I think we just need to calm ourselves down a little bit here.
Writing in The Star, journalist James Shield believes that Bramall Lane can become a bit of a ‘destination’ for players in the future, and using recently tied down John Fleck as an example, pointed out that times are certainly changing when it comes to players coming to and from the club:
“But United, doubtless reminding that his career has been on an upward trajectory ever since arriving from Coventry City in the summer of 2016, were clearly viewed as the best option by Fleck’s negotiating team. Once used to seeing their best players lured away, United now expect, in the majority of cases, to retain them. Fleck’s commitment is bound to make an impression on John Lundstram, Enda Stevens and John Egan, who have all been holding talks with chief executive Steve Bettis and Prince Abdullah’s board of directors in recent weeks.”
The inference there being that not only will the club be able to hold on to the players, but also be able to attract other high-end players in the future.
Are the Blades in danger of getting ahead of ourselves?
Yes
No
All I will say in regards to this comment, is that it would probably be best to see if we can sustain this move up the league before we start thinking about the club being some glamourous destination for players to come to.
If you take a look at other clubs that have come from nowhere to be near the top of the table, like Reading in 2006-07 and Hull City in the early stages of 2008-09, there is always the tendency for things to return ‘to normal’ as it were, and indeed both clubs found themselves relegated the next season, so it’s not as if the warning signs aren’t there, and whilst there are clubs like Wolves who have maintained their success from one season to the next, it’s best to err on the side of caution.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves when it comes to ‘turning the club around’ as it were. We should be aiming for a few years of stability before we try to take the club up a tier, otherwise we could risk going completely the wrong direction faster than we know it.
Hi Matthew
Whilst I understand the general point and the thought process behind it, I do find it somewhat strange for a dyed-in-the-wool Blade such as yourself to be suggesting that we shouldn’t wish to be constantly looking to improve the team, instead we should “aim for stability”.
I have two points in response: First, the Premier League doesn’t stand still and therefore to suggest that Sheffield United might do so with our loftiest ambition being stability would, by default, see us embarking upon that slide you are at pains to warn us all of. My second point concerns your examples of Hull and Reading as clubs who may have over-extended themselves and found themselves relegated as a result. The obvious counter-argument to the point being Norwich, who embraced squad stability this season and will almost certainly be heading back to the Championship, and others such as Bournemouth, Wolves, Burnley who have invested in their squads each season and have progressed or maintained their Premier League status, with only Bournemouth’s incredible injury list preventing them from having a better season than they are currently “enjoying”.
In short Matthew I have to disagree with your point. We’re looking to improve at a sensible level to ensure that the Premier League doesn’t progress without us and my view is that we will go in completely the wrong direction as you put it, if we choose to try to continue to achieve stability as our primary goal. So far the club has performed miracles and if that ever changes then yes we can begin to analyse the reasons why, but right now the entire structure and staff is surely beyond reproach?
Football is like walking up a downwards escalator. You have to keep up or you’re heading to the bottom.
Finally, and I apologise for this visit from the spelling and grammar Police, but the expression is to err on the side of caution, not air. Otherwise, nice one as usual. UTB!!
I don’t think I could put it any better than Mr Manterfield’s comments above (or below – depending on where this comment appears!).
I probably wouldn’t have put it so well. Because it infuriates me tbh to read and hear about Blades fans who don’t actually want the club to show any ambition and think that it’s an option to stand still.
No one is getting big-headed about this. We all realise that nothing can be taken for granted. But our manager, and some (obviously not all) of our fans, are loving this period when our club is really busting a gut to be different to the Sheffield United that most of us have known all our lives.
Your poll currently suggests almost 90% of people disagree with your view – not that this will change it no doubt. Cup half empty strikes again!
Fine points from both of you (especially about the spelling and grammar, for which I shall shout at my spell check for not picking up).
Happy to have a debate with you about whether we should ‘err’ on the side of caution or progress, and whilst I’d love the club to keep moving forward, I just think that the second season is ‘make or break’ as it were, and in THAT season, we should be cautious.
If we stay up, THEN we should look to step forward.
So I think we both think the club needs to move forward, we’re just apart when it comes to the timeframe.