And herein, ladies and gentlemen, lies the problem

[GreasyChipBeattie]

'The second goal killed us'

Brighton went 2 goals behind just before half time too.
Did they feel sorry for themselves and get ready with their excuses?
Nope. They came out battling and got a point against a team every bit as good as Crystal Palace.

CW has always said the first goal is crucial.
Important yes, but crucial? Only if you buy into the fact that there's no way back. Grow some nuts Blades and get out there and fight for the cause.
'But our confidence is low' THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Get into the f******s, chase them down, try something different, instead of the same old negative, safe, boring, predictable crap that you're trying to pass off as 'we gave it a right go'. No, you didn't. You let the manager down, you let the fans down and you let yourselves down.
There's only 2 options open to you, either get your head right and give it your all, your proper all, or tell CW you're not up for it and ask to be left out.
I can respect that more than the half-hearted, 'safe' football that is failing miserably and calling it 'giving it our best' Your best is far better than what you're giving us and the manager right now!

Rant over.... for now.

 

[S40BLADE]

Cowardly from some of our lads.

 

[essexblade73]

They went out for the 2nd half looking like they were protecting a 2-0 lead not a deficit.

 

[Tynemouth Blade]

'The second goal killed us'

Brighton went 2 goals behind just before half time too.
Did they feel sorry for themselves and get ready with their excuses?
Nope. They came out battling and got a point against a team every bit as good as Crystal Palace.

CW has always said the first goal is crucial.
Important yes, but crucial? Only if you buy into the fact that there's no way back. Grow some nuts Blades and get out there and fight for the cause.
'But our confidence is low' THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Get into the f******s, chase them down, try something different, instead of the same old negative, safe, boring, predictable crap that you're trying to pass off as 'we gave it a right go'. No, you didn't. You let the manager down, you let the fans down and you let yourselves down.
There's only 2 options open to you, either get your head right and give it your all, your proper all, or tell CW you're not up for it and ask to be left out.
I can respect that more than the half-hearted, 'safe' football that is failing miserably and calling it 'giving it our best' Your best is far better than what you're giving us and the manager right now!

Rant over.... for now.

Remember what I said to you after the game?

The most frustrating thing about this current team is, apart from the inability to pass to one of your team mates or sustain an attack without passing it all the way back to Ramsdale or the lack of shots or our inability to defend, it's the complete lack of fight that we've been accustomed to over the years!

 

[Large Mendonca]

They went out 2nd half to pick up the dummies they spat out at the end of the first. We have the collective bollocks of a eunuch convention. What happened to "leaving all out on the pitch" ??

We've fucking lost the plot, from top to bottom.

 

[bypassblade]

The sad thing is heads drop as soon as we concede, and we show no effort or passion to get back into it, as for the Eze goal every cunt stood back and let him waltz through. It's obvious CW is going nowhere but a a few of the players must be now thinking hey up, come in number so & so.

 

[Houston_Blade]

I honestly believe that we are setting up to lose by the lowest possible number of goals in each game rather than making any effort to win. Best case is 1-0 each game and the players seem happy with that.

 

[FlamingLip]

Norwood comes across as deflated, wet and perplexed as Wilder. No surprises.

The club is Leaderless.

 

[bypassblade]

I honestly believe that we are setting up to lose by the lowest possible number of goals in each game rather than making any effort to win. Best case is 1-0 each game and the players seem happy with that.

Yes Derek I agree, but it makes you ask just what has gone wrong?

 

[Badger Blade]

Norwood was the first one to be left for dead by Eze and as for the rest of them, if they backpedalled any faster, they'd be out the ground and half way into Croydon town centre.
"We had possession and played quite well". Relative to what, simply the fact that the bigger boys let us kick the ball around for at bit til they took it off us and started taking the piss out of us again?

 

[GreasyChipBeattie]

Yes Derek I agree, but it makes you ask just what has gone wrong?

What's wrong bypass, is that the players have bought into their own negativity. They need to come out fighting.
Imagine having some of Bassett's crew in there at the moment?
We'd be playing the second half with 7 men, with the rest of them laid out on the changing room floor!

