From the marquee stand

[pommpey]

Decided to mooch along the 120 mile round trip today to see United beat a team in the lower reaches, being as we'd come back strongly against Coventry with just ten men and beaten Rochdale without playing particularly well. Crawley - okay a team starting to level out seemingly after a wretched period should be easy pickings for United who on paper are far, far stronger?

The game was precursored by massive tributes to the late Shred. Many songs and chants were dedicated to him today and he would have been pleased looking down on the Checkatrade (for fuck's sake ... Checkatrade?) Stadium today from his new executive box and saw the swell of appreciation, respect and reverence he drew from the 900 odd (so they said, but I reckon a lot more) Blades in the shred/shed with the squally wind in their faces. As I was taking my granddaughter and her bestie (both in retero Blades tops) I decided we'd sit in the stand under the canvas (it's basically a fucking tent) up at the back out of the wind and rain.

United started like this:

-------------------------------------Turner---------------------------------
Brayford---------Kennedy----------------McEveley---------Harris
Flynn-----Basham----------Doyle--------Coutts----------Murphy
-
-
-
-
-
-----------------------------Done------------------------------------------

... with the wind in their faces. The gap between the central three of our midfield and Done was far too much and we did miss the presence of a link man. That said we started fairly well, utilising the wingers to penetrate and we showed good support from Brayford and Harris, although Flynny did try ... he was invariably outmuscled out on the flank. We have adopted a fairly decent pass-it-around style and the hoof count was fairly low, possibly on account of the blustery conditions. Coutts doesn't really look comfortable in that tucked-in position although to be honest the central three did hold the first twenty five minutes together and our possession rate looked decent. We simply kept the ball moving across the deck and to feet (generally) but the danger level was minimal. We did get the ball into the box a few times - Matt Done clipped in a goal that was offside and on 35 minutes I noticed Freeman on the pitch and Basham in the back four. As if by magic Kennedy had gone off and the team then was:

-------------------------------------Turner---------------------------------
Brayford---------Basham----------------McEveley---------Harris
Flynn-----Freeman---------Doyle--------Coutts----------Murphy
-
-
-
-
-
-----------------------------Done------------------------------------------

Immediately we started to press the game up the pitch and some openings appeared on both flanks - for once Crawley seemed to be on the back foot and starting to panic. There was a lovely ball into the box from the right which Murphy, eight yards out failed to convert. A series of really badly squandered corners followed where every cross was either to the near post and cleared or was 'floated' and booted away.

In the second half Flynn and Freeman swapped places and with the wind in our backs we had twenty minutes of really, really pleasing attacking football, mainly from a very good trio of Brayford, Freeman and Flynn. There was some superb pass-and-move stuff going on past a frankly inept Crawley rearguard which saw us dominate and carve out chance after chance with the ball either being played in behind advancing players (like Doyle once) or a tame shot at the keeper from Flynn for example. Again, we passed the ball about quite well as Crawley retreated to soak up the advance but there really was no one to make the killer pass to an increasingly frustrated and shirt soaked from sweat Done because the midfield three, in particularly Coutts, seems unable to get forward and create. Out on the right as they came out however we conceded a daft free kick we needn't have. Everything was set up and the ball came in straight and fast with United players all converging on it including Turner who really should have claimed it. Suddenly what seemed to be something benign was anything but because WOOD got his touch in and it was in the net. Crawley - out of fuck all - were beating us.

So I expected us to bolt one on and this we did. We then reshaped to

----------------------------------Turner---------------------------------
Brayford---------Basham----------------McEveley---------Harris
-
Freeman-------------Doyle---------------Coutts------------Flynn
-
-----------------------Done----------Murphy------------------------------

And McEveley started to dribble the ball out of defence as Crawley once again backed off, or continued their niggly yellow card heavy play. Again we played well down the right but one two and then three ventures went unanswered. It was looking bleak, although we were dominating and looking far the better side. Then came a ball out from the back for Done to chase and latch onto which he did, being closed down by their defenders. Done did the right thing and really, they were a bit daft for tackling him but he went down for what was a nailed on penalty and indeed a red card for their Number 3. The ref was a bit forgiving and yellowed him even though Done was one on one. Great reffing. McNULTY, who'd been on for about ten minutes for Flynn took the kick and we were one each.

