If you're wondering what on earth I'm referring to, which you probably are, because of the ridiculously vague and clickbaity title (sorry, first thread I think, forgive me), I present a stat which seems to me similarly ridiculous (but quite brilliant):
It's been 407 days since Sheffield United last lost a competitive match by more than 1 goal. In that time-frame, in all competitions, we have lost 13 games (not a lot), and all of them by a single goal deficit (excepting one defeat to Hull, which went to penalties).
Obviously most of those games were in the Championship rather than Premier League, and we didn't lose too many games last season full-stop. But given our commitment to playing full-blooded, overload-happy, front-foot football (while being more defensively focused when we have to be, especially since January, more especially this season), and given Wilder's willingness to throw on 3 strikers and give everything to get back into a game when we are losing (including today, against the Champions League holders), I think that's pretty incredible.
Before the start of the season, I think most of us were reasonably confident (or at least hopeful) that we'd either stay up or be very close to staying up, but we probably also expected, given the quality of the Premier League as a whole and the excellence of some of the teams at the top, that there would be a few thumpings along the way. And there still might be, sure, there's a long way to go, and some great teams still to play.
But I think we've already demonstrated that we're unlikely to get thumped anywhere near as often as most football fans (and pundits...) would have predicted of us (or any newly-promoted side, for that matter) at the start of the season. We will lose our fair share, I think that's inevitable for a first season back at this level, but we'll give the vast majority of teams a test, and give a lot of them a scare at the very least, should we continue to adapt like we have done so far and continue to approach games like we did today. I've seen a lot of Liverpool fans saying it was their toughest PL game for a long time, and I think that's a great sign that we won't be losing (m)any matches this season without a fight.
It's been 407 days since Sheffield United last lost a competitive match by more than 1 goal. In that time-frame, in all competitions, we have lost 13 games (not a lot), and all of them by a single goal deficit (excepting one defeat to Hull, which went to penalties).
Obviously most of those games were in the Championship rather than Premier League, and we didn't lose too many games last season full-stop. But given our commitment to playing full-blooded, overload-happy, front-foot football (while being more defensively focused when we have to be, especially since January, more especially this season), and given Wilder's willingness to throw on 3 strikers and give everything to get back into a game when we are losing (including today, against the Champions League holders), I think that's pretty incredible.
Before the start of the season, I think most of us were reasonably confident (or at least hopeful) that we'd either stay up or be very close to staying up, but we probably also expected, given the quality of the Premier League as a whole and the excellence of some of the teams at the top, that there would be a few thumpings along the way. And there still might be, sure, there's a long way to go, and some great teams still to play.
But I think we've already demonstrated that we're unlikely to get thumped anywhere near as often as most football fans (and pundits...) would have predicted of us (or any newly-promoted side, for that matter) at the start of the season. We will lose our fair share, I think that's inevitable for a first season back at this level, but we'll give the vast majority of teams a test, and give a lot of them a scare at the very least, should we continue to adapt like we have done so far and continue to approach games like we did today. I've seen a lot of Liverpool fans saying it was their toughest PL game for a long time, and I think that's a great sign that we won't be losing (m)any matches this season without a fight.
