The biggest issue at the club.

[Vass Borbokis]

May 2024, recruitment 'reshuffle'.

Our recruitment hasn't been great for quite some time, however I believe recently, since Hoyland and Allen joined their mate Wilder, it couldn't have gone much worse.

Incomings since they arrived:
Rated them Bad/Mid/Good. Obviously my opinion, yours may differ, but can't see them being far off.

Permanent 24/25
Jamie Shackleton - Bad
Sam McCallum - Mid (would have been bad, but picked up this season.
Kieffer Moore - Bad (maybe tad hard, but was never a good fit)
Callum O'Hare - Good
Harrison Burrows - Mid (opposite to McCallum)
Tyrese Campbell - Mid (same as above)
Michael Cooper - Mid (same as above)
Tom Cannon - Bad
Jefferson Cáceres - Bad
Christian Nwachukwu - Bad

Loans 24/25
Harry Souttar - Good
Alfie Gilchrist - Bad
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi - Good
Ben Brereton Diaz - Bad
Hamza Choudhury - Mid
Harry Clarke - Bad
Rob Holding - Bad (hadn't played first team football for two years, hardly featured)

Permanent 25/26
Ehije Ukaki - Bad
Mihail Polendakov- Bad
Nils Zätterström - Bad
Danny Ings - Bad
Japhet Tanganga - Mid
Tahith Chong - Bad
Alex Matos - Bad
Mark McGuinness - Bad
Ben Mee - Bad/Mid
Jaïro Riedewald - Good
Patrick Bamford - Good

Loans 25/26
Tyler Bindon - Mid (generous)
Louie Barry - Bad
Djibril Soumaré - Mid (again generous)
Ben Godfrey - Bad
Chiedozie Ogbene - Bad
Ki-Jana Hoever - (too early to judge, not looking great)

So out of 33 incomings, I'd say:
5 have been good.
9 have been mid.
19 have been bad.

The thing is, the 'good' signings, 3 have been free transfers, 2 loans.
Every player we have spent a fee on, has been a bad signing (in my opinion).

Some of the signings are absolutely bewildering.
'Bad' is far too kind.

Every serious football fan in the land could have told you, before they signed with us:
Shackleton is shit/lightweight.
McGuiness is a terrible footballer and slow.
Ings' legs have gone.
Ogbene had lost his pace after a serious injury.
Ben Godfrey was finished.
Chong - see Shackleton.
Matos - nowhere near championship standard.
Cannon - Awful all round game, no stand out attributes.

How much 'scouting' did these players actually require?

We needed a massive change of direction in the summer, from the bottom to the top.
Just changing the front man and expecting things to change was absolutely fucking stupid.

Wilder's roots are entwined so deep in this club, it's going one way. Buckle in, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

 

[jt64]

Half of those that you list as bad have not been at the club for anywhere near long enough to draw any sort of conclusion whatsoever

 

[Wright1889]

Half of those that you list as bad have not been at the club for anywhere near long enough to draw any sort of conclusion whatsoever

Let’s wait another 18 months to decide recruitment has been shocking then?

 

[Silky Sabella]

May 2024, recruitment 'reshuffle'.

Our recruitment hasn't been great for quite some time, however I believe recently, since Hoyland and Allen joined their mate Wilder, it couldn't have gone much worse.

Incomings since they arrived:
Rated them Bad/Mid/Good. Obviously my opinion, yours may differ, but can't see them being far off.

