Weir: Note of caution.

[Trigger Blade]

He says in his book that he's driven by a "love of winning, bordering on an addiction" and a "fear of what comes after football".

Oof, that's a tap in.... it's managing Sheffield United

 

[scrap]

Now that was Sneaky, and cleverly Done. He has been watched over the last 4 months.

 

[blade too long]

So why should we be optimistic?

Beats the shit out of our usual demeanour
its nice some people are trying something alien to them

 

[Kev Gee]

I just think the bloke has something about him.
What may proove vital is his assistant.

 

[moDtheGod]

...so the stands will be patient...

lol

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

I think people are optimistic for 3 reasons;

1. He's got a decent footballing pedigree,
2. He hasn't failed anywhere previously,
3. It could have been a lot worse.

Weir on the march with Davey's army...........................

 

[Grecian2000]

I think people are optimistic for 3 reasons;

1. He's got a decent footballing pedigree,
2. He hasn't failed anywhere previously,
3. It could have been a lot worse.

and 4. He's proper Scottish (no Bradford accent in sight). Can he be a Ferguson, Shankly, Busby or Moyes?

As long as he doesn't turn into Billy McKewan!!

 

[Bladesman]

I am slightly intrigued as to why everyone is so positive about this appointment. Don't get me wrong, I wish him all the best and really, really hope he succeeds. But here we have someone with a glittering playing career given his first managerial job. Precedents for this (Peters, Spackman, Bruce, Speed) are not exactly good.

So why should we be optimistic?

I agree with you there but I think it is more down to his pedigree and the fact I think everyone had got so depressed with the names being linked with the job. As always the proof will be in the pudding but I am certainly happier with this appointment.

 

[Guesty]

A Jock Stein would be nice. Imagine, a team full of Sheffield born lads winning the Champions League!

 

[Longtime Blade]

Bruce = 1 season treading water before he buggered oof to the brighter pastures of Huddesrfield!
Speed = 4 months of mediocre performances see us hovering above the relegation zone
Spackman - loads of money spent and starts off well, performances slowly deteriorate (even before D&F were sold) and he resigns in a huff

Not disastrous, but not very good in any case.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

I am slightly intrigued as to why everyone is so positive about this appointment. Don't get me wrong, I wish him all the best and really, really hope he succeeds. But here we have someone with a glittering playing career given his first managerial job. Precedents for this (Peters, Spackman, Bruce, Speed) are not exactly good.

So why should we be optimistic?

Partly relief, it could've been Keith Curle or Wally Downes!

Partly the playing pedigree, which in your analysis is more akin to Spackman than the others. Honest decent pro who happened to be Scottish so he won loads of caps. Played under several decent managers including David Moyes and Walter Smith.

Partly reputation. From Moyes to Kenwright to Smith to several others they all seem to think that he has the necessary attributes to make a go at this managing mullarkey.

Partly it's different. Not for a long time have the club done this. Peters was at the club, Bruce was at the club, Spackman was at the club, Speed was at the club. Struggling to remember the last time we appointed a rookie that is from outside the club system. No baggage, No Bladeyness!

 

[Longtime Blade]

I think that Darren is too hard on Bruce. He did "tread water" in the sense that we ended up 8th as opposed to 7th the season before; but his squad was much weaker and the squabbling at board level was going on all that season. Is it any wonder that he "buggered off " to Huddersfield? He did give the impression of being a young man in a hurry but could any other new manager have done better with that squad?

One puzzling feature with regard to Weir is that he was considered as a possible manager for Everton and so one would have expected Wigan to go for him (and maybe him for Wigan); but there's been no mention of that, and wasn't the Wolves job also open at the time he was thinking about United? I wonder what advice he has taken that drew him to United.

Did he play for Everton in either or both of our two games against them in 2006/7?

It's an exciting appointment for United. However, there's not much been said about his personality. However, some of his photos in the press make him look the sort of chap who doesn't suffer fools gladly.

 

[Longtime Blade]

I think that Darren is too hard on Bruce. He did "tread water" in the sense that we ended up 8th as opposed to 7th the season before; but his squad was much weaker and the squabbling at board level was going on all that season. Is it any wonder that he "buggered off " to Huddersfield? He did give the impression of being a young man in a hurry but could any other new manager have done better with that squad?

