How much better.....

[SBSP]

did we play going forward today without Hendo?

I know we only beat the bottom of the leauge 1-0 and were hanging on in the last 10mins but going forward we had so many more options, rather than just lumping it to him for him to foul or give the ball away.

I thought Camara was brilliant, whenever anyone passed to him the ball just stuck, both him and Evans were making good runs rather than just waiting for knock-downs from Hendo.

At times we did play direct football and in my opion we did it better than when our 'target man' has been playing. Both strikers were winning headers and the midfield were running onto them.

The only problem I can see is that next week he will be straight back into the side after his ban and we will be back to hoof ball.

 

[yuley82]

I still thought we were crap and had we been playing against better opposition then we would have got beaten today..

 

[torridon]

although i hate to say it i thought we missed hendersons presence in the box today.

 

[Deleted member 1486]

I thought we were awful, again. First half was OK (but nothing spectacular). Second half was dire. I don't think it would be stretching things to say a draw would have been a fair result (if I was watching the game as a neutral, I'd have probably thought they deserved a point). There was very little between the two teams, which is very worrying for us.

The only positives I took from today's game was Camara's enthusiam (something Blackwell will soon stifle) and Jamie Ward returning.

 

[Stafford Blade]

Henderson should be one of the 1st names on the teamsheet. We were very lucky today we were up against a side that were low on confidence and playing in division 3 last year.

 

[Foxy]

We didn't change our style of play at all, we mixed it up as much as we always do.

One of the differences was that in Wardy and Camara, we had not only pace, but players willing to take a gamble and attack the ball.

I'd keep Wardy where he is (it's working and he likes playing there) and start with Hendo and Camara next week.

 

[Stafford Blade]

all well and good starting with camara, but the bloke can't last 60 minutes! as much as i dislike evans he did alot of donkey work today whilst camara sauntered around up top ( like evans usually does )

 

[silverfox]

all well and good starting with camara, but the bloke can't last 60 minutes! as much as i dislike evans he did alot of donkey work today whilst camara sauntered around up top ( like evans usually does )

He also scored in his first full game at the Lane.

 

[puppet]

did we play going forward today without Hendo?

QUOTE]

we didnt - we just hoofed it to evans for most of the match

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

I just don't get how Evans is getting pelters and yet he was having to come deep and go wide just to get the ball.

Wardy and Quinny gave us no width and therefore the strikers had to create everything themselves. One of the only times we actually got at the fullback on the outside Wardy did it cut across the back of his marker and crossed for the goal.

 

[alcoblade]

did we play going forward today without Hendo?

I know we only beat the bottom of the leauge 1-0 and were hanging on in the last 10mins but going forward we had so many more options, rather than just lumping it to him for him to foul or give the ball away.

I thought Camara was brilliant, whenever anyone passed to him the ball just stuck, both him and Evans were making good runs rather than just waiting for knock-downs from Hendo.

At times we did play direct football and in my opion we did it better than when our 'target man' has been playing. Both strikers were winning headers and the midfield were running onto them.

The only problem I can see is that next week he will be straight back into the side after his ban and we will be back to hoof ball.

I am clearly going insane.

"we had so many more options".

Really? If so, I'm thinking of packing it in, right now.

UTB

 

[alcoblade]

I just don't get how Evans is getting pelters .

Because he's earning £15K per week for doing what I could?

UTB

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Because he's earning £15K per week for doing what I could?

UTB

Quoting part of a sentence really is pointless.

Evans worked hard today, coming back into midfield and having to go wider because our "wingers" we constantly coming inside.
The only time he got any service from wide areas he hit the target. One was well saved and we scored from the rebound, another he hit the bar, and in the second half he mis-hit one. Three crosses for him and he was unlucky with two of them. The rest of the game he had to go looking for the ball because his striking partner was happy uptop. He put in a good shift today and it was another game another improvement.

Harper, Quinny, Walker, Killa, Morgan all had worse games today than Ched and yet he still gets the stick despite working his arse off in a shite team performance.

How many times did Wardy (seemingly the unoffical MOTM) get wide and cross the ball in for the strikers during open play? I can recall once, what about Quinny?
You can't expect miracles when you aren't giving the forwards any decent server all you can ask is that they put the effort in a try to get on the ball. Ched did all those things, and rarely lost possession when he had the ball.

 

[alcoblade]

Quoting part of a sentence really is pointless.

Evans worked hard today, coming back into midfield and having to go wider because our "wingers" we constantly coming inside.
The only time he got any service from wide areas he hit the target. One was well saved and we scored from the rebound, another he hit the bar, and in the second half he mis-hit one. Three crosses for him and he was unlucky with two of them. The rest of the game he had to go looking for the ball because his striking partner was happy uptop. He put in a good shift today and it was another game another improvement.

Harper, Quinny, Walker, Killa, Morgan all had worse games today than Ched and yet he still gets the stick despite working his arse off in a shite team performance.

How many times did Wardy (seemingly the unoffical MOTM) get wide and cross the ball in for the strikers during open play? I can recall once, what about Quinny?
You can't expect miracles when you aren't giving the forwards any decent server all you can ask is that they put the effort in a try to get on the ball. Ched did all those things, and rarely lost possession when he had the ball.