Permanent 24/25
Jamie Shackleton - Bad
Sam McCallum - Mid (would have been bad, but picked up this season.
Kieffer Moore - Bad (maybe tad hard, but was never a good fit)
Callum O'Hare - Good
Harrison Burrows - Mid (opposite to McCallum)
Tyrese Campbell - Mid (same as above)
Michael Cooper - Mid (same as above)
Tom Cannon - Bad
Jefferson Cáceres - Bad
Christian Nwachukwu - Bad

Loans 24/25
Harry Souttar - Good
Alfie Gilchrist - Bad
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi - Good
Ben Brereton Diaz - Bad
Hamza Choudhury - Mid
Harry Clarke - Bad
Rob Holding - Bad (hadn't played first team football for two years, hardly featured)

Permanent 25/26
Ehije Ukaki - Bad
Mihail Polendakov- Bad
Nils Zätterström - Bad
Danny Ings - Bad
Japhet Tanganga - Mid
Tahith Chong - Bad
Alex Matos - Bad
Mark McGuinness - Bad
Ben Mee - Bad/Mid
Jaïro Riedewald - Good
Patrick Bamford - Good

Loans 25/26
Tyler Bindon - Mid (generous)
Louie Barry - Bad
Djibril Soumaré - Mid (again generous)
Ben Godfrey - Bad
Chiedozie Ogbene - Bad
Ki-Jana Hoever - (too early to judge, not looking great)

So out of 33 incomings, I'd say:
5 have been good.
9 have been mid.
19 have been bad.

The thing is, the 'good' signings, 3 have been free transfers, 2 loans.
Every player we have spent a fee on, has been a bad signing (in my opinion).

Some of the signings are absolutely bewildering.
'Bad' is far too kind.

Every serious football fan in the land could have told you, before they signed with us:
Shackleton is shit/lightweight.
McGuiness is a terrible footballer and slow.
Ings' legs have gone.
Ogbene had lost his pace after a serious injury.
Ben Godfrey was finished.
Chong - see Shackleton.
Matos - nowhere near championship standard.
Cannon - Awful all round game, no stand out attributes.

How much 'scouting' did these players actually require?

We needed a massive change of direction in the summer, from the bottom to the top.
Just changing the front man and expecting things to change was absolutely fucking stupid.

Wilder's roots are entwined so deep in this club, it's going one way. Buckle in, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Spot on it's all too cosy and pally pally at Bramall Lane, and the close relationship between bettis and wilder is sickly !

 

[The Vicar]

Let’s wait another 18 months to decide recruitment has been shocking then?

From League one!

 

[Vass Borbokis]

Half of those that you list as bad have not been at the club for anywhere near long enough to draw any sort of conclusion whatsoever

Like I said mate, just my opinion, everyone has one.
Just out of interest, who are you referring to?

 

[jt64]

Let’s wait another 18 months to decide recruitment has been shocking then?

If the OP had made this post twelve months ago they would likely have listed Campbell as good. Now they list him as mediocre. As such, how can they come to any sort of conclusion on a lot of the project players, when most of them have not played and would not be expected to play? I'm fine with someone calling out those which were objectively poor transfers at the outset as such, and I wouldn't disagree with a fair few of those assessments, but the list reads like "unless they become ndiaye within two weeks it is not good" which is frankly absurd

 

[Kenworthy’s Tash]

May 2024, recruitment 'reshuffle'.

Our recruitment hasn't been great for quite some time, however I believe recently, since Hoyland and Allen joined their mate Wilder, it couldn't have gone much worse.

Incomings since they arrived:
Rated them Bad/Mid/Good. Obviously my opinion, yours may differ, but can't see them being far off.

Permanent 24/25
Jamie Shackleton - Bad
Sam McCallum - Mid (would have been bad, but picked up this season.
Kieffer Moore - Bad (maybe tad hard, but was never a good fit)
Callum O'Hare - Good
Harrison Burrows - Mid (opposite to McCallum)
Tyrese Campbell - Mid (same as above)
Michael Cooper - Mid (same as above)
Tom Cannon - Bad
Jefferson Cáceres - Bad
Christian Nwachukwu - Bad

Loans 24/25
Harry Souttar - Good
Alfie Gilchrist - Bad
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi - Good
Ben Brereton Diaz - Bad
Hamza Choudhury - Mid
Harry Clarke - Bad
Rob Holding - Bad (hadn't played first team football for two years, hardly featured)

