The biggest mistake this year

[BarcaBlade]

True, but I feel we would have been clear with Souttar

On Xmas Day we were top and had conceded 11 goals in 22 games. Souttar got injured the next day on the 2-0 loss to Burnley.

Our gA was 0.56 per game

In the 22 games that have followed we've conceded 22 goals. 1 per game. Pretty much a 100% uplift

Also known as a 78% uplift. Just being pedantic.

When Souttar went off, it was an identical feeling to Hulse's injury for me. Almost couldn't believe we were still in it for so long

 

[Blade56]

We had 38 days from Boxing Day until the close of the window, to find a replacement ‘lead’ central defender. Ideally, it should have been attended to in the first week of January but to not get anyone in until the last minute, and even then it was one who wasn’t ready to play, was incredibly disappointing.

Hope the new owners leaned from this. You get your targets starting at the back, goalie CH x2 , you don’t let Wilder spend £10m .

Honestly think those 2 decissions (Souttar and Cannon) are visabley weighing on Wilders shoulders. He knows they were season defining errors.

Yet get through weaker teams in the play offs and some fans will throw themselves and the owners money at his feet cause “he’s earned the chance until Christmas”.

It’ll be a feckin blood bath by Christmas, he will have wasted any war chest so nowt in JTW and roll back to last seasons efforts, no decent manager will come with no budget and us vying for Southamptons record.

 

[Tezza1889]

Think we might be dealing with Yorkshires *second biggest ego here, this is Oconnel all over again, and the same outcome as to dealing with it, you'd think he'd learn, but that would mean admitting he'd made a mistake and he doesn't do that does he!

However..

If he serves up the drivel we've watched for 98% of the season, we won't need to worry about the premier league or Wembley..

*chancer takes the biscuit barrel, not just the biscuit... good lad isn't he..

 

[Carlton Blade]

We lost every game against the top 2 teams. 2 of the games were pretty uncompetitive, with Souttar in the team. Win 2 of those and it's United who are currently top.

 

[Godbeblade]

If he'd have been fit throughout I wonder if we'd been a mirror image of Burnley (even though we very nearly were anyway with him gone).

But I mean would we have been a 0-0 or 1-0 win type of team. They've drawn games instead of losing relying on their defence which is what made them pull away, where we've tried that, but the defence hasn't been as good and we couldn't seem to score after going behind.

I wonder if not having a different/better forward options may have also been a big factor in our end of season performances?

 

[skegblade]

Souttar getting injured cost us the title.

We would have been like Brum are now in Lg1.

Maybe 10 points clear.

He was such a powerful yet calming, organized, presence.

Dont know about that ,leeds would have sailed it without meslier in goal , cost so many points it was astounding he wasnt dropped earlier ,notable they havent conceded since whats his face took over

 

[SwissBlade]

… not replacing Souttar.

Just happened to come across a few highlights from season and our season changed the moment he got injured. He was becoming a massive fans favourite.

We’ve been linked with Dunne at QPR and Darling at Swansea but by looks of it we’re waiting to get them for nowt at the end of the year. We use the Cannon money to get those 2 in then I think we cruise to title.

Worse thing is, most blades fans knew this.

So if it's acknowledged that we tried and couldn't get a like for like replacement, but the closest we could get was an unfit Holding, what then? Does that change your post?

 

[Old Programme seller]

Perhaps if we’d not bought Cannon and flashed £10million at a club for a defender of quality things may have been different but of course we’re talking in hindsight Wilder with a decent transfer kitty hasn’t been good at all.

 

[JayGreen17]

… not replacing Souttar.

Just happened to come across a few highlights from season and our season changed the moment he got injured. He was becoming a massive fans favourite.

We’ve been linked with Dunne at QPR and Darling at Swansea but by looks of it we’re waiting to get them for nowt at the end of the year. We use the Cannon money to get those 2 in then I think we cruise to title.

Worse thing is, most blades fans knew this.

