Thoroughly Depressing

[Fulwood Blade]

The Opening Post discusses players contracts and how in our place it appears as though our managers have made those decisions.

It is interesting to note that a lot of clubs, including our porcine neighbours now have a first team coach and a small committee or director of football (ie Man City) that decides on the players. Chellino at Leeds does it for them apparently.

Our paymaster, the Prince will no doubt consider going down that route soon if Adkins doesn't do the business.
He isn't going to continue to chuck money into the pot and get poor returns.
Perhaps the managers roll has changed and we are behind the times?

UTB

 

[metalblade]

Those happy to settle for league one mediocrity could maybe man up and stand up and be counted it is the only way to make things change, nothing will change while those in the boardroom get such an easy ride.

 

[Mustela Putorius Furo]

As per my post on another thread. We've made almost 30 permanent signings in the last three seasons. That is incredible backing at L1 level.

Yeah was thinking about this this morning while sat in trap 2.

In years gone by, when teams were on the rise, they'd generally only acquire 3 or 4 new players in the closed season (if that) and only a couple of them would make the starting line-up on day 1 of the new season and the line-up would be adjusted slowly..... How different has our line-up been since the Clough revival in 2013-14... especially after the end of that season and the first months of last season? How many times in the last 2 years did we ever start a game with even so much as 9 of the line-up from the previous game?

 

[Rodley]

Those happy to settle for league one mediocrity could maybe man up and stand up and be counted it is the only way to make things change, nothing will change while those in the boardroom get such an easy ride.

An easy ride mate?!

We had some fans shouting at a player that they wished he and his family would die after the 1st game of the season.

Phippsy gets hammered after every single match on social media and responds to it all.

If you think it's an easy ride, look at SWFC where there are sheep defending a price increase to £40-£50 a match.

 

[Barney]

Ok, maybe with McGahey and K Wallace, I should have said, had good potential, which was especially so in McGahey's case. K Wallace, might not have the skills of Che but might, when played in his best position, have a better career. He seems to be very highly thought of by Adkins, who has nothing to prove or gain by playing him.
Higdon came to us following a season where he was one of the top scorers in the top Dutch league, hardly a poor league.
JCR, as you say was one of the best players in the league and though he might not be a starter he is definitely a game changer to come off the bench for the last 20 mins.
Bet you weren't laughing at Scoogs in his first season or at the game against Hull at Wembley. Yes he had a poor season last season but a lot of that was due to injuries and then a loss of form. Seemed to get good reviews Tuesday.
So, my post might have been badly written but I don't see any of those players that you mention as being bad buys, when we bought them just that not all of them have worked out

Fair points, I didn't mean to come across like I meant JCR was one of the best in the league 13/14 by the way. I don't think he was.

All i'm saying is Clough could have been a lot more measured when making his signings, but he just seemed to not really care who he was signing, so long as he was signing players.

 

[IOM Blade]

All we had to do last summer was sign Coady, Freeman to replace JB, a half decent Striker and keep Maguire. Instead we signed about 30 injury prone squad fillers.

 

[Small Mendonca]

Unbelievable that this thread has degenerated to if you don't like it, 'pack it in'.

Supporting Sheffield United does not make me want to 'slit my wrists' but the fact we have a lot of injured or simply not good enough players is, as the thread title says, thoroughly depressing.

 

[BushBlade]

The Opening Post discusses players contracts and how in our place it appears as though our managers have made those decisions.

It is interesting to note that a lot of clubs, including our porcine neighbours now have a first team coach and a small committee or director of football (ie Man City) that decides on the players. Chellino at Leeds does it for them apparently.

Our paymaster, the Prince will no doubt consider going down that route soon if Adkins doesn't do the business.
He isn't going to continue to chuck money into the pot and get poor returns.
Perhaps the managers roll has changed and we are behind the times?

UTB

I've been advocating this for about four years on t'other board. A proper DoF with a proper background in coaching and recruitment. Just like West Brom did with Dan Ashworth or Brentford with Warburton (before he was manager).
Obviously, the manager has final veto on signings.

 

[BushBlade]

As per my post on another thread. We've made almost 30 permanent signings in the last three seasons. That is incredible backing at L1 level.

To give some balance, since the end of our first season in L1 we've also sold, released or otherwise lost around 25 players. Which is just as much part of the problem.

 

[LSF]

Those happy to settle for league one mediocrity could maybe man up and stand up and be counted it is the only way to make things change, nothing will change while those in the boardroom get such an easy ride.

Who's settling for mediocrity? The point is moaning, groaning, getting depressed etc etc as opposed to just going and enjoying a day/occasion out and making the best of the shite on offer has no bearing on what has happened/will happen.
Those events are beyond our control.
Metal, I ask you, has your years on forums generally being negative and complaining made United play better?

