to sack NA or not

[PeteBlade]

I have to admit that I'm more than a little surprised that someone who has rallied against the so called "negative fans" was actually part of that incredibly embarrassing car park mob, protesting against a manager before he'd even started!

The closest manager to achieving promotion since we've been down here!

Unbelievable!

 

[Jonboy60]

I hope the board are fully aware of the situation with the players if they're considering sacking him.

I find it strange that the board,(if this is true) would contemplate sacking another manager, hence another massive pay- off, but are reluctant to pay- off any of our so called" footballers", who,again if we are led to believe, are dragging this club down into the gutter. Adkins hasn't pulled any trees up yet, but to sack another manager so quickly without giving him chance to build his own team is ridiculous,
Get rid of the ones out of contract in the summer. And the ones we want rid of, still under contract, pay those fuckers off, by using the money they would use to pay Andkins off. I know it may not be enough to cover all the costs, but at least it's a start.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

The only reason for the board to sack him is to deflect blame from themselves for once again selling our best player failing to replace him or improve a squad that blatantly wasn't good enough. It's the first time in donkey's years we've appointed a manager with a proven track record. If we sack him without ever giving him a chance with his own team, then we'll be back to the managerial abyss of being laughed at by Graham Arnold and having to take a punt on the next David Weir.

We shouldn't have sacked Clough and we shouldn't sack Adkins. Every time we sack a manager (barring disastrous ones like Weir and Robson), it sets us further back.

 

[shrubbery]

Not always that easy is it?
Look at Mourihno/Chelsea...

I think that this is a reasonable and interesting comparison to make. Chelsea obviously have a squad full of players that have considerably more talent than ours along with an operating budget to match and Mourinho is a proven manager but a number of 'bad eggs' within his squad at Chelsea still managed to completely undermine his tenure and cause the worst start to a Premier League season that Chelsea had ever suffered and this was the following year after winning the title. EXACTLY the same players have since then catapulted Guus Hiddink to the most successful start of any Premier League manager to date points wise.

I know that Clough didn't oversea the most successful period for the club but he did manage to get a level of performance out of these players that Adkins could only dream of. Does that make Adkins a bad Manager per se? I would argue that it doesn't as it didn't with Mourinho but it does show that it takes a certain type of manager to get the most out of certain types of players. These certain types of players is where I think the problem is at. If Adkins is given the summer to try and recruit pretty much a whole new squad, where on earth is he going to find a team full of fully motivated, cooperative, positive and hard working professionals? I just don't think that it will be possible and I also think that it will be inevitable that he will have to work with at least some players within the same mould that he has now and that he has categorically shown that he cannot motivate.

Basically for me, it all comes down to two scenarios and which one you think is more likely to succeed. Either Adkins dumps most of the squad and his scouting network manages to build a young, exiting, positive and hard working team that we can build on for the future or we bring in someone who can kick some motivation into the current squad through fear and hopefully respect.

Given Adkins performance in the transfer market with this club to date, I am worried. Given the boards ability to pick the right manager at the right time to move us forward, I am worried.

 

[grafikhaus]

The decision could well be influenced by what's happening behind the scenes. For example, if NA is asking the board to sign players from higher leagues (like the ones we have signed / loaned this season) the board need to decide if that's the way they want to do - especially given that the owners aren't willing/able to invest more money at present.

If the board are wanting a more youth-based approach and NA isn't giving them young targets, e.g. he's giving names like Dean Hammond & Alex Baptiste, then the board might conclude that he isn't the man to lead us forward.

Whatever happens, I think they need to decide to either sack him now, or let him sign players in the summer and give him 12-15 games next season with his squad.

I think you've answered your own question F D-K. Since he arrived at BDTBL, Adkins' transfer dealings have been underwhelming. Any transfer fee cash is being wasted on outrageous wages. If we 'give him 12-15 games next season with his squad', we'll be in a relegation scrap by Christmas. He will continue to bring past-it players to 'Bramall Lane Retirement Home'. These players will flounder in a sea of baffling tactics and zero motivational skills from the sidelines. And young, determined opponents will dance past them.

My opinion? No, just what we've witnessed since Adkins arrived. Giving him '12-15' games into next season would be foolhardy. Leopard, spots and all that.

 

[Jonboy60]

Woody , being serious , I don't think any of us can take our bat and ball home on this one , as it does have a Clough situation ring to it , with history having a way of repeating itself, in a bad way down at the lane.

The board is already split between McCabe and his board members ( all blades ) and the Prince and his board members , who have only legence to SUFC - cash.

Bit like that bloke who sells his shares in Aresnal , buys Everton , but says he is a Man Utd fan.

