The strength of our squad.

[Woodwardfan]

For one reason or another our manager has had to do without or has chosen to do without this long list of players on our books this season. One or two of them have played the odd cameo just recently but hardly of any relevance. Some are long term injuries and first team choices when fit, others are 'cover'.

All things considered we have done so well to achieve our league position despite numerous injuries and just the two loanees have helped out when injuries have stretched the first team squad.

The JTW is looming and come what may we will be in or very close to the Top 6 play-off places, maybe close to the automatic places.

We've done it without any meaningful contribution from so many on this list. Some will leave in January and some will stay in the background on through to the summer. For some of those very good players, the club's growth leaves them behind all of a sudden.

It's a list of quality players which could easily produce a team which would have challenged first teams under previous managers in League 1; a measure of our progress indeed.

Moore.
Eastwood
Stearman.
Heneghan.
Freeman
Thomas
Carruthers
Donaldson
Hanson
Evans
Lafferty
Lavery.

Coutts adds to that list now and Baldock has had long spells unavailable. Sharp was out for weeks too.

Every club has suspensions and injuries to cope with but this season we have been unlucky. Nevertheless we have not needed a lot of these players, all whom would let us down if called upon. For certain in January we do not need to sign players who do not improve on the quality we already have in abundance. If we sign 2/3/4 better players and release 3/4/5 of the above then that will be another step or two up the ladder which we are climbing so rapidly.

 

[Keen Blade]

Moore & Eastwood are fine as number 2 & 3 goalies like we always have.
We paid a £1m for Stearman so he's going nowhere , like it or not.
Henegan & Thomas are two more players I've never seen play , so I can't say owt.

But the 4 strikers are a waste of wages thus far.
They are seemingly not good enough or fit enough to be brought on by CW , even when Billy is doing nothing in a game.
He brings on Brooks.
In my mind we really need a third proper striker who can challenge Clarke/Sharp for a place.
And the wages of some or all of those 4 will have to pay the wages of said striker.

Because whether Tyler likes it or not , Billy isn't getting any younger or faster.
And CW has always said he won't allow sentiment to cloud his judgment or thwart his ambition.

So , one fine day , sooner or later , Chris will be forced to drop Billy , like happens to an out of form striker at any club.
None of the reserve 4 seem to be good enough in Chris' mind yet.

I hope to goodness the Blades Billy love affair isn't going to see us waste our terrific start by preventing us recruiting the quality striker we need in order to put pressure on Billy for his starting place.
And Leon's starting place , because any player can lose form , they're only human.

 

[boo radley]

For one reason or another our manager has had to do without or has chosen to do without this long list of players on our books this season. One or two of them have played the odd cameo just recently but hardly of any relevance. Some are long term injuries and first team choices when fit, others are 'cover'.

All things considered we have done so well to achieve our league position despite numerous injuries and just the two loanees have helped out when injuries have stretched the first team squad.

The JTW is looming and come what may we will be in or very close to the Top 6 play-off places, maybe close to the automatic places.

We've done it without any meaningful contribution from so many on this list. Some will leave in January and some will stay in the background on through to the summer. For some of those very good players, the club's growth leaves them behind all of a sudden.

It's a list of quality players which could easily produce a team which would have challenged first teams under previous managers in League 1; a measure of our progress indeed.

Moore.
Eastwood
Stearman.
Heneghan.
Freeman
Thomas
Carruthers
Donaldson
Hanson
Evans
Lafferty
Lavery.

Coutts adds to that list now and Baldock has had long spells unavailable. Sharp was out for weeks too.

Every club has suspensions and injuries to cope with but this season we have been unlucky. Nevertheless we have not needed a lot of these players, all whom would let us down if called upon. For certain in January we do not need to sign players who do not improve on the quality we already have in abundance. If we sign 2/3/4 better players and release 3/4/5 of the above then that will be another step or two up the ladder which we are climbing so rapidly.

Sorry ,which players are you saying would let us down?

 

[Davalon]

Sorry ,which players are you saying would let us down?

I'm guessing it was a typo and he meant wouldn't let us down. Then again who knows....

 

[Woodwardfan]

Sorry ,which players are you saying would let us down?

How ridiculous, thanks for mentioning my error, typed in middle of night watching cricket. Multi-tasking never my strong suit

None of the players would let us down, such a long list and yet absolutely none of them would.

