Deadbat
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The Blades continued their recent upsurge in form as they saw off old foe Neil Warnock at Bramall Lane by securing another clean sheet and another three points to make it seven points out of nine in the last seven days. Goals from Lee Williamson in the first half and then a late clincher from Stephen Quinn confirmed the margin of victory to ensure Kevin Blackwell emerged victorious against his old mentor.
The Blades had to make one change Williamson came in for the suspended Nick Montgomery but otherwise played the same side that were unlucky not to beat Nottingham Forest in the week. Palace fielded in form Darren Ambrose and Victor Moses; with former Blades Shaun Derry and Claude Davis also in the starting line up.
United began the game well with Evans heavily involved with one turn and shot off target and then a shot was deflected onto the foot off the post off Butterfield with Speroni scrambling across his goal. Soon after this Ward was making inroads into the Palace defence but his shot lacked power. United were well on top and Palace had barely made any inroads into the United rearguard. It was no surprise when the Blades took the lead as a neat move saw the ball switched to Quinn whose cross was deflected into the path of WILLIAMSON who sidefooted goalwards. Davis attempted to hack clear but the ball had clearly crossed the line and both the referee and linesman signalled this to start the celebrations for the home side.
After the goal there was no respite in the United pressure. Evans ought to have done better when he attacked Fonte but the defender got a toe on it to clear the danger and then the same man fired over after Ward’s run and cross. Palace had a brief moment of hope when the dangerous Moses rode three challenges but Kilgallon stepped in to avert the danger. Morgan was unfortunate to be booked for a challenge on Lee; especially after the centre forward had committed three fouls previously himself. Former Blade Derry chopped down Williamson in full stride. The midfielder then fired just off target after Morgan had headed down a Quinn free kick.
The Blades had been comfortably in control and maybe should have scored more goals but there was no doubt they deserved their lead at half time. Palace’s leading scorer Ambrose did not return for the second half being replaced by Scannell but it was the home side who continue to dominate the game. A cross from Quinn found Evans but his angled shot was off target. Palace had to make another change as Butterfield clearly had suffered a problem with his hamstring and young Clyne came on at right back. There was no let up in the United pressure as Cresswell was blocked out and then Evans could not combine with Ward as the home side looked for a decisive second goal. Danns was the next player in the book as he clumsily scythed down Walker in full stride.
Sears came on for Ertl but Palace were making little inroads save for the occasional burst from Moses or the threat from set plays; usually in the hands of Scannell from a long throw. Indeed United’s domination should have been rewarded as they were somehow not awarded a penalty when Hill clearly handled Ward’s cross. Walker was then too quick for another Palace player as Hill was this time penalised and then booked for a very late tackle with the crowd baying for a red card. Walker was able to recover after treatment and darted down the flank but his powerful shot went over the angle of bar and post. Palace had a rare chance but Danns was off target with a long range effort.
Stewart replaced the hard working Evans as United seeked to solidify the middle of the field but had another chance when Ward worked an opening but his shot was straight at Speroni as the diminutive forward fell to the ground and needed treatment after the subsequent challenge. Ward came off for Camara not long after as the referee then signalled an additional five minutes of stoppage time. United were able to confirm the victory though in stoppage time as with Palace putting men forward; United broke and had men over. Cresswell slipped the ball across and Camara left it for QUINN. The midfielder took a touch and drilled in a fierce angled drive that gave Speroni no chance. The whole of the Blades team celebrated with the Irishman as it was certain his goal had guaranteed the three points. The only thing that remained was Neil Warnock showing the Kop the score with his fingers as they had requested with their chant: ‘Warnock, Warnock, what’s the score?’. The final whistle came not long after and the United fans could celebrate the final home game before Christmas with three points.
United – We carried on the improved second half performance against Forest and whilst we were not superb; we were far superior to Palace and basically did enough to win with a good solid professional performance. Our defence was sound and well organised once again and we restricted another side to barely a chance; repeating what we had done on Tuesday. That is now three clan sheets and whilst we may not be ripping teams apart, we are clearly seem to be getting back to the standards of last season. The midfield won the battle and whilst the final ball could sometimes have been better and maybe we did not create lots of chances; we still created enough and had enough of the ball in the final third to probably have scored more goals. 2-0 on reflection was a pretty honest reflection of the game. Up front Cresswell and Evans may have not been massive goal threats but they worked hard and allowed chances and opportunities for other players.
