Clough's reasons behind his starting XI.

[Hodgyman]

Coady is quite versatile. For Liverpool and England youth he has always played as a holding midfielder. He was more box to box for us. Also, it's squad game so sooner or later Reed will have a rest etc; I wouldn't be unhappy choosing 3 from 4 of Wallace, Reed, Coady and Scoogs.

Coady has gone to Huddersfield

 

[bricktop]

I think not signing Coady was a huge mistake, we supposedly should have the money to make the signing, and i reckon he would have come back like a shot.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

I think not signing Coady was a huge mistake, we supposedly should have the money to make the signing, and i reckon he would have come back like a shot.

When we made enquires Liverpool wanted a lot of money, nearly treble the fee he went to Huddersfield for.
Do you think we should pay over the odds for him and would he really had played another year at league one rather than the championship?

 

[super_pig]

perhaps we're a bit 'overtrained'.. not unfit. it will come back.. the hard work has been done.
anyway it is just one game.. i reckon peoples expectations were a bit high for this.. after the end of last season it appears people thought we'd walk it.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

It is alright NC saying he played the players who tried hard in pre season, but that does not mean playing square pegs in round holes.

Davis is never a full back.

Alcock is never a CH - although he was probably our best performer on the day. Seems a great full back, but a first choice centre back?

If Davis is going to be the first name on the team sheet then we have a big problem in accomodating him in the team. It appears as though dead ball delivery is paramount to NC. If we have to play him then please not a fullback. Square pegs etc is what you see in SUnday leage football.

As for the strange team selection - welcome everyone to the belligerent nature of NC - this is what Derby had and now we have this single minded attitude. This is fine and he must stand and fall by his decisions. You may well find the NC's previous employers got fed up of the "I am right" stance and parted company. I am not saying that is wrong, but we as fans have to accept the strange method of team selection. I seem to remember NW playing Jags at RB to counteract a very average left winger v Wigan, and how wrong that was.

Let's hope others now show more in training to get themselves back in favour before 0 games are up and we are all on suicide watch!

UTB

 

[Balham]

I have to start by saying that I wasn't able to watch on Saturday. However, the team selection seems to be more about making a point than trying to win the game. My thoughts:

• The first team played 5 pre-season games (losing 3!). In none of those did we see a back four of Harris-McGahey-Alcock-Davies. That means that the four of them aren't used to playing together in a part of the team where communication is vital.
  
  
• At the end of last season I said that I didn't see the need to sign Davies permanently and I've seen nothing to make me change my mind. He's not mobile enough to play on the wing and he's just not a natural full back. Fine, his set-pieces are great but you can't carry a player for that reason.
  
  
• As admirable as it was to drop Doyle and play Reed, you have to consider the fact that we were playing one of the best sides in the division without much in the way of physical presence in central midfield. He might not be the best deep lying midfielder but at least Doyle makes teams go around him rather than just leaving a hole for them to run through.
  
  
• Why didn't Porter or Baxter come on for Higdon after an hour? There would have been no shame in that, particularly if it was pre-arranged.
  
  
• Bristol's formation was targeted squarely at neutralising our threat down the flanks. 3-5-2 is becoming popular precisely because it is the best way of combatting 4-5-1. Your 3 centre halves can pivot to pick up the centre forward and attacking midfielder while the wing backs can push back the opposition wingers. The only advantage left to the side playing 4 at the back is their full backs (as the 3-5-2 formation only really has two wide men) but ours were poor. Sorry to say it but Clough was out thought by Cotterill.

It'll be interesting to see who plays against Mansfield on Wednesday. I can see Doyle coming back in, along with one of Collins and Butler. Higdon needs to start to get up to speed but should come off after an hour while Alcock should play at right back.

 

[TonyAgana]

Keep your eye on Alcock - future captain.

 

[OllyBlade]

• Bristol's formation was targeted squarely at neutralising our threat down the flanks. 3-5-2 is becoming popular precisely because it is the best way of combatting 4-5-1. Your 3 centre halves can pivot to pick up the centre forward and attacking midfielder while the wing backs can push back the opposition wingers. The only advantage left to the side playing 4 at the back is their full backs (as the 3-5-2 formation only really has two wide men) but ours were poor. Sorry to say it but Clough was out thought by Cotterill.

I don't think this is correct.

In theory you want to play 4-5-1 against 3-5-2 as they have 3 centre backs and only 1 striker to mark, you should be able to outmanoeuver the fullbacks and pull the back 3 apart a bit with midfield runners and the full backs pushing on? I could be wrong.

The main problem is that we just didn't play that well. Aimless passes, no tempo, and individuals going missing. Murphy was poor and Flynn even worse. Formations etc only go so far as the players can take them, and on Saturday or players offered very little. They looked unfit, as many have commented, and far from being a team.