We have so many capable players, replace 3 or 4 with improved technicians or physically faster and stronger and the benefits will all be added to this squad which is strong already.

 

[boo radley]

How ridiculous, thanks for mentioning my error, typed in middle of night watching cricket.

None of the players would let us down, such a long list and yet absolutely none of them would.

We have so many capable players, replace 3 or 4 with improved technicians or physically faster and stronger and the benefits will all be added to this squad which is strong already.

Nothing ridiculous about it. That is why I was asking for clarification. Nothing more.(or Moore)

 

[Woodwardfan]

Moore & Eastwood are fine as number 2 & 3 goalies like we always have.
We paid a £1m for Stearman so he's going nowhere , like it or not.
Henegan & Thomas are two more players I've never seen play , so I can't say owt.

But the 4 strikers are a waste of wages thus far.
They are seemingly not good enough or fit enough to be brought on by CW , even when Billy is doing nothing in a game.
He brings on Brooks.
In my mind we really need a third proper striker who can challenge Clarke/Sharp for a place.
And the wages of some or all of those 4 will have to pay the wages of said striker.

Because whether Tyler likes it or not , Billy isn't getting any younger or faster.
And CW has always said he won't allow sentiment to cloud his judgment or thwart his ambition.

So , one fine day , sooner or later , Chris will be forced to drop Billy , like happens to an out of form striker at any club.
None of the reserve 4 seem to be good enough in Chris' mind yet.

I hope to goodness the Blades Billy love affair isn't going to see us waste our terrific start by preventing us recruiting the quality striker we need in order to put pressure on Billy for his starting place.
And Leon's starting place , because any player can lose form , they're only human.

Cole looks to be a good prospect but I start to wonder whether we have moved on so far in just 3 months that our ambitions will be greater.

 

[boo radley]

Cole looks to be a good prospect but I start to wonder whether we have moved on so far in just 3 months that our ambitions will be greater.

You may be right? Other teams (Prem) will have noticed how well our coaching set up is doing.
The Career resurrecting CW will be watched.
It would be no surprise if we end up with someone like Luke Shaw.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Because whether Tyler likes it or not , Billy isn't getting any younger or faster.
And CW has always said he won't allow sentiment to cloud his judgment or thwart his ambition.

So , one fine day , sooner or later , Chris will be forced to drop Billy

I can't see a way back for him after that 9 day goal drought either.

 

[snootyfenooty]

What's obvious is that we are missing Coutts terribly. Lundstram's not his replacement, he aint good enough. You can also add that Duffy is not half the player without Coutts. The list in the OP contains quite a few players who are not good enough too so I wouldn't use that as an excuse. Our squad is quite thin when it comes to quality when you think about it.

Our best hope scenario is that we hang on in the top 3 or 4 come the JTW and we spend big on one or two quality players rather than 4 or 5 for a combined total of fuck all. It's up to the board whether we make it or break it this season.

 

[Harry's Game]

What's obvious is that we are missing Coutts terribly. Lundstram's not his replacement, he aint good enough. You can also add that Duffy is not half the player without Coutts. The list in the OP contains quite a few players who are not good enough too so I wouldn't use that as an excuse. Our squad is quite thin when it comes to quality when you think about it.

Reading that paragraph you would assume we were in the bottom three not the top three.

 

[snootyfenooty]

Reading that paragraph you would assume we were in the bottom three not the top three.

What the paragraph says is that Coutts is pivotal to our team and the season will peter out unless we find a replacement.

 

[Harry's Game]

What the paragraph says is that Coutts is pivotal to our team and the season will peter out unless we find a replacement.

It also criticises Lundstrum and Duffy by name and half the squad get dismissed as not good enough.

We could be in second place again by 2pm today you know?

 

[snootyfenooty]

half the squad get dismissed as not good enough.

Where did I say that?

 

[Esablade]

For one reason or another our manager has had to do without or has chosen to do without this long list of players on our books this season.

We’ve just come up from L1 and probably have one of the lowest budgets in the Championship.
It’s going to take a few transfer windows in the Championship (assuming we don’t go up ) to address that.

 

[Snowman]

What's obvious is that we are missing Coutts terribly. Lundstram's not his replacement, he aint good enough. You can also add that Duffy is not half the player without Coutts. The list in the OP contains quite a few players who are not good enough too so I wouldn't use that as an excuse. Our squad is quite thin when it comes to quality when you think about it.

