What Lee Johnson says about The Blades will have you nodding in agreement

[Sothall_Blade]

How Bristol City will try and keep their best players in the future

The Bristol City boss was full of praise for Chris Wilder's Blades after their heroics in the Premier league this season

www.bristolpost.co.uk

 

[WalkelyFan]

Interesting. If United lost Henderson (because of an excessive transfer fee or excessive wage demands) then their goalie Dan Bentley looks like a good replacement - and about 20% of Henderson's fee. In addition to Verrips of course.

 

[Balham Blade]

Interesting. If United lost Henderson (because of an excessive transfer fee or excessive wage demands) then their goalie Dan Bentley looks like a good replacement - and about 20% of Henderson's fee. In addition to Verrips of course.

Bentley is a slightly better version of Simon Moore. He'd be fine if we were aiming for 10th-12th in the Championship.

 

[Kev Gee]

One team I can't abide....
Think they are huge when they are far from it.
Also have a billionaire owner. If it wasn't for him they would be at their natural level which is League 1.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Similar to PNE. Always seem to be there or thereabouts the top six, but just when they seem to be on a good run, the wheel comes off, very inconsistent although that applies to just about every team in the Championship this season. Johnson is an annoying little fuck but no doubting his ability as a decent manager.

 

[benn5712]

And our bogey team last couple of seasons.

 

[kop_blade9]

Can see part of his point as some players have been here from league 1.
But Wilder adds players every transfer window. Some of them become part of the furniture like Norwood and Egan
and others either stay around as backups for a while or get moved on.
A good point he made about our players being a little older is that they don't get poached as often as they have been in the past.
However sooner or later we need to bring the squad age down hence the signing of Berge.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Similar to PNE. Always seem to be there or thereabouts the top six, but just when they seem to be on a good run, the wheel comes off, very inconsistent although that applies to just about every team in the Championship this season. Johnson is an annoying little fuck but no doubting his ability as a decent manager.

I think that’s one of the points that Johnson is making. They are nearly good enough but not quite as they sell a couple of their best players every year.

We would be in the same boat if we’d cashed in on the likes of Egan, O’Connell, Stevens and Fleck as United have often done in the past.

It’s that change of outlook and policy that has allowed us to get where we are. It’s a virtuous circle because now we’re in the top 6 our best players have no “footballing” reason to move elsewhere.

 

[Roygbiv]

You won't believe what Lee Johnson looks like now

 

[TAMUS]

Ulrika ?

 

[BushBlade]

I think that’s one of the points that Johnson is making. They are nearly good enough but not quite as they sell a couple of their best players every year.

We would be in the same boat if we’d cashed in on the likes of Egan, O’Connell, Stevens and Fleck as United have often done in the past.

It’s that change of outlook and policy that has allowed us to get where we are. It’s a virtuous circle because now we’re in the top 6 our best players have no “footballing” reason to move elsewhere.

I think if we hadn’t have received the sell on money for various players in season 1 and the Brooks money in season 2 we’d have sold the likes of Fleck and JOC. I can’t see that KM and PA would have stumped up the best part of £25m out of their own pockets.

 

[LJBlade]

Bentley is a slightly better version of Simon Moore. He'd be fine if we were aiming for 10th-12th in the Championship.

I think you're being harsh on Simon Moore there. I'd have it the other way around, Moore is a slightly better version of Dan Bentley.

 

[AWetFlannel]

I think that’s one of the points that Johnson is making. They are nearly good enough but not quite as they sell a couple of their best players every year.

We would be in the same boat if we’d cashed in on the likes of Egan, O’Connell, Stevens and Fleck as United have often done in the past.

It’s that change of outlook and policy that has allowed us to get where we are. It’s a virtuous circle because now we’re in the top 6 our best players have no “footballing” reason to move elsewhere.

Johnson cites the reason we don't sell our best players, it's not just because we decide not to.

We sign a lot of players in their mid-late twenties who Premiership clubs are less likely to take a punt on, and who are also less likely to push for a transfer as they're playing at the highest level in their careers.

 

[Balham Blade]

Johnson cites the reason we don't sell our best players, it's not just because we decide not to.

We sign a lot of players in their mid-late twenties who Premiership clubs are less likely to take a punt on, and who are also less likely to push for a transfer as they're playing at the highest level in their careers.

The line I've highlighted was true in the Championship but it's not true now we've got money, although that may be because players in their mid-late 20s at our level will be on wages out of our reach. A while back I looked at the profile of players we signed since Wilder joined. Basically speaking:

Summer 2016: avg age 27 - mainly experienced pros (Clarke, Duffy, Wright), plus potential (Fleck, Moore, O'Connell). 7/9 aged 25 or over.
Jan 2017: avg age 26 - get over the line (Hanson), potential (Carruthers) 1/2 aged 25 or over
Summer 2017: avg age 26.5 - freshen up the squad (Lundstram, Baldock) plus Championship experience (Stearman, Donaldson). 4/8 aged 25 or over
Jan 2018: avg age 26 potential (Evans, Leonard) plus random (Holmes). 2/3 aged 25 or over
Summer 2018: avg age 27 - quality experience (Egan, Norwood, McGoldrick). 5/6 aged 25 or over
Jan 2019: no permanent signings
Summer 2019: avg age 26 (24 excl. Jagielka) - high potential (Mousset, McBurnie, Robinson). 4/8 aged 25 or over
Jan 2020: avg age 25 - potential/squad depth (Berge, J Robinson, Rodwell). 2/3 aged 25 or over

