Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Hoop Blah » 27 Jan 2010 11:57

BR, I think it's just as much none of the players doing enough to make themselves undropable, almost the opposite in many cases, and so it must seem to the manager (whichever one it is) that the team could be stronger if they tinker with it.

I can understand that with some of the lackluster individual displays from some of our players.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Hoop Blah » 27 Jan 2010 12:03

Alan Partridge
BR2 One simple question.
We won on Saturday (yes I know subs were on when we eventually scored but we played quite well and could have scored earlier) so why change the team?
It looks as though McD is like Rodgers in being too clever by resting players and forever changing the line-up.
If the likes of Rasiak and Bryn can't play 2 games in 4 days they shouldn't be professional footballers.


I really agree with the bottom line. I find it crackers that professional athletes are incapble of 2 games in 4 days. I know they are towards the senior years of their careers but they are in a lot better shape than local players that manage to do the same thing. If they are that tired after a game on a saturday then give them a day off training and get them right for the game Tuesday if they are in your plans.


It does seem a bit laughable, but comparing it to park players is just daft.

The level of intensity is in a different world, as is the expected level of effort and performance. If I was watching our players put in the level of effort of some Sunday players I would be fuming!

At the top level the slighest difference, slip up or mistake can be punished and make the difference between winning and losing so it makes some sense to protect against that slip up through fatigue etc.

It does seem daft that these professionals can't handle it, but the body can only do what the body can do irrespective of the amount of conditioning. Don't forget that these guys are also competing against players doing just as much training as them but have 5 or 10 years advantage over them.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by towserSL2crew » 27 Jan 2010 12:05

We played not bad after giving them the 1st goal ( which Harps did not celebrate at all but walked back into Sheffields half alone ) good lad !
But our finishing is very poor the chances we had should have given us 3 goals but as usual didnt.
Get Kevin Phillips in quick . He will save us.
Nice to see decent Stewards last night , unlike Forests inbred mong munchkin men, even though there wasnt much chance of bovver as they only had one fan each to deal with.
Keep the faith........come on lads.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by weybridgewanderer » 27 Jan 2010 12:07

BR2 One simple question.
We won on Saturday (yes I know subs were on when we eventually scored but we played quite well and could have scored earlier) so why change the team?
It looks as though McD is like Rodgers in being too clever by resting players and forever changing the line-up.
If the likes of Rasiak and Bryn can't play 2 games in 4 days they shouldn't be professional footballers.


I agree, I though we would have started with the team team that finished on saturday

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Crowthorne Royal » 27 Jan 2010 12:15

If we had lost in the FA Cup Bm's record would be shocking. These 2 results are hiding the fact that nothing is changing.
The first poster said it all, the same pattern as previous games ending in defeat. If this carries on and why wouldn't it? Relegation is the ultimate result.

This scenario reminds me so much of when we went down from The Prem. Word, words, words and then SC says finally' I really thought if we beat Derby it would be enough' It shouldn't have gone to the last game.

Reasons for both scenario's - I'm soory to say - Madejski.

He had the opportunity in that Jan transfer window to invest and maybe he could have sold his Premiership club, it defies belief that this shrewd businessman couldn't see what we all could. Now, I think he's just lost total interest and I don't think he's in touch enough with it to see that we are going down.

I know a new manager wouldn't wave a magic wand but Irvine @ Sheff Wed has shown what an impact one can have.

I am really torn between wanting to vent my fury by not going to matches but also know that if we don't get behind the team we will go down regardless. So, I will be there on Saturday and about the next 6 Tuesdays!

I like BM and I think he's trying hard but a) he's not good enough and b) the team's not good enough. 'Big Hearts' is absolute boll*x and basically just means 'No ability' so we'll talk about Big Hearts.

Somethings gotta change!


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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Compo's Hat » 27 Jan 2010 12:31

Well I’m a little bit baffled at how we lost that 3-0 to be honest but that’s what happens when you’re relegation candidates. Had a couple of chances early on when Sheff U’s marking seemed non existent but we failed to capitalise on them (not sure how good the chances were as we were situated up the other end) and by half time our lapses in concentration at the back had resulted in being two down. Before the 2nd goal we had started to come back into the game but it was a poor penalty by The Sig which was easy for the keeper. 2nd half Federici hardly had anything to do such was the territorial advantage. I questioned before the start why Howard wasn’t in against his old club particularly after Cisse’s performance against Forest. Long should have scored at the start of it after running through but hit it straight at the keeper when a little poke to the left would surely have done the job.

