Did our best not to win today

[blade too long]

Okay let me spell this out in the simplest terms possible....

I am talking just of this game against Preston, not of any other game that United have or haven’t been involved in. I am simply making the point that when we play better teams we have to make sure we manage those situations better because they will make us pay.

We are 4th in the league on merit because in other games we have played well and thoroughly deserved to win games. In today’s game we let our performance slip for a time in the second half and it cost us and we can’t afford to let that happen against the teams that can really hurt you

let me point out to you like a top team should do we sucked up the setback and still pushed on to win , but theres no proof other teams would do that either
yes we let them TEMPORARILY back into the game , but every other team will do similar in games to come , leeds boro derby are not exempt from throwing away leads

 

[SandyMcBlade]

thats their job , not ours
thats the crux of the matter
no scapegoating , they wont say its because we brought Clarke on
weve come back into games after being 2 down nd playing shite
but football will always be full of games like this,

Had we not upped it again and won thered be a problem
but over the 90 we won , by right despite errors
and the day we eradicate all errors is the year we win the champions leaguwe

I thought Clark did a good job, he stopped Prestons 10 man attack some thing neither Mcgoldrick or Sharp could do.and that allowed Johnson to finally break down the wing.

 

[Willie Carlin]

I thought we won the game! A wins a wins a win is it not. We played some lovely football for the most part. Great result 3 points jumped 4 places in league. Well done Chris and the players. I sometimes wonder if some relish pulling the club to peices.

 

[blade too long]

They’d already collapsed. They weren’t interested you could see it in their body language.

There was no need for us to drop back and invite them on.

I can only assume you weren’t at the game cause this was glaringly obvious

again your showing a lack of history of the game

are you saying youve never seen a side totally wiped the floor with over 45 60 or even 80 minutes pull back a 2 goal lead

I saw us at northampton once be absolute dog shit for 85 minutes , should have been 5=0 down but we won it 2=1
everton 2=0 down to wednesday in the fa cup final after 65 minutes werent in the game were awful won it 3=2

we were miles better than them today apart from 10 minutes , we deserved the win ,,, on merit despuite a lapse

 

[BettingBlade]

again your showing a lack of history of the game

are you saying youve never seen a side totally wiped the floor with over 45 60 or even 80 minutes pull back a 2 goal lead

I saw us at northampton once be absolute dog shit for 85 minutes , should have been 5=0 down but we won it 2=1
everton 2=0 down to wednesday in the fa cup final after 65 minutes werent in the game were awful won it 3=2

we were miles better than them today apart from 10 minutes , we deserved the win ,,, on merit despuite a lapse

Are you broken?

Football isn’t just a game of coincidence. I’m sure CW wasn’t sat there thinking fuck it we better let them back in because history means we’re due to get back and win it anyway.

As many people have pointed out, as they are perfectly entitled to do so, Wilder got it wrong today and it almost cost us. As you pointed out it didn’t in the end and we should be glad for that.

However, we took our foot off the gas and almost paid the price. We cannot afford to do that in many games as we it will cost us if we do. That cannot be ignored and it’s a fair point for people to mention.

 

[blade too long]

Are you broken?

Football isn’t just a game of coincidence. I’m sure CW wasn’t sat there thinking fuck it we better let them back in because history means we’re due to get back and win it anyway.

As many people have pointed out, as they are perfectly entitled to do so, Wilder got it wrong today and it almost cost us. As you pointed out it didn’t in the end and we should be glad for that.

However, we took our foot off the gas and almost paid the price. We cannot afford to do that in many games as we it will cost us if we do. That cannot be ignored and it’s a fair point for people to mention.

yes you keep repeating we got sloppy for 10 minutes , but I keep pointing out football is a 90 minute game and over that period , overall we got it correct
we dont have 11 x 10m to 15m pound players so there will be errors
we are 2 points behind boro who have spent roughly 100m more than us , not just this season , but last season too

Wilder in general over time puts right the errors , but we have a squad of everyday joe players performing higher than expected , so feel free to jump on them at every chance when this becomes apparent

 

[stan100]

Strange tactical decisions. All we needed to do was get fresh legs on and a bit of pace. But instead we changed virtually every position and left McG up front on his own.

