United, please communicate re finances.

[GlosBlade]

I don't mind us not chasing long term players this January, but it is worrying how many players we are shipping out and even more worrying that we are still deep in the mire of a relegation fight......we all know how they usually work out for the blades. Hopefully we will get some more positive transfer news in the next few says

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

The problem with the JTW and Saudi princes is that it fills us with hope . We should know better but we never learn.
As someone once said " despair I can live with, it's the hope I can't stand "..

I couldn't care less for the finances , however we clearly have a team where the best 11 look barely capable of clinging on to their 3rd tier status..

Strategies and windows are all well and good but the simple fact remains that team are not good enough, we need better players in the short term and a better team in the medium term.

The margins between staying up and relegation are slim, we know that too well

Injuries to the 1st team in the next month or so will mean that by definition, they will be replaced with poorer players.

As stated , we never learn . UTB.

That is it in a nutshell, couldn't agree more.

 

[Woodwardfan]

NC has not been with us long but long enough to decide that certain players are not his type of player and maybe not his type of characters. In the first few months leading up to the start of next season he has to create a spirit and stamp his own ethos on the whole squad and indeed the club. The bulk of that work will be done in the summer when numerous player contracts end.

Soon after he arrived he stated that we had far too big a squad and too many players not playing regularly. He was always going to trim the squad and try to replace outgoing players with some better quality.

So many departures and only one arrival feels as though he is leaving us vulnerable, certainly if we had a couple of injuries to certain players. All of a sudden our bench looks a bit thin though the likes of Whitehouse and Kennedy will get some playing time and good luck to them, they need to make an impact before long.

Surely NC has a couple of new players lined up and for some reason they are delayed. It seems Judge was coming but was offered better terms and prospects by Brentord. If we are still seeking players of his quality it could be worth the wait, but the three points on Saturday are of course vital. At least Bradford have lost Wells thank goodness.

NC is here for the long haul and whilst he is determined to avoid relegation, he has to keep doing the right things with next season in mind.

As for the new prince not being genuine, that has to be nonsense. KM has written off a load of debt and has given up half his shares. He may have poor judgement in the choice of managers over the years, but he is a successful businessman and the deal with the prince is a commercial decision.

 

[Cool Clint]

I suppose it is not just about getting players in he likes, they also have to be able to play with the players in the squad he may not like but has to work with.

 

[Lane Ender]

There's been a lot of good players up for grabs in this window I just thought he would bring in 2-3 signings in not loanees not only would it solidify our league position it gives three months to jell ready for next season.
I reckon finishing the season strong would give us a better platform for next year than a relegation fight.

 

[TC10]

Got ta agree Lane Ender. Surely when you are still in danger of relegation NOW you would be looking to prevent that and bring in players for the future.
It seems to me that many feel that, once w e have survived this season, we will go out, re-build and launch a strong promotion challenge.

This is not like choosing your fantasy football team at the beginning of each season( DW tried that last year and look how well that went). It is about building a squad, giving that group time to gel, develop and play together to form a cohesive, effective team with some spirit.

The sooner that starts the better.

Imagine, if we survive, being on here next Autumn discussing how the new squad needs time to gel, how NC has chosen some who don't fit and that, hopefully NEXT season we can climb out of Div 3.


Today's procrastination is tomorrow's failure.

 

[Lane Ender]

Got ta agree Lane Ender. Surely when you are still in danger of relegation NOW you would be looking to prevent that and bring in players for the future.
It seems to me that many feel that, once w e have survived this season, we will go out, re-build and launch a strong promotion challenge.

This is not like choosing your fantasy football team at the beginning of each season( DW tried that last year and look how well that went). It is about building a squad, giving that group time to gel, develop and play together to form a cohesive, effective team with some spirit.

The sooner that starts the better.

Imagine, if we survive, being on here next Autumn discussing how the new squad needs time to gel, how NC has chosen some who don't fit and that, hopefully NEXT season we can climb out of Div 3.


Today's procrastination is tomorrow's failure.

Bottom line is you can't build a promotion contenders put together pre season Weirs side looked useful in meaningless friendlies looked what happened when the real business started.

 

[Woodwardfan]

This is not like choosing your fantasy football team at the beginning of each season( DW tried that last year and look how well that went). It is about building a squad, giving that group time to gel, develop and play together to form a cohesive, effective team with some spirit.



That's a fair point TC10, but the reality is that there is a lengthy list of players whose contracts expire this summer and who will probably be leaving us. I suppose that does make the case for a couple of permanent signings now, at least they will be "bedded in" by the end of this season, thereby reducing the intake during the summer.

 

[TC10]

I appreciate the exodus at the end of the season Woody but do feel . like yourself, that we need to start getting the quorum of a team together a.s.a.p. otherwise, as I said above, we will be regretting not putting the foundations in to start the re- build.

BTW Woody, S42 must have a more +ve effect on us than Blades Mad- we normally do not agree (TT)

 

[Pinchy]

Bottom line is you can't build a promotion contenders put together pre season Weirs side looked useful in meaningless friendlies looked what happened when the real business started.

Chris Powell did precisely that at Charlton Athletic!

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Bottom line is you can't build a promotion contenders put together pre season Weirs side looked useful in meaningless friendlies looked what happened when the real business started.

Think Charlton would dispute that statement

Edit:
Should have read all the replies first Pinchy beat me to it

 

[Woodwardfan]

United will be selling season tickets soon. If there is a positive story to tell then they should communicate it now.

It's interesting to read this thread which started in the middle of January; a lot has happened since. For example, how will the income from the Cup run benefit the wage budget? Has the prince put anything in yet? Does he intend to?

Right now there is a massive opportunity for United to build on that Wembley experience and capture the imagination of maybe thousands more season ticket holders. We fans deserve to be treated as business stakeholders. Any salesman needs to sell the benefits of his products. Any purchaser should know what he/she is buying.

O.K. we have all bought into Nigel, but we need to know what tools he will be given to take it to the next stage. Blind faith will only sell so many tickets but a declaration of ambition will sell a lot more and a load more income will push up that FFP threshold. Conversely, if our manager does not get a bigger budget we need to understand why IMO, and then our expectations can be managed.

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

Clough has said we'll be bringing in 3 or 4 quality players.

The club have already said that the FA Cup money will be used to sustain a promotion bid.

We cannot purchase any players until 1st June (think thats the date).

Im not too sure what else the club can say? Do people expect names of targets, how much we're prepared to spend on them, details of Clough's budget?

The clubs expectations are promotion, its been stated by all connected with the club, therefore that should be our expectation.

 

[SotonBlade]

I think people focus far too much on what the budgets are, who we're buying, what wages we're paying.

Clough will keep his targets close to his chest, and rightly so.

It's early days, a lot will change over the summer i'm sure and given what's happened since the Prince has come in Clough will be backed if the deal is right.

It's only April!

 

[Silent Blade]

We do not want to reveal too much cos pesky football agents would want higher wages for the players (already at SUFC or looking to join us) also clubs would ask for higher transfer fees for the players we are interested in.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I think people focus far too much on what the budgets are, who we're buying, what wages we're paying.

Clough will keep his targets close to his chest, and rightly so.

It's early days, a lot will change over the summer i'm sure and given what's happened since the Prince has come in Clough will be backed if the deal is right.

It's only April!

Just wait till next April!!!!