They're all a set of wankers at the Lane

[Hamburg Blade]

Actually I think it's pretty sad that getting on for 10% of people so far have listed something that hasn't happened yet as "the worst boardroom decision in 50 years". The term "glass half empty" doesn't come close!

 

[oldblade]

I went for Deane/Fjortoft when I read only the thread title, then read the options and discovered I'd completely forgotten about appointing Robson.

The Deane/Fjortoft thing was gutting at the time, but we had already started being inconsistent ever since Ainsworth did Whitehouse. We were far from guaranteed to even get in the top two had we retained them. A cup run masked significant issues in the second half of that season.

The Robson thing. FML. An opportunity to turn into a yo-yo club and eventually consolidate with a team that was relegated by the smallest possible margin in the most controversial of circumstances. Despite the job Blackwell eventually did getting us to a PO final, every bad thing in the last 10 years, including the L1 wilderness years, can be tracked back to that decision.

We struggled to win away from home throughout that season and by the time we sold Deane and Fjortoft we hadn't won an away league game since the beginning of November - 8 games in all. And as you say, an automatic promotion place was already looking unlikely.

The sale of those two had an impact, but in my view it was nothing like the impact of losing Jones and Birchenall in 1967, or the loss of Deane the first time around in 1993.

 

[blade too long]

There's a difference between selling your players, even your best ones, and ripping the heart out of your team, leaving it to flounder and fail. The list of "a dozen examples in 50 years" isn't the only sales we've made, just some of the more significant ones. And yes, every club sells, but you may have noticed that the more successful ones also buy.

ripping the heart out is a bit melodramatic

players move on

we have never been blessed with enough investment, we can bemoan nomillionaires backing us
but you cant force people to invest

our boards have cut our cloth to what we had, most of those sales have been out of neccesity, its how it works
we are not the only clubthats had to sell our assetts

Currie stayed 2 seasons longer than most expected


look at where blackburn and coventry are now theyve sold much better teams

of all those selling deane and ffjortoft to a rival was ill judged and crass

 

[coolhandluke]

The shock and disbelief a group of friends and I felt when we heard that we'd sold Deane and Fjortoft on the same day takes some beating . When I tell you that we were in Amsterdam at the time in the middle of a 5 day R&R excursion should tell you exactly how profound the shock was ...... they could have dropped the fuckin bomb beside us and we wouldn't have batted an eyelid .

 

[blade too long]

once again Blackman is brought up

yes what weve needed in the past years since he left is his 18 strikes in that period those 3 goals a season would have brought great success

 

[Hamburg Blade]

ripping the heart out is a bit melodramatic

Not at all. On occasion that's what was done.

players move on

we have never been blessed with enough investment, we can bemoan nomillionaires backing us
but you cant force people to invest

our boards have cut our cloth to what we had, most of those sales have been out of neccesity, its how it works
we are not the only clubthats had to sell our assetts

You've just given a clear explanation of how we are a selling club. Sell our assets (best players); don't have enough money to buy good replacements.

Currie stayed 2 seasons longer than most expected

look at where blackburn and coventry are now theyve sold much better teams

of all those selling deane and ffjortoft to a rival was ill judged and crass

No one is saying we're the only ones. When you read various threads on here you also see that the vast majority understand that sometimes players want to go or that finances dictate we sell, that doesn't change the belief that many people have that sometimes it would have been better to try and keep the best players in a good team and go for the prize (and its financial rewards).

 

[Hamburg Blade]

We struggled to win away from home throughout that season and by the time we sold Deane and Fjortoft we hadn't won an away league game since the beginning of November - 8 games in all. And as you say, an automatic promotion place was already looking unlikely.

The sale of those two had an impact, but in my view it was nothing like the impact of losing Jones and Birchenall in 1967, or the loss of Deane the first time around in 1993.

That's a bit like saying that after our recent bad run, it wouldn't matter that much if we now sold our two best players.

 

[BladeInIreland]

In my time, the appointments of Blackwell and Robson. Had we got either of those right id say we would of spent most of our time since then in the premier league.

