The reality is - we have hit our ceiling

[finlaytheblade]

Some good points there and I agree with most of it, but, I'm not agreeing that we were "an Ipswich" during our last spell in the Championship. With the exception of the last fateful season when we got relegated, we were knocking on the door of the Top 6 every season.

Do you think we should spend £10 - £14M on one player? I don't personally. I think it's far too big a risk. I'd much rather us spend a modest amount and supplement our squad with loans from the Prem of players who may eventually change hands for that kind of money.

Take Wilson for example. If we'd tried to buy him from Man Utd, what would we have paid for him right now? I'd suggest they would want a minimum of £5M (maybe more like £10M) for a bloke some Man U fans reckon is a better finisher than Rashford. Is he worth that? Would you be happy to have seen us "spunk" £5M on him?

Did you see Forest's number 9 on saturday? What did you make of him? His name's Darryl Murphy btw. Newcastle paid Ipswich £4M for him. Worth it do you think? I hardly think so! But he had a prolific season for Ipswich in 2015 and Newcastle were in soon after with £4M smackers. He's done bugger all since.

We have to be so, so, careful. It's a minefield out there and it would be easy to throw daft money at average players who've had one good season and have hit the headlines.

That's why I prefer Wilder's style of catching them on the way up, not on the way down.

However, I do agree that increased investment would improve our chances of success enormously. Give Wilder £10M to spend on the squad, not on one player, and I think he'll do wonders with it.

That's exactly as I see it CeCerberus

 

[sheffielder]

When Chris Wilder took over at Bramall Lane at the beginning of last season, the club was in an absolute state. He inherited a fairly poor squad that was underachieving in league one.

Fast forward 18 months and he has transformed us into a top half championship club. A quite remarkable job. He deserves all the plaudits he gets, we have done it with passion, guile, quality and plenty of entertainment - it’s been superb!

However, the reality is, he (or anyone) is going to struggle to take us much beyond the point we are at.

Since time immemorial, Blades fans have been trying to convince themselves that we wouldn’t want to be a club that was ‘spunkin money’ away to try and gain success, citing our neighbours and other failures with big budgets. However, it just takes a quick glance at the championship table to know that, despite all these protestations, money simply buys you success. The current top 6 will be not far off the 6 largest spenders in the division and that is the equilibrium football has reached. It creates a glass ceiling that clubs such as ourselves would need an immense stroke of luck to get through, but still incredibly unlikely.

Now we know we will never being spenders in the championship under the current ownership, and that’s fine. We just need to accept that, unless someone on here has £150 million sat in their bank collecting dust. I also feel a dose of realism is needed about expectations of the club, and Wilder, from here on in.

Before our L1 days we were an ‘Ipswich’. A very average second tier club that sometimes flirted with the playoffs. That’s what Wilder has achieved in his time here, but it is our ‘natural’ place and one we shouldn’t take for granted.

This has stemmed from my thoughts about improving for next season. I think most would agree our first move should be up front. We need a good championship striker to get us through games like yesterday. Then I realised, well there’s no chance! Look at those top 6 sides.... striker values:

Wolves - Neves - £14 million (just an example of many to be fair)
Cardiff - Madine - £6 million
Fulham - Rui Fonte - £8 million (plus rejecting £30 million for Cairney in Jan!)
Villa - hogan - £12 million
Derby - Vydra - £7million
Boro - Assombalonga - £14 million

And all of a sudden you realise just how difficult it’s going to be to reach those heights. Wilder has done an amazing jobs, but games like yesterday are won by players of a similar ilk to those mentioned above, none of which we will be able to get.

Well done Chris, an amazing job done, but I find it difficult to see us being able to move on from here without some genuine investment.

Why is it that you only post when things go tits up. Are you the guy who tipped the gold cup winner after the event.

 

[blader]

Why is it that you only post when things go tits up. Are you the guy who tipped the gold cup winner after the event.

But it’s the opposite. I’m praising Wilder to high heavens! I personally don’t see this season as going ‘tits up’ I think we’ve been fantastic, we’ve just faded away due to lack of a quality in depth we can’t afford, which is exactly my point.

If you think this season has gone tits up, your expectations were too high to begin with.

 

[blade too long]

its hard to knock Wlders achievments , in the 21 months here
we are 31 places higher in the league than when he took over with as good a chance of a play off spot as 5 or 6 clubs still in the mix
averaging 27000 gates mainly due to the entertaining way we play, and looking down on wednesday from a great height
lets not spoil it by petty complaints and a failure to support the team fully for 8 crucial games

lets urge the club onwards, and hopefully upwards
not give up mid battle , and surrender meekly through apathy
tin hats on and charge

 

[Cerberus Blade]

That's exactly as I see it CeCerberus

At last! Someone who agrees with me!

Fancy a body-merge Finlay? So we become one and the same person?

Before you answer that, can you send me some photos of your missus?

 

[finlaytheblade]

in football there are no ceilings , except at the top of the prem as thats the top
under that anythings possible
any ceiling is self inflicted
was there a ceiling beating derby and wolves at home or winning at norwich hillsboro or leeds
footballs a game where you can exceed expectations and in the main we are continuing to do just that

and if theres the belief , we can still go further

in football there are no ceilings , except at the top of the prem as thats the top
under that anythings possible
any ceiling is self inflicted
was there a ceiling beating derby and wolves at home or winning at norwich hillsboro or leeds
footballs a game where you can exceed expectations and in the main we are continuing to do just that

and if theres the belief , we can still go further

At last! Someone who agrees with me!

