Sheff Utd story

Cheers! Promotion was a bit unexpected i guess but the leap up to the Premier League is massive!
 
Sheff utd complete triple signing !

​
Sheffield United have comfirmed the signings of Carl Jenkinson, Ibrahima Traore and Manuel Marti.


Carl Jenkinson signs from Hull for a fee which could eventually rise to as much as £6million. The former Arsenal man was only at Hull for 2 season where he made a total of 53 appearences and recoreded an average rating of 6.84 over the 2 seasons. Jenkinson has one Englan capp to his name and is looking to improve on this following his recent move.​
"I feel this is a great move for me moving to a big club on the up. Hopefully this move will re-errect my England carear which for me is the biggest motivation".
Utd also confirmed the loan signing of Ibrahima Traore from Borussia Mönchengladbach. Traore initially signs on a season long loan, however a future fee of £1.7 million has been agreed between the two clubs if the Blades wish to make the transfer permanent. Beattie has has his say on the loan signing:
​
"Traore brings something different to the club, he brins us pure pace which at the moment we're lacking a little. I've already told the lad that he'll have a battle on getting in the side in the first place due to the form of Chris Eagles last season.


The final transfer reveiled by UTD was the loan signing of Manuel Marti from Barcelona's B team. The 20year old has made a total of 31 appearances for Barcelona and has inpressed with an average rating of 7.15. Marti has also had previous loan spells at FC Lorient in Ligue 1 where the young central defender made 11 appearance. Big things are expected of Marti who was tipped for his first full Barcelona appearance this season!​
 
Good signings! interested to see how Marti does and how he progresses as a player. Are you looking to sign another striker since the step up to the prem is going to a huge difference or do you believe pelle is enough?

Don't think i ever commented on your story but I been following :) If you find the time, have a read through my story if you can and leave a comment.
 
I have thought about it but he's asking for 15k a week not sure what do you think?

Signed Danny Wilson on a free they potentially might work well together.

Lingaard has been brilliant surprisingly more as a CAM and got a guy called Tarique Fosu statistically not great but played against him and was impressed to got him on loan and has scored some wonder goals. Released quite a few player that are on the fringe. Todd Kane has been great and solid as RB. Resigned him and Lingard back for the championship. Now looking for a striker.
 
I have thought about it but he's asking for 15k a week not sure what do you think?

Signed Danny Wilson on a free they potentially might work well together.

Lingaard has been brilliant surprisingly more as a CAM and got a guy called Tarique Fosu statistically not great but played against him and was impressed to got him on loan and has scored some wonder goals. Released quite a few player that are on the fringe. Todd Kane has been great and solid as RB. Resigned him and Lingard back for the championship. Now looking for a striker.
 
Thanks mate. Yeah Marti is a complete unknown to me, could really go either way!
definitely looking to bring in another striker, although a part of me really wants to give Le Fondre an opportunity given how well he'd done last season!
Thanks for following mate! Just read through yours, really good start and a nice idea ... keep it up.
 
gfisherwils said:
I have thought about it but he's asking for 15k a week not sure what do you think?

Signed Danny Wilson on a free they potentially might work well together.

Lingaard has been brilliant surprisingly more as a CAM and got a guy called Tarique Fosu statistically not great but played against him and was impressed to got him on loan and has scored some wonder goals. Released quite a few player that are on the fringe. Todd Kane has been great and solid as RB. Resigned him and Lingard back for the championship. Now looking for a striker.
Click to expand...

He's probably worth it mate, i didnt want to pay him that at the time so he went to Sunderland for i think about £18k per week. Look at Michael Keane instead. Danny Wilsons a great signing! I had to pay £650k for him lol. Got Premier League interest in him now!
Thought Lingaard would have been good. Obviously will be recommending Le Fondre as your striker :)
 
Ashley Cole retires !
​

Former Arsenal, Chelsea, Roma and Sheff Utd defender Ashley Cole has announced his retirement from football.

