What's our style of play at BDTBL?

[cooperblade]

Obviously the 'jokers' will say shite but in all seriousness, can you describe the style of football we play at Bramall Lane? It's just a horrible mish-mash of nothingness and we totally lack any identity at all at the moment.

We're not creative enough to move defenders out of position and create openings, we're not direct enough to get the ball regularly into dangerous areas and hope for something to drop and we don't get enough players into good areas to overload the opposition's defence.

We've said it all season but the lack of overlapping from our full backs is a major weakness. The opposition can double up on our wide midfielders safe in the knowledge there's no-one else coming past them. Hopefully Westlake coming in for the suspended McMahon will help in this regard.

Robson further exercabates this problem by drifting inside, adding to the congestion and making us even more predictable. We didn't stretch Carlisle's 10 men once. Even Kitson gets in the way by playing deeper than he needs to.

What pace we have is totally nullified as we never create any space in behind defences at the Lane. Forte and Poleon haven't been great in the home matches but how often have we got them into positions where they can use their main attribute?

Our tempo, intensity and urgency is piss poor as well. We consistently waste the first half of games by playing them like it's a pre-season friendly.

Hopefully the teams we've got left to play at home will be a bit more inclined to come out which will help but we can't rely on that and shouldn't have to.

Things we could try:

Don't play McMahon and Hill/Higginbotham at home. Maybe go 4-2-3-1 and go with our most mobile players (i.e not Robson or Flynn) in the 3 behind the striker. Make the main of emphasis of our play to move the opposition out of position and get 2 against 1 versus their full back (like last season)

or

Go all out long ball - bang everything long to Kitson, have Forte, Murphy and Poleon running off him from alongside and wide and hope to pick up the scraps. Sit Doyle and McDonald in front of the back 4 to protect them and knock balls in. Not pretty but we'd struggle to create fewer chances than we are doing now.


Positive - 8 clean sheets in 9 is a fantastic effort, regardless of the tier we're playing in.

 

[blader]

"Considered and cautious" I would say. We are slow and "patient" in our build up play. We don't counter attack and we don't lump it. It's fairly negative but we do try and keep the ball on the deck, which slows the whole tempo of the game.


But "shite" is the first word that comes to mind.

 

[super_pig]

robson cuts inside because he is 'totally' all left foot playing on the right which allows the defence to check and reset slowing down the attack.. fucking basic

 

[alcoblade]

2 words define us.

Shite

 

[Wards]

Totally agree on the full backs. Lowton was a big threat last year and we've missed him immeasurably. At least McMahon getting banned may see Westlake coming back who offers more in that respect.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

i think we play a kind of counter attack system. no actually we dont. even we couldnt do that at home. i think we play to contain the opposition, and hope to break them down with a killer ball. that never comes. i could be wrong though. its not overly obvious what were trying to do. maybe bore the opposition to death?

 

[Junior Soduko]

We have no style. Its a simple as that, we are completely brainless in our ideas to try and break a team down, we show no energy and no enthusiasm, but the most disappointing aspect of it all, is there is absolutely zero movement shown by anybody in the side. At times we are a completely static footballing side, who seem to be totally inept at anticipating a pass/run.

We are a yard behind the game, quite happy to react to a pass as opposed to being pro active and trying to read the game. I know K Mac has been below last years level this year, but at times he must really scream, he gets the ball and runs sideways for 15 to 20 yards looking for movement, only for their to be none, and he has to retrace his steps or pass it backwards.

Whenever we get a remote chance of a counter attack/break, we get the ball to halfway relatively quickly and then just simply stop, wait for the opposing side to get man behind the ball and then try and break them down. Attacking wise we look totally clueless and inept of ideas, which unfortunately to me lies with wilson.

We might as well, not play with any wide men at all, and play a narrow diamond formation imo, we create absolutely nothing from wide, we have no pace and our fullbacks don't overlap, to create mismatches against a defence. It drives me insane that apart from Murphy, no one runs with the ball at defenders into the box. Infact no one runs at defenders full stop.

On the plus side, defensively we look solid. However, we will inevitably concede at some stage in the run in, and to me i really cant see us creating enough to score two goals in a game.

 

[Bergen Blade]

It would help if we brought some sort of urgency into our play. We did have some pace in the forward positions today, but our tempo was so slow, illustrated by Robson's attempt at taking a corner before half time. Our pace was wasted when we had no idea of how to make use of it.

Typically this saw Forte receive the ball with his back to goal and a centre half breathing down his neck. There is another way to do it, it is not VERY difficult, and we could put it right so that centre halves are being made to chase after a forward facing Forte instead.

