Expecting to Fly?

The Blades kick off the new Football League season live on Sky Sports, welcoming the League's oldest club Notts County to Bramall Lane, but will be another season of same old, same old for United?

United fans seem to be approaching the season in a state of warm expectation. While the appointment of David Weir shows welcome initiative and forethought, there is a lot resting in the hands of a rookie manager. 

In what became a hectic pre-season, the manager took a look at players from across the first team squad and development/under 21 teams. Clearly trying to develop the players' comprehension of his tactics and playing style. A transition to a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-2-2-1-1 isn't going to just happen and it will take a few competitive games for this to be properly embedded. 

Hopefully with attacking wide players and Kevin McDonald playing in the hole behind a central striker, we will see a bit more pace and fluidity to United's play. However, Weir has assured us he has a Plan B and this was something vitally lacking last season, as first Danny Wilson and Chris Morgan failed to find a way to break down teams who took advantage of our deep lying midfield, lack of pace and pedestrian play.

The goal scored in the pre-season game at Mansfield promises much. As the ball was passed from one end of the pitch to the other with slick movement and simple passing. Whilst the finish was a simple tap in and there were elements of luck as some of the passes and first touches were loose it showed a confidence and variation of thought absent throughout much of last season.

Pre-season has ended with the Blades unbeaten, although that is said to count for little when the focus is on fitness, match sharpness and team understanding. Anyone who takes comfort from results against League 2 and Scottish lower league opposition should do so with caution. 

Perhaps the one concern from pre-season if you were to judge results is the lack of goals. Although again we are adding key players in this position who will need time to adapt. The signing of Lyle Taylor is the right kind of signing and the hope has to be that he finds the switch from Scottish Division 1 to League 1 a smooth transition. Certainly arriving on the back of a 30+ goal season won't do his confidence any harm. 

Febian Brandy has a far less impressive goals to game ratio, but he will provide pace from wide positions and his play off a front man will be key to how we play. Maybe this formation will draw the best out of Jamie Murphy and Ryan Flynn who ought to weigh in with more goals and a greater all round contribution. 

Too often we relied on clean sheets for wins last season and in the end succumbed to low scoring draws, particularly at home. With a largely unchanged defence, we have to find more goals this season and they need to be delivered from every position, not just the strikers.

Of the five things I asked from the club at the end of last season, there are signs that several are either falling into place, or the club at the very least is improving its efforts. 

We have a young, ambitious manager with fresh ideas; possibly too inexperienced but time will tell. He has signed the young, hungry players with a point to prove. Whilst there could rightly be concerns with Stephen McGinn's injury record and Sean McGinty's lengthy disciplinary issues, there can be little doubt there is raw talent there. Weir will have seen plenty of Jasper Johns whilst at Goodison and across Merseyside Connor Coady will be keen to justify the rave reviews of Reds' followers.

I also asked for a clear way of playing that permeates every layer of the club and Weir's wide pre-season squad rotation bodes well. It will be interesting to see if the under 18s adapt to this formation as well. 

The other two facets to my five point plan were a long term strategy and honesty about our ambitions. Whilst I don't doubt the former is in place, there is an understandable reluctance to talk beyond getting back up this season and amongst talk of long term development, Weir was quick to add that promotion this season is our target. The sooner the better. 

Club communication seems stronger, with greater opportunities to quiz manager, backroom staff and board members. The  fact that Lee Carsley recognised the importance of message boards and fan forums in approaching the administrators  of www.s24su.com for a chat about what he and Weir were trying to achieve, shows a welcome wider awareness beyond player management and coaching skills. The club still has some way to go, particularly around social media, but the first signs are promising and I hope Julian Winter delivers on his words. 

The only negative for me? That Michael Doyle retains the club captaincy. I have talked before about his apparent negative manner with team mates, particularly the youngsters. A player that for me can hardly claim to lead by example. Sadly,I think the rest of the squad lacks a vocal organiser. Neill Collins would seem a potential candidate, but perhaps is too quiet a personality on the pitch.

So what for the Blades this season? Despite the positive signs, I stand by my view that this is a 2 season project. The relegated teams are all strong, PNE are forming a strong squad and are rid of the cancer that is Graham Westley and a Brentford strikeforce of Donaldson and Grigg is one to be feared in League 1.