Things have improved in the last two performances and as I say whilst it has not been scintillating stuff; we have barely conceded a chance against two top half teams and looked in complete control in both games. With Monty and Henderson back and Naysmith knocking on the door; hopefully we can pick up some points on the road and stay in contention for the top 6 but it will be tougher at QPR and Leicester than Bristol and Plymouth. The key is maintaining the defensive improvements and remaining solid and organised. Sure, this may not be an exciting objective but it is the philosophy that took us to third last year and has been key in our recent improvements.
Palace – Just like Forest in the week; I expected more from a side who had been high scoring in their previous contest. In reality they were really poor. They barely made our keeper make a save, had little chances on target and were noted more for their cynical approach to the game than any kind of football they played. Of course they are going through a difficult time and Warnock has done well with all their financial issues to get them around the top half but like us their form has been mixed. However, they have still thumped some teams. Moses is a talented player but Ambrose never got going today. Warnock said a lot of his players had been sick but it seemed like typical Warnock excuses! At least he admitted that his team were lucky to only get beat 2-0.
Palace do have a mixture of the aforementioned talent along with others like Scannell and Sears also good young players. Some of their players are of course just workmanlike like Hill, Derry and Davis. Some would use a different word to describe those players. Derry and Hill got booked at the Lane as they do most years with the latter lucky to stay on the pitch for a disgraceful tackle on Walker. Lee also was all arms and elbows without actually wanting to play the ball much. I see Palace as a team that will probably finish middle of the league; they have too much experience coupled with a few good youngsters to struggle but probably not enough consistency/depth to contend for the playoffs and all the troubles off the field does not help. Speaking to a Palace fan before the game and it seems Jordan simply wants out which means Warnock will not have any chance to build on the squad but inversely will have to sell players and the likes of Moses, Scannell and maybe Ambrose will not be around. Warnock actually does a really good job with what he has at his disposal. Compare our squad to theirs and we should be well ahead of them in the league.
Bunn 7/10 – Like in the week he had little to do. Took a few crosses and tried to distribute the ball quickly when he could but in terms of actual saves I cannot recall one he had to make. Credit the defence for this.
Walker 7.5/10 – Just looked head and shoulders above most on the park for much of the game. At times he maybe tries to do too much in the defensive areas but going forward he is so dynamic and two Palace defenders got booked due to not realising how quick and powerful he is. The greatest compliment I can pay him is that whenever the ball goes near him I either think we will snuff out danger if he is defending or if he is attacking then we may create a chance.
Taylor 7/10 – Same as Tuesday really in that he did most of the defensive things well and generally cleared the danger and read the game well; including one or two excellent interceptions. One minus is once again that on a few occasions he lost his position or man and had to rely in other defenders. I think with good coaching and games he could make a decent left back.
Morgan 7/10 – Solid enough. Harshly booked when Lee had fouled him three times before but did not let this affect him and still won numerous headers and challenges after this. Felt Lee’s impact lessened as the game went on and along with the rest of the defence we limited Palace completely.
Kilgallon 7/10 – As with Morgan; he defended solidify faced with little real pressure. Moses had a decent spell in the first half and was floating around causing problems from a number of different areas but noticed that Killa was very tight to him second half and he had no absolutely no impact.
Williamson 7.5/10 – Good performance. He got forward and scored a goal and looked bright and energetic. Gets his foot in and has a bit of composure on the ball. Looks a good addition and with the recent criticism of some of Blackwell’s signings; this one deserves some praise. When he gets more games and match fitness under his belt will be a key man I feel.
Harper 7/10 – Thought as he showed on Tuesday it was an improved performance and he despite still needing to show greater fitness and stamina; his actual retention of the ball when he gets it has been much better. My biggest gripe is still that he does not get involved enough and maybe his lack of stamina affects this but he did not give the ball away and kept it nice and simple.