Cole began his career at Arsenal when he joined aged 18 and went on to make 156 appearances before his controversial transfer to London rivals Chelsea. During his time at Arsenal cole went on to win 2 Premier League titles and 3 FA Cups. Cole was also part of the Arsenal squad which reached the 2006 Champions League final which they lost to Barcelona.
The highlight of Cole's Arsenal career must be the League title won during the 03/04 season where they managed to go through the whole campaign without tasting a single defeat.

In 2006 Cole completed his much talked about transfer to Chelsea where he went on to make 229 appearances. During his time with Chelsea Cole went on to win The Premier League in 2010, 4 FA Cup's, 1 League Cup, 1 Champions League and the Europa League on one occasion.

Cole also went on to earn 107 England caps during his career. Cole's England career began with Sven-Goran Eriksson who handed him his first cap against Albania in March 2001. Cole went on to play in 3 world cups, 2002, 2006 and 2010, and 2 European Championships. Despite earning over 100 caps, Cole ended his England career without finding the net!

In 2014 Cole left Chelase after 8 years and joined Italian side Roma where he made a total of 62 appearances, agian failing to score. Cole biggest achievement during his time in Italy was reaching the final of the Italian cup where they eventually lost to holder Juventus.

Cole then made his final move to Championship side Sheffield United. Cole joined on a season long loan from Rome and earned promotion to the Premier League during his time. Cole made 39 appearances, scoring once and fast became a fan favorite during his brief spell at Bramall Lane.


Current Blades boss, James Beattie, has led the possitive feedback which has come from all across the footballing world. "I was really hoping that Ashley would give us one more season, especially with us now in the Premier League but after speaking with him i could see his mind was made up and it was time to call it a day on a fantastic career".

Cole previous boss Jose Mourinho has also had his say "Ashley Cole is without doubt the best left back i've ever managed. He's a great professional who really works for the team and not just himself, he's up there with the best signings i've made".

View attachment 318674
 
BUSY DAY AT BRAMALL LANE !!

​
Busy day for Sheffield United as they confirm the signing of SIX first team players and also saw another FOUR players leave the club.

UTD started with the signing of Senegal internation Massadio Haidara from Newcastle for a fee believed to be around £2million. Haidara joined Newcastle from Ligue 1 in 2012 for a fee of £2.9million and went on to make 41 appearances during his 5 year stay in the north east. James Beattie commented:
"Haidara comes in after a frustrating few years at Newcastle where he hasnt really played a lot of football, mostly due to his recent injury record. He comes in after Ashley (cole) left us recently so his position had to be filled as a matter of urgency".

The Blades then went on to sign former Liverpool flop Alberto Aquilani immediately afterwards. Aquilani signs from Serie A side Fiorentina for a reported fee of £160k. Aquilani returns to the Premier League after his disastrous £17.75million transfer from Roma to Liverpool.
"Alberto will really offer us options in the midfield, he can either play deep and dictate tempo or his preferred position will be slightly further forward. The lad also offers us great experience which we need as the squad is very young at the moment" Beattie commented.

The third signing UTD made today was the arrival of Diafra Sakho from fellow Premier League team West Ham for £350k. Sakho only joined West Ham in 2014 for £4.2million and went onto make 66 appearances, scoring 31 goals. Sakho will join up will fellow national team mate Massadio Haidara who joined the Blades earlier on in the day. Blades boss James Beattie went on to say,
"We've been looking for another forward for a while now and i really feel Sakho will fill this void. He's got pretty much 1 in 2 throughout his time at West Ham and for the fee we've paid we couldnt really say no".

