Jump to content
cambridgeshire canary

And so Sheffield United continue the worst run in the top flight since 1888

Recommended Posts

3 hours ago, Crabbycanary3 said:

Absolutely, but who does these days? I think Wes and Russ Martin were our last ones but they went through the Leagues with us and were at a different stage of their careers, as opposed to Max, Ben, Jamal and Todd for example. It hadn't evened crossed my mind that Todd or Max would still be here when they're 30, but I can dream for a minute before getting my wife to smack my face with a wet fish

Which top flight Club has had a testimonial player recently? Mark Noble perhaps? Anyone one else people can think of?

Not quite the question you asked, but surely Tettey deserves a testimonial if this is his last season with us? Mind you, not much point without a crowd. ☹️

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 hours ago, king canary said:

I get that, I really do but I watch football for what happens on the pitch. So I can't get excited about selling a player like Godfrey for £25m when it means we lose a very good player for instance, yet our set up now prioritizes that. 

Well we lost Godfrey and got an England squad player for a third of the cost who has improved the defence. This is our method. Selling a good player doesn't mean it's impossible to find a better one for less money. Maddison was replaced by Buendia. You could even argue that a makeshift Sorensen offers more attacking threat than £15m Lewis. Mumba, Idah, Martin, Soto, Placheta, Famewo, Omotoye, Omabamidele, Sinani, Dennis all young and extremely highly rated. We are also now a magnet for the best young talent because they know we have the facilities, coaching and if they do their bit they will get an opportunity at a top level.

Edited by Mr.Carrow
  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The best players will usually move on - not always, though. We kept Hucks, Hoolahan and Holt in recent years. Others only moved because we couldn't afford them (Ruddy, for instance). Relatively few moved because we needed them to move to get the transfer fee; most move to better themselves.

There isn't a team in the UK who can keep a player who can move on to a better team - even Liverpool and Man Utd lose players to Barcelona or Real Madrid.

We can't ignore where we are in the football pyramid but what we can do is make our club one of THE places in the world that people want to buy young and upcoming players from. Like Southampton used to be before they decided to virtually can their academy. Players like Soto and Silani have joined Norwich City for a reason. 

If we go up will it be any different? Doubtful that most of our team will be that different, but I can see the likes of Dowell, Placheta, Sorensen etc stepping up a level or two. 

We have to concentrate on what we can do that others can't - Chelsea are struggling to replicate a little bit of our type of plan because they have to win trophies while they are doing it. For that reason, the rest of the top 10 or 12 in the EPL also can't do it. They try to buy young talent for £20m because they can't wait for their own academies to produce players. Hudson-Odoi on £100k a week hardly gets a game. He's financially set for life, an England player, but as a footballer his career is going nowhere and in 20 years time no one will remember he existed. Think Jack Rodwell, Scott Sinclair etc - what a waste! Jack Clarke at Tottenham; Daniel James at Man Utd - the wrong moves for both of them, with agents who don't act in their clients best interest.

Man Utd have dozens of 19 and 20 year olds on their books who have never got near their first team, in the hope that just one might one day show something. Those players could join clubs like ours to develop so that when they're 23 they can slot into that first team, having shown they can do it at the top of the Champs or the bottom of the EPL. That's what we do.

Josh Martin and Matthew Dennis used to be at Arsenal, but they couldn't give them the development we can. Both will be worth millions in two or three years time. We've bought Mumba, Adshead, Fitzpatrick, Mair etc because they will develop into proper players. Some won't even make it with us - but lots will.

Is it enough to make us an "established EPL team"? I don't know - but it's probably the only way we can be one, so let's have a go. That's what I call ambition.

 

 

  • Like 15
  • Thanks 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'd cite Maddison as a prime example of our player strategy nowadays. And I find it rather thrilling.

It was fabulous while he was here & it's been fabulous since. I still look out for him (as I do for all our ex-players to a greater or lesser extent). We now have a whole new crop of exciting talent on the pitch - & more coming through for the future. What a time to be supporting Norwich!