Quinn 8/10 – Really improved immeasurably in the last two games and continued on his second half against Forest. Today he showed an all action, workmanlike and intelligent performance. Like Tuesday night he was involved in most of the good things we did and assisted on the goal and then scored the second goal with a well taken finish. He does seem better wide left than in the centre but recently he had just used ball well and took his time more and thought about things. When he plays like he had today he is a real asset
Ward 7/10 – Some dangerous runs and efforts on goal and some excellent through balls that should have led to openings. At times I thought his final ball/corners should have been better though and still do not think he is quite at standards he set earlier in season when he was positively on fire before his injury.
Cresswell 7/10 – Not lacking in effort but the ball did not really stick to him in the same way it does when Henderson plays. Kept battling away though and never gave Palace defenders a moment. Did think him and Evans were too far away from each other though.
Evans 7/10 – An improved performance even if it was just for a massive improvement in work rate. Today he definitely put a shift in and showed some lovely touches and a nice range of passes/crosses. The kid clearly has talent and his touch is good and I think maybe if he does get a goal then he may go on a run. Today was a start of hopefully better things to come in terms of overall contribution to the team performance.
Subs –
Stewart –Got forward a few times but his touch let him down after his good initial work had worked a few possible openings.
Camara – Only came on for the final few moments and did not get that involved much.
Referee – I do not think he had the best of games. He was very inconsistent with the stoppage rule; sometimes letting play go on, sometimes stopping immediately and others not at all. The weird thing is for the 3 or 4 stoppages he did this they were all head injuries so it is not as if there was any chance for confusion. The game should have stopped straightaway. His overall refereeing was up and down and I felt he booked some players too quickly and others got away with bad challenges. I actually think Palace were quite dirty at times and if a man went past a United player they often just brought them down. The referee seemed to want to let things flow but at times needed to penalise cynical play more. The linesman on the South Stand side had a nightmare and seemed unable to get a decision right both ways. He had a spell where no one knew what he would give. The handball by Hill also looked obvious and he was only a matter of yards away. It got to the stage where ironic cheers started to take place when he finally got decisions right.
Crowd/Atmosphere – Palace only brought around 500 fans and the atmosphere in the ground was a bit flat for much of the game but of course Wednesday’s recent plight brought some cheer as did the goal in the first half. It seemed like that even though United were the better side and on control there was a bit of nervousness as Palace could always have pinched a goal from a set play. The second goal was met with a huge roar as it meant the game was over. I think the Blades fans in general appreciated an improved performance and the fact we tried to get it down and play it seemed to warm the crowd who appreciated what the team were trying to do.
The Blades had to make one change Williamson came in for the suspended Nick Montgomery but otherwise played the same side that were unlucky not to beat Nottingham Forest in the week. Palace fielded in form Darren Ambrose and Victor Moses; with former Blades Shaun Derry and Claude Davis also in the starting line up.
United began the game well with Evans heavily involved with one turn and shot off target and then a shot was deflected onto the foot off the post off Butterfield with Speroni scrambling across his goal. Soon after this Ward was making inroads into the Palace defence but his shot lacked power. United were well on top and Palace had barely made any inroads into the United rearguard. It was no surprise when the Blades took the lead as a neat move saw the ball switched to Quinn whose cross was deflected into the path of WILLIAMSON who sidefooted goalwards. Davis attempted to hack clear but the ball had clearly crossed the line and both the referee and linesman signalled this to start the celebrations for the home side.
After the goal there was no respite in the United pressure. Evans ought to have done better when he attacked Fonte but the defender got a toe on it to clear the danger and then the same man fired over after Ward’s run and cross. Palace had a brief moment of hope when the dangerous Moses rode three challenges but Kilgallon stepped in to avert the danger. Morgan was unfortunate to be booked for a challenge on Lee; especially after the centre forward had committed three fouls previously himself. Former Blade Derry chopped down Williamson in full stride. The midfielder then fired just off target after Morgan had headed down a Quinn free kick.
The Blades had been comfortably in control and maybe should have scored more goals but there was no doubt they deserved their lead at half time. Palace’s leading scorer Ambrose did not return for the second half being replaced by Scannell but it was the home side who continue to dominate the game. A cross from Quinn found Evans but his angled shot was off target. Palace had to make another change as Butterfield clearly had suffered a problem with his hamstring and young Clyne came on at right back. There was no let up in the United pressure as Cresswell was blocked out and then Evans could not combine with Ward as the home side looked for a decisive second goal. Danns was the next player in the book as he clumsily scythed down Walker in full stride.