Sheff U aren’t a great side to be honest, lot of balls in the air and try and bully the opposition with their strong tackles. They doubled up on McAnuff well and to be fair the scoreline was a kind one, if we had taken one of our chances we might of left with a point but it wasn’t to be, that’s what happens when you’re down the bottom. The ref made the odd bizarre decision and maybe Montgommery should have gone for a 2nd booking but I’m clutching at straws there. I did say a little while back that we’d be in the bottom three by the time we’d finished playing last nights opponents and surprise, surprise that’s where we are. The test now is to win some home games against teams we HAVE to beat if we are to survive, fail that and we deserve to go down.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Hoop Blah » 27 Jan 2010 12:38

Crowthorne Royal Reasons for both scenario's - I'm soory to say - Madejski.

He had the opportunity in that Jan transfer window to invest and maybe he could have sold his Premiership club, it defies belief that this shrewd businessman couldn't see what we all could.


That's totally overlooking the admission by Coppell that he looked at and decided not to buy the likes of Cahil, Taylor and O'Neil because he didn't think they were better than what he already had.

He's admitted that was his mistake and that he should've strengthened but didn't.

You can't blame the Chairman for that.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by handbags_harris » 27 Jan 2010 12:40

Having not read any of this thread, I make no apologies if it seems to be a wayward opinion, or indeed a repetition. I came out of this game scratching my head wondering how on earth we'd lost 3-0. The fact that Mark Bunn was their man of the match tells it's own story I think really. This was almost a carbon copy of what happened at Forest, wrong team selection, poor defensive errors, powderpuff attack, missed clear cut chances at crucial times, and the result is that despite playing reasonably well we've come away with what on the face of it is a hammering :|

From the word go there was a question mark about us. Three touches in and Cisse's attempted through ball ends up like a keeper's clearance to the halfway line, only it went straight through to their 'keeper (kick off, pass back, Cisse). It's got to be said Cisse was poor and thoroughly deserved his half time subbing. The only reason I can think of McDermott playing him was his extra physical presence which would enable him, and us, to compete more with the unsubtle nature of Sheff Utd's play. It backfired completely as time and again he lost his battles. Two minutes in and we see what Sheff Utd ar about. Long ball forward, Mills lost his battle for the first header of the night (trend set to continue for 90 minutes), the 2nd ball was lost in midfield (trend set to continue), and the result was a free kick in Sheff Utd's favour which was deflected wide for a corner. Simple, agricultural stuff, but effective stuff all the same, and something which we struggled to deal with all night.

Saying that, we had the first real chance in the game when a cross from the right found Long in acres of space on the edge of the box, only his first touch, wherever it is on his body, seems to be spring loaded. He showed too much of it to the 'keeper who smothered. Long questioned a penalty, or a corner at least, goal kick given, chance wasted. Ten minutes later, and the defensive frailties were shown in abundance. Ingimarsson put the ball out for a throw on the left, their attacker (Evans I believe) ran through to pick up the resulting quick throw with Ingimarsson and Bertrand turning their back on the ball ready to form their defensive barrier, and a free shot ensued which Federici parried wide at his near post. The corner was half cleared, the ball put back high into the box from the right (not for the first or last time), and our defence just stood and watched as Fortune took the ball down, swivelled and volleyed past Fed's left hand. A decent take, particularly more so for a central defender, but it was in incredibly poor goal defensively. Three defenders around him, all let him get the ball and shoot. Quite simply, they stopped, and indecision cost us.

From then on I felt we had a measure of control over proceedings, McAnuff had a good long range effort parried wide, Thorvaldsson looked to be through one-on-one but was tackled, and generally it was us creating the chances. Then what looked a clear penalty, Sheff Utd players argued for some time delaying the spot-kick, Sigurdsson chose the opposite corner ('keeper's left) to where he's scored all the penalties he's taken, saved by Bunn. A poor penalty in my view, but one we see all too often across the board - rolled along the floor, not particularly pacey. In my view you have to make sure with penalties. Get it up high and to one side of the 'keeper, he won't save it. Massive chance missed to at least go in on level terms. Instead, two or three minutes later Walker gets the ball down the right, Bertrand shows him down the outside but fails to react sufficiently when Walker went that way, the cross was pelted in, the ball sneaks under Federici's body, and Cresswell is a yard out totally unmarked to head in the simplest goal he will ever score. Three things there - Bertrand has to do better, Federici has to do better, and whoever has the job of marking Cresswell should hold their head in shame because there was nobody within 6-8 yards of him. We go in at the break 2-down when our attacking play and general control of the game suggested we should be at least level.

