Big Men turn up for Big Games

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

Last time we coined this phrase and is it ever been truer!!

Looking at yesterday's performance there wasn't much evidence of 'Big men' turning up!

Hecky and the Senior Pros need to turn the psychological emphasis now we're getting to the business end of things.

*I wonder if the Senior pro's who got us over the line last time have the same motivation? The likes of Basham, Sharp, Baldock, Stevens, Egan must know if we get promoted they won't be retained...

 

[BrayfordsBushyBeard]

Egan won’t be retained ????!! I 100% beg to differ would also bet Baldock will too !!
As ever UTB !!

 

[LS16Blade]

The way that they pretty much chucked it in after Marriner assisted Middlesbrough’s third goal, was worrying. There was another 21 minutes played after that goal - plenty of time to pull it back - but United played it out as if they couldn’t wait to get off the pitch. Ordinarily, the injustice felt at the referee’s intervention should have fired them up.

Then we saw the inept first-half against Millwall, and now the post half-time fade out yesterday. On both occasions, the introduction of one or both of the Man City lads helped to turn the tide back in our favour, but a lot of the mainstays have been showing the weak attitude that took hold in the relegation season whenever the opposition scored, rather than the fight they had in the promotion campaign. Perhaps the scars of that 20/21 season are too deep.

Our rivals started gobbing off about our run of fixtures through February and March, more in hope than expectation but unlike when Leeds did something similar about us in 2018/19, this time it appears that the management and players have allowed it to get into their heads. The management of this run of games has been poor.

Now we have a crucial game at Reading. Win this and a 7 point lead to take into the final 11 fixtures should be sufficient for us to get the job done.

We should not be approaching this fixture worrying about rubbish like, ‘Reading are good at home’ or ‘Reading will be a wounded animal’. We saw them at the Lane when they were top of the league and they were utter rubbish. Now they‘re in the bottom half of the table and have just been bounced 5-0. Add to that, they have a EFL sanctions hanging over them and are seemingly a club in turmoil.

We should be relishing the opportunity to re-establish a very healthy lead over the pack.

 

[Large Mendonca]

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^**

 

[Bell4]

The way that they pretty much chucked it in after Marriner assisted Middlesbrough’s third goal, was worrying. There was another 21 minutes played after that goal - plenty of time to pull it back - but United played it out as if they couldn’t wait to get off the pitch. Ordinarily, the injustice felt at the referee’s intervention should have fired them up.

Then we saw the inept first-half against Millwall, and now the post half-time fade out yesterday. On both occasions, the introduction of one or both of the Man City lads helped to turn the tide back in our favour, but a lot of the mainstays have been showing the weak attitude that took hold in the relegation season whenever the opposition scored, rather than the fight they had in the promotion campaign. Perhaps the scars of that 20/21 season are too deep.

Our rivals started gobbing off about our run of fixtures through February and March, more in hope than expectation but unlike when Leeds did something similar about us in 2018/19, this time it appears that the management and players have allowed it to get into their heads. The management of this run of games has been poor.

Now we have a crucial game at Reading. Win this and a 7 point lead to take into the final 11 fixtures should be sufficient for us to get the job done.

We should not be approaching this fixture worrying about rubbish like, ‘Reading are good at home’ or ‘Reading will be a wounded animal’. We saw them at the Lane when they were top of the league and they were utter rubbish. Now they‘re in the bottom half of the table and have just been bounced 5-0. Add to that, they have a EFL sanctions hanging over them and are seemingly a club in turmoil.

We should be relishing the opportunity to re-establish a very healthy lead over the pack.

Spot on

 

[Snowflake]

Last time we coined this phrase and is it ever been truer!!

Looking at yesterday's performance there wasn't much evidence of 'Big men' turning up!

Hecky and the Senior Pros need to turn the psychological emphasis now we're getting to the business end of things.

*I wonder if the Senior pro's who got us over the line last time have the same motivation? The likes of Basham, Sharp, Baldock, Stevens, Egan must know if we get promoted they won't be retained...

...but they will pocket a good bonus and have another promotion on their cv.
They might not be retained if we don’t go up.

 

[mancunianblade]

I don’t see billy getting let go. He may not have the mega required to do 90 minutes but if we went up and we were in front with 10 to go then there isn’t anyone better to bring on.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Last time we coined this phrase and is it ever been truer!!