The first few weeks should give us a good guide. Notts Co look weaker on paper than last season, particularly without Alan Judge, but are still a stern test to open the season. Brentford away is one of the toughest trips in the division and we can only hope they are slow starting after their negative double whammy at the end of last season. In the first month we also face an always awkward MK Dons and Yorkshire derbies against newly promoted sides Rotherham United and Bradford City. 

Since I wrote brief previews and answered the questions for World Soccer's 'Football 2014' and When Saturday Comes, my expectations have increased. A play off spot is a possibility for me, although it may be a late push to achieve it. Having a team firing as it enters the latter stages of the season could be a good thing and I think it suits club and fans not to be a favourite for promotion this season. In my mind I think that two play off spots are up for grabs and little happening elsewhere makes me think we aren't capable. 

Expecting to fly? Maybe. It could be more of a steady ascent than a soaring take off. Let's just remain patient. I think we might reach our target destination, as long as we don't fret too much en route.

EPPP - If it ain't broke don't break it!

 

 

Back in July 2012, the Premier League launched EPPP (Elite Player Performance Plan) a structured plan to supposedly raise standards in youth development. The six fundamental principles that were highlighted as key to the success of the EPPP were:

 

- Increase the number and quality of home grown players gaining professional contracts in the clubs and playing first team football at the highest level

 

- Create more time for players to play and be coached

 

- Improve coaching provision

 

- Implement a system of effective measurement and quality assurance

 

- Positively influence strategic investment into the Academy System demonstrating value for money

 

- Seek to implement significant gains in every aspect of player development

 

The previous system for determining compensation for players was reviewed with the Football League, along with the restrictions on player recruitment. This now gives clubs with higher graded academies free reign on other clubs' young talent and compensation schemes with much reduced, fixed fees replaced tribunals; meaning that those clubs losing players were likely to be much worse off.

 

In order to force through the proposals the Premier league forcibly coerced the football league clubs down a route many didn't want to pursue, under the threat of withdrawal of some of their TV money. Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parrish described it as:

 

"A brazen attempt by the Premier League's wealthy elite to cherry pick the best youngsters from the Football League clubs."

 

Yet Premier League clubs are now starting to see EPPP as having a potentially detrimental impact on their clubs as well. Jeremy Peace chairman of West Bromwich Albion said recently;

 

“The way it is for us in the short term isn’t working. And I’m not convinced it’ll work medium term. The way it’s structured these lads are going to go to the big clubs - that’s the seduction. Why are we spending £2.5 million (on infrastructure improvements and a similar amount each year in running costs) to be another club’s academy?" 

 

"We’ve invested in the infrastructure and we’ll see what happens over the next year. But from what we’re seeing so far it’s very disappointing".

 

“We’ve brought in a whole load of staff, all these facilities and then a club can come along with £200k and say ‘here you go, thank you very much".

 

Free movement amongst Category 1 clubs with a derisory compensation scheme, progressively getting worse the lower down the grading scale. Where is the benefit, for anyone outside the powerful ten or so teams, free of the threat of relegation, the powerhouses of the Premier League?

 

Some clubs have given up on their academies all together - Wycombe and Yeovil Town being two of the higher profile examples. Others have weighed up a decision with a significant number of pros and cons. A decision regarding which category to apply for was not a simple task.

 

Part of the process was to re-categorise Academies from one to four; one being the highest standard. Now, one year on, clubs have found out the results of the independent audit programme which saw Double Pass, a Belgian company, assess all academies against 10 Key Performance Indicators that assessed how each club scored against the criteria for their chosen grade. Pleasingly United's Academy has officially been categorised by the Professional Game Board (PGB) as a Category Two Academy under the new youth development system. A positive news story on the face of it.

 

Despite the success of the Blades' academy down the years the club admitted that it "had some work to do" to improve and meet the necessary criteria of a Category Two Academy. This involved investing heavily in coaching staff across all age groups.

