Cardiff 2 United 0 - report

[Deadbat]

Not be my most detailed or accurate report (be full of typos/spelling errors) as I am typing this on my phone as do not have my laptop with me. Currently on a three day break in Wales with family and managed to fit the Blades game in miraculously! More on day out later....

As for the game...brief report below

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The Blades were beaten on the road for the second time in a week as Neil Warnock’s table toppers saw off United at the Cardiff City Stadium. United were well beaten in truth as they never got to grips with a strong and powerful Cardiff side. Cardiff hit the bar and missed numerous other chances in a game that was relatively one sided. Cardiff had at least 8 or 9 good chances whilst other than a Sharp effort wide on half time and a late flurry when the game was effectively gone. United were outmuscled and out paced for long spells and looked a side caught in headlights against a strong and well organised Bluebirds side.

Manager Wilder named the same side and subs from the weekend whilst Warnock tweaked his line up with Tomlin making a start up top.

Cardiff began in the ascendancy winning the midfield battle and using Gunnarson’s long throw to create a few half chances. United struggled to keep the ball and Cardiff began well on top with Zohore causing real problems with his height and strength. United were struggling with the pace and power of City who were using Zahore as a focal point but were controlling all aspects of the game. Worryingly United’s highly rated midfield were getting picked off easily and attacks were coming down the centre of the field.

Zahore flicked on and United conceded a corner and then a decent move saw a last ditch tackle from O’ Connell. Fleck then gave it away but Tomlin was blocked out. Mendez Laing then came inside and his cross was cleared. It was one way traffic. United gave it away when they had it and were struggling with the pace of the Cardiff attacks.

A decent move saw the ball poked just wide after smart build up for the home side. Soon after they came again and Zohore was just off target. United could not get a grip in the game and conceded two corrners.
A flurry of yellow cards came with two Cardiff players joining Basham in the book helped United keep the sting out of things.

United had a massive let off when a long range effort ricocheted off the bar as they continued to apply the pressure. United failed to heed the warning and continued to sit back. Another huge let off came again when a routine ball dissected the defence.
Zahore was in the clear from the through ball but one on one he shot wide. It was a bad miss.
In challenging for the through ball Stearman pulled up and was replaced by Jake Wright.
Soon after Basham was lucky to escape a second yellow for a hand ball on half way. United were at full stretch and it seemed a matter of time before they went behind.
The opening goal came as Fleck dithered on half way and this led to a corner being given away. From the kick it was a routine goal as MORRISON powered his header into the net holding off Wright’s challenge. A poor goal to concede but it had been coming.

After this United tried to get a grip but were hardly having a kick although out of nothing they were nearly level. Freeman got forward and put a ball through for Sharp who swivelled and sent his effort goalwards but it was just wide.

The half time whistle was not long after this opportunity.

United knew they had to improve but it was more of the same as Cardiff had three chances in quick succession. Blackman made a smart save, another shot went wide and then after a shot was blocked, the rebound was blazed over. United were still in the game somehow.

Another effort from Zahore went into the side netting. Hoillet then shot wide and a header flicked just over. United could not get into the game and were looking slow and weak all over the field. Numerous occasions the likes of Freeman, Stevens and Basham got brushed off the ball.

The second goal seemed like it was not long away and it came as another give away saw the ball then transferred to MENDEZ LAING who drifted easily past a non descript challenge from Freeman and then curled the ball into the far corner. It was a well taken goal but without even an attempt at a challenge.

Another effort saw Mendez Laing force a save before a rare Coutts effort saw a comfortable save from Etheridge.

Manager Wilder made his first change when Evans came on for Carruthers; a now traditional first change for United. Soon after this Blackman made a stunning save to keep United in it. He repeated his heroics nit long after as more gaps appeared in the United defence.



Brooks was the final throw of the dice coming on for Stevens and we went 4-4-2 with Brooks on the left and O’Connell left back. Brooks got on the ball a few times drifting inside and trying to create things. He linked well with Evans and Sharp but twice decent balls in saw noone ahead of the ball. United were now having more of the ball then they had all night but the scoreboard said 85 minutes and the home side were happy with what they had. The game entered stoppage time and finally United had some decent efforts on goal. Evans forced a stunning save from Etheridge after he had a shot on the turn. The keeper then scurried across to make

The full time whistle came soon after and United fans applauded the Blades players efforts but in truth the fans and team were given a rude awakening of the pace and power that sides at this level possess.

