Training facilities

[blade too long]

One caller on football heaven blaming lack of training facilities as part of our poor start... Reading fc are grade 1 training set up cost a fortune and they are heading for league 2.
As I recall the decade or more we were in the top division in the 60s early seventies we trained at the Ball Inn pub football pitch.and turned out Mick Jones Alan birchenall Alan Woodward Tony Currie etc WE have a 1m quid pitch at ours it's not a circus tent

 

[Bladeloyal]

Some people should have a run up to Shirecliffe and ask for a guided tour ,they might be surprised at what we've actually got .

 

[Bladeloyal]

One caller on football heaven blaming lack of training facilities as part of our poor start... Reading fc are grade 1 training set up cost a fortune and they are heading for league 2.
As I recall the decade or more we were in the top division in the 60s early seventies we trained at the Ball Inn pub football pitch.and turned out Mick Jones Alan birchenall Alan Woodward Tony Currie etc WE have a 1m quid pitch at ours it's not a circus tent

They train on a surface better than what 90%of stadiums have it's superb .

 

[Sheffsteel]

One caller on football heaven blaming lack of training facilities as part of our poor start... Reading fc are grade 1 training set up cost a fortune and they are heading for league 2.
As I recall the decade or more we were in the top division in the 60s early seventies we trained at the Ball Inn pub football pitch.and turned out Mick Jones Alan birchenall Alan Woodward Tony Currie etc WE have a 1m quid pitch at ours it's not a circus tent

I know what he was getting at.....it's the old chicken and egg situation.

We have half decent 5 out of 10 training facilities.
When we're promoted do we spend all the money on players....so try and keep up
or do we give up, just accept relegation and spend on training facilities.

What you always find.....and it makes me laugh.
It we severely restrict the player budget and spend on training.....then fans will complain that we've not given it a go.
Where as if we spend all our money on players.....and are still relegated then fans will say we should have spent the money on facilities.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but which ever option is chosen....fans will always complain.

Training facilities are for the long term but most fans and owners are only interested in the short term.

 

[Bladeloyal]

Other than a better top building I'm not sure what more could be done at Shirecliffe ,
And if you go in the top building the old atlas and Norfolk sports club you will find it's well fitted out ,
Bottom building is good nowt wrong there ,great indoor facility

That's why first team will probably move to its own facility when finances let it and Shirecliffe becomes cat 1.

 

[blade too long]

I know what he was getting at.....it's the old chicken and egg situation.

We have half decent 5 out of 10 training facilities.
When we're promoted do we spend all the money on players....so try and keep up
or do we give up, just accept relegation and spend on training facilities.

What you always find.....and it makes me laugh.
It we severely restrict the player budget and spend on training.....then fans will complain that we've not given it a go.
Where as if we spend all our money on players.....and are still relegated then fans will say we should have spent the money on facilities.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but which ever option is chosen....fans will always complain.

Training facilities are for the long term but most fans and owners are only interested in the short term.

But there are 5 clubs languishing in the championship and Derby and Reading in league one with top graded training facilities....its not a guarantee of improvement.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

But there are 5 clubs languishing in league one with top graded training facilities....its not a guarantee of improvement.

Is anybody saying it is.

 

[blade too long]

Is anybody saying it is.

Op
...lad on radio sheffield insisted we needed it

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Op
...lad on radio sheffield insisted we needed it

Having a better training set up would help but it's still not a guarantee. Bring cat one would mean we could hand got more money for lankshear and that kid who went to Manchester City.

 

[Rodley]

Better facilities attracts and retains better players. Better Academy retains and develops young players.

 

[1889]

Sheffield is geographically perfect in terms of maximum catchment area, the Academy has a good reputation. Improving the training facilities at Shirecliffe to Cat 1 levels and creating a new facility for the first team squad, would seem a far better use of financial resources than anything else we’ve done this summer.

In fact, if we have ambitions to become even partially self sufficient, with an elite level centre of footballing excellence, then it is essential that we direct funding in that direction, it may not come again.

 

[Snowflake]

Sheffield is geographically perfect in terms of maximum catchment area, the Academy has a good reputation. Improving the training facilities at Shirecliffe to Cat 1 levels and creating a new facility for the first team squad, would seem a far better use of financial resources than anything else we’ve done this summer.

In fact, if we have ambitions to become even partially self sufficient, with an elite level centre of footballing excellence, then it is essential that we direct funding in that direction, it may not come again.

Perhaps the money for improved facilities was intended to come from next season in the PL, so we had to spend on players to achieve that.
Not at present working !!

 

[71Blade]

I have the answer .. we can't defend. We have extremely poor ball retention.. we are slow like very slow and guess what we create little and score less. But let's blame the training facilities. How did George Best be the player he was playing on potato fields getting lumps kicked out of him pissed most nights. Imagine how could he could have been using our training facilities. In a nutshell we stink the premier league out. Hope this helps

 

[CaptainMorgans]

Other than a better top building I'm not sure what more could be done at Shirecliffe ,
And if you go in the top building the old atlas and Norfolk sports club you will find it's well fitted out ,
Bottom building is good nowt wrong there ,great indoor facility

That's why first team will probably move to its own facility when finances let it and Shirecliffe becomes cat 1.

I know you've been to shirecliffe and maybe played a 5-a-side game there and got a bit horny because it's like nothing you've ever seen before... but I'm inclined to trust our managers (plural) and players take on the situation. Given they're there every day and they're professionals.