Fancy a body-merge Finlay? So we become one and the same person?

Before you answer that, can you send me some photos of your missus?

Bloody cheek!!!!!!!!!

 

[Blade58]

Selling or Buying?

Well it's selling, but we could well break the buying record s well because we've broke the selling record

 

[1889]

Well it's selling, but we could well break the buying record s well because we've broke the selling record

Have you just woke from a coma?

You couldn't have timed it better mate, you won't believe this, but England are in the World Cup semis, no shit!

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Who's going to pay 6 million for fucking Nadine?

 

[Eddiecolquhounsleg]

Who's going to pay 6 million for fucking Nadine?

What? Her from Girls Aloud? I would.

 

[sitwell]

What? Her from Girls Aloud? I would.

what would she be expected to do for 6 million ?? Not sing I hope.

 

[Eddiecolquhounsleg]

what would she be expected to do for 6 million ?? Not sing I hope.

No. In all the scenarios going through my head singing is not involved.

 

[Bladezz]

We need to establish ourselves slowly as a Brentford.

Stick with same manager and let him rebuild the team as he is doing. Work towards been a top 10 team.

This will require money (which we may have to able to compete with)

 

[blade too long]

as usual the biggest draw back to the blades are the few blades who still think we are run the same way
that mcsue pockets all the money
that we are the only club in england who sell players
we only sell our best players , well dah who wants any teams dregs, pigs cant give rhodes away
that we are the only club who doesnt buy a a promotion team before the end of june
our ceiling is whatever we want it to be

huddersfield blackpool burnley , all shredded the theory only spending big takes you up

we will compete , you need the rub of the green and decent officials above 10m pound players

 

[Champagneblade]

I think Wilder has the right targets. The only issue is that the money needed still requires a shift in thinking.

Hogan, Gallagher, Sharp and Clarke.

Can't realistically expect much more than the above as very good strike options.

Duffy, Holmes and Woodburn.

Again, I don't see much more than the above as a potential attacking midfield.

Basham, Leonard, Stearman, Wright, O'Connell, Egan.

Probably the best we could hope for in terms of experience and gettability.

All other areas as is.

It's certainly not the 10s of millions Forest are shelling out, but I'd be happy with that.

But we are light on numbers now. 8 gone, Ched, Slater and Norrington-Davies on their way.

5 in and 11 out will make for a leaner squad, but higher in quality.

At present though, a month to go and still 4 key signings to make. We could end up with what we had last year at this rate!

 

[cahill]

We need to establish ourselves slowly as a Brentford.

Stick with same manager and let him rebuild the team as he is doing. Work towards been a top 10 team.

This will require money (which we may have to able to compete with)

As long as the manager is willing to stick with us. Ambition and all that.

 

[Davalon]

as usual the biggest draw back to the blades are the few blades who still think we are run the same way
that mcsue pockets all the money
that we are the only club in england who sell players
we only sell our best players , well dah who wants any teams dregs, pigs cant give rhodes away
that we are the only club who doesnt buy a a promotion team before the end of june
our ceiling is whatever we want it to be

huddersfield blackpool burnley , all shredded the theory only spending big takes you up

we will compete , you need the rub of the green and decent officials above 10m pound players

That really isn't the biggest drawback at all.

 

[blade too long]

That really isn't the biggest drawback at all.

it is as it sets the tone , one of negativity, gloom and based totally on heresay
no facts have emerged but the stories been written ,,, but a pure work of fiction
seting ceilings before a balls kicked, does it get more negative

 

[BushBlade]

it is as it sets the tone , one of negativity, gloom and based totally on heresay
no facts have emerged but the stories been written ,,, but a pure work of fiction
seting ceilings before a balls kicked, does it get more negative

Lots of facts have emerged during the Court case. None of them good. The fighting between our owners is far more detrimental to what Wilder is trying to achieve than a few negative posts on a message board.

 

[Davalon]

it is as it sets the tone , one of negativity, gloom and based totally on heresay
no facts have emerged but the stories been written ,,, but a pure work of fiction
seting ceilings before a balls kicked, does it get more negative

Couldn't disagree more I'm afraid.

Every football club in the land has fans who moan easily and criticise their boards.

The same minority of fans who regularly slag KM were doing it 2 summers ago, and last summer, given any opportunity.

The latest round is down to our two owners, and there are far bigger concerns at present than a minority of fans on message boards lambasting the boardroom and ownership.

 

[blade too long]

Lots of facts have emerged during the Court case. None of them good. The fighting between our owners is far more detrimental to what Wilder is trying to achieve than a few negative posts on a message board.

really, Ive seen no death threats or cars being set on fire , any board in any walk of life has disageements and jostling for the controlling interest
Its hardly been Dallas, theres probably 10 clubs today having similar boardroom spats
look at bolton the year we came up , they had the claws out all season as it swopped ownership , but bolton still got up and that with a background of serious debts

our only concern is what happens on the desso, the board room carpet is for a limited few to haggle over