Second half, and Federici has very little to do although Sheff Utd do have a couple of breaks where they nearly score with balls flying across the box. The best chance falls to Shane Long about 10 minutes in, one of our midfielders won the ball on the edge of the D in Sheff Utd's half, Thorvaldsson picks it up and plays Long in with a good through ball, Long toe-pokes it and Bunn saves, chance lost. Bunn's left side of the goal totally exposed by poor positioning IMO, and Long chose not to put it there. Like at Forest, guilt edged chance missed at a critical stage and one which, if scored, would have seen us get right back into the game. From then on, huff, puff, nothing really of note, except to say that a sloppily defended set piece resulted in Utd's third, given by the tannoy announcer as Jamie Ward's goal, my 3-score centre to Morgan, but either way that was that.

Funniest thing of the evening - Jimmy Kebe taking a corner. Just don't ever do that in future please.

To sum up, we played reasonably well, the general performance was far from a disgrace, but it's the same old mantra coming back regularly to haunt us, a mantra that will see us stay in trouble unless something is done soon. Defensive errors costing us, guilt-edged chances missed at critical times, result = defeat. I've said all season that teams which play well and lose ore going to struggle. Far too often this season we have played beyond reasonably well and suffered a defeat. Last night was just another to add to the list. I cannot see, with the current crop of players and the way they've performed so far this season, how we are going to claw our way out of trouble. Ultimately, IMO, the basic problem is our lack of goals (despite creating great chances on an almost game by game basis) which will cost us unless this is addressed soon.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Compo's Hat » 27 Jan 2010 13:20

handbags_harris Funniest thing of the evening - Jimmy Kebe taking a corner. Just don't ever do that in future please.


This should never be allowed to happen again!!!

Talking of set pieces, i have to say i'm not a fan of Howard taking them as we seem to waste quite a lot of dead balls when he ends up taking them.


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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by The Quiet Man » 27 Jan 2010 13:33

Hoop Blah
Crowthorne Royal Reasons for both scenario's - I'm soory to say - Madejski.

He had the opportunity in that Jan transfer window to invest and maybe he could have sold his Premiership club, it defies belief that this shrewd businessman couldn't see what we all could.


That's totally overlooking the admission by Coppell that he looked at and decided not to buy the likes of Cahil, Taylor and O'Neil because he didn't think they were better than what he already had.

He's admitted that was his mistake and that he should've strengthened but didn't.

You can't blame the Chairman for that.


No guarantee we would of bought them - Lescott and Brown spring to mind. Two of them were defenders who wouldn't really have affected our key problem area. O'Neill has done diddly at his subsequent clubs and was highly injury prone and was until recently an average player with boro.

There does appear to have been a sum of money set aside for a "key" signing but whether we could ever have afforded the wages or whether we would have paid inflationary wages above the rest of the team I don't know.

If you look at Stoke for example since they were promoted it is about team building - bringing in one or two quality players and some reasonable standard journeymen but constantly freshening up the team - something historically coppell has failed on several times with other sides and something SJM with his for sale sign did not appear intersted in in the slightest.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Arch » 27 Jan 2010 14:26

The Quiet Man If you look at Stoke for example since they were promoted it is about team building - bringing in one or two quality players and some reasonable standard journeymen but constantly freshening up the team - something historically coppell has failed on several times with other sides and something SJM with his for sale sign did not appear intersted in in the slightest.

Stoke have spent about 40m over two seasons, and built almost a completely new team. There was no way we were ever going to be in that league of spending. SJM doesn't have that sort of money. I'd agree that in 2007-8 we needed to push beyond the spending barrier and go for a couple of players in the 3-5m range, but I can't see Stoke as a model for what we should have done under the circumstances.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Hoop Blah » 27 Jan 2010 14:36

First up, O'Neil has been a very good player for 'Boro and would probably have been even better for us as he wouldn't have had the unsettling move up north to contend with. He could've offered a bit of creativity through the middle for us or done a very good job on the problem right wing.

Cahil was a revelation for Bolton and has show an ability to chip in with a decent number of goals from centre back. When we went down scoring goals was a problem, but so was finding a settle centre back pairing that looked commanding. I'm pretty sure Cahil would've helped that and was a very good age to be buying a player that has possibly doubled in value since his move and inclusion in England squads.

As for Taylor, he's more of a left winger these days and also scored some important goals in the run in which helped pull Bolton clear (he also missed a sitter against us from memory). Having him on the squad to push both Hunt and Shorey into performing would've been worth his transfer fee alone!

Obviously they might've turned us down, but from the indications Coppell gave, and the strong rumours around both Taylor and O'Neil wanting to stay down South I think we would've had a more than godo chance of getting them.

