Too small, too slow and too weak.

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Bergen Blade said:
We played ten games without Norwood starting last sesason and won all of them.

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Wow. That's really quite startling.

Hopefully Davies could be a better partner for Souza then? I know he made a bad error yesterday but I thought there were some encouraging signs.
 

INTERUNITED said:
Today had the look of a Nigel Clough side, we have signed a load of small, slow and weak players. My biggest worry after that game is that other sides will look at us and think if we get stuck in they will capitulate. No one should be coming to Bramall Lane and out fighting us and taking the piss, but that's exactly what happened today. I'm more worried about the lack of fight than I am about the result. It's going to be a long season.
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I'll expand on that it's going to be a long and painfull season!!
 
Wards said:
Wow. That's really quite startling.

Hopefully Davies could be a better partner for Souza then? I know he made a bad error yesterday but I thought there were some encouraging signs.
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Yes, for me it's the only logical option to try at the moment. Norwood's days at this level should be pretty much over, while Tom Davies has more crucial Premier League experience.
 
IdLiketoRogerMoore said:
Great point. Today looked like, without McBurnie to pump it up to (or Ndiaye to try to feed it to), we had no pattern to our play. That's on the coaching staff as it looked like we had no Plan at all as to how to score or even create chances...
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It’s concerning that Hecky talks a lot about the new players learning how to play in our setup but I can’t see a discernible way in which we play.

I watched the first half of Bournemouth yesterday and they were very effective against Brighton’s style, ultimately is was for nothing after Mitoma was brought on but even when we’re trying to play a low block we just turn the ball over as soon as we get it back.
 
UTB said:
We’ve no physicality, it’s shown in every game men against boys.
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But every time you here pundits and commentators about Sheffield United, it's the same old cliches.

Apparently we are a big strong powerful and you always know we'll outwork the opposition and will be tough.
The pundits normally make a reference to Sheffield steel and how we're an industrial, tough, hardworking side.
 
derekacorah said:
It’s concerning that Hecky talks a lot about the new players learning how to play in our setup but I can’t see a discernible way in which we play.

I watched the first half of Bournemouth yesterday and they were very effective against Brighton’s style, ultimately is was for nothing after Mitoma was brought on but even when we’re trying to play a low block we just turn the ball over as soon as we get it back.
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Exactly. This is ultimately similar to what undid Wilder (along with numerous other things). Once JOC was out and other teams knew how to stop the over overlapping CBs creating overloads in the channels, we didn't have any other way to play.

Next match - How are we going to score? What are we trying to do? People blame Norwood but i'm not sure the poor guy knows what he's supposed to do with it when he gets the ball...

That worries me...
 
derekacorah said:
It’s concerning that Hecky talks a lot about the new players learning how to play in our setup but I can’t see a discernible way in which we play.
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That's always been my concern, I've never seen a way we're playing. Last season the general tactics were.

1: Give the ball to Norwood, he'll drop into deeper midfield and keep trying the long pass.
1 in 5 it's a good ball, might even create an opportunity, 4 in 5 it's a poor ball needlessly giving up possession.

2: Give N'Diaye a free role and hope he comes up with some magic, which often he did.

3: When going in front, be extra cautious and pull numbers back into defence, parking the bus.
Which to be fair, we were really good at. However the lack of composure on the ball and basic pass to feet ability was really poor last season and this season.

My concern in the Premier League is that possession is much more important.
So the Norwood long ball tactic won't work and instantly puts us back under pressure.
To take pressure off the defence we need to be able to have some spells of possession.

The park the bus tactic is now more difficult because matches have roughly 8 minutes injury time
So squad depth become massively important, we can't being on fresh defenders, where as the opposition can bring on fresh attacking players.
Also the "park the bus" tactic will always be more tricky when playing better quality opposition, you've inviting pressure and asking for trouble.
 
Sheffsteel said:
That's always been my concern, I've never seen a way we're playing. Last season the general tactics were.

1: Give the ball to Norwood, he'll drop into deeper midfield and keep trying the long pass.
1 in 5 it's a good ball, might even create an opportunity, 4 in 5 it's a poor ball needlessly giving up possession.

