Difference between a win and a loss tonight

[Badger Blade]

Ahmedhodzic or Robinson playing second fiddle to Souttar or some other big lump are fine but together seem to be clueless and the ghost of last season re-emerged with some of the defending that even against a Palace or West Ham would have been punished by 4 or 5 goals.

Sunderland weren't that good but the combination of a shit penalty, Jack Robinson doing Jack Robinson things and clumsiness in possession cost us a game that we should have at least come away from with a draw. No coincidence that we've been letting goals in without Souttar and Souza in the side.

We're in need of a big nasty replacement at the back to relegate Robinson back to the bench, pace and threat out wide and a centre forward with a bit more movement than the scarecrow who was up there last night.

 

[Tarqs]

I disagree. We've been putting in performances like this since October but luck saw us grind our results. You'll never go up playing poorly and relying on luck. Wilder doesn't have a plan B.

I've said it countless times, this is the Hecky promotion season all over again. Largely poor for the majority of matches but grinding out results based on a solid defence. No plan B when plan A doesn't work. No recognisable style or tactics going forward in attack and we've rulied too heavily on loan players instead of bringing in our own.

The rot will continue unless we get some fresh bodies who can go straight into the team and not just warm the bench, and when Wilder makes effective in game changes that doesn't just involve sticking with plan A but making like for lkke changes ala Paul Heckinbottom.

Completely agree. Said during that promotion season we were dull and bang average until the last couple of months of the season. Relied on Ndiaye to win games on his own.

This season completely mirrors it, but tell anyone we've been dull and unspectacular and they'll say the league table suggests we aren't.

 

[Addison]

The difference, the loss of Souttar but so is his partnership with Anel. They complimented each other Souttar winning the first balls and Anel tidying up behind. They came together on the back of JLT's injury against QPR and our defensive record was excellent thereafter. Without the defensive axis of Souttar, Anel and Souza we are back to being friable at the back. Losing Souttar at this stage of the season has 2018 shades of Coutts injury and unless we immediately find a like for like replacement I fear we will experience the same end of season outcome. The recruitment team need to shift their focus to CB through the door first imo.

The other difference was pace. Despite Sunlan also having a number out they had players who could hurt us on the break. Isidor showed EPL standard pace which even exposed Anel our only defender with a modicum of speed at the back. Anel is a good championship defender but needs a a quality experienced head alongside him. Souttar provided that as Egan has done in the past JLT does not and his schoolboy error last night is too often a regular feature of his play. JLT is what he is error prone but the manager seems to have a blind spot when it comes to selecting him. He can't play in a 2 and is ok at best in a 3. We may have to change formation in the absence of a Souttar replacement as we are now leaking goals. Without JRS we don't have players with explosive pace. Its a recruitment failing that has been around for a number of seasons.

CW has done well to get us into this position but there remain questions about his tactics against the top teams. Once again setting up defensively relegating the one player who can go past players to the bench. Our record against the other 3 Weeds, Sunlan and Burnley is 3 points out of 12. Only the manager can explain why he chose not to start Brooks who was the outstanding player on Saturday. When we brought on Brooks and Burrows we went up a gear but were chasing a game we shouldn't have been behind in. Young Peck needs resting so is exempt from criticism imo. We looked better when McCallum and Burrows were playing together an underused option.

Watford becomes a must not lose game otherwise doubt will begin to set in. We need a boost and a number of new signings have to be in place for the Norwich game otherwise the momentum will be lost.

We have exceeded expectations with the squad and are in third place only outside autos on goal difference.
We are running on empty, injury hit and the previous regime decision to pull the plug on a couple of signings at the 11th hour on 31 August is now beginning to hurt us. Time for the new owners to dig deep and bring in permanent signings as well as filling the 3 outstanding loan spots as a bare minimum. BBD, Choudray/Morton, Omobamidele/Darling/Dunne and a pacey forward who has a good scoring record not a big lump please.

 

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

You give your side no credit at all by saying that we were poor. Sunderland had a deliberate tactic, for each half and it worked for us. On another night a slice of luck makes it 2 v 2, its game on and our defensive shell has to be unravelled by us.

I could say that SUFC were suckered a bit into going gang ho at SAFC in the second half when the tactic was obvious - defend - draw SUFC in and catch them on the break. But then again it's very difficult when a team invites you in not to oblige.

The margin between success and failure at this level is very small and it would have taken very little change of luck for it to be 2 v 2.

It was our night last night - but who knows what Saturday will bring?

that's football.

You’ve said yourself that comments straight after a match are reactionary and probably fuelled by negative emotion.

However, I still don’t think you were the better team. You were effective when you needed to be but you relied on two glaringly obvious errors from us, without which you probably wouldn’t have scored. We also fall into that category, we couldn’t finish our dinner last night.

 

[ancientblade]

its another dissapointing performance but if we had a full side out last night we would have beaten sunderland

 

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

its another dissapointing performance but if we had a full side out last night we would have beaten sunderland

They could probably have said the same in all fairness.

 

[Mumbo]

because hes not a robot and its a squad game...

Oh.

 

[SwissBlade]

Oh.

If you need expansion...

Post in thread 'Brewster'

Jan 1, 2025

Considering that most are advocating for him to be dropped for Brooks or One then any racial prejudice makes no sense. There’s clearly no hidden agenda

I think suggesting that brooks plays is quite radical and hints that they’re willing to sacrifice brooks to injury risk which is unnecessary….

Given the horrendous injury record Brewster has had, potentially because of rushing back in, it’s an irony not lost on me that there are people rushing brooks into a tough game on the back of 90 mins 3 days back and 17 mins before that being his only game time for a while… it shows a...

• SwissBlade

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[Tony_Kaufman]

What I can't comprehend is that we have two defensive midfielders in front of the back four, and yet in recent matches teams have run through or past them unopposed at ease, putting Anel and Robinson under pressure. Anel can cope with players running at him, Jack never has as he's slow on the turn. Our midfield two are shockingly poor at breaking up the opponents attacks.

 

[MBH]

You’ve said yourself that comments straight after a match are reactionary and probably fuelled by negative emotion.

However, I still don’t think you were the better team. You were effective when you needed to be but you relied on two glaringly obvious errors from us, without which you probably wouldn’t have scored. We also fall into that category, we couldn’t finish our dinner last night.

I caught up with Chris wilders after the match thoughts on sky and thought he was very magnanimous in defeat

There were no excuses or rants but a realisation that it was a good game and that Sheffield united were slightly unlucky not to come away with anything

There was nothing I disagreed with him on

 

[Keen Blade]

Hallelujah, I'll second that

The Catch 22 in our situation was that the Prince probably needed to improve the club's balance sheet in order to find a willing buyer.
The 2024 accounts might tell us part of the story , but finishing on 30 June , they won't include the financial effects of last summer's clearout or net profit on transfers.
He was never going to increase club debt when a buyer was showing interest.
Imo , we could not have spent more last summer if we wanted the Prince to conclude a sale of the club.
We couldn't have it both ways.

The squad on paper was never a proper auto challenger.

But the results have been incredible.

It's now over to the new owners

 

[ancientblade]

They could probably have said the same in all fairness.

we had more missing than sunderland dont let mbh fool you

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Mate, i pointed this out after about 3 games of the season and got ridiculed and accused by the pitchfork brigade round these parts of never actually watching us play otherwise I'd know Brooks and Rak Sakyi play RW.... Surely there's a world where Brooks and Rak Sakyi play in the same team and interchange from wing to wing?!?!

It must infuriate any striker when they keep making their runs into the box, only for the wide players to keep turning inside. Just look what Moore did with the first decent cross I’ve seen him get this season, from Gilchrist of all people.