 

[LSF]

It's not a criticism and don't agree necessarily with the man up point,

That was purely tongue in cheek, hence the lol

 

[Cyprus Blade]

A Leeds fan at work today said he couldn't believe Collins was still earning money playing football

t is interesting to note that a lot of clubs, including our porcine neighbours now have a first team coach and a small committee or director of football (ie Man City) that decides on the players. Chellino at Leeds does it for them apparently.

I am reliably informed that 79% of statisticians believe Collins hasn't been playing football for years

On a serious note - I think part of the problem is the (too) regular changes of manager, the resulting wholesale changes of backroom staff, changes in playing style from manager to manager, resultant player changes and the failure to retain key players. Some of those you can fix by throwing money at it but others take time to change.

We went into the summer break with a manager who was about to be sacked, a Manager recruitment process to be managed and key vacancies at a key time in the scouting department thus hampering the search for the right players. The new Manager inherits a set of players (many with questionable fitness and ability levels) bought by the previous manager to play a style that is not the new Managers's way of playing etc etc. When Clough went we were saddled with a load of players bought by him, many of whom need moving on and a vacant head of scouting position. How many Weir signings survived Clough. Baxter and Cuvelier (just) come to mind, there may be others but the point is we cannot go forwards if we are continually ripping everything up to start again.

At Club level I think we could benefit if we adopted the Southampton model - ie decide on a playing style and ethos, appoint Managers who play that style, buy and develop players to suit that style and separate out scouting and development personnel from the first team management personnel to minimise the effects of personnel changes.

http://www.theguardian.com/football...eaping-rewards-philosophy-new-training-ground

 

[Balham]

When Clough went we were saddled with a load of players bought by him, many of whom need moving on and a vacant head of scouting position. How many Weir signings survived Clough. Baxter and Cuvelier (just) come to mind, there may be others but the point is we cannot go forwards if we are continually ripping everything up to start again.

Current squad:
Goalkeepers:
1 Howard - Wilson, 2012
13 Willis - academy
25 Long - academy

Defenders:
2 Freeman - Clough, 2014 (loan), 2015
3 Harris - Clough, 2014
5 Brayford - Clough, 2014 (loan), 2015
15 Collins - Adams, 2011
19 McEveley - Clough, 2014
21 Alcock - Clough, 2014
26 Kennedy - academy
28 McFadzean - academy
30 K Wallace - Clough, 2015
32 McGahey - Clough, 2014
34 Edgar - Adkins, 2015 (loan)

Midfielders
4 J Wallace - Clough, 2014
6 Basham - Clough, 2014
8 Coutts - Clough, 2015
9 Murphy - Wilson, 2013
11 Baxter - Weir, 2013
16 Scougall - Clough, 2014
17 Woolford - Adkins, 2015
20 Campbell-Ryce - Clough, 2014
22 Reed - academy
31 Dimaio - academy
33 Cuvelier - Weir, 2013

Forwards
10 Sharp - Adkins, 2015
12 McNulty - Clough, 2014
14 Done - Clough, 2015
18 Sammon - Adkins, 2015 (loan)
23 Higdon - Clough, 2014
24 De Girolamo - academy
27 Calvert-Lewin - academy
29 Adams - Clough, 2014

Of the current squad:
16 were signed by Clough
8 came from the academy
4 were signed by Adkins (2 on loan)
2 were signed by Weir
2 was signed by Wilson
1 was signed by Adams

Two things jump out: firstly, our longest serving player (first team) is Collins who's been here under 5 years and secondly, there's been a huge turnover of players. Clough was allowed to sign 16 players (plus Davies who has since left) so it's not surprising that Adkins' transfer moves have been limited. He'll be forced to work with what he's got until we can shed some of the fringe players.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

I've been advocating this for about four years on t'other board. A proper DoF with a proper background in coaching and recruitment. Just like West Brom did with Dan Ashworth or Brentford with Warburton (before he was manager).
Obviously, the manager has final veto on signings.

This method appears to be more popular the nearer you get to the Prem and with foreign owners.
While ever McCabe is still here than it may not happen - if he sells out then I can see us going like the rest.
Might not be a bad thing.

UTB

 

[Deleted member 875]

This method appears to be more popular the nearer you get to the Prem and with foreign owners.
While ever McCabe is still here than it may not happen - if he sells out then I can see us going like the rest.
Might not be a bad thing.

UTB

McCabe did have that model in place. It was overseen by a man called Jon Stephenson for a couple of years.

I once went to a fans forum after Wilson had been sacked and McCabe and Stephenson were in attendance and both said that had signed some of the best players outside of the top 2 divisions with the acqusituons of Westlake, McMahon and Miller.

