Adkins Interview Ahead of Rochdale

[William Henry Foulkes]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p034p8tv

Another decent interview:

• Done's goal exceptional
• we passed it quickly through the thirds - we did
• Q: Small crowd -> less pressure -> better performance A: There are many factors at work: pitch, change of shape, played quicker, and others
• Scoogs did well in the 10 position
• great little section about how we are a big club and we've been down here too long
• big squad - too many players, that said only one player left out on Tuesday (Collins)
• looking for consistency
• looking to win every game
• opposition do raise their game but that's part of the challenge
• injuries and suspensions might catch up with other teams just as ours are returning
• Sat/Tue/Sat/Tue means less time for coaching
• it's a grind
• the Beard "It's nowhere near as bad as we first feared." Put him back a little bit
• Flynn - lack of pre-season maybe this contributed to his groin injury
• McNulty groin injury
• Done's shoulder is fine - cyclists break their collarbones all the time and almost always it's not a serious injury at all
• sometimes have to not play a player and accept a lower standard short term with a view to a stronger team for a longer time over the longer term
• we have several corners we practise
• we kept good possession at the back, were patient, drew them out and played in behind - a good example of how we are trying to play
• no ins our outs before this game
• Burton are the only team (sitting deep winning late, on the counter) with real consistency
• interesting that bottom three in Championship are promoted team
• financial gulf getting bigger - it's a worry for everyone across the football industry
• mindset is to win every game (again)
• positive energy, get behind everyone, we want to make it a positive place to come

 

[SwissBlade]

Worrying that no 'ins' at centre half...

 

[secretchief]

All this positivity sound like he is ready to play a winger in league match. Can't wait.

 

[Jan Age]

Let's see where we are in three league games. Don't get me wrong a win is a win against any team but the league games are what matters and putting a run together.

I'm not bothered about the bottom three in the championship I'm bothered about the top two in league one.

Having a positive mindset to go and win every game is great but that does not mean we have to attack for a full 90 minutes. I hated clough's style of football but Nigel 2 has to balance efficiency and effectiveness with this team otherwise we leave ourselves hopelessly exposed.

This is compounded further with the complete lack of recruitment in key areas.

 

[jt64]

Let's see where we are in three league games.

Is this the next cliche in line after "judge us after ten games"? We've got Done back, which is nice, three games from now we still won't be in the promotion spots, we might have crept back into the playoffs, and we still won't have a centre back

Having a positive mindset to go and win every game is great but that does not mean we have to attack for a full 90 minutes

If we're dominant against a team we should keep attacking and running up the score to boost confidence. If we're not, but have a small lead or are level, we should keep attacking because our trainwreck of a defence will obviously concede at some point (see: still no centre backs). If we're losing then I think attacking is generally a good idea.

 

[Jan Age]

Is this the next cliche in line after "judge us after ten games"? We've got Done back, which is nice, three games from now we still won't be in the promotion spots, we might have crept back into the playoffs, and we still won't have a centre back



If we're dominant against a team we should keep attacking and running up the score to boost confidence. If we're not, but have a small lead or are level, we should keep attacking because our trainwreck of a defence will obviously concede at some point (see: still no centre backs). If we're losing then I think attacking is generally a good idea.

Disagree you have to find a balance ... You can be dominant go 1-0 up miss a hatful of chances and keep attacking and get sucker punched. We have to learn to control games.

Not making any excuses I meant in terms of results not league position we will see where we are.

Yes we won't have a centre back or any other player by the sounds.

 

[Bartleby]

great "management summary" WHF, prefer reading that to listening to it mesen

 

[WF10BLADE]

sounds like he's making his excuses in early

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

He's dead right about the quality of that Done goal - the quality pass from Woolford, the dropping deeper to receive by Che (something he did a lot) & then his sliderule pass, & Matty Done slipping in off the line with an angled run (again a feature of his on Tuesday night) & the lovely finish.

Reminded me in a way of (dread to mention the name, but...) Marlon King's top class goal v Crawley a couple of seasons back, when Febian Brandy ( I think?) came in off the line to recieve an incisive pass & put a beautifully weighted ball through.

More of that sort of thing tomorrow & loud purrs will be heard throughout the Lane. Just hope that Matt Done's fitness is such that he can manage another game this week.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

sounds like he's making his excuses in early

How on Earth do you come to that conclusion?