The next two confirmed signings were actually made a few months ago but only join the club today. Both Fillipo Romagna and Adrian Segovia sign on free transfers following the expiration of their contract.
Romagna signs from Juventus and was rumoured to have interest from various Premier League sides including Chelsea and Aston Villa. The young central defender only made 4 appearances for the Italian champions and has also had a loan spell at Kilmarnock when he was 18.
Segovia joines from La Liga side Seville where he was part of their 'C' side. The young midfieder only has 6 senior appearances to his name. James Beattie has commented on both additions,
"I thrilled to be abe to bring both these youngsters to the club. If im honest Romagna was a bit of a bouns, i didnt expect him to turn down both Chelsea and aston Villa in favour of us. Neither player has played an awful lot of football, especially Segovia who has only made 6 appearances but i am still confident they can make a big difference and will both play a huge part in the history of this football club".

The final signing the Blades has confirmed is Daniel Kolar who joins the club from Viktoria Plzen for a fee of £64k. Beattie knows Kolar well with his time with the Czech Republic national team where Kolar is a regular in the side. Kolar had been with Plzen for 11 years and was club captain.
"I've been chasing Kolar since i was appointed Czech Republic boss, he's really the player that makes things happen so i'm delighted to get him for such a mall fee".

Utd also confirmed FOUR departures, 3 of which left on free transfers. George Long, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Kasper Povlsen all leave the club on free transfers. George Long had been part of the Blades youth set up but couldnt make the number 1 jerzy his own. Long only featured a handful of times since Beatties appointment and was made obvious he wouldnt be getting first team football at Bramall Lane.
Ebanks-Blake also leaves the club after a mixed 2 year stay. Ebanks-Blake started his Blades career on fire, scoring 25 goals as Utd won the League 1 title. Unfortunately for Ebanks-Blake he only made a further 11 appearances for Utd in the Championship, scoring a further 2 goals.
Kasper Povlsen also leaves after a very dissapointing year with the Blades. He only managed to play 7 times in the championship and failed the find the back of the net.
"I think it was time that all 3 players left the club, Ebanks-Blake and Povlsen had fallen down the pecking order and would be falling even further down following our promotion. George Long is slightly different as i wanted to keep him at the club he needed assurances of first team football which i just couldnt offer him at this level". Added Beattie.

The final departure to come from Bramall Lane today was Jose Baxter who joined West Ham in a deal worth £2million. Baxter had been a good player for the Blades and his performances in the lower leagues forced West Ham to stump up the cash to bring him to Upton Park.
"Its a shame losing Baxter but we just cant turn down the offer West Ham made, especially as he's be struggling for a first team place this year".
 
END OF PRE-SEASON.

View attachment 318611

So pre-season has come and gone and we find ourselves now ready to begin the Premier League challenge.

Results have been mixed this pre-season but a number of new tactics have been tried as well as a number of younsters given a chance. Even though the first league game is now upon is i'm still not completely certain of my best team.

And what a tough start the fixture list computer has dealt us:

Man Utd (away)
Everton (home)
Liverpool (away)
Norwich (home)
Arsenal (home)

We've also finished our transfers in advance of the season starting.

View attachment 318610

A couple of further transfers have been made (as you can see). Adam Forshaw has signed from Wigan for £6.75million, Alen Halilovic and Adam Lallana have both signed on loan from Barcelona and Liverpool.
Im really excited by the signing of Halilovic who i think has the potential to be our most important player this season!
 
View attachment 318413

Ed Chamberlin: Hello, and welcome everyone to the first Monday Night Football of the season which sees newly promoted Sheffield United take on last years runner up Manchester United.
So, Jamie, Gary, its good to be back! How do you see the game going tonight.

Jamie Carragher: As much as it hurts to say, I cant see anything other than a Manchester United win today. I just think they'll have too much class and experience for this very youthful looking Blades team.

Ed Chamberlin: Gary, do you agree?

Gary Neville: Absolutley, I'm really excited by this Manchester United team this season. I know they finished 15 points behind Chelsea last season but with the additions to the squad they've made i really feel they'll be much closer this time around.

Ed Chamberlin: And what about the new boys, Sheffield United.

Gary Neville: Unfortunately, i really think they'll struggle this season. I just think their squad is far too young with very few leader types and a very young manager with no Premier League experience.

