Sheffield United's rise vs BFC stagnation

In the summer of 2017, our neighbours Sheffield United were in a similar position to the one we are in this summer, having just been promoted from League One after a successful season.

They brought 14 new players in that summer. But crucially, not a single member key member of that promotion winning team left the club. The only outgoings were fringe players and the funds from their sales, together with the increased revenue from being in the Championship, were reinvested into making signings who would come into an already successful and balanced team who were settled with playing together, along with a few up and coming players from the Premier League on loan who they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford.

They had a great season, finishing 10th and flirting with the play-offs. They then added even more players who increased the squad's quality, attracted by a club on an upward curve showing hunger to achieve, whilst retaining their best players on improved contracts. A squad of talented, settled young players, improving from the League One days, together with experienced pros who know the Championship, the likes of Norwood, Sharp and McGoldrick, saw them carry their momentum into the Premier League.

I feel there's a lot our owners could learn from their story. Twice in 3 years we've had teams I've felt have been capable of 'doing a Sheffield United', but we've prioritised income from player sales over having a push at building on a great promotion season with some special players.

 

different case for me, one is a 'big' inner city club with a large supporter base and one ain't,

 

And tbf wilder has on more than one occasion gone public about the lack of funds available to him. I get your point about them keeping the core of the squad was a huge key. But I don’t think it’s all cushty off the field over there.

Only at the start of this season there were talks of him walking. I just think it’s down to them having a top class manager who’s worked wonders with what he’s got available. I too think Daniel will be a premier league manager one day also mind, but what wilder has done with let’s be fair a lot of players that would only have a career in the championship at best is a minor miracle.

 

I agree to a certain extent as some of the players they’ve signed we could’ve afforded like Lundstram & Baldock but there’s some there like McGoldrick & Egan we simply couldn’t afford.

What’s interesting is they’ve had quite a few expensive or at least high profile loans in like Hogan & Woodburn but it’s the players they’ve developed who’ve been the best players for them.

 

Talk by who? And based on what?

There was never any chance of Wilder walking. He's a United fan who'd just got them back into the Premier League for the first time in over 10 years. He knows better than anyone the financial limits he's working under. He's supported United all his life and anyone who thinks he would walk if he didn't get a large pot of money he was expecting to fall into his lap is divorced from reality. All the "talk" was by sad cases making things up on the internet as a substitute for having a life.

 

So does that mean our strategy and attitude should be totally different? We may not be able to afford players like Norwood but we can follow the same blueprint on a Barnsley scale and try harder to keep a team together. And perhaps where they have gained promotion to the Prem, our equivalent would be avoiding a relegation battle then becoming and established side working towards a top half finish.

And to expand your argument, we're losing players who were instrumental in our promotion to clubs like Wigan, who have a smaller fanbase than us.

 

You ok hun?

 

Do you not think all this is a bit premature we,ve played 5 games for ***** sake.
Fair enough if we are bottom after 25 games that’s different have some ******* patience.

 

I've lost count of how many times people have said, this isn't about these last five games but the wider ethos of the club. It's clear the sort of fire sale we saw in 2017 cost us our place in the Championship and we've gambled again in trying to replace so many important players with lads who need time to adapt. The early signs aren't good and it all feels a bit deja vu.

What was it Patrick once said? The Einstein quote? Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

 

Yes but again players we ha e lost all wanted to go and we have no idea what perks were involved.
And for the other alternative see Bolton Wanderers

 

And the one that ‘ain’t’ ........ will continue to be like that until it changes its cowering mindset.
Thankfully the owners that have been at the club for a couple of years have a more positive view of the club than some of the fans have that have been there for decades.

 

There definitely was an atmosphere over the summer between Wilder and his directors. McCabe and the Saudi were having a rich boys tiff and they couldnt sign anyone til it was sorted. It was very late on in the window when they did.

 

That’s not the other alternative. There’s a massive difference between overspending over a period of 20 years like Bolton & signing only young players that you see as sellable assets like we do. There’s a huge in between section out there.

Preston & Burnley are two great examples of well run clubs that are a similar size to ourselves or at least were before Burnley got promoted.

Look at Preston, they combine young players alongside experienced pro’s, they give the young players a much better chance of succeeding & then when they sell like they have with Robinson to Sheff Utd they get a better fee.

To me they’re more of a model on how we should be run. They’ve got experienced, reliable players like Tom Clarke & Paul Gallagher & they also sign young players like Pearson & Harrop from Man Utd, like Stockley from Exeter, like the Irish lads they’ve unearthed from the Irish league. They combine what we do well with a bit of nous on what it takes to be successful in this league.

 

I agree in general, I think the purely young side is barmy, I’ve always thought we should have included 2 or 3 older heads