Updating this season's entry:
19/20 - average age 25.7 (skewed by Jagielka - without whom it's 24.4; first team players 22.3)
Synopsis - building for the future
Summer average age 26 (24.4 exc Jagielka): McBurnie 23, Mousset 23, Verrips 23, C Robinson 24, Osborn 25, Morrison 26, Freeman 27, Jagielka 37
January (average age 25): Berge 21, J Robinson 26, Rodwell 28

 

[tyke1889]

Jeez, the spelling and grammar in that.
If that's the quality of a "Trainee Digital Sports Reporter" I think we've all got a chance of a job!

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Jeez, the spelling and grammar in that.
If that's the quality of a "Trainee Digital Sports Reporter" I think we've all got a chance of a job!

your knot rong their pall.

 

[Mouth of the South]

I think it's overly simplistic and misleading to say that Utd haven't sold their best players in recent years, even though CW has not lost anyone he didn't want to leave this season . During the club's rise through the divisions, Murphy, Ramsdale, DCL and Brooks all left but some of the funds received were tactically reinvested into the playing squad. I very much doubt Utd would be in the position they are had they kept hold of these players and not signed/paid JOC, Fleck, Stevens, Norwood etc.

You could argue that the Massive have also held onto their best players (due to Chansiri not being willing to deal at less than his ridiculous valuations). However, this is where the argument becomes flawed as in their case, the players' value has nosedived, and the expected benefit of keeping them has not been realised.

 

[tyke1889]

your knot rong their pall.

You're a shoo in

 

[cjx blade]

You won't believe what Lee Johnson looks like now

 

[Davalon]

Like father like son.

 

[BushBlade]

You're a shoo in

That’s the correct spelling. Nowt to do with shoes. It’s a horsey term.

 

[007]

Ulrika ?

Boris

 

[Balham Blade]

I think you're being harsh on Simon Moore there. I'd have it the other way around, Moore is a slightly better version of Dan Bentley.

If that was the case Bristol City would have given us £2m for Moore in the summer rather than spending that on buying Bentley from Business Model FC. I have no doubt that if there was any serious interest in Moore he'd have gone: it's no coincidence to me that Moore was in goal for the game in which we conceded most goals in this season.

 

[tyke1889]

That’s the correct spelling. Nowt to do with shoes. It’s a horsey term.

Didn't know it was just horsey always thought it was something like shooing away an animal or bird?

 

[BushBlade]

Didn't know it was just horsey always thought it was something like shooing away an animal or bird?

It is, more or less. Shoo-in comes from shooing a horse into a stable or yard, as in its very easy and straightforward.

 

[AWetFlannel]

The line I've highlighted was true in the Championship but it's not true now we've got money, although that may be because players in their mid-late 20s at our level will be on wages out of our reach. A while back I looked at the profile of players we signed since Wilder joined. Basically speaking:

Summer 2016: avg age 27 - mainly experienced pros (Clarke, Duffy, Wright), plus potential (Fleck, Moore, O'Connell). 7/9 aged 25 or over.
Jan 2017: avg age 26 - get over the line (Hanson), potential (Carruthers) 1/2 aged 25 or over
Summer 2017: avg age 26.5 - freshen up the squad (Lundstram, Baldock) plus Championship experience (Stearman, Donaldson). 4/8 aged 25 or over
Jan 2018: avg age 26 potential (Evans, Leonard) plus random (Holmes). 2/3 aged 25 or over
Summer 2018: avg age 27 - quality experience (Egan, Norwood, McGoldrick). 5/6 aged 25 or over
Jan 2019: no permanent signings
Summer 2019: avg age 26 (24 excl. Jagielka) - high potential (Mousset, McBurnie, Robinson). 4/8 aged 25 or over
Jan 2020: avg age 25 - potential/squad depth (Berge, J Robinson, Rodwell). 2/3 aged 25 or over

Updating this season's entry:
19/20 - average age 25.7 (skewed by Jagielka - without whom it's 24.4; first team players 22.3)
Synopsis - building for the future
Summer average age 26 (24.4 exc Jagielka): McBurnie 23, Mousset 23, Verrips 23, C Robinson 24, Osborn 25, Morrison 26, Freeman 27, Jagielka 37
January (average age 25): Berge 21, J Robinson 26, Rodwell 28

Love that research, spot on.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I think it's overly simplistic and misleading to say that Utd haven't sold their best players in recent years, even though CW has not lost anyone he didn't want to leave this season . During the club's rise through the divisions, Murphy, Ramsdale, DCL and Brooks all left but some of the funds received were tactically reinvested into the playing squad. I very much doubt Utd would be in the position they are had they kept hold of these players and not signed/paid JOC, Fleck, Stevens, Norwood etc.

You could argue that the Massive have also held onto their best players (due to Chansiri not being willing to deal at less than his ridiculous valuations). However, this is where the argument becomes flawed as in their case, the players' value has nosedived, and the expected benefit of keeping them has not been realised.

The difference between us and them is we sold players who were low value and their value increases. They bought players who were high value and their value decreases and they can’t sell them.