If we remember, it took a while for Clough's side to get going last year after unspectacular results to close out 2013. Let's hope it's the same again with this side, and that individuals start getting back to the level of Spring (especially Murphy, who is so crucial this season I feel).

 

[Balham]

OllyBlade at the end of the day, it's all about the players but the reason that 3 at the back is in vogue is because it's better than 4-4-2 at combatting 4-5-1/4-2-3-1.

3-5-2 vs 4-5-1:

CB takes CF
CB takes AM
CB spare
WB takes WG x2
CM takes CM x2
CM spare
CF takes CB x2

The spare men in the 3-5-2 are a centre back and a central midfielder which is why Bristol got so much joy through the middle. The spare players in the other side are the full backs - meaning the onus is on them to be the spare man. Harris and Davies struggled.

 

[Paulus]

2 points, firstly, I wish people would stop going on about bloody Coady, he's gone elsewhere to a higher level, good luck to him, he isn't coming to us, move on.

Secondly, Nigel's got it a bit wrong this pre-season, I can understand why with the large amount of time he's spent on recruiting and the level of change he's been managing, but the objective was to hit the ground flying v Bristol and clearly we didn't. I reckon he looked a bit jaded which is not really surprising as he has had no summer break but when he says in his post-match comments that we looked a bit flat in the second half well... hello, I and many other recognised that as well within the first 5 minutes of the restart, the difference is he's the manager with a bench full of subs at his disposal, a great football brain and a loudhailer of a mouth that he can administer the verbals with, no-one on our bench seemed to be switched on to it.

I'm very hopeful that the management team will reflect on what happened and get up to speed quickly. UTB.

 

[itsinyerblood]

2 points, firstly, I wish people would stop going on about bloody Coady, he's gone elsewhere to a higher level, good luck to him, he isn't coming to us, move on.

Secondly, Nigel's got it a bit wrong this pre-season, I can understand why with the large amount of time he's spent on recruiting and the level of change he's been managing, but the objective was to hit the ground flying v Bristol and clearly we didn't. I reckon he looked a bit jaded which is not really surprising as he has had no summer break but when he says in his post-match comments that we looked a bit flat in the second half well... hello, I and many other recognised that as well within the first 5 minutes of the restart, the difference is he's the manager with a bench full of subs at his disposal, a great football brain and a loudhailer of a mouth that he can administer the verbals with, no-one on our bench seemed to be switched on to it.

I'm very hopeful that the management team will reflect on what happened and get up to speed quickly. UTB.

Nicely considered post Paulus, of course the result was disappointing, but reading some of the posts since Saturday it was as if any opportunity to complain had become a necessity for some supporters. Clough will know the importance of putting things right, and as he's shown, he's not concerned about ruffling feathers, he'll do what he thinks is right. In years gone by we've been lumbered by incumbents who stuck to plan 'A'. and when confronted with problems reverted to.....errr, plan 'A'

Result aside, good things came out of Saturday's game. We look like we've finally found a forward who will give us a greater variety of options than someone like Porter is capable of. Higdon, when up to speed, will become not only a new Blades' figurehead, but also someone who will contribute to our goals tally. Young Reed looks a real find too from all accounts. I no more like to see United drop points than I like to think of them not getting off the starting block. You can bet that today has seen the whole squad addressed by Clough regarding their responsibilities. Why the second half was so flat defeats everyone, so let's see how our players respond to what their manager demands of them. UTB

 

[Grecian2000]

2 points, firstly, I wish people would stop going on about bloody Coady, he's gone elsewhere to a higher level, good luck to him, he isn't coming to us, move on.

But it's the first game of a new season, with new players in various positions, the OBVIOUS talking points are going to be about the changes from last season. From that point of view, the three missing players are going to be compared to the current first XI.

For me, and I haven't looked at any of it back so it's all down to the 90 I saw from the Kop:

We were way below where I thought/hoped we'd be.
The defense were poor with and without the ball. Neither full back got up the field and beyond their respective wide men with any degree of purpose and the number of crosses from deep and none threatening positions was excruciating (and predictable). Neither CB brought the ball out of defense like the pairing last season. Very predictable.
Marking was poor for set pieces with alarming free headers early and there seemed an air of inevitability about the first goal.
I am amazed how many people thought Alcock was MOM, to me he was a fish out of water and out muscled on a number of occasions. Might be a good fullback but I hope not to see him at CB again.
Midfeild just didn't impose themselves. Reid came and got the ball from the back and played some nice passes but nothing extraordinary. Scougall was a shadow of last season and Basham was plain poor. If he's going to play regularly he's going to have to be better than that.
Wide men were well below par and didn't seem capable of getting to the by-line and putting in the kind of cross we need.
Higdon is unfit apparently, to be fair he did last well into the second minute before he was blowing through his arse. To me he looked slow and cumbersome throughout and I suspect a lot of the none dangerous crosses from deep were put in there simply because it was an easy option. The fact he won so few of them didn't stop us doing it all game.

