Congratulations

[boo radley]

To all those who travelled today. You sounded fantastic and did your best to lift the team at this difficult time.
Lets all get together at home next week and scare the shit out of Stevenage.

COYRAWW

 

[BexleyBlade]

It was always unlikely we'd go up today, arguably our hardest game since our trip to the Rust Bucket (almost 2 months ago). Still in the driving seat and a weeks worth of training to turn it around.

We have to keep believing, if we don't what hope have the players got?

 

[dingledog]

I felt we( the crowd) did our best, but with little to encourage us on the pitch and an obvious sense of shock from events, I felt a tension, people behind me were squaring up to each other. All in all it didn't feel right. We did our best though.

 

[bladesman3]

6000 fans, most of whom seemed to be ready for the defeat before the game....usual Blades bottling it at the key moment....
Wednesday have the easier game on Saturday now as brentford are pretty much out of it...I can not see us making it, sorry...

 

[Foxy]

6000 fans, most of whom seemed to be ready for the defeat before the game....usual Blades bottling it at the key moment....
Wednesday have the easier game on Saturday now as brentford are pretty much out of it...I can not see us making it, sorry...

Got to say I agree in part with the sentiment here... Whilst we had a good approach to the ground and were jovial before kickoff it was a poor and nervy atmosphere to match the performance overall.

 

[oldblade]

Got to say I agree in part with the sentiment here... Whilst we had a good approach to the ground and were jovial before kickoff it was a poor and nervy atmosphere to match the performance overall.

Foxy, did you think the performance owed a lot to the psychological effect of the last 24 hours or so, or do you think the team cannot now function very well because of the enforced changes?

If it was more down to a reaction to what has happened off the pitch it gives some optimism that the squad might have it out of their system by next week. But if it is purely down to the changes in personnel, that might be harder to overcome and would be worrying.

Having not been at the match it's hard to judge, but the few comments that I've seen from people who were there suggest it could have been both..

 

[yorkshirecoast]

Got to say I agree in part with the sentiment here... Whilst we had a good approach to the ground and were jovial before kickoff it was a poor and nervy atmosphere to match the performance overall.

The fans were bound to be nervy today but still provided great support from what I heard on the radio - and I never heard their fans. Unfortunately, the team did not deliver and sounded very poor to me. Clearly the Ched scenario would affect them but I was still disappointed that the players just seemed to let the game drift by. It's looking like we will need to win both our games now. I'm sure the support will be vociferous but it's the team that need to deliver now.

 

[BexleyBlade]

I'm sure the support will be vociferous but it's the team that need to deliver now.

Agree it is down to the team to perform now, there's only so much supporters can do. But, if the team aren't performing, I fear the swelled crowd that will be at the lane next week could actually have a negative affect on the players.

Just my opinion.

 

[Foxy]

Foxy, did you think the performance owed a lot to the psychological effect of the last 24 hours or so, or do you think the team cannot now function very well because of the enforced changes?

If it was more down to a reaction to what has happened off the pitch it gives some optimism that the squad might have it out of their system by next week. But if it is purely down to the changes in personnel, that might be harder to overcome and would be worrying.

I think the psychological side will have certainly played a part, after all, it was less than 24 hours after they'd seen their mate and teammate banged up. However well Danny has managed them, there was no way they wouldn't be thinking about it today.

I think the enforced change up front had an effect, as Hoskins and Porter have a different dynamic to Evans and Cresswell, but then again for most of the match we simply gave them no service anyway.

I thought Porter managed to win more balls than he probably should have, given that he got very little played near him. Hoskins didn't look fit to me.

We've seen before our midfield go missing, give the opposition too much space and offer little in terms of movement and showing for the ball when we are in possession, in fact I was talking about it before the game... It happened again today.

There were numerous times when Maguire or Collins had the ball, held possession and looked for a midfielder to play to... only to see both Doyle and McDonald stood looking at them and pointing to the other centre back. They passed to the other centre back, only to see the midfield still stood watching them and the opposition bearing down on them so then had to play it longer.

We just looked lethargic and a yard off the pace for most of the match. We still had the chances to get something out of the game (how Beattie/O'Halloran didn't turn that one in I don't know!), but we lacked leaders on the pitch and it was one of the poorest performances in quite a while.

It's still in our hands, we just need to put this week behind us and get back to the mood we were in before (players and fans!).

The fans were bound to be nervy today but still provided great support from what I heard on the radio - and I never heard their fans. Unfortunately, the team did not deliver and sounded very poor to me. Clearly the Ched scenario would affect them but I was still disappointed that the players just seemed to let the game drift by. It's looking like we will need to win both our games now. I'm sure the support will be vociferous but it's the team that need to deliver now.

