Billy Sharp gets better with age.

[mrfrostsdad]

Transfer fees are only madness in the premier league and a little bit now in the championship.
In league 1 it's very rare people spend money on transfer fees, so there's still the obvious possibility of signing someone who turns into a world beater

Really?!!!
Didn't Middlesborough pay £14m for Asombalonga? Now that is absolute madness!

[Chris Black come back]

He has played a total of 18 minutes in the Premier League.

Billy came on for Southampton in the 86 minute vs Man City and 76 minute v Wigan, in August 2012.

On losing side in both games.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Strange how no manager has ever seen his obvious Premier League potential.

[dickos1]

Transfer fees are only madness in the premier league and a little bit now in the championship.
In league 1 it's very rare people spend money on transfer fees, so there's still the obvious possibility of signing someone who turns into a world beater

Really?!!!
Didn't Middlesborough pay £14m for Asombalonga? Now that is absolute madness!

Aren't middlesborough in the championship?

[dickos1]

I love billy but his record in the championship isn't 1 in 2

[Chris Black come back]

His biggest achievement is getting 1 in 2 playing for us in the Championship. Rest of his clubs in Reading, Southampton, Leeds and Blades all the big boys. Ironically probably best return in that level is with us.

[IDM]

Transfer fees are only madness in the premier league and a little bit now in the championship.
In league 1 it's very rare people spend money on transfer fees, so there's still the obvious possibility of signing someone who turns into a world beater

Really?!!!
Didn't Middlesborough pay £14m for Asombalonga? Now that is absolute madness!

It is a crazy figure yes, but not if they get promoted as they would get that back in spades. 

The value of a player isn't always about what he has done, its about what he can bring to the buying club..

[RedJ]

Didn't Fulham pay something like £11m for McCormack? that's crazy.

[Monkcaster_Rover]

If Sheff U get promoted and Billy finally gets a chance to play in the Premiership I may well shed tears.

He's already played in the Premiership

A proper stab at it. Not the cameos that have been mentioned. Sure he got shipped out in the August window when at Southampton as well.

[anne honemous]

Sharp is similar to Grant Holt, who went from League One to the Premiership with Norwich and got talked about with regards to an England call up for a time, before he ultimately ended up back where he started in a flash.

Billy's nearing the end of his career now so good luck to him in achieving everything while he can and riding on the crest of a wave for as long as he can.

[Chris Black come back]

Rickie Lambert managed it all - Prermiership, England and dream transfer to Liverpool. All in his 30s. None of this looked likely in his 20s.

He can retire happy.

[NickDRFC]

Sharp is similar to Grant Holt, who went from League One to the Premiership with Norwich and got talked about with regards to an England call up for a time, before he ultimately ended up back where he started in a flash.

Billy's nearing the end of his career now so good luck to him in achieving everything while he can and riding on the crest of a wave for as long as he can.

Not sure how similar really - Holt had two full seasons playing in the Premier League, Sharp has had 2 sub appearances!

[anne honemous]

Holt blossomed in the latter stages of his career and peaked when he was 30+.

Sharp is doing similar at roughly the same age.

Before enjoying purple patches in the twilight years of their careers (lets face it, Billy isn't getting any younger), neither player had really been huge in the Championship, but both had been prolific in the lower divisions.

Sharp's reputation for scoring now is probably better than it's ever been, and he's playing for a club now as high as he's ever really been previously - my view is when he did get to the Premier League with Southampton, he wasn't given a fair crack of the whip whatsoever.

Holt is the benchmark player for Billy to aspire to and I genuinely believe he'll go up again with Sheff United and be their main man during at least a season in the top division.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Point of fact. By the time Holt was the age that Sharp is now, he'd played nearly 50 top flight matches and scored 16 top flight goals.

I know there's a lot of sentiment invested in Sharp, but there's a reason he's never gone in to be a top flight striker. He doesn't quite have the physical presence, pace or sheer ability to cut it at that level. You need one of those to make it at the top. Sharp has a combination of those skills which makes him a very good striker at Championship level. But he'd be found lacking at the very highest level. And given the fact that he'd be nearer 33 than 32 by the time he got a chance (if the Blades go up) he's unlikely to be a better bet to succeed than he was as a 26 year old at the very top of his game in 2012 when Southampton decided he didn't quite have what it takes.

[anne honemous]

Point of fact. By the time Holt was the age that Sharp is now, he'd played nearly 50 top flight matches and scored 16 top flight goals.

I know there's a lot of sentiment invested in Sharp, but there's a reason he's never gone in to be a top flight striker. He doesn't quite have the physical presence, pace or sheer ability to cut it at that level. You need one of those to make it at the top. Sharp has a combination of those skills which makes him a very good striker at Championship level. But he'd be found lacking at the very highest level. And given the fact that he'd be nearer 33 than 32 by the time he got a chance (if the Blades go up) he's unlikely to be a better bet to succeed than he was as a 26 year old at the very top of his game in 2012 when Southampton decided he didn't quite have what it takes.

You could say that Holt or Rickie Lambert were unlikely bets to succeed at top flight level, but for a time they did.

That said, I actually didn't realise Holt was so young in comparison to Sharp, when he burst through the divisions with Norwich and was something like the second highest English scorer in the Premier League in one season.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Yes but a) They both had a physically imposing side to their game that Sharp hasn't got and b) they were both already established top level players by the time they were Sharp's age.