He did replace him…. But with someone that wasn’t fit, far too late in the window, and when fit didn’t play him even though he’s moles better than bomb scare……

 

[spongebobblade]

Souttar was a huge miss but not replacing Bogle before the season started has cost us massively. We’ve gone an entire season without an experienced recognised right back. If he had been in our team we would be champions already

 

[loyalblade95]

Souttar was a huge miss but not replacing Bogle before the season started has cost us massively. We’ve gone an entire season without an experienced recognised right back. If he had been in our team we would be champions already

RB and RW have been the problem positions all season, given that between 7 players for 2 positions (Choudhury, Clarke, Gilchrist, Seriki, Brooks, JRS and BBD), not one of them have really established themselves as 1st choice in those positions.

Maybe Jimmy Dunne and/or Jonjoe Kenny coming in would have sorted our RB spot, and we still would have been able to get Holding on loan as well, as Dunne/Kenny were meant to be permanent deals.

But it didn't happen that way and we just had to get on with it, and best thing is, Dunne and JJK are both out of contract in the summer and I reckon we'll be back in for both of them, plus Harry Darling if Anel and Robbo both leave.

I suppose you could excuse Choudhury from the RB discussion, as while he's played better at RB, he couldn't always play there as he had to cover at CDM for the injured Souza for a few weeks.

Every other position, a specific player (like Anel at RCB) has made it their own.

But that being said, to get as far as we have done with no established RB and RW, we've done well.

 

[Bladesman101]

So if it's acknowledged that we tried and couldn't get a like for like replacement, but the closest we could get was an unfit Holding, what then? Does that change your post?

I’m pretty sure Swansea/QPR would’ve accepted 5m each for the centre half they’d be losing for nothing at the end of the season, especially when both playing for nothing this season

 

[SwissBlade]

I’m pretty sure Swansea/QPR would’ve accepted 5m each for the centre half they’d be losing for nothing at the end of the season, especially when both playing for nothing this season

Possibly but we also don't know the details of what was offered and what was not. I get your point but perhaps it was a risk to wait and end up with nobody

 

[Cheesebored]

I suggest that on any given weekend there’s 3 better centre forwards playing park football in South Yorkshire, than what we paid £7m for.

You could argue that we've overpaid for him based on what we've seen so far but that's just a lazy comment.

 

[Scoips]

I didn't think the summer rebuild was quite as good as many on here make out, but the January transfer window was a disaster. We needed to do three things: replace Souttar, replace Arblaster and get in a competent right back. We did none of these and instead spunked £10m on a striker who appears to have few stand out qualities. Happily handing over £10m for Cannon but arguing the toss with QPR about £1m for Dunne just seems like madness.
Having brought in 17 players (including loans, I know) this season, I think we only have one player who is Premier League quality (Cooper) and a few who just might step up, but most of those were already here before this season's signings. For this reason (and the fact that many of Wilder's team selections are bizarre/stubborn and his substitutions seem always to make us worse) I'd come round thinking that it would be best if we completely re-set this summer and got in a new manager who would give us a better chance in the EPL if we managed promotion next year. The trouble is that I think the Championship next year is going to be a beast, with the three relegated sides, Brum and Wrexham from L! and the perennial play off chasers like West Brom, Sunderland etc.

 

[ATL Recs]

We had 38 days from Boxing Day until the close of the window, to find a replacement ‘lead’ central defender. Ideally, it should have been attended to in the first week of January but to not get anyone in until the last minute, and even then it was one who wasn’t ready to play, was incredibly disappointing.

By ‘lead’ central defender, I mean someone in the same mould as Souttar - the sort that brings reassurance to the rest of the defence and the keeper - and not a support or secondary centre-half.

Anel is a classic support centre-half, and Robbo, given that he’s really a left-back by trade, is the same when moved to centre-half.

They both played so much better at the side of Souttar than they do together. It’s just like how Egan was never quite as assured when O’Connell was not there, and further back, how Bromby and Killgallon could both look excellent when either was paired with Morgan, but were easily bullied when they played together.

The failure to find a leader for central defence - particularly as funds appear to have been available - is unfathomable.

It’s unacceptable and piss poor management and recruitment I said all this in December and have constantly said it loudly since the close of the JTW

 

[TJ blade]

The biggest mistake this season was that week from Oxford to Plymouth where instead of turning up we folded far worse than Leeds did in 19.

