Talk of a 'cull'

[Vassilis]

I didn't go last night due to other commitments. It sounded horrible.

I don't believe sacking the manager is the right thing to do, but huge changes do need to made to the squad.

My worry is that I'm not sure how that will happen. We already have a huge squad, as NA has alluded to, and it seems like we wouldn't be able to bring 6 or 7 new players in without letting at least the same amount go.

But in all honesty, how are we going to get rid of them, short of costly terminations? Most of these players will be earning more than they have earned at other their previous clubs and certainly more than players at clubs in L1 and L2 (because no team in the Championship would even consider signing them). None of them are in form or impressing and none will be desperate to leave to take a pay cut. Who will take them?

January is perhaps going to be the most important transfer window in years. There is undoubted talent in the squad, but the defence in particular needs a huge overhaul. If losing heavily to Shrewsbury at home isn't a wake up call for these players, I'm not sure what is.

Well done to those who endured last night.

 

[BushBlade]

I didn't go last night due to other commitments. It sounded horrible.

I don't believe sacking the manager is the right thing to do, but huge changes do need to made to the squad.

My worry is that I'm not sure how that will happen. We already have a huge squad, as NA has alluded to, and it seems like we wouldn't be able to bring 6 or 7 new players in without letting at least the same amount go.

But in all honesty, how are we going to get rid of them, short of costly terminations? Most of these players will be earning more than they have earned at other their previous clubs and certainly more than players at clubs in L1 and L2 (because no team in the Championship would even consider signing them). None of them are in form or impressing and none will be desperate to leave to take a pay cut. Who will take them?

January is perhaps going to be the most important transfer window in years. There is undoubted talent in the squad, but the defence in particular needs a huge overhaul. If losing heavily to Shrewsbury at home isn't a wake up call for these players, I'm not sure what is.

Well done to those who endured last night.

If we continue along the 'can't buy until we sell' road, it won't get better. Unless the board understand this, we're in trouble.

 

[Bladesince59]

You would have thought that some of the team would have realised by now that when their contracts are up with us, then they are fucked as far as a job higher than the Conference is concerned.

Just shows how thick or crap they really are.

 

[Tyler Durden]

After last night I'd like to see the players get 'culled' in the same way badgers get culled.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

If we continue along the 'can't buy until we sell' road, it won't get better. Unless the board understand this, we're in trouble.

Indeed - we have to take the plunge and start in the JTW - any player out of contract in the summer should be told "not in my future plans. Get your agent to find another club"

We can start by bringing Mcnulty back at the end of December and play him as he should be played - up top with another strike partner - not as a lone striker as Clough did.

UTB

 

[Smirth]

Indeed - we have to take the plunge and start in the JTW - any player out of contract in the summer should be told "not in my future plans. Get your agent to find another club"

UTB

It's a nice idea but it simply won't work. Players in that category are:

Higdon
Collins
McEveley
Howard (I think he's out of contract)
Wallace
Alcock
Flynn
Harris

None of those players will get a better contract than they are on anywhere else. They therefore won't just move on because no body who would want them would be able to match their wages.

 

[BushBlade]

You would have thought that some of the team would have realised by now that when their contracts are up with us, then they are fucked as far as a job higher than the Conference is concerned.

Just shows how thick or crap they really are.

They're probably not though. They'll get other clubs.

I think half the problem is due to so many contracts expiring. You get the odd one like Collins who is old enough and wise enough to start making noises in the press about how he loves the club and trying to put in 'crowd pleasing' performances but most will either shrug their shoulders or whittle about it and let it affect their performances.

 

[BushBlade]

It's a nice idea but it simply won't work. Players in that category are:

Higdon
Collins
McEveley
Howard (I think he's out of contract)
Wallace
Alcock
Flynn
Harris

None of those players will get a better contract than they are on anywhere else. They therefore won't just move on because no body who would want them would be able to match their wages.

We don't have to move them on. That's my point, which is what Fulwood was replying to; that we can't move them on and if we persist in the approach that we have to move them on before we sign others, we're in big trouble.

