Hope, Positivity and Filling the Onion Bag

Pre-season seems to have come and gone pretty quickly this summer. For various reasons, all good, I haven't seen the Blades so far. My first viewing of New Nigel's Blades will be at Bramall Lane for the Chesterfield game. On that basis I can't comment on the pre-season performances, so here are some thoughts as United prepare to travel to Gillingham.

The Squad

As it stands the squad is over sized and remains imbalanced, the former a result of Clough's pile 'em high policy, particularly with midfielders, rather than any fault of the new manager.

Having said that I (as did many) felt that the manager should have addressed the stark problem of last season, central defence. There's still time to get the right man but I would have thought it fair to assume it was a priority and that we wouldn't be in the final countdown to the opening game with no additions in this area.

You would also imagine there will be a number of players moved on and youngsters sent out on loan to pick up experience. The squad numbers issued today listed 33 players, by any stretch that is 7/8 too many and it doesn't include one or two youngsters who have made first team appearances in the last couple of seasons.

Some interesting additions to the squad have cost nothing, as players out in the cold under Clough find opportunities under Adkins. Whatever your view of Neill Collins you can be certain we wouldn't have conceded as many goals last season if he had been given a chance and a prolonged run in the team. It would have reduced the chopping and changing of the back four, removed a square peg from a round hole and added a constant to the defence. 

Also in defence Callum McFadzean must have assumed his Blades career was fading away, as criminal charges and subsequent loan spells away from the Lane suggested he didn't match Clough's expectations in terms of attitude and behaviour. Repeated pre season opportunities at left back in Bob Harris's absence suggest McFadzean has a chance of establishing himself at United, a chance he must have feared gone 4 months ago.

Then there's Diego. So much faith and hope placed in a young player with just 9 first team starts. We have seen brief glimpses of his capabilities, however if everyone who has raved about his academy performances had actually been there United could have made a fortune charging for admission at Shirecliffe. A new start under a new manager will tell us whether the hype is justified. To blame a relationship with one manager can be understood, to not breakthrough under the tutelage of two different managers would suggest a more deep rooted problem.

The signings made, all from the Championship, add strength and depth in forward positions and will hopefully improve both attacking threat and finishing off chances. Whilst defensive frailties rose to the fore last season, the inability to kill games off and a lack of commitment to attack teams was equally as costly.

Approach 

Adkins set up pre-season has been positive with 4-4-2 usually deployed and with United's attacking options added to pre-season, few, if any, managers in League 1 face the selection dilemma that Nigel faces this season. Whilst the front two and wide options seem quite simple I'm sure; Sharp and Sammon, Murphy and Adams for me, the options to move players around and shake things up are varied. Adams, Murphy, along with Done and De Girolamo can play wide or central, with Woolford, Flynn and Campbell-Ryce further options on the flanks. Higdon and McNulty offer alternatives to Sammon and Sharp.

Most comments I've read have been enthused by the incisiveness of our attacking play. The movement on and off the ball, from full back to ball nestling in the net as Adams scored his first goal at Macclesfield was a joy to watch.

In an interview early in pre-season, the new boss hinted at his mantra for the season. Quoting statistics around the goals scored and conceded by promoted  sides. 86 is the target he said, a target that should be achievable by an enhanced forward line playing with renewed freedom. Yet a note of caution is worthwhile. 

Last September Adkins issued a similar rallying cry at Reading where he had augmented their attacking resources with three new signings. 

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/adkins-sets-reading-fc-86-goal-7798548

Adkins was gone by Christmas and the team, albeit under Steve Clarke watch for the remainder of the season, scored just 48 goals.

Positivity

It oozes from every statement, interview and tweet emanating from the club. Adkins is renowned for his player motivation, he is the man-manager and whilst things are good we will take the sound-bites and clichés. The danger is how well received it will be if/when things get tough and if the results don't follow as planned.