Sears came on for Ertl but Palace were making little inroads save for the occasional burst from Moses or the threat from set plays; usually in the hands of Scannell from a long throw. Indeed United’s domination should have been rewarded as they were somehow not awarded a penalty when Hill clearly handled Ward’s cross. Walker was then too quick for another Palace player as Hill was this time penalised and then booked for a very late tackle with the crowd baying for a red card. Walker was able to recover after treatment and darted down the flank but his powerful shot went over the angle of bar and post. Palace had a rare chance but Danns was off target with a long range effort.
Stewart replaced the hard working Evans as United seeked to solidify the middle of the field but had another chance when Ward worked an opening but his shot was straight at Speroni as the diminutive forward fell to the ground and needed treatment after the subsequent challenge. Ward came off for Camara not long after as the referee then signalled an additional five minutes of stoppage time. United were able to confirm the victory though in stoppage time as with Palace putting men forward; United broke and had men over. Cresswell slipped the ball across and Camara left it for QUINN. The midfielder took a touch and drilled in a fierce angled drive that gave Speroni no chance. The whole of the Blades team celebrated with the Irishman as it was certain his goal had guaranteed the three points. The only thing that remained was Neil Warnock showing the Kop the score with his fingers as they had requested with their chant: ‘Warnock, Warnock, what’s the score?’. The final whistle came not long after and the United fans could celebrate the final home game before Christmas with three points.
United – We carried on the improved second half performance against Forest and whilst we were not superb; we were far superior to Palace and basically did enough to win with a good solid professional performance. Our defence was sound and well organised once again and we restricted another side to barely a chance; repeating what we had done on Tuesday. That is now three clan sheets and whilst we may not be ripping teams apart, we are clearly seem to be getting back to the standards of last season. The midfield won the battle and whilst the final ball could sometimes have been better and maybe we did not create lots of chances; we still created enough and had enough of the ball in the final third to probably have scored more goals. 2-0 on reflection was a pretty honest reflection of the game. Up front Cresswell and Evans may have not been massive goal threats but they worked hard and allowed chances and opportunities for other players.
Things have improved in the last two performances and as I say whilst it has not been scintillating stuff; we have barely conceded a chance against two top half teams and looked in complete control in both games. With Monty and Henderson back and Naysmith knocking on the door; hopefully we can pick up some points on the road and stay in contention for the top 6 but it will be tougher at QPR and Leicester than Bristol and Plymouth. The key is maintaining the defensive improvements and remaining solid and organised. Sure, this may not be an exciting objective but it is the philosophy that took us to third last year and has been key in our recent improvements.
Palace – Just like Forest in the week; I expected more from a side who had been high scoring in their previous contest. In reality they were really poor. They barely made our keeper make a save, had little chances on target and were noted more for their cynical approach to the game than any kind of football they played. Of course they are going through a difficult time and Warnock has done well with all their financial issues to get them around the top half but like us their form has been mixed. However, they have still thumped some teams. Moses is a talented player but Ambrose never got going today. Warnock said a lot of his players had been sick but it seemed like typical Warnock excuses! At least he admitted that his team were lucky to only get beat 2-0.
Palace do have a mixture of the aforementioned talent along with others like Scannell and Sears also good young players. Some of their players are of course just workmanlike like Hill, Derry and Davis. Some would use a different word to describe those players. Derry and Hill got booked at the Lane as they do most years with the latter lucky to stay on the pitch for a disgraceful tackle on Walker. Lee also was all arms and elbows without actually wanting to play the ball much. I see Palace as a team that will probably finish middle of the league; they have too much experience coupled with a few good youngsters to struggle but probably not enough consistency/depth to contend for the playoffs and all the troubles off the field does not help. Speaking to a Palace fan before the game and it seems Jordan simply wants out which means Warnock will not have any chance to build on the squad but inversely will have to sell players and the likes of Moses, Scannell and maybe Ambrose will not be around. Warnock actually does a really good job with what he has at his disposal. Compare our squad to theirs and we should be well ahead of them in the league.
Bunn 7/10 – Like in the week he had little to do. Took a few crosses and tried to distribute the ball quickly when he could but in terms of actual saves I cannot recall one he had to make. Credit the defence for this.