We sign new players and the ones that are taking the piss are sent to train with the kids. Just like Jackett did at Wolves.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

It's a nice idea but it simply won't work. Players in that category are:

Higdon
Collins
McEveley
Howard (I think he's out of contract)
Wallace
Alcock
Flynn
Harris

None of those players will get a better contract than they are on anywhere else. They therefore won't just move on because no body who would want them would be able to match their wages.

I take your point........but...............

if they are not in Adkins plans and he states that they won't play, then part of our next years budget should be used to pay them off.
Yes I know it's a difficult scenario, but last nights performance wasn't the first - plenty more this season.

Something has to be done now - even if it is radical for united.

We simply have reached a watershed moment.

UTB

 

[TheBeard]

I see the problem again is that Adkins doesn't know what his best 11 are, as a manager you have to decide this and play them week in and week out in the same positions so that they get to know where their teammates are and their weaknesses
so they can work as a team and help each other out and also play the ball into areas where they know they are going to be. On this I think Adkins is struggling swapping players positions and also dropping them we play poor. Their is no consistency, ok you get injuries and that's when the other players step in, but you have to know your best 11. We are playing with no width, last night he had Baxter and Adams on the wings, neither are wingers never have been and never will be, he has brought Hammond in who is no different to the central midfield players we already had at the club, we sold Murphy and not replaced him, we have been in need of sorting the central defence out for a couple of seasons, Collins was shit 2 seasons ago what makes us think that 2 seasons on he is going to improve but we are that desperate in this position that he is as good as anyone else we have got. We haven't got a ball winning midfielder or a midfielder who can take the ball from our half of the pitch and run at their defence and have either a shot or lay a decent pass off. When Adkins came he said Basham was never a central defender but a central midfielder, but where does he play him? If you look at Adkins signings have they improved the squad ? Are they any different to the players already at his disposal? Billy Sharpe is the same kind of player as Done, Hammond is not as good as Coutts in my opinion Edgar is only average and as good as Collins and Woolford well not a replacement for Murphy. Even though the player look well below average for this division as I said this will happen until we start playing a regular line up and they can start playing as a team. Ok it's late in the season to not know your regular first team, but in my opinion this needs sorting and we may loose matches until we get cohesion. So I do think Adkins is at fault and until we sort this we will be losing matches all the time. The amount of players we have on the books they all can't be that shit as to the garbage we had to endure last night! Anyway rant over

 

[stannyblade]

Best eleven? I cant even think of one player who I would play week in week out. That's how low we have fallen.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

The amount of players we have on the books they all can't be that shit as to the garbage we had to endure last night! Anyway rant over

You are correct - they are not shit and they are not garbage as individuals - they are, as continually witnessed, not suitable for this division when played as a unit.

The management staff have to realise this, and I reckon they - but having to still work with the players week in week out is a difficult situation.

Sooner or later (preferably sooner), a decision is made.

The " not fit to wear the shirt" chat was a step up in the discontent meter.

UTB

 

[S1blade]

These players can play, as proven by the cups last campaign, they just aren't motivated, and don't go into Division 3 league games, especially home matches, with the right attitude, mindset, fight or bottle.
That's the manager's fault. McCabe and the Poundland Prince need to slither out from whatever rock they're currently under and tell him, in no uncertain terms, that he has 3 / 5 games to get the team motivated and playing, else it's the sack. Otherwise he is going to send us into Division 4. We're bang in relegation form.

 

[Blade56]

Will never sell many of the current squad so wait we must for contracts to expire

 

[Roygbiv]

We could fine them a weeks wages every week and re-coup what we are paying them. That's my plan. We could find reasons to fine them every week like "Collins, did you leave this cup here? Right, you are definitely getting fined"

Or we could just fine them for impersonating footballers

 

[blades78]

As TheBeard points out our squad hasn't changed in terms of options, we have too many similar type players and the balance of the squad is wrong. Its been like this since the end of last season;

* No clear No 1
* No commanding centre back
* No midfielders with the legs to get from box to box
* No pace

Actually, there is a change. We now don't have a left winger, what a mess.