 

[BushBlade]

Current squad:
Goalkeepers:
1 Howard - Wilson, 2012
13 Willis - academy
25 Long - academy

Defenders:
2 Freeman - Clough, 2014 (loan), 2015
3 Harris - Clough, 2014
5 Brayford - Clough, 2014 (loan), 2015
15 Collins - Adams, 2011
19 McEveley - Clough, 2014
21 Alcock - Clough, 2014
26 Kennedy - academy
28 McFadzean - academy
30 K Wallace - Clough, 2015
32 McGahey - Clough, 2014
34 Edgar - Adkins, 2015 (loan)

Midfielders
4 J Wallace - Clough, 2014
6 Basham - Clough, 2014
8 Coutts - Clough, 2015
9 Murphy - Wilson, 2013
11 Baxter - Weir, 2013
16 Scougall - Clough, 2014
17 Woolford - Adkins, 2015
20 Campbell-Ryce - Clough, 2014
22 Reed - academy
31 Dimaio - academy
33 Cuvelier - Weir, 2013

Forwards
10 Sharp - Adkins, 2015
12 McNulty - Clough, 2014
14 Done - Clough, 2015
18 Sammon - Adkins, 2015 (loan)
23 Higdon - Clough, 2014
24 De Girolamo - academy
27 Calvert-Lewin - academy
29 Adams - Clough, 2014

Of the current squad:
16 were signed by Clough
8 came from the academy
4 were signed by Adkins (2 on loan)
2 were signed by Weir
2 was signed by Wilson
1 was signed by Adams

Two things jump out: firstly, our longest serving player (first team) is Collins who's been here under 5 years and secondly, there's been a huge turnover of players. Clough was allowed to sign 16 players (plus Davies who has since left) so it's not surprising that Adkins' transfer moves have been limited. He'll be forced to work with what he's got until we can shed some of the fringe players.

I don't disagree with that but if that is the strategy imposed on him from above, he has to get rid before he can bring players in, it's unlikely we will make the top two this season.
The sooner people accept this and stop the 'if he doesn't get us up this season he's sacked' shit, the better.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

McCabe did have that model in place. It was overseen by a man called Jon Stephenson for a couple of years.

I once went to a fans forum after Wilson had been sacked and McCabe and Stephenson were in attendance and both said that had signed some of the best players outside of the top 2 divisions with the acqusituons of Westlake, McMahon and Miller.

It is interesting to see how more clubs appear to be going that way.
I also remember McCabe approaching Graham Taylor to be our DOF. He came had a look, described us as a lovely football club but declines as he wanted to concentrate on media work.
Apparently Glen Roeder at the pigs is the one tasked with going round the world looking at potential signings for Tuna fish boy.
Can't be cheap though.
UTB

 

[BushBlade]

McCabe did have that model in place. It was overseen by a man called Jon Stephenson for a couple of years.

I once went to a fans forum after Wilson had been sacked and McCabe and Stephenson were in attendance and both said that had signed some of the best players outside of the top 2 divisions with the acqusituons of Westlake, McMahon and Miller.

So once again, KM employs someone not up to the job. Recurrent theme.

 

[BushBlade]

It is interesting to see how more clubs appear to be going that way.
I also remember McCabe approaching Graham Taylor to be our DOF. He came had a look, described us as a lovely football club but declines as he wanted to concentrate on media work.
Apparently Glen Roeder at the pigs is the one tasked with going round the world looking at potential signings for Tuna fish boy.
Can't be cheap though.
UTB

Got to be cheaper than spending millions on the wrong players though.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Got to be cheaper than spending millions on the wrong players though.

Indeed, but the emphasis is that you put your trust into a DOF instead of a manager.
Certainly at our level, if we found a decent fella then he would be whisked away if there was any sort of success.
Remember Scudamore started life with the football league and the Prem soon whisked him away.
Might have made some @rseole decisions with us/Wet spam, but no one can argue with his ability to have raised the Prem to such heights.
It is a shame Clough wasn't a success, I just think he would have been loyal to the cause - an attribute rarely found in football these days.

UTB

 

[United Aren't Back.]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we have the resources to go up, but our transfer policy has been a shambles.

Putting to one side the board's propensity to sell our best players, the money the managers have been given has been enough to see us promoted if used well. Some of it has been used well (Done and Murphy being the best examples) But a lot of it has been squandered.

It's the squad building that annoys me:

- All of Wilson, Weir and Clough seemed to have gone out of their way to sign midfielders with poor goalscoring records

- very few of our signings from the last few seasons have been big and strong: our scrappy midgets are bullied constantly by bigger sides

- Clough in particular was very fond of signing players with questionable injury records (J Wallace, Davies, Coutts) or who aren't fit (Higdon). Adkins said we have 10 injured players. That's partly bad luck and partly because of the state of the players when we sign them.

- there's an abundance of players for some positions and nobody for others (I don't need to remind anyone about our centre half situation).

Someone said that our signings have been reactive and not proactive. That's a good way of looking at it I think.