United – After the good start; reality has set in that this division will offer us some problems faced with better players, allied to pace and power.


At Boro, I felt we were second best for long periods and our lack of mobility and pace at both ends showed up. We did better second half but I think we would have been a touch fortunate to get a point. The goal was legitimate but it was an incredibly soft free kick and a blatant dive by O’Connell which everyone seems to forget about. Still it was galling for the goal to be ruled out.

As for today, I felt we were second best from start to finish. We lost 2-0 but in truth if it had finished 4 or 5 it would have been a fairer reflection. They hit the bar, missed a sitter and had numerous other efforts before they scored. Annoyingly the goal could have been avoided as Fleck gave the ball away and then we just got done on a one on one challenge (Wright). Sharp had a half chance but we had been poor. Cardiff were so much faster and more powerful. Our midfield could not get into the game and at the back we could not cope with Zahore. You just felt a goal was inevitable. I hate to say it but we looked scared and it was sideways and backwards. Cardiff did go direct at times and used the long throw but in reality they still moved it around with pace and purpose.


Tonight showed we completely lack power and pace but also man for man Cardiff were simply better. By a long way. It was a worry that players like Basham, Freeman, Fleck, Sharp and Clarke looked so much worse in their one on one battles. It’s hard to say it but we played a side that was better than us individually and collectively. A lot will be made of Clarke and Sharp; both were not in the game but behind them was bigger problems. We have not controlled midfield and loomed susceptible to balls in the air and in the deck against our defence. We have looked brittle through the middle.

 

[Deadbat]

I do not want to panic but the last two games have showed we need to improve. Some of the players need to raise their game. Many have struggled in the first three games. If Brentford had finished we would be sat here with no points as much as that may rankle. I still feel we did not do enough in the summer. Key qualities of pace and power across the spine have not been addressed. We looked powder puff and weak in all these areas. When we had it we gave it away. Evans and Brookes did ok when they came on but the game had gone. Too many lost their battles. What is worrying is Cardiff can bring on a player like Danny Ward who cost couple of million. Bristol City a side who were tipped to struggle spent 8 million on a striker. We are still scrambling around in the half a million to million mark trying to sign Blackburn and Southend players. The board need to properly back Wilder. Today is one game but it was worrying how inferior United were in all aspects of the game. This was not a 2-0 game in reality.

Saturday becomes a big game. I think United have barely laid a glove in both of their last two opponents and both defeats on play were deserved despite the offside goal. We need to see a much better performance from many, and the collective team on Saturday. Today has to be a wake up call. My concern is I am not sure some can be quicker, faster and better on the ball. We looked a far cry from the side that walked the league. Today we looked a league away from Cardiff.

Cardiff – Warnock gets a lot of criticism from all corners of the UK and that does include some Blades. He certainly does seem to care about Neil Warnock first and foremost and his repetitive ‘I’ve always wanted to manage this club.....these supporters are the best in the land’ does become rather tiresome. However, he does an incredible job at this level. He gets a team organised, defending properly and all playing for each other. His man management and motivational skills are as good as anyone. If England ever got to a big knock out game they should just make Warnock manager for that game. They would win!

I suppose he does not need the money although it is amusing that he says every time he gets a job that it is his final job or his dream job. He could pack it in and retire in Cornwall but keeps coming back. Maybe he does just love Football or has nothing else to do or just cannot stand being out of the limelight. Might be a combination of all of these! Cardiff fans seem to love him currently but you feel the love-hate relationship he has with most fans at some point will develop soon enough!

At Cardiff he got them off the bottom steadied the ship and then has pushed them on. His signings are not that eye catching but adding likes of Etheridge, Mendez Laing, Ward and Tomlin to nucleus he had was good business. The lad Zokora is a big, powerful player who runs at defences and also scores goals. He is athletic and fast. Just the sort of player we would benefit from having. Mendez Laing looked hopeless at United and his career was going nowhere when he left Wolves but did well at Rochdale. He showed at Spotland last year his improvements when he gave Lafferty a sorry time.

