Sheffield United Official Club Statement.

[shoreham4eva 10]

Sheffield United have issued the following statement following the clubs relegation from the Championship to League One.

 

Three of the most senior figures at the club, principal owner and chairman of Sheffield United's parent company Kevin McCabe, football club chairman Chris Steer and Chief Executive Trevor Birch have reviewed events that have led to the Blades fall from the top tier.

 

First and foremost the board would like to acknowledge the fans amazing backing at todays game and chairman Chris Steer said:

 

"The response by the crown at the end of the game today was phenominal and very moving, what a shining illustration that this club has a massive heart, which give everyone hope and confidence that we will recover from this blow and come back even stronger"

 

In a frank summary to fans the board would also like to:

 

- Apologise to fans for the relegation of the club first and foremost.

 

- Acknowledge mistakes have been made since relegation from the premier league, and that the number personnel changes have negatively impacted on performance.

 

- Recognise that managers have been allowed to place to much reliance on expensive loan signings and players on short contracts.

 

- Admit that the club has been relegated with one of the leagues highest salary levels.

 

- Anticipate the future of the club lies in the hands of youth supported by experience.

 

A root and branch review will now be undertaken regarding all aspects of the clubs operations, both on and off the field of play, to prepare for re-building success.

 

At the heart of this review will be:

 

- A strong academy focussed on developing the future generation of United starlets.

 

- A robust scouting structure that will be smarter and moreproductive.

 

- The continued development and introduction of players from United's highly successful F.A Youth Cup Team.

 

- The careful mix of young players and those in the development squad alongside experienced players already at the club or to be recruited.

 

Sheffield United Chief Executive Trevor Birch has issued the following statement in the wake of relegation:

 

"This season and last have been painful and theres no avoiding the reality of the future.

The clubs has to hold it's hands up and admit that we got it wrong. We apologise to the fans that have steadfastly stood by the club. They deserve success and we will work like hell to build a solid foundation that we can base a team capable of, not only promotion back to the Championship, but also the Premier League.

Realistically we understand the we are a distance from the top flight and it may take some time to get back there but this is the beginning of an exciting journey for the club.

Even though we have run with a higher than average wage bill for players since relegation, and certainly one that was sufficient enough to not to expect ourselves relegated from the championship, we have made mistakes and ultimately the board has to accept responsibility.

Were devestated at being relegated but we have to rule a line in that chapter of the clubs history, learn from our mistakes and move forward with confidence and optimism from here on in. We will undertake a root and branch review of all our operations.

It's time for change and those changes will happen on many fronts as we build sold foundations across all aspects of the club. We aim to provide the best basis for Sheffield United to move forward and to be competitive both on and off the pitch.

 

Relegation means a significant drop in revenue from TV rights and commercial hospitality and sponsorships. Quite clearly costs will need to be reduced significantly with player wages facing the brunt of those costs. It won't be easy but we will have to re-balance the squad budget which will inevitably mean a number of our higher earners moving on.

 

It will be a journey for the fans, staff and players alike. We have renewed 10,000 season tickets so far which is a fantastic expression of support for Sheffield United Football Club and those supporters together with our regular match supporters will be at the core of the rejuvination of this great club".

 

During the last couple of seasons the Blades loan commitments have totalled in excess of a staggering £6m, funded by the McCabe family as part of their extensive ongoing support of the club. Additionally the McCabes have funded one of the highest player wage bills in the league.

 

Scott McCabe, director of the PLC and son of owner Kevin McCabe has issued to following statement to fans:

 

"We have relied to heavily on attempting short term solutions and if anything indulging managers with too many quick fixes and short term signings.

In hindsight it is a factor which has contributed to the demise of United. The over reliance and use of the loan market has had a debilitating rather than strenghtening effect on the first team.

The family has contributed to provide significant funds for managers to rectuir to the team, w have been to willing to financially support this policy and are adamant this will change.

Let me be very clear in explaining that success is now to be built on the firmest of foundations, which facilitates the long term strenghtening of all aspects of the football club.

At the core of this rebuilding will be our academy and development players, supported by our own experienced players and new signings who will have the success of the club in their hearts.

Throwing money at the situation has not brought us any success and we have to try something different. I would also like to exphasise our desie to secure new investors for SUFC to bring in firther funds and new ideas to boost the clubs revenues.

 

SUFC.CO.UK

[missymoo73 10]

Talk about stating the obvious - the fans have been saying that stuff along but they didnt listen. They should hang their heads in shame....lets see if they really do act on it now or whether its just all talk....

[CorkerSWFC 10]

So basically they are admitting that the club has been run wrong, refreshing to hear from the bigwigs for a change, it sounds like theres some serious problems at the lane.

[shoreham4eva 10]

edit:

 

I'm not going to go into it, the board to an extent are admitting themselves to have run the club wrongly.

 

I don't for a minute agree with the Board whom seem to be placing the blame on the managers shoulders, Warnock, Robson, Blackwell and Speed can't have all been managers who opted for loan signings as opposed to permanent transfers.

