will ultimately be consigned to being a lower league manager.


Grade D-


Chris Morgan has stayed around and seems to have been as much Clough’s number two as Andy Garner; sometimes doing press conferences and being fairly vocal in the press. He has carried on running the reserves…sorry under 21’s and done reasonably well mixing a team full of fringe players and some young talent and has mostly won games. He will be pleased likes of Calvert Lewin and Reed have pushed on but also disappointed that likes of Dimaio and Khan have not quite progressed in terms of first team games. It was odd that the former did not get any loan action. There is a lot of young players that seem to be doing ok in Morgan’s development squad but then with such a big squad and so many of them being midfielders which is so crowded be hard for many to push on.

Morgan spoke recently about being happy to be a coach and has now been here for 3 years (with those 2 brief caretaker spells) but I do wonder if at some point; even if non league he wants to give is a bash at being number one. I think a lot will depend on what happens with Clough. I was surprised he kept him around and seems to have liked him but if NC goes then new man inevitable bring in new faces. Seems a bit of an institution at the Lane though.


Andy Garner Garner is someone that never comes across as the most intelligent when I listen to him and his rants and raves on the side line do not do him any favours. He has taken some of the pre and post match conferences for Clough but again his comments never seem particularly insightful beyond we played well or played poorly (although to be fair to Clough he only wheels his assistants out if we win – this may seem brave that he comes out on defeats etc but then he blames everyone but himself when he does speak!). Garner is another that seems quite old fashioned in his approach (watch his pre match stuff/warm ups – deary me) and I worry we do not have any innovative ideas or approaches.


Gary Crosby Never hear from him and he is sometimes on the bench and sometimes in the stand. Another one of Cloughy’s mates; not sure what he does as he does not have any involvement in the reserves or youth. Whatever he does there is no sign of it being put into positive practice on the field.


Darren Ward and Martin Taylor Not sure why we need two goalkeeping coaches. We do not have one decent keeper, let along two yet we have two coaching them. Whatever they are doing it is not working as we have had howlers and poor decisions all season long. Know it is not their fault but they are essentially coaching them. The kicking for instance of Howard has been atrocious and not improved all season. What do they work on in training?

Fitness or should I say strength and conditioning coach is Lee McMahon assisted by Lee Rickards, attempt to keep the players in peak condition. Masseur Luke Smith also helps out whilst when injuries are sustained, the medical team of Matt Brown and Ed Owen are the physiotherapists. The amount of injuries may be bad luck but we definitely need to improve in that regard although the people carrying out medicals on likes of Wallace, Kennedy and Higdon before offering contracts need taking to task really.



In addition, United's performance analyst is Mike Allen. Again another that whatever he is telling Clough is either not working or he is ignoring! To keep conceding similar goals from corner, free kicks and seemingly never score from such situations at the other end suggests we are not really working on anything either using analysis from ICT / games or in day to day practice.


Nick Cox heads up the Academy operations although after having respected youth coaches like Pemberton (Cotterill’s number two at Ashton Gate), Unsworth (back at Everton) and Hoyland (not in work) round we now seem to have a system by committee with coaches with the younger and former player Travis Binnion and the more experienced John Dungworth seeming to be the main coaches. The youth set up has seen many more break into the reserves and also be involved in the first team but they will be sad to see Adams, Wallace and others brought in. The former looks a prospect to be fair when we had a number coming through. The current u18’s took some real shellacking’s this season and seemed to field a number of younger players as those who would be eligible seemed to be playing higher level; even near the first team. They lost 10 on the bounce and got trounced at home to Wednesday but of course all age groups have some good crops and some not so strong and it is ridiculous to think we can keep churning out Reed, Walker types every season or so. I am sure with the set up they have despite some of the new rules limiting us to how long we can keep them and also attract them due to loopholes in academy rules; we will be more attractive to parents and young kids than most other clubs in this part of the country. I think it is important to keep it going and propel it forward as despite current first team struggles it has seen a lot of players come though and a lot of players have brought in a fair bit of money.


Simon Clough is the chief scout in another one of NC’s old boys / family act. As is Michael Forsyth. Our signings have for the most part been really poor so another department that has to have major questions against him. His scouting team also does a poor job at preparing us for opponents judging by type of goals conceded and how so many players seem to have such good days against us having done little for much of rest of season.



Next season

Clough is certainly at a critical moment in his SUFC and indeed his own managerial career. Last season he could do no wrong and was seen as the man we had wanted for the last 6 or 7 years after stumbling from one poor appointment to another. A year later and he has to admit his team’s performances (taking away the cup runs) and the overall finish to the season was unacceptable. Sadly he has not admitted mistakes in key matters, the centre of the defence, the lack of height, the lack of a proven goalscorer and more than most his negative approach to games.

It will be interesting few weeks. I think it is fair to say there is a split amongst fans. Some point to Karl Robinson and others who had 4 or 5 seasons to build a side but then others point to Clough having a very big budget and the success of Steve Cotterill in a similarly short amount of time. Quite a few fans want him moved on feeling his approach, excuses, petty fall outs and mostly poor transfer policy means he looks no closer to taking this team up. Those that defend him feel he has still progressed us up the league and that another change will be no good for the club. I agree to some extent and I am sick of changing manager but we keep changing managers simply because they are not good enough. Out of the last 3 managers, does anyone seriously think retaining them would have led to the side going on to further success eventually. Nope. Messrs Adams, Wilson and Weir have all gone onto either more failure; even lower down the league or not gone back into management. The reasons why we keep changing them is because they are rubbish managers.