Walker 7.5/10 – Just looked head and shoulders above most on the park for much of the game. At times he maybe tries to do too much in the defensive areas but going forward he is so dynamic and two Palace defenders got booked due to not realising how quick and powerful he is. The greatest compliment I can pay him is that whenever the ball goes near him I either think we will snuff out danger if he is defending or if he is attacking then we may create a chance.
Taylor 7/10 – Same as Tuesday really in that he did most of the defensive things well and generally cleared the danger and read the game well; including one or two excellent interceptions. One minus is once again that on a few occasions he lost his position or man and had to rely in other defenders. I think with good coaching and games he could make a decent left back.
Morgan 7/10 – Solid enough. Harshly booked when Lee had fouled him three times before but did not let this affect him and still won numerous headers and challenges after this. Felt Lee’s impact lessened as the game went on and along with the rest of the defence we limited Palace completely.
Kilgallon 7/10 – As with Morgan; he defended solidify faced with little real pressure. Moses had a decent spell in the first half and was floating around causing problems from a number of different areas but noticed that Killa was very tight to him second half and he had no absolutely no impact.
Williamson 7.5/10 – Good performance. He got forward and scored a goal and looked bright and energetic. Gets his foot in and has a bit of composure on the ball. Looks a good addition and with the recent criticism of some of Blackwell’s signings; this one deserves some praise. When he gets more games and match fitness under his belt will be a key man I feel.
Harper 7/10 – Thought as he showed on Tuesday it was an improved performance and he despite still needing to show greater fitness and stamina; his actual retention of the ball when he gets it has been much better. My biggest gripe is still that he does not get involved enough and maybe his lack of stamina affects this but he did not give the ball away and kept it nice and simple.
Quinn 8/10 – Really improved immeasurably in the last two games and continued on his second half against Forest. Today he showed an all action, workmanlike and intelligent performance. Like Tuesday night he was involved in most of the good things we did and assisted on the goal and then scored the second goal with a well taken finish. He does seem better wide left than in the centre but recently he had just used ball well and took his time more and thought about things. When he plays like he had today he is a real asset
Ward 7/10 – Some dangerous runs and efforts on goal and some excellent through balls that should have led to openings. At times I thought his final ball/corners should have been better though and still do not think he is quite at standards he set earlier in season when he was positively on fire before his injury.
Cresswell 7/10 – Not lacking in effort but the ball did not really stick to him in the same way it does when Henderson plays. Kept battling away though and never gave Palace defenders a moment. Did think him and Evans were too far away from each other though.
Evans 7/10 – An improved performance even if it was just for a massive improvement in work rate. Today he definitely put a shift in and showed some lovely touches and a nice range of passes/crosses. The kid clearly has talent and his touch is good and I think maybe if he does get a goal then he may go on a run. Today was a start of hopefully better things to come in terms of overall contribution to the team performance.
Subs –
Stewart –Got forward a few times but his touch let him down after his good initial work had worked a few possible openings.
Camara – Only came on for the final few moments and did not get that involved much.
Referee – I do not think he had the best of games. He was very inconsistent with the stoppage rule; sometimes letting play go on, sometimes stopping immediately and others not at all. The weird thing is for the 3 or 4 stoppages he did this they were all head injuries so it is not as if there was any chance for confusion. The game should have stopped straightaway. His overall refereeing was up and down and I felt he booked some players too quickly and others got away with bad challenges. I actually think Palace were quite dirty at times and if a man went past a United player they often just brought them down. The referee seemed to want to let things flow but at times needed to penalise cynical play more. The linesman on the South Stand side had a nightmare and seemed unable to get a decision right both ways. He had a spell where no one knew what he would give. The handball by Hill also looked obvious and he was only a matter of yards away. It got to the stage where ironic cheers started to take place when he finally got decisions right.
Crowd/Atmosphere – Palace only brought around 500 fans and the atmosphere in the ground was a bit flat for much of the game but of course Wednesday’s recent plight brought some cheer as did the goal in the first half. It seemed like that even though United were the better side and on control there was a bit of nervousness as Palace could always have pinched a goal from a set play. The second goal was met with a huge roar as it meant the game was over. I think the Blades fans in general appreciated an improved performance and the fact we tried to get it down and play it seemed to warm the crowd who appreciated what the team were trying to do.