The hash tag #unitedtogether is regularly used. In a way it wasn't needed on Adkins' appointment as it was a rare moment of fan unity behind a club decision. Even those doubting the sense in sacking Clough could get behind this appointment. Signings have been questioned, inactivity queried, but for now we have to trust and follow the hash tag.

Attack, Attack, Attack

All the talk is of attacking football. There is acknowledgement that last season was too restrained and cautious. From players to chairman the messages have been the same. Jamie Murphy has mentioned his excitement at the shackles coming off. Chairman Jim Phipps offered the following thought in response to a Facebook query regarding season ticket sales.

  

"What we are trying to create is the most conducive environment possible in which to stage a serious promotion push. The home atmosphere is key to this. We already know we have the league's best away following. We also have its best home following. Now we need to turn it up at the Lane. 

I think the positive style of play will help and the emphasis on putting balls in the back of the onion bag will create excitement. We want visiting clubs though to feel the heat when they come to our house. Last year we kind of laid out the welcome mat, mainly perhaps because we seemed too often to be playing for a point."

This, quite public criticism of Clough's approach is telling and perhaps highlights why he eventually left Bramall Lane this summer. A negative approach and start to go is season would have had a much deeper impact than just results and the board had to reinstate the feelgood factor seen in the cup runs and the league form at the end of huge season before last.

Defence 

I am not sure that tweeting Jim or Nigel to tell them that, in your humble opinion, McEveley is awful will do little to change their mind. Stomping your feet on forums because you "demanded" two centre backs and the manager hasn't signed them is similarly futile. I would have liked to see the back four strengthened by now and there is still time to get the right players in, but as mentioned previously Adkins clearly sees certain players in a different light to Clough.

Players thrive under one manager and not another, as they respond better to different relationships and different motivational methodology. On the playing side they fit into systems and pairing with certain players in partnerships engender better understanding and team play. It is also worth remembering that McEveley played the latter part of the season with a shoulder injury.

Whilst I understand that there are still concerns about frailties after pre-season, we will be facing much different opposition to Hull and Newcastle. With a more positive approach and a willingness to go at teams that Clough restrained, maybe the pressure will be eased on the defence and all will benefit?

Captaincy

This remains a bone of contention. I suspect a fit John Brayford would have been captain, but in his absence we lack any sort of on-pitch leadership, dominance and voice. The testimonial match for Chris Morgan only served as a reminder that we have lacked a commanding leader since his injury enforced retirement and the relegation that left us in League One might well not have happened had he remained fit.

The choice of McEveley has caused anger and frustration, more due to the fact that many do not view him as a first choice defender, never mind captain. And again I am not sure tweeting him directly to tell him this is sensible. In this instance I am prepared to trust the manager. He has observed the players, he knows what he wants and expects, let's see how it pans out. 

It would seem he expects leaders to show themselves in different roles on a pitch and there are many managers who see a captain these days as a symbolic role, rather than a responsibility of one man alone.

Hopes

When asked by When Saturday Comes magazine "How will you do?" my answer was as follows.

"I said it last season and was proved wrong but automatic promotion should be achievable and we have a manager in place who knows how to get out of this division. Another season in League 1 is is unthinkable,although I said that 12 months ago too."

This was written before the signings of Sharp and Sammon and their arrival only strengthens my belief. We have a squad that only Wigan's can compare with and a manager I wouldn't swap for any other in the division. I think we might see some Vindaloo football, a few goals "and we're gonna score one more than you" but that will be enough. I have seen many contemplating, with an air of depression, going to Gillingham and conceding, but I just don't see going there and losing. And that is all that matters over the course of a season. I just hope that we remain #unitedtogether through the blips.

Up the Blades!

Truth not spin and the "Phipps Mafia"

A United View was out of the country for the last two weeks of May. When booking a holiday I obviously thought United wouldn't need a trip to Wembley to try and get out of League 1. I genuinely thought we had the resources and capability to gain automatic promotion. Make no excuses this was the weakest League One since we were relegated. How wrong I was.