The rest of the side may not feature lots of stand out names but they have plenty of experience at this level. They have a lot of power, pace and height. They have a lot of the qualities we probably need at this level. They have had a good start and I knew Warnock would get them around the top 6 but I am unsure if they will last the pace due to the pressing, in your face style being hard to keep up for 46 games. I might be wrong but I expect them to finish 6th-10th by the end of the season.

Today they were better organised, quicker and more skilled. They got it forward and behind us but also played some good football. The style was quite mixed. The way they just shoved us off the ball time after time showed the physical strength and how much quicker they were in both mind and body.


Blackman 7.5/10 – A few blamed him for the 1st goal but it was a way out. It was a defenders ball to attack. He made a few erratic kicks and heart in mouth moments but the reality is without him it could have been a lot more. He made 2 or 3 great saves including a superb one in the 2nd half. One of the few who came out with any credit. Badly exposed.

Freeman 5/10 – Felt he got out of position badly. Got run ragged and was slow to react. Asked to defend much of the night and proved sadly against a good side that he struggles. Looked like the poor player I remember before last season that gets into awful positions.

Stevens 5.5/10 – Marginally better than Freeman but not by much. He too got pulled apart and was s slow to react. He did not keep his shape and there were big gaps all over our defence. On the ball his passes were short.

Basham 5/10 – Poor. He was so slow to challenges and got booked for a poor tackle and then was lucky to stay on for a blatant hand ball. Zahore caused him all sorts of problems ragging him on and off the ball. He was at full stretch all night and poor on the ball also.

O’Connell 6/10 – Our best defender and he struggled too. At least he attacked the ball more than the others but he also got turned round quite a but. At least he tried to carry it forward a few times but needs some pace and power alongside him. We look very brittle at the back.

Stearman 5/10 – He too got pulled all over by quick runners, power and movement. He did get his foot in a few times but he showed his lack of pace and nearly got done twice before pulling up with an injury. Might be out for a while but we did not get much better even after he went off.

Coutts 6.5/10 – Our best outfield player and he never totally convinced. His best spell cane after 80 mins when game was gone. Before this him and Fleck never got control of the game. He had a few long range efforts at 2-0. Need more from him early but he needs help as currently only one playing in a midfield of 3 or 5 if you count the wing backs.

Fleck 4/10 – Thought he was really poor tonight and I have to say over the three games he has been a major disappointment. He has looked slow and weak and his play has been sideways and behind. He gave it away constantly and both goals came indirectly from his sloppy play. Surprisingly (not as shocked by Basham and Freeman) the new division has looked a step too far (3 games only though). Needs to step it up and fast but the pace and power of his opponents I think has shocked him.

Carruthers 5/10 – He showed a few flashes but overall I am not sure I have seen much end product at all. He does seem neat flicks and pirouettes but nothing to hurt teams and is another who lacks pace and muscle. Not a number 10/creative midfielder for me. Think he will drop out for Brooks or Duffy at the weekend.

Clarke 4/10 – Never in the game. Slow to every ball and always behind his nan. Granted service for 75 mins was poor but put some effort in man! When we finally put a few decent balls in he never reacted at all. He looked half arsed tonight and a long way from the excellent man of the match performance against Brentford. The difference between him and Zahore in what you need from a striker at this level was frightening.

Sharp 4.5/10 – Not much better than Clarke. Static and slow. Centre halves took ball off our toes and heads all game. He had one decent effort but other than that can hardly recall him touching the ball. Granted service was poor but look at running and chasing from the Cardiff strikers in comparison. He has barely gad a kick last two games.

Subs –

Wright 5/10 – Came in and lost his man on the goal. After this felt he got pulled apart and his lack of pace showed. Tried to organise but there were gaps down both sides they kept exploiting.

Evans – At least was direct. He had a few runs and one good shot. A few times the ball bounced away from him and his match sharpness was not there. Still looked more dangerous than Sharp and Clarke in limited time he was on. He would play Saturday for me.

Brooks – A few decent runs. Has lovely control and balance. He did more in 15 mins than Carruthers did in an hour. He lost it a few times but also had a good effort on goal and put one cross over. Very positive which many other more senior pros were not tonight looking afraid.