Bob, your love in is to be commended.

I thought we were cack today throughout. The difference is that none of the players you mention are "one of the highest paid outside the premership", and all have, at some point, put in at least one shift for Sheffield United.

UTB

 

[alcoblade]

You can't expect miracles when you aren't giving the forwards any decent server all you can ask is that they put the effort in a try to get on the ball. Ched did all those things, and rarely lost possession when he had the ball.

I can't resist.

I don't expect miracles. I expect the odd goal and a bit of workrate from an extremely overpaid striker.

UTB

PS - You can't lose the ball when you don't have it.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Bob, your love in is to be commended.

I thought we were cack today throughout. The difference is that none of the players you mention are "one of the highest paid outside the premership", and all have, at some point, put in at least one shift for Sheffield United.

UTB

I agree with your first comment, I don't see this great first half performance people seem to be talking about.
However for me Ched put in a shift today, he was all over the place (maybe even too much so). The only time we gave him service from wide areas he hit the target.
If you didn't think Ched put himself about today, dropping deep, coming back to help defend then I think our discussion is over, certainly for tonight.

 

[alcoblade]

I agree with your first comment, I don't see this great first half performance people seem to be talking about.
However for me Ched put in a shift today, he was all over the place (maybe even too much so). The only time we gave him service from wide areas he hit the target.
If you didn't think Ched put himself about today, dropping deep, coming back to help defend then I think our discussion is over, certainly for tonight.

We clearly expect different things from our strikers. Being enormously well paid brings even higher expectation, for me.

I'm still desperate to be proved wrong. I'm sadly more convinced that we've had our pants removed and what's more, whilst we strive to give him time, we look more like relegation fodder by the week.

UTB

 

[alcoblade]

If you didn't think Ched put himself about today, dropping deep, coming back to help defend then I think our discussion is over, certainly for tonight.

Though I disagree about his general play, it's almost academic. He's paid to score regularly and nothing about his play suggests that's about to happen.

UTB

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Though I disagree about his general play, it's almost academic. He's paid to score regularly and nothing about his play suggests that's about to happen.

UTB

You expect him to score regularly without any real service?

We got the ball into him from a wide area three times today and all three were on target (one he did mis-hit) one was a good save which led to our goal and the other hit the bar. I would say from the three chances we created for him 3 on target isn't a bad percentage.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

You expect him to score regularly without any real service?

We got the ball into him from a wide area three times today and all three were on target (one he did mis-hit) one was a good save which led to our goal and the other hit the bar. I would say from the three chances we created for him 3 on target isn't a bad percentage.

The other side of the coin is that from three chances on target, none were scored (directly).

Was it Hoddle who said Andy cole needs four or five chances to get a goal?

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Andy Cole did need lots of chances but he didn't always hit the target. In fact he missed the target quite a bit to say how good a goalscoring record he had. If Cole took 50% of his chances he would still be the Premierships highest goalscorer.

I would say if a striker is hitting the target with the vast majority of chances I wouldn't be overly concerned at our level.

I'm not saying Ched hasn't struggled since he joined, but he is improving game on game and played considerably better than most today. To say he didn't put himself about is just madness though, he was all over the place.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Andy Cole did need lots of chances but he didn't always hit the target. In fact he missed the target quite a bit to say how good a goalscoring record he had. If Cole took 50% of his chances he would still be the Premierships highest goalscorer.

I would say if a striker is hitting the target with the vast majority of chances I wouldn't be overly concerned at our level.

I'm not saying Ched hasn't struggled since he joined, but he is improving game on game and played considerably better than most today. To say he didn't put himself about is just madness though, he was all over the place.

I'm not knocking the lad tbh, he seems to have put decent shifts in the games i've seen, and forcing a save is far better than spooning a chance.

Give him time and i'm sure he'll come good.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

I'm not knocking the lad tbh, he seems to have put decent shifts in the games i've seen, and forcing a save is far better than spooning a chance.

Give him time and i'm sure he'll come good.

My concern is he won't not with the service he got today.

I like Wardy but to have him and another winger on the other side who don't want to play as wingers just makes it harder for our strikers.

If you want to play that way play 4-3-3 not a fucked up version of 4-4-2.

I accept the point (because it is a cold fact) that Ched didn't score again today, but there is also the point that we only got a ball to him in a dangerous area 3 times and he hit the target. The rest of the time he was having to drop deep or we were knocking impossible long balls back to front to him. The only one he had a real chance from this tactic came late on and he pulled it down well, tried to come inside and his (again) on target shot was deflected behind for a corner.

Alco doesn't rate him, I understand and appreciate that but to say his workrate was poor was plain wrong on todays showing. His goalscoring rate is poor at United I'd agree but I would also say there are other reasons for that stat.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Totally agree, and getting rid of cotterill was a bonkers idea.

 

[Liaminho9]

We didn't change our style of play at all, we mixed it up as much as we always do.

One of the differences was that in Wardy and Camara, we had not only pace, but players willing to take a gamble and attack the ball.

I'd keep Wardy where he is (it's working and he likes playing there) and start with Hendo and Camara next week.

Couldnt agree more :thumbup: