'Great Punch', Confidence in Hammond and Resilience: Adkins' Reaction

[robbiez666]

'I has total confidence in Dean Hammond'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03823xz

After a couple of minutes of bluster he actually says something. As said in the Long thread by several people it's very worrying if a football manager thinks that's a 'great punch'. It most certainly wasn't. You punch out of danger, not straight to the opposition (albeit the marking was beyond woeful)

He makes a comment early on about the environment and how footballers need to have resilience to play for Sheffield United. Is this the first swipe he's had at us fans? It seemed like a veiled criticism to me.

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

I think Long should have caught that. I agree that their player should have been closed down a lot quicker, but still a more confident keeper would have got two hands on the ball. I presume it was Baxter Adkins was digging at about defensive positioning. Fair enough, but I thought that was a bit lame given Baxter saved Adkins' backside today with the goals. Adkins for example didnt imply that Collins' was poor - when he had yet another bad game - bar the goal - he made some terrible headers and was caught our positionally a few times. Hammond was pretty terrible again, but he gets prasied -but he is his mate and signing so we wont get anything different from Adkins.

I agree with Adkins in that we played some good stuff in the second half. Baxter was a class above.

 

[Deleted member 875]

It wasn't just that their player should have been closed down a lot quicker but the sheer amoun of space he had to take the ball down and pick his spot.

Should have been down to a central midfielder to pick it up close down the space.

I think that goal goes down to Coutts or Hammond.

 

[finlaytheblade]

It wasn't just that their player should have been closed down a lot quicker but the sheer amoun of space he had to take the ball down and pick his spot.

Should have been down to a central midfielder to pick it up close down the space.

I think that goal goes down to Coutts or Hammond.

Hammond gets it in the neck again!
marking is always suspect when you concede like that crewe did similar. 2 weeks ago.Collins was unmarked for our 2nd with time to control and shoot this is all part of football.Although I think Long will come through and make a good goalie for me it's his mistake for like a lot of keepers today he elected to clear his lines(the ball can always fall at the feet of the opposition)when he could have caught it quite easily hopefully he will learn from this.I think when Adkins sees the video he will change his mind about longs so called punch.,if not I would be very disappointed in him as it is there for all to see,come on nice!!

 

[finlaytheblade]

Hammond gets it in the neck again!
marking is always suspect when you concede like that crewe did similar. 2 weeks ago.Collins was unmarked for our 2nd with time to control and shoot this is all part of football.Although I think Long will come through and make a good goalie for me it's his mistake for like a lot of keepers today he elected to clear his lines(the ball can always fall at the feet of the opposition)when he could have caught it quite easily hopefully he will learn from this.I think when Adkins sees the video he will change his mind about longs so called punch.,if not I would be very disappointed in him as it is there for all to see,come on nice!!

Sorry it should read come on nige

 

[robbiez666]

If you watch the replay back it looks like Long misjudged the flight. He seemed to be trying to punch it out at an angle but got his positioning wrong.

 

[Superblades]

I didn't go but watching the highlights on the SkySports App, I thought Long should have caught that, it looks like we were the better team overall and had the ones which hit the post gone in it would have been 4 or 5.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Adkins is trying to make a player out of the bright young prospect Long. In midweek he talked about commanding the area, distribution etc. as a general comment about the role of keepers and maybe repeating some of the things his coaches have been drilling into Long, quite rightly.

On a very wet day with a greasy ball the lad was making a comeback in a home game and the combination of nerves and conditions meant he was always likely to punch the first few crosses. Good to see him get to the ball and how unlucky it fell like it did and the player did so well with the chance.

In interview the manager is giving an honest view and, more importantly, he is protecting his player and encouraging him. The manager is also quite right to mention the "environment" because that affects young players more than experienced ones.

In the whole scheme of things Adkins inherited his goalkeepers and he may well have made his mind up now that Howard is not good enough ( bear in mind not many on here were telling anybody that keeper was a priority position last summer). He may think that Long has the potential to grow with the club or he may just think he is the better of two poor keepers at present. Either way we are not in good shape in what is supposed to be a promotion season but I fully understand why Adkins decided on other priority areas for signings.

As is my wont, I have to say the way some of our fans on here and at some games treat our very young keeper prospect is, to be kind, counter-productive and against the interests of the club and us all; it's also cruel.

I happen to think Long has a 50/50 chance of making a top keeper and he will certainly be good enough for League 1. In the longer term interests of the player and the club it is right to play him now. If he fails with us then we'll need a keeper for next season. Looking at some on here, it's as though they want him to fail.

 

[Woodwardfan]

As for Hammond, the manager has complete faith in the lad and has made him his second "landmark signing" after Sharp.

Posters on here just cannot resist the urge to pile in on a player who has made an uncertain start.

Hammond is quality and will come good; if he doesn't we are up s*** creek without a paddle but it is nowhere near time to judge him yet. So many posters seem determined to show how impatient and unaware they are about the way football is. Players take time to settle sometimes -fact.

I am as disappointed as anybody about the type of player Hammond appears to be and also his standards to date. However I'm not daft enough to plough in and slate him a) because it is counter-productive and b) because I nobody knows yet how important a player he will become.

