That's why we don't go up

[Cheesebored]

Then rather than making sensible decisions, we use a low percentage corner routine when 8/11 of the team are in the opposition box and gift a straightforward goal away, handing an immediate 3 point leg up to a potential rival. It wasn't even a risk reward thing. You're passing to a guy in a position that favours his wrong foot who averages about a goal a season. Why would that ever work?

Can't agree with that at all. Norwood picked out Fleck well with the ball there to be struck. Fleck fluffed his lines by scuffing the shot but still had ample chance to redeem himself by simply cutting out the crossfield pass. If he sticks the original shot in the top corner everyone's lauding a brilliant corner routine.

 

[Revolution]

If he sticks the original shot in the top corner everyone's lauding a brilliant corner routine.

Meanwhile, back on planet earth, Fleck hasn't scored from outside the area in 5 seasons, and has one league goal in 2 seasons.

He is the last player on our team who should be shooting in that situation.

 

[Cheesebored]

Meanwhile, back on planet earth, Fleck hasn't scored from outside the area in 5 seasons, and has one league goal in 2 seasons.

I never said otherwise. It's not unreasonable to assume a professional footballer might be able to hit the target from the edge of the area. Flecks the problem, not the corner routine.

 

[Revolution]

I never said otherwise. It's not unreasonable to assume a professional footballer might be able to hit the target from the edge of the area. Flecks the problem, not the corner routine.

He is, and I think it is unfortunately unreasonable to assume he can do it. Very few of our players can do it, as is well documented. None of them can score from distance with any regularity.

that routine is an example of the muddled thinking that seems to grip the club at the start of each season recently.

 

[Cheesebored]

He is, and I think it is unfortunately unreasonable to assume he can do it. Very few of our players can do it, as is well documented. None of them can score from distance with any regularity.

that routine is an example of the muddled thinking that seems to grip the club at the start of each season recently.

I just think every now and again it's better to try something a bit different than hit the first defender at the near post. Other than Hull and QPR away last season I can't readily remember much success from landed corners.

 

[Revolution]

I just think every now and again it's better to try something a bit different than hit the first defender at the near post. Other than Hull and QPR away last season I can't readily remember much success from landed corners.

Agree. Just not Fleck.

 

[AnstonBlade1]

Hopefully 6 games or so it should be a very different starting 11 to last night.

 

[Rodley]

Bloody love definitive predictions of us not going up (after one game) being pegged as 'realism'. It's not realism, it's pessimism.

I think you’re being polite there.

 

[Trigger Blade]

But you are getting wiser and not letting United make you feel pissed off and irritable all day through lack of sleep. Nowadays if they put in a shit show I just think 'fuck you United' and sleep like a baby.

I very much doubt the wisdom aspect And I still feel nervous on matchdays, pre-match, much more now than I did when I was younger, so a midday kick off suits me best, 8pm is the worst.

As a serious point, I feel anxiety now in a way I never did when I was younger, things that never used to bother me at all, overseas travel for example, now starts to weigh on my mind days in advance and it’s nothing to do with the post-COVID chaos at airports.

 

[Ainsley Harriott]

I'm hardly Hecky's biggest fan but even I'm not having a pop after last night.
We've lost yes but I doubt there's a better side than Watford in the Championship certainly not one with a better forward line. We matched Watford in all areas created some good chances but lost to a goal we could have stopped, that also had a suspicion of off side.
I actually thought every player did ok including Norwood, Fleck and Clark, its seems some of ours fans have permanently got it fixed in their heads that Norwood and Fleck are crap and when we loose they are the default to who gets it. Clark looked strong even though played out of position and when you take into account that forward line is a freak for this division he'll be a good signing. The only player who looked poor was Lowe did he even manage on pass to a United player, if I was Hecky I would be having a word this morning. If he doesn't want to be here put him on the transfer list.
We looked a side that can only get better with games.
My only worries are the horrendous injury list that shows no signs of getting any better, we have got to be doing something wrong, has a side ever had so many injuries at the 1st game of the season.
And I think we are a forward light in the squad.

