Todays Star - Hammond

[Woodwardfan]

I'm sure i'm not the only one, I would like to see United sign players that are the polar opposites of the drug abusers, the sex offenders, the players who think that by signing for Sheffield United they only wear the shirt, but rarely play for the shirt. Keep the players with gambling/alcohol related issues off the radar.

Age doesn't play a part in any of the above, it guarantees none of the traits mentioned.

And one last thing, players signed should be educated... that we are Sheffield United, NOT Sheffield......

No matter what any fan thinks of Hammond as a player there can be no doubt he is a role model as a person to have around the club and the dressing room.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

We've got to stop this nonsense about thinking just because a player is Premier League, it doesn't automatically make him superior to L1 players.

The only thing similar to L1 & the PL is the rules of the sport. Just as it as difficult for players to "step up" it's the same for players who "step down"...
Maybe having Hammond for this length of time, signing him full-time in the pre-season, we might have a player who has grown accustomed to this level?

Would love to see a mixture of youth/experience in the stripes, but for me, Adkins has to get "the spine" of the team right first... Then build on that.

Someone I'd recommend after seeing quite a lot this season, albeit via tv, is the Australian lad playing midfield for Ross County, Jackson Irvine.
Box to box midfield kid who Celtic signed but never really gave a chance to. 23yr old, don't be mislead into thinking the SPL is way beyond L1, because it's about on a par apart from three clubs, who'd do well perhaps in the Championship down here.

 

[BushBlade]

Or Sam Morsy but we'd rather go with the slow 33 yr old more expensive version.

For anyone in any doubt as to his effectiveness watch the goals we conceded at home to Peterborough ! I'd actually rather have Basham play that role and hes better at centre half.

I haven't seen enough of Morsy to comment tbh.

 

[BushBlade]

Let's be honest, if he's on low wages and free then he's probably a benefit for the squad. Sadly, he's neither.

??? He is on a free as his contract expires at the end of the season. Then he will be on no wages.

 

[Revolution]

Agree . Adkins to succeed requires both players / blokes around him he can trust and rely on . If we are having this so called pathway for younger players either via the academy or loan system , we are going to require some old head minders , to ensure we have some backbone and structure .

Hammond , Sharp , Baps from Boro , Brayford may well be the players to pull us together . Putting aside the shit , mess and mismanagement we have created ourselves , we finally may be having a plan.

There's method in Adkins madness.

UTB

It's a shame that method doesn't include building a midfield that creates and scores goals.

 

[BushBlade]

It's a shame that method doesn't include building a midfield that creates and scores goals.

Isn't that where the young players come in?

 

[Revolution]

Isn't that where the young players come in?

We already have a number of midfielders under contract for next year. i don't believe the club will allow Adkins to bring a lot of people in to play there - hence Hammond is a waste of a signing.

 

[Woodwardfan]

We've got to stop this nonsense about thinking just because a player is Premier League, it doesn't automatically make him superior to L1 players.

The only thing similar to L1 & the PL is the rules of the sport. Just as it as difficult for players to "step up" it's the same for players who "step down"...
Maybe having Hammond for this length of time, signing him full-time in the pre-season, we might have a player who has grown accustomed to this level?

Would love to see a mixture of youth/experience in the stripes, but for me, Adkins has to get "the spine" of the team right first... Then build on that.

Someone I'd recommend after seeing quite a lot this season, albeit via tv, is the Australian lad playing midfield for Ross County, Jackson Irvine.
Box to box midfield kid who Celtic signed but never really gave a chance to. 23yr old, don't be mislead into thinking the SPL is way beyond L1, because it's about on a par apart from three clubs, who'd do well perhaps in the Championship down here.

I so agree with that point about the Premier League being so different, especially the top half.

A lot of the time the defence and deep midfielders play in their own little area with all the time in the world to get hold of the ball, stroll forward and play it. In the cups they often get the shock of their lives when they are harrassed by eager forwards closing them down and they panic.

