Handed in the team selection, handed them the game.

[Harry's Game]

Two games lost and both down to the manager I am afraid, anyone who saw the Bristol game last week especially the no show second half would never have believed that we would start with the same line up again, no experience in the centre back department, lightweight in the middle of the park, no pace up front.

If the spine of the team is weak then you don't get very far.

Clough did so much to turn things around last season but looking at the team at the moment it's no better that the one we had under Weir, and we are getting similar results.

 

[Bladesman]

Both these games were winnable.

We were hardly outclassed by either team but in both games we just waved a white flag in the second half and said you lot have this one.

 

[zablade]

Two games lost and both down to the manager I am afraid, anyone who saw the Bristol game last week especially the no show second half would never have believed that we would start with the same line up again, no experience in the centre back department, lightweight in the middle of the park, no pace up front.

If the spine of the team is weak then you don't get very far.

Clough did so much to turn things around last season but looking at the team at the moment it's no better that the one we had under Weir, and we are getting similar results.

Hate to say it, but I think you have got it spot on, can't disagree with a word of that.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

Have you ever been managers?? NO!

Clough knows a million times more about it than any of you, the players he picked are world beaters. Just unlucky. Unlucky unlucky unlucky. A bit of luck we'd be top of the league already. It's all down to luck this game.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Have you ever been managers?? NO!

Clough knows a million times more about it than any of you, the players he picked are world beaters. Just unlucky. Unlucky unlucky unlucky. A bit of luck we'd be top of the league already. It's all down to luck this game.

Then why not sack Clough and replace him with a feckin' Wheel of Fortune?

 

[Woodwardfan]

I'm afraid the manager has lost faith with Doyle and Collins and is prepared to play rookies in their place. The added absence of Butler as well as those two has come as a shock and far from having an experienced, solid spine, we are experimenting. Any player has loads to learn in his first 20 games and it appears Clough is happy for Reed and McGahey to cut their teeth as starters in league games. That is unusual in a team that aspires automatic promotion.

At the same time it seems Scougall and Murphy haven't got going yet. Basham's role is a complete surprise to us Blades and apparently to Blackpool fans too.

The team sheet will not frighten any team in this league.

 

[Bladesman]

I'm afraid the manager has lost faith with Doyle and Collins and is prepared to play rookies in their place. The added absence of Butler as well as those two has come as a shock and far from having an experienced, solid spine, we are experimenting. Any player has loads to learn in his first 20 games and it appears Clough is happy for Reed and McGahey to cut their teeth as starters in league games. That is unusual in a team that aspires automatic promotion.

At the same time it seems Scougall and Murphy haven't got going yet. Basham's role is a complete surprise to us Blades and apparently to Blackpool fans too.

The team sheet will not frighten any team in this league.

I think the only thing that would concern them is working out what formation we are trying to fucking play.

 

[pontyblade]

Two games lost and both down to the manager I am afraid, anyone who saw the Bristol game last week especially the no show second half would never have believed that we would start with the same line up again, no experience in the centre back department, lightweight in the middle of the park, no pace up front.

If the spine of the team is weak then you don't get very far.

Clough did so much to turn things around last season but looking at the team at the moment it's no better that the one we had under Weir, and we are getting similar results.

After last weeks poor show ,the same team failed to trouble their 6 yard box today, having a youngster in midfield and doyle,collins,baxter warming the bench isnt going to win us the league, Are we going to start our season in february 2015, Look at Chesterfield ,2nd ,same with Rovrum last year ,.C`mon cloughie get it sorted. Just for the record Harry Maguire wasnt even on the bench for Hull today ,can we have him back on loan please Mr Bruce.!!

 

[Linz]

Team stopped playing like they were doing and scored the goal that our opposition didn't look capable of scoring = only got ourselves to blame.

Luck doesn't come into it. A lack of confidence in what they were doing, a lack of fitness or a lack of leadership and motivation does.

 

[JJBlade]

The Sheffield United managers job description, remit and end result.

1st season - The boardroom have got this club into an unbelievable f@cking mess due to their pi55 poor, penny pinching, typically moronic small time Sheffield attitude, please get us out of the said mess.

2nd season - Thank you for getting us out of the sh@t last season, we're going to reward you by sh@tting all over you again. Were now going to sell whatever good players we have left that you managed to get the best out of, the improvement in form actually made them worth something. Those great players you spotted and brought in on loan were going to do f@ck all to help you sign them permanently and were going to provide nothing to help you sign any other players unless their either free or near as damn it free and are on such low wages that any decent club wouldn't look twice at them.

mid way through 2nd season - Manager can't win, starts to look unhappy, sulks, doesn't do good interviews, looks broken, cant get the best out of the team, starts to go through the motions, looks forward to losing his job and being relieved of it all, gets paid out, gets another job, goes back to being a decent manager again.