Don't get me wrong. It would be a lovely fairy tale if Sharp was a success in the Premier League. But realistically, it's not going to happen.

[RoversAlias]

Sharps a terrific Championship striker at the very least, his record proves that. Bit unfair to comment on Premier League credentials when he's never had the chance though.

[BillyStubbsTears]

But he DID have a chance. At the very height of his career, he was at Southampton in the Premier League.

You reckon they didn't pick him out of spite?

[anne honemous]

Yes but a) They both had a physically imposing side to their game that Sharp hasn't got and b) they were both already established top level players by the time they were Sharp's age.

Don't get me wrong. It would be a lovely fairy tale if Sharp was a success in the Premier League. But realistically, it's not going to happen.

I think he'll get a chance at the Premiership, it's just up to him how much he makes of it and whether or not he can avoid injury.

I also believe Billy's got a certain attitude to his game - it's not quite in the same category as Holt or Lambert, but he has a tenacious, relentless, sort of never give up attitude which could cause a few problems.

If they don't go up this season, then I think Billy knows he'll probably never get another shot at the top flight and that can only be motivation for someone like him.

[RoversAlias]

But he DID have a chance. At the very height of his career, he was at Southampton in the Premier League.

You reckon they didn't pick him out of spite?

He was loaned out after all of 3 Premier League games of that season. He was not given the chance. Nigel Adkins signed him with the express purpose of getting over the line for promotion, then when it was done decided Sharp wasn't the man to lead the line in the new division. He was not given a fair crack ever at that level and no one will be able to say convincingly that he was.

Players like Lambert and Holt, and say Glenn Murray now at Brighton, are shown faith and given a run and they've taken that chance. Sharp never even got the opportunity so if Sheffield Utd do go up this season the one thing I'll be pleased about is that he gets that chance finally.

[Draytonian III]

Billy Sharp plays for Sheffield United now ,end of

[NickDRFC]

The key difference, RoversAlias, with Holt, Lambert and Murray is that they are a lot bigger than Sharp. As Billy (Stubbs, not Sharp) says, you need that extra edge to thrive in the Premier League, be that pace or physicality. As one of my favourite all time players I really hope it does happen for him but the chances are slim - even if Utd do go up I can't see them starting the first game next season with Sharp & Clarke. Sure, he deserves his chance but sentimentality counts for little these days and if Wilder can get a bigger, stronger, quicker replacement I've no doubt that he will.

[NickDRFC]

Billy Sharp plays for Sheffield United now ,end of

And Gary Megson has never been a Rovers manager, what on earth are you doing talking about him on another thread?

[RoversAlias]

The key difference, RoversAlias, with Holt, Lambert and Murray is that they are a lot bigger than Sharp. As Billy (Stubbs, not Sharp) says, you need that extra edge to thrive in the Premier League, be that pace or physicality. As one of my favourite all time players I really hope it does happen for him but the chances are slim - even if Utd do go up I can't see them starting the first game next season with Sharp & Clarke. Sure, he deserves his chance but sentimentality counts for little these days and if Wilder can get a bigger, stronger, quicker replacement I've no doubt that he will.

You might well be right, Nick, but we'll never know for sure until he plays a dozen or more games at that level. I'm not really arguing that he'll light it up in the PL, just adamant that he hasn't been given the chance from two substitute appearances like BST was trying to say.

[BillyStubbsTears]

RA

No. I wasn't saying that at all. That would be stupid.

It was nothing to do with 2 substitute appearances. He had two full pre-seasons at Southampton in the Premier League. They clearly didn't rate him as being good enough to cut it.

That was just one manager's opinion. But here's the clincher. No other manager at the lower end of the Premier League thought he was up to it either. He'd had a very good record in the Championship with us and Southampton. It's a certainty that PL clubs would have run the rule over him. But none ever made a move for him, when he was available on loan or to buy.

I said at the time he was with us that we, as fans, tend to massively overestimate the actually quality of our own heroes relative to the general standard. He's the best we've had in my time for sure, but he wasn't as good as some people claim.

[Al4475]

Ah how lucky we were to see Billy's best years (so far) - cheers dick!

[Chris Black come back]

RA

No. I wasn't saying that at all. That would be stupid.

It was nothing to do with 2 substitute appearances. He had two full pre-seasons at Southampton in the Premier League. They clearly didn't rate him as being good enough to cut it.

That was just one manager's opinion. But here's the clincher. No other manager at the lower end of the Premier League thought he was up to it either. He'd had a very good record in the Championship with us and Southampton. It's a certainty that PL clubs would have run the rule over him. But none ever made a move for him, when he was available on loan or to buy.

I said at the time he was with us that we, as fans, tend to massively overestimate the actually quality of our own heroes relative to the general standard. He's the best we've had in my time for sure, but he wasn't as good as some people claim.

Was he as good as Heffernan though?

Now that is a question!

[BillyStubbsTears]

But if a daft question really. He was clearly better than Heffernan.

[GazLaz]

I dont think he does. His best days were with us. Might get 10 this season if he's lucky.

Hmmm how many is that now

9 goals with 4 games to go...

[wing commander]

    Funny enough I was in Sheffield yesterday for a meeting at head office and everybody there was blade fans..General synopsis seems to be that they think his best days are behind him and he hasn't been starting that many games recently.With o other strikers getting brought off the bench before him..Wilder has also said he will be looking to add another Striker..
    They seem to think Billy will probably move on in the summer...