The last ten minutes we huffed and puffed and couldn't blow the house down. A few half chances went begging and that was that.

 

[pommpey]

Out of ten:

Turner: 6/10 - his kit was largely clean and he must have been freezing at times, but let us down with a misjudged free kick collect

Harris: 7.5/10 - grafted and worked well with Murphy in the first half and all match barely put a foot wrong

Kennedy: 7/10 - looked composed on the ball, but in fairness was only up against Izale McLeod

McEveley: 8.5/10 - okay. He wasn't up against Spurs today and there wasn't much of a challenge. But I felt he had a good game, brought the ball out of defence into the areas maybe Doyle and Basham should have been capitalising in and didn't really let McLeod near the ball. Maybe a bit at fault for their goal. Big lad like him should have been in the mix for that

Brayford: 8/10 - still a half-step in class above the rest of the team. His presence down the right flank either creating or running on was the difference for us today

Flynn: 6/10 - He tries, but he is so damned bloody lightweight. He had two shots at goal today and honest readers, they were powder-puff. Did combine well at times down the flank, however

Basham: 6.5/10 - He was so-so staring in midfield where he belongs and put in a decent aerial presence when he went into the back four but once or twice was out of position or placed a poor pass quickly mopped up or read.

Doyle: 7.5/10 - as with Doyle's usual output it is either inept and frustrating, or quietly effective without being spectacular. Today he, Basham/Freeman and Coutts harried the midfield but just didn't get forward on a gamble to make anything effective happen

Coutts: 6/10 - thought he had an average game and looked if anything, to be out of position and not sure of what Clough wanted from him in that role. He is the one more equipped from that central trio to push on and help Done dig something out but tended to drift along rather than connect and create

Murphy: 7/10 - they obviously knew where our main threat was going to come from and did their homework. Murphs is turning into a reyt handful out wide and Crawley did their best to shut him out although he did draw a yellow card for his marker in the first half which I hoped he would exploit later in the match

Done: 8/10 - he gets that for tirelessly running, checking, running, moving and then some more to give our midfield summat to aim at. This happened on 80 minutes and he drew the penalty. But the gap between him and the midfield is H U G E. I am not saying he needs to drop, but the midfield need to connect better to exploit his danger.

Subs:
Freeman: 7.5/10 - connected very well down the right with Flynn and Brayford and was part of a conduit I hoped we'd exploit to the max.

McNulty: 6/10 - took his pen well, but I didn't see much of him after that

Overall: On the basis of our huge possession advantage (62% according to the BBC Website) we should have shat them out into space. It was our propensity to either not want to play in their half when they retreated and pass the fucking ball about the back four or our inability to get connected with our prodigious striker and craft some openings that was the story of us dropping two points today. On the face of it we should have been four up halfway through the second half but were one down, thanks to what looked form where I was sitting as shit organisation in our defence (and goalkeeper) when a dead ball is whipped in. The fact that Crawley barely got into a position where I felt we were under any pressure and the fact that we did all the running and spadework and ended up with a draw says something about where we need to be looking.

Ref: Fussy and frankly blind at times. The penalty was a red card (we were in line with it and Done was winning the race) and his linos were inconsistent and waiting for the ref to give decisions before raising their flags

Crawley: A team in trouble. They looked disorganised, they were dirty and scrappy and look destined to drop down if they can't find some sort of system to play to. They will be happy with the draw today.

Our crowd: Sung most of the game in tribute to Shred (I even saw a RIP SHRED United top). I think I only heard the Crawley crowd once or twice above our lot.

Rest In Peace Shred. Up the Blades.

pommpey

 

[JohnDenver]

Cheers Pommps.

Just seen it on Sky, and the Done foul was surely outside the box, but a clear-as-day red card. What the ref gives with one hand....

As for the Crawley goal, the delivery was terrific, but the defence looked too deep. If they'd started with a higher line the goalie would have been able to claim it.

 

[pommpey]

and the Done foul was surely outside the box,

I see where you are coming from, but Done was accelerating slightly away from the defenders and the tackle started outside the box, contact was made and he went down level with the penalty spot.

He would have scored I think so the defender should have gone for it

pommpey