I don't blame the Leeds fans for lauding it over us it was laughable, we should have taken minimum 6 points from that lot

We were garbage in all 3 games! It was on the manager, his poor set up & tactics + subs were on him, hope he's not going to be the tinker man again in the playoffs, play your best team ffs!

 

[Sheffsteel]

… not replacing Souttar.

Just happened to come across a few highlights from season and our season changed the moment he got injured. He was becoming a massive fans favourite.

We’ve been linked with Dunne at QPR and Darling at Swansea but by looks of it we’re waiting to get them for nowt at the end of the year. We use the Cannon money to get those 2 in then I think we cruise to title.

Worse thing is, most blades fans knew this.

Sounds so simple…..after the event.

During the JTW our priority was probably striker over a central defender because it was looking like our only reliable striker option was Ryan One.

Moore has a history of injuries and was facing an operation. Campbell has a history of injuries and had picked up another injuring. Brewster was totally out of form regards playing up front.

At least Anel and Robinson were good Championship standard and we brought in Holding as back up, who was reasonably impressive when he played.

No one would have replaced the dominance of Souttar but the mistake was possibly not giving Holding more game time.

People rightly criticise Robinson for his rashness however I thought Anel had a poor second half of the season . Anel was back to his best when playing with Souttar but as we saw last season Anel doesn’t look as assured partnering Robinson.

 

[Aston max]

Hope the new owners leaned from this. You get your targets starting at the back, goalie CH x2 , you don’t let Wilder spend £10m .

Honestly think those 2 decissions (Souttar and Cannon) are visabley weighing on Wilders shoulders. He knows they were season defining errors.

Yet get through weaker teams in the play offs and some fans will throw themselves and the owners money at his feet cause “he’s earned the chance until Christmas”.

It’ll be a feckin blood bath by Christmas, he will have wasted any war chest so nowt in JTW and roll back to last seasons efforts, no decent manager will come with no budget and us vying for Southamptons record.

Careful mate ,you're risking the " ire" of the " wilder is god " posters

 

[nopigfansintown]

He did replace him…. But with someone that wasn’t fit, far too late in the window, and when fit didn’t play him even though he’s moles better than bomb scare……

You can't replace Souttar. It's the Championship version of replacing Van Dijk. An issue we had is that three of the five we brought in were miles of fitness (Holding, BBD, Clarke). It's a cautionary tale about building a squad in January. You don't...

Midfield depth has cost us big style. We rolled the dice on Davies staying fit and Vini returning to his best. Neither happened. Due to that we've had to run players into the ground.We needed forwards as we had an in and out Campbell with a dubious injury history, a perennially injured Brewster and a guy who had just had an op and been really ill who is only really returning to his best now

I think it was the October through January games that cost us as much as the headline grabbing three game losing run everyone remembers.The squad depth was nowhere near good enough. We almost got away with it but not quite. There's a lot of games we won or drew when really we were dead on our feet. . The Bristol home draw, pigs away win, Plymouth home win, Pompey home win. The Hull home defeat, Sunderland away and West Brom home draw are good examples. Burnley home we were cooked.

 

[nopigfansintown]

He did replace him…. But with someone that wasn’t fit, far too late in the window, and when fit didn’t play him even though he’s moles better than bomb scare……

You can't replace Souttar. It's the Championship version of replacing Van Dijk. An issue we had is that three of the five we brought in were miles of fitness (Holding, BBD, Clarke). It's a cautionary tale about building a squad in January.

Midfield depth has cost us big style. We rolled the dice on Davies staying fit and Vini returning to his best. Neither happened. Due to that we've had to run players into the ground.We needed forwards as we had an in and out Campbell with a dubious injury history, a perennially injured Brewster and a guy who had just had an op and been really ill who is only really returning to his best now

I think it was the October through January games that cost us as much as the three game losing run everyone remembers.The squad depth was nowhere near good enough. We almost got away with it but not quite. There's a lot of games we won or drew when really we were dead on our feet. . The Bristol home draw, pigs away win, Plymouth home win, Pompey home win. The Hull home defeat, Sunderland away and West Brom home draw are good examples. Burnley home we were cooked