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We are in a phenomenal and to be honest a pretty much unimaginable position.
Possibly some (me) are still a little bit traumatized from the Ched-inspired collapse a decade ago, but this is a special season with a great squad. We’ll not fk it up this time.
Having lived through some grim times with the Blades, sometimes dragging on for 20+ years, I’m really enjoying this season.
Well done Hecky and the boys.
 
We are grinding them out and playing in parts good football.
Generally our build up plays to goals are good too.

We aren't playing good football for long enough periods but games pan out in different ways. As I said on another thread while ever it's only a goal in it. It's a tense style of football.

We are also not letting oppositions have good chances. They may have the ball in the final 3rd but the back line are doing their bit to stop them.

Wes made one save in the 2nf half and it was relatively comfortable. That's it. Don't even remember one that went wide and was close either.
 
CPB said:
We are grinding them out and playing in parts good football.
Generally our build up plays to goals are good too.

We aren't playing good football for long enough periods but games pan out in different ways. As I said on another thread while ever it's only a goal in it. It's a tense style of football.

We are also not letting oppositions have good chances. They may have the ball in the final 3rd but the back line are doing their bit to stop them.

Wes made one save in the 2nf half and it was relatively comfortable. That's it. Don't even remember one that went wide and was close either.
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We’re not letting the opposition have good chances, yet are still conceding soft goals.

The proof will be in the pudding when we have a run of more difficult games. Although I am confident we’ll raise our game. Our best performances of the season have been against teams who were at the top at the time of playing them.
 
Pittsburg Blade said:
Possibly some (me) are still a little bit traumatized from the Ched-inspired collapse a decade ago, but this is a special season with a great squad.
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This is it.

That lot got 36 points from their last 14 games (starting with that win over us at the Sty).

You would think that a team will have to do similar this year, which isn't unthinkable.

That, or our results drop off a cliff. Which is always a possibility.
 
Pittsburg Blade said:
We are in a phenomenal and to be honest a pretty much unimaginable position.
Possibly some (me) are still a little bit traumatized from the Ched-inspired collapse a decade ago, but this is a special season with a great squad. We’ll not fk it up this time.
Having lived through some grim times with the Blades, sometimes dragging on for 20+ years, I’m really enjoying this season.
Well done Hecky and the boys.
Click to expand...
Some of us are inspired by the collapse in 1980 the selling of the best players in our the division in January in the 90s the 10 points clear of relegation from the Premiership in iFebruary under Warnock to name but three.
If anyone can screw it up we can
 
ATL Recs said:
Some of us are inspired by the collapse in 1980 the selling of the best players in our the division in January in the 90s the 10 points clear of relegation from the Premiership in iFebruary under Warnock to name but three.
If anyone can screw it up we can
Click to expand...
Inspired ?
By our greatest failures
Strange mentality
 
There are no Blades fans up and around today who don't acknowledge and remain grateful for the position Hecky and the squad have put us in. We're grateful, believe us.

However, I personally don't see a complete project. A game like yesterday's was, on paper and looking at the tactics and strategy a far easier task than say, the Burnley game was. On that day there wasn't one player who came off that pitch who didn't pull equally and the result - 5-2 was richly deserved and indicative of just how well we can play when every player resonates an output in harmony. Yesterday we did ... for ten or so minutes and then some came out of synch.

It seems that we have a pattern going on and that is dangerous in football unless it is a proven one that non one has a solution for. Back in the ascending Wilder days no one could deal with the overlapping centrebacks overload and we bagged a load of goals and points through that. It worked in that first season in the PL too up until lockdown when it was evident teams had discussed how to shut us down and we had no real plan B to switch to. Now our pattern again relies on wingplay and distribution from deep and the mercurial creativity of NDaiye. We use this to smack teams early and bag some entry into the game and then we switch it off and allow the opposition, however poor, to gain a foothold. The key to not letting this happen is the 'creatives' in the squad, NDaiye being one, McAtee being another and one would hope Berge being a third. NDaiye always attracts two opposition players to go on him, one to press and one to sweep and sometimes a third. McAtee is just finding his sweet feet now and the other bloke makes himself conspicuously absent both in presence and contribution. To sustain that pressure we need these people to be on their game at all times. If NDaiye is being marked and Berge playing his absent number eight shirt game that just leaves the little lad to carve out chances for Billy and any other attacking presence. It allows them back into the game and puts us on the back foot. Berge sauntered around yesterday, when on the ball was muscled off it, put in laughably shit heading challenges and gifted them their opportunity to score. Stoke should have been nowhere near our goal for most of the game yesterday whilst they dealt with the triple threat of NDaiye, McAtee and Berge. Their defensive midfield was a bit poor and they should be occupied with dealing with us, not dealing with some of us. To that end, we finish the game defending more than attacking and worried, right up to Bogle's coup de grace, that we'd give two points away with a stupidly conceded late goal rather than playing up in their half.

pommpey
 
pommpey said:
There are no Blades fans up and around today who don't acknowledge and remain grateful for the position Hecky and the squad have put us in. We're grateful, believe us.