Whilst I was away United made what, to many in the media and those from outside the club's support, was a surprising decision. Yet to most fans it didn't really shock. Even those who supported Clough and trusted him to put it right knew there was also a strong and vocal faction of support who'd had enough.

The timing has been criticised. Why wait until the end of May? The answer I think comes with what was happening that weekend. Given the geographical spread of our Boars of Directors and hectic business schedules, when would they be likely to have clear diaries to meet and hear Nigel Clough's plans, allowing for a period of reflection and looking forward? The same weekend they had hoped to be in the country to watch the Blades in the Play Off final.

I don't know what happened in that meeting - only those there and any they have shared the confidence of. But it has to be assumed that what was said was not convincing enough for the Board to commit the club's future in Clough's hands. I absolutely respect that and can understand why. As I wrote in a piece for The Star - prior to his departure - the case for Clough staying was based on a need for stability and the need for him to change. We can only assume that the manager wasn't for changing. A stubborn, self belief can only get you so far.

Following the announcement social media was awash with speculation and demands from fans. At times there were more dummies on the floor than at a coffee break at a ventriloquists convention. Reading twitter and Facebook to keep up to date left me wincing at some of the interaction I saw.

For me the the three stand out names in the betting market were Karl Robinson, Nigel Adkins and Mark Warburton. The other name I'd considered previously was Uwe Rosler who had found an opportunity present itself in another part of Yorkshire prior to the denouement of Clough's reign. All three of those names know what is required to get out of this division. All have managed teams playing positive football. Only two were readily available. Would any one take the step down from their current/previous status?

Adkins was that man. I have written, again for The Star, about how positively I viewed his appointment. To attract a manager who has delivered two promotions out of League One and a subsequent promotion to the top tier cannot be judged negatively. Yet in the den of the Internet trolls and the permanently aggrieved  (the comments section underneath the article) there was some lively debate. 

One commenter decided I was towing the party line - a member of the "Phipps Mafia". A fan happy to spout the rhetoric of the club and co-chairman. Another felt that I wasn't a big Blades fan as neither he or his mates had heard of me. That instantly invalidated my opinion it seems, but allows him to share his. But the big issue they seemed to have was that my piece was yet more spin and that it lacked a critical edge. I'm paraphrasing here.

Yet I struggle to see a negative issue with this appointment, so why look for one? He's the candidate that unified the opinions of a large proportion of a splintered fanbase. When other clubs' fans mocked and said "You'll never get him", it was a comment as much about their perception of Adkins status in the game as it was United's league position. 

Where criticism is valid I will offer it. I had concerns over the Clough appointment and have decried performances, even when results suggested there were few grounds for complaint. I have been criticised for negative stances as much as the positive ones. I'll support my club, but don't clap for the sake of it, nor when I feel it is undeserved. But it doesn't make me happy not to clap. It leaves me frustrated at what could/would/should be. That was the case for much of last season.

I'm sure for those who lurk on the comments pages, internet forums and social media waiting for the chance to pounce, always looking for the negatives, will find grounds to complain about our manager. Those who don't like spin will soon tire of a manager who loves to talk to the media without really saying very much. I've read comparisons with politicians and comments about saying a lot but little already. They will grow weary of his boundless positivity, a key aspect of his man-management techniques. That's because they're sat there waiting impatiently, picking away at the club like a crusty scab on their knee.

We all want to hear that the holes in the squad are being addressed, that players are being moved on, but many want to gorge on strawberries for a day, rather than have jam for weeks. Last season we were pleased by early activity in the summer, but it became a case of quantity over quality. This time the required additions are fewer in number and there is still time to have then in place whilst hopefully identifying ways to draw more incisive contributions from the players inherited.

I really hope that this appointment brings the success we crave. Whether it does or not there will be times the club and management make decisions that I don't agree with. At that point I will offer an opinion. But for now we can't judge. We need to be united as one. That's the truth, not spin.

