Ollessendro
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2009
- Messages
- 5,024
- Reaction score
- 987
Marcello Lippi’s red and white wizards rolled into the South Coast of England to pillage 3 points out of AFC Bournemouth. In a largely scrappy affair, United had the better of the play and chances and deserved the 3 points. 2 own goals from the Cherries saw United win their 6th game on the bounce. From start to finish there was only really one team in the game and United came away pleased as they jumped up to 3rd in the table.
The match
With only a few minutes on the clock and nothing notable that had happened, United took the lead. Williamson and McDonald combined to feed the ball to Evans, who drilled a shot across the face of goal. BARRETT horrendous miscued an attempted clearance and the ball flew past his keeper and into his own net. It was a fortunate start from United who, had started the brighter but, had done little to trouble the Cherries.
Suddenly United looked composed and comfortable and almost doubled their lead. Cresswell capitalised on some poor defending and found himself in on goal. He touch an extra touch (when he maybe could have hit it) then rounded the keeper and shot at goal, only for it to be cleared off the line by a Bournemouth defender. Cressy was a bit unlucky, but I think an in form striker would have buried it. He probably should have hit it first time (in hindsight). After rounding the keeper and then he was at a fairly tight angle, but still looked like he had done enough. It was actually a brilliant, goal saving clearance by the defender (who hesitated in the first place and let Cressy in) who did an excellent job of getting back and blocking it. It was right at the other end to us so I could not see that well. Looking back at the highlights, there is a big shout for it being over the line. Evans made a big appeal and though it is difficult to see if all the ball crossed all the line, it was very close.
There was little or nothing to note in the first half, other than banter from United fans. The long, blond haired midfielder of Bournemouth took some real stick. My favourite chant was ‘Savage from Matalan, Save from Matalan’. That said, Doyle had a decent left footed shot from the best part of 30 yards that forced the Cherries keeper to a good save down to his right (though I am sure he would have been disappointed if it went in). United were in the ascendency and forced 6 or 7 corners, but failed to capitalise or really work Bournemouth’s goalie.
Bournemouth had a good spell at the start of the 2nd half and piled some pressure on United. They forced several corners and camped in the United half for the first 10 minutes. That said, they did not work the keeper enough. Simmonsen was solid and commanded his area well, taking several high balls confidently. Maguire and Collins were excellent and dealt with everything in the air. United held out and were rewarded by going 2 up, against the run of play.
Ertl, on for the injured McDonald, controlled the ball, delayed his pass and then sent Evans clear down the right. Evans broke into the area and sent in a teasing cross, which COOK was forced to out into his own net, with Cresswell waiting. It was an excellent run and ball, that the defender could do little with. Cressy had bust a gut to get into the area and would have had a tap in, had the defender not put it in his own net.
There was little incident in the second half, as United professionally killed the game, and the entertainment came from the Blades fans. The highlight of the second half was the 20 or so Blades dressed in Santa outfits doing the conga up and down the gangway.
Crimes against hoof
Kevin McDonald wins this week’s crime against hoof. He played well on Saturday and his range of passing was excellent. He always shows for the ball and almost always finds a red and white (or yellow) shirt. I would not go as far as saying ‘poor man’s Xavi’, like that bloke on P&G, but it was a performance worthy of the award.
Crimes against football
It is hard to single people out from the team effort, but Quinn was awful. The Ginger Messi tag is well and truly gone and he looks more like the elpiton of old. His distribution was terrible, he gets dragged out of position constantly, he does little or nothing to track back and he offered little all game. His aimless flicks, the way he holds onto the ball for an age in possession and his shocking passing makes me give him this award.
United
It was a thoroughly professional performance today. It was not pretty to watch, but we came and took 3 points. We shut Bournemouth out and they had little or no answer. We took our chances (albeit somewhat fortunately) and then defended resolutely. Rarely have I seen such a solid performance from the Blades. This is why I make the reference to Marcelo Lippi, manager of the Italy team that won the 2006 world cup by defending brilliantly. We kept our shape (other than Quinn), worked very hard and gave them nothing. The back 4 were excellent (and centre backs outstanding), Doyle protected the back 4 well, Williamson worked hard tracking back and Evans and Cresswell put in big shifts up front to act as the first line of defence.
It was a strange performance, that was almost Blackwellian in nature. We sat back, soaked up the pressure and hit them on the break. With Evans in the team and us having quality in McDonald, Quinn, Cresswell etc then this works. Basically because we don’t concede and usually nick a goal. I think this tactic will carry on working and we’ll go and pick up points at the likes of Colchester, Exeter, Rochdale etc. The real test will be when we take on MK Dons, Pigs, Huddersfield and Charlton away. This will define our season in my mind. I think we are definitely one of the best 4/5 teams in the league. I expect us to be top 2 by the new year. However it will be a hard slog and whilst we are guaranteed a play off place, I am not sure we are good enough for automatic.
It’s weird at the moment, as we are not playing that well and we’ve won 6 on the bounce. They key is being solid. We’ve kept 5 clean sheets in those games and we’ve gone back to basics. Credit to Wilson for this. We’ve cut out the silly mistakes and we’re not giving teams a sniff. The old cliché comes out ‘if you don’t concede goals, then you don’t lose games’. Simples. As long as Maguire and Collins (and the rest of the back 4) keep their concentration and keep putting in solid performances I think we’ll keep winning games.