Gugenpressing can have great results against complacent teams full of prima-donnas.

I agree Lydon, probably the last place we should be looking is the Premier League for established players anyway.

 

[blade too long]

My heart bleeds for these players who take a cut down to £10K plus a week

yes having to cut back a little and buying cheaper prosecco is stressful

 

[Woodwardfan]

We already have a number of midfielders under contract for next year. i don't believe the club will allow Adkins to bring a lot of people in to play there - hence Hammond is a waste of a signing.

I'm only aware of Coutts, Reed, Scougall and Woolford as midfielders contracted beyond the summer.

K.Wallace is another if he's regarded as a wing back as well as a full back. Basham's a defender who can play in midfield. Adams is a striker so it appears. Brayford's a wing back too.

Probably need three more.

 

[Champagneblade]

My conclusion is we have to trust the manager ( Adkins )who is building a younger team who will need experienced players around them ,call Hammond a minder if you like but without experience around them a young team will not acheave anything.As I said earlier we have to trust the manager for in any case if he gets it badly wrong! he would be gone.

Just a couple of points
1. There is no evidence that Adkins is building a younger team. That is what we hope. His only building is signing 2 thirty year olds permanently. This has been supplemented by 2 players in their thirties and two in their late twenties on loan.
2. He's clearly not fulfilled what he told his bosses he could so he needs an angle. He's doing what Blackwell probably should have done rather than bring in so many senior loans and that's bring a few kids in to curry favour with the owners. With the transfer window shut and a number of loans already here, his options to freshen up a failing project are limited anyway.
3. If a fresh young side is what his new shtick is then he should be developing Whiteman who can play also centre half and right back to usurp Hammond and get a player of value in who can help us beat teams not just break up play and foul.
4. What will Hammond be like next year? He's worth a yellow each game because he can't keep up with play. What will he be like next March?
5. Wages. He's not going to take the 2-3k per week he's probably worth. And for me this is the biggest issue. He'll want 8-10k and for what he contributes he's not worth it. He's no McCall or Cowans. He couldn't even break into the PL.

UTB

 

[BushBlade]

We already have a number of midfielders under contract for next year. i don't believe the club will allow Adkins to bring a lot of people in to play there - hence Hammond is a waste of a signing.

I'm hoping we can get rid of a couple; hopeful but not confident though.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Paraphrased 'Adkins has given his clearest hint he will attempt to sign Hammond this summer'....'if you talk about doing the basics well how well does Hammond do them'

Well that's ok then a slow 33 year old who can do the basics well will take up a big chunk of weekly wages if our incumbent manager gets his way...I can't wait for us to keep on making the same mistakes as doing those basics well has clearly worked this season and next season he will be another year slower !

If Adkins thinks Hammond is the main man and signs him , that will be good enough for me . To move forward we have to start putting some trust into this Adkins fella, and have faith he knows what he is doing on all things SUFC football .

UTB

 

[alcoblade]

I'm only aware of Coutts, Reed, Scougall and Woolford as midfielders contracted beyond the summer
.

Well that's depressed me!

I thought Woolford only got a years contract?

UTB

 

[Revolution]

Well that's depressed me!

I thought Woolford only got a years contract?

UTB

Nope, 2 years.

Worst case scenario - it's gonna be Woolford-Hammond-Basham/Reed-Coutts, which is a recipe for mid table football if ever there was one.

 

[alcoblade]

Nope, 2 years.

Worst case scenario - it's gonna be Woolford-Hammond-Basham/Reed-Coutts, which is a recipe for mid table football if ever there was one.

I've never "not liked" a post I've just "liked" as much in my life.

UTB

 

[Sean Thornton]

Nope, 2 years.

Worst case scenario - it's gonna be Woolford-Hammond-Basham/Reed-Coutts, which is a recipe for mid table football if ever there was one.

