Sheff wed v WBA 1 May 2026

[Johnny on the spot 1]

Can?t watch this sh it any more , snooker time !!!

[Omegstrat6]

We showed more intent later stages of the second half but too little too late and a poor performance today, especially first half with poor defending and sloppy play. Not the way we should have ended the season given the recent turn around. Not what Morrison and the players had promised the travelling fans either. At least we are safe but today also brought back the reality of the things we need to change in preparation for next season.

Morrison is rightly praised for getting they players battling for each other, tightening us up defensively and getting us the show more attacking intent through the change to a more suited 4-4-2 formation but not losing games alone won't get us too far. We need to score goals and we simply lack the quality to get enough of those. The big question, as always, will be who we might be able to recruit over the summer to change that.

[baggieal]

We showed more intent later stages of the second half but too little too late and a poor performance today, especially first half with poor defending and sloppy play. Not the way we should have ended the season given the recent turn around. Not what Morrison and the players had promised the travelling fans either. At least we are safe but today also brought back the reality of the things we need to change in preparation for next season.

Morrison is rightly praised for getting they players battling for each other, tightening us up defensively and getting us the show more attacking intent through the change to a more suited 4-4-2 formation but not losing games alone won't get us too far. We need to score goals and we simply lack the quality to get enough of those. The big question, as always, will be who we might be able to recruit over the summer to change that.

All the s hit need to go and only one out if contract who should be retained is O?Leary. Shocking performance and we finished where we belonged - fourth from bottom!

Huge clear out needed

[Bombers right foot]

All the s hit need to go and only one out if contract who should be retained is O?Leary. Shocking performance and we finished where we belonged - fourth from bottom!

Huge clear out needed

Very true, not a knee jerk reaction but the players couldn?t find it in them to say Thank you to Morrison with a performance to be proud of, the bulk of them need to go

[Omegstrat6]

Very true, not a knee jerk reaction but the players couldn?t find it in them to say Thank you to Morrison with a performance to be proud of, the bulk of them need to go

Not lost on Morrison either given his post match comments:

"I think it's the first time I have had to get angry again at half time. We huffed and puffed second half but still again we didn't value ball how I would like...The stuff that's brought us success wasn't there today....that's the thing I've leant today-we've got to be on the players every day and we can't come off the gas"

Yes, the players may have been tired having played a lot of football and, lately, playing it with some intensity and, yes, they had already achieved the rather miraculous aim of survival coming into this game but too many today were either too sloppy (how many wayward passes!) or else lacking in the necessary commitment. To my mind they let themselves and Morrison down as well as the fans.

Pity Molumby wasn't playing today because, while he might lack quality at times, he does have the right battling attitude and I'm sure he would have had a few choice words for some of his team mates. The decision to play Gilchrist over Phillips was down to Morrison but other than that, I thought he made the right changes at half time. The rest of today's poor performance lies with the players themselves.

We clearly lack the needed quality in several areas of the pitch but given our finances, coupled with an already thin squad, I genuinely think that any talk of a significant clear out is unrealistic. Those under contract who are underperforming will be hard to shift and while losing so many well paid out of contract players off the wage bill will help ease the recruitment situation, the moot issue will be whether we will really be able to replace them with cheaper and better.

As for our promising youngsters, I believe we should keep Bostock (and possibly Whitwell) and continue to give him first team opportunities to improve his game next season but the others I would loan out to aid their development.. They may indeed be the future but today showed that they aren't there yet and the Championship will likely be even tougher next season than it was this one.

I think most of us view next season as a transformative one and an opportunity to begin a rebuild. The extension to the number of play off positions may mean that achieving one of them should not totally be out of the question but I personally think that we should manage our expectations and accept that a placement just outside of these might be more realistic. The main thing would be to see the team continue to improve and move forward, playing with desire and attacking intent but also with more quality than we have witnessed this season.

