Game Management

[BettingBlade]

...before anyone starts, I’m not bashing the team, I just wish we’d be a little bit wiser and just a bit better at managing a game.

Games like tonight are one of those where you think, typical Blades will not win this when we deserve to, and part of that is luck but another part is us just not being quite streetwise enough.

We’ve played some wonderful football tonight and we really should have been 2 or 3 nil up by the time we got our first goal. Alas we deservedly got ahead and at the time I was thinking we could maybe whether a quick storm and go and get another but we just seemed to drop deeper and deeper. There’s nothing wrong with trying to sit back and defend what we have but everything was just panic stations from the moment we went ahead.

There were times when we could have just held on to the ball, yet we were gifting possession back to the opposition by launching aimless balls to Clarke, who was absolutely shattered, and Washington who looked totally lost.

At the moment, I don’t think we should be too concerned given that we are a joy to watch for the most part and personally I’m still just enjoying watching us in the Championship without the pressure of needing to get up to the next level. However, if we are to think seriously about the play offs this could be a concern should it become a theme throughout the season.

If we’d got what we deserved for that first 70 mins performance we’d be top of the league tonight. Unfortunately, we haven’t done enough and we’ve let ourselves down at the end. Yes we should be disappointed about the game and yes it’s frustrating, but apart from that last little bit we are an absolutely fantastic football team.

 

[s4-blade]

Makes no difference when the referee gifts them a free and bottles a stonewall penalty

 

[BettingBlade]

Makes no difference when the referee gifts them a free and bottles a stonewall penalty

Tonight really wasn’t about what the referee did or didn’t do

 

[s4-blade]

Tonight really wasn’t about what the referee did or didn’t do

It was completely about what the referee did or didn’t do

 

[Ricky]

We were much better than usual tonight when hanging onto a lead, that's what makes it even more frustrating.

That and the absolute fucking stupidity with the free kick.

The management did nothing wrong. We weren't getting pinned back too much, and they didn't look like scoring. The subs made sense. Yet we give the goal away a minute after they come on.

 

[Guesty]

Makes no difference when the referee gifts them a free and bottles a stonewall penalty

By the same token, when you're player has the ball at his feet inside the penalty area, you expect him ti keep playing rather than claim for a penalty the ref is obviously not giving.

I've never seen a team so reliably get worse after scoring that this United side. It happened last season (Millwall, Cardiff) and now it's happened two games on the trot this season.

 

[BettingBlade]

We were much better than usual tonight when hanging onto a lead, that's what makes it even more frustrating.

That and the absolute fucking stupidity with the free kick.

The management did nothing wrong. We weren't getting pinned back too much, and they didn't look like scoring. The subs made sense. Yet we give the goal away a minute after they come on.

Although we didn’t look under constant pressure, Stoke we’re always going to be a constant threat because we weren’t holding the ball up front when it got cleared.

Clarke was shagged in fairness, but Washington was fresh and I would have liked to see him run the channels better to give us an out ball when we were clearing it. As shit as they were, they had players who could win free-kicks and players who are decent at dead ball situations. That was our undoing. Bloody frustrating

 

[BettingBlade]

It was completely about what the referee did or didn’t do

Yeah I wish the ref would have knocked one of those numerous chances we had in an all

 

[Minty]

We were much better than usual tonight when hanging onto a lead, that's what makes it even more frustrating.

That and the absolute fucking stupidity with the free kick.

The management did nothing wrong. We weren't getting pinned back too much, and they didn't look like scoring. The subs made sense. Yet we give the goal away a minute after they come on.

Exactly this IMO.....the subs did make sense with 5 mins to go, but to concede that free kick, FFS!

 

[Kona]

Given we’ve dominated much of the game playing the way we do, why (oh why!) do we then sit back and stop pressuring high up the pitch?

It’s a genuine question for those with a greater understanding of psychology or game management than me. I don’t know if it’s an instruction, panic or what but it’s bloody frustrating, when the style of play for 75 mins was working just fine.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Exactly this IMO.....the subs did make sense with 5 mins to go, but to concede that free kick, FFS!

That filthy cheating long streak of piss Crouch bought that. Should never have come to that if we could pass the ball under pressure instead of wellying it anywhere, but the streak freak conned the ref.

 

[Topplayersleave]

Although we didn’t look under constant pressure, Stoke we’re always going to be a constant threat because we weren’t holding the ball up front when it got cleared.

Clarke was shagged in fairness, but Washington was fresh and I would have liked to see him run the channels better to give us an out ball when we were clearing it. As shit as they were, they had players who could win free-kicks and players who are decent at dead ball situations. That was our undoing. Bloody frustrating

Washington aint good enough and Woodburn aint gonna fit into our team
The club should have backed Wilder when he was looking at other strikers because a team that can't defend has to put chances away.

But strikers are the most expensive asset at a football club and Sheffield United are the only club on earth that can obviously manage without it.
By January our strikers and our ONE creative midfielder won't be able to put one foot in front of the other because we are so reliant on them

 

[wizadry]

We haven’t been very good at game management at times this season but when you need the ref to do his job and he fails it’s never going to help matters.

It wasn’t a freekick in a million years.

 

[Deadbat]

It was completely about what the referee did or didn’t do

Cant agree with that - Dont give him opportunity to give the foul - we were givign away stupid free kicks last 15 mins.

The pen at the end would have been very soft - it hit from 2 or 3 yards away - they had one the same the other end.

We did not win as once again we did not get the goals when on top and could not see the game out. It was not down to the ref. Henderson has to save that too.

 

[s4-blade]

Cant agree with that - Dont give him opportunity to give the foul - we were givign away stupid free kicks last 15 mins.

The pen at the end would have been very soft - it hit from 2 or 3 yards away - they had one the same the other end.

We did not win as once again we did not get the goals when on top and could not see the game out. It was not down to the ref. Henderson has to save that too.

I’m sorry but “don’t give him the opportunity” and the other such guises of that argument has to be one of the weakest cliches in football. He’s there to make the right decision whether he has the “opportunity” or not. It’s a piss poor excuse that referees can hide behind because pundits and punters trot it out so readily.

And that’s coming from a referee.

 

[Bill Johnson]

There are 2 points of view on this thread just like all the others on tonight.
Those who blame the ref or say how amazing we were and those who actually watched the game. WATCHED THE GAME. They saw how weak and unprofessional we were from the moment we took the lead. How we couldn't keep the ball. How we panicked in clearing it. How we gave a fucking shit team every incentive to get something from the game. How we gave away a free kick and got away with it. How we let them cross the ball with freedom and get away with it because the crosses were fucking shit. How we then have away another free kick on the same spot and guess fucking what. I only hope Wilder is as fucking pissed off as I and others are.