Our best hope scenario is that we hang on in the top 3 or 4 come the JTW and we spend big on one or two quality players rather than 4 or 5 for a combined total of fuck all. It's up to the board whether we make it or break it this season.

Whilst I have said on a different thread that Lundstram isn't good enough, I'm tending to the position that I'm being slightly unfair because I've been looking at him as a supposed direct replacement for Coutts (The CW Whiteboard). He isn't that replacement even if CW thought he might be. I think there's a good player there in a different system, but there's no way we are changing system now unless there's a complete catastrophe on the way. I also think as others have mentioned we are missing our RWB's badly.

Seven more games to hang on before the most important recruitment in a decade.

 

[FriethBlade]

The board have to step up in January or we risk losing Wilder in the new year when a bottom half Premiership team come knocking. If you look at the players Woodward has listed a decent amount are ones brought in this summer who either aren' good enough or are old and injury prone so haven't made the team.

What's remarkable is Wilder has got the team to the top of the division with just 2 new additions to the first 11, neither of whom is our player. We.now.need to make the next step before the opportunity potentially passes us by.

 

[Woodwardfan]

We’ve just come up from L1 and probably have one of the lowest budgets in the Championship.
It’s going to take a few transfer windows in the Championship (assuming we don’t go up ) to address that.

The board have to step up in January or we risk losing Wilder in the new year when a bottom half Premiership team come knocking. If you look at the players Woodward has listed a decent amount are ones brought in this summer who either aren' good enough or are old and injury prone so haven't made the team.

What's remarkable is Wilder has got the team to the top of the division with just 2 new additions to the first 11, neither of whom is our player. We.now.need to make the next step before the opportunity potentially passes us by.

The whole scenario has changed with the strength of our start to this season. It has given us an opportunity to jump forward maybe 2 years on Wilder's objective to get us to the Premier League.

Does Wilder want to splash the cash and go for it this season? Can he maintain that group unity and assimilate say three/ four highly paid 'better players' at the same time?

Would that big move inevitably limit Brooks' game time opportunities? Push solid players down the pecking order for the team, on the bench and not even making the bench?

Can we get the right type of players in January as compared to summer?

Wednesday really messed up in January last season, spending this season's budget in effect and the gamble failed.

Big risks bring big rewards or big set backs. We'll do something in-between and Cole seems right there in that area with potential to grow with the club.

As Boo says above, the loan system seems to be the right fit with a couple of real quality lads whose career needs us as much as we need their attributes. Luke Shaw? Not sure, Stevens will get better and better.

 

[bornablade]

Cole looks to be a good prospect but I start to wonder whether we have moved on so far in just 3 months that our ambitions will be greater.

During the August transfer window I said we should retain the Maguire/Walker money until January and recruit the players necessary depending where we were in the table.

If we had been fighting relegation then we should have looked to sign the players that would retain our Championship status but as we now find ourselves with an opportunity of securing an automatic promotion spot then we need to bring in the type of players that will get us over the line and just as importantly be sound recruits for the Premiership.

Now arguments back in August were
(1). We shouldn't sign players that would upset the team spirit

Answer - I think Wilder and co. know what they're doing on that front.

(2). The Maguire/Walker money had been used to balance the books.

Answer - I am sure the club were not going to reveal that we had about £6million available for January transfers. Every agent in leagues 1 & 2 would have been rubbing their hands. So even though the accounts may show we have used that money for balancing the books I think the statement was a smoke screen and Wilder will have funds released to him.

On the striker front - I still have confidence that Ched will play an integral part in the second half of the season.

 

[Esablade]

The whole scenario has changed with the strength of our start to this season. It has given us an opportunity to jump forward maybe 2 years on Wilder's objective to get us to the Premier League.

I reckon Wilder fancied/fancies having a crack at promotion this year...

I'm not really a fan of the January transfer window but looking at how our management team operate, I don't think our targets will have changed that much due to our league position. If we can find players such as Baldock and Edna I'll be happy.

Then we up the game in the summer...wherever we are.

UTB!

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

If we are going to do anything in January, it has to be to bring in two/three players who can drive us forward, and keep the momentum going. So we really need to be looking at players who are good enough to come into the team. We dont need to change things too much, and Wilder has said this - but any team needs to keep improving to keep being successful.

For me, a Coutts replacment is pretty essential as is some power/pace. If Wilder wants a plan B, which requires a different type of player, we dont have then we also need to act in the window.

