I havent given up this season

[wavy-blade]

29 league games left to play. Only 1 win away from 4th bottom.

I was so down till I saw this post , COME ON YOU RED AND FUCKERS , GET A GRIP

 

[Stretch]

Well you thought wrong! You know something criticise the manager for team team selection or tactics but to criticise his commitment to this club is a downright disgrace! You should be ashamed of this comment disgusting!

You are clearly, and this is putting it mildly, a very angry individual.

I am entitled to my opinion as much as anyone else, and have invested as much time, love and pain into this club as any supporter. And right now I see a manager and players who are showing the opposition too much respect, and listening to post match interviews designed to make us feel grateful for just being in the league, god forbid competing like we did last time out.

If you don't agree with me, then fine, but take your high and mighty attitude and shove it pal. Ok?

 

[robbiez666]

There are 3 other dreadful teams in this division so all to play for.

 

[Robby Blade]

Have spoken to him after the match by Facetime. He often doesnt agree with me!

That's kids for ya silent. Think they know it all.

 

[Robboblade1889]

You are clearly, and this is putting it mildly, a very angry individual.

I am entitled to my opinion as much as anyone else, and have invested as much time, love and pain into this club as any supporter. And right now I see a manager and players who are showing the opposition too much respect, and listening to post match interviews designed to make us feel grateful for just being in the league, god forbid competing like we did last time out.

If you don't agree with me, then fine, but take your high and mighty attitude and shove it pal. Ok?

I am also entitled to my opinion and my opinion is questioning this mans commitment to this football club is disgusting!
I am angry at idiotic (in my opinion) posts like this! Because you know what if you get your way we will become another club going through the motions of sacking managers constantly like we have in the past. I don’t want you and others with the same opinion to get your way!

 

[VictoryBlade]

Stop arguing amongst yourselves, we are all Blades and hate the predicament we are in? But come on guys this is our club, Wilder is doing his best so lets just see how it pans out, just heard the Rocky theme tune on the tele so come on Blades! Come on Blades, we just nee to be in our ground to roar them over the line, BUT!

 

[VictoryBlade]

How about trying to get Deli Ali on loan? thoughts?

 

[Stretch]

I am also entitled to my opinion and my opinion is questioning this mans commitment to this football club is disgusting!
I am angry at idiotic (in my opinion) posts like this! Because you know what if you get your way we will become another club going through the motions of sacking managers constantly like we have in the past. I don’t want you and others with the same opinion to get your way!

I never questioned his commitment to the club, or suggested that he should be sacked. So that's one major misinterpretation of the point I am making and one wrongly made assumption about what I want to happen.

I am saying that belief has gone, or at least appears to have at the moment. And that is MY opinion.

So when you have got down off that incredibly tall horse of yours, maybe take a deep breath and think about what people are posting with a bit more care, before steaming in.

 

[Deadbat]

How about trying to get Deli Ali on loan? thoughts?

Just the lad for a relegation fight!

 

[YES Blade]

Change to who? Genuinely interested who you think would do better.

I don’t know, but how can things get worse?

 

[Robboblade1889]

I never questioned his commitment to the club, or suggested that he should be sacked. So that's one major misinterpretation of the point I am making and one wrongly made assumption about what I want to happen.

I am saying that belief and confidence have gone, or at least appear to have at the moment. And that is MY opinion.

So when you have got down off that incredibly tall horse of yours, maybe take a deep breath and read what people are posting with a bit more care, before steaming in.

You said and I quote “it looks like the manager has given up”! Is that not questioning his commitment? Surely if someone had given up it means they are no longer committed to the cause!
The manager hasn’t given up at all that’s complete and utter bullshit and I think you know it! Is he finding it tough to find the right mix? Is he finding it tough to get the players at the same intensity as when the fans were in, is he finding it tough trying to replace a very important player? Yes of course is he!
These are unprecedented times so I think we would be in this position with fans in the ground? No I don’t. Do I think we are in this position with JOC in the team? No I don’t!

 

[Coily]

29 league games left to play. Only 1 win away from 4th bottom.

The latter fact is the one comfort I have right now. Lots of scope for change, but looking like 3 from 4 to go down - I'd love to add Newcastle in who have been awful when I've seen them but have managed to win 3 games - and to be honest we've looked the worst of the 4.

We need a change in positively from the players, in possession we are so timid amd slow right now. It seems we need the perfect chance to score, and even then lack the clinical ability to do so.

Still don't understand why we didn't get a replacement for JO'Cs injury, thought Jake Cooper at Millwall would have been perfect, decent ball player and fantastic in the air. Really hope we get him in as Ampadu at LCB won't work, plus I think longer term he'll be needed especially if the worst happens. We have to develop an attacking threat on the left, teams know everything comes down the right and can adjust.

When it comes down to it, we have to be better at both ends, have to say Ramsdale doesn't fill me with confidence and he should have done better with Haller's shot. McBurnie's issues are obvious, but also we've paid 23m on a lad who is yet to have a shot in 4 games.