2: Give N'Diaye a free role and hope he comes up with some magic, which often he did.

3: When going in front, be extra cautious and pull numbers back into defence, parking the bus.
Which to be fair, we were really good at. However the lack of composure on the ball and basic pass to feet ability was really poor last season and this season.

My concern in the Premier League is that possession is much more important.
So the Norwood long ball tactic won't work and instantly puts us back under pressure.
To take pressure off the defence we need to be able to have some spells of possession.

The park the bus tactic is now more difficult because matches have roughly 8 minutes injury time
So squad depth become massively important, we can't being on fresh defenders, where as the opposition can bring on fresh attacking players.
Also the "park the bus" tactic will always be more tricky when playing better quality opposition, you've inviting pressure and asking for trouble.
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Unfortunately Norwood’s style of play is so woefully out of date, players like him aren’t afforded the time and space to play their rangey passing game in the Prem…The quarterback style is dead.
 
Bergen Blade said:
We played ten games without Norwood starting last sesason and won all of them.

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Case closed.

Of course its taken is forever to see what Brighton and Fulham saw 6/7 years ago that he's just not at the level required to play Premier League football. The definition of too small, too slow and too weak.
 
jt64 said:
Of course we will look small if the game plan is "scouting has indicated the Newcastle back line is on average 6'3", we should (checks notes) hoof it to the sub 6 foot Archer and McAtee"
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Don’t forget Toure
 
INTERUNITED said:
Today had the look of a Nigel Clough side, we have signed a load of small, slow and weak players. My biggest worry after that game is that other sides will look at us and think if we get stuck in they will capitulate. No one should be coming to Bramall Lane and out fighting us and taking the piss, but that's exactly what happened today. I'm more worried about the lack of fight than I am about the result. It's going to be a long season.
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Not sure about too weak, I just think you can't touch any of the 'bigger' teams in this league or they roll around like they've been shot but if they give it back the ref just waves play on.

What I do find unbelievable is the amount of players who don't look fit at all, which for professionals is totally unacceptable. Slimane and Davies looked like they would be coughing up cobwebs in a work 5 a side team
 
I thought we looked the better team until that 1 st fortunate bounce in bounds then Norwood lost Longstaff who glided by him giving him the simple tap in.It just went downhill from there.I have seen Hecky so animated usually stands with his arms folded .Changing the systems did nothing a disgrace of a game.
 
Wards said:
I do tend to agree re: Norwood and Souza. Furthermore it's becoming apparent that anyone we pick is finding it tough to play alongside Norwood. Berge struggled, Doyle struggled, Souza struggled. We looked x10 better when we paired Doyle and Berge together last year.

I think ON's lack of mobility is really being shown up.
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ON must surely be finished at PL level - goodness me , two previous clubs dropped him like a hot coal the minute they got up to the PL
 

Sheffsteel said:
But every time you here pundits and commentators about Sheffield United, it's the same old cliches.

Apparently we are a big strong powerful and you always know we'll outwork the opposition and will be tough.
The pundits normally make a reference to Sheffield steel and how we're an industrial, tough, hardworking side.
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Just shows what an uneducated, lazy set of arse lickers they are .

But then again , so are their paymasters
 
Bergen Blade said:
We played ten games without Norwood starting last sesason and won all of them.

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Norwood, Fleck, Basham, Stevens and Sharp should've been replaced last season. Instead we stuck with them and haven't progressed when it comes to building a new team. Sharp and Stevens have gone but keeping Basham and Fleck was baffling, no offence to Bash as he's one of my favourite ever Blades.

Last time when we got promoted we had Baldock, Egan, Norwood, Basham and McBurnie in the team. Four seasons later we've still got them and only Baldock has arguably improved. The rest have all stayed the same or gotten worse. McBurnie has arguably improved but that was in the Championship. Despite the improvement he didn't even finish as one of the top ten highest scorers in the division, and now we're relying on Mr "7 games in 2 seasons of Premier League football" to lead the line and score. Squad management and recruitment since we were relegated last time has been a joke overall. We've moved backwards not forwards.
 