It's all relative. Our facilities aren't where they need to be for a club of our standing.

 

[sufcboy95]

The facilities are the least of our problems at minute

 

[blade too long]

Better facilities attracts and retains better players. Better Academy retains and develops young players.

Tell that to Reading and Derby fans

 

[Bladeloyal]

I know you've been to shirecliffe and maybe played a 5-a-side game there and got a bit horny because it's like nothing you've ever seen before... but I'm inclined to trust our managers (plural) and players take on the situation. Given they're there every day and they're professionals.

It's all relative. Our facilities aren't where they need to be for a club of our standing.

Serial back stabber of the club .and you haven't got a clue about me or Shirecliffe

 

[Rodley]

Tell that to Reading and Derby fans

So you disagree then?

 

[Proper Blade]

I know what he was getting at.....it's the old chicken and egg situation.

We have half decent 5 out of 10 training facilities.
When we're promoted do we spend all the money on players....so try and keep up
or do we give up, just accept relegation and spend on training facilities.

What you always find.....and it makes me laugh.
It we severely restrict the player budget and spend on training.....then fans will complain that we've not given it a go.
Where as if we spend all our money on players.....and are still relegated then fans will say we should have spent the money on facilities.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but which ever option is chosen....fans will always complain.

Training facilities are for the long term but most fans and owners are only interested in the short term.

I suppose the Prince has been clever and gone for option 3: don't spend any money on players OR infrastructure

He's always one step ahead, is Princey

 

[CaptainMorgans]

Serial back stabber of the club .and you haven't got a clue about me or Shirecliffe

Eh? My opinion aligns with that of the coaching staff and players (past and present).

Who am I backstabbing? I'm sure even Bettis & co. (who didn't pay the bills for the upkeep of the place) have acknowledged the facilities aren't up to standard...

 

[1889]

Eh? My opinion aligns with that of the coaching staff and players (past and present).

Who am I backstabbing? I'm sure even Bettis & co. (who didn't pay the bills for the upkeep of the place) have acknowledged the facilities aren't up to standard...

The two first team pitches at Shirecliffe were dug up and are now Desso pitches of the same type and standard as Bramall Lane, it was completed in December 2022 at a cost of £2m.

I think the complaints you are referring to are historical and yes before you mention it, they’ve mended the roof too

 

[Foxy]

I know you've been to shirecliffe and maybe played a 5-a-side game there and got a bit horny because it's like nothing you've ever seen before

I helped break a world record there for Children in Need, sadly since been beaten by some pretenders in Lyon. Suspect if we'd upgraded to Cat1, we'd have retained the record... I know my talents deserved more.

 

[blade too long]

So you disagree then?

We have a million quid training pitch better than most league clubs have

 

[Rodders]

Other than a better top building I'm not sure what more could be done at Shirecliffe ,
And if you go in the top building the old atlas and Norfolk sports club you will find it's well fitted out ,
Bottom building is good nowt wrong there ,great indoor facility

That's why first team will probably move to its own facility when finances let it and Shirecliffe becomes cat 1.

Isn’t Norwood on record as saying the facilities are crap?

 

[Sheffsteel]

Isn’t Norwood on record as saying the facilities are crap?

Yeh he did say something like that.
Think it's more about in comparison to other clubs.

We've got good facilities by 1990's standards
but we think we're doing well because our main rivals Wednesday have good facilities by 1970's/1980's standards.

Both Sheffield do have good and adequate facilities BUT times have changed and moved up a notch.
These days many clubs have facilities at the level of 5 star health spa resorts, they are really posh and state of the art.
Any visitors to those facilities are really impressed, then they come to the Sheffield clubs facilities and laugh.
Eventually they'll get used to it, adjust and think it's OK.

 

[Toronto Blade]

Go back to when the injuries started to climb and begin there

 

[Houston_Blade]

Tell that to Reading and Derby fans

Derby’s academy is very good at most age groups. They’ve got a very good attraction and recruitment proposition. Just because the first team is in league 1 doesn’t reflect on their academy. It’s good that they still see the benefit of investment despite their league status.

 

[S64 Blade]

Tell that to Reading and Derby fans

Two examples out of how many Cat A academies?

Derby are arguably only still in existence because of their academy. When they weren’t allowed to sign any players, who did they put in the side?

 

[blade too long]

Two examples out of how many Cat A academies?

Derby are arguably only still in existence because of their academy. When they weren’t allowed to sign any players, who did they put in the side?

theres 21 cat A acadamies 5 in the championship 14 in the prem
all have billionaire owners or boards that have ore than 1 multi millionaire investors

we have one who is worth 120 m or so, which is not ideal for large investments

we are classed as cat B so are the wendies but our facilities blind theirs
and some of the cat A are really miles apart in quality

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

theres 21 cat A acadamies 5 in the championship 14 in the prem
all have billionaire owners or boards that have ore than 1 multi millionaire investors

we have one who is worth 120 m or so, which is not ideal for large investments

we are classed as cat B so are the wendies but our facilities blind theirs
and some of the cat A are really miles apart in quality

There are no such things as Cat A & Cat B Academies.
But, as it happens, there are 26 Category 1 Academies.
Norwich & Stoke don't have billionaire owners do they?
Which of those 26 do you judge have the worst "miles apart" facilities?