Ridiculous dropped points

[PokerBlade]

Any single instance can be considered luck. The accumulation of those instances is not luck. That's why the house pays out so much on its roulette wheel and ends the week having fleeced the punters.

You can point to individual games and say that we were a bit unlucky to lose/draw that one.

When you get a pattern of a number of games (that is, the course of a whole season) where we've not got the result then it's not longer luck. We just haven't been quite good enough to reach the play-offs.

Compare it to last season. You could point out a few games where we should've been better (the bizarre losses to Walsall stand out in my head) but overall we were so much better than the competition that all those instances of "luck" averaged out to storming the division.

This season, all the bits of luck average out to a top half side but not quite a play-off side. We can put it down to a number of things like poor luck with injury (Ched never making an impact, Coutts being out, Brooks' illness) but the reality is you have to have a squad good enough to get by. We didn't.

I'm immensely proud and pleased with how we've approached this season from the manager down to the players, and we've far surpassed what I thought we'd achieve. While it's a little frustrating to have the season fizzle out like this, I'm over the moon after watching us under-perform since the relegation season that now we're back to being a proper Championship club.

 

[N20 Blade]

What I find most worrying is (a) the volume of late goals (say after 80 mins) we have conceded and (b) conversely just how few if any we have scored. In previous promotion seasons these were a regular and exciting occurrence. Think back to Bassett and warnock promotions. Perhaps this implies a genuine trend and an underlying fitness, concentration, etc. issue? Over the course of a season it’s not normally as skewed as it has been this for us. Why?

 

[coolhandluke]

Any single instance can be considered luck. The accumulation of those instances is not luck. That's why the house pays out so much on its roulette wheel and ends the week having fleeced the punters.

You can point to individual games and say that we were a bit unlucky to lose/draw that one.

When you get a pattern of a number of games (that is, the course of a whole season) where we've not got the result then it's not longer luck. We just haven't been quite good enough to reach the play-offs.

Compare it to last season. You could point out a few games where we should've been better (the bizarre losses to Walsall stand out in my head) but overall we were so much better than the competition that all those instances of "luck" averaged out to storming the division.

This season, all the bits of luck average out to a top half side but not quite a play-off side. We can put it down to a number of things like poor luck with injury (Ched never making an impact, Coutts being out, Brooks' illness) but the reality is you have to have a squad good enough to get by. We didn't.

I'm immensely proud and pleased with how we've approached this season from the manager down to the players, and we've far surpassed what I thought we'd achieve. While it's a little frustrating to have the season fizzle out like this, I'm over the moon after watching us under-perform since the relegation season that now we're back to being a proper Championship club.

Very neatly sums up our season that Poker .

And as for the ... " we've missed a once in a decade chance of promotion to the PL " ..... no, we haven't . Firstly we simply aren't good enough for all of the reasons above . And secondly, the money very simply wasn't there in the JTW for the 2 quality players we are short of .

Personally speaking I like the way we've gone about our business . We've consolidated and strengthened in depth . This summer is the right time to splash the cash . Whether or not we do however is a totally different discussion .

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

The point I think Ricky is trying to make, there have been so many near misses and so many times when we didn't get what we deserved from a match. Regardless of whether other team's fans can say the same.

Would I change how we play? Not at all. Bloody hell, we have to be the most exciting side to watch in the whole division, on our day. How proud should we be of that? We play some bloody lovely stuff, even yesterday - we battered them at times. The table has them down as above us currently, but barring probably Wolves, I'd back us to give any one a game on our day. And even then, we've beat the Champions elect.

UTB.

 

[super_pig]

While we would have generally been okay with this position preseason, the huge disappointment is down to the fact that we can all - well nearly all - see that the failures are pretty much clear to see and haven't been rectified. Yes more money would have helped but our inability to finish games off has cost us. It's not as if we have to look at umpteen games thinking of additional points to get us in the play off places. Just two or three does it.

game management.. all these players are new to this league.. this is where our inexperience cost us. in L1 you just go up the other end and score again

 

[bornablade]

I wonder if the problem is more psychological.

The players (and management staff come to that) don't have a 100% belief in themselves and their own abilities.

Top teams are sometimes measured by winning when they don't play well. Mental strength to grind out a result.
We seem to have had too many occassions of losing when we do play well.

No matter which players we recruit during the summer it would be difficult for them to be successful if they are coming into a 'lack of belief' culture.

That's a macro view. On a micro level - the players (and the fans) were affected mentally by Paul Coutts injury during that second half at Burton. ( it could be compared to the players at MK Dons the day after Ched was imprisoned).