And before everyone slags me off. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN

 

[Linz]

Erm... There's no swear filter on here

 

[The Glasshouse Blade]

yes but our fans berated Doyle, and to a smaller extent Collins all last season, they can't have it both ways. I listened to Edwards commentary today and he said Doyle's first three touches today were errors, schoolboy errors because he can't pass 8 yards.

I'm afraid the manager has lost faith with Doyle and Collins and is prepared to play rookies in their place. The added absence of Butler as well as those two has come as a shock and far from having an experienced, solid spine, we are experimenting. Any player has loads to learn in his first 20 games and it appears Clough is happy for Reed and McGahey to cut their teeth as starters in league games. That is unusual in a team that aspires automatic promotion.

At the same time it seems Scougall and Murphy haven't got going yet. Basham's role is a complete surprise to us Blades and apparently to Blackpool fans too.

The team sheet will not frighten any team in this league.

 

[The Glasshouse Blade]

we don't want Harry back, he was great while he was here but chose to leave us for the lure of European football, Premiership, oh and a bigger pay day, let him stay where he is as that defeats his objective.

 

[Wapping Blade]

And before everyone slags me off. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN

Yep - AND IF YOU PUT IT IN CAPITALS IT WILL HAPPEN EVEN MORE

 

[Bladesway]

Sorry but is anyone not concerned with 0 points from the first 6 possible? If there is someone who isn't worried about this start then please put your hand up. I'm concerned by both lack thus far of goals, results but above all by the quality of play. Creating little apart from a 15 minute spell in the first game which yielded our only goal thus far.

I'm sure Clough is the same because if he isn't he won't be around past October.

 

[BladeFisher]

The Sheffield United managers job description, remit and end result.

1st season - The boardroom have got this club into an unbelievable f@cking mess due to their pi55 poor, penny pinching, typically moronic small time Sheffield attitude, please get us out of the said mess.

2nd season - Thank you for getting us out of the sh@t last season, we're going to reward you by sh@tting all over you again. Were now going to sell whatever good players we have left that you managed to get the best out of, the improvement in form actually made them worth something. Those great players you spotted and brought in on loan were going to do f@ck all to help you sign them permanently and were going to provide nothing to help you sign any other players unless their either free or near as damn it free and are on such low wages that any decent club wouldn't look twice at them.

mid way through 2nd season - Manager can't win, starts to look unhappy, sulks, doesn't do good interviews, looks broken, cant get the best out of the team, starts to go through the motions, looks forward to losing his job and being relieved of it all, gets paid out, gets another job, goes back to being a decent manager again.

And before everyone slags me off. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN

Judging by another post we are midway already.

 

[Foxy]

We handed them the game when we changed from playing football to tossing it back to them and scoring them a goal.

Still not sure why we persisted with Flynn and Murphy switched, when we looked worse for it.

 

[Latters]

Sorry but is anyone not concerned with 0 points from the first 6 possible? If there is someone who isn't worried about this start then please put your hand up. I'm concerned by both lack thus far of goals, results but above all by the quality of play. Creating little apart from a 15 minute spell in the first game which yielded our only goal thus far.

I'm sure Clough is the same because if he isn't he won't be around past October.

But... but... the squad is stronger. What is there to worry about? Just you wait until every team in the league suffers simultaneous injuries to their four best players, then there will be nothing to stand in our way.

 

[pontyblade]

Team stopped playing like they were doing and scored the goal that our opposition didn't look capable of scoring = only got ourselves to blame.

Luck doesn't come into it. A lack of confidence in what they were doing, a lack of fitness or a lack of leadership and motivation does.

Fitness shouldnt be a problem 2 games into the season ,theyve been trainig since july, granted match fitness comes along ,but its the same for other teams. Yes we need a leader ,thats where Collins comes in ,but why NC is keeping him ,Doyle,Baxter,out only he knows .and so far it aint working.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

I had to give the OP a like just for the general point it made. Utterly perplexing team selection and I'm a Clough disciple. I can't understand what he's doing at the moment or why he's doing it.

Some will blame the hierarchy for no ambition, lack of spending etc. but I would like to see a proper starting lineup on the pitch before I get into all that.

If he picks the same team or anything like it next time out I give up.

 

[Roygbiv]

I applaud the idea of trying to slowly get Collins and Doyle out of the team as they aren't good enough but I can't for the life of me understand the thinking behind the team we have played in these two games. Alcock has probably been our best player so in a way you could say that decision has paid off and maybe he and McGahety will form a good partnership but I can't see any sense in playing an 18 year old with a right back at centre half and playing a winger at right back.

A defence of Alcock, Butler, McGahety and Harris is one that most League One clubs would have. Alcock has been the stand out player so far, Butler is a proven League One player loved at his last club, McGahety clearly has a lot of potential and Harris was excellent last season. I knew we wouldn't be able to get anyone better than Maguire but it seems we are making things even harder for ourselves then they need to be

 

[Roygbiv]

We handed them the game when we changed from playing football to tossing it back to them and scoring them a goal.