Reasons for optimism

With less than a month to go to the start of the new season and I am feeling good about the way things are shaping up at Bramall Lane. At this stage last season, David Weir was barely a month in the job and making rare forays into the transfer market. There was desperate optimism around the Weir appointment and the signings he was making. Enhanced hope for better after a stumbling end to the season and a passionless play off exit. 

This season we are riding the crest of an end of season wave that saw an amazing cup run and a surge up the lead. Do we justify the bookmakers choice as favourites, probably not, but there is plenty to be pleased about and the renewed optimism seems justified.

Yet there still seems to be a bit of whingeing and moaning on message boards and social media regarding United's moves in the transfer market. Complaints about the club not demonstrating ambition. A perceived failure to spend any significant money. But what is this ambition that people crave? When pushed it revolves around four issues. Not spending big money on transfer fees, not securing Harry Maguire's long term future, being unable to secure the return of loanees Brayford and Coady, and a perceived weakening of the team,.

Whilst references to game changing money were unhelpful, it cannot be seen as an unlimited pot and the club are clearly assessing where that money can have most impact. In recent seasons we have successfully demonstrated that money and a high wage bill is not a guaranteed way to get out of this division. The exceptions are Bournemouth - who still spent shrewdly and have then established themselves in the Championship - and Wolves. 

Further, if you look at Wolves it was a massively different scenario given the quality of players they were relegated with and the parachute payments. They were able to lose some very high earners, still keep some quality players and then supplement with players who had impressed in the third tier; such as McDonald, Dicko and Clarke. Their funds and wage capabilities allowed them to make attractive offers to players who, in Clarke's case, would well be cast aside this Summer now the job is done. In effect Wolves were able to cripple potential rivals as much as aid their own promotion charge.

But the club has to respect Financial Fair Play. The financial management of the club has come under both internal and external scrutiny and great swathes of cost savings were achieved in the last financial accounts as the club pursued a sustainable financial model. This prudent approach, ensures that the club stands on its own two feet and is not overly beholden to an owner; something many clubs have suffered as much as benefited from. It is also a model supported and praised by the Prince and his advisers.

Detractors amongst our support point to the fact that the Football League have allowed provision within the rules for 'benefactor' owners to finance a club's ongoing losses in League One and League Two. This increases demands for the club to throw money at promotion with no guarantee of success. 

The reality is you cannot throw big money about in League One, how many players move to the third tier for transfer fees above £500,000? Very few, if any. It is all about salaries in League One and alongside spend limits, the club has to be careful not to upset other players and the existing structure. If you throw big money at it and subsidise significant losses this works against a club when promoted.

The Championship rules allow clubs to lose £3m a year, plus a further £5m if paid in by an owner and converted to capital. If that is exceeded, clubs will face a transfer embargo, or a fine if they are promoted. It makes no sense for United or the owners to throw excessive money at the club in League One, or try and bend the rules with sponsorship deals etc. The time, if at all, is when the club is in the Championship and money has a much greater impact.

As a third tier club you need to accept that players come and go. In fact you have to accept that if you are a club outside the Top 4 or 5 in the Premier League. In your squad you have the ones who want to stay and remain loyal, those who use the club as a vault to elevate themselves to higher levels, older players looking for a club to stay and have some security and the young ones happy to develop under good coaches and in a successful and forward thinking club.

In amongst the many factors affecting a career decision, money makes a significant difference. One of the immediate benefits highlighted by the Prince on his arrival at United was the hope that his money will make it easier to retain our young players. Obviously success on the pitch is the key element, career progression within the club helps, yet money is a key differential. 

I am damn sure we will have offered Harry a salary at the top end of League 1 salaries. This will still be within our wage structures and FFP rules. Mal Brannigan has said; "We have no need to sell". Unlike in the past there is no urgent need to generate cash to pay bills or fund Nigel Clough's targets.

Although the sale of Maguire would enable Clough to look at another level of player, giving us further room to manoeuvre in terms of fees and wages, we could let him see out his contract and pick up compensation next Summer. At which point we could be Championship and he might want to extend his contract. 