I think new players should be welcomed to the club and helped to settle in. I'd hope loanees would aspire to join us in the future like Brayford did and because Bramall Lane is a great place to be. Imagine how Hammond feels about us in this moment and indeed, how Adkins feels about things.

Yes they have to earn respect and I think they will. Only time will tell though.

BTW I reckon the Hammond signing in January is a done deal. If he and we endure these times just for him to return to Leicester then it will have been a disaster to equal all our worst deals because he has contributed so little as yet.

 

[Guesty]

We keep conceding these goals from distance. It's something that has been a problem for ages. At least now there's some acknowledgment that it's something we can work on rather than the capricious whims of fate.

 

[Bartleby]

I think new players should be welcomed to the club and helped to settle in. I'd hope loanees would aspire to join us in the future like Brayford did and because Bramall Lane is a great place to be. Imagine how Hammond feels about us in this moment and indeed, how Adkins feels about things.

totally agree, that's a good point.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

He makes a comment early on about the environment and how footballers need to have resilience to play for Sheffield United. Is this the first swipe he's had at us fans? It seemed like a veiled criticism to me.

I know folks are sensitive about this sort of comment from managers, but it is very true. We are very demanding as supporters. Without wanting to get all Wendy about it, more trying to be objective: this is mostly a consequence of us being a big club playing for too long "below our level". There are other reasons too though.

At 2-0 down yesterday, the atmosphere was truly poisonous. In hindsight, the players did a remarkable job picking themselves off the floor & somehow getting it back to 2-2.

The fear & unhappiness emanating from the players is very evident though. Something which us as fans can take a lot of blame for. At the same time fans' unhappiness at the current situation can be blamed largely on the players (along with management/board). There's something of a vicious circle going on.

 

[derryblade]

'I has total confidence in Dean Hammond'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03823xz

After a couple of minutes of bluster he actually says something. As said in the Long thread by several people it's very worrying if a football manager thinks that's a 'great punch'. It most certainly wasn't. You punch out of danger, not straight to the opposition (albeit the marking was beyond woeful)

He makes a comment early on about the environment and how footballers need to have resilience to play for Sheffield United. Is this the first swipe he's had at us fans? It seemed like a veiled criticism to me.

We all know the supporters can play their part in winning games but ultimately that comes down to the owners, manager/backroom staff and the players. I can only speak for myself but the most frustrating part of the teams performances are everybody can see the shortcomings the manager has identified them from week one and here we are 17 games in and the same problems exist. So rightly so supporters question what do they do in training, do they actually communicate as group to resolve issues. To infer supporters are to even remotely to blame for the players/manager inadequacies is absurd and insulting to people who pay hard earned money to watch their team. I've witnessed toxic atmospheres at the Lane and on away days following the Blades and at present that isn't even lukewarm.

 

[super_pig]

perhaps everyone should stop going for a while.. would that help NIgel?

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Adkins is trying to make a player out of the bright young prospect Long. In midweek he talked about commanding the area, distribution etc. as a general comment about the role of keepers and maybe repeating some of the things his coaches have been drilling into Long, quite rightly.

On a very wet day with a greasy ball the lad was making a comeback in a home game and the combination of nerves and conditions meant he was always likely to punch the first few crosses. Good to see him get to the ball and how unlucky it fell like it did and the player did so well with the chance.

In interview the manager is giving an honest view and, more importantly, he is protecting his player and encouraging him. The manager is also quite right to mention the "environment" because that affects young players more than experienced ones.

In the whole scheme of things Adkins inherited his goalkeepers and he may well have made his mind up now that Howard is not good enough ( bear in mind not many on here were telling anybody that keeper was a priority position last summer). He may think that Long has the potential to grow with the club or he may just think he is the better of two poor keepers at present. Either way we are not in good shape in what is supposed to be a promotion season but I fully understand why Adkins decided on other priority areas for signings.

As is my wont, I have to say the way some of our fans on here and at some games treat our very young keeper prospect is, to be kind, counter-productive and against the interests of the club and us all; it's also cruel.

I happen to think Long has a 50/50 chance of making a top keeper and he will certainly be good enough for League 1. In the longer term interests of the player and the club it is right to play him now. If he fails with us then we'll need a keeper for next season. Looking at some on here, it's as though they want him to fail.

The thing is though Woody, Long is not a sixteen year old playing only his third game. He has quite a number of first team appearances under his belt, and spouts in the programme of playing in front of 50,000 at Ibrox for Motherwell, so nerves shouldn't play a part in it.

 

[finlaytheblade]

Adkins is trying to make a player out of the bright young prospect Long. In midweek he talked about commanding the area, distribution etc. as a general comment about the role of keepers and maybe repeating some of the things his coaches have been drilling into Long, quite rightly.

On a very wet day with a greasy ball the lad was making a comeback in a home game and the combination of nerves and conditions meant he was always likely to punch the first few crosses. Good to see him get to the ball and how unlucky it fell like it did and the player did so well with the chance.

In interview the manager is giving an honest view and, more importantly, he is protecting his player and encouraging him. The manager is also quite right to mention the "environment" because that affects young players more than experienced ones.