Watford was always going to be tough Saturday will tells us more.

Watford do have a very good forward line. Their defence isn't fantastic. But did we even trouble that defence? Berge shot at the keeper. Jebbo forced a save over the bar. Ndiaye had a shot. But they were all outside the box.

We were toilet.

You say Watford was always going to be tough but it needn't have been. We were gash and never even looked like troubling them. Give us another hour we wouldn't have scored. No urgency. No battle. No runners. No options. Every second touch was a tackle. Every game, no matter who it is, always has that little 5-10 minute spell where they get the ball down, dictate the tempo and look like creating something. We did nothing of the sort last night. Nowhere near. They weren't much better, no, but they didn't need to be. That's what sticks. We don't mind losing as Blades, it's the manner in which we lose that hurts.

And I'm not particularly using you to vent here, it's just I saw your post as best to stick a few of my bits in that's all.

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Watford do have a very good forward line. Their defence isn't fantastic. But did we even trouble that defence? Berge shot at the keeper. Jebbo forced a save over the bar. Ndiaye had a shot. But they were all outside the box.

We were toilet.

You say Watford was always going to be tough but it needn't have been. We were gash and never even looked like troubling them. Give us another hour we wouldn't have scored. No urgency. No battle. No runners. No options. Every second touch was a tackle. Every game, no matter who it is, always has that little 5-10 minute spell where they get the ball down, dictate the tempo and look like creating something. We did nothing of the sort last night. Nowhere near. They weren't much better, no, but they didn't need to be. That's what sticks. We don't mind losing as Blades, it's the manner in which we lose that hurts.

I thought Ndiaye was inside the box.
Along with Egans header.

 

[Ainsley Harriott]

I thought Ndiaye was inside the box.
Along with Egans header.

Must have missed egans header. Genuinely. How far was ndiaye into the box?

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Must have missed egans header. Genuinely. How far was ndiaye into the box?

Can't remember exactly but he got passed a couple of their players but unfortunately couldn't finish.

 

[Keen Blade]

I just think every now and again it's better to try something a bit different than hit the first defender at the near post. Other than Hull and QPR away last season I can't readily remember much success from landed corners.

But surely we can't waste all that practice we've put into hitting the first defender at the near post ?

 

[Stanthemanfan]

The sense of sheer unprofessionalism in the club’s preparation, almost every single year, becomes wearing.

Successive managers begin the Summer pleading that they want transfer business done early to allow pre-season training to actually have some value. It never happens, though, and there are always exculpatory reasons given about agents, other clubs etc.

Pre-season then becomes a muddled mess as the coaching staff juggle ‘pitch time’ for a bloated unbalanced squad. The unfocused approach to friendlies - where the management never get close to fielding the XI that will start game 1 of the season - predictably results in erratic/disappointing results. The unconvincing narrative that the management then feel obliged to give is that the friendlies are about ”getting time in the legs” to try to deflect from worryingly poor results against lowly opposition. Presumably, if friendlies are truly about getting pitch time, that also applies to the players of Scunthorpe, Mansfield and Barnsley - yet it is us that keep being on the wrong end of the results.

The fact that we continue to pick up impact injuries in training - a common theme since Henderson crocked Fleck on the eve of ‘Project Re-start’ - is cretinous. What the hell are they doing in training to pick up injuries? Football has all but become a non-contact sport on match day yet we’re maiming our own in training. Brainless. The fact that defensive preparations for game 1 are then disrupted 3 days before match day because nobody at a Professional football club knew about a relevant suspension is risible.

And then we arrive at game 1. Handed a chance to take advantage of a side carrying the inevitable fragility of a team that is in the habit of being pumped every week, and with a particular mental block at home where they have 1 win in 14. It’s the sort of vulnerability that Birmingham exploited at Bramall Lane last season. But, unfortunately, we turn up half-baked with a cobbled together line-up that hasn’t played in any of the warm-up games, and showing a mediocre relegated side so much respect that we barely have a go at them. In fact, we select a side that keeps all of the players that might have worried their fragile defenders, on our bench.