Onto WBA... strong booze required!

 

[Coily]

I don’t know, but how can things get worse?

Garry Monk?

 

[JackSUFC]

People have very short memories.

Even in the 2018-19 promotion season we were shite up until Christmas. Our season didn't start until we beat Derby 3-1 on Boxing Day.

Long, long way to go in this campaign yet.

Wouldn’t say we were shite. We were a very good side but just lacked consistency until that point. We then went on a good run and went from strength to strength.

 

[Foody]

The crazy thing is that if we beat West Brom next week we could well find ourselves outside of the relegation zone. The worry is that it's looking more and more likely that it's 3 of the current bottom 4. Maybe a Newcastle or Brighton get dragged in, but to be honest us 4 look bad.

Not good odds, but it also isn't the mountain it's made out to be.

 

[Stretch]

You said and I quote “it looks like the manager has given up”! Is that not questioning his commitment? Surely if someone had given up it means they are no longer committed to the cause!
The manager hasn’t given up at all that’s complete and utter bullshit and I think you know it! Is he finding it tough to find the right mix? Is he finding it tough to get the players at the same intensity as when the fans were in, is he finding it tough trying to replace a very important player? Yes of course is he!
These are unprecedented times so I think we would be in this position with fans in the ground? No I don’t. Do I think we are in this position with JOC in the team? No I don’t!

I think someone can lose faith in what they are able to achieve but that doesn't mean they aren't committed.

I am fairly sure that Chris would go to hell and back for the club, but he doesn't look himself at the moment and I think that him and the team have gone into their shells.

Obviously that happens in poor runs, and a win or 2 should lift them out of it.

You are right to make the point about intensity in empty stadiums. That's clearly a massive issue, but every team is in the same boat.

 

[BladeInIreland]

I don’t know, but how can things get worse?

Quite easily, just look at our history.

 

[Bladesman]

 

[HighfieldBlade]

All to play for definitely!
Remember our first win in 1990? Didn't come until near Xmas when Forest came to town. We were fine that season!...

 

[corner_flag]

"I suspect that the solution will lie as much with the sports psychologists as on the trading ground for players and manager alike."

I watched the club video of training at Shirecliffe. They were larking about playing table tennis and cricket. This is what you do when your team is stressed and anxious, you get them to have fun and relax

It worked, they started pretty upbeat for a team bottom with 1pt from 24. But as it looked more like another loss, they got more panicked and the quality of the game went down the toilet

To win even another point they gave to rebuild that confidence and relax. But it's hard to do when 100s of fans are having public meltdowns.

We have to back the team if we want to see them get a result

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Wouldn’t say we were shite. We were a very good side but just lacked consistency until that point. We then went on a good run and went from strength to strength.

We were very frustrating to watch and didn't look like a team anywhere near good enough for automatic promotion.

So many matches where we threw away points or got rolled over by the teams around us.

The opening day defeat to Swansea after going 1-0 up. The 3-0 hammering at Boro. The complete non performances against Bristol City and Forest which we lost 1-0. That awful game at Rotherham when they equalised on 90+2. The Stoke match when Joe Allen equalised with a free kick in the last minute. The defeat at Derby when Wilder took Sharp and Duffy off and surrendered the game. And of course Leeds turning us over at Bramall Lane when Henderson dropped a bollock.

When we got beaten by West Brom at Bramall Lane in mid December (another match we were winning and ended up losing) they looked a class above us.

Then all of a sudden something just clicked and we became this unstoppable force.

 

[Yogi]

Can you let the players know?! They seem to have decided to be shit at football.

Not one player more than 5.5/10 today. Maybe Egan and Ramsdale a 6/10 at a push.

I’d have said fleck out in a slightly above average performance aswell. I think it was masked because there wasn’t much end product down the left but the way he shifts the ball half a yard in tight spaces to create the forward passing opportunity was a breath of fresh air.

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

I'm just amazed that we haven't got anyone who can score a goal, even when the chances have been there they have not been taken, we are not playing that badly it's just the finishing that has been so very poor,
The new lad cost us an arm and a leg in comparison to the rest of the team and may well be one for the future, but is he looking like the answer for this season.
Only time will tell,

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

I haven’t given up but I hope the same goes for some of our players. There’s something missing right now that’s not just down to general form. We used to dominate and press teams hard but now it’s us that are being harassed, pressed and even dominated. We seem to be well, just just too nice to bully a team, another game has gone today and not one crunching tackle, show of anger or a sniff of a yellow card. Just acceptance and frustration. Do the players now think that they’re not worthy or good enough to play like they did anymore and show teams too much respect?

I do wonder if some of the post match criticism from Wilder inferring that his players were playing a league above their ability eventually has worked against him. I didn’t like him saying it at the time and it worries me that some players have started to believe it. We haven’t really looked the part since early July. The odd performance has been ok-ish but it‘s hard now to even comprehend how we beat Wolves Spurs and Chelsea on the bounce right before the rot set in. Let’s also remind ourselves that those 3 games apart we were pretty meh in al, the other games since football restarted and that O’Connell and Henderson were playing for us so we can’t pin the losses against Newcastle, ManU, Leicester, Everton and Southampton on that.