However, I personally don't see a complete project. A game like yesterday's was, on paper and looking at the tactics and strategy a far easier task than say, the Burnley game was. On that day there wasn't one player who came off that pitch who didn't pull equally and the result - 5-2 was richly deserved and indicative of just how well we can play when every player resonates an output in harmony. Yesterday we did ... for ten or so minutes and then some came out of synch.

It seems that we have a pattern going on and that is dangerous in football unless it is a proven one that non one has a solution for. Back in the ascending Wilder days no one could deal with the overlapping centrebacks overload and we bagged a load of goals and points through that. It worked in that first season in the PL too up until lockdown when it was evident teams had discussed how to shut us down and we had no real plan B to switch to. Now our pattern again relies on wingplay and distribution from deep and the mercurial creativity of NDaiye. We use this to smack teams early and bag some entry into the game and then we switch it off and allow the opposition, however poor, to gain a foothold. The key to not letting this happen is the 'creatives' in the squad, NDaiye being one, McAtee being another and one would hope Berge being a third. NDaiye always attracts two opposition players to go on him, one to press and one to sweep and sometimes a third. McAtee is just finding his sweet feet now and the other bloke makes himself conspicuously absent both in presence and contribution. To sustain that pressure we need these people to be on their game at all times. If NDaiye is being marked and Berge playing his absent number eight shirt game that just leaves the little lad to carve out chances for Billy and any other attacking presence. It allows them back into the game and puts us on the back foot. Berge sauntered around yesterday, when on the ball was muscled off it, put in laughably shit heading challenges and gifted them their opportunity to score. Stoke should have been nowhere near our goal for most of the game yesterday whilst they dealt with the triple threat of NDaiye, McAtee and Berge. Their defensive midfield was a bit poor and they should be occupied with dealing with us, not dealing with some of us. To that end, we finish the game defending more than attacking and worried, right up to Bogle's coup de grace, that we'd give two points away with a stupidly conceded late goal rather than playing up in their half.

pommpey
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Nailed it Pommpey. At the risk of dogs abuse I'd add a huge amount if not all the reponsiblility for ensuring high standards for 90 minutes lays with the management.
I've thrown this out before but I have a feeling our manager in't a manager. He's an Alan Knill and we haven't got a Wilder. Imagine the players looking to the bench for guidance, encouragement and support and seeing the lone figure of Knill practicing his bendy leg thing and no-one else. Same now with Heckinbotham. and his face inscrutably involved in seeing how many fingers he can get in his mouth at the same time. Things only liven up when McAll gets dragged into a lengthy top security conversation for about 15 minutes which usually results in the implementation of Plan B. Doyle for McAtee.
In conclusion we are grinding out wins without performing close to our best for more than half per game. The potential problem there is that if/when we face opponents who aren't basically rammel like Stoke we have'nt got a fall back position of easily raising our game because it isn't in our DNA to perform for 90 mins. No-one wants us to win the league, let alone finish second more than me. Any criticism is meant as constructive as having seen what this team is capable of it frustrates and worries me to see it doing "just" enough too often. Only takes the odd mistake, ref decision or flash of something from the opposition and that narrow margin is gone. I really feel the in game management needs to be much better and proactive as does the use and timing of subs.
 



The simple fact is our 6/10 is still too much for most of the league. I agree that we’re hitting 6s and 7s regularly, but if that’s enough and our injury list doesn’t improve, I personally couldn’t care less.
 
