- Admin
- #1
I know most of you are going to answer with a simple "ROBSON OUT", but the board/chairman have made it clear that he's here for the season, so I'd rather concentrate on some alternatives.
Now, speaking of the last couple of games, yes they haven't been classics, but what is the main issue behind us failing to win either of them? Bad finishing.
The players who've been guilty of missing the easiest of these chances? James Beattie, Rob Hulse, Jon Stead, Chris Armstrong
Now, we all know that none of these players are normally particularly woeful at sticking away chances.
James Beattie is the leagues top scorer, has a history of lethal finishing and you wouldn't normally nominate anyone better to take a penalty than him. Yet he has one saved, when normally by the time the keeper has reacted (even if he goes the right way) its nestling in the back of the net. Was it a good save? a lucky break for the keeper? or a bad penalty?
Rob Hulse is usually calm, collected and a cracking finisher from inside the box. No matter how rusty he is, you'd expect him to fire the ball into the back of the net with a chance from 6 yards out.
Jon Stead is another player who is usually calm in such situations. Last season you can guarentee after beating a defender, going one on one with the keeper he'd have cooly curled the ball into the bottom corner. Instead he can't make his mind up whether to shoot or cross and ends up coming nowhere near scoring.
Chris Armstrong ended up missing 3/4 sitters against Blackpool. Whilst he isn't renowned for his goalscoring/finishing whenever he's been in the position before he's rarely let us down.
Common denominators in all these and from our performances?
No, not tactics. Not having 11 men back for corners... but a lack of composure, lack of self belief and a lack of concentration. Three things normally closely associated with low confidence/being scared to make mistakes. We know these players have been good enough in the past, even at a higher level. When normally completely able players miss the number of chances we have missed of late, its more than clear we have a confidence issue.
Now we could say that it is the management responsibility to sort this out, but what more can the management do on this side? The manager has publicly praised Beattie, Hulse, Stead and Armstrong. You could argue that he's shown faith in their abilities: paying so much for Beattie and him playing nearly every minute, praising Hulse and maintaining he has a big part to play at the lane whilst bringing him back quickly, kept Stead around the first team (albeit often on the bench) infront of £2million lads Billy Sharp & Luton Shelton at times.
They do badly need a couple of goals to boost them, but for that to happen they either need a stroke of luck or some sort of addressing of these issues. So how's that going to happen?
One tactic sure not to work is groaning/booing when they miss a chance and getting on their backs. A similar unhelpful tactic is for the fans to single out one of them as a favourite and only chant their name or boo when they are switched. What must the strikers on the pitch think when the fans are singing about Billy Sharp on the bench who is yet to score a goal/have a proper chance? It's hardly gonna boost their confidence that the fans have decided they aren't good enough and we should bring on Billy.
Whilst I always think strikers more than most players suffer when they are struggling for confidence, its blatently clear that the team as a whole are also suffering the same fate.
How can it possibly help in the slightest to boo the players/abuse the manager DURING the game? or boo them off the pitch at half time?
Many would say that paying customers have a right to voice their opinion on matters, but surely if you are there to support your team, doing what is most likely to help the Blades win is the best way to go about things?
You only boo the manager? how do you suppose the players differenciate who you are getting at? who are the people who's performances are getting Robson booed?
Yes its the managers ultimate responsibility to get results, yes paying customers have the right to air their views, yes the players get paid plenty of money to take the abuse.... But aren't we supposed to be supporters of the club? Fair enough that doesn't mean blindly praising and clapping away at any old dross served up... But in my eyes, as a supporter I'd like to think its about doing my utmost to help the team achieve their ultimate goal.
In the past, being a blade has been in a big way about being able to laugh at ourselves, have a good laugh no matter what sort of performance and more than all... to get behind the team... whether you like the manager, certain players, whatever... These days its more and more someone miscontrolls one ball on a crappy pitch and they are instantly berated, called every name under the sun and more often than not their family insulted.