But yes, as long as enough teams continue to struggle as well there is certainly enough time to turn this around, but I suspect that the solution will lie as much with the sports psychologists as on the trading ground for players and manager alike.

I can still see George Baldock facing down a certain Crystal Palace player in the first home game last season,George had a look about him that was telling Zaha i dont give a fuck who you are pal,that aggression has evaporated from Georges (and most of the others) play this season.

 

[Bearlie]

Given up ??? Can you translate that into Sheffield United speak please ....I've never heard it before

 

[borg elite]

All to play for definitely!
Remember our first win in 1990? Didn't come until near Xmas when Forest came to town. We were fine that season!...

I've lost count the number of times that has been posted recently! It was a great day and we went on an incredible run after. Completely different league back then to now.

 

[8lade]

Not one player more than 5.5/10 today. Maybe Egan and Ramsdale a 6/10 at a push.

Didn't watch the whole game but I thought 'Bash was always worth a 7'.

 

[Houston_Blade]

Didn't watch the whole game but I thought 'Bash was always worth a 7'.

Even he made a few dodgy passes, I'm not sure if it was the pass that was dodgy or the mannequin that he was passing it towards though. 10/10 for effort for Bash as ever though.

 

[Echo Blade]

We were very frustrating to watch and didn't look like a team anywhere near good enough for automatic promotion.

So many matches where we threw away points or got rolled over by the teams around us.

The opening day defeat to Swansea after going 1-0 up. The 3-0 hammering at Boro. The complete non performances against Bristol City and Forest which we lost 1-0. That awful game at Rotherham when they equalised on 90+2. The Stoke match when Joe Allen equalised with a free kick in the last minute. The defeat at Derby when Wilder took Sharp and Duffy off and surrendered the game. And of course Leeds turning us over at Bramall Lane when Henderson dropped a bollock.

When we got beaten by West Brom at Bramall Lane in mid December (another match we were winning and ended up losing) they looked a class above us.

Then all of a sudden something just clicked and we became this unstoppable force.

Agree on the West Brom game. Walking out after it I didn’t think we had quite enough to to do it that season. The 1-0 win in the return match proved me wrong!

 

[LS16Blade]

All to play for definitely!
Remember our first win in 1990? Didn't come until near Xmas when Forest came to town. We were fine that season!...

Many Blades have pointed out that we could do with having the front-foot 'chippy' attitude back that the Gaffer seems to have lost in recent months.

Its interesting, then to note the attitude that Dave Bassett had during the traumatic start to that 90/91 season, as related in Harry's programme notes:

"What we have to do is show respect but not fear...We have qualities that will cause problems to most clubs but we have to believe in ourselves, express ourselves and most of all, not let our commitment and endeavour standards fall." (Man City)

"We tend to give our opponents too much respect. Perhaps we should remember that they might be afraid of us and our reputation. If we can rid ourselves of the inferiority complex we have in visiting First Division grounds such as Tottenham next week, it will be an enormous boost." (Wimbledon)

"We cannot keep talking about bad luck because football tells me that luck will turn. It is easy to get it into your head that things are not meant to be; we have to work to make them happen." (Coventry)

"I do not believe we are as poor as the results indicate, but basically I believe you must work for what you get in life. We must work, compete and show what we in the game call "bottle", and then luck does not come into it." (Everton LC)

"Individually we are not as bad as the league table looks but our players have not responded to the demands, the pressures and the standards of the First Division as well as I had expected.

I know that down the years, sides that I have put together have been notable not only for the style I like to play but for honest endeavour and fierce commitment. But just now our collective attitude is not right. There really is no other way for us, but to start pulling our finger out, all of us, and rescuing the cause. We have all worked so hard to put Sheffield United into the First Division where so many supporters think the club belongs but we are letting the great occasion pass by.

We have had an amicable discussion but the facts have to be pointed out. The players are not insensitive, they are not happy with failure and they know they can and must do better. We have to keep working, there is no other way." (Everton League)

Disappointingly, there is little of general interest in the notes for the pivotal Forest game, because Dave used his column to call out a Daily Express article about Deano supposedly committing a 'horror tackle' on Steve Sedgeley in the League Cup v Spurs earlier in the week. And rightly so; that article was pathetic.

A pertinent point in Harry's notes for the QPR game on New Years Day, though:

"It took the club 14 years to return to the First Division and I pay no attention to those who say the club came up too soon. You never know in football about timing; you take what you can get when you can get it.

Many clubs, much smaller than Sheffield United, have appeared on the First Division scene to be faced with an instant judgement that they could not survive. But they did."


Perhaps, Chris should have a call with Harry, get stuck into the players and get back to the 'chest-out' attitude that we love...