Do other teams tend to under-perform against us?

[Bayingblade]

Ok Bayingblade. Wolves are at home to the Mancs tonight. Not a factor, the away side? When it comes round to us?

Just carry on as though it's only us that matters. Don't even think about tactics, individuals, responding to the occasion?

Act and watch as though it's Scunthorpe? You are having a laugh.

Of course Chris Wilder will think about tactics etc, but I’ll be going to watch and support United and not jizzing over Lingard or Martial or whoever, unlike you!

And I’ll hope Harry Maguire has a fucking ‘mare!

 

[stringjunior]

I'm not seeing the reductio in your OP.

Anyway, often fans are just wrong. Often they're making excuses to protect their ego. Oh, Palace weren't really outplayed by Sheffield United, they just had a bad day. Oh, Fleetwood weren't significantly worse than United, they just lack a bit of consistency or that one star player who made the difference that day, we'd have hammered them if we had a player like Sharp.

And since sometimes those kinds of excuses are actually true (see our loss to Villa from the late Snodgrass stunner) it's easy to fall back on them rather than think any deeper. It's like the Leeds away game. Their fans were ranting about how much more of the ball they had, how they had all the chances, but when you looked at the stats you saw they had 0 shots on target, meanwhile we had one that Basham should've scored, one that Basham did score, and one that forced a red card for the keeper. We thoroughly deserved it.

We are where we are because we've consistently bested our opposition over three seasons. Teams often appear to have an "off-day" because we control games so well. Yesterday we doubled up on Zaha and frustrated him to the point he was throwing a tantrum in the first half. They couldn't handle us when we pressed high. They couldn't find a single threatening pass when we sat back. The Palace fans can come up with whatever excuses they want, and they can laugh at me for saying this about a 1-0 scoreline, but yesterday was a very comfortable victory.

Double like

 

[wizadry]

Wilder and Knill will get out thought at times this season but as it stands they’ve out thought both Howe and Hodgson, that’s why both Bournemouth and Palace didn’t play to their potential, our management and players didn’t allow them too. It’s that simple.

 

[BanbridgeBlade]

It's what fans say.

We lost 3-0 at Boro. Nobody on here gave them any credit.

I was going to post exactly the same thing.

A lot of fans have blinkers when it comes to the opposition & when their team loses it’s what they did wrong rather than what the other team did right

 

[blade67]

Wilder and Knill outsmarted both Bournemouth and Palace tactically.

Bournemouth have loads of pacey front players. They counter very well. In terms of creativity, against a team that defends in numbers, they are average.

We kept a solid shape and prevented them from countering.

Palace are well organised and good at defending deep. They have a couple of players that are likely to create chances on the break, even if their line up and mentality is defensive. Hence a good away record and poor home record.

We let them have the majoritiy of possession, again kept a solid shape and were all over their individual flair players. This reduced them to the mediocre team they are in most home games.

It could have been different. If a s24su vote had decided our team selection I think we could have played right into the hands of both Bournemouth and Palace.

Wilder and Knill so far - 9,5/10 for me.

As ever, well thought out comments.

I don't always agree with your posts and thinking but you always make a good case for your views.

You must find this a frustrating place at times

 

[Willglynning]

Crystal Palace did play poorly- of course their fans are going to highlight their own team’s performance, that’s the team that they watch every week.

 

[Charlieblade]

I think it is just that teams and opposition fans totally underestimate us.We just let them continue to do so,play the way we know the Blades can,and results will speak for themselves.

This^ Note the choice of words The team (the players) and the fans have usually vastly underestimated the Blades. That includes, in our case, the management team, our players, and our fans. Individually and collectively forming a unique alliance that does not care for, or allow big individual egos.
Add what seems to me, a newfound flexibility and tactical nous from Wilder, and watch the club march on crushing all before them.

Our fans have also underestimated Wilder so far this season and we are delighted with the results. I would not be in the least surprised to see him pick an attacking line up and tactical approach to our first away game against a top six side.

Plenty on here underestimated Lundstram before the Palace game, me included.

 

[lakedistblade]

" Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard"
Great quote for Palace to chew over and in our case we have got talent and hard work which is the route to consistent success.

We have beaten two teams whos heads didn't start and couldn't get into the right place. Prem league has way too much hype and distortion of basic values for success ( team work, hard work organisation as well as quality) by too many players being paid a fortune and thinking they have made it. Really hope that Wilder will keep his own and teams heads right because we are starting, deservedly, to get a lot of positive attention.

 

[Woodwardfan]

I was going to post exactly the same thing.

A lot of fans have blinkers when it comes to the opposition & when their team loses it’s what they did wrong rather than what the other team did right

And that's fine but they don't wear those blinkers like a badge and have a pop at fellow fans who might wish to discuss other things.

 

[blade too long]

Teams are under estimating our quality

its become instantly clear we have much more quality than teams were prepared to give credit for

its not that they arent performing but they are under the misapprehension we are a kick and rush team of triers
They come unprepared for our quality passing ability, our solid defensive set up , our closing unsettles teams and our tackling is first class
They dont expect the ball skills we possess and the way we attack them
in other words lackadaisical preperation by them has fallen short due to arrogantly looking down on us