Manager – Wilder 4/10 – After things going so well for so long now he has his first real test. We were second best in every aspect. Like Boro Warnock went three up top and penned us in. We never had an answer and looked slow and sluggish. At half time we got away with 1-0 and I thought we might change personnel or formation but we did not. They kept going through the heart of us easily and should have been out of sight. The second goal came and that was it. We made changes after this but it was too late. He may tinker the team but give or take 1 or 2 possible changes that is our best eleven. Changes will have to come from improvements from those there or he will have to hope we can make some signings to address the lack of power and pace.

Ref – Lee Mason is someone who has been around a while. I could be wrong but we always seem to have normally done quite well when he has refereed things but will leave it to the statistical anoraks to correct me! Tonight he was fine save for a mad flurry when he booked three. Actually Basham was lucky not to get a second yellow in the first half. After this we barely made a tackle and often our powder puff tackles were brushed aside. He did not make too many wrong calls for me.

Crowd / Stadium / Day Out –

First visit to the new stadium. I never went to Ninian Park either although did have a walk through the park (still a football pitch but surrounded by houses that have been built where the old stands would have been) before the game. We went and had a look at the old ground and my lad found a ball on the park and enjoyed scoring a goal! The new ground is only 5 minutes walk from here and maybe 15 minute walk from the centre/train station (over the river and to the east of the city). The new stadium has one huge double decker stand that dwarves the rest of the ground. Their crowds have increased steadily and I saw they got nearly 25,000 against Villa on Saturday. Tonight was down on that but still decent. I remember them barely getting 10,000 in the old ground for many years. To be fair they have a loyal set of fans and have always travelled in large numbers all over the leagues. Recall some decent followings at the Lane for instance.

They will feel the atmosphere was better at the old ground but it was still decent tonight. Maybe not as intimidating as Ninian Park may have been but there was good noise helped by their team doing well. United fans were in a corner. We brought maybe 1,300 which was very good for a Tuesday night. It was very roomy in the concourses and toilets. A far cry from League One!

I went with my nine year old son and after some of the ridiculous stuff I saw from some fans away last season and at the weekend; I was concerned. A lot say it is really easy to move away from the trouble or idiots in the concourse but at times even some of them are not totally avoidable. Heard a few defending United fans at the weekend but for me it is more than a coincidence that Blades fans (a minority but sadly a growing one) get involved in stuff. Last year I was ashamed by some of the behaviour in town centres and in grounds.

There are high jinks and moronic behaviour but many entered the latter with some so high or drunk they could barely see the game. They went to place and sang the ‘We’re Sheff United...we do what we want!’ chant. The thing is at Rochdale or Port Vale they probably could do what they wanted. Now faced with bigger clubs, probably bigger ‘firms’ and fans who won’t let them do what they want, they will end up with many having a go back. I expect repeats of the headlines from Saturday quite a bit. Sadly many fans will continue to say they were as bad etc but like with Millwall; by the seasons end I fear we will be the common denominator in a lot of these ‘two way’ skirmishes.

Tonight was more reserved. Not as many of the idiots seemed in attendance. Being a Tuesday night probably accounted for that. The Blades fans tried to get behind the side but the flat performance affected the noise and level if support which saw it kind of peter out. Interesting for all the clamour for tickets for away games end of last year we have failed to sell out for both away games by quite a bit. I know I praised the numbers earlier but I still expect lots of moans again about loyalty points and not enough tickets for games later in the season. Yes, being on Sky and a midweek game not helped but many of these 10,000+ desperate for tickets for MK seem to have lost interest quickly only a few games later.

Day/s out – As with the lad my pre game did not consist of much drinking or pubs really. We stayed in the centre before heading across the river and to the ground via the trip to where Ninian Park was We went to a pub on the main High Street and then the Cambrian Tap. Had a lovely pint of atomic blonde and a pint of Barry Island IPA.

Spent a few days in Cardiff. Actually was in Birmingham via Cadbury World yesterday but staying in Cardiff till Thursday so meeting an old University house mate and also having a bit of an explore. Staying in the holiday inn right by the castle/river/Principality Stadium (bad memories of 2003 – can still remember sitting on my own at half time in the concourse in disbelief and walking away as the fireworks went off at full time).

Today had a wander round the city and planning a long run to Penrath in the morning before possibly heading to the coast (could be the pretty Mumbles or the tacky Barry Island!). Cardiff is a decent place. Never really been here for any long length of time so could to stay for a bit longer. The harbour area is really nice now and clearly a fair bit of money has been spent on it.

