Opinion: Blades could be in danger of getting too big for their boots
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?
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.