Not be much gegenpressing with that line up. Worst case scenario maybe, but highly unlikely.

 

[Revolution]

Not be much gegenpressing with that line up. Worst case scenario maybe, but highly unlikely.

I'd say it's quite likely. Hammond is certain to sign and the rest will be around.

 

[Sean Thornton]

I'd say it's quite likely. Hammond is certain to sign and the rest will be around.

He's not playing it now.

 

[Revolution]

He's not playing it now.

Oh, I see what you mean. Well, you can certainly expect to see 3 of that lot in the middle of a 5 man midfield at some point...

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Just a couple of points
1. There is no evidence that Adkins is building a younger team. That is what we hope. His only building is signing 2 thirty year olds permanently. This has been supplemented by 2 players in their thirties and two in their late twenties on loan.
2. He's clearly not fulfilled what he told his bosses he could so he needs an angle. He's doing what Blackwell probably should have done rather than bring in so many senior loans and that's bring a few kids in to curry favour with the owners. With the transfer window shut and a number of loans already here, his options to freshen up a failing project are limited anyway.
3. If a fresh young side is what his new shtick is then he should be developing Whiteman who can play also centre half and right back to usurp Hammond and get a player of value in who can help us beat teams not just break up play and foul.
4. What will Hammond be like next year? He's worth a yellow each game because he can't keep up with play. What will he be like next March?
5. Wages. He's not going to take the 2-3k per week he's probably worth. And for me this is the biggest issue. He'll want 8-10k and for what he contributes he's not worth it. He's no McCall or Cowans. He couldn't even break into the PL.

UTB

The evidence of building a younger team is the removal of quite a few experienced players and giving game time to a lot of younger players. We’ve seen Long, Wallace, Reed & Adams all have runs in the team this season and Whiteman, McGahey have played the odd game too whilst Kelly is now making the bench. He wants role models to help these young players develop and not go the way of Simon Francis, Ashley Sestanovich, the McFadzeans, and seemingly De Girolamo. Admittedly some of them recovered their careers but all went off the rails whilst with us and failed to deliver on their potential.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

We already have a number of midfielders under contract for next year. i don't believe the club will allow Adkins to bring a lot of people in to play there - hence Hammond is a waste of a signing.

If Flo, Flynn, McFadzean, JCR, Wallace, Baxter and possibly Scougall are all moved out of our midfield, surely there would be room to sign Hammond and at least one more creative midfielder?

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I haven't seen enough of Morsy to comment tbh.

When Wigan came to the lane, Morsy seemed more like a young, more mobile version of Hammond. Screened the back four, made cynical fouls when needed etc. But you never know, anyone who watched Michael Brown after he left us would assume that he was just a dirty midfield destroyer and nothing else.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

The key is what he's worth,if championship clubs show interest in him then he can command possibly 10 k + at 33 maybe championship clubs will not
show real interest (will be interesting to see ) ,his wage then would be more in line with what we are willing to pay.Many players drop down the pay scale when 33 or beyond so his demands may not be so big.

He certainly won’t get a contract anything like his Leicester one. If championship clubs come in for him, I expect it will be those expected to battle the drop (Burton, Rotherham, Huddersfield etc.) so he’lll probably be looking at offers between £6-10k per week. He will probably have to accept a bit less money if he wants to stay with us and have the benefit of the stadium and the manager.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I see where you're coming from there but overpaying in wages, especially for players whose contributions barely justify half of what they're on, has continually set us back significantly and many are anticipating more of the same with Hammond. It's understandable that we concern ourselves with the financial aspects.

Look back to when we signed Brayford. I was livid we spent what we did because I thought it would have heavy implications for our summer budget, and that turned out to be the case. We can't afford to be as careless in the future. Refusing to pay Hammond more than 5/6k p/w would be a start.