Permanent 25/26
Ehije Ukaki - Bad
Mihail Polendakov- Bad
Nils Zätterström - Bad
Danny Ings - Bad
Japhet Tanganga - Mid
Tahith Chong - Bad
Alex Matos - Bad
Mark McGuinness - Bad
Ben Mee - Bad/Mid
Jaïro Riedewald - Good
Patrick Bamford - Good

Loans 25/26
Tyler Bindon - Mid (generous)
Louie Barry - Bad
Djibril Soumaré - Mid (again generous)
Ben Godfrey - Bad
Chiedozie Ogbene - Bad
Ki-Jana Hoever - (too early to judge, not looking great)

So out of 33 incomings, I'd say:
5 have been good.
9 have been mid.
19 have been bad.

The thing is, the 'good' signings, 3 have been free transfers, 2 loans.
Every player we have spent a fee on, has been a bad signing (in my opinion).

Some of the signings are absolutely bewildering.
'Bad' is far too kind.

Every serious football fan in the land could have told you, before they signed with us:
Shackleton is shit/lightweight.
McGuiness is a terrible footballer and slow.
Ings' legs have gone.
Ogbene had lost his pace after a serious injury.
Ben Godfrey was finished.
Chong - see Shackleton.
Matos - nowhere near championship standard.
Cannon - Awful all round game, no stand out attributes.

How much 'scouting' did these players actually require?

We needed a massive change of direction in the summer, from the bottom to the top.
Just changing the front man and expecting things to change was absolutely fucking stupid.

Wilder's roots are entwined so deep in this club, it's going one way. Buckle in, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Couldn’t agree more. The owners were absolutely right to get rid of Wilder and try and modernise our club, they just picked the wrong bloke.

Sounds like Wilder has worked his way so deep into the club through stupid Bettis that a change is looking unlikely.

Hope COH have the balls to try it again in the summer but this time go early and interview as many candidates as they can.

Blades bore the hell out of me and have done for a few years now. Club badly needs a revamp.

 

[KMC-1889]

I think you’re being very generous with some of your ratings as well.

One thing that does stand out is how wildly different all those signings are. What type of player are we looking for? For what system? What markets are we shopping in? This is why some of us are crying out for more structure at the club and less responsibility in a limited number of people.

We’re about to go into our 3rd summer in a row where the squad needs an entire rebuild. How has this been allowed to happen? What is the plan?

We’re extremely lucky we have had some quality come out of our academy, even if our current manager is dead set against using some of them.

 

[Matlock Blade]

I think the biggest issue is appointing Selles to replace Wilder. We should had appointed a good manager.

 

[The Vicar]

I think the biggest issue is appointing Selles to replace Wilder. We should had appointed a good manager.

It’s difficult to argue against this. Selles decimated the existing team and brought in utter dross which have proved to be below the standard required for the Championship. Whilst I am often ambivalent about Wilder, he cannot be held to blame for the shambles he took over.

 

[ATL Recs]

Half of those that you list as bad have not been at the club for anywhere near long enough to draw any sort of conclusion whatsoever

What planet you on
Apart from 2 players they’ve been here since before and the end of the last summer transfer window

 

[ATL Recs]

I think the biggest issue is appointing Selles to replace Wilder. We should had appointed a good manager.

And the recruitment strategy

 

[Vass Borbokis]

If the OP had made this post twelve months ago they would likely have listed Campbell as good. Now they list him as mediocre. As such, how can they come to any sort of conclusion on a lot of the project players, when most of them have not played and would not be expected to play? I'm fine with someone calling out those which were objectively poor transfers at the outset as such, and I wouldn't disagree with a fair few of those assessments, but the list reads like "unless they become ndiaye within two weeks it is not good" which is frankly absurd

Maybe they are a tad reactionary and there's recency bias in there of course.
I was judging on their tenure with the club.
Campbell did have some great times last season and I agree, he'd have been edging towards good, however he has always had fitness issues, which Stoke fans were very vocal about. He had some purple patches there, but ultimately, his fitness will always hold him back (like the caravan he's currently pulling).