I would not lose any sleep if the board pulled the trigger. From the outside of the club it may seem harsh to the non SUFC fans but those fans have not seen the mostly dire performances this season that has seen the team scrape into the playoffs and finish so far off automatic with the previously mentioned large budget and squad (bigger than any other in the league). He has never won promotion in his career and the success of Derby (in comparison) since has to be noted (could argue he built a foundation to some degree).


I get the sense Clough won’t change his approach. He is so stubborn and he won’t adapt, innovate or change things. He keeps the same approach and even if it is not working, will continue plodding along. He does not admit mistakes and his negative tactics and lack of desire to attack are fundamental principles that we will be stuck with if he remains.


So the board has an ultimatum. They either keep him or (I think they will incidentally despite mixed messages from Phipps and many trying to read things from his comments) or they move him on and then they have to remove 4 or 5 more coaches, chief scout and his assistant etc. It would not be cheap (but that should not be reason for doing it). I do think if he is retained he needs to be brought into the board room and asked to explain what has gone wrong, from his awful recruitment and botched pre season to the other fundamental weaknesses I discussed above. If he continues to make mistakes and cannot try and move forward and concede he needs to change way we approach games (taking games to teams and attacking more) then if I were the board I would consider things very carefully. I think they will keep him but the pressure will be on him to recruit better this summer and ensure we start well. If we do not then I don’t think Mr Phipps and co will wait too long before they pull the trigger.

Excellent post and very factual. I do think if any board member or advisor read it , they would decide with conviction to sack him. They may well think already on the same page . My worry is , ( and i come from we have sacked too many managers in the past school of thought ) , can we trust him to spend money on transfers wisely , as we have so many players already , who as a asset , are a negative equity for any return . Football and money are the too things which may well sway the board , and are they safe in Cloughs Hands.

Giving him a D , IMO is generous , more like E+ for league 1 report.

UTB

 

[metalblade]

A superb post Deadbat which even the most ardent red & white spec's club member would really find hard to argue against. If ever there was more damning evidence written as to why we should get rid of Clough and his amateur hour back room staff then I haven't seen it. You have absolutely nailed it in that report, I dread the thought of next season I really do if Clough stays .................. from hero to zero in a season for negative Nigel.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

As a general rule of thumb, I'd have A = Top two, E = relegation, B = Play-offs, C = Mid table, D = successful relegation fight

However, throw in the other variables, big club losing in the play-offs lose a grade, small club overachieving and just missing out on the play-offs add a grade, etc??? For me, size of budget and the rank stupidity over the centre half positions, at very best I'd give him a D, and I'm only not giving him D- due to the LC semi-final.

 

[Putney Blade]

Brilliant article. Spot on. Each member of the Board should read this before making their decision.

Can somebody send a link to JP?

 

[Davie Blade]

Well done Deadbat A+

The true shareholders voice.

A Master decree, one that should be required reading for all the board, ahead of their next meeting.

You've brilliantly and eloquently pulled together so many things which fans like us have been saying over this season in a most balanced and damning critique.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Clough tossed it off for four years at Derby. I still think the chough won't get away with that here.

 

[super_pig]

amen mate
thanks for putting so much time into this
am i the only person who doesn't give a shit about cup runs?? the fact that most of the staff an dhalf the team seem to be old mates of his is particularly worrying imo

 

[robbiez666]

For me, Deadbat has been the highlight of this season, his reports are much more interesting than actually watching the game!

I do wonder how anyone reading that would want to keep Clough. Hardly inspiring.

 

[JohnDenver]

DB's report isn't far wrong, but does lapse into conspiratorial nonsense when describing Done's fitness problems as an "alleged injury".

Either say what you know or quit what amounts to rumour-spreading. It devalues all the good, reasoned stuff in there, of which there's plenty.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Excellent review and status report Deadbat. Throughout the season I see an accomplished reporter and at the end of the season I see an astute appraisal of how we've done and where we are now.

The Board have the dilemma and nobody envies them. I'm interested in your comment that to sack Clough would appear harsh outside the club but would be understood by any Blade. This business of giving managers time to build something solid and permanent is Ok if you have found the right man -( see my signature below).

One downside to keeping Clough whilever he relies on his brother as Head Scout is that there's no reason why or how the quality of the new signings will improve. IMO SOMETHING somewhere HAS TO CHANGE for Clough to break his many years of non-achievement as a manager. All the Clough weaknesses you list have troubled me since October last year when it became apparent the emperor wore no clothes and his signings were so mediocre. All the other Clough frailties kick into view because of the simple fact that we didn't sign enough good players.

How we signed so many lookalike small interchangeable midfielders beggars belief when all along we were desperate in vital areas.

A sensitive issue which I have to air once again is the total absence of black players in our team week in week out. This is so unusual in the modern professional game I find it embarrassing and I am certain that the many black players in the game bring certain qualities which others are less able to bring, and vice versa. Black players are often faster and more athletic than white players. Most teams we play against have at least 3/4 black players. I honestly believe this is another gap in our recruitment approach just like the absence of taller players, creative players, game-changing players, strong stopper defenders, players who can jump even !! I feel as though we have a blind spot which is disadvantaging us. I do not insinuate anybody is racist, nothing of the sort.

Just a point on the Ched issue. If our board had pulled out of the effort to rehabilitate the lad any earlier there would have been zero understanding from big segments of our supporters and so much vitriol and rancour that the club might have struggled to recover from it. By the time the club gave way everybody understood so I think the Board and the club avoided a disruptive and divisive disaster of even bigger proportions internally than it was externally.