 

[Bladepicker]

Where is giving £2m to Nigel Clough to scout round the east Derbyshire area on that list?

To be fair to Cloughie - his east Derbyshire acquisitions weren't half bad. Coutts, Freeman, Ben Davies, Che Adams, Brayford (on loan) were all decent buys either at the time or in the future - his biggest issue by far was his stubbornness in playing Coutts unfit and spunking money on midfield midgets from Scotland, signing Brayford on a permanent when we didn't really need a right back and not signing a fucking centre half or decent striker when we needed at least 2 of each.

 

[Harry's Game]

To be fair to Cloughie - his east Derbyshire acquisitions weren't half bad. Coutts, Freeman, Ben Davies, Che Adams, Brayford (on loan) were all decent buys either at the time or in the future - his biggest issue by far was his stubbornness in playing Coutts unfit and spunking money on midfield midgets from Scotland, signing Brayford on a permanent when we didn't really need a right back and not signing a fucking centre half or decent striker when we needed at least 2 of each.

The money wasted on Brayford still gets me angry now. Cost us another two seasons in League one.

 

[oldblade]

That's a bit like saying that after our recent bad run, it wouldn't matter that much if we now sold our two best players.

It's actually nothing at all like saying that.

I have actually stated that losing those players did have an adverse impact. But the truth is that different squads will be affected differently by the sale of quality players and a lot depends on the strength in depth of the squad.

The squad of 1997-8 had an awful lot of strength in depth. On paper, we were still quite strong in the striker/forward department. Before Deane and Fjortoft were sold we already had Marcello, Saunders, Taylor, Katchouro and Stuart in the squad. We also brought in Ian Rush and we had quality players in all departments of that side.

Our current squad has nothing like the depth of that squad and neither did the squads of 1967 and 1993.

As I said, the sale of those two had an impact, but it was nothing like as bad as the impact of losing Jones and Birchenall, or Deane the first time around.

 

[Hamburg Blade]

It's actually nothing at all like saying that.

I have actually stated that losing those players did have an adverse impact. But the truth is that different squads will be affected differently by the sale of quality players and a lot depends on the strength in depth of the squad.

The squad of 1997-8 had an awful lot of strength in depth. On paper, we were still quite strong in the striker/forward department. Before Deane and Fjortoft were sold we already had Marcello, Saunders, Taylor, Katchouro and Stuart in the squad. We also brought in Ian Rush and we had quality players in all departments of that side.

Our current squad has nothing like the depth of that squad and neither did the squads of 1967 and 1993.

As I said, the sale of those two had an impact, but it was nothing like as bad as the impact of losing Jones and Birchenall, or Deane the first time around.

Well the post I replied to implied that the sale of two key players was mitigated because of some recent bad form and the unlikelihood of making an automatic spot.

 

[oldblade]

Well the post I replied to implied that the sale of two key players was mitigated because of some recent bad form and the unlikelihood of making an automatic spot.

I opened that post by pointing out that we had struggled to win away from home throughout that season. I would have thought that suggested that our away form problem was ongoing throughout the season, not just recent. (In actual fact, we did win only 3 away matches all season).

I also said in that post: "The sale of those two had an impact, but in my view it was nothing like the impact of losing Jones and Birchenall in 1967, or the loss of Deane the first time around in 1993."

 

[ucandomagic]

Worst decision by far was building the South Stand when we couldn’t afford it. We were potentially one of the top sides in the country at the time. I think it was announced at the start of 72-73 but originally a lot of the cost was to be offset by a big supermarket underneath which failed to get planning permission. Going ahead regardless was a financial disaster. We did OK for a couple of seasons but by the end of 73-74 finances were really bad and Geoff Salmons was sold to Stoke - that was the start of the downfall on the field. The next season was potentially our best for decades but the squad was ageing and paper thin and we ended up just missing out on Europe. The next year the South Stand opened and we were relegated, bottom, TC went to Leeds and we have never been close to being a top side again.

Our finances now are more stable than I can remember - and we have a manager who will make us the best that we can be.