[Johnny on the spot 1]

I don?t agree that we?ve played a lot of football we have played no more than anybody else , it?s the players they have no appetite for it second rate squad we belong where we are & without dramatic changes at the club we will be in the same position next season . If you want to look at motivation look at Coventry nothing to play for but still crushed Watford on there own patch ,

[Bombers right foot]

I don?t agree that we?ve played a lot of football we have played no more than anybody else , it?s the players they have no appetite for it second rate squad we belong where we are & without dramatic changes at the club we will be in the same position next season . If you want to look at motivation look at Coventry nothing to play for but still crushed Watford on there own patch ,

Spot on, the upturn in form prior to yesterday?s debacle just masked the problems we have had for the last 3-4 seasons, I hope Morrison is given the funds to improve the squad otherwise he?s on a loser and will be thrown under the bus as well by this weak, pitiful squad

[baggieal]

I don?t agree that we?ve played a lot of football we have played no more than anybody else , it?s the players they have no appetite for it second rate squad we belong where we are & without dramatic changes at the club we will be in the same position next season . If you want to look at motivation look at Coventry nothing to play for but still crushed Watford on there own patch ,

Totally 100% agree Johnny. Morrison is a fool in my eyes if he keeps any of those players the majority want gone. If I was Morrison I would be looking to employ somebody with sharp eyes on talent and ensuring Patel invests.

You mention Coventry and one of their best quality players is Grimes at 3.5 million. That?s over one million less than a Norwegian striker with two left feet. A complete waste of money.

It?s not always money that makes a great team - look at McInnes at Hearts who are a Cinderella compared to giants Rangers and Celtic.

Unless there?s big changes next season and a clear out we will not move forward and Morrison will be the victim.

[Leicesterbaggie]

I agree that we were poor yesterday and I feel that the main reason was two missing players, Phillips and Mulumby. Agreed that Mulumby is not the most gifted of players but his enthusiasm and energy have been pivotal to our recent success. Also we missed Phillips at the back as defensively we looked a different side without him. I am afraid that Gilchrist is not good enough.

In my opinion we have performed miracles in avoiding relegation. What we now have to do is ensure that we recruit well during the close season and hopefully we can look forward to a much more successful 2026/27.

[Omegstrat6]

Personally, I think that any talk around drastic clear outs is sadly going to be wide of the mark due to on going financial constraints. It's true that those leaving when their contracts are up will reduce our wage bill by a not inconsiderable amount but we still have to replace them and doing so with both better and cheaper replacements is a big ask. We are also still saddled with some on high wages who have been underwhelming but these are going to be hard to get shot of. One thing is certain though and that is that we need to be far sharper in our recruitment than we've been in recent years!

As for the quality of this season's squad, it's clear that we lacked quality in areas across the pitch. The enforced selling of some of our better players like Heggem, Palmer and Fellows through the pressures of PSR didn't help of course and we struggled to adequately replace them. I like Campbell who has improved since moving to his more natural CB position and O'Leary may prove decent enough if we retain him but we miss having a wide man like Fellows and if Bostock is to replace him, he isn't there yet.

The question is whether the quality of the squad this season should have led to us ending up in a relegation battle. I'd argue not. We may have lost too many games through sitting back on early leads and conceding late goals but in several matches under Mason we were easily as good as, if not better, than teams that ended up much higher than ourselves. Mason seemed to at least have the players onside but his tactics and formation failed and Ramsay's experimentation lost the players entirely. It is to Morrison's credit that he and his staff belatedly got this group of players to begin to battle for each other and show more desire and attacking intent, as well as tightening up our defence and, later, the midfield.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear though and despite managing to actually win a couple of games and put the ball in the back of the net under his tenure, it was obvious to all that we weren't creative or incisive enough going forward and that we lacked the clinical finishing needed. Making a team difficult to beat may be the foundation block on which to build but we won't get success until we are able to score goals and win far more matches. Morrison, I'm sure, is fully aware of this and this is where we urgently need some recruitment and the club to back him.

The savings due to those out of contract should ease finances to help with the needed recruitment but aside from O'Leary the other 4 are all first team attacking forwards. To replace all 4 with better and cheaper will, I think, be a big ask. Certainly, we need to find a proven goal scorer but if we continue with a 4-4-2 formation (which I believe we should) we are going to need more than that and if Mikey's recovery carries him beyond the summer, then this makes our forward line up even more questionable. Sule and Bostock may have potential and I'm sure we will see more of them both next season, but they have much to learn still.