I don’t disagree except that we as fans just never know the financial position, what we can afford, what each deal is costing, how that will affect the budget for other players etc. McCabe probably thought that because Brayford was such a fan favourite, he would put more bums on seats and pay some of the fee back. He also probably thought he’d help us get promoted (if he’d not got injured against Swindon who knows). McCabe or the Prince might have been willing to chuck more money at Brayford because of potential commercial advantages of retaining some goodwill with the fans. They might not have let the purse strings loose for other players. Look back to the Warnock documentary when he wanted to sign John Stead and McCabe said he thought Duncan Ferguson would excite the fans more.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Or Sam Morsy but we'd rather go with the slow 33 yr old more expensive version.

For anyone in any doubt as to his effectiveness watch the goals we conceded at home to Peterborough ! I'd actually rather have Basham play that role and hes better at centre half.

Basham cannot and has never been able to play that role. He has no positional discipline whatsoever. Even when playing in a 2 with Baxter at the start of the season, Baxter played the deeper role allowing Basham to go chasing and harrying. If he played Hammond’s role and chased around like he does we would be left with a gaping hole in the centre.


For what it’s worth, I agree about Hammond’s failure against Peterborough and in certain other games. His lack of pace/acceleration/agility means he either has to stand too far off his man or he gets skinned too easily. A definite weakness in his game.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

How do you know what he will be on? How do you know what he will be offered? You don't know. I'm all for arguing whether the bloke is good enough but all this bollocks about how much he is earning? Not relevant in my opinion. Let the moneymen worry about that not the fans. We have become a right set of worrying fannies. What does he earn? What about ffp? Will he have a bigger knob than collo had?

One thing only matters. Is he good enough.

It’s a difficult one because of course what a player earns plays a part in whether they are a good signing (in terms of value for money). But as we fans never have the full picture financially (Wages, transfer fees, bonuses, signing on fees, agent fees, backhanders etc.) any discussion around it is based on supposition and guesstimates. So I agree all we can really have a conclusive opinion on is what a player offers on the pitch. Hammond is limited but does offer us something we lack. Ideally, I would rather get a midfielder with more strings to his bow but signing Hammond would make us better than signing nobody.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Very black and white with me this matter.

I don't really rate Hammond and have only seen him produce (at best) decent performances in a Blades shirt. He is nothing special IMHO. Adkins it would appear thinks otherwise and there is always a bit more to it than ability. Personality, team ethic etc etc. I am more than happy for Adkins to recruit his own soldiers for the job in hand.

Hammond is currently on a Prem League screw of in excess of £30,000 per week. We are apparently paying half this at the present time during the loan spell. So £15,000 + as it stands.

Everything considered (Age etc), there is NO fucking way we should be paying this lad more than £500,000 per year, assuming we are still a L1 club. No way.

So the real question is will Hammond drop permanently 2 divisions with a salary drop of over 50% ??

UTB

I think he’ll need to drop to take a contract of £5-6k per week if he wants to play for us. I can’t see us offering much more than that. Maybe a big promotion bonus and a signing on fee would sweeten it. We really pushed the boat out for Brayford and I think he’s on £10k per week.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

but Makalele couldn't do both at top level, as far as I can recall.

Makelele was very good at winning the bal and giving it to someone who could do something with it. Whereas Monty was very good at winning the ball and then giving it straight back to the opposition. Vieira and Keane were very good at winning the ball and then doing something with it themselves. I think WWF means Hammond is good at the same things as Makalele but at a much lower level. A bit like Doyle was.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

I'm sure i'm not the only one, I would like to see United sign players that are the polar opposites of the drug abusers, the sex offenders, the players who think that by signing for Sheffield United they only wear the shirt, but rarely play for the shirt. Keep the players with gambling/alcohol related issues off the radar.

Age doesn't play a part in any of the above, it guarantees none of the traits mentioned.

And one last thing, players signed should be educated... that we are Sheffield United, NOT Sheffield......

I seem to remember Hammond himself being guilty of that crime you mention in your last sentence, in an interview soon after joining.