Either way, to blame Madejski for a lack of investment at that time is just blatently wrong.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Terminal Boardom » 27 Jan 2010 15:24

[quote="handbags_harris"]
I came out of this game scratching my head wondering how on earth we'd lost 3-0. The fact that Mark Bunn was their man of the match tells it's own story I think really. This was almost a carbon copy of what happened at Forest, wrong team selection, poor defensive errors, powderpuff attack, missed clear cut chances at crucial times, and the result is that despite playing reasonably well we've come away with what on the face of it is a hammering :|
[quote]

Great post HH. Now, if this was a one-off it could be put down as a bad day at the office. This is not the case. This has been a simple fact of this season. regardless who has been in charge, the plain truth is that we are not good enough. I can see no change to this for the forseeable future.


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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Focher » 27 Jan 2010 15:38

On an individual basis our players are without doubt good enough, but as a team, way way short.

We are nothing but a victim of extreme stability, the stability which saw us continually get better between 2000 and 2008. Now that stability has gone, the club is all over the place trying to work out whats gone wrong, not only on the management side, but also the playing side, and the corporate side. It was always gonna happen, the same happened at Crewe (on a far smaller scale) when O'Gradi went. Leicester started their slippery slope when O'Neill left.

Watch the shambles that will ensue at Arsenal and Man Utd in the coming years when Wenger and Ferguson go. Probably the only way we are going to get this club back on track is to drop to League 1, and replicate the likes of Leeds, Leicester, and Forest, and bounce back stronger.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by papereyes » 27 Jan 2010 15:50

Hoop Blah First up, O'Neil has been a very good player for 'Boro and would probably have been even better for us as he wouldn't have had the unsettling move up north to contend with. He could've offered a bit of creativity through the middle for us or done a very good job on the problem right wing.

Cahil was a revelation for Bolton and has show an ability to chip in with a decent number of goals from centre back. When we went down scoring goals was a problem, but so was finding a settle centre back pairing that looked commanding. I'm pretty sure Cahil would've helped that and was a very good age to be buying a player that has possibly doubled in value since his move and inclusion in England squads.

As for Taylor, he's more of a left winger these days and also scored some important goals in the run in which helped pull Bolton clear (he also missed a sitter against us from memory). Having him on the squad to push both Hunt and Shorey into performing would've been worth his transfer fee alone!

Obviously they might've turned us down, but from the indications Coppell gave, and the strong rumours around both Taylor and O'Neil wanting to stay down South I think we would've had a more than godo chance of getting them.

Either way, to blame Madejski for a lack of investment at that time is just blatently wrong.


I'm sure I heard that Cahill would have come. We decided against it late on.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Hoop Blah » 27 Jan 2010 15:55

I think Coppell alluded to it at one of the fans forums yes, but I can't remember which of those players it was he was talking about at the time.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by Ferris » 27 Jan 2010 15:57

Hoop Blah I think Coppell alluded to it at one of the fans forums yes, but I can't remember which of those players it was he was talking about at the time.


Thought it was Matt Taylor

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by RobRoyal » 27 Jan 2010 16:11

Great post, HH. Agreed on all counts.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by winchester_royal » 27 Jan 2010 16:13

Focher On an individual basis our players are without doubt good enough, but as a team, way way short.

We are nothing but a victim of extreme stability, the stability which saw us continually get better between 2000 and 2008. Now that stability has gone, the club is all over the place trying to work out whats gone wrong, not only on the management side, but also the playing side, and the corporate side. It was always gonna happen, the same happened at Crewe (on a far smaller scale) when O'Gradi went. Leicester started their slippery slope when O'Neill left.

Watch the shambles that will ensue at Arsenal and Man Utd in the coming years when Wenger and Ferguson go. Probably the only way we are going to get this club back on track is to drop to League 1, and replicate the likes of Leeds, Leicester, and Forest, and bounce back stronger.


Top post, as I've been saying on another thread, relegation to L1 may well prove to be a blessing in disguise.

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Re: Back from the game - Sheffield Utd

by juanpablo » 27 Jan 2010 20:14

we were unlucky at points

the goal a oxf*rd joke letting him bring it down on his knee but then we had the better chances and the opposite keeper again had a blinder. Penalty scored would have seen us well on top going into the break. Instead we end up going in 2 down

there is not a league between us and sheffield thats for sure but it seems like we get punished for every mistake and get no luck in return (on top of our mistakes obviously)

We need another forward hell id give Brighton 200k and pay Forsters wages for rest of the season then send him back once we stay up.

support was pathetic but atleast they were there 10 pound a ticket and less than 200 do me a oxf*rd favourm but then i suppose most of you would have less time to post on here

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