The lack of a striker doesn't help at the moment. Billy unfortunately just can't effect games anymore and he doesn't really occupy centre halves like he used to so it invites pressure
 
Tactically we seem to set out perfectly which usually results in us easing into two goal leads the opposition change their tactics to shut down our dangers
We sit deep and play on the counter and usually defend well and look dangerous on the break

There are two teams on a football pitch and ours is not that good or that bad that the manager deserves this much criticism

Look back on most of our games this season and the opposition aren't creating many chances

Compare this to last season where we were putting in some horror shows of performances and throwing away leads left right and centre it's clear that tactically hecky is doing something right and utilising the strengths of a squad that can play all ways and is much mentally tougher than some of the people following it

We remind me of Bournemouth last season
Looked catchpole all season but when the pressure was on just went up a gear and strolled it
 
Nightsweats said:
Nailed it Pommpey. At the risk of dogs abuse I'd add a huge amount if not all the reponsiblility for ensuring high standards for 90 minutes lays with the management.
I've thrown this out before but I have a feeling our manager in't a manager. He's an Alan Knill and we haven't got a Wilder. Imagine the players looking to the bench for guidance, encouragement and support and seeing the lone figure of Knill practicing his bendy leg thing and no-one else. Same now with Heckinbotham. and his face inscrutably involved in seeing how many fingers he can get in his mouth at the same time. Things only liven up when McAll gets dragged into a lengthy top security conversation for about 15 minutes which usually results in the implementation of Plan B. Doyle for McAtee.
In conclusion we are grinding out wins without performing close to our best for more than half per game. The potential problem there is that if/when we face opponents who aren't basically rammel like Stoke we have'nt got a fall back position of easily raising our game because it isn't in our DNA to perform for 90 mins. No-one wants us to win the league, let alone finish second more than me. Any criticism is meant as constructive as having seen what this team is capable of it frustrates and worries me to see it doing "just" enough too often. Only takes the odd mistake, ref decision or flash of something from the opposition and that narrow margin is gone. I really feel the in game management needs to be much better and proactive as does the use and timing of subs.
Click to expand...
Fully agreed. We have a fantastic squad that (I think) is more than capable of storming this league and almost every game it feels a lot like they're playing at 70% were getting the results and it's amazing to see us seemingly in our first couple of gears and still bringing in the results but I feel like we have so much more to give and we should be showing the league we are not to be messed with. You can see in the views from that most opposing fans consider coming the Lane as 3 points dropped before they even turn up and it feels like most games we give them a sniff at a point through our own lack of end quality.

I don't want anyone for a second to think I'm complaining about the squad because they are doing a good job but they can and should be doing much better. It's just a little frustrating. That being said, should we be playing PL football next season the games will be tougher and more open which could play in to our hands a little. Time and time again have we gone 1 or 2 up and teams have shithoused us which makes it difficult for us to play. Again, because of our form most teams come already playing on the backfoot.
 
Frank the tank said:
Tactically we seem to set out perfectly which usually results in us easing into two goal leads the opposition change their tactics to shut down our dangers
We sit deep and play on the counter and usually defend well and look dangerous on the break
Click to expand...
We've only dropped points in (from memory) 3 games where we left. Blackpool, Birmingham and Boro (and we didn't lose any of those)

If we get the lead we are very hard to beat. Only Millwall have performed better.

The flip side of that is that when we go behind (as we have on 10 occasions) we've won 4 and drawn 1 and therefore "gained" 7 points. We sit 7th on that measure.

Shockingly first goals are key for us, perhaps moreso than your average team.
 
Nightsweats said:
Nailed it Pommpey. At the risk of dogs abuse I'd add a huge amount if not all the reponsiblility for ensuring high standards for 90 minutes lays with the management.
I've thrown this out before but I have a feeling our manager in't a manager. He's an Alan Knill and we haven't got a Wilder. Imagine the players looking to the bench for guidance, encouragement and support and seeing the lone figure of Knill practicing his bendy leg thing and no-one else. Same now with Heckinbotham. and his face inscrutably involved in seeing how many fingers he can get in his mouth at the same time. Things only liven up when McAll gets dragged into a lengthy top security conversation for about 15 minutes which usually results in the implementation of Plan B. Doyle for McAtee.
In conclusion we are grinding out wins without performing close to our best for more than half per game. The potential problem there is that if/when we face opponents who aren't basically rammel like Stoke we have'nt got a fall back position of easily raising our game because it isn't in our DNA to perform for 90 mins. No-one wants us to win the league, let alone finish second more than me. Any criticism is meant as constructive as having seen what this team is capable of it frustrates and worries me to see it doing "just" enough too often. Only takes the odd mistake, ref decision or flash of something from the opposition and that narrow margin is gone. I really feel the in game management needs to be much better and proactive as does the use and timing of subs.
Click to expand...

Well he must have been doing enough to to motivate the players on that terrific run last season, and to have us 11 points clear of 3rd now. I dare say his promotion and trophy with Barnsley took a fair amount of 'management' too.