 

[Revolution]

It would help if we brought some sort of urgency into our play. We did have some pace in the forward positions today, but our tempo was so slow, illustrated by Robson's attempt at taking a corner before half time. Our pace was wasted when we had no idea of how to make use of it.

Did we have pace? Forte and Poleon certainly didn't show any at all, and Robson is the slowest wide man we have had since Brian Marwood.

One thing this team are great at is stopping. If they get a break on, they'll find a way to slow it down. Forte's failure to get a shot in when through at the death, being content to get a corner, was merely the finest example.

Murphy may have some pace but since United never tried to give him the ball after the 1st two minutes of the 2nd half its difficult to tell.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

I would describe it as safe football. We try to keep possession without doing anything overly adventurous unless a gaping opportunity presents itself. We never force the issue or try to be positive. I've often said this season that we're not brave enough in or out of possession. We're organised and considered but don't play with enough courage and it makes life easy for opposition that come to the lane and defend. I would agree with Bergen that we also don't play at a high enough tempo which goes hand in hand with a lot of things I've just mentioned.

 

[JohnDenver]

It's football to suit the aging and the risk-averse. We just don't seem to have players with the capacity to drive on. They're capable in many ways and yet incapable of forcing the game collectively.

Ironside looked to be playing a different game when he came on. Urgency, energy, movement, selflessness... Others need to match that.

 

[Jehovah]

We play in slow motion. When Crewe and Yeovil came to town, they seemed to have 11 players miles faster than ours.

 

[Princess Annes Dog]

"What's our style of play ad BDTBL?"

Does it really matter? If you only have 2 or 3 decent players it really doesn't matter what the style is because the players are so poor they can't play to it, they don't have the ability. Our squad's as bad as it's been in 30 years, we're in this division because that's the standard of the players we've got. We don't have a divine right to win the league, we don't have a divine right to get promoted, as numerous home games have shown this season.

We're way out of kilter with our expectations with this squad. If you seriously think we can suddenly come up with a style of play that will make us an unstoppable force then forget it. If we get promoted with this bunch of players it'll be as much to do with the shite standard of the teams around us as it will be down to anything we do. If we're totally dependent on us doing the business then we've shit it. We'll need a lot of help to get promoted this season because we've already shown that when it comes to the crunch we can't hack it. Today's the latest example, 8th from bottom Carlisle come to promotion chasing Sheffield United and leave with an easily earned point. A good side would be battering teams like that, a serious promotion contender wouldn't be dropping points to the shite teams that we have.

The worst thing here is that things are in our own hands, I don't trust this bunch of players, I don't think they have the bottle or the talent. If they prove me wrong I'll be delighted but seriously, as a 100% Blade I'm beginning to feel nauseous having to go through this wringer again because the wankers who currenly pull on the red and white shirts of my team really aren't fit to do that. Pull your fucking finger out you useless twats, we're Blades aren't we!!!!

 

[super_pig]

One thing this team are great at is stopping. If they get a break on, they'll find a way to slow it down.

hellelujah.. that is because we always play left footer on the right wing and right footer on the left. apart from Pires at Arsenal (who had ash cole to help him) it NEVER works

 

[TopBoy]

I tweeted something similar after the game. I really don't know what kind of style we play. Inadequate players for any system all over the pitch apart from the centre halves and McDonald. I feel for McDonald, yesterday he was always looking to make things happen but on at least 2 occasions his body language oozed frustration.
Other points of note;
Why was Kitson playing so deep?
Why did we just lump the ball into the Carlisle box for he last 30 minutes? That's not how you play against 10 (very average) men.
How the hell we're still in contention at the top I'll never know.
Yesterday was as bad as I can remember and resembled a team in the bottom 4 not the top 4.

I didn't want to experience the playoffs this season and with games coming up against Walsall, Brentford and Swindon it may well happen.

Angry of Oundle.

 

[Fiery Blade]

Yesterdays game just highlighted the players in the red and white striped shirts lack of nous, vision and forethought - they are not United players they are a collection of has beens and never ever going to be a been - Robsons shenanagins just prior to half time said it all - not bothered!
As for the manager and his coaching staff - utter rubbish - they have not a clue - I have just heard Wilsons aftermatch comments on BBC site - is he for real! We have just dropped to vital points and failed to score against the worst defence in the division (and with only 10 men for the last 15 mins) and he is pleased we have gone up one position in the league.
Sorry Mr Wilson, if that is all you can come up with keep it shut - I would rather hear nothing than lines and lines of bullsh!t!

 

[super_pig]

what's our style of play??
blackwell esque..

without the cutting edge

 

[Wards]

Why was Kitson playing so deep?

Who knows - it certainly didn't help.

At least when Ironside came on he stuck to playing as a bloody centre forward.