Let’s not do that again, eh?

Wilder got take the blame for the 5 minutes of madness we could have dropped points, he only had to take Sharp off and bring on Washington one for one, Preston didn't look like they would score in a brothel up to the substitution. Wilder brings on Johnson goes 4 1 4 1 I saw Basham and Duffy look to the bench as to say where the f**k him I playing we were all over the place. They get it back to 2-2 and Wilder changed it back 3 5 2 we got back in front which we deserve don't get me wrong. WILDER STOP TRYING TO BE CLEVER WHEN IT DOESN,T NEED IT YOU NEARLY COST US POINTS TODAY.

 

[Bergen Blade]

We were starting to lose the midfield before we made changes. If Wilder hadn't done anything he'd been severely criticised. The changes were decent in theory, he had to strengthen the midfield, but the players weren't able to adapt/stop the sloppiness.

In hindsight I think Lundstram for Duffy and Washington for Sharp would have sufficed, but Wilder may have been reluctant to throw on Lundstram following some criticism + that interview the other day? Moving Basham into midfield is something that's worked before though.

 

[BettingBlade]

yes you keep repeating we got sloppy for 10 minutes , but I keep pointing out football is a 90 minute game and over that period , overall we got it correct
we dont have 11 x 10m to 15m pound players so there will be errors
we are 2 points behind boro who have spent roughly 100m more than us , not just this season , but last season too

Wilder in general over time puts right the errors , but we have a squad of everyday joe players performing higher than expected , so feel free to jump on them at every chance when this becomes apparent

What are you even talking about? What’s how much we’ve spent on players got to do with anything?

I’ve not once disputed that wilder hasn’t done a fantastic job. Also I’ve not once jumped on the players just merely stated that Wilder made a few questionable decisions today.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

Apologies for posting late, i've had a torrid six hours in an S&M dungeon in Attercliffe, I'd forgotten the safe word and have been made a mess of. My arse is in absolute ribbons, and I've only just recovered the use of my right hand.

Today we have won despite CW, his substitutions again were awful & his change of shape added to our woe. He has to learn from this. We were also guilty of over passing, Norwood sitting too deep & a reluctance to deliver 1st or 2nd time. A trend is developing & needs to be nipped in the bud.

 

[BettingBlade]

Apologies for posting late, i've had a torrid six hours in an S&M dungeon in Attercliffe, I'd forgotten the safe word and have been made a mess of. My arse is in absolute ribbons, and I've only just recovered the use of my right hand.

Today we have won despite CW, his substitutions again were awful & his change of shape added to our woe. He has to learn from this. We were also guilty of over passing, Norwood sitting too deep & a reluctance to deliver 1st or 2nd time. A trend is developing & needs to be nipped in the bud.

But we won so we should all shut the fuck up and hail Lord Wilder regardless.

 

[Groucho Blade]

If we did our best not to win, then we failed miserably...

 

[Fulwood Blade]

We went 4-5-1 due to losing control in the middle but the changes allowed us to get pulled all over the place, with players also not knowing who their man was or who they should be tracking. Imo, we should have gone with 3 in midfield with Duffy coming off for Lunny.

Good observation - my boy noticed the same - he also said we went back to 3 at the back at 2-2.

We can I suppose question why we went to 4-5-1, but well done the the management and players in being able to change it again and then step up to win the game.

UTB

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

Good observation - my boy noticed the same - he also said we went back to 3 at the back at 2-2.

We can I suppose question why we went to 4-5-1, but well done the the management and players in being able to change it again and then step up to win the game.