I've heard a good few people pre-match saying they hope we get battered, with the excuse that it'll be better off in the long run because we'll shorten the managers reign.... Well i'm sorry, but personally, I can never ever say I hope we'll lose a game. In my opinion stating such a thing is putting your own dislike for one man at our club before your actual support of the team. Fair enough with a change of manager in the long run we could be better off, but why not hope (however futile) that this match could be the one we turn it around and WE batter the opposition?
Why can't we all be UNITED in getting behind the team and trying to lift the players? Yes we are all frustrated, we may not like or agree with certain people or systems, but whats up with trying to help and distract the players from the pressure they are under?
If the players can play without fear and/or feel like they have 20k+ blades behind them rather than waiting to jump on their backs, surely we'll see an vast improvement?
The manager, despite his failings, has identified the problems we are having.... he's pleaded for support as the players are low on confidence, he's attempting to address the midfield issues. Whether he's good enough to pull it off, whether he's the right man for the job is another matter... But surely the best way to do our part is to make any team playing the blades cope with a difficult atmosphere rather than playing into the opposition and opposition fans hands.
If you want the manager out, fair enough, but AFTER the match away from the players is the way to do it. Write to the club, complain in the carpark, do whatever, but don't make things harder for the team.
I'm not professing my opinions are right, nor am I attacking the people who participate in the practices I disagree with. I know i'm preaching to many that these points don't apply to on here, but its a good vent of my football related tension
Theres far more wrong than the atmosphere and the reaction of the fans, but its the only part we as fans can control.
Hopefully the new year will bring a new blades team.... not so much in terms of personell, but in the way in which we play and the results we gain. I think the manager has already made a positive signing in Gary Speed, bringing a leader on the pitch and a good addition to the coaching side of things. He's managed to curb the number of goals we were conceeding and although we still make stupid defensive errors, we generally aren't getting battered. I'm not convinced he's the right man to be our manager, but I certainly hope he works magic transfers wise and turns things around... because he certainly isn't going to leave this season.
None of that probably makes sense and i've probably not got my points across very well/missed loads, but you've got to have an illness and night nurse induced rant every now and again haven't you?
Now, speaking of the last couple of games, yes they haven't been classics, but what is the main issue behind us failing to win either of them? Bad finishing.
The players who've been guilty of missing the easiest of these chances? James Beattie, Rob Hulse, Jon Stead, Chris Armstrong
Now, we all know that none of these players are normally particularly woeful at sticking away chances.
James Beattie is the leagues top scorer, has a history of lethal finishing and you wouldn't normally nominate anyone better to take a penalty than him. Yet he has one saved, when normally by the time the keeper has reacted (even if he goes the right way) its nestling in the back of the net. Was it a good save? a lucky break for the keeper? or a bad penalty?
Rob Hulse is usually calm, collected and a cracking finisher from inside the box. No matter how rusty he is, you'd expect him to fire the ball into the back of the net with a chance from 6 yards out.
Jon Stead is another player who is usually calm in such situations. Last season you can guarentee after beating a defender, going one on one with the keeper he'd have cooly curled the ball into the bottom corner. Instead he can't make his mind up whether to shoot or cross and ends up coming nowhere near scoring.
Chris Armstrong ended up missing 3/4 sitters against Blackpool. Whilst he isn't renowned for his goalscoring/finishing whenever he's been in the position before he's rarely let us down.
Common denominators in all these and from our performances?
No, not tactics. Not having 11 men back for corners... but a lack of composure, lack of self belief and a lack of concentration. Three things normally closely associated with low confidence/being scared to make mistakes. We know these players have been good enough in the past, even at a higher level. When normally completely able players miss the number of chances we have missed of late, its more than clear we have a confidence issue.
Now we could say that it is the management responsibility to sort this out, but what more can the management do on this side? The manager has publicly praised Beattie, Hulse, Stead and Armstrong. You could argue that he's shown faith in their abilities: paying so much for Beattie and him playing nearly every minute, praising Hulse and maintaining he has a big part to play at the lane whilst bringing him back quickly, kept Stead around the first team (albeit often on the bench) infront of £2million lads Billy Sharp & Luton Shelton at times.