 

[bypassblade]

What's wrong bypass, is that the players have bought into their own negativity. They need to come out fighting.
Imagine having some of Bassett's crew in there at the moment?
We'd be playing the second half with 7 men, with the rest of them laid out on the changing room floor!

GCB I can honestly say after 57 years following/watching them I just cannot get my head round this season one little bit. As you say sucked down by negativity before we've kicked off, yes Bassett's boys would not have stood for it.

 

[Houston_Blade]

Yes Derek I agree, but it makes you ask just what has gone wrong?

Where do you start?!

 

[bypassblade]

Where do you start?!

I know mate there is no heart, fight or anything just a resignation we've lost; that is not the qualities I associate with Blades.

 

[Badger Blade]

It's not a man's game anymore, there aren't many big characters about who are going to give it what for when we're losing, they're all pampered little boys who will just meekly sit and accept result after result. I suppose that's where people turn to the old school Allardyce/Pulis/Warnock up and at em type managers who take the complication out of the game when times are hard, whereas we play a complicated system that if it doesn't work, we're screwed because the whole squad is wired that way.

I grew up watching people like Alan Shearer, Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, back end of Vinnie Jones' career, Steven Gerrard. The sorts of players that if you're on the pitch with them would run through brick walls for the team and you dare not let them down. We don't seem to have anyone like that, it's the sort of character that seems to have disappeared out of the game generally with the watered down nature of things.

I bet Roy Keane would sooner die than be on Twitter "we go again boys", posting his latest Fortnite score or a picture of his Christmas tree.

 

[Toronto Blade fan]

Our recruitment has brought in laziness. Seems like the majority of the signings have poor attitude to training both in cardio and strength.
Did our training change? I remember players saying that Wilder would make them work like crazy. Watching some of the promotional videos of them training says the complete opposite.

 

[FMBlade1]

I honestly believe that we are setting up to lose by the lowest possible number of goals in each game rather than making any effort to win. Best case is 1-0 each game and the players seem happy with that.

1-0 loss is an ideal result.

Everyone in the club can say that we were unlucky, narrow loss, not too far away, keep the faith etc.

 

[blades14]

I genuinely believe Norwood no idea of the role of DCM-positioning wise, situational wise and physical wise. All he knows is how to pass a ball across the pitch. He frustrates me so much when he plays

 

[yorkshirecoast]

Putting aside Wilder’s mistakes this season, I’ve also been shocked at the lack of effort and fight shown by many of our players. The way they stroll around whilst facing yet another defeat is disgraceful. Our team was famous for it’s passion. Not anymore.

 

[Crafty Blade]

Id rather us do what Wilder seems to think we cant do, and that is at least try to go toe to toe with the big boys, you know, like Palace, rather than surrender each week like we are doing.

The system needs to change (if it is not the problem in itself it is facilitating a problem if we do not have the personnel to make 3-5-2 work) to accommodate the most aggressive approach possible with the players available, as we have absolutely nothing to lose.

 

[blades14]

Putting aside Wilder’s mistakes this season, I’ve also been shocked at the lack of effort and fight shown by many of our players. The way they stroll around whilst facing yet another defeat is disgraceful. Our team was famous for it’s passion. Not anymore.

Only burke, basham, egan, baldock (quality isnt there) and osborn (quality not there) who hold their heads high

 

[Bladesince59]

Let's have a real go in the next 3 games. If we get absolutely mullered so be it. But please United let's have a bleedin' go. UTB

 

[LS16Blade]

That gob on a stick, Durham on Talksport, has just laid into us and echoed much of what has been said on this thread.

In summary, he said that on Saturday the team couldn’t pass, couldn’t tackle, couldn’t shoot, showed no commitment, showed no passion and were an absolute disgrace to the United fans and to the Premier League.

He also suggested that the players are throwing the manager under the bus, and that if the club think that the best way to go is to stick with the gaffer in the hope that he can bring us back up next season, then the club are living in cloud-cuckoo land.