Jamie Carragher: Not only has he no Premier League experience Gary, but he's only been a football manager for 4 years! I know they've spent a fair bit in pre-season but a lot of the transfers seem to be players for the future who possibly aren't ready for this challenge yet!

Ed Chamberlin: Well Gary, you mentioned Man Utd's new signings and two of those make their debuts in tonights game ...

View attachment 318405

As you can see, both Jan Vertonghen and Bryan Cristante make their debuts. How do you see these additions settling in?

Jamie Carragher: I'm not sure, Cristante has signed for big money, £27million i think it was from Benfica. For me, it seems a lot of money for the young lad. It was only 18 months ago that he was on loan in the Greek league. Dont get me wrong, i think he will become a very good player but for that kind of money, you've got to hit the ground running!
Vertonghen meanwhile will add some experience following 5/6 years in the Premier League with Tottenham and he's made 80 international appearances.

Ed Chamberlin: Okay, well lets look at the Blades starting line up then:

View attachment 318394

As you can see, they've gone for 3 at the back along with the 2 wing backs. How do you think that will serve them Gary?

Gary Neville: I think they've done that because of the threat Man Utd pose going forward. I mean, it will take everything they've got to stop Falcao who was on fire last season! The two wingers also both like to cut infield and shoot on their stronger foot.

Ed Chamberlin: Just like Man Utd, the Blades are also showing off a few new signings today. How do you think they'll improve them?

Jamie Carragher: Yeah, 6 of the starting 11 are new to the club and making their debuts tonight. Alen Halilovic is the big one for me, i really feel he can light up the Premier League this season. I know he's only a young lad but has so much quality, he's the one that can hurt Man Utd today.

Ed Chamberlin: Well, kick off is only minutes away so Gary has taken his position within the gantry so lets join him there.

View attachment 318391

View attachment 318392

Ed Chamberlin: Well, it looks as though the game went exactly to plan for Man Utd then.

Gary Neviile: Yeah, the manager really will be pleased. His team went out and did a job tonight and played some great stuff. They were by far the better team today.

Jamie Carragher: I agree, they were light years ahead of Sheff utd today ... in every department.

Ed Chamberlin: Sorry to interupt Jamie but we can now hear from Sheff utd boss, James Beattie.

So James, a dissapointing night for you, what are your thoughts on the game?

James Beattie: "Erm, we arent good enough!! Your right, it was so dissapointing tonight ... the only good news is we dont have to play them every week. These kind of games are sort of free swings for us as were not expected to get anything out of them. We just couldnt handle the skill and pace of Di Maria, he was different class tonight".
 
View attachment 318075

SHEFF UTD 1 - 1 EVERTON

So after a very dissapointing loss away at Man Utd, we managed to get a very respectable draw with Everton. We took the lead through new signing Adam Forshaw and if we're honest had a few chances to increase the lead. A poor set piece allowed Everton back into the game following Gonzalo Castro's headed goal.

Unfortunately, straight after this game Diafra Sakho picked up an injury which leaves him on the sidelines for a number of weeks.
View attachment 318087

View attachment 318086

SHEFF UTD 3 - 1 FLEETWOOD

Our first win of the season!! Albeit against League 1 side Fleetwood. This was a pretty straigh forward win which also allowed a few of the fringe players to get a run out. Le Fondre, Kolar, Segovia, Aquilani and Romagna all got some decent minutes which can only be a good thing.

View attachment 318082

View attachment 318081

LIVERPOOL 1 - 0 SHEFF UTD

This was anothing dissapointing game which despite the result we were really in. Liverpool dominated from start to finish without us putting up much a fight. I soon changed the formation showed as we just didnt get enough of the ball, as soon as we cleared the ball it was coming straight back! Eventually conceeding a sloppy goal scored by Joe Allen.
Our lack of goalscorer is really showing now!!