UTB

Obviously I'm not a professional football manager, just a spectator and my opinion carries as much/little weight as anyone else's & I don't see the full picture, but the way I saw it was we scored on 51 minutes and for whatever reason didn't press home the advantage, and started to seriously struggle at around the hour mark. At that moment in time all that was needed was us to bring on fresh legs to re-reinforce the formation and tell Norwood to get 10 yrds up the pitch as he'd started to drop deeper and play less expansive passes which had the effect of hemming us in. We'd tired and dropped back and opened up an area of the pitch for Preston to play in that previously we'd controlled. So at 70 minutes, we should've taken Fleck, Duffy & Sharp off, bring Lundstram, Washington and Clarke on, dropping McGoldrick into a deeper lying role, but generally keep the same formation and play ourselves back into the game.

Sharp came off after 74 and we brought Johnson on and went 4-1-4-1. A flat back four of Stevens, JOC, Egan & Freeman. When I say went 4-1-4-1, it may have meant to be a 4-5-1, but basham was definitely playing in between the lines of the defence and midfield. At this point our shape was all over. Stevens & Johnson appeared to be playing the same position, Basham was unsure why Norwood was trying to play deeper than him & Duffy didn't know what he was meant to be doing. By going with a lone striker, we also allowed them to commit men and we couldn't make the ball stick up front & it was coming back a lot quicker. Also by changing the formation, we neutralised the marauding runs of Basham from RCB, which were were causing Preston problems. Our shape looked like a randomly tabbed word document, it was only a matter of time before Preston scored. I can't remember whether Henderson pulled a cracking save out at 2-0 or 2-1, but it was cracking save.

Duffy then gets subbed, much to Duffy's annoyance, and we seemed to go back to something like a 3-5-2 / 3-5-1-1, but it was really hard to work out what was going on, as Johnson seemed to be popping up on either flank (he delivered a beautiful cross from the right hand side to the far post, where he should've ideally been). We scored the 3rd, take McGoldrick off and go to what appears to be somewhere between a 5-1-3-1 and a four CB'ed 6-3-1 and hang on for 6 minutes of added time.

 

[super_pig]

preston looked dead and buried at 2-0
chris has to think long term and introduce new players .. it seemed a good time to do it.. it almost backfired

 

[snootyfenooty]

preston looked dead and buried at 2-0
chris has to think long term and introduce new players .. it seemed a good time to do it.. it almost backfired

United don't dead and bury teams at 2-0. The Villa game was the only time I've relaxed when we're in the lead and we still managed to let one in.

My view on the subs was that there was no need to make one. We were coasting and Duffy & Sharp were fresh as daisies as they hardly been tasked all afternoon. Subs are OK but not sub for subs sake.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

United don't dead and bury teams at 2-0. The Villa game was the only time I've relaxed when we're in the lead and we still managed to let one in.

My view on the subs was that there was no need to make one. We were coasting and Duffy & Sharp were fresh as daisies as they hardly been tasked all afternoon. Subs are OK but not sub for subs sake.

Interesting, you should say that, SF. I thought both looked tired. Sharp particularly, who I thought looked more like last season's version yesterday as opposed to this season's version. I thought he'd emptied his tank getting involved in wide areas and passes of play he didn't need to. But I could be wrong.

 

[Harrisblade]

If we did our best not to win, then we failed miserably...

It's the Blades way

 

[snootyfenooty]

Interesting, you should say that, SF. I thought both looked tired. Sharp particularly, who I thought looked more like last season's version yesterday as opposed to this season's version. I thought he'd emptied his tank getting involved in wide areas and passes of play he didn't need to. But I could be wrong.

You can't say that about Billy. The new, leaner Billy who's going to be firing in 20 goals per season until he's 40.

Seriously though, your line about him getting involved all over the place said it all for me, he was at it everywhere in areas he usually gets criticised for not doing. Unrelated to this but I'll say it anyway, his goal was a peach, pure Billy. They were playing a line of 10 across the box or massed in the box yet he manages to find both10 yards of space and be on the end of the pass. Simple tap-in but pure genius.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

You can't say that about Billy. The new, leaner Billy who's going to be firing in 20 goals per season until he's 40.

