Did Anyone Enjoy The Stevenage Match..??

[Roygbiv]

I think it's the line 'This defensive style of football is becoming more and more unbearable as the season goes on.' that has got most peoples backs up. There has been nothing unbearable about going from 2nd to bottom to 9th in just 3 months. We've steadily gone along picking up results even though everyones mind has been almost solely on the Cup since we beat Charlton.

As fans we all want more but let's be a bit sensible. We've just come off the back of game that has drained fans and players alike. We all know that realistically the season is over so to come back and win with nothing to play for after such a huge game shows the team has bags of determination.

I don't think many fans will agree that the Clough era has been drab in any way so far. We've played to our strengths and played some great stuff at times. At other times we've ground out results. I really don't know what more you can ask for. There is always room for improvement but criticizing the team at the moment is something I can't understand at all.

 

[Lution Mckenzie]

But anyway, this will be my final post since half the comments are quite forthcoming in the insults department.

I'm a DEVOTE blade, have been since I was 6. Iv followed my team through high's and lows as have many others getting to as many games as possible. I wouldn't for one second say the team is crap. I'm not that disrespectful, I was merely pointing out that i'm not a big fan of the current playing style.

On that note you'll be happy to know ill keep my opinions to Facebook lol.. Share my views with more open minded folk *Waves*

 

[SwissBlade]

I did indeed, iv also been to majority of away games and all the home games me old china.. And I don't expect the lads to play like Barcelona but then I don't expect them to sit inside there own half gmajority of the game.. Tonight was there for the taking and YET AGAIN we didn't take it

Glad we don't play like barca, they're a one man team, we have goals all over the pitch. Although O.G must be our top scorer now!

Performance aside (I can't comment until I've seen the game) 1-0 after that game on Sunday was a top result with the Wembley starting line up. Nice touch there from Clough.

The end to this season is about finishing on a high, results wise

 

[dublin 10 blade]

Think after last weekend the players could have gone into holiday mode , and just rolled over , like at Crewe .
Can understand your frustration at the game Lution , and how you viewed it , but 4 months ago everyone on this forum would have snapped your hand off at the thought of 3 points , next season would take 30 , 1-0 results , and 16 draws .
Think until we get a couple of decent strikers for next season you may have to put up with this type of result , and game as you see it as we try to end our season on a high , so we can carry it on into next season , get into a habit of winning , and defending well and it becomes ingrained into your way of playing . Would take 1-0 in all our remaining fixtures so the momentum carries on into next season .
Trust in our manager , I do .
UTB.

 

[boo radley]

Flippin eck, got it. Can't believe none of us twigged. Not content with slagging us off in the local media and still crying because we ruined his automatic promotion push, he's had to come on here to continue the slagging. It's Steve (I don't chew my food just swallow) Evans after a bite!!
One question for Mr Evans: when you say "across the Motorway" in your interview, most of us would travel under to go from Rotherham to Sheffield or the other way. Do you have to hire one of those big twin engined military helicopters to get strapped under to go across?

 

[Blade56]

Maybe im just talking out my arse

Yes and your breathe smells

I understand where you are coming from on this one Luton, no need for some of the insults, it was not great but sometimes you have to 'win badly' and that's what happened tonight. Stevenage had all to play for, they ruined the game and tried to bully us (Zoko was as embarrassing as his manager), we did what we had to do, keep a clean sheet and took 3 points.

But you are right it was not pretty!

 

[Paulus]

I think he's referring to the style of play more than "slagging the team off" as you put it.

We are lacking in the final third of the pitch it's no hidden secret. Like you Barry we are all immensely proud of what we have achieved this season since the blip at the start.

You pay for a ticket, you are entitled to an opinion, end of.

True, but what annoys the hell out of me is when someone inflicts that opinion repeatedly on the people surrounding them at a match. They are entitled to enjoy the game too without some brainless, egocentric nutcase ranting on usually repeating the same Misguided point ad infinitum. We had one at Wembley in the second half who moaned constantly for about 20 minutes until someone had a right go at him and thankfully he sat down and shut up.

 

[shorehamview]

.....Tonight was there for the taking and YET AGAIN we didn't take it

We'll have to be content with just the three points then, as opposed to the seventeen points we'd have got if we'd played better.

 

[stannyblade]

Well I enjoyed it very much. Lovely meal in platinum suite before game and then my lad got his photo taken with Murphy and the beard afterwards. Brayford was man of the match with the sponsors.