Very disappointing and despite the previous posters wish I'm going to say it anyway. The team without Brayford and Coady down the right helping Flynn make things happen and Maguire in the middle is not nearly as good. Much improvement needed to get to the level required.
Just hoping the players and manager had an off day..

 

[Revolution]

The defender who no longer wished to stay you mean, the fella who forced his move through dispute saying earlier he was happy to stay?
That guy?

Forced how? By walking all over a board that supposedly didn't need to sell a player with a year left? Spare me. These multi millionaire businessmen can't deal with a 21 year old and some twat of an agent?

The word is no. United need to start saying it at some point or we will never be promoted.

 

[Darthblade]

I have to start by saying that I wasn't able to watch on Saturday. However, the team selection seems to be more about making a point than trying to win the game. My thoughts:

• The first team played 5 pre-season games (losing 3!). In none of those did we see a back four of Harris-McGahey-Alcock-Davies. That means that the four of them aren't used to playing together in a part of the team where communication is vital.
  
  
• At the end of last season I said that I didn't see the need to sign Davies permanently and I've seen nothing to make me change my mind. He's not mobile enough to play on the wing and he's just not a natural full back. Fine, his set-pieces are great but you can't carry a player for that reason.
  
  
• As admirable as it was to drop Doyle and play Reed, you have to consider the fact that we were playing one of the best sides in the division without much in the way of physical presence in central midfield. He might not be the best deep lying midfielder but at least Doyle makes teams go around him rather than just leaving a hole for them to run through.
  
  
• Why didn't Porter or Baxter come on for Higdon after an hour? There would have been no shame in that, particularly if it was pre-arranged.
  
  
• Bristol's formation was targeted squarely at neutralising our threat down the flanks. 3-5-2 is becoming popular precisely because it is the best way of combatting 4-5-1. Your 3 centre halves can pivot to pick up the centre forward and attacking midfielder while the wing backs can push back the opposition wingers. The only advantage left to the side playing 4 at the back is their full backs (as the 3-5-2 formation only really has two wide men) but ours were poor. Sorry to say it but Clough was out thought by Cotterill.

It'll be interesting to see who plays against Mansfield on Wednesday. I can see Doyle coming back in, along with one of Collins and Butler. Higdon needs to start to get up to speed but should come off after an hour while Alcock should play at right back.

Just can't see Doyle coming back, that would be a backward step and leaves the midfield to do more work ......

I agree we should move Alcock to RB where he belongs, Butler to play with Collins or McGahey and I wonder if he may go 4-4-1-1 playing Baxter behind Higdon or even 4-4-2 playing McNulty with Higdon for an hour. Midfield of JCr - Basham - Reed / Dimao - Murphy.

Either way we need to start putting away the chances we create .......
UTB & FTP

 

[wizadry]

Either way we need to start putting away the chances we create .......
UTB & FTP

This is the key Darthblade.

I watched the full match again yesterday,and we had by far the better chances,we had 2 cleared of the line,Higdon header tipped over,Scougg's sitter of an header,Harris shot was a whisker away,Murphy hit post and Mcnulty doing brilliantly to divert a header which was definately going in,wide.Now apart from the good save that Howard pulled off,you can't remember them really having any clear cut chances.

Putting chances away was the difference between the two sides and although we were shite in the second half,we should have definately got something out of that game imo

 

[Eskimo]

The only real worry I have is that Nige does not seem to know which is his first choice 11. There has been plenty of time in pre season to sort out all the ifs and buts of who is best where, he has sorted out the keeper situation but I struggle to remember a season when I couldn't with confidence even name a very likely first choice back 4

 

[wizadry]

The only real worry I have is that Nige does not seem to know which is his first choice 11. There has been plenty of time in pre season to sort out all the ifs and buts of who is best where, he has sorted out the keeper situation but I struggle to remember a season when I couldn't with confidence even name a very likely first choice back 4

His back 4 would pick its self if he wasn't trying to squeeze Davies in and thats a fact,i'm sure he will sort it but like you said he's had all pre season to do just that.

 

[moDtheGod]

To me he looked slow and cumbersome throughout and I suspect a lot of the none dangerous crosses from deep were put in there simply because it was an easy option. The fact he won so few of them didn't stop us doing it all game.

Completely agree with this. It reminded me of how we used to play whenever Henderson was selected. The team would just revert to booting balls up to his head.

I can't remember him winning a thing in the air second half. For me, Porter should have been brought on around the hour mark. Higdon was clearly unfit, he'd scored a goal so no shame at all in hauling him off and Porter would have made it stick much better if we were going to persist with that style of play. If not Porter, then Baxter, to encourage us to bring it down and play. I just couldn't believe that Higdon stayed on all through the second half when he was so visibly off the pace and bringing very little to the team.