The alternative is that we receive an acceptable offer, no worse than what we might expect if we kept him to his contract. If the manager feels that could be best used buying and remunerating two or three good Championship/League 1 players then so be it. In all honesty Maguire would have been gone by now without the financial stability brought to the club by the Prince and the move to being a sustainable business.

Not keeping a talented young player who has spent three seasons developing and impressing amongst his peers at League One level is not demonstrating a lack of ambition. It reflects the reality of football. It reflects the reality of life. We all want to move on in our careers, we all want to feel we are adequately rewarded for our efforts and capabilities. Hell, who doesn't want to and who wouldn't want to move jobs when a higher paid role with greater status come up. Only a fool would never change. 

With one or two exceptions, there will always be someone who wants your best players. Ask Liverpool, or Arsenal, just two examples of big clubs who have struggled to hold on to their best players.

Signings have been described by some as underwhelming, which probably reflects ignorance of the players performances week in week out and unrealistic comparisons with loanees we had last season. Remember how we all got excited about Brandy, on the basis of his performances against us and Cuvelier based on a YouTube video? 

Over the next week or so I will share the lowdown on some of our new signings from the fans of their previous club, who saw their contribution week in week out. In amongst our signings so far, we have signed a player who was a near ever-present in the Championship last season, a club captain of a team that was just outside the play offs last season, a winger who has always worried our fans when we have been up against him and a striker with a good goal scoring record and a bit of confidence behind him.

We had four new signings by the end of the first week of June, we didn't even have a manager at that stage last season. Add in deals for two players who contributed to last season's improvement in form and the addition of Alcock and (most probably) McGahey, the squad and strength in depth is considerably greater. Still some say the squad is weaker, yet we have League One/Championship capability in all positions, with a  depth and flexibility in the squad that wasn't there last season. 

Yes we may not feel that we have as higher quality in odd positions, but this also assumes that Nigel Clough will play the same way, with the same formation this season. Last season was a case of adapting to what we had and making changes over time. Now he has the flexibility to act decisively in the transfer market and mould his own squad to fit what he wants to achieve. I would also say that those positions are not vital to the potential success of the club.

It is clear that the manager has a distinct idea of what he wants and has ensured that a majority of the required signings are in place to benefit from a full pre-season preparing at Shirecliffe and whilst the final piece in the jigsaw is a striker, we have enough in place to start the season and may need to be patient until the end of the window, when other managers' plans are formed and more players are made available. 

United's transfer policy is clear, with a general focus on  recruiting younger players at prices we consider value for money based on their current abilities, but where we feel there is the potential to develop their ability and value. Then they either stay or fly the nest. Like I described earlier, they either supplement the squad or supplement the bank account.

In any transfer dealing sometimes you need a bit of luck. Moreso for the impact of loan players, where the need to hit the ground running and perform at a high level of intensity for a short period is required and many haven't had to perform at that level for some time. Then there is the need to transfer that short burst into longer term consistency if they are signed. Looking back in the past, for every Glyn Hodges there is a Phil Starbuck. 

In Brayford and Coady we had two players at slightly different crossroads in their careers, each with appoint to prove at their respective clubs and both grabbed the opportunity presented at United. In the end that means they are now likely to be Championship bound, but who is to say we won't utilise the loan market with similar success this next season?

Yes we don't want to be reliant on the loan market, and certainly not to the extent Blackwell or Adams were in their reigns, but the fact wemay well be able to pick up similar deals to Brayford and Coady should always be borne in mind. Often, these deals happen much later in the window. The successful end of season also hides the fact that retaining these two players, however good it would be,  is not the be all and end all. 

With Alcock signing the need to utilise important funds and wages on Brayford becomes less of an issue. You don't win promotion based on a quality right back alone and there would be bigger priorities for that cash, particularly in terms of central defence and more particularly up front. Coady took his time to make his mark in the team and to impress and whilst the final months, his qualities were clear, who is to say that Basham or a fully fit Wallace cannot give us similar impetus in midfield? Or even a slightly different role for Baxter or Scougall.

