Tippy Tappy Football wrote:I was chatting to a Blade this morning and he said Sheff Utd played good football under Nigel Clough but after he left it was revealed NC had fallen out with quite a few players. I had a look at some of the comments from Sheff U fans after he left and some of the comments ring a few bells:
"The board had to sack Clough for his sheer incompetence at planning and building a team. From the moment McGuire left, he completely failed to build a defence with centre backs. I have never known any manager try to go a season without two if not three centre backs. It's one of the most important parts of any teams back-bone."
"Clough failed because he's a totally inadequate manager. When McGuire left he knew we needed at least one centre back. He even went out and signed one. What happens next is totally inexcusable. You cannot go 5 matches never mind a whole season without good reliable centre backs.
1) he signed a CB from Blackpool who clearly wasn't ready.
2) He signed a CB from Walsall, who should have been good enough but failed to manage him.
3) He failed with Collins. Not the best but better than those he ended up playing as they were not CB's
4) He signed Brayford to play the role he had done so brilliantly the previous season, only to waste him at CB
5) He played our most reliable midfielder at CB, ruining the midfield."
"The cup runs disguise just how poor we played at home. As many Blades fans have said, Clough brought in an excellent central defender in Andy Butler, but then fell out with him and loaned him to another club. He also refused to play our only established 6ft + defender, and instead put midfielders in the back line."
For a bit of context Maguire left a week before the start of the season having told NC he was staying. The centre half he wouldn't play was Collins who told Maguire he should leave, was on 16k a week and was a disruptive influence who blamed anyone and everyone even when it was his mistake. Maguire was so good he had carried Collins for 2 seasons.
Andy Butler was signed from Walsall where he'd been captain. He couldn't handle the pressure of playing for a big club. Maybe a mistake to sign him, maybe a mistake to let him leave but NC had his reasons.
He signed Paddy McCarthy (i think that was his name) on loan from Crystal Palace, a lad who had been playing Premier League football but who showed arguably the worst form I've seen from a professional footballer ever.
Brayford played centre half quite a bit and did it well. They finished 5th, played Swindon in the play offs, smashed them all over the park at home, denied a stonewall penalty and lost 2-1 to a last minute counter attack when Bob Harris the left back left his man and then unforgivably didn't foul him on the halfway line.
Brayford was injured in that game by a shocking challenge. They then conceded 3 goals in the first 20 minutes of the away leg with some of the worst defending you'll ever see.
If Brayford wasn't injured they'd have made it to Wembley and Sheff Utd fans wouldn't be discussing his failings.
Could he and should he have signed better centre halves than Craig Alcock and Harrison McGahey? Probably. Is it as black and white as that. No.
In terms of Basham moving from midfield to defense and it ruining the midfield? Well Nige had a deal and personal terms agreed to bring in a player from Scotland for 300k to fill that gap but the board at Sheff Utd pulled the plug.
You might have heard of him? John McGinn.
Fine margins.