Ambition vs Identity

Sheffield United 0 v Wigan Athletic 2

Saturday 6 February 2016

Twitter @ball_sup

The Beer was the best thing about today.

Thornbridge - Black Harry on cask at 3.9%
The Captain Cook Brewery - Endeavour on cask at 4.3%
Kelham Island - Back To Black on cask at 4.1%
Kelham island - Best Bitter on Cask at 3,8%

What is Ambition?

In Modern Football, it's spending three quarters of a Million. Which you haven't got. On the last day of the transfer window. United didn't do that. Therefore lack ambition.

In classic chaos management by chaos, they sent Phippsy out front & centre. Mixed up management speak. Right Sizing. Retaining Top Talent. Including a Radio Sheffield interview on the phone. Where you couldn't understand a word he was saying.

If we can't have “ambition”. Let's have Identity. Some American babbling on the phone from Riyadh (assumption) does not a Blade become.

George Long gives us some identity. Louis Reed gives us some identity. Billy Sharp gives us some identity. Tel gives us some identity.

Think. Whether you are 57, 37 or 17. The Blades you loved were Identity Blades. They'd come through the youth team or reserves. They'd been picked & plucked from non-league or the 4th division. They'd stayed at the club, served their time. Some had been born here. Some made here their home. Think.

None of ‘em had been signed for a load of money in a transfer window. None of them wanted a few games under their belt. None of them came here to fill a gap.

Ambition would be nice. Identity is essential. Forget about the Price Tag.

I know. I know. Goals make points make league position make promotion. I know. Stuff identity if we're pissing around at the bottom of Division 3. I know. But…..

You can have the Ambition to run a top rated Academy.

You can have the Ambition to promote youngsters from there. Badger, Maguire.

You can have the Ambition to give 2nd chances to youngsters binned out of Premier League systems. Jags.

You can have the Ambition to spot & develop kids from non/lower league. Hodgy, Deano, Che.

You can have the Ambition to play a certain way. Bassett, Kendall.

You can have the Ambition to be a young, strong, fit team. Who chase everything down.

In the past, it has been those things that have defined our Ambition & our Identity.

I think the current Directors are probably trying to do the right things. But we can't really tell. Because Phippsy is all over the shop when he tries to explain things. Someone without any money of his own. With no background in football at all. Wouldn't have a clue which bus to get to Woodhouse. What I do know is that if they are trying to do the right things, they're shit at it. The 3rd Division table tells me that.

We just can't get our Identity back with Phippsy Babbling. Nice fella, but we can't.

You can have the Ambition to have attacking options - men out wide, creative midfield players, set pieces honed at Shirecliffe. We didn’t. We got nowt. What we deserved. Awful.

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