Seriously though, your line about him getting involved all over the place said it all for me, he was at it everywhere in areas he usually gets criticised for not doing. Unrelated to this but I'll say it anyway, his goal was a peach, pure Billy. They were playing a line of 10 across the box or massed in the box yet he manages to find both10 yards of space and be on the end of the pass. Simple tap-in but pure genius.

 

[Superblades]

we simply don't do sit back and protect. so why bother?

What I didn’t get, was we brought on another striker at 2-2 to get a winner, we get the goal and then take McGoldrick off and revert back to what had just fucked us up.

 

[SuperDuperBlades]

Good 3 points against a team that we should get 3 points off. I am happy with the result, I just hate shitting myself for the last 10 minutes of pretty much every home game. (Villa excepted but they were pure dross).
UTB

 

[Pinchy]

For me, the only change needed was Washington for Sharp. They were playing such a high line at 2-0 that we needed to get some pace up front as Billy (for all his good points) doesn't have any. What the Johnson substitution was about I don't know, all it seemed to do was confuse the players and the fans. Love Wilder to bits, but his substitutions are mostly baffling.

Wilder has changed games in our favour on many, many occasions by astute substitutions and changes of tactics. When it doesn’t work dem knees start a-jerkin.

 

[Pinchy]

why are we concentrating on them pulling 2 back and ignoring us sucking it up÷
then having the character to win it all over again

a game we lost last season
but lets all focus on the negatives as usual

It’s the Bladesfans’ Way.

 

[Pinchy]

Our winner showed character and showed that we can change the pace of the game and have a go.

Indeed. Clearly a daft minority of fans would prefer it hadn’t happened because it dilutes their self-indulgent whinging.

It also showed that Enda Stevens is a better player than many like to believe.

 

[Pinchy]

What other teams have done in other games against other teams really is irrelevant. In those situations that we found ourselves in today, the top teams in this division will manage that game better.

It’s literally pointless comparing those results when they involve different scenarios.

Just as it is pointless pontificating about similar situations in different games played by different teams. Every game is a seperate event. Leeds failed to manage the mediocrities that are Adams and Birmingham today. Do you think they’ll be saying. “No problem, at least we didn’t surrender a two goal lead?”

 

[BushBlade]

I have to confess I was annoyed yesterday. The second goal was a real WTF, here we go again moment. All credit to them for turning it round again after making it very difficult for themselves.
There’s an obvious problem with seeing games out so CW/AK are trying things to try to find a system where we can kill games. It’s fair to say it didn’t work but it’s easy to commit men forward when you’re 2-0 down as you’ve got nothing to lose. Brighton did it against Spurs yesterday and nearly nicked a point.

Learn the lessons, move on and please stop giving us heart attacks. No tin pot cup for us so we’ve got a week on the training ground. We need it.

 

[blade too long]

What are you even talking about? What’s how much we’ve spent on players got to do with anything?

I’ve not once disputed that wilder hasn’t done a fantastic job. Also I’ve not once jumped on the players just merely stated that Wilder made a few questionable decisions today.

as do all managers , pep guardiola got it wrong v Lyon midweek
sack him hes shit

 

[Pinchy]

Really, again I ask why are we only 2 points off the top then despite only starting in game 3 if they manage games much better than us

They don’t, of course. It’s the sort of daft comment we get on here when we lapse from the perfection expected in every game. We are not permitted to lose (as all clubs, even the very best do) or even concede a goal without a display of self-entitled indignation.

 

[Pinchy]

I thought we won the game! A wins a wins a win is it not. We played some lovely football for the most part. Great result 3 points jumped 4 places in league. Well done Chris and the players. I sometimes wonder if some relish pulling the club to peices.

I can put an end to your wondering, Willie. They most certainly do. Many of them will have been heartily disappointed at our superbly crafted winner because they wanted to be truly mad with range without anything drawing their sting.

It’s the Bladesfans’ Way.