 

[Ballinpigpubs13]

Stop going Lution we don't want knobs like you!!

We need knobs that just turn up at Wembley, not diehards that go to league games like you Lution.

 

[ZoneManWilf]

This defensive style of football is becoming more and more unbearable as the season goes on.

Do you really mean that? I honestly can't believe you've been watching the same team as me. We just had an 8 goal thriller in an fa cup semi final, hardly defensive at all.

We've had a 10 game winning streak in that period, and Clough has improved the pace of our attacking play over Weir's statuesque passing approach. And has devised a formation which brings the best out of our attacking players like Murphy Flynn and Scougall.

I hope you're not confusing attacking play with hoofing it up to the target man...

 

[metalblade]

After Wembley it was always going be a case of "after the lord mayors parade". Stevenage are short of quality and are looking certs for relegation little wonder they came for a battle pressed us hard and stopped us playing by niggling little fouls all game they are fighting for their lives. Very very harsh to criticise us as being defensive, due to the lack of strikers we have to play as we do although I do think we got dragged into the Stevenage style of aimless hoof at times.

 

[dingledog]

It was awful. Ref was dire, we had as many shots on target as you would expect from a team with no recognised striker.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse we bring on the donkey.

 

[Esablade]

...it's been a long, hard, emotional roller coaster of a season, and I'm sure that whatever Nigel says about pushing on to the end of the season, the lads will have half an eye on their holidays...

They've put in a 'massive' effort after the Weir debacle and I'm sure they'll all be thinking/planning about hitting the ground running next season.

UTB!

 

[Superblades]

I did indeed, iv also been to majority of away games and all the home games me old china.. And I don't expect the lads to play like Barcelona but then I don't expect them to sit inside there own half majority of the game.. Tonight was there for the taking and YET AGAIN we didn't take it

We took 3 points and the team did what they had to do.

 

[Chezzy Blades]

If someone had said at lunchtime yesterday that we'd win 1-0 and Peterborough would lose 1-0 would anyone honestly have been disappointed with that?

Peterborough now need 4 points from 3 games to stop us catching them, I seem to remember us needing the same to stop Wednesday catching us not so long ago..

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Put a proper forward into that side then the game would have been killed off, we can only work with what we have until the summer. The squad is thin and has been punching above its weight since Clough came in and they are tired, you simply can't maintain the level of performances we've been putting in long term. Players need proper rest and we've been running them on empty. I'm just surprised we've not had more injuries to key players.

 

[Blade56]

rBrayford was man of the match with the sponsors.

That was the worst game I have seen him play for us, nearly cost us 2 points with that lazy back pass. Doyle or Murphs was my MoM

 

[finlaytheblade]

I did indeed, iv also been to majority of away games and all the home games me old china.. And I don't expect the lads to play like Barcelona but then I don't expect them to sit inside there own half majority of the game.. Tonight was there for the taking and YET AGAIN we didn't take it

blades 1 stevenage 0 thats the main thing you are expecting too much from a team worked its socks off since crewe defeat.i am sure cloughie is well aware of our short comings and will do his best to bring players in to rectify this.
in Nigel we trust

 

[UnitedBlade]

I guess we've all seen hundreds of poor games and that was another that will soon be forgotten. I've said from the dark days of Weir, we lack two decent strikers. Cloughie can't address this until the summer.

Tired legs and minds and some sloppy passing but some good bits including the goal. Three points, I'm happy.

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

All I'd say, re the original post, is that since January, win lose or draw, I've enjoyed watching the mighty Blades more than at any time in the recent past, except perhaps during Wilson's first season. I understand where the original poster is coming from, but I have to say that the biggest plus for me, with Sir Nigel, is that we are WATCHABLE again. Including 0-0s and games we should have won but didn't.

Yeah, we are lacking in certain areas, and everyone (including the Gaffer, who has been much quoted on the subject) knows this. But, in the meantime ...

Solid, well-organised, patient defending, by forwards and midfielders as well as defenders. Tactics that work. Pace, and (most of the time) tempo. Passing. Proper wing play from wingers who have remembered that they are, actually, wingers. Some genuinely accomplished, for this level, attacking on the break. Commitment and desire. Players who seem genuinely proud and happy to play for the club.

In all honesty, what's not to like at the moment ?