Tony_Kaufman said:
Norwood, Fleck, Basham, Stevens and Sharp should've been replaced last season. Instead we stuck with them and haven't progressed when it comes to building a new team. Sharp and Stevens have gone but keeping Basham and Fleck was baffling, no offence to Bash as he's one of my favourite ever Blades.

Last time when we got promoted we had Baldock, Egan, Norwood, Basham and McBurnie in the team. Four seasons later we've still got them and only Baldock has arguably improved. The rest have all stayed the same or gotten worse. McBurnie has arguably improved but that was in the Championship. Despite the improvement he didn't even finish as one of the top ten highest scorers in the division, and now we're relying on Mr "7 games in 2 seasons of Premier League football" to lead the line and score. Squad management and recruitment since we were relegated last time has been a joke overall. We've moved backwards not forwards.
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You could make a case that recruitment since the Ipswich game where we were promoted the first has been a joke. And not a particularly funny joke either.

Teams live and die by their recruitment, and ours has been awful. To start this campaign with a very similar defence and midfield to the one we had last time was truly eye-opening. Should the likes of Luke Freeman, Calum Robinson, Rhian Brewster, Lys Mouset be the core of the squad???

This has been a problem many a year in the making!
 
For me the writing was on the wall v Stuggart. Seeing how much quicker physically and in thought they were on and off the ball was frightening. They are a top german side who at times walked through us, similar to Newcastle. I fear we ll see a few more drubbings along the way. It has to be expected based on the squad we have unfortunately
 
I started writing this as a response in another thread, and then my laptop started playing up, so if you see this type of answer from me, elsewhere, and it stops abruptly, you will know why.

Some years ago, during the Warnock era, we played a Tony Pulis Stoke team, at home, and when we lined up at the start of the match, it looked like men against boys.

Now I know Pulis took it to extremes, and wouldn't usually buy any player under 6 feet tall, but he had a point. We should have been looking for players in the Ivan Toney mould, athletic six footers with a bit of meat on them.

As has been said already, Wes hoofing the ball up to McAtee, Archer and Traore, was just inviting the ball straight back at us. The only small player we have had in recent years, who could consistently out-jump defenders (and score) was Billy Sharp. The three lads named above had no chance yesterday.

McAtee at least was trying to move the ball out of midfield and into the final third. Traore seems a nice lad and has a bit of pace, but that's about it. He looks League One level, and I hope he proves me wrong on that. Archer needs to learn (quickly) that you can't jog around at the top of the pitch when teams are quickly countering, you have to track back and help.

I think Souza will be fine, but he needs good players around him. Slimane may be similar.

The defenders (apart from Robbo, who at least gives his all) are a worry, no doubt about it.

Brian Clough said, in his autobiography, (a great read), that the most important thing is a solid wall of defenders, because if you have great defence, the worst that can happen is a 0-0 draw.

A long way to go in the season, and we have to keep laser focussed on that fourth-from-bottom spot.
 
I miss the days of Wilders first years and having short, medium and long term recruitment strategy. It made so much sense but for whatever reason (probably money) since we got into the Prem last time round we’ve completely moved away from that and are struggling to keep a consistent squad together and not tying the good players down on contracts. Scary how bad the next few years could be… really not looking forward to it.
 
One of them players I was surprised we paid that much for and even more surprised we got it back (and more). Claude Davis springs to mind. Does anyone think he looked any better than Henderson?
 
Sheffsteel said:
But every time you here pundits and commentators about Sheffield United, it's the same old cliches.

Apparently we are a big strong powerful and you always know we'll outwork the opposition and will be tough.
The pundits normally make a reference to Sheffield steel and how we're an industrial, tough, hardworking side.
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I’d love us to live up to the “same old cliches.” We are sadly lacking big, strong powerful players, if we had them we’d be halfway up the league.
 
CarlMcBlade said:
I’d love us to live up to the “same old cliches.” We are sadly lacking big, strong powerful players, if we had them we’d be halfway up the league.
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…only if they were good footballers. Physicality only goes so far, there has to be talent to go with it at this level.
 
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