I want Adkins to stay , but if the board is split like us fans are , then this forum gives a clear and political view on how we could finish up . As poverty comes through the door , loves goes flying out of the window.

It's becoming 50/50 to me with Adkins , which could be a further fall for us , as I cannot think of anyone to replace him , plus we waste a boat load of money again on compensation.

UTB

Serious question LB of E, do you think the s24su members comments and thoughts are representive of the majority of supporters that go to the lane. Or are we as individual posters on a forum, guilty of believing everything that we post is fact. Just asking.

 

[SouthportBlade]

For me, the squad needed a complete overhaul at the start of this season. Adkin chose to give every player a chance, this to me is his biggest error - and may eventually land a P45 on Adkins desk.

Its taken half a season of pain to realise the squad are garbage, and most importantly start actioning the removal of the deadwood. We can speculate that players who aren't getting new contracts and have thrown their dummies out of the pram, this means the rest of the season is a non-entity then so be it. We need to get these parasitic players out of the squad.

Give Adkins the summer to cull the squad and judge based on next year.

Regardless of who is manager next year, I am near enough certain we will be in a better position as long as the squad overhaul takes place. Adkins is starting to do this, and for me that allows him a crack of the whip next year.

 

[Blade56]

Why are you looking for an argument that would ruin a thread?

Something, apparently, you're dead set against?

Put me back on ignore.

OK fellow Blade.

Let's examine your statement and your question.

Warnock -over 7 years -fact. as recently as 2007.

Less than 7 months? David Weir was a victim of circumstances.

Your statement was absolute nonsense. Cheap rhetoric, yes?.....

FFS take it outside or get a room. I value your constructive posts but this is a bit silly billy guys

......The Prince , I am not too sure of , and not convinced that the board are in unison all pulling in the same direction......

Think you make a valid point LBE. I think he was under the impression if he came in, put X amount in the kitty we would just go up, put another X amount in the kitty again and we would be in the PL. Initial cup runs and visit to Wembley would have reinforced his delusion. Time to realise Football clubs are not for profit, they're for life!

 

[Esablade]

For me, the squad needed a complete overhaul at the start of this season. Adkin chose to give every player a chance, this to me is his biggest error - and may eventually land a P45 on Adkins desk.

Its taken half a season of pain to realise the squad are garbage, and most importantly start actioning the removal of the deadwood. We can speculate that players who aren't getting new contracts and have thrown their dummies out of the pram, this means the rest of the season is a non-entity then so be it. We need to get these parasitic players out of the squad.

Give Adkins the summer to cull the squad and judge based on next year.

Regardless of who is manager next year, I am near enough certain we will be in a better position as long as the squad overhaul takes place. Adkins is starting to do this, and for me that allows him a crack of the whip next year.

Was it his choice to 'give everyone a chance?

Most of those players were contracted by until 2016....if there was no cash for new players, no clubs wishing to buy those players and those players happy to sit out big fat contracts until now, then his hands were tied.

Do you think he could have just sacked around 20 players going into the season?

 

[Grecian2000]

Sack him, sack him now. What can possibly go wrong?

It'll make a change from sacking managers who get us into the play-offs.

Just a quick reminder. After we'd been in the Second Division for 5 and a half seasons (i.e. entrenched you might say) it took Neil Warnock a further 6 and a half years to get us promoted.
Why, after we have been in THIS division for just about as long (i.e entrenched you might say) do you think it won't take someone a reasonable amount of time to get us out?
Before anyone mentions 18k of fans and the like, remember you only get points if that money is actually invested in the team, not just from having the numbers.

We fucked up in the summer, why would we want to fuck up again now? TWO YEARS minimum, more if you're going in the right direction.

 

[Ted Danson]

I want him sacked immediately, hes wank and has contributed nothing to SUFC, not shown 1 redeeming feature so we might as well get rid and hope we get the new manager bounce for the rest of the season, also gives a new guy some time to asses the squad.

I truly believe there's not many mangers who could have done such a bad job as Nigel Boring Adkins.

They're not getting a renewal from me if hes still here.

 

[Smirth]

I wouldn't be against us sacking Adkins. He has done a woeful job. Yes there are many other things at fault with the club, but he is one of them and has done very little to improve matters. He has saddled the club with overpaid, underperforming players this season (Sammon, Hammond, Woolford) one of those is still here next season and I think we all know that if he remains then Hammond will be here again next season too.

If we are to sack him now then the club needs to have the new man already lined up to take his place immediately, or at least in the next couple of weeks. We need a man to come in now and decide what the squad needs adding to it to win promotion next season. It worked well for Charlton, Rotherham and Bristol City where they brought in their new manager midway through the season, effectively wrote-off the remainder of that season but allowed the manager time to assess his squad and bring in the required players to win promotion the next season, all 3 went on to achieve automatic promotion the following season.