Anyway be back to Sheffield for the weekend and Barnsley.

 

[Deadbat]

Just heard CW post match and a bit stunned. Said we had as many chances and difference was two boxes.

I repeat what I said above; they had 8 or 9 clear chances and missed 2 or 3 sitters. Blackman made lots of good saves. Other than the two late stoppage time shots i cannot remember a decent effort on target all game.

He did mention pen appeal for handball. It did look one but I thought flag was up before the Sharp shot? Anyone?

I have to strongly disagree with Wilder sadly. I felt we were outplayed from start to finish and were a long way off. It was not small margins at all tonight. They finish and its 3-0 at half time and 6 or 7 at the end. We were fortunate not to be on the end of a real hiding tonight. I hope privately Wilder saw that despite his interview publically.

 

[Paulus]

Your take on it is pretty much the same as mine but I think you have written it up a bit harsher than I would have. I think our back three will prove able to work at this level and I think Coutts and Fleck will be ok as well. It is important not to panic and we need to focus on the areas in need of the most urgent improvement. I do think that our wing backs have been seriously lacking. I can't help but think that Brayford would have coped better than Freeman and I've yet to see anything to convince me that Stevens is an upgrade on Lafferty. I would swap both for Saturday. The key problem though is undoubtedly our lack of a threat up top. As many have said we need to bring in some pace and power. With our current lack of pace teams are happy to squeeze up on us because they don't fear the ball over top and this is making it very difficult for Fleck and Coutts in particular to produce the telling forward balls they were doing last year. (particularly with the lack of penetration on the wings. I think Ched is improving and it may well be the case that he can have a successful season. It's asking an awful lot to expect DB to come on and change games. I think it is important to realise that this is a learning experience for CW and his team as well, I am confident that he sees all the issues we are picking up and will act. It's worth remembering that when Warnock picked Cardiff up last year they were really struggling and he has clearly turned them around and it's clear to see he's a year in front of us at the moment. He's done very well in bringing in Hoilet and Mendez-Laing and we need to find similar options.

 

[Dkc]

Great write up as always, especially to say it was typed on a phone. I spent much of the game trying to get the iFollow stream to stop buffering but from what I could tell we weren't awful but came across an excellent Cardiff side who were up for it and their quality showed.

Although he pulled off some good saves Blackman seemed to take a few unnecessary risks while in possession when he might have been better just wellying it. All in all not too concerned. Two of our toughest games of the season are now behind us and we are on a learning curve. We still lack a bit of pace and quality

 

[S64 Blade]

A fair assessment. Sharp did show a few snippets last night, more so than at Boro. He had a great chance to score in the first half and tried to shoot straight away, rather than taking a touch and slotting home. He had loads of space and time to do so.

 

[coaxingstar71]

Slow to every ball and always behind his nan.

I think you did very well to write this up on your phone Deadbat but I couldn't help but have a chuckle at this. Was Clarke so slow he was even behind his Grandma??

Slightly worrying to say the least. I thought Freeman was poor v Brentford, he just seemed to want to get rid of the ball, rather than play his normal game. I wonder if Brayford will get a chance, it wouldn't be the first time that Wilder has said a player can go and then ended up being a first-teamer.

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Deadbat, Maidenhead and I were in the Cambrian Tap and you're right, the Atomic Blonde is a decent pint. Your lad had a Blades shirt on did he?

 

[Karaoke Blade]

Cheers DB. At least it sounds like Blackman played well

 

[Silent Blade]

Deadbat, Maidenhead and I were in the Cambrian Tap and you're right, the Atomic Blonde is a decent pint. Your lad had a Blades shirt on did he?

Saw you in Sheffield United Live Facebook video during the 1st half. You stood up and you wasn't facing the pitch!

 

[Wards]

Sharp should've buried that chance 5 yards out at 0-0. It was a definite pen though.

Just watched the extended highlights back and Basham's had a mare, his man for both goals. Add that to the fuck up at Boro and he's accountable for 3 already - although he was very good v Brentford.

 

[Bartleby]

Just heard CW post match and a bit stunned. Said we had as many chances and difference was two boxes.

I repeat what I said above; they had 8 or 9 clear chances and missed 2 or 3 sitters. Blackman made lots of good saves. Other than the two late stoppage time shots i cannot remember a decent effort on target all game.