This all depends on our board. I suspect there ambition for this season does not match that of Wilder's. But let's see what happens in January.

 

[snootyfenooty]

The board have to step up in January or we risk losing Wilder in the new year when a bottom half Premiership team come knocking. If you look at the players Woodward has listed a decent amount are ones brought in this summer who either aren' good enough or are old and injury prone so haven't made the team.

What's remarkable is Wilder has got the team to the top of the division with just 2 new additions to the first 11, neither of whom is our player. We.now.need to make the next step before the opportunity potentially passes us by.

You're dead right. Our team, with a couple of quality additions in January, is good enough to get promotion. The problem is, if we don't, is that several key players i.e. Wright, Sharp, Clarke & Duffy are getting older and we cannot depend on the same performance from them next season or the season after if we are still chasing promotion. Coutts is also 30 next so he will be slipping into this bracket soon, assuming he comes back OK that is.

So the issue is that we will need a major rebuilding over the next couple of years whether we like it or not and we cannot expect Wilder to keep working miracles on a measly budget. It's shit or bust this year I'm afraid or we will be in exactly the same situation we have been in since we were relegated in 2007. Same owd in other words.

 

[oldblade]

For one reason or another our manager has had to do without or has chosen to do without this long list of players on our books this season. One or two of them have played the odd cameo just recently but hardly of any relevance. Some are long term injuries and first team choices when fit, others are 'cover'.

All things considered we have done so well to achieve our league position despite numerous injuries and just the two loanees have helped out when injuries have stretched the first team squad.

The JTW is looming and come what may we will be in or very close to the Top 6 play-off places, maybe close to the automatic places.

We've done it without any meaningful contribution from so many on this list. Some will leave in January and some will stay in the background on through to the summer. For some of those very good players, the club's growth leaves them behind all of a sudden.

It's a list of quality players which could easily produce a team which would have challenged first teams under previous managers in League 1; a measure of our progress indeed.

Moore.
Eastwood
Stearman.
Heneghan.
Freeman
Thomas
Carruthers
Donaldson
Hanson
Evans
Lafferty
Lavery.

Coutts adds to that list now and Baldock has had long spells unavailable. Sharp was out for weeks too.

Every club has suspensions and injuries to cope with but this season we have been unlucky. Nevertheless we have not needed a lot of these players, all whom would let us down if called upon. For certain in January we do not need to sign players who do not improve on the quality we already have in abundance. If we sign 2/3/4 better players and release 3/4/5 of the above then that will be another step or two up the ladder which we are climbing so rapidly.

All of this must be lies. Owlstalk tells me that we have yet to have any injuries and our bubble will burst when we do.

 

[finlaytheblade]

For one reason or another our manager has had to do without or has chosen to do without this long list of players on our books this season. One or two of them have played the odd cameo just recently but hardly of any relevance. Some are long term injuries and first team choices when fit, others are 'cover'.

All things considered we have done so well to achieve our league position despite numerous injuries and just the two loanees have helped out when injuries have stretched the first team squad.

The JTW is looming and come what may we will be in or very close to the Top 6 play-off places, maybe close to the automatic places.

We've done it without any meaningful contribution from so many on this list. Some will leave in January and some will stay in the background on through to the summer. For some of those very good players, the club's growth leaves them behind all of a sudden.

It's a list of quality players which could easily produce a team which would have challenged first teams under previous managers in League 1; a measure of our progress indeed.

Moore.
Eastwood
Stearman.
Heneghan.
Freeman
Thomas
Carruthers
Donaldson
Hanson
Evans
Lafferty
Lavery.

Coutts adds to that list now and Baldock has had long spells unavailable. Sharp was out for weeks too.

Every club has suspensions and injuries to cope with but this season we have been unlucky. Nevertheless we have not needed a lot of these players, all whom would let us down if called upon. For certain in January we do not need to sign players who do not improve on the quality we already have in abundance. If we sign 2/3/4 better players and release 3/4/5 of the above then that will be another step or two up the ladder which we are climbing so rapidly.

Agreed Woody and Wilder has said exactly that in his last interview.It's a constant review and looking to improve the quality at every opportunity and sometimes that comes from within (Brooks ).Wilder knows what he's doing

 

[finlaytheblade]

If we are going to do anything in January, it has to be to bring in two/three players who can drive us forward, and keep the momentum going. So we really need to be looking at players who are good enough to come into the team. We dont need to change things too much, and Wilder has said this - but any team needs to keep improving to keep being successful.