Given the above, I would not personally be adverse to offering Dike a short term contract if he was prepared to accept a lower wage with bonuses. The reason I would go for him rather than Maja is that I think he offers more physicality and could better rotate with Heggabo in terms of hold up play. (I'm sure I may have to reach for my tin hat now with that suggestion &#128512

I think we all agree that the club need to pull out all the stops to try and secure Imray but if this can't be done then recruiting a RB has to be a priority alongside getting a proven goal scorer. A back up LB- as others have previously said-would also be a good shout but above that, I think we need a creative midfielder still and another wide man to compliment Mikey. Diakite has been much improved under Morrison and Bany has shown signs of promise but it's a position we have long been without. Bostock may yet become a new Fellows but he isn't there yet and having lost (I assume) Wallace and Grant, the squad will need options on the wing.

We will just have to see but whilst I certainly expect some form of rebuild for next season I honestly cannot see us having too much money to spend and some of our currently underwhelming players on higher salaries will doubtless still be here when it does kick off again.

[baggieal]

Personally, I think that any talk around drastic clear outs is sadly going to be wide of the mark due to on going financial constraints. It's true that those leaving when their contracts are up will reduce our wage bill by a not inconsiderable amount but we still have to replace them and doing so with both better and cheaper replacements is a big ask. We are also still saddled with some on high wages who have been underwhelming but these are going to be hard to get shot of. One thing is certain though and that is that we need to be far sharper in our recruitment than we've been in recent years!

As for the quality of this season's squad, it's clear that we lacked quality in areas across the pitch. The enforced selling of some of our better players like Heggem, Palmer and Fellows through the pressures of PSR didn't help of course and we struggled to adequately replace them. I like Campbell who has improved since moving to his more natural CB position and O'Leary may prove decent enough if we retain him but we miss having a wide man like Fellows and if Bostock is to replace him, he isn't there yet.

The question is whether the quality of the squad this season should have led to us ending up in a relegation battle. I'd argue not. We may have lost too many games through sitting back on early leads and conceding late goals but in several matches under Mason we were easily as good as, if not better, than teams that ended up much higher than ourselves. Mason seemed to at least have the players onside but his tactics and formation failed and Ramsay's experimentation lost the players entirely. It is to Morrison's credit that he and his staff belatedly got this group of players to begin to battle for each other and show more desire and attacking intent, as well as tightening up our defence and, later, the midfield.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear though and despite managing to actually win a couple of games and put the ball in the back of the net under his tenure, it was obvious to all that we weren't creative or incisive enough going forward and that we lacked the clinical finishing needed. Making a team difficult to beat may be the foundation block on which to build but we won't get success until we are able to score goals and win far more matches. Morrison, I'm sure, is fully aware of this and this is where we urgently need some recruitment and the club to back him.

The savings due to those out of contract should ease finances to help with the needed recruitment but aside from O'Leary the other 4 are all first team attacking forwards. To replace all 4 with better and cheaper will, I think, be a big ask. Certainly, we need to find a proven goal scorer but if we continue with a 4-4-2 formation (which I believe we should) we are going to need more than that and if Mikey's recovery carries him beyond the summer, then this makes our forward line up even more questionable. Sule and Bostock may have potential and I'm sure we will see more of them both next season, but they have much to learn still.

Given the above, I would not personally be adverse to offering Dike a short term contract if he was prepared to accept a lower wage with bonuses. The reason I would go for him rather than Maja is that I think he offers more physicality and could better rotate with Heggabo in terms of hold up play. (I'm sure I may have to reach for my tin hat now with that suggestion &#128512

I think we all agree that the club need to pull out all the stops to try and secure Imray but if this can't be done then recruiting a RB has to be a priority alongside getting a proven goal scorer. A back up LB- as others have previously said-would also be a good shout but above that, I think we need a creative midfielder still and another wide man to compliment Mikey. Diakite has been much improved under Morrison and Bany has shown signs of promise but it's a position we have long been without. Bostock may yet become a new Fellows but he isn't there yet and having lost (I assume) Wallace and Grant, the squad will need options on the wing.