In an ideal world we would jettison about 10 players who we don't need and get 3 or 4 who would boost our first XI. Sadly we aren't in an ideal world.

Live on tv last autumn, Bradford city's McArdle picked Scougall up and flung him to the floor, all under one arm.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Totally agree Rodley! If its so mind numbingly bad and 'depressing', why fucking well bother?
Surely these folk could find something else to do of a match day if its affecting their life so much that they have to come on here and tell us how shit they feel!

Man up or give up! Lol!

What..you mean not everyone is welcome at the Lane? How dare you.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

This method appears to be more popular the nearer you get to the Prem and with foreign owners.
While ever McCabe is still here than it may not happen - if he sells out then I can see us going like the rest.
Might not be a bad thing.

UTB

We did play at this , and as usual in a ameraturish way . More from a "in Vogue" aspect than a serious effort .

My view this could come sooner rather than later , with the DOF already at the club - Adkins.

If things dont go to plan this season ( promotion ) , Prince and co will bring a foreign coach in IMO.

UTB

 

[Darthblade]

Our slide began 10 years ago, and has never really been arrested.

That said, The quality in the lower divisions is better than ever. This has taken us somewhat by surprise and we have found it difficult to get out of Div 3. I personally think that while there is an obvious gap between PL and Div 3, the gap between lower end Prem and Top end Div 3 is as narrow as it's ever been. Teams generally play there way out of L1. L1 is FAR less physical than the Championship.

It seems to me that there are more cup upsets than there has ever been. This may be down to higher teams fielding fringe players, may be not. But it does seem to happen more often.

Getting out of L1 is no doddle. Adkins will do very well to do it this year and we should accept and recognise this.

UTB

I believe we must have been watching different games to you then mate. The vast majority of our L1 games over the last 3 seasons have been against big, powerful, tough tackling, agricultural sides that we have simply lost the physical battle to. We have been lightweight, slow and predictable, with a glass jaw !!

I don't expect that to change much at the moment ......
UTB & FTP

 

[Bartleby]

Clappers incoming in 5, 4, 3....



Just kidding.

 

[jt64]

This method appears to be more popular the nearer you get to the Prem and with foreign owners.
While ever McCabe is still here than it may not happen - if he sells out then I can see us going like the rest.
Might not be a bad thing.

UTB

We might have a permanent centre back if we'd gone down this route

 

[Bladesman]

Depression will set in again once the sale of Murphy goes through.

Although if we win 5-0 tomorrow that might take the edge off.

 

[Barney]

View attachment 12879

 

[Bartleby]

Unbelievable that this thread has degenerated to if you don't like it, 'pack it in'.

Supporting Sheffield United does not make me want to 'slit my wrists' but the fact we have a lot of injured or simply not good enough players is, as the thread title says, thoroughly depressing.

we need Clough to get another job then he might take some of them off our hands

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Current squad:
Goalkeepers:
1 Howard - Wilson, 2012
13 Willis - academy
25 Long - academy

Defenders:
2 Freeman - Clough, 2014 (loan), 2015
3 Harris - Clough, 2014
5 Brayford - Clough, 2014 (loan), 2015
15 Collins - Adams, 2011
19 McEveley - Clough, 2014
21 Alcock - Clough, 2014
26 Kennedy - academy
28 McFadzean - academy
30 K Wallace - Clough, 2015
32 McGahey - Clough, 2014
34 Edgar - Adkins, 2015 (loan)

Midfielders
4 J Wallace - Clough, 2014
6 Basham - Clough, 2014
8 Coutts - Clough, 2015
9 Murphy - Wilson, 2013
11 Baxter - Weir, 2013
16 Scougall - Clough, 2014
17 Woolford - Adkins, 2015
20 Campbell-Ryce - Clough, 2014
22 Reed - academy
31 Dimaio - academy
33 Cuvelier - Weir, 2013

Forwards
10 Sharp - Adkins, 2015
12 McNulty - Clough, 2014
14 Done - Clough, 2015
18 Sammon - Adkins, 2015 (loan)
23 Higdon - Clough, 2014
24 De Girolamo - academy
27 Calvert-Lewin - academy
29 Adams - Clough, 2014

Of the current squad:
16 were signed by Clough
8 came from the academy
4 were signed by Adkins (2 on loan)
2 were signed by Weir
2 was signed by Wilson
1 was signed by Adams

Two things jump out: firstly, our longest serving player (first team) is Collins who's been here under 5 years and secondly, there's been a huge turnover of players. Clough was allowed to sign 16 players (plus Davies who has since left) so it's not surprising that Adkins' transfer moves have been limited. He'll be forced to work with what he's got until we can shed some of the fringe players.

That's what's wrong, can't believe anyone has not seen it before, no-one in the squad signed by Bassett or Warnock, no wonder we're crap.