You couldn't hear their fans for the most part as there weren't many there. Don't get me wrong, the Blades crowd in patches made some noise, but there were large, flat periods of the game where I'm sure we could have boosted those trudging around the pitch, however poorly they were playing. I'm more expressing my fear that the usual Blades end of season air of inevitability/despair has kicked in.

 

[WorkingtonBlade]

I think the positioning of the microphones must have been kind.... the atmosphere wasn't particularly good - nowhere near as good as Brentford, for example. The reason, in my opinion, was nothing to do with nerves, court cases, or anything else. We rarely generate a really good atmosphere when we sell out all-seater sections with allocated seating. The small group of fans who generate most of the atmosphere at most away games cannot move to stand close together, and the whole thing becomes disjointed and quiet.

Good to see the entire Blades following standing throughout though, despite the poor performance, and while the atmosphere was distinctly average, it was still enough to out-sing the home fans in a game we were lucky to lose only 1-0.

 

[bartman]

I thought the fans were nervy all through the game and there seemed to be aguements starting all over the place during the first half.

Someone nob heads booed at half time and full time and woman to my right was forever slagging Porter saying he was always offside(was offside once all game I think).

Didn't hear them when they scored let alone throughout the game.

I hope it is now out of there system and we win the next two games. O'Halloran and Flynn to start for me

 

[oldblade]

I think the psychological side will have certainly played a part, after all, it was less than 24 hours after they'd seen their mate and teammate banged up. However well Danny has managed them, there was no way they wouldn't be thinking about it today.

I think the enforced change up front had an effect, as Hoskins and Porter have a different dynamic to Evans and Cresswell, but then again for most of the match we simply gave them no service anyway.

I thought Porter managed to win more balls than he probably should have, given that he got very little played near him. Hoskins didn't look fit to me.

We've seen before our midfield go missing, give the opposition too much space and offer little in terms of movement and showing for the ball when we are in possession, in fact I was talking about it before the game... It happened again today.

There were numerous times when Maguire or Collins had the ball, held possession and looked for a midfielder to play to... only to see both Doyle and McDonald stood looking at them and pointing to the other centre back. They passed to the other centre back, only to see the midfield still stood watching them and the opposition bearing down on them so then had to play it longer.

We just looked lethargic and a yard off the pace for most of the match. We still had the chances to get something out of the game (how Beattie/O'Halloran didn't turn that one in I don't know!), but we lacked leaders on the pitch and it was one of the poorest performances in quite a while.

It's still in our hands, we just need to put this week behind us and get back to the mood we were in before (players and fans!).

That sounds a little encouraging in as much as from what you're saying we failed to score largely as a result of a poor midfield performance - and our personnel were our usual four there. So, maybe the overall lethargy was down to the upset of the last 24 hours which to my mind is easier to sort out over the course of the next week than any problems down to the front two pairing.

Although the fact that Hoskins appears to lack fitness isn't good as I feel he is the natural replacement for Evans.

 

[oldblade]

Agree it is down to the team to perform now, there's only so much supporters can do. But, if the team aren't performing, I fear the swelled crowd that will be at the lane next week could actually have a negative affect on the players.

Just my opinion.

Perhaps we might be more productive if we all went to Griffin Park next Saturday instead and cheeered Brentford on!

 

[Hartley Hare]

Gawd knows what those fellas were arguing about to my left behind the goal. Looked quite heated at one point.

Strange atmosphere. Couldn't help but think abour poor Ched in his cell listening on the radio.

 

[sitwell]

Quinn is simply not earning a wage and hasn't done for amonth

 

[LoughboroBlade]

O'Halloran and Flynn to start for me

For me too. Worst I've seen Quinn play all season - completely and utterly off the pace. Flynn did well when he came on, and O'Halloran did a bit more than he's done recently.

 

[ponteblade]

Could do with Keith Edwards getting his boots back on lol, but we will do it next two wins, have faith!

 

[blade too long]

no need to panic , just beat Stevenage, and wait for wednesday to dip at Brentford, a draw there by the owls and us winning gives us promotion , unless Wednesday beat Wycombew by 12

 

[moDtheGod]

Gawd knows what those fellas were arguing about to my left behind the goal. Looked quite heated at one point.

I suspect this is the incident discussed in the shout box last night.

I was behind the goal on about row R (I think) and maybe five or six rows back a fight broke out. I had no idea what it was, just presumed it was someone trying to sing in support of Ched which someone else objected to.

Apparently, someone had shouted abuse at that dickhead Smith after his ridiculous gestures to the travelling fans, only the abuse was pretty homophobic and the guy in front took offence and it kicked off. I think it was dingledog who posted the explanation in the shoutbox, so he/she will be able to shed more light on it.