They do badly need a couple of goals to boost them, but for that to happen they either need a stroke of luck or some sort of addressing of these issues. So how's that going to happen?
One tactic sure not to work is groaning/booing when they miss a chance and getting on their backs. A similar unhelpful tactic is for the fans to single out one of them as a favourite and only chant their name or boo when they are switched. What must the strikers on the pitch think when the fans are singing about Billy Sharp on the bench who is yet to score a goal/have a proper chance? It's hardly gonna boost their confidence that the fans have decided they aren't good enough and we should bring on Billy.
Whilst I always think strikers more than most players suffer when they are struggling for confidence, its blatently clear that the team as a whole are also suffering the same fate.
How can it possibly help in the slightest to boo the players/abuse the manager DURING the game? or boo them off the pitch at half time?
Many would say that paying customers have a right to voice their opinion on matters, but surely if you are there to support your team, doing what is most likely to help the Blades win is the best way to go about things?
You only boo the manager? how do you suppose the players differenciate who you are getting at? who are the people who's performances are getting Robson booed?
Yes its the managers ultimate responsibility to get results, yes paying customers have the right to air their views, yes the players get paid plenty of money to take the abuse.... But aren't we supposed to be supporters of the club? Fair enough that doesn't mean blindly praising and clapping away at any old dross served up... But in my eyes, as a supporter I'd like to think its about doing my utmost to help the team achieve their ultimate goal.
In the past, being a blade has been in a big way about being able to laugh at ourselves, have a good laugh no matter what sort of performance and more than all... to get behind the team... whether you like the manager, certain players, whatever... These days its more and more someone miscontrolls one ball on a crappy pitch and they are instantly berated, called every name under the sun and more often than not their family insulted.
I've heard a good few people pre-match saying they hope we get battered, with the excuse that it'll be better off in the long run because we'll shorten the managers reign.... Well i'm sorry, but personally, I can never ever say I hope we'll lose a game. In my opinion stating such a thing is putting your own dislike for one man at our club before your actual support of the team. Fair enough with a change of manager in the long run we could be better off, but why not hope (however futile) that this match could be the one we turn it around and WE batter the opposition?
Why can't we all be UNITED in getting behind the team and trying to lift the players? Yes we are all frustrated, we may not like or agree with certain people or systems, but whats up with trying to help and distract the players from the pressure they are under?
If the players can play without fear and/or feel like they have 20k+ blades behind them rather than waiting to jump on their backs, surely we'll see an vast improvement?
The manager, despite his failings, has identified the problems we are having.... he's pleaded for support as the players are low on confidence, he's attempting to address the midfield issues. Whether he's good enough to pull it off, whether he's the right man for the job is another matter... But surely the best way to do our part is to make any team playing the blades cope with a difficult atmosphere rather than playing into the opposition and opposition fans hands.
If you want the manager out, fair enough, but AFTER the match away from the players is the way to do it. Write to the club, complain in the carpark, do whatever, but don't make things harder for the team.
I'm not professing my opinions are right, nor am I attacking the people who participate in the practices I disagree with. I know i'm preaching to many that these points don't apply to on here, but its a good vent of my football related tension
Theres far more wrong than the atmosphere and the reaction of the fans, but its the only part we as fans can control.
Hopefully the new year will bring a new blades team.... not so much in terms of personell, but in the way in which we play and the results we gain. I think the manager has already made a positive signing in Gary Speed, bringing a leader on the pitch and a good addition to the coaching side of things. He's managed to curb the number of goals we were conceeding and although we still make stupid defensive errors, we generally aren't getting battered. I'm not convinced he's the right man to be our manager, but I certainly hope he works magic transfers wise and turns things around... because he certainly isn't going to leave this season.
None of that probably makes sense and i've probably not got my points across very well/missed loads, but you've got to have an illness and night nurse induced rant every now and again haven't you?