If we do our usual thing of sacking the manager and appointing a caretaker to the end of the season, or whilst we fuck around interviewing managers, then it leaves us no further on with preparing to win promotion next season.

I live in hope that the board run the club sensibly, and if they choose to sack Adkins, wait to get his replacement agreed and signed, and then pull the trigger on Adkins.

 

[Jon Bon]

Not. He needs to clear the shit out in the summer and the board needs to back him to build his own squad. This close season will speak volumes about how ambitious the board are and how competent Adkins really is. We've got to give him the opportunity to show it though IMO.

 

[Whiston Blade]

we might as well get rid and hope we get the new manager bounce for the rest of the season, also gives a new guy some time to asses the squad.

Good god, no. Fuck sake, so they can try hard, look like they give a crap, get new contracts and then play shit again ?

 

[Slim Man]

I don't like the idea of getting rid of Adkins. Not at all. We can't keep doing the same thing again and again or we will be stuck in a rut forever.

If it was to happen though it has to be Chris Powell. For what we're asking, a complete rebuild in the summer and starting straight away - he's had one crack at it with Charlton and pissed the league. Full of passion too.

 

[PeteBlade]

Back him don't sack him.

At some point we're going to have to stop lumping all the blame on the managers.

I think now we're on our what, 10th in 10 years it's a good time to make a change?

"The definition of madness is to keep acting in the same way but expecting different results".

 

[Wapping Blade]

Back him don't sack him.

At some point we're going to have to stop lumping all the blame on the managers.

I think now we're on our what, 10th in 10 years it's a good time to make a change?

"The definition of madness is to keep acting in the same way but expecting different results".

The whole "cult of the manager" thing in football is ridiculous, Paddy Power's "half time manager replacement" was an accurate satire on where it's heading.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Given Adkins performance in the transfer market with this club to date, I am worried. Given the boards ability to pick the right manager at the right time to move us forward, I am worried.

I've doubts over Adkins signings but were they to a tightly controlled budget?
Could he even sign better?

Also for every dud he brings in there are 10 team mates to carry him.

For every manager the board appoint its one guy on his own.

Adkins and not the board edges it on that alone for me.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Was it his choice to 'give everyone a chance?

Most of those players were contracted by until 2016....if there was no cash for new players, no clubs wishing to buy those players and those players happy to sit out big fat contracts until now, then his hands were tied.

Do you think he could have just sacked around 20 players going into the season?

Whilst it was so obvious we needed two centre halves could we just not afford them?

 

[Esablade]

Whilst it was so obvious we needed two centre halves could we just not afford them?

It would appear not...we got Edgar on loan and now, belatedly, Baptiste on loan..as has been mentioned many times Adkins bought one player for 2015/16.

We were told 'everyone will get a chance and we'll strengthen in Jan if needed'

It was needed and yet still no one was bought...maybe the money is there and Adkins doesn't want to spend?

Maybe he's been strung along?

All we have are the facts...

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Serious question LB of E, do you think the s24su members comments and thoughts are representive of the majority of supporters that go to the lane. Or are we as individual posters on a forum, guilty of believing everything that we post is fact. Just asking.

Jonboy60 , I do think this forum is a good barometer of the SUFC fan base . Not all fans can be bothered with a forum and there is a percentage who don't even know it exists .

Do we believe everything we read in the broad sheets , red tops rags . No we don't . We make a judgement on the story whether it's politics or sport . Same here on the forum.

This forum is a broad church , and the club , players , manager , board get criticised for one reason only , because as fans we care .

Blades fans hurt and vent there frustration via the forum. The thing what SUFC have to be careful of , is that hurt turns to apathy and nobody is bothered anymore .

Pride in club , forum , fans means a successful footy team . The fact is , all this as yet to gel together.

UTB

 

[Jonboy60]

Jonboy60 , I do think this forum is a good barometer of the SUFC fan base . Not all fans can be bothered with a forum and there is a percentage who don't even know it exists .

Do we believe everything we read in the broad sheets , red tops rags . No we don't . We make a judgement on the story whether it's politics or sport . Same here on the forum.

This forum is a broad church , and the club , players , manager , board get criticised for one reason only , because as fans we care .

Blades fans hurt and vent there frustration via the forum. The thing what SUFC have to be careful of , is that hurt turns to apathy and nobody is bothered anymore .

Pride in club , forum , fans means a successful footy team . The fact is , all this as yet to gel together.

UTB

But not necessarily in that order.