No offence, but you make it sound like we have got Charles Hawtrey standing in the technical area.
 
SellyOakBlade said:
We've only dropped points in (from memory) 3 games where we left. Blackpool, Birmingham and Boro (and we didn't lose any of those)

If we get the lead we are very hard to beat. Only Millwall have performed better.

The flip side of that is that when we go behind (as we have on 10 occasions) we've won 4 and drawn 1 and therefore "gained" 7 points. We sit 7th on that measure.

Shockingly first goals are key for us, perhaps moreso than your average team.
Click to expand...
Exactly we seem to tactically conceed possession when winning as we are more dangerous on the counter against teams who are stopping our strengths and making midfield a scrap

Let's not forget that yesterday we had chances at 3-1 and they should have had a man sent off as surely jebbo scores from there
 
Frank the tank said:
Tactically we seem to set out perfectly which usually results in us easing into two goal leads the opposition change their tactics to shut down our dangers
We sit deep and play on the counter and usually defend well and look dangerous on the break

There are two teams on a football pitch and ours is not that good or that bad that the manager deserves this much criticism

Look back on most of our games this season and the opposition aren't creating many chances

Compare this to last season where we were putting in some horror shows of performances and throwing away leads left right and centre it's clear that tactically hecky is doing something right and utilising the strengths of a squad that can play all ways and is much mentally tougher than some of the people following it

We remind me of Bournemouth last season
Looked catchpole all season but when the pressure was on just went up a gear and strolled it
Click to expand...
I agree - the criticism never acknowledges that we are playing against another team. A team capable of adapting, nullifying and causing us issues too.
 
There are very few players who haven't had injuries this season, a lot who were out several weeks because of this. Could this be affecting the overall performances? Players just back from injury, others worried about getting injured. Consequently hardly anyone playing at 100% for the full game.
It seems weird to me that many games we start off great, but very quickly, seem to run out of steam, when we have been known as one of the fittest squads in the league.
 
stringjunior said:
Sorry s64 but I had to fix this. I'm on a one man mission to correct all known examples.
Click to expand...
How long do people have to say it for before it becomes accepted?

The Manchester and Liverpool Agricultural Society: Meeting at Manchester”, in Farmer's Magazine‎[1], London, 1867, page 294:Following the example of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, instead of one of the more wide-awake maxims of our great-grandfathers, which teaches us that when we cannot get one thing to make the best use of the other, the meeting appointed to be held at Stourport last year was abandoned; although, as the proof is in the pudding, as seen at this and other gatherings, there was ample material even without cattle, to make a capital show.
 
When we play, like during the first half yesterday, we played some lovely football, but when we don't and let the opposing team come at us, we look desperate, sloppy and terrible to watch.
But then yesterday after we'd been poor for the majority of the second half, we pop up with another goal to seal the game!

The frustration for me is that we know they can play better, as we saw first half, so when they stop performing it's just teeth grittingly annoying!
 
Genuine question.....does anyone really expect us to be on top in any game for the full 90 minutes? It doesn't matter who you play be it top or bottom they are going ro have spells in tje game, sometimes long ones, where they are eon top and the momentum swings their way. That's football! Anyone who expects us to be on top in games for more than say 60% is foolish.

One of the thing that we've been great at this season is staying in the game when we go through a bad spell and that's largely been down to our battling qualities and sound defen

Im typically a glass half empty man when it comes to the Blades. However, despite the injuries, despite the takeover worry, despite than feeling deep down that we are riding our luck I suggest we enjoy the fuck our of this because in years to come we will look back at this period and say did that really happen and why didn't I enjoy it more
 
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Stretch said:
Well he must have been doing enough to to motivate the players on that terrific run last season, and to have us 11 points clear of 3rd now. I dare say his promotion and trophy with Barnsley took a fair amount of 'management' too.

No offence, but you make it sound like we have got Charles Hawtrey standing in the technical area.
Click to expand...
All he did was replace Slavs stuff with the system the players knew.
If his team talks are as interesting and stimulating as his interviews God help the players.
 
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Nightsweats said:
All he did was replace Slavs stuff with the system the players knew.
If his team talks are as interesting and stimulating as his interviews God help the players.
Click to expand...

If we are judging them on their interviews, then the majority of football managers are amongst the most boring cunts alive. And just because he isn't jumping around like Zebedee in the technical area, doesn't mean the players aren't motivated.

Again I go back to his record. I suspect many managers in the league would swap theirs for his.
 
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