 

[bladesmanluke]

If we win today things will be looking relatively rosey again, but we absolutely must get reinforcements in midfield and defence

 

[Fiery Blade]

His comments about playing well in front of small crowds don't hold much water if you went to Burton and Port Vale !

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Let's see where we are in three league games. Don't get me wrong a win is a win against any team but the league games are what matters and putting a run together.

I'm not bothered about the bottom three in the championship I'm bothered about the top two in league one.

Having a positive mindset to go and win every game is great but that does not mean we have to attack for a full 90 minutes. I hated clough's style of football but Nigel 2 has to balance efficiency and effectiveness with this team otherwise we leave ourselves hopelessly exposed.

This is compounded further with the complete lack of recruitment in key areas.

He makes this point about not overcommitting in the interview.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

His comments about playing well in front of small crowds don't hold much water if you went to Burton and Port Vale !

This business of small crowds - less pressure / better performance etc - Adkins has a valid point.

The 20,000 attendances / fantstic facilities at BDTBL IMO hinders us , more than helps us.

Teams come to the lane , lift there game , have no pressure , with the instruction of go out and enjoy yourselves . Opposition players play at there optimum level . They are not scared or uncertain about playing us. Its a good day out .

This has been and still is , a major issue that our players have to overcome , and many have siaid , we seem to not have the players with a iron will or mental strenghth to use playing at home as a major advantage.

This mentality means dropped points , average performances and restless fans . Players have to get out of a comfort zone and be stronger mentally more than physically.

UTB

 

[PeteBlade]

This business of small crowds - less pressure / better performance etc - Adkins has a valid point.

The 20,000 attendances / fantstic facilities at BDTBL IMO hinders us , more than helps us.

Teams come to the lane , lift there game , have no pressure , with the instruction of go out and enjoy yourselves . Opposition players play at there optimum level . They are not scared or uncertain about playing us. Its a good day out .

This has been and still is , a major issue that our players have to overcome , and many have siaid , we seem to not have the players with a iron will or mental strenghth to use playing at home as a major advantage.

This mentality means dropped points , average performances and restless fans . Players have to get out of a comfort zone and be stronger mentally more than physically.

UTB

That might have been a factor in our first season, even our second, but out 5th? Please. We're hardly Real Madrid. Teams aren't in awe of us.

It's a handy excuse though.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

That might have been a factor in our first season, even our second, but out 5th? Please. We're hardly Real Madrid. Teams aren't in awe of us.

It's a handy excuse though.

Pete , there has been a turn over of players since our first season in league 1. Last season and this season it is more evident that the players do not use playing at home as a major advantage.

Also it is a fact that teams come to the lane with no pressure on them , and on paper are not expected to get a result, but unfortunatley they do . You cannot win every game , but we should be getting a higher percentage of wins at home . Any succesful team has a good home win record.

The fact is teams / players aren't in awe of us , and its about time they should be IMO , especially at home.

This has to be down to the players mental attitude , unless i have got it completely wrong.

You are correct we are not Real Madrid , but how many teams go to there ground and expect to win , not many .

Why cannot we work on the same ethos . You have to use every advantage you can , and at the moment , playing at home , we are missing a trick.

UTB

 

[finlaytheblade]

That might have been a factor in our first season, even our second, but out 5th? Please. We're hardly Real Madrid. Teams aren't in awe of us.

It's a handy excuse though.

It's true all teams in this division think they have a point to prove and lift there game against us man utd Chelsea.arsenal and man City have this problem too it will stand us in good stead when we finally get out of this league.we will be just another club in the Championship that will help us go from here to premier in, a short time

 

[SandyMcBlade]

So if I understand this right the thinking is by not going to matches your helping the team ?
This idea is a good excuse for quite a few of the contributors on here then innit.....

 

[Kenilworth]

Disagree you have to find a balance ... You can be dominant go 1-0 up miss a hatful of chances and keep attacking and get sucker punched. We have to learn to control games.

Not making any excuses I meant in terms of results not league position we will see where we are.

Yes we won't have a centre back or any other player by the sounds.

Yes you do but I think jt64 was making the point that with the squad we have at the moment, not strengthening CB (and CM) with dominant players, our best bet is to score more than the oppo since we are likely to concede anyway.

 

[alcoblade]

This business of small crowds - less pressure / better performance etc - Adkins has a valid point.

The 20,000 attendances / fantstic facilities at BDTBL IMO hinders us , more than helps us.