In the whole scheme of things Adkins inherited his goalkeepers and he may well have made his mind up now that Howard is not good enough ( bear in mind not many on here were telling anybody that keeper was a priority position last summer). He may think that Long has the potential to grow with the club or he may just think he is the better of two poor keepers at present. Either way we are not in good shape in what is supposed to be a promotion season but I fully understand why Adkins decided on other priority areas for signings.

As is my wont, I have to say the way some of our fans on here and at some games treat our very young keeper prospect is, to be kind, counter-productive and against the interests of the club and us all; it's also cruel.

I happen to think Long has a 50/50 chance of making a top keeper and he will certainly be good enough for League 1. In the longer term interests of the player and the club it is right to play him now. If he fails with us then we'll need a keeper for next season. Looking at some on here, it's as though they want him to fail.

Good post woody although long was at fault for the first goal it's the kind of situation that developed quite often in matches usually nothing comes of it but this time we paid the price.I like you the k we should stick with him as the potential is there to be a top keeper,and if our manager rates him (and he's an ex-keeper) that's good enough for me.Adkins has not turned into a bad manager overnight so we have to stick k with his judgement t,although disappointed with his lack of activity from the potential match changers on the Bench

 

[Woodwardfan]

The thing is though Woody, Long is not a sixteen year old playing only his third game. He has quite a number of first team appearances under his belt, and spouts in the programme of playing in front of 50,000 at Ibrox for Motherwell, so nerves shouldn't play a part in it.

Keepers mature age 28 years old.

 

[Jehovah]

Keepers mature age 28 years old.[/QUOTE

So we have to put up with years of him being shit? Jesus Christ

 

[sitwell]

Keepers mature age 28 years old.

He will be playing for Kiveton Park by then.

 

[super_pig]

if he hadn't come through the academy he'd have been shot by now.. i'd put willis in.
christ .. i sound like pinchy

 

[SandyMcBlade]

The Odds at the beginning of the season put us as favorites to go up,so we must have looked good on paper.
The pundits are still saying we have one of the best squads in this division,and the manager has a great track record,
so what's the problem ?
It's got to be Confidence !!!
When he tells a player to ignore a mistake or says he believes in a player who's going through a bad spell what is he trying to give him,
Confidence !!!
All we need now is a rub of the green for few games,a few wins, and some to start playing out of their skin for a while to kick start that run and get that swagger back..
I still don't think they've got over the shock of that thumping they got in the first match yet, but I'm sure it will come because no matter what some of our experts say on here, their not a bad set of players they just lacking that bit of confidence....

UTB

 

[Woodwardfan]

He will be playing for Kiveton Park by then.

Along with Baxter Sitwell??

 

[Woodwardfan]

Jehovah.

Yes and no, but Man City went through all this with Joe Hart. He went out on long loans, he was understudy, he's been dropped and he's come through. The stage came a few times when the manager had to make the call - here and now with a bit of a gamble or wait and wait or give up.

Joe Hart is 28 BTW.

 

[super_pig]

The Odds at the beginning of the season put us as favorites to go up,so we must have looked good on paper.
The pundits are still saying we have one of the best squads in this division,and the manager has a great track record,
so what's the problem ?
It's got to be Confidence !!!
When he tells a player to ignore a mistake or says he believes in a player who's going through a bad spell what is he trying to give him,
Confidence !!!
All we need now is a rub of the green for few games,a few wins, and some to start playing out of their skin for a while to kick start that run and get that swagger back..
I still don't think they've got over the shock of that thumping they got in the first match yet, but I'm sure it will come because no matter what some of our experts say on here, their not a bad set of players they just lacking that bit of confidence....

UTB

we've been saying this for ten years now.. some of us are worried there is more to it. personally i think the club is rotten to the core

 

[sitwell]

Along with Baxter Sitwell??

No Baxter is now putting effort in instead of the free ride he was on ,he looks a much better player for it. I do worry that he will go back into comfort zone mode though and that wouldn't be enough. Joe Hart is wank too but Long is even worse.

 

[Woodwardfan]

No Baxter is now putting effort in instead of the free ride he was on ,he looks a much better player for it. I do worry that he will go back into comfort zone mode though and that wouldn't be enough. Joe Hart is wank too but Long is even worse.

Music to my ears, Judge.

 

[SandyMcBlade]

we've been saying this for ten years now.. some of us are worried there is more to it. personally i think the club is rotten to the core

I still think Adkins will do it, given the backing, and is one of the few we're likely to get who can do in the Championship as well .....

 

[mattbianco1]

it's very worrying if a football manager thinks that's a 'great punch'. It most certainly wasn't. You punch out of danger, not straight to the opposition (albeit the marking was beyond woeful)

His punch wasn't bad. He got it out of the area which is what you want from a GK punch. The finish from the guy was fantastic, nobody's stopping that.

At first I thought he should've caught it but given the wet and slippery conditions I understand why he punched it.

 

[sheffielder]

How old is Howard, because he must be 28 and he's fucking gash

 

[sheffielder]

He will be playing for Kiveton Park by then.

You would probably go to heckle him too.