This Current Magic Suits Me Fine

 

[Hamburg Blade]

I opened that post by pointing out that we had struggled to win away from home throughout that season. I would have thought that suggested that our away form problem was ongoing throughout the season, not just recent. (In actual fact, we did win only 3 away matches all season).

I also said in that post: "The sale of those two had an impact, but in my view it was nothing like the impact of losing Jones and Birchenall in 1967, or the loss of Deane the first time around in 1993."

I know what you said in the post I replied to. If you are unhappy with the way someone responds to what you have said, perhaps you should be clearer, like your further explanation about squad depth, or simply accept that you can go on to explain what you meant without getting all pissy about it.

 

[oldblade]

I know what you said in the post I replied to. If you are unhappy with the way someone responds to what you have said, perhaps you should be clearer, like your further explanation about squad depth, or simply accept that you can go on to explain what you meant without getting all pissy about it.

Where did I get "pissy"?

Your original reply stated: "That's a bit like saying that after our recent bad run, it wouldn't matter that much if we now sold our two best players."

I pointed out that my post was actually saying nothing like that at all. Is that "pissy" in today's world?

I think the one who seems to have got the hump is you.

 

[Hamburg Blade]

Where did I get "pissy"?

Your original reply stated: "That's a bit like saying that after our recent bad run, it wouldn't matter that much if we now sold our two best players."

I pointed out that my post was actually saying nothing like that at all. Is that "pissy" in today's world?

I think the one who seems to have got the hump is you.

You took umbridge at my understanding of what you'd written, going into pedantics about what you'd actually said. What you'd said - using poor performances to mitigate the severity of the sale - without any further explanation of your point, can quite easily be equated with saying that we can sell a couple of good players now on the basis that we've had a bad run and automatics look a way off. It's not difficult to grasp that that is what could be read into your post. I don't know why you've got all upset about it.

 

[blade too long]

ou've just given a clear explanation of how we are a selling club. Sell our assets (best players); don't have enough money to buy good replacements.

.

your explaining 86 of the 92 clubs finances

apart from the big 6 every sinle club sells to stay afloat
no , sometimes we cant afford a replacement

again like most clubs
once we get a russian oligart or a ful blown arabian billionaire Im pretty sure we will spend more
but we to my knowledge as a club have ever been blessed with money


even those having money clubs like liverpool have had to sell Torres Alonso Suarez your argument by comparison is like weve lost lucky bag charms compared to their jewelery

 

[Hamburg Blade]

your explaining 86 of the 92 clubs finances

apart from the big 6 every sinle club sells to stay afloat
no , sometimes we cant afford a replacement

Well, apart from the fact that you explained it, not me, it's not true to say that every (except 6) club sells to stay afloat, or even that 86 of the clubs sell more in value than they buy. The idea that all 86 clubs simply sell their most valuable players season on season or they'll fold is as simplistic as the complaint of "we're a selling club" that you were objecting to in the first place.

again like most clubs
once we get a russian oligart or a ful blown arabian billionaire Im pretty sure we will spend more
but we to my knowledge as a club have ever been blessed with money

You're building a straw man here. I haven't said we don't spend enough. I haven't criticised the board for not throwing money around. Just that ocassionally in the past our key players have been sold instead of hanging on to them to see if we can achieve something. If we can't afford to buy like-for-like replacements then it makes sense to hang on to what we've got if at all possible. Successful clubs buy players and hang on to the good players they already have. If we can't compete in the marketplace, we won't succeed by giving up our best assets.

even those having money clubs like liverpool have had to sell Torres Alonso Suarez your argument by comparison is like weve lost lucky bag charms compared to their jewelery

I don't personally give a fuck who Liverpool sell. The money they got for Suarez is completely irrelevant to the point I was making.

 

[blade too long]

who have we sold season upon season , yes some have left but not in any shape or form as catastrophic as you are making out

You cite losing Blackman , what have we lost there, 3 goals a year
we sold Currie , was inevitible
why do other clubs sell to big clubs
players want the challenge and the money
did boro really want pallister to go to man utd
did scunthorpe fans feel miffed when Keegan went to liverpool
you still say we sell year on year , but again name a club who hasnt moved players on
Has Murphy set the prem alight , errr no
Jags and Walker are 2 thats done really well , maguire will earn a living
but none of them has won a thing

can only think of mick jones whos left and gone on to win a major trophy

 

[Sean Thornton]

The heart has never been ripped out of the club. Because not everyone fucked off from watching us when we were at our lowest ebb.