View attachment 318084

View attachment 318083


SHEFF UTD 2 - 1 NORWICH

Our first league win unsuprisingly comes at Bramall Lane, against fellow promoted side Norwich! This was by far the most pleasing result of the season, partly because Norwhich were doing so well and were 7th in the league at the time.
The game didnt start well, conceeding an early goal, again from a corner! But we soon got back into it with a great strike from Halilovic scoring his first goal for the Blades. Danny Wilson then got the winner mid way through the second half. As you can see from the stats, it wasnt an action packed game but at this stage of the season i really dont care how we get the points.

View attachment 318077

View attachment 318076

SHEFF UTD 2 - 1 ARSENAL

Another good result at home, a good 2-2 draw against Arsenal. A great performance from Ibrahima Traore capped of a decent result. Arsenal really couldnt cope with him and could easily have finished with the match ball.
As you can see from the stats it was a pretty close game and really could have gone either way.
View attachment 318073

View attachment 318072

SWANSEA 1 - 2 SHEFF UTD

Another good victory, against fellow Premier League side Swansea. This is a really pleasing result as once again some of the fringe players got their chance again. Eagles, Mackay-Stevens and Kolar all putting in decent performance. No matter who you are, to have more of the ball against Swansea away from home is an achievement.

View attachment 318070

View attachment 318069


So all in all, a decent start to life in the Premiership. We've possibly started a bit defensive but we seem to be getting the results we need against the mid to lower table sides. I think we'll be a different side altogether once we get Sakho back. We needed to pick up as many points here as we could because October looks to be a really difficult playing Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool !
 
View attachment 316834

IPSWICH 1 - 3 SHEFF UTD
A really good win against team who have been in the division a few years now. Our three forwards were unplayable in this game, all three getting on the scoresheet as well. We had twice as many shots as Ipswich and 4 times as many shots on target! To also have 57% possession away from home is a really good effort.

View attachment 316828

View attachment 316827

TOTTENHAM 3 - 2 SHEFF UTD
A slightly dissapointing result, although we cant really be expected to get anything out of these kind of games yet. Its at least pleasing that we gave it a go and really got back into the game in the second half. After going 3-0 down we really went for it in the second half, bringing on Pelle and Sakho and Lallana later on. Its just a shame we couldnt find that equalising goal.

View attachment 316826

View attachment 316825

QPR 1 - 1 SHEFF UTD
A decent result away from home, quite an even game in which either team could have got the winner. Us and QPR are right next to each other in the league table as well so i dont think either team can complain about this.

View attachment 316824

View attachment 316823

SHEFF UTD 0 - 1 CHELSEA
This result doesnt seem too bad but in truth Chelsea really could and should have scored a couple more! We never really challenged Courtois in goal. If it weren't for Chelsea's shocking finishing then it could have 4 or 5. Aboubakar missed 4 or 5 decent chances himself.

View attachment 316819

View attachment 316818

LIVERPOOL 0 - 1 SHEFF UTD (league cup)
This was my most pleasing result of this period. A pretty strong looking UTD side beat Liverpool and put us into the Quarter final of the League Cup where we've drawn Man City at home. The game could have gone either way and Liverpool possibly deserved more from it than a 1-0 loss. Mackay-Stevens came off the bench and won it with a great goal, all 5 defenders also put in good performances.

View attachment 316817

View attachment 316816

SHEFF UTD 0 - 2 HULL
This was probably our most dissapointing game! I really felt we could go on and win this one but a poor performance followed! For some reason we really struggled to cope with Hull's attacking play, they also seemed to dominate the midfield too.

View attachment 316815

View attachment 316814

STOKE 1 - 2 SHEFF UTD
What a result this is!! Especially after going 1-0 down but goals from Halilovic and the ever improving John Brayford we managed to get the three points. Wisdom and Keane were also rock solid at the back.

View attachment 316813

View attachment 316812

SHEFF UTD 0 - 0 SWANSEA
What a boring game, two really poor sides with absolutley no attacking quality. Swansea failed to have a single shot on target and we only managed 2!! The whole game was just played in midfield. Still a decent point against another mid-table side.