 

The money was never put up for managers to go out and buy players, the board wouldn't support requests for funds to buy players who they wanted due to a lack of any form of scouting system being in place which allowed to board to have potential player assessed prior to bringing them in on long term contracts.

 

Good points I want to take out of the statement and I truely hope they happen:-

 

1. I hope that the club use this opportunity now to place a high number of players on the transfer list and get shut of the players who have been picking up league high wages without giving anything back in return on the pitch. I hope they do keep to their word of keeping players on whom have the experience to carry the new players coming into the squad whether they be youth or new recruits. Understandably a large cull has to happen however I feel we can still keep 5-6 players and I have in mind who these players are.

 

2. I hope the club follow up their ambition of bringing new players into the club. The club cannot rely solely on a few experienced players and the rest being from our development squad. We have to bring in new players and this needs to be done at the first opportunity. Funds need to be made available immediately to allow us to bring players in straight away to give the team a chance to knit and also to give Adams a chance to put his own squad together in hope of challenging for promotion next season.

 

3. I know this has already been addressed to an extend as I have seen it in place, but the club really do need to continue the re-building of the clubs scouting system. New scouts need to be brought in and we need to be out looking at potential new recruits as well as assessing the young talent that we already have in the club. The development squad has already shown itself to be resourceful with Maguire, Slew, Mcallister and Philliskirk all being thrown into it and coming out of the other side as high quality first team options.

Edited April 30, 2011 by shoreham4eva

[missymoo73 10]

So basically they are admitting that the club has been run wrong, refreshing to hear from the bigwigs for a change, it sounds like theres some serious problems at the lane.

 

Doesnt fill you with confidence does it?

 

tbh until something changes it means nothing to me.....lets see if they put the money where their mouths are.....

[missymoo73 10]

In a nutshell, and in my own personl opinion not particularly the truth behind the demise of Sheffield United but solely my own opinion:

 

I feel the club are now hiding behind the full truth of the matter which started with our lack of ambition upon promotion to the top flight of english football, the lack of available transfer funds resulted in the club recruiting too many "not good enough" players on extremely high salaries whom were never going to be good enough to keep United in the league.

 

Upon relegation from the top flight we were then left with a squad still on very high wage bill, who were exposed to be not even good enough to compete for an automatic return to the premiership which left us in financial straits. The only option we had was to get shut of as many players as possible, the only problem being that the only ones attractive to other clubs were our better players whom we ultimately had to sell to keep ourselves financially secure.

 

Constant reductions in squad numbers and a lack of decent transfer funds at the opening of transfer windows has meant we haven't brought in any new players and have instead had to rely on the loan market which has done nothing but swallow up large chunks of the cluns wage bill with no form of success to show for this.

 

We are now going to do the same allover again but instead get shut of all of our high earners and keep our experienced lower salaried players and throw a good few of the young uns into the mix.

 

Let's just hope we keep a good few players in and also recruit a good few more as both Birch's and S. McCabes statements promise, otherwise I seriously worry about our future.

Spot on......

[Bladesman 10]

So basically they are admitting that the club has been run wrong, refreshing to hear from the bigwigs for a change, it sounds like theres some serious problems at the lane.

 

They are admitting to things fans have been saying for 2 years.

 

They said in the summer they would lower the amount spent on loan player and avoid the need of having to get loan players in.

 

They spent £2mil on loan players last season but have managed to spend £6mil on them this season for roughly the same amount of loan players.

 

The club is talking crap and it stinks just like the bs Wednesday fans had to put up with previously.

[CorkerSWFC 10]

They are admitting to things fans have been saying for 2 years.

 

They said in the summer they would lower the amount spent on loan player and avoid the need of having to get loan players in.

 

They spent £2mil on loan players last season but have managed to spend £6mil on them this season for roughly the same amount of loan players.

 

The club is talking crap and it stinks just like the bs Wednesday fans had to put up with previously.

 

As you say we know first hand how much bull crap these suit bearers talk, don't let it go stale for 11-12 years like we did.

Investment is needed putting 2 and 2 together.

[Guest sibon]

Sheffield United have issued the following statement following the clubs relegation from the Championship to League One.

 

We have fantastic fans, but we no longer have a pot to urinate into.

 

The McCabe family isn't going to bankroll us any more.

 

We will be playing the kids from now on. They are probably better than the overpaid "first team" anyway

SUFC.CO.UK

 

 

Or thereabouts.

[wednesday1 10]

Commiserations on relegation Blades fans.

 

 

Warnock must be laughing his head off reading that statement!!!

 

No mention of the surely over-hasty departure of Warnock when they went down from Premiership and of the board selling the two Kyles.

[vanman10 10]

welcome home

[0742Sheff 10]

After reading that entire statement i can make it vastly shorter....

 

 

We (the board), have cocked up big time. Instead of resigning or promising to dig deep next season we will make it blatantly obvious that we are going to get rid of our best assets and fill the team with youth players who are being paid a pittance.

 

Nevertheless, we will hope and pray these youngsters can bail us out of the crap because, quite frankly. We are all out of ideas.

 

The board.