All Things Must Pass.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 minutes ago, ron obvious said:

I still look out for him (as I do for all our ex-players to a greater or lesser extent). We now have a whole new crop of exciting talent on the pitch - & more coming through for the future. What a time to be supporting Norwich!

All Things Must Pass.

This⬆️

100% agree. Watching many other games in the PL, esp the Championship and even L1 makes for more interesting watching because of our former players, many of whom you want them to do well because of their 'education' with us. 

And these days we are finding loads of new players coming through that look future stars. This present team has lots of new faces but also a sprinkling of new players who are definitely on their way up and not at the end of their careers. Just think back maybe 10 years and it was a different story.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sheffield United and the overlapping Centre backs.. doing very well now 🤣🤣 glad the **** have been found out and are doing crap

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
7 minutes ago, Ward 3 said:

Sheffield United and the overlapping Centre backs.. doing very well now 🤣🤣 glad the **** have been found out and are doing crap

They're at home to Newcastle next... lose that and they're absolutely f**ked, as four of the following five are against Spurs, Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea! Relegation alone will not be enough, I want them to finish on single figures.

  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, shefcanary said:

Wilder has walked apparently.  

Source? (You're going to say your local aren't you?)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
18 hours ago, ron obvious said:

I'd cite Maddison as a prime example of our player strategy nowadays. And I find it rather thrilling.

It was fabulous while he was here & it's been fabulous since. I still look out for him (as I do for all our ex-players to a greater or lesser extent). We now have a whole new crop of exciting talent on the pitch - & more coming through for the future. What a time to be supporting Norwich!

All Things Must Pass.

 

It's a very odd time, having watched so many players come and go since the late 90's and there's very few that went on to any bigger and better things, except perhaps Bellamy. I suppose Dean Ashton would have been another one, if not for his injury. But I'm struggling to think of anyone else who went on to any success.

Now we've got players like the Murphys (who still have time to turn good), Maddison, Godfrey. It's a testiment to our change in direction, but it has been proved to work at a lot of now Premier League clubs. Look at Southampton for example, a great youth system that not only feeds their first team, but also their funds by selling talents to other teams. It's sad to see good players go, but it has to happen for us to raise the funds needed to compete in the Premier League. If we can continue finding and producing good talents, hopefully at some point in my lifetime we'll be steady in the Prem and in a position to demand high fees for players who will be happy to stay if we don't sell them. At the moment we have no choice but to let a few go if the money is right

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, AJ said:

It's a very odd time, having watched so many players come and go since the late 90's and there's very few that went on to any bigger and better things, except perhaps Bellamy. I suppose Dean Ashton would have been another one, if not for his injury. But I'm struggling to think of anyone else who went on to any success.

Now we've got players like the Murphys (who still have time to turn good), Maddison, Godfrey. It's a testiment to our change in direction, but it has been proved to work at a lot of now Premier League clubs. Look at Southampton for example, a great youth system that not only feeds their first team, but also their funds by selling talents to other teams. It's sad to see good players go, but it has to happen for us to raise the funds needed to compete in the Premier League. If we can continue finding and producing good talents, hopefully at some point in my lifetime we'll be steady in the Prem and in a position to demand high fees for players who will be happy to stay if we don't sell them. At the moment we have no choice but to let a few go if the money is right

Southampton are a great example of what our system could be if combined with a bit of spending power (cue why aren't we Southampton blah blah blah...)

Take a player like Van Dijk- Southampton stumped up the initial £14m odd to sign him (more than we've ever spent on a player) and then sold him for £70m+. To make a model work like this in the Premier League you have to be able to front up that initial spend.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, king canary said:

Southampton are a great example of what our system could be if combined with a bit of spending power (cue why aren't we Southampton blah blah blah...)

Take a player like Van Dijk- Southampton stumped up the initial £14m odd to sign him (more than we've ever spent on a player) and then sold him for £70m+. To make a model work like this in the Premier League you have to be able to front up that initial spend.

