The Decline of the Blades

[Badger Blade]

We're where we deserve to be and are pretty much in our median position, at least over the 36 years I've been on the earth, which is somewhere sock in the middle of a 9th placed Premier League finish and 11th in League One.

It's not so much the decline of the Blades but the land of missed opportunity. There are loads of clubs who have had their moment while we've skirted round the edges and never kicked on.

There are clubs like Charlton, Swansea, Derby, West Brom, Hull, Wolves who have all done longer stints in the top flight than we have. Cardiff, Swansea, Wigan, Wednesday, Palace, Birmingham, Leicester and Portsmouth have all won major cup competitions and Leicester even won the league! Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth have kicked on to become established Premier League clubs from being bottom feeders not that long ago.

One common denominator is that most of these clubs have also faced financial ruin and have had their share of dodgy owners, while by comparison we've negotiated our way around this marginally better.

We simply haven't sampled that moment in the sun and the feeling of being at the pinnacle of something, even for a bit.

The best we've managed is getting a bit sweaty on Skeggy beach when it comes to a few cup semis and one season of brilliant football in the top flight where we didn't have the nous within the club, from Wilder up to Prince Abdullah to know what the next step needed to be to stay in the Premier League rather than just being happy to be there.

It's the usual Sheffield United way of chucking shit at the wall and hoping it sticks, rather than coming up with a proper plan and knowing that if you manage to execute most of it, you know that you'll be in with a shout. We're clueless and seemingly always have been.

 

[Champagneblade]

The Brooks departure is pretty simple to understand - him and Wilder don’t get along and see eye to eye, there was only ever going to be one winner in that battle (similar to how Fergie used to run Man Utd). Brooks agent also wanted to get him more money. So along comes a £10million pound offer, decent money for a somewhat inconsistent player, and we recoup that as pure profit under the financial rules.

The issue is that with better management skills could Wilder have kept a bright talent and got more out of him. We’ll never know.

We sold another Brooks (one of best talents we’d had in a long time) for similar money in 2018, and used that money to build a stronger “team” and we got promoted that year.

I’ll hold out final judgement until this window closes and see where we’re at. My overall faith and patience with Wilder is at an all time low…but the next 2 and a bit months is really his final chance to save and build on his legacy at the club. So hopefully he proves many of us wrong.

I agree with a lot of what you say, though I do find the notion he was inconsistent a little unfair on him.

He’s a winger. There isn’t a winger in the world that beats his man every time, but Brooks, at least to the naked eye seemed to have a very high success at doing just that. He was a very good ball carrier and contrary to what some have bizarrely said (on the ramble) he regularly tracked back and helped a Seriki.

We’re at the unfortunate wait and see stage right now.

 

[Borbokisfreekick]

Nice post

But if what you say is true , financially , why do you lack so much faith in Wilder ?

Comes down to the same trends being repeated - poor tactically, unfit players, we fade in games, outdone by smarter coaches/managers in games, stubbornness to continue to pick underperforming players. I’d also question whether his managerial techniques have evolved much - things like the back end of the 92 point season, his handling of younger players (Brooks, Seriki).

That all said, top managers evolve, the shake up of the back room staff could be really positive, and I do think Wilder deserves a full pre-season to reshape the squad and see what he can do.

 

[Super Furry Blades]

It’s fair to say things aren’t looking great so they aren’t, but let’s wait and see. I’d assume we’ve found ourselves back at a comfortable level of being a middling unimpressive second tier side, not ideal but we’ve had it far worse so we have.

Why do you care jim , on a previous post you said younl don't like United / football
Not sure why you are commenting .
That's like me getting involved on a fan page discussing coronation Street.

 

[Super Furry Blades]

 

[Jim Mcdonald]

Why do you care jim , on a previous post you said younl don't like United / football
Not sure why you are commenting .
That's like me getting involved on a fan page discussing coronation Street.

Doesn’t have any relevance to my point so it doesn’t, this doesn’t cost me a bean so it doesn’t.

 

[Snowflake]

6 years in L1

…and 9 years above that !

 

[Keen Blade]

…and 9 years above that !

Yeh , obviously ....

But those 6 years were what followed the hiccups from 2007-11.

And the potential for a repeat of the cycle looms large.

Of course , the Messiah arrived (who at that stage was capable of miracles) and we were saved from oblivion.

But this time we need to hold onto Championship status - coz there's little likelihood of another Messiah appearing who could produce such a phoenix-like rise.

 

[Hanauer]

Why do you care jim , on a previous post you said younl don't like United / football
Not sure why you are commenting .
That's like me getting involved on a fan page discussing coronation Street.

Strong smell of Pork.

 

[Champagneblade]

I think we just need to be really considered in the market this pre-season.

What we don’t need is lots of mediocre crap we are stuck with.

I regularly forget Shackleton exists. What a stupid deal that one was. I’m not that comfortable with Phillips’ fitness. But we need robust 40 game a season players.

Souttar also seldom players 30 and 40 odd game seasons. I like him but the danger is the entire season’s success could be sat in the stands watching.

Good thing about Walker is that he played 36 matches last season. IF we could get him that would be one of the pluses.

 

[djbaldken]

Strong smell of Pork.

Definitely not true!
Fully committed Blade.

 

[Hanauer]

Definitely not true!
Fully committed Blade.

Shame.