Looking at yesterday's performance there wasn't much evidence of 'Big men' turning up!

Hecky and the Senior Pros need to turn the psychological emphasis now we're getting to the business end of things.

*I wonder if the Senior pro's who got us over the line last time have the same motivation? The likes of Basham, Sharp, Baldock, Stevens, Egan must know if we get promoted they won't be retained...

Always had the impression that psychology, character, experience is one of our big strengths.

Arent’t all our remaining games this season NOW massive games.
So are we are expected to perform well giving 100% every minute of every game?

It was only last week where Boro failed to turn up against WBA, does that mean they don’t have the right attitude either?
Performing well in a league is all about consistency. We were decent in the 1st half but for some reason didn’t perform in the 2nd half.
Every single team has off days, you just need to ensure these don’t happen too often.

Makes me wonder if it’s because our midfield doesn’t function as a midfield much these days.
We by pass midfield and play as a counter attacking side.

Yesterday in the 1st half it was Blackburn sitting back doing the defending and counter attacking on us.t
We always seem to struggle when our defense are upfield and teams hit us on the break with fast direct attacks.

 

[nopigfansintown]

Tactically we keep getting done because our high press doesn't work. We meed to go to a mid or low block. Again and again 4-6 Blades are taken out of the game because we don't pressure the team playing out well enough. It's far more risk than reward right now. The drop off since October has been shocking. I don't know if it's fitness, desire or organisation but it's very easy to.play through our press and be in on the backline or behind our wingbacks. It's easy to criticise them but it's a difficult job for any defense.

Get some legs up top (Jebbison) if he's anything like so we can stretch the pitch. This makes teams pay for their own press. Oli and Ndiaye rarely run in behind which makes us predictable and the opponent's high line doesn't get punished.

Once again we were neutralised when Norwood was man marked. Very few pings again as Norwood couldn't receive the ball in space. Hecky has to find a solution for this. Earlier in the season Berge was dropping in, receiving, breaking the opponents high line/press before Norwood eventually received the ball in space further in the move. Most teams scrapped it then as it was a pointless endeavour.

Defensive minded players are at a premium at the minute. It feels to me that we've lacked the likes of RND, Baldock, Stevens, a fit Fleck. Players that naturally like a tackle and to be aggressive. A team can have too many nice ball players and get bullied.As soon as our footballing superiority isn't evident (Norwood is man marked) and games turn into a bit of a scrap we struggle.. It has to be drilled into these players that we have to outrun, outfight and outbattle the opponent.

 

[Greystones Blade]

Last time we coined this phrase and is it ever been truer!!

Looking at yesterday's performance there wasn't much evidence of 'Big men' turning up!

Hecky and the Senior Pros need to turn the psychological emphasis now we're getting to the business end of things.

*I wonder if the Senior pro's who got us over the line last time have the same motivation? The likes of Basham, Sharp, Baldock, Stevens, Egan must know if we get promoted they won't be retained...

And conversely it might be the last time they get a chance to get to a cup final. I’m in my seventies and I’d love them to get to a cup final. As I see it the big pluses of getting promoted to the PL is that we get to keep N’Diaye for a while longer and we might get a new training centre that will stand us in good stead for the future.

 

[CaptainMorgans]

I don’t see billy getting let go. He may not have the mega required to do 90 minutes but if we went up and we were in front with 10 to go then there isn’t anyone better to bring on.

Really?

I love Billy for what he's done... but he hasn't been the super-sub you describe this season. I struggle to remember a single game that he's positively effected from the bench.

Last season he did some of what you describe: backing into defenders, winning fouls, running the channels, helping us hold onto a lead... this season, he looks a yard behind the play and the new refereeing directives mean he rarely gets those cheap free kicks.

If you're after a goal or chasing something, he's no longer the go-to guy.
Either we're not playing to his strengths anymore or his strengths have waned. Probably both. Even his finishing has declined.

If Sharp's getting a lot of minutes next season, things will have gone badly wrong here.

I've got huge respect for what he's done... but personally, I think Jebbison should be ahead of him on the bench (if it's one or the other).
He brings a different dimension with his physical attributes.