 

[The Crab]

My two pennorth (not that it's worth even that much!). Meeting with Adkins, realistic list of players he'd like for next season. If it's young or young-ish hungry players then he get's the go-ahead and we see where we are at Christmas. If the list is of the "quality" of his signings so far (with the exception of Sharp) then he's gone ASAP.

I hope it's the former because for me, we can't just keep on sacking managers for the sake of it. But N.A has to impove and we have to get rid of a load of the current dross at the end of the season.

 

[Hodgyman]

I wouldn't be against us sacking Adkins. He has done a woeful job. Yes there are many other things at fault with the club, but he is one of them and has done very little to improve matters. He has saddled the club with overpaid, underperforming players this season (Sammon, Hammond, Woolford) one of those is still here next season and I think we all know that if he remains then Hammond will be here again next season too.

If we are to sack him now then the club needs to have the new man already lined up to take his place immediately, or at least in the next couple of weeks. We need a man to come in now and decide what the squad needs adding to it to win promotion next season. It worked well for Charlton, Rotherham and Bristol City where they brought in their new manager midway through the season, effectively wrote-off the remainder of that season but allowed the manager time to assess his squad and bring in the required players to win promotion the next season, all 3 went on to achieve automatic promotion the following season.

If we do our usual thing of sacking the manager and appointing a caretaker to the end of the season, or whilst we fuck around interviewing managers, then it leaves us no further on with preparing to win promotion next season.

I live in hope that the board run the club sensibly, and if they choose to sack Adkins, wait to get his replacement agreed and signed, and then pull the trigger on Adkins.

I agree that if United are to sack him the time is now to enable the (hopefully quick) replacement can judge the current squad and shed the dross at the end of the season. We do not need to be lumbered with Adkin's choices for next season.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Sack him after he's got rid of all that human junk that masquerade as professional footballers.

 

[Mack]

Don't sack, I agree he's hardly covered himself in glory so far but getting rid would just be yet more re-arranging of deckchairs on the titanic, that is unless he takes the board and 95% of the players out the door with him. the problems at this club run so much deeper than Adkins.

also think given his history and CV it'd seem a tad unfair to sack him without allowing him a proper opportunity to build his own side and rid the squad of all the garbage and fucking useless tossers he inherited from previous regimes.

 

[Hodgyman]

Sack him after he's got rid of all that human junk that masquerade as professional footballers.

A good start but plenty more to go, including his poor "star" recruits (except Billy) If Adkins stays then so will they!

 

[robbiez666]

Back him

He needs a full season when he's not hamstrung by the players he's inherited.

They can't play the way he wants to play and we're lacking in key positions.

His signings aren't great but it depends on the resources he's had to play with (which have been minimal at best).

There's clearly issues behind the scenes which are affecting the performances. If, this time next season we're in a similar position with poor performances and results, then he should go.

It's all about building a team to take us up and keep us up.

 

[BeatleBlade]

Sacking NA will give us even more years of transition. Stick with him and I firmly believe he can turn it around if the funds are made available by the board. If we change managers yet again he will simply be another fool guy for the board acting badly.
They need to:
-Give him adequate resources to achieve automatic promotion next season (one of the biggest playing budgets in the league, top 3). The board can't expect to compete for league with a small budget.
-Give him time to change what is wrong behind the scenes.
-Not force him to sell players because player x wants to leave as he's more ambitious than us. If he's signed a contract either hold him to it (like some of the current lay abouts are currently doing to us) or let the manager decide whether or not he wants to sell the player. Also, it's a contradiction by the board in giving the manage total control over transfers and then forcing him to sell players that want to leave.
-Try have someone on the board who knows a lot about football (like Derek Dooley) who can oversee the day-to-day running of the club.

The only one of those things which the board really have to pull their finger out for is the budget for the playing squad. However, it'll work out cheaper in the long run because it means we'll spend less time in this league!

 

[jodman]

Sack him.

I say so with reluctance but I personally think that he has been given the opportunity to earn the right to build his own team and in that endeavour (I shudder a little saying that word these days) he has failed. If we had seen even the faintest suggestion of better days ahead then I may have arrived at a different conclusion; but the performances have been very poor and the players that he has signed have been equally as poor.

Moreover, the trajectory of his career has been descending for a while now so he cannot continue to live on his past success. We all know that managers can start well and then never re-capture that initial success (Robson at Middlesbrough, Robbins at Rotherham, Boothroyd at Watford, etc) so in my opinion, the currency he earned at Scunthorpe and Southampton was enough to get him the job, but it is not enough to keep him in the job following a wretched season.

The only saving grace is that I actually think that much of what Adkins talks about, his overall vision of how he wants to club to be going forwards, is exactly what I would like as well. But talk is cheap and I could make the same promises myself if I were the manager; I do not believe he is the man to deliver on those promises.

So, sack him.