For me, a Coutts replacment is pretty essential as is some power/pace. If Wilder wants a plan B, which requires a different type of player, we dont have then we also need to act in the window.

This all depends on our board. I suspect there ambition for this season does not match that of Wilder's. But let's see what happens in January.

I think you might be surprised on that score ,McCabe been in the game along time and knows when he's onto a winner
I think Wilder will get the support he needs
he won't put the clubs future at risk I don't beleave e Wilder is looking for personal glory he's a blade and wants the best for us.that's what we all want int it !!

 

[tomtheblade]

There's a bit of a commonly held belief that JTW business, in general, is not good business. Desperate purchases, over-inflated prices, etc etc. Whilst I see the logic, and you can find examples of these, there's also no reason why any team can't make astute purchases to push or repair their squad.

Many managers are either stubborn to a fault, always picking the same favourites no matter what, or tinkerers who have no idea who their best team is and chop and change seemingly at random. Wilder is neither of these. In general he sticks with his squad and introduces changes slowly, rather than making wholesale shake-ups. I think one of his biggest strengths is continuously adapting his squad to the current situation.

As such, I think he's almost in a better position to sign players in the middle of the season rather than in the summer. He has hard data every week- the actual matches themselves- upon which to judge his squad and freshen it up or upgrade with signings who give us the attributes we are lacking.

I think we should use this to our advantage and be bold rather than cautious in the JTW. And I don't mean spunkin' moneh obviously, because we know Wilder isn't going to do that anyway, so it doesn't even enter the equation.

 

[Woodwardfan]

I think you might be surprised on that score ,McCabe been in the game along time and knows when he's onto a winner
I think Wilder will get the support he needs
he won't put the clubs future at risk I don't beleave e Wilder is looking for personal glory he's a blade and wants the best for us.that's what we all want int it !!

Spot on.

Who on here would truly have backed any of our managers with more than the routine £10m a year subsidies? None of them apart from Clough fleetingly earned confidence from the Board or the fans actually. Clough was backed heavily in the JTW when we signed Brayford, Coutts, Freeman? and Done but it all proved to be a 'false dawn'.

McCabe must have been itching to have a manager to back but let's not forget KM is no longer the 'main man' and there are no McCabes on the Board any longer.

The Prince is now 'the man' and none of us know his true wealth or the depth and intensity of his ambition.

 

[finlaytheblade]

Spot on.

Who on here would truly have backed any of our managers with more than the routine £10m a year subsidies? None of them apart from Clough fleetingly earned confidence from the Board or the fans actually. Clough was backed heavily in the JTW when we signed Brayford, Coutts, Freeman? and Done but it all proved to be a 'false dawn'.

McCabe must have been itching to have a manager to back but let's not forget KM is no longer the 'main man' and there are no McCabes on the Board any longer.

The Prince is now 'the man' and none of us know his true wealth or the depth and intensity of his ambition.

Agreed Woody but his company own all the Inf-structure and 51% of the club he will have a big say in what happens even more so since his sons have left the board.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Agreed Woody but his company own all the Inf-structure and 51% of the club he will have a big say in what happens even more so since his sons have left the board.

He does own the ground, Shirecliffe etc as you say Finlay but only 50% of the club.
Director or not, it's 50/50 all the way as things stand. Nothing has changed in that respect. Including McCabes influence and ambition, which is matched by the Prince.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Agreed Woody but his company own all the Inf-structure and 51% of the club he will have a big say in what happens even more so since his sons have left the board.

Agree re strategy/ big picture but I honestly think the pace of extra investment will be dictated by the Prince these days, though KM will match it presumably.

I just hope the Prince and his advisors have the where-withall to know how big this Wilder momentum is and that this kind of opportunity comes along once a flood. We are still on the crest of a wave which will start to falter and renew at times. The investment can keep that upward lift going longer and longer rather than petering out and there will be opportunities to catch the next wave.

Does the Prince really think Wilder is big enough or good enough to see this momentum through to mid-table Premier League? Maybe, but maybe not and he just may have that normal foreign investor vision of a 'big name' at the helm by the time we arrive in the Prem. My instinct tells me that the Peroni-swilling , working class Stocksbridge 'old school' manager may not sit comfortably with Saudi culture or their vision of a blueprint global image which these foreign investors yearn. I hope I'm wrong but I would prefer McCabe in main charge these next two years.