Blackwell is a bad manager, and should be sacked.

[Deleted member 1466]

Playing long ball is an incorrect way of playing football.

Have you ever seen a great long ball team?

no.

Because all the greatest teams ever have been great movers of the ball on the floor

This then brings the question, why would you chose to try and play a different way to the way that has been proved the best way during the history of the game?

Take the best club side and best international sides in the world right now

Barcelona and Spain, they keep the ball, they move it around on the floor, they wait for the chances to develop. They dont just kick it long and hope for the best.

This is the correct way of playing football, and it is what the coaches and management at united should be trying to develop in the team.

Now obviously we will never get it to the standard of the above teams, but blackwells complete disrespect to how the game should be played is worth his sacking alone in my opinion.

Where is the common sense in getting certian players in, to play a style of football, that goes against the way of playing football that has been proved most effective.

This is what makes Blackwell no better than your average sunday league manager! And it is why we will never go anywhere under him!

Either he should be sacked for his disregard of the proven correct way of playing, thinking he knows better.

or

He should be sacked because he doesn't have the ability to at least attempt to get a team to play football the right way.

Take your pick.

 

[SotonBlade]

Is it me or is there and increasing amount of threads being posted that basically attack the club rather than create debate?

 

[Deleted member 1466]

Make it a debate, tell me what i have said that is wrong

 

[Deleted member 1466]

and its not just blackwell, any manager that choses to get the players for and to play the long ball is either a bad or lazy manager.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Players range in ability from the truly brilliant....Pele, Maradona, Best, Cruyff (Johann, not his son)...through to truly inept....take your pick, there are thousands.

At any one time the number of truly brilliant is limited, so only the rich and best can afford to buy them. That is why Barcelona et al play fantastic, silky football. Other clubs have to buy and acquire according to their ability to pay. To play fast-flowing, one touch, on the floor football with players of limited ability is difficult if not impossible. The players don't have the ability to do it successfully, so you have to make the best of what you have. As the saying goes, you can't make a silk purse out of Mrs Laws ear.

 

[Autumn]

I agree with you SEB, but Blackwell isn't playing to some of his players abilitys, while attacking the club is looking like a day in day out thing, things need changing somehow, but the question I ponder is this...is blackwell the man to change things? Can he adapt to the things that need changing foremost too.

 

[Come from away]

In the Championship winning football is most often very direct, most teams do not play pretty football. It's about getting the ball into the last third of the field and then having a go. England passed the ball in circles against Spain and got nowhere. Fans expect instant attacks. I've seen all our current top championship teams and they do play direct cause it's what works.

 

[The One]

The first error there is that we are Sheffield United.....not Barcelona or Spain.

Our whole team is probably the same price as a single player of theirs.

Yes, I hate the long ball and want us to change.

But if it does, it's not gonna happen over night.

 

[keenzy]

There is no right or wrong way to play football. You play what suits the players be it long ball or passing.

Long ball got us promoted, but the players have changed and a new style is needed for this set.

 

[SotonBlade]

I really don't know what the solution is.

Blackwell did a good job of playing the right way at the end of last season, it's really quite strange why we have resulted to long ball this season when we do have the players capable of playing on the deck!

 

[Alwood]

The annoying thing is that when he was appointed last year we did play attacking, fluent (well fluent for us) football and we won matches. This year we do not play it even though we have the players capable of playing this type of football. We continually have two ex-Prem players warming the bench until one gets the last ten minutes and shows what he is capable of and we have Cotterill who can't even get 10 minutes. We really need to take some risks - they may not come off, but, who knows, they might. I've watched the Blades for 50 years and can understand the frustration with most of the fans. I listened to P & G on the way back from the match last Saturday and actually swore at the radio when Blackwell started blaming the fans for the poor showing. Let's hope we get something against Hull and kick 0n from there.

 

[Come from away]

The annoying thing is that when he was appointed last year we did play attacking, fluent (well fluent for us) football and we won matches.

"Well fluent for us" I think this is one of the most sensible thoughts I have seen of late. We can play better but within the limits of our players, what the opposition tactics permit etc. Even then, it is still championship football. Football I enjoy as I do the fact that we are winning more than losing and there's no reason to believe it will not continue.

 

[Vistoma]

"Well fluent for us" I think this is one of the most sensible thoughts I have seen of late. We can play better but within the limits of our players, what the opposition tactics permit etc. Even then, it is still championship football. Football I enjoy as I do the fact that we are winning more than losing and there's no reason to believe it will not continue.

I agree, but just for the sake of debate, surely Blackwell should know the limits of his team, therefore I would suggest, that he should know that winning high balls against a 6' plus defender is outside the limits of a 5'5" forward?

 

[happyhippy]

Playing long ball is an incorrect way of playing football.

Have you ever seen a great long ball team?

no.

Yes. Various Italian and (West) German national sides have employed the long ball to great effect. I'm yet to see a German national side which isn't direct.

It also didn't do Arsenal a lot of harm up to Wenger's appointment as well.

It doesn't look easy on the eye by any stretch of the imagination, but done properly (and with a Plan 'B', at the very least) it can be extremely effective.

Because all the greatest teams ever have been great movers of the ball on the floor

This then brings the question, why would you chose to try and play a different way to the way that has been proved the best way during the history of the game?