Where is Flynn btw?

 

[stannyblade]

These players can play, as proven by the cups last campaign, they just aren't motivated, and don't go into Division 3 league games, especially home matches, with the right attitude, mindset, fight or bottle.
That's the manager's fault. McCabe and the Poundland Prince need to slither out from whatever rock they're currently under and tell him, in no uncertain terms, that he has 3 / 5 games to get the team motivated and playing, else it's the sack. Otherwise he is going to send us into Division 4. We're bang in relegation form.

Will telling him he may get the sack work though? He will get a nice big pay off and can go sit on a beach somewhere. Its more he needs to man up and tell the owners exactly who we need to get us out of this mess which means spending some sorry I mean lots of money.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

It's a nice idea but it simply won't work. Players in that category are:

Higdon
Collins
McEveley
Howard (I think he's out of contract)
Wallace
Alcock
Flynn
Harris

None of those players will get a better contract than they are on anywhere else. They therefore won't just move on because no body who would want them would be able to match their wages.

They might not need to. We could give them small pay offs (say 25% of their remaining contract) to supplement the wages they could earn at their new clubs. Similar situation to Sharp coming here.

 

[blades78]

Will telling him he may get the sack work though? He will get a nice big pay off and can go sit on a beach somewhere. Its more he needs to man up and tell the owners exactly who we need to get us out of this mess which means spending some sorry I mean lots of money.

We shouldn't need to spend massive amounts of money. Maybe the fact that we have allowed the previous 2 managers to buy their mates and chuck decent wages at championship rejects, without actually bothering to look elsewhere first is the problem. No other team in League 1 has spent the sort of money on fees and wages that we have in the last 12 months.

 

[Smirth]

They might not need to. We could give them small pay offs (say 25% of their remaining contract) to supplement the wages they could earn at their new clubs. Similar situation to Sharp coming here.

Nice idea but I doubt it mate. Collins was very happy last season to just sit around doing fuck all earning his bloated salary.

 

[blades78]

Will telling him he may get the sack work though? He will get a nice big pay off and can go sit on a beach somewhere. Its more he needs to man up and tell the owners exactly who we need to get us out of this mess which means spending some sorry I mean lots of money.

We shouldn't need to spend massive amounts of money. Maybe the fact that we have allowed the previous 2 managers to buy their mates and chuck decent wages at championship rejects, without actually bothering to look elsewhere first is the problem. No other team has spent the sort of money on fees and wages that we have in the last 12 months.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Nice idea but I doubt it mate. Collins was very happy last season to just sit around doing fuck all earning his bloated salary.

I'm sure it won't get all of them out but I can see 2-3 being moved on in that way with the rest being dumped in the summer.

 

[BushBlade]

Nice idea but I doubt it mate. Collins was very happy last season to just sit around doing fuck all earning his bloated salary.

No, give over, I heard him cry.

 

[Smirth]

No, give over, I heard him cry.

Haha that bloody interview! At the time I never understood why people got so carried away with it and thought he seemed so passionate in it. It seemed obvious to me that he was told he wasn't part of Clough's plans and then rather than doing the honourable thing and accepting the managers decision he moped around for months. It wasn't a patch on Doyle's interview on the pitch after the Charlton game.

 

[bornablade]

We could fine them a weeks wages every week and re-coup what we are paying them. That's my plan. We could find reasons to fine them every week like "Collins, did you leave this cup here? Right, you are definitely getting fined"

Or we could just fine them for impersonating footballers

Great idea Roy. A little too far fetched though... I mean who's ever seen a cup at Bramall Lane?

 

[BushBlade]

Haha that bloody interview! At the time I never understood why people got so carried away with it and thought he seemed so passionate in it. It seemed obvious to me that he was told he wasn't part of Clough's plans and then rather than doing the honourable thing and accepting the managers decision he moped around for months. It wasn't a patch on Doyle's interview on the pitch after the Charlton game.

He wants a new contract because he knows he'll be in L2 next season otherwise. Although he might get a new contract and be in L2......