Still not sure why we persisted with Flynn and Murphy switched, when we looked worse for it.

Murphy has never looked good on the right and Flynn always has to turn round before going forward when he's on the left. I think bringing on McEveley was the most bizarre thing of all. We may have looked more solid with two left backs on that flank but with Murphy stuck out on the right it meant we had nothing in an attacking sense.

 

[drinksmat]

Whoever played today would have ended up in the same mess. Given the entire team were playing hoofball and insisting on kicking it to someone in a blue shirt after the first 15 minutes then we were always going to be in trouble. Yes our midfield was non existent but for the remaining 75 mins the entire team could not work it out that lumping the ball upfield was not working.

Coventry were poor as well today - given the fact we kept giving them the ball they should have done a lot more with it, but that is little comfort.

 

[BeakerBlade]

Two games lost and both down to the manager I am afraid, anyone who saw the Bristol game last week especially the no show second half would never have believed that we would start with the same line up again, no experience in the centre back department, lightweight in the middle of the park, no pace up front.

If the spine of the team is weak then you don't get very far.

Clough did so much to turn things around last season but looking at the team at the moment it's no better that the one we had under Weir, and we are getting similar results.

Completely agree, it's like we are shooting ourselves in the foot. We've got players sat on the bench (and at the Walsall game) that have more experience and know how to win football matches.

 

[Blade68]

Two games lost and both down to the manager I am afraid, anyone who saw the Bristol game last week especially the no show second half would never have believed that we would start with the same line up again, no experience in the centre back department, lightweight in the middle of the park, no pace up front.

If the spine of the team is weak then you don't get very far.

Clough did so much to turn things around last season but looking at the team at the moment it's no better that the one we had under Weir, and we are getting similar results.

Agree entirely. It's not the results alone that would be so concerning, but more the baffling team selections and poor substitutions. Today was just a continuation of the poor performances in preseason.
More need now than ever to be able to out score teams with us having a new back 4 but there is no evidence of that happening with higdon up top on his own

 

[ScoobBlade]

More and more comments seem anti clough, if some are getting fed up with clough I suggest they have a think of where we'd be without him and who we'd get in. He'll get it right, I'm still very confident

 

[cahill]

Agree wholeheartedly with the last comment, I'd hate to be in the trenches with you lot. Reminds me of the character in Dads Army "don't panic don't panic" whilst doing just that. Only been two games, 44 to go. Clough will sort it stop worrying.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Agree wholeheartedly with the last comment, I'd hate to be in the trenches with you lot. Reminds me of the character in Dads Army "don't panic don't panic" whilst doing just that. Only been two games, 44 to go. Clough will sort it stop worrying.

I can understand where you "don't panic" advocators are coming from but we have been listening to this type of thing for the past few seasons. In all honesty, is this a team that look like they are going to get promoted out of this league this season ?, are we going to see drastic upturns in the form of players like Basham ?. Will we see the necessary signings made during the season to get us out of this league ?, history tends to suggest not. Would love to be proved wrong but we are in this division for the long haul, I've accepted it, won't stop me turning up at the Lane for every match though.

 

[Bladesman]

The Sheffield United managers job description, remit and end result.

1st season - The boardroom have got this club into an unbelievable f@cking mess due to their pi55 poor, penny pinching, typically moronic small time Sheffield attitude, please get us out of the said mess.

2nd season - Thank you for getting us out of the sh@t last season, we're going to reward you by sh@tting all over you again. Were now going to sell whatever good players we have left that you managed to get the best out of, the improvement in form actually made them worth something. Those great players you spotted and brought in on loan were going to do f@ck all to help you sign them permanently and were going to provide nothing to help you sign any other players unless their either free or near as damn it free and are on such low wages that any decent club wouldn't look twice at them.

mid way through 2nd season - Manager can't win, starts to look unhappy, sulks, doesn't do good interviews, looks broken, cant get the best out of the team, starts to go through the motions, looks forward to losing his job and being relieved of it all, gets paid out, gets another job, goes back to being a decent manager again.

And before everyone slags me off. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN

History does tend to repeat itself rather often for us.

 

[Bergen Blade]

Murphy has never looked good on the right and Flynn always has to turn round before going forward when he's on the left. I think bringing on McEveley was the most bizarre thing of all. We may have looked more solid with two left backs on that flank but with Murphy stuck out on the right it meant we had nothing in an attacking sense.

At the end Clough moved Murphy up front, his third position in the match. I think he was trying to find an opponent for him that he could actually get past. By then our midfield was:

Baxter Basham Doyle McEveley
​

... not ideal when you're chasing the game...