View attachment 316811

View attachment 316810



So after 13 games we find ourselves in 13th place, 6 points above the relegation zone. All in all, a very good start to life with the big boys! The next month also brings some very winable fixtures with games against West Ham, Southampton, Villa, Cardiff and Lecister all to come in the next month.

View attachment 316809
 
View attachment 316211

SHEFF UTD 1 - 0 WEST HAM

A good win which keeps our good run going. We limited West Ham to very little, in fact they didnt even have a shot on target all game. An early penalty won by and taken by Halilovic won the game.
We again went with three at the back with the two wing back accompaning, Marti got a rare start and played very well.

View attachment 316209

View attachment 316210

SOUTHAMPTON 3 - 1 SHEFF UTD
A really really disappointing game. I really felt we could get something out of this despite Southampton being mid table. However as soon as the match started i knew we'd have our work cut out stopping Cornelius who was thriving on the excellent delivery he had all game from Danny Rose and Dusan Tadic.
We have to pick ourselves up for an equally tough away game to Aston Villa next.

View attachment 316208

View attachment 316207

ASTON VILLA 1 - 3 SHEFF UTD
And pick ourselves up we did! Beating Aston Villa 3-1 who are currently in 10th place. As you can see from the stats, neither team really created much but we made our 4 shots on target count ... scoring 3 of them!
Diafra Sahko got on the scoresheet after recovering from injury. Abeid and Brayford have also continued their good form. Brayford so much so that he's keeping £6million transfer, Carl Jenkinson, our of the starting line up.

View attachment 316206

View attachment 316205

SHEFF UTD 0 - 2 CARDIFF
We just cant seem to get any consistency, we're constantly putting in a good performance followed by a very poor one. This is a game we really should have won, Cardiff are in a similar position to us and also in similar form. Diafra Sakho lost his place due to fitness, with Halilovic taking his place being the sole forward.
It could have been a very different game as Halilovic missed an early penalty which would have put us 1-0 up.

View attachment 316204

View attachment 316203

SHEFF UTD 2 - 1 MAN CITY - league cup.
This is just another reminder of how good we could be if we could have some consistency!! A great win over Man City which puts us into the semi final of the cup. John Brayford with a late winner. Again we sat back really deep and allowed City the ball, then hit them on the break, particularly though the two wingers.
Although City are struggling in the league they still managed to start Aguero, Lavezzi, Kompany and Martins Indi.
Our reward for winning this game a two legged semi final against Norwich.

View attachment 316202

View attachment 316201

SHEFF UTD 1 - 1 LEICESTER
Again, this is another game i feel we should be winning, especially with Leicester in the bottom three! Bit of a boring match with neither team doing enough to win the game. Traore managed to pop up with a late equalizer in the 85th minute.

View attachment 316199

View attachment 316198

NEWCASTLE 2 - 0 SHEFF UTD
Looks like this cup run's taken it out of us with a lot of the players low on fitness. In truth Newcastle were by far the better team and deserved the win. This probably wasnt a surprise to the neutral as Newcastle are currently on a great run and are 6th in the league.

View attachment 316197

View attachment 316196

SHEFF UTD 2 - 1 MAN CITY
Looks like we're fast becoming Man City's bogy team! Beating them twice in 2 weeks. This was a very similar performance and tactics to the cup win a few weeks ago. Once again Man City played a strong team but could get past the back 5 of Haidara, Wison, Keane, Wisdom and Jenkinson.

View attachment 316192

View attachment 316195



So at the end of December we find ourselves in 11th place with 23 points, 9 points above the bottom 3. If we can just get some consistancy i really think we can push for a top half finish. Especially given that Sakho should be fit any time and some winable games coming up in January.
The clubs biggest excitment however will the league cup semi final against Norwich which will also take place next month.

View attachment 316193
 
Great season so far mate! hopefully you can push up in the second half!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

FMBase

Beta

Resources

Back
Top