Teams come to the lane , lift there game , have no pressure , with the instruction of go out and enjoy yourselves . Opposition players play at there optimum level . They are not scared or uncertain about playing us. Its a good day out .

This has been and still is , a major issue that our players have to overcome , and many have siaid , we seem to not have the players with a iron will or mental strenghth to use playing at home as a major advantage.

This mentality means dropped points , average performances and restless fans . Players have to get out of a comfort zone and be stronger mentally more than physically.

UTB

It doesn't seem to hinder every other big club who find themselves down here.

Every club in this division would swap with us.

We've got too many shit players. It's that simple.

UTB

 

[Kenilworth]

That might have been a factor in our first season, even our second, but out 5th? Please. We're hardly Real Madrid. Teams aren't in awe of us.

It's a handy excuse though.

I still think it's a factor 5 years on since the quality and the mental strength exhibited is not good enough to make Bramall Lane the fortress it should be.

If we had a strong spine in the team this wouldn't be a problem. The fact that we get bullied out of a game ensures it is a factor, still.

No, teams aren't in awe of us. They are in awe of the stadium and playing in front of a big crowd and it lifts their game. It also lifts their game if they see our lads crumble under the pressure - or they get their noses in front and have summit to cling on to.

That's why we cannot be just as good as the opposition. We need to be several factors better to succeed. At the moment we are on a par - despite the numbers in the squad. We lack quality and, equally as important in this division, we lack bite

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

So if I understand this right the thinking is by not going to matches your helping the team ?
This idea is a good excuse for quite a few of the contributors on here then innit.....

Sandy , its nothing to do with the 20,000 of us who turn up . Its to do with the players making the opposition mindset change , to give us a further advantage . We want opposition to think -

Fucking hell , love going to BDTBL for the great facilities , but glad we dont have to play em again .

Some opposing teams IMO wish they could play us every week at the lane.

Its players mental attitude , iron will to win that needs stepping up a couple of notches.

In this instance the players could learn a big lesson from the fans.

UTB

 

[The Bohemian]

This business of small crowds - less pressure / better performance etc - Adkins has a valid point.

The 20,000 attendances / fantstic facilities at BDTBL IMO hinders us , more than helps us.

Teams come to the lane , lift there game , have no pressure , with the instruction of go out and enjoy yourselves . Opposition players play at there optimum level . They are not scared or uncertain about playing us. Its a good day out .

This has been and still is , a major issue that our players have to overcome , and many have siaid , we seem to not have the players with a iron will or mental strenghth to use playing at home as a major advantage.

This mentality means dropped points , average performances and restless fans . Players have to get out of a comfort zone and be stronger mentally more than physically.

UTB

You raise an interesting point, but I see it more about the level of expectation of supporters than facilities. If it was the latter Man U and Arsenal would be similarly disadvantaged at home - evidently not the case!

Most Blades supporters simply cannot accept the reality of their team being stuck in Div 3 for 5 years, which is fair enough when you consider that we'd only been in the lower divisions for a total of 6 years in our entire history, prior to this spell! Let's be honest, we don't have the most patient following at the best of times and when you add massively unfulfilled expectations to a cocktail of Carling, amphetamines and Jay McEverley, the outcome is fairly predictable.

You certainly need mental strength to deal with it if you're wearing the Scapegoat of the Month shirt and some players, including, to his credit, McEverley, refuse to hide and do their best to play through it. I've yet to see any player whose performance actually improves as a result of being vitriolically abused by 'supporters'.

To a degree this makes us a sitting duck at home for opposing managers who know their team just needs to work hard, sit deep and keep The Blades out for 20 minutes or so before the inevitable abuse starts being delivered from the stands. This is not just a Blades phenomenon; I'd imagine it applies to any team perceived as vastly underachieving against the expectations of its supporters.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

His comments about playing well in front of small crowds don't hold much water if you went to Burton and Port Vale !

Tbf he doesn't say this in the interview - or afaics in the summary. He's asked whether the small crowd meant less pressure and a better performance, his response is there were several factors at work.

Burton I only listened on the radio and that sounded like a controlled performance against an opposition who are top of the League perhaps bc they've been underestimated.

Port Vale, first half in particular I thought the crowd supported the team and lifted the atmosphere, and I was thinking this has to benefit them (Port Vale) too.

So, come to the games by all means, just keep quiet.

Btw he later mentions *in passing* that the opposition sometimes raise their game bc they're playing us. Like pretty much everything he relishes this as part of the challenge.