We will just have to see but whilst I certainly expect some form of rebuild for next season I honestly cannot see us having too much money to spend and some of our currently underwhelming players on higher salaries will doubtless still be here when it does kick off again.

Point taken but if some of those injury prone and slow players are still here then I can?t see us going forwards. We finished where we deserved and Morrison has done well but some would say it was a new managers bounce and we reverted to type again yesterday. Yes if Dike will accept a much lower wage on games played then we should look at keeping him, I very much doubt he will!

Good quality players are out there. Coventry have not exactly broken the bank but they have quality all over the pitch and a tactically good manager. Look at the goals scored from Coventry?s four strikers and wide men. How many goals have our wide men scored and it?s p iss poor!

Whilst acknowledging Morrison has done a great job and he has - I was one who had reservations about whether he would be another Lampard and build a side like Coventry. I don?t think he will through lack of experience but happy to be proved wrong.

I have said for years the most important area is the midfield. Do we honestly think Molumby and Mowatt are equal or anywhere near the quality of what?s at Coventry? Not a chance! Too slow - no talent and no creativity! Endeavour and battling should be the minimum.

I do not see Patel investing much either and if he does not then would rather he moves on,

Morrison has accepted a big pay increase on a 2 year contract so rightly or wrongly the buck stops with him. When you accept a job you need to be assured there?s investment and processes in place to move forward because if there?s not - you get the blame, I remember Big Sam telling us where to go when we were relegated because the assurances were not right for him and his reputation was on the line. Perhaps that was a big package and money on players but it?s irrelevant as he said NO because he did not want the come back.

If the football next season is like yesterday and things don?t improve with fans spending a lot of cash - they are not going to vent their frustration and disgust at Baggie Bird! So if I was Morrison then I would look at the Coventry model - disregard his player loyalty over quality and demand a transfer budget to move forward. The issue is when a person is promoted they are happy to take a new job without the vision and demands to go from A to B!

[Omegstrat6]

Point taken but if some of those injury prone and slow players are still here then I can?t see us going forwards. We finished where we deserved and Morrison has done well but some would say it was a new managers bounce and we reverted to type again yesterday. Yes if Dike will accept a much lower wage on games played then we should look at keeping him, I very much doubt he will!

Good quality players are out there. Coventry have not exactly broken the bank but they have quality all over the pitch and a tactically good manager. Look at the goals scored from Coventry?s four strikers and wide men. How many goals have our wide men scored and it?s p iss poor!

Whilst acknowledging Morrison has done a great job and he has - I was one who had reservations about whether he would be another Lampard and build a side like Coventry. I don?t think he will through lack of experience but happy to be proved wrong.

I have said for years the most important area is the midfield. Do we honestly think Molumby and Mowatt are equal or anywhere near the quality of what?s at Coventry? Not a chance! Too slow - no talent and no creativity! Endeavour and battling should be the minimum.

I do not see Patel investing much either and if he does not then would rather he moves on,

Morrison has accepted a big pay increase on a 2 year contract so rightly or wrongly the buck stops with him. When you accept a job you need to be assured there?s investment and processes in place to move forward because if there?s not - you get the blame, I remember Big Sam telling us where to go when we were relegated because the assurances were not right for him and his reputation was on the line. Perhaps that was a big package and money on players but it?s irrelevant as he said NO because he did not want the come back.

If the football next season is like yesterday and things don?t improve with fans spending a lot of cash - they are not going to vent their frustration and disgust at Baggie Bird! So if I was Morrison then I would look at the Coventry model - disregard his player loyalty over quality and demand a transfer budget to move forward. The issue is when a person is promoted they are happy to take a new job without the vision and demands to go from A to B!

In his interviews, Morrison seems pretty clear eyed to me about what the job entails and what the expectations are. I certainly got the impression that he wanted to move the club forward and that the last game proved the need to constantly keep his "foot on the gas" as he put it and continually make demands of his players.

Will he be be another Lampard in the making? I don't know but it took Lampard a little time to sort Coventry out as well so things won't happen over night. The main thing, of course, is to try and ensure that any money we do spend in the coming transfer window is spent wisely. How much say Morrison has on that, I genuinely don't know.