Absolutely, you do. But that's part of what I said, if we can produce players to sell on we'll be financially strong enough to invest in bigger talents and do the same thing further up the chain. Either way, we should be very proud of what the new academy status has produced since we upgraded all those years back. Triggering an FA Youth Cup win, we've invested heavily in signing younger players to develop and it is lovely to see. We certainly get more for our money that way, and if they don't reach the heights we are still selling them on. It's a smart way to operate, and as with any signings there is risk, but far less at lower amounts of money. 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think there are lots of reasons for us to discuss Sheffield Utd on here, the Lamborghini crash is the perfect metaphor for their season, but of course if they were to put together a run of say 3 wins and a draw - which was not at all unusual for them last season - they'd be right back in the mix and well within reach of safety.

 

One of the points for me is that people say "it all evens out over the season" and Sheff Utd are the perfect example that it doesn't... last season was almost perfect for them with things like virtually no injuries so they were able to keep their very solid defence almost unchanged, they had a goalie on loan from Man U who was on top of his game, etc etc.  This season it's pretty much the reverse, what could go wrong has gone wrong.

 

Also some of their fans very rapidly developed a level of hubris when they were competing for a place in Europe which makes it rather satisfying to see them brought down to earth.  When I was driving to the game there early last year, the level of smugness on the local radio when they were discussing the game was truly amazing. 

 

Plus of course seeing them setting new records every game at the moment !

 

FWIW Derby did win just a single game in their record-breaking season, so there's still plenty of time for Sheffield to avoid that record.

 

Also it amuses me that the Premier League record winless run (32 games by Derby I think) simply ignores intervening seasons, Derby had a win in September, then didn't win again until they were relegated, and the winless run then continued when they were next promoted.  The same thing happened when we were in the Prem last year, they were talking about our record extending back to the previous relegation season as if there was no gap in between.  An attitude which sums up the Premier league !

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am now seriously concerned that they might accumulate more points than Derby.

  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
14 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

I am now seriously concerned that they might accumulate more points than Derby.

Not playing like that, Newcastle are literally the only Premier League side who would have lost that game. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

Not playing like that, Newcastle are literally the only Premier League side who would have lost that game. 

Haha I did WhatsApp my mates to say that Newcastle are absolutely abysmal. They must be utterly sick of Bruce's miserable 5-4-1 garbage, they need to sack him ASAP.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

Haha I did WhatsApp my mates to say that Newcastle are absolutely abysmal. They must be utterly sick of Bruce's miserable 5-4-1 garbage, they need to sack him ASAP.

I can't believe they've not been relegated since going back up yet, they've been continually abysmal for years but yet somehow manage to stay up. 

My brothers a Newcastle fan, I'd love to see us replace them in the summer 😁

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

I can't believe they've not been relegated since going back up yet, they've been continually abysmal for years but yet somehow manage to stay up. 

My brothers a Newcastle fan, I'd love to see us replace them in the summer 😁

On the contrary, I'd like to see them bin off Mike Ashley, get a proper manager and push on into Europe. I love the city, it's my favourite city in England apart from Norwich... had many an enjoyable weekend on the Toon! But there's literally nothing to love about the club at the moment.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

On the contrary, I'd like to see them bin off Mike Ashley, get a proper manager and push on into Europe. I love the city, it's my favourite city in England apart from Norwich... had many an enjoyable weekend on the Toon! But there's literally nothing to love about the club at the moment.

Agree about the City, was by far my favourite place for a night out as a youngster in the 90s, the Big Market, The Boat, Bajas 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, It's Character Forming said:

Well they’ve now equalled Derby’s number of wins that season!

Any idea who Derby's only win was against?

Go on, look it up 🙂

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, All the Germans said:

I'm confused why we care about Sheffield United enough to cheer other teams on?

Ever since they created a chant about us that they still sing about us while boasting about us being awful and deserving relegation while going on about them 'heading for europe and glory' I'm loving every second of their suffering.

 

That and we had that Sheffield United fan poster on here mocking us almost daily too.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...