 

[kop_blade9]

Don't want to pee on everybodies parade but Keith Edwards said the same thing on the commentary.
He could not understand why we did not push forward and score 4 or 5. He reckoned they were there for the taking.
UTB

 

[Living In a Fantasy World]

No it wasn't a good game last night, after such a early goal I thought it was going to be a fun one-sided game for us, but it was not to be shamefully. A lot of players were poor last night apart from Doyle imo who had a very good game, I don't know if things were not clicking last night for us or if Stevenage roughed us up a bit to much but I think we all should have expected better against the bottom team in the leauge.
Stevenage were shocking last night and look doomed to be going down, but they managed to look the better side on paper, luckily for us games are won on the pitch.

 

[jt64]

poor game. someone please tell howard that when taking kicks, it is allowed to aim for that 70 yard wide target called the pitch rather than just booting it out for a throw-in continually

 

[Pinchy]

We played well first half. The second was scrappy. Stevenage were horrible, niggly hoofers, cast in the image of their non-football manager.

I would expect a suggestion that our magnificent revival is 'more and more unbearable' to come from a Pig, not a devoted Blade. On any view it is a nonsensical, irrational remark, perhaps designed for no other reason than to draw attention to the maker.

The Blades are on their way back. Make no mistake. Exciting times are just round the corner. I think that's just about bearable, don't you?

By the way, I've been in the position of arguing a minority view many times myself. If you've got any bottle at all you don't flounce off when someone is less than polite to you.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Don't want to pee on everybodies parade but Keith Edwards said the same thing on the commentary.
He could not understand why we did not push forward and score 4 or 5. He reckoned they were there for the taking.
UTB

They were, but we just didn't have it in us. We had neither the energy nor the personnel to turn the screw.

 

[Bladesman]

Well I enjoyed it very much. Lovely meal in platinum suite before game and then my lad got his photo taken with Murphy and the beard afterwards. Brayford was man of the match with the sponsors.

Brayford was saying during the week the beard might come off! He does have to mess about dyeing it so don't be shocked to it suddenly go.

Hopefully his magical powers don't go if he does shave it off.

 

[Northyorksblade]

It's funny, when Clough came and the Derby fans were saying he plays very defensively, I was a bit concerned. I haven't seen it like that. Because we so often hit on the break, we have seemed much more offensive, certainly more so than under Weir. I'm just hoping that our expectation for next season are justified and it doesn't just fizzle out like Wilson's second season.

 

[wizadry]

All I'd say, re the original post, is that since January, win lose or draw, I've enjoyed watching the mighty Blades more than at any time in the recent past, except perhaps during Wilson's first season. I understand where the original poster is coming from, but I have to say that the biggest plus for me, with Sir Nigel, is that we are WATCHABLE again. Including 0-0s and games we should have won but didn't.

Yeah, we are lacking in certain areas, and everyone (including the Gaffer, who has been much quoted on the subject) knows this. But, in the meantime ...

Solid, well-organised, patient defending, by forwards and midfielders as well as defenders. Tactics that work. Pace, and (most of the time) tempo. Passing. Proper wing play from wingers who have remembered that they are, actually, wingers. Some genuinely accomplished, for this level, attacking on the break. Commitment and desire. Players who seem genuinely proud and happy to play for the club.

In all honesty, what's not to like at the moment ?

This post is true imo and just goes to show what a very very good manager we have
As for the op we have a good manager who wants to win every match as you can tell by his interviews.I think he will ,when he has the tools to work with ,be able to do this in different ways because i think he is quite tactically astute ,even though we havent seen it that much which is down to the players at his disposal
Thats cloughy ,as for me i couldnt give 2 flying f's how we get results as long as we get them,dont get me wrong, if we can do it playing good stuff thats even better ,at the end of the day its a results buisness and always will be

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Youre right Lution,I mean would say Liverpool who are flying at the mo take a one goal home victory against the bottom club in the prem..certainly not ! Oh hang on a bit THEY DID !
Fk me wnkrs !!
Stevenage are fighting for their lives,we have just played our balls out against a decent prem team at Wembley just FIVE days ago !
C'mon ,get real !
Rant Over !
UTB
ps. it was Liverpool 2 Sunderland1,for the uneducated!

Wigan played their balls out against a better Premiership side the day before us and beat a side still fighting for a play-off spot 3-0. Stevenage, until the latter part of the second half, hardly looked like a team fighting for their lives, in fact if I had been one of their supporters I would have been disgusted with the lack of effort shown. Of course we are happy with three points, I don't agree with OP that we have become more drab lately, but we really should have hammered Stevenage.