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Putting down a permanent marker
GARY Speed, the Sheffield United manager, yesterday vowed there must be no repeat of the chaotic scenes which saw the club flooded with loan signings last season.
Explaining how he plans to use the forthcoming window to embellish key positions within his squad, Kevin Blackwell's successor told The Star he will deliberately refuse to fill his entire quota of temporary additions.
Instead Speed, who aims to draft in "one or two" reinforcements when the Football League re-opens for business shortly, has informed Bramall Lane's board of directors that he would prefer to leave one position on the roster vacant to prevent injuries hi-jacking United's efforts to force themselves into top-six contention.
"I want to use the loan market properly and by that I mean using it as a means to enhance certain areas of our squad rather than build it," he said.
"We have got Nyron (Nosworthy) and Kyle (Bartley) in at the moment and we're allowed five on a matchday.
"That's why I want to bring one, possibly two, in now. It leaves us some room for manoeuvre.
"If we pick up some injuries and have to bring someone in then we can do that.
"What I don't want to find myself in is a situation like last season when, through no fault of the previous manager, we had more loans than we were allowed and so lads were having to be left out of games not because they deserved to be, simply so that we didn't break the rules.
"On top of that they were being paid as well. That, it goes without saying, was far from ideal."
Blackwell parted company with United three games into the new season following last month's heavy defeat at the hands of Queens Park Rangers.
But his relationship with sections of the home support became strained when his squad failed to qualify for last term's Championship play-offs.
Blackwell's plea that an unprecedented number of injuries had been the root cause of United's problems fell on deaf ears and while Speed, who was a member of the 51-year-old's coaching staff, sympathised with his former boss' predicament, he is determined to learn the lessons of history.
"We've got a good base upon which to build," he said.
"I'm pleased that we've got a good strong core of a squad containing people who are tied down on lengthy contracts. I want to bring in players for the next two of three years, not just think just about the next couple of months.
"I don't think you get success or progress properly at all that way."
With Speed admitting, following the recent victory over Preston North End, that "I would be very disappointed if we don't challenge", new arrivals are likely to be proven talents capable of making an instant impact on the first-team's fortunes.
However, with the days of lavish spending at United now over, it would be remiss not to scan the Professional Footballers' Association's list of unattached players - currently 30 pages long - for any potential bargains.
Jeremie Aliadiere, previously of Middlesbrough, and England youth international Febian Brandy are among those who feature.
Having refused to enter the market before last week's deadline for permanent signings - "There wasn't enough time between my appointment and the closure of the window to do the proper homework" - Speed can not be accused of being anything but thorough.
"We saw last season what can happen when you rely too much on loans," he said. "There were people coming through the door left, right and centre.
"It made it impossible to have any stability or put any long term plans in place. That's not a criticism of the boys who came in. It's just stating fact."
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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