He often talks drivel, as we know, but it’s hard to gainsay any of that.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Cowardly from some of our lads.

We’ll see how cowardly they are against Bristol Rovers. This really is the defining game for me. Are they being outclassed every week by better opposition or are they simply not putting the required effort in. This is the first time they’ve encountered so called inferior opposition this season. If they can’t get out of their defensive mindset and muster up several goal scoring opportunities in this one. They really are taking the fucking piss. Conversely if Chris Wilder doesn’t pick the strongest 11 available for this one, my stout defence of his position, will take severe dent.

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

Gives you the feeling that something at the Lane has gone rotten, and It didn't all start this season it started last after two great wins.
I wouldn't be surprised if money isn't at the bottom of all this .....

 

[JackSUFC]

'The second goal killed us'

Brighton went 2 goals behind just before half time too.
Did they feel sorry for themselves and get ready with their excuses?
Nope. They came out battling and got a point against a team every bit as good as Crystal Palace.

CW has always said the first goal is crucial.
Important yes, but crucial? Only if you buy into the fact that there's no way back. Grow some nuts Blades and get out there and fight for the cause.
'But our confidence is low' THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Get into the f******s, chase them down, try something different, instead of the same old negative, safe, boring, predictable crap that you're trying to pass off as 'we gave it a right go'. No, you didn't. You let the manager down, you let the fans down and you let yourselves down.
There's only 2 options open to you, either get your head right and give it your all, your proper all, or tell CW you're not up for it and ask to be left out.
I can respect that more than the half-hearted, 'safe' football that is failing miserably and calling it 'giving it our best' Your best is far better than what you're giving us and the manager right now!

Rant over.... for now.

Think back to the scenes after Palace away last season - players and staff singing with the fans, celebrating another hard-fought three points.

Players that would do anything for the badge and the fans. A togetherness and team spirit that was the envy of the country. A team prepared to scrap and battle for everything every single minute and who on their day had the quality to match anyone.

Fast forward to Saturday’s performance and this interview from Norwood. Just shows what a bunch of absolute fragile, weak, losers these players have become.

Walking out the tunnel before kick-off, half of the players looked like they had their heads down. Not one of them is up for the fight anymore.

It’s astonishing.

 

[Davalon]

I can't help wondering if some of our players have had too long to rest on their laurels with the lockdown and started to believe their own hype with all the plaudits dished out.

Some seem to have struggled reaching the same levels since last season restarted.

 

[PaulHalfway]

It is true we do appear to be going through the motions instead of passion, fight, closing teams down quicker and attacking faster
Leeds being a prime example this season of the above

 

[robbiez666]

That's Bash and Norwood who both seem to think we're playing quite well. I mean, really? It's not awful but do you really think, at 1-0 down and not creating any chances, that you're doing quite well?

May as well just concede the rest of the games if so.

 

[diplomat]

Think back to the scenes after Palace away last season - players and staff singing with the fans, celebrating another hard-fought three points.

Players that would do anything for the badge and the fans. A togetherness and team spirit that was the envy of the country. A team prepared to scrap and battle for everything every single minute and who on their day had the quality to match anyone.

Fast forward to Saturday’s performance and this interview from Norwood. Just shows what a bunch of absolute fragile, weak, losers these players have become.

Walking out the tunnel before kick-off, half of the players looked like they had their heads down. Not one of them is up for the fight anymore.

It’s astonishing.

We were pretty fortunate to win that one though! Their keeper dropped it in his own net and I can’t remember creating too much. These are the fine margins. Palace are a good example of a team that try not to give much away first and foremost but do have the quality to punish when they are patient and get a chance. It sounds silly in a way but they are streets ahead of us because they’ve had a few years chugging along doing fuck all, never threatening to win anything or trouble the top ten but pay Benteke £100k p/w and have Zaha as a star man. Even Ayew (if I spelt that right) and Townsend are outside of our budget.

I know Wilder has been banging on about it but there is a big difference between us and so many of the clubs in this league. What hurts is seeing the hour where we properly took the piss out of Man U at home last year and how far away from that we are.