If we had been playing a better team than Burton that night then we could have gone on to lose that one.

 

[Davalon]

But doesn't this all point to probably a more successful season next year? Having Coutts back with probably a new striker or two with Clarke coming off the bench. The present players (those that will remain at the club) with now have had valuable experience playing in the Championship and will have gained so much more confidence knowing they can beat most teams they face. Our management team would have also learnt a great deal and will have also realised the very few mistakes they have made. I for one am very confident that next year will see us have greater success and I can't wait for it to come. I would not have said that after the Adkins era.
The success we have had this season has given me my old mojo back in terms of looking forward to each game we approach. I just wish my dad, a lifelong blade, was still around to share it with me.

You'd hope so wouldn't you.

Can't help but be concerned by the boardroom situation though and worry we'll not make the most of the summer.

 

[Guesty]

Forest away was a gut punch after the Wednesday and Wolves games. 1-0 and absolutely cruising until they scored from a terrible corner, courtesy of Fleck dicking about in his own box. The players couldn't shake themselves out of complacent mode and we somehow lost.

 

[tomtheblade]

I think it's absolutely true that there are plenty of games we should've won this season, based on chances created and general play.

What you can't do is turn around and say we should be higher in the table because we should have won those games. The very reason we deserve to be where we are is because we didn't.

What I actually don't understand is the other negativity surrounding the broader context to this.
To my eyes anyway, Wilder has shown, for us and for other clubs he's managed, that he rises to the occasion and can overcome challenges and problem-solve. After having the opportunity to absorb the Championship and what it has to offer in his first season in it, I'm confident he will continue to move us forward, and if we end up finishing just outside the play offs, as seems likely, then this actually bodes well for the future.
A key word that he uses, and is used in reference to him, is relentless. With this kind of attitude and approach I think we have more reasons to be positive than negative.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Blades 1-2 Bristol City - Dominated and should've been at least 2-0 up at half time. Sucker punched, 1-0 down at half time. Fleck gets sent off, Wilder still goes for the win, we concede a last minute winner - resulting from a fluked cross. And against a play off rival.

Blades 0-1 Villa - We were the better team and if anyone deserved to win it was us. But their keeper makes a number of good saves, and in the last minute Stevens decides to show the best left foot in the Championship inside from the right to shoot.

Ipswich 0-0 Blades - Controlled the game from start to finish against very poor opponents with nothing to play for and didn't even manage to get a goal. Lundstram deciding not to score sticks in the mind.

Brentford 1-1 Blades - Very good away performance unrewarded thanks to numerous missed chances and Brentford scoring a scruffy goal after having nothing all game. 3 points thrown away, again against play off rivals.

Blades 1-1 Cardiff - Best home performance for a long time. Dominated against a top team and there should have only been one winner but instead we concede another very avoidable late goal at the Bramall Lane end.

Blades 1-1 Millwall - Crucial game against direct competition for 6th place. They're happy with a draw, and we're the better team. We finally grind them down only to surpass ourselves and throw it away immediately, straight from kick off.


At least another 10 points for us there including crucial ones gained over play off rivals.

And I know there are more. We genuinely should've been comfortably within the top 6. It's not like we've even got more than we deserved in any more than 1 or 2 games.

But that is football. If we were a better team we’d have put all these games to bed......But we didn’t.

 

[Tray]

We have dropped points though lack of concentration mainly. Sometimes its because the opposition has better players that have more experience at this level.

Assuming we don't go up this season, I personally can't wait for next season. We're back in the Championship, the boardroom crap will blow over, and we can build on the group of very good players we have. Coutts will be back, our younger players will hopefully keep improving (Brooks, Evans, Lunny, etc) and with a few signings we'll be in for another exciting season.

 

[Darthblade]

On a positive note ........ I don't believe that I've heard one single reference to fu**ing geese from Tufty ALL season ......

UTB & FTP

 

[grafikhaus]

What I find most worrying is (a) the volume of late goals (say after 80 mins) we have conceded and (b) conversely just how few if any we have scored. In previous promotion seasons these were a regular and exciting occurrence. Think back to Bassett and warnock promotions. Perhaps this implies a genuine trend and an underlying fitness, concentration, etc. issue? Over the course of a season it’s not normally as skewed as it has been this for us. Why?

We've not scored a goal in first-half ET yet.



Alternatively, games we've been in front:

P: 26 W: 18 D: 4 L: 4

or games we've scored early (first 15 minutes)

P: 11 W: 8 D: 1 L: 2