As fans we are often too guilty of looking  back, be it to last season or back 5, 10, 15, 25 seasons. I am as guilty as most. Nostalgia gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling and you would do anything to re-create it. However, maybe the time is to look forward. Trust in the manager and his team. Build on the general wave of optimism, instead of seeking fault and blame. 

Let's not hassle Jim Phipps and Selhattin Baki about signings and when they will happen. Like the Prince's arrival, some of United's best transfer moves, best decisions and best actions in the last 12 months have happened with little fanfare, little media speculation and a great deal of surprise. Smile. Buckle up, sit back, wait and then let's enjoy the ride

Neet Befoor Christmas at t'Lane

 

 

It wer t'neet befoor Christmas, wen all thru t'Lane

No noise or stirrin - just like a Wednesday game.

T'stockings hung in each office n t'changin' room wi' care,

Hopin' owd St Nick 'd soon be there.

 

T'players were nestled all snug at 'om in their beds,

While visions of Adizeros and Nike Tiempos danced in their 'eads.

Clough in his 'jamas, and socks on 'is tooers,

'ad settled is brain for a long winter’s dooerz.

 

When out on t'pitch there were a reyt loud clatter,

I sprang to mi feet to see what wer a matter.

Away t'winda I flew like a flash,

Tore op'n t'curtains an' threw up t'sash.

 

T'moon shone it's leet on t'new-fallen snow

Gave t'lustre o' mid-day to t'objects below.

When, reyt befoor my wondering eyes shud appear,

But a reyt tiny sleigh, and eight little reindeer.

 

Wi' a little old driver so lively n quick,

I thought reyt away tha must be St. Nick.

More rapid than John Francis 'is coursers they came,

An' 'e whistled, an' shouted, 'e called them by name:

"Nah, Deano! nah, Jags! nah Agana n Morgan!

On, Woody! on, Currie! on, Nudger n Hagan!

T' top of t'stand! And o'er top of t'wall!

Nah gerr away! gerr away! gerr away all!"

 

Like pie boxes and litter before t'wild winds fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount up to t'sky;

So up t'Kop roof the coursers they flew

Wi' t'sleigh full er presents, nt'bearded bloke too—

And then, in a twinklin, I heard from t'roof

Not Gary Sinclair in't speakers, but pawing of hoof.

 

As I drew in mi 'ead, an wer turning around,

Dahn inter t'boardroom a bearded bloke bound.

He wor dressed all in fur, red wor 'is suit,

His clothes all tarnished an' wi' sand grains on 'is boots;

A bundle of pressies he 'ad flung on 'is back,

He looked like a street hawker just op'nin his pack.

 

'is eyes—by 'eck they twinkled! 'is dimples, how merry!

'is cheeks were like roorses, his nooerse like a cherry!

His frosty moustache covered 'is gob below,

And t'beard on 'is chin glistened wit' snow;

 

'e loaded t'manager's desk wi' coins from t'East,

To spend wisely in January, no more famine just feast;

He had a broad face n a reyt round belly

That shook when 'e laughed, like a bowl full er jelly.

He were chubby n plump, like jolly old men,

And I chuckled when I saw him, in spite of mi sen;

 

A wink er 'is eye n a twist of his 'ead

Soon let mi know I 'ad nowt to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight t'is work,

An 'e filled all t'stockings; then turned wi' a jerk,

An'  laying his finger at side on 'is nose,

An' geein' a nod, back t'stand roof 'e rose;

 

'e sprang to his sleigh, to 'is team gi' a whistle,

An' away they all flew like t'down off a thistle.

But I heard him shaht aht, as 'e flew o'er t'wall—

“Here's to more three point outcomes and Happy Christmas to all”

 

 

 

Maybe that bearded visitor wasn't St Nick after all.....................