 

[Tommoblade66]

Look forward not backwards

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

Why is selling James Beattie even on the list ?

Getting almost 3 million quid for a player who was clearly approaching the end of his career and injury prone was, for me, one of the few pieces of good business SUFC have done in my lifetime.

Now, selling Kyle Walker for fucking peanuts ........ don't get me started.

 

[oldblade]

You took umbridge at my understanding of what you'd written, going into pedantics about what you'd actually said. What you'd said - using poor performances to mitigate the severity of the sale - without any further explanation of your point, can quite easily be equated with saying that we can sell a couple of good players now on the basis that we've had a bad run and automatics look a way off. It's not difficult to grasp that that is what could be read into your post. I don't know why you've got all upset about it.

So thinking someone has got something wrong and pointing that out (with no offensive language or anything that could in any way be construed as abusive) is now classed as "taking umbridge"?

The original post of mine to which you responded was actually a reply to someone else's post. I was in broad agreement with what another poster had written and posted that to him. I don't think there was any need to further explain anything. We were in agreement!

 

[metalblade]

It is OK for those saying every club is a selling club which in itself is true but the difference is with Sheffield United is that relegation quickly follows, sold Jones n Birch relegated, Sold Deane, Basset said we would be relegated we were, look at most of our big player sales and relegations or hard times always follow. Strange other clubs sell with hardly any repercussions you only need look at Brentford who sold their best players in the summer now not so far behind us chasing a play off spot.

 

[super_pig]

My job on here is to disclose uncomfortable truths and debunk parochial S2/S13 garbage. Many of your contributions feature patent Bladey Claptrap and I have a duty to point it out, lest you think it has the slightest validity by virtue of it going un-mentioned.

s13 is handsworth isn’t it? you’re on very thin ice there Pinch.. s13 is blades central

 

[Pinchy]

s13 is handsworth isn’t it? you’re on very thin ice there Pinch.. s13 is blades central

They all come the same to me mate. Bladey bollocks is Bladey bollocks. I was brought up on the Birley estate. Handsworth holds no fears...

 

[tomtheblade]

To be honest it's this type of thinking that possibly hurts us. 'Woe is me', 'What could've been' 'We almost bought Maradona.' etc
Yeah, well we didn't.

It feeds into the paranoia that we will sell every time one of our players or manager is linked with another club. Understandable, but we have to move past it at some point if we're to become a truly successful club. I say 'we', but really it's the board that has to heed these lessons. However the least we can do as fans is adopt a forward-thinking attitude, rather than moaning about the past.

 

[8lade]

Maradona, it would've been nice to see a player of that quality for a season but let's face it, he would've been sold for a 200k profit with the only saving grace being he was so good even Leeds wouldn't have been able to get him from under the noses of Liverpool and Man u. They were the real losers in all this!

 

[Hamburg Blade]

who have we sold season upon season ,

YOU were claiming that, not me

You cite losing Blackman , what have we lost there, 3 goals a year

No, I didn't. Not once.

we sold Currie , was inevitible

No player sale is inevitable

why do other clubs sell to big clubs
players want the challenge and the money

Could you make a more sweeping generalisation?

did boro really want pallister to go to man utd

I don't give a fuck about Boro

did scunthorpe fans feel miffed when Keegan went to liverpool

I don't give a fuck about Scunthorpe fans

you still say we sell year on year , but again name a club who hasnt moved players on

Nope, YOU were saying that

Has Murphy set the prem alight , errr no
Jags and Walker are 2 thats done really well , maguire will earn a living
but none of them has won a thing

So what? Another straw man. A player not winning something somewhere else has nothing at all to do with how important they were to us before we sold them.
Fucking hell, blade too long , as far as coherent arguments go, yours is about as straight as a bloke in a latex gimp suit on a gay pride float.