 

The benefits of this investment are clear; guaranteeing a prestigious fixtures programme against the best teams in the area, added financial protection against losing players to predatory clubs and a seal of approval from an independent organisation that says the club delivers a high quality programme. That could be the key to attracting the right players in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

 

But this is where the EPPP plan actually contradicts what it is trying to achieve. Our academy has not been ranked outside the top 20 in the last 12 years; a stand out achievement for a club that has only had one season in the Premier League in that time.  Academy manager Nick Cox also pointed out:

 

"The auditors gave us special praise for our player productivity over the years. The Premier League's scoring system sees us ranked as the eighth best producer of talent in the last three years."

 

Consistently in the Top 20 academies, eighth best producer of talent, it is hardly broke, so why fix it? Or in this case, break it. With the success that United has had, investing heavily in youth development, producing two full England internationals and numerous age group internationals in that time, it seems a ridiculous scenario that they have chosen not to apply for Category 1 status. Whilst I don't disagree with the need to improve, surely that should be as much about raising standards of the many academies not the few.

 

Cox said that:

 

"Category One does not fit with the strategy of the club. Chasing Category One status would have been to massage our own ego rather than a common sense decision……Many of the benefits of a higher category do not fit with what we are trying to achieve, for example it would have allowed us to scout nationally from the age of 12 when what we really want is for our Academy to be developers of the best local players as a priority."

 

It is easy to read between the lines and see a financial cost as one of the major factors. A £2.3m annual budget is a considerable amount for a club outside of the Premier League without a benefactor, TV money/parachute payments and on annual turnover of less than £10m.

 

Category 1 status is about throwing money and resources at a perceived problem and we are all aware of examples where that has not worked well in football. Category 1 is not about player development or playing first team football at the highest level, it is certainly not about value for money. It is about creating a barrier to entry, for those clubs outside of the elite. Regardless of the initiative, investment and credibility previously demonstrated in player development, no cash and you are not in.

 

Club representatives have spoken of the need to recruit, develop and nurture the best young talent in the region, with the ultimate aim of continuing to graduate our youngsters into our first-team squad at Bramall Lane in the years ahead. In reality we all know that will subsequently mean player sales, to allow further investment in young talent. That is, unless a Premier league return can be achieved.

 

Our reputation for player development will hold the club in good stead and the salutary tale of Jordan Slew, whose career has stalled after leaving United after making just 11 first team appearances, may encourage a longer term commitment from academy graduates. Staying at Bramall Lane has had clear longer term benefits for Matt Lowton.

 

When, not if, player such as George Long and Harry Maguire move on they will have tremendous playing experience under their belts, that may not have been gained with premature moves to a higher level. Behind them their fellow graduates, such as Elliott Whitehouse and Callum McFadzean, will be forging similar careers and the next generation will be establishing themselves - see (England U17 goalkeeper) George Willis and (Italy Under 18 striker - from Chesterfield) Diego De Girolamo amongst others.

 

Another key factor could be the capture of the aforementioned Cox, who oversaw the graduation to first team football of 52 players in 12 years at Watford. He clearly has a keen eye. His arrival at Bramall Lane was greeted with congratulatory tweets from Watford fans I know, saying what a great capture he will be. Let's hope so.

 

United might survive the EPPP era better than most. Credit for that must go to Kevin McCabe who invested heavily in tremendous facilities at Shirecliffe at a time when few other clubs were following suit. This has given United a significant base to launch the careers of several promising starlets over the last few years. Encouraging the next batch to see Bramall Lane as a place to develop and grow as a player will be the key. Promotion to the Championship will also help.

 

But let's not pretend EPPP that this is helping arrest the slide of age group national teams in international competition so clearly demonstrated this summer. Let's not pretend that this is to benefit the national team - since when do the Premier League clubs care about that? This is about clubs stockpiling players that will no doubt end up back at their original clubs on loan, or on the scrapheap at 19 and 20; when chances are so few and far between and their development is stunted through a lack of first team football.

 

In some ways that may work in United's favour and also that of other Championship and League One clubs. If that happens, the best will still move to Premier League clubs and hopefully move on to international recognition. The wiser members of the remaining group will maybe resist the lure of sitting in the stands and develop their careers in surroundings and with coaches who have developed so many talented players to date.