Nail on head

 

[blade too long]

Teams that go up take a point from that game.

Defended sufficiently first half.

Don't do anything stupid and your points tally is off an running.

Then rather than making sensible decisions, we use a low percentage corner routine when 8/11 of the team are in the opposition box and gift a straightforward goal away, handing an immediate 3 point leg up to a potential rival. It wasn't even a risk reward thing. You're passing to a guy in a position that favours his wrong foot who averages about a goal a season. Why would that ever work?

A point was there for the taking but two of our more experienced players screwed it up.

So rather than being off and running we're now 3 behind and playing catch up to a rival when this needn't have been the case.

we lost 1st away game
did that winning league one
getting promoted from the championship
we on another day may have won it

but 1 game is no guide
norwich lost 7-2 at home first game one year romped the title

lets try and remain sane

ar least we learnt that Max Lowe wants away

 

[EddieColquhoun]

It's a statement that teams that do go up tend to get points in that type of situation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44989045

 

[mattbianco1]

.

 

[Frank the tank]

.

Interesting

 

[3Cheers4Ramirez]

Wait till we see proof of improvement away from home. Then I might post a:

,

Or maybe a:

'

 

[Rodley]

This thread has aged worse than Gary Glitter’s back catalogue.

 

[El Volví]

Yes, but were already seeing the same issues that have dogged us for 2 years!

It's great to see new players coming in, but some if the Wilder signings are showing the issues from previous seasons.
And God help us if McBurnie comes back!

Laugh all you want georgebernardshaw McBurnie still hasn't scored since 2020!
Credit where credits due for effort yesterday but he needs to prove some consistency
AND GOALS
7 goals in 90 appearances

 

[Weasel]

And once again the fuckin idiots who don't bother to read the posts of other posters properly are back after eating their Sunday lunch.

Maybe, just maybe, the crux of the conversation and the source of irritation of many on the 2 August wasn't about United being out of the promotion race after one game, but was actually about United turning up once again for the first game of a season and being woeful. Still, you some people you just can't reach. Let them enjoy their said old 'i told thi so' bollox. Makes them feel all knowledgeable and smug and all very excited. Laughable.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

And once again the fuckin idiots who don't bother to read the posts of other posters properly are back after eating their Sunday lunch.

Maybe, just maybe, the crux of the conversation and the source of irritation of many on the 2 August wasn't about United being out of the promotion race after one game, but was actually about United turning up once again for the first game of a season and being woeful. Still, you some people you just can't reach. Let me enjoy their said old 'i told thi so' bollox. Laughable.

Have you ever had a positive thought at all?

 

[Weasel]

Have you ever had a positive thought at all?

Yes plenty thanks. You ever considered not being a condescending **** ?

 

[Rodley]

And once again the fuckin idiots who don't bother to read the posts of other posters properly are back after eating their Sunday lunch.

Maybe, just maybe, the crux of the conversation and the source of irritation of many on the 2 August wasn't about United being out of the promotion race after one game, but was actually about United turning up once again for the first game of a season and being woeful. Still, you some people you just can't reach. Let me enjoy their said old 'i told thi so' bollox. Makes me feel all knowledgeable and smug and all very excited. Laughable.

Spitting your dummy out about people being caught spitting their dummy out is a new one for 2022.

Surely you’ve got to step back and chuckle where the thread got very silly?

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Yes plenty thanks. You ever considered not being a condescending **** ?

It’s a gift, pal…

 

[Bladesthorpe]

McB tried hard yesterday and his misses didn't cost us but in some matches we're going to get that one chance and will need to take it.
The same with Brewster, one great chance and fluffed it. We laughed about it yesterday because it made no difference but these two must improve until Billy is fit and can come back and show them how to do it.

 

[Green7361]

Personally think we have one of, if not the best squad in the championship on the back of the incoming. When you consider we still have Bogle to come back as well. With a bit of luck we'll be top two

 

[Weasel]

It’s a gift, pal…

I realise. And if it's any consolation, you are very good at it.