That's like asking "Why aren't all chess players like Garry Kasparov?", or "Why aren't all basketball teams like the Harlem Globetrotters?". We can't all do it.

Take the best club side and best international sides in the world right now

Barcelona and Spain, they keep the ball, they move it around on the floor, they wait for the chances to develop. They dont just kick it long and hope for the best.

This is the correct way of playing football, and it is what the coaches and management at united should be trying to develop in the team.

Now obviously we will never get it to the standard of the above teams, but blackwells complete disrespect to how the game should be played is worth his sacking alone in my opinion.

Where is the common sense in getting certian players in, to play a style of football, that goes against the way of playing football that has been proved most effective.

Tell me how many major trophies Crewe have won.

This is what makes Blackwell no better than your average sunday league manager! And it is why we will never go anywhere under him!

Not wholly convinced you're wrong about our potential progression under Blackie, but I'm also not convinced that the style of play is the whole cause. I'm more worried that he's not getting the best out of the players we have, no matter what style we use.

Either he should be sacked for his disregard of the proven correct way of playing, thinking he knows better.

or

He should be sacked because he doesn't have the ability to at least attempt to get a team to play football the right way.

Take your pick.

Arsenal's trophy cabinet vs Crewe's. I'd rather we played beautiful, flowing, attacking football, but I'd prefer even more to win 1-0 in an ugly way, than lose 5-1 but with silky skills.

As I say, I'm more worried that our players aren't performing to a level we know that they can achieve.

 

[happyhippy]

I agree, but just for the sake of debate, surely Blackwell should know the limits of his team, therefore I would suggest, that he should know that winning high balls against a 6' plus defender is outside the limits of a 5'5" forward?

That is a very good point, my friend, and one which quite a few of us have thought too.

 

[rachyblade]

I am begining to think it is a lack of confidence within the team, long ball is the easy option, you can't get booed for attempting to head a ball and not getting to it. However, if they pass the ball and it goes tits up they get booed for even trying.
Its an easy way out for them, however its back firing now, id prefer to see the odd miss placed pass that constant long ball.

I have a feeling we might see a change on Saturday, Blackwell maybe rubbish but he can't be that stupid, he must see that it is not working and cant work unless you have a big center forward on the pitch.

It's a cup game Saturday, we aint expecting to win it, so lets give them all a clean sheet, including Blackwell and get behind them, try and boost some confidence back into them, get their heads lifted again.

 

[TonyAgana]

I have a feeling we might see a change on Saturday, Blackwell maybe rubbish but he can't be that stupid, he must see that it is not working and cant work unless you have a big center forward on the pitch.

He is a mightily stubborn chap, though. Remember, he know's best, he's a football manager, we're just a bunch of pencil-pushing office donkeys.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

He is a mightily stubborn chap, though. Remember, he know's best, he's a football manager, we're just a bunch of pencil-pushing office donkeys.

Speak for yourself, I'm a pencil-pushing office thoroughbred!

 

[rachyblade]

He is a mightily stubborn chap, though. Remember, he know's best, he's a football manager, we're just a bunch of pencil-pushing office donkeys.

I have broke free from my pencil pushing days.

 

[matth]

Blaming the fans is a complete crock of crap anyway. If the players are scared of passing, because if it goes wrong they'll get booed, why on earth would they hoof it - which leads to greater boos? It's another example of Blackwell spouting utter, buck-passing shit. The man needs to grow a pair of balls and take some fucking responsibility, or he'll see exactly what the fans are like when they're really pissed off.

 

[beightonblade]

He will be.............sacked.....sooner or later !

 

[jodman]

Blaming the fans is a complete crock of crap anyway. If the players are scared of passing, because if it goes wrong they'll get booed, why on earth would they hoof it - which leads to greater boos? It's another example of Blackwell spouting utter, buck-passing shit. The man needs to grow a pair of balls and take some fucking responsibility, or he'll see exactly what the fans are like when they're really pissed off.

Whilst i haven't paid much attention to noise coming out of BDTBL this past week or so i have been given the impression that Blackwell has been careful not to blame the fans.

He has alluded to the fact that the atmosphere isn't helping things but he has said that the players need to learn to live with the expectations of the fans.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

He will be.............sacked.....sooner or later !

No shit Sherlock! 90% are sacked sooner or later, and the rest leave 'by mutual consent' which means they agreed to be sacked

 

[TonyAgana]

No shit Sherlock! 90% are sacked sooner or later, and the rest leave 'by mutual consent' which means they agreed to be sacked

Reminds me of my mate's cleaning lady. He took in a little cake to work for his birthday last year. The cleaning lady asked "is it your birthday?". "Yes" he replied. "Ooh lovely. It's my birthday next year."

Genius.

 

[matth]

Whilst i haven't paid much attention to noise coming out of BDTBL this past week or so i have been given the impression that Blackwell has been careful not to blame the fans.

He has alluded to the fact that the atmosphere isn't helping things but he has said that the players need to learn to live with the expectations of the fans.

That's not the impression I've had, at all.

I don't want him to be sacked - I just want him to pull his finger out and start doing his job properly. If he does alienate the fans though he'll soon see how much they can get on his back.

 

[beightonblade]

chill pills required