To interpret this as excuses, as some have done on this thread, is ridiculous.

 

[grafikhaus]

I still think it's a factor 5 years on since the quality and the mental strength exhibited is not good enough to make Bramall Lane the fortress it should be.

If we had a strong spine in the team this wouldn't be a problem. The fact that we get bullied out of a game ensures it is a factor, still.

No, teams aren't in awe of us.

All true.

They are in awe of the stadium and playing in front of a big crowd and it lifts their game.

Simple. Develop our relationship and play home games at Hallam FC. 500 crowds, shit pitch and therefore no excuses.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

You raise an interesting point, but I see it more about the level of expectation of supporters than facilities. If it was the latter Man U and Arsenal would be similarly disadvantaged at home - evidently not the case!

Most Blades supporters simply cannot accept the reality of their team being stuck in Div 3 for 5 years, which is fair enough when you consider that we'd only been in the lower divisions for a total of 6 years in our entire history, prior to this spell! Let's be honest, we don't have the most patient following at the best of times and when you add massively unfulfilled expectations to a cocktail of Carling, amphetamines and Jay McEverley, the outcome is fairly predictable.

You certainly need mental strength to deal with it if you're wearing the Scapegoat of the Month shirt and some players, including, to his credit, McEverley, refuse to hide and do their best to play through it. I've yet to see any player whose performance actually improves as a result of being vitriolically abused by 'supporters'.

To a degree this makes us a sitting duck at home for opposing managers who know their team just needs to work hard, sit deep and keep The Blades out for 20 minutes or so before the inevitable abuse starts being delivered from the stands. This is not just a Blades phenomenon; I'd imagine it applies to any team perceived as vastly underachieving against the expectations of its supporters.

Good post.

Adkins in the pre-season interview said he had used exactly this approach when bringing teams to the Lane.

I think the difference now is that the general positive ethos will permeate all aspects of the club.

Clearly there are still haters, there always will be - and some of them are very vocal, but as I've mentioned before a couple of times the crowd have generally responded well when we've been behind.

From memory even at the end of the Bury game a 3-1 home defeat the atmosphere wasn't hostile, certainly nothing like Scunthorpe away when we'd drawn, maybe bc we could see how much pressure we'd applied, and how many chances we'd created.

Overall a hostile home crowd should be less of a factor if we keep playing positive football.

 

[sheffielder]

He's dead right about the quality of that Done goal - the quality pass from Woolford, the dropping deeper to receive by Che (something he did a lot) & then his sliderule pass, & Matty Done slipping in off the line with an angled run (again a feature of his on Tuesday night) & the lovely finish.

Reminded me in a way of (dread to mention the name, but...) Marlon King's top class goal v Crawley a couple of seasons back, when Febian Brandy ( I think?) came in off the line to recieve an incisive pass & put a beautifully weighted ball through.

More of that sort of thing tomorrow & loud purrs will be heard throughout the Lane. Just hope that Matt Done's fitness is such that he can manage another game this week.

He is as fit as fuck that lad

 

[sheffielder]

Good post.

Adkins in the pre-season interview said he had used exactly this approach when bringing teams to the Lane.

I think the difference now is that the general positive ethos will permeate all aspects of the club.

Clearly there are still haters, there always will be - and some of them are very vocal, but as I've mentioned before a couple of times the crowd have generally responded well when we've been behind.

From memory even at the end of the Bury game a 3-1 home defeat the atmosphere wasn't hostile, certainly nothing like Scunthorpe away when we'd drawn, maybe bc we could see how much pressure we'd applied, and how many chances we'd created.

Overall a hostile home crowd should be less of a factor if we keep playing positive football.

Haters? Of what exactly?

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Haters? Of what exactly?

The club? Themselves*? Life? The Universe? Everything?


*See Pinchy's latest in the coin throwing thread.

 

[Pinchy]

Sandy , its nothing to do with the 20,000 of us who turn up . Its to do with the players making the opposition mindset change , to give us a further advantage . We want opposition to think -

Fucking hell , love going to BDTBL for the great facilities , but glad we dont have to play em again .

Some opposing teams IMO wish they could play us every week at the lane.

Its players mental attitude , iron will to win that needs stepping up a couple of notches.

In this instance the players could learn a big lesson from the fans.

UTB

Maybe the "fans" could occasionally spare a little vocal support rather than discontent followed by vitriol. It could work? Who knows, they've never tried it.