One puzzling feature with regard to Weir is that he was considered as a possible manager for Everton and so one would have expected Wigan to go for him (and maybe him for Wigan); but there's been no mention of that, and wasn't the Wolves job also open at the time he was thinking about United? I wonder what advice he has taken that drew him to United.

Did he play for Everton in either or both of our two games against them in 2006/7?

It's an exciting appointment for United. However, there's not much been said about his personality. However, some of his photos in the press make him look the sort of chap who doesn't suffer fools gladly.

 

[Revolution]

I think that Darren is too hard on Bruce. He did "tread water" in the sense that we ended up 8th as opposed to 7th the season before; but his squad was much weaker and the squabbling at board level was going on all that season. Is it any wonder that he "buggered off " to Huddersfield? He did give the impression of being a young man in a hurry but could any other new manager have done better with that squad?

As I said in my post reviewing "Fit and Proper?", my view of Bruce improved after reading that book. Getting us to finish that high under those conditions was an impressive achievement.

I do agree with Darren on Weir though. The only thing to recommend him is that he's not Chris Morgan or one of the serial failures we interviewed. People are happy with the appointment because they want it to work (as do we all) rather than there being any evidence that it will work.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Did he play for Everton in either or both of our two games against them in 2006/7?

There you go LTB:

 

[TarquinDelouche]

I think that Darren is too hard on Bruce. He did "tread water" in the sense that we ended up 8th as opposed to 7th the season before; but his squad was much weaker and the squabbling at board level was going on all that season. Is it any wonder that he "buggered off " to Huddersfield? He did give the impression of being a young man in a hurry but could any other new manager have done better with that squad?

One puzzling feature with regard to Weir is that he was considered as a possible manager for Everton and so one would have expected Wigan to go for him (and maybe him for Wigan); but there's been no mention of that, and wasn't the Wolves job also open at the time he was thinking about United? I wonder what advice he has taken that drew him to United.

Did he play for Everton in either or both of our two games against them in 2006/7?

It's an exciting appointment for United. However, there's not much been said about his personality. However, some of his photos in the press make him look the sort of chap who doesn't suffer fools gladly.

Hehe… you said "hard on".

 

[ponteblade]

If they sell that pair, it will be a miracle, bet we can't give either away!

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

As I said in my post reviewing "Fit and Proper?", my view of Bruce improved after reading that book. Getting us to finish that high under those conditions was an impressive achievement.

I do agree with Darren on Weir though. The only thing to recommend him is that he's not Chris Morgan or one of the serial failures we interviewed. People are happy with the appointment because they want it to work (as do we all) rather than there being any evidence that it will work.

Everyone has to start somewhere though and given we could have had Page, Morgs or Weir as 1st timers (leaving aside Morgs slight head start), you'd have to think that Weir has a much greater start point than the other two in terms of what he's achieved as a player, the managers / coaches he's worked with / for and the contacts he will have in the game. That may of course mean jack if he can't actually cut it as a manager but I'd much rather take a chance given where we are than going for a Curle / Appleton who come with failures, baggage etc

 

[LoughboroBlade]

I think that Darren is too hard on Bruce.

I don't. Remember, this is the man who brought us Ian Hamilton and Jonathan Hunt.

 

[Revolution]

Everyone has to start somewhere though and given we could have had Page, Morgs or Weir as 1st timers (leaving aside Morgs slight head start), you'd have to think that Weir has a much greater start point than the other two in terms of what he's achieved as a player, the managers / coaches he's worked with / for and the contacts he will have in the game. That may of course mean jack if he can't actually cut it as a manager but I'd much rather take a chance given where we are than going for a Curle / Appleton who come with failures, baggage etc

So would I, as I have already said, but someone who has shown they know what they are doing would be better still. I realise that costs money though.

This stuff about achievements as a player etc is all guff though. Bryan Robson and Martin Peters had all of that stuff in spades and both were hopeless.

 

[travellingblade]

My first post on the position of Manager throughout the whole summer, because I felt it was best left to those in charge at the club.

DW was announced as some relief to me, compared to others in the frame.

My only thoughts is on the three year contract, in that, I believe it will never be completed. If he fails he'll be long gone, if he is successful, then somebody will come in for him, long before it's completed.