The 5 I decided to list as good, are nowhere near Ndiaye's level, so that comment is a little absurd isn't it (Souttar, O'Hare, Rak-Sakyi, Riedewald, Bamford).

 

[Nedski]

I feel like this new committee that's been put together is to spread wilder's workload in preparation for him going again.

It was painfully obvious that Selles came in to be a team manager whereas wilder was the club manager and therefore huge lessons have been learned.

The next step is a director of football/sporting director/technical director. There's a reason the vast majority of teams have one.

 

[jono_t2000]

I had a dream that one day, COH will appoint a director of football. Problem is, I may be dead by then.

 

[Tickhill Blade]

Hope COH have the balls to try it again in the summer but this time go early and interview as many candidates as they can.

Just interviewing a candidate would be an improvement on last summer's process

 

[Kenworthy’s Tash]

It’s difficult to argue against this. Selles decimated the existing team and brought in utter dross which have proved to be below the standard required for the Championship. Whilst I am often ambivalent about Wilder, he cannot be held to blame for the shambles he took over.

Errr, yes he can, he certainly played a big part… his mental breakdown towards the end of last season that transmitted through to the players & cost us promotion and the crap he signed that were already at the club when Selles took over. How much did Cannon cost again? Totally unnecessary signing at a massively inflated price and we wonder why the kitty is now looking sickly.

 

[FriethBlade]

Half of those that you list as bad have not been at the club for anywhere near long enough to draw any sort of conclusion whatsoever

Really which half are you talking about? Hes listed 19 as being bad, Im a generous person so name the 9 you think 'its too early to call bad'

 

[DifferentClass]

BBD was decent in the Prem but when we got him back in the Championship he turned to crap.

 

[Blade In Flame]

I had a dream that one day, COH will appoint a director of football. Problem is, I may be dead by then.

Lay off the DMT and cheese after 9pm. It's not good for you son.

 

[SRBlade]

Lay off the DMT and cheese after 9pm. It's not good for you son.

Imagine how let down I felt when I realised the SAC didn't involve any long term technical/football plan.

Like last summer was an anomaly

 

[Blade In Flame]

Imagine how let down I felt when I realised the SAC didn't involve any long term technical/football plan.

Like last summer was an anomaly

Other dimensions, parallel universes and all that innit. We are all Monad consciousness, we just need to remember, and cheese and DMT helps us do that.

 

[jt64]

What planet you on
Apart from 2 players they’ve been here since before and the end of the last summer transfer window

Yep. And plenty of them would not be expected to make a first team impression by now. Yet at the same time plenty want to hold that against the players in question

 

[SRBlade]

Other dimensions, parallel universes and all that innit. We are all Monad consciousness, we just need to remember, and cheese and DMT helps us do that.

Where do i get DMT to make me realise we're 59 time FA cup champs?

 

[Champagneblade]

I think the biggest issue is appointing Selles to replace Wilder. We should had appointed a good manager.

Honestly, I do like Wilder, but we should not have gotten rid of Hecky.

It was pure desperation when the situation was clear for all to see. We did not have the finances to stay up. We accepted that with the level of recruitment and we should have been prepared to accept the results.

He was a good man and he would also potentially have fit with the Board initially a little better than Wilder.

 

[Champagneblade]

Just saw this graphic.

Apart from Tanganga that’s so horrific! Slight consideration to Mee and Bindon latterly.

 

[Iffy Onuora's Shiny Head]

You could stretch this back probably 5 years ans get the same ratios of good/mid/bad.

What's absolutely astounding is I can't think of a player we have signed for a transfer fee and then made a profit on for 10 years. There might be one or two we made our money back on.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Yep. And plenty of them would not be expected to make a first team impression by now. Yet at the same time plenty want to hold that against the players in question

I don’t think anyone is holding it against the players. That’s missing the point.

 

[Brian Deane]

One thing not been mentioned is how some of our players that most of us was glad to see the back of have gone on to play way above three capabilities whilst here........says alot about the club/ management .........