He did mention pen appeal for handball. It did look one but I thought flag was up before the Sharp shot? Anyone?

I have to strongly disagree with Wilder sadly. I felt we were outplayed from start to finish and were a long way off. It was not small margins at all tonight. They finish and its 3-0 at half time and 6 or 7 at the end. We were fortunate not to be on the end of a real hiding tonight. I hope privately Wilder saw that despite his interview publically.

I only heard part of the the commentary last night, and it didn't come across in that, but I read a report this morning that they employed a tactic of swapping their wingers Mendez-Laing and Hoilett over every 15 minutes to confuse our defence?

 

[Deadbat]

I think you did very well to write this up on your phone Deadbat but I couldn't help but have a chuckle at this. Was Clarke so slow he was even behind his Grandma??

Slightly worrying to say the least. I thought Freeman was poor v Brentford, he just seemed to want to get rid of the ball, rather than play his normal game. I wonder if Brayford will get a chance, it wouldn't be the first time that Wilder has said a player can go and then ended up being a first-teamer.

 

[Deadbat]

That is one of my best typos ever. Really hard on the phone and could not be arsed to spell check. Incidentally we saw James Shield this morning as we had breakfast in the Holiday Inn. Bet he did not write his report in his Samsung phone wearing just a pair of boxer shorts whilst eating Doritos.

Going back to Clarke I did a 7 mile run to Penarth along Cardiff Bay this morning. I think I'd already put more effort in jogging down the hotel stairs before I even started than our Leon.

 

[Deadbat]

Deadbat, Maidenhead and I were in the Cambrian Tap and you're right, the Atomic Blonde is a decent pint. Your lad had a Blades shirt on did he?

Yes that was me with the lad. Been outed!

 

[Deadbat]

Sharp should've buried that chance 5 yards out at 0-0. It was a definite pen though.

Just watched the extended highlights back and Basham's had a mare, his man for both goals. Add that to the fuck up at Boro and he's accountable for 3 already - although he was very good v Brentford.

Was not sure if it was Freeman or Basham. I stand corrected if Basham. The first one seemed to be Wrights though.

 

[Wards]

Having looked again you're right it's Wright for the first. Better eyes than me!

 

[Sheffsteel]

Just heard CW post match and a bit stunned. Said we had as many chances and difference was two boxes.

I repeat what I said above; they had 8 or 9 clear chances and missed 2 or 3 sitters. Blackman made lots of good saves. Other than the two late stoppage time shots i cannot remember a decent effort on target all game.

He did mention pen appeal for handball. It did look one but I thought flag was up before the Sharp shot? Anyone?

I have to strongly disagree with Wilder sadly. I felt we were outplayed from start to finish and were a long way off. It was not small margins at all tonight. They finish and its 3-0 at half time and 6 or 7 at the end. We were fortunate not to be on the end of a real hiding tonight. I hope privately Wilder saw that despite his interview publically.

Got to admit Deadbat you have an excellent reputation for giving totally unbiased reviews.
So I'm always take your feedback as an accurate reflection.

 

[AWetFlannel]

Agree with most of that and am also baffled by Wilder's interview.
We were poor in every regard: pressing, passing, movement, creativity and defending.

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Saw you in Sheffield United Live Facebook video during the 1st half. You stood up and you wasn't facing the pitch!

I must have been protesting against something or other

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Yes that was me with the lad. Been outed!

Wish I'd known it was you. Would have been nice to say hello

 

[Espania blade]

Great stuff DB - and doing it on you mobile !!! ..you must be dedicated.

Love the bit (typo i think) about Clarke being behind his nan - bet she plays on satdi

 

[coaxingstar71]

That is one of my best typos ever. Really hard on the phone and could not be arsed to spell check. Incidentally we saw James Shield this morning as we had breakfast in the Holiday Inn. Bet he did not write his report in his Samsung phone wearing just a pair of boxer shorts whilst eating Doritos.

Going back to Clarke I did a 7 mile run to Penarth along Cardiff Bay this morning. I think I'd already put more effort in jogging down the hotel stairs before I even started than our Leon.

Freudian slip.

James Shield sat in his boxer shorts eating Doritos is not an image I care to contemplate.