Bournemouth
Thought they were pretty poor. They passed it around quite well at times, though they did not threaten us. I gather their best two attacking players were suspended and injured and this may explain some of this. They certainly did not look like a team that were undefeated in 5 and had won 4 of those. Perhaps this is partly down to United shutting them out, but they never got in the game. The early goal seemed to deflate them and they never looked like they thought they could beat us. They had little to unlock a solid defensive United performance and Collins and Maguire lapped up their direct balls all day.
They did have a little joy when they got the ball on the deck, but I don’t remember Simmo having to make a save all afternoon.
Player ratings
SS 6.5/10 – another solid performance. He commanded his area well and generally looked solid. He did not have that much to do, but did what he did well. My only qualm would be his distribution was not that great. He refused to throw it out, even when there was a man in space, and his kicking was not great. Credit where it is due though. Since being dropped he has pulled himself together and is playing really well.
Lowton 6/10 – decent performance. Thought he struggled a little first half, particularly when Quinn switched to his wing and did not track back. However he grew in stature. He generally defended pretty well and made some timely headers, blocks and clearances.
LJF 6/10 – decent performance. Was not troubled too much and did a fairly sound job defensively.
COLLINS 8/10 – an excellent, commanding performance and arguably the best player on the pitch. Narrowly pipped his young defensive partner to MoM. He won everything in the area and did a good job of mopping things up. Carried on in his player of the season vein. If the Blades were Italy in 2006, then Collins is Cannavaro!?
Maguire 7.5 – a very good game and rock solid performance. Kept it simple and did the basics right. Won the headers, made the tackles and looked comfortable all afternoon. He too has improved since the Exeter game and deserves credit.
Williamson 5.5/10 – strange performance from Willo. He offered little going forward and frustrated when he had the ball. However he worked really hard tracking back and helped Lowton out a lot. Wilson had clearly had a word with him to tuck in and keep his shape and it worked (but at the expense of his attacking flair).
Doyle 5/10 – a real mixed bag. At times he looked awful and at times he did a decent job. He did a decent job of hassling and harrying and protecting the back 4. He offered the protection for McDonald to roam. However he cannot pass and often his distribution was terrible!
McDonald 6.5/10 – he showed his typical good vision and range of passing. Rarely did not find a yellow shirt and kept us in possession. However he still looks unfit and was second to a few 50/50’s de to his lack of mobility. I think he is a bit of a luxury player and we could easily get over run with him in centre mid. That said, he has the ability to tear poor teams apart with his passing. Went off with a knee injury/dead leg mid way through second half.
Quinn 3.5/10 – he was poor and was the worst United player on the pitch. As described in crimes against football he was terrible. Constantly getting dragged out of position, never tracking back and making breaking runs but not getting back. Both full backs noticeably suffered when he was on their wings, due to him not supporting them. When on the ball his distribution was poor and he has this annoying habit of holding on to the ball too long (and the opportunity passing).
Evans 6/10 – had a quiet day, but still looked dangerous. Had a hand in the first goal and the second goal was down to his run (and Ertl’s ball to send him clear) and excellent cross. He is the Totty in the Marcelo Lippi’s Blades, as he is just making things happen at the moment!
Cresswell 5.5/10 – he tried hard, but things did not quite come off for him. He had a shot cleared off the line (which was a big shout for a goal) and would have scored had the defender not put it in his own net. I felt a bit sorry for him, as he was unlucky not to score. He worked very hard on Saturday and put a real shift in. I think he deserves credit for this. He does a really good job of offering the first line of defence. This was important on Saturday and has been in recent weeks. He hassled and harried their defenders throughout. This was an important factor in a solid, profession and well drilled defensive performance.
Subs – Ertl did ok in centre mid. He was fairly solid, without being spectacular. His through ball to Evans for the 2nd was excellent. He could be an asset at this level. Porter did ok when he came on, except he fluffed a chance. When in the clear he tried to pass inside to Evans and the ball was intercepted. I’ve no idea why he didn’t shoot.
Atmosphere
Thought it was a bit flat to be honest. More than a thousand United-ite’s was a good showing, but I didn’t think we made that much noise. The atmosphere was good at the beginning of the game and after the 2nd. But in between it was largely flat, other than a few sporadic chants. There were a small group trying to get the songs going, but I never felt like the whole Blades support got behind it.
I suppose the ‘Shoreham boys we are here … oh ho, ‘ went on for a bit, but that pissed me off more than owt. There’s something about a bunch of middle aged blokes singing something teenagers usually sing (‘shag your women and drink your bear’).
All that said, it was a cracking day out. Bit of a carnival atmosphere, with plenty of beer and banter. The santa’s doing the conga was excellent and much more entertaining than the game. A 3 sided stadium (a new ground for me) for the 2nd time this season really brings things home (along with the standard of football and refereeing) that we’re in the third tier. Really enjoying games at this level though!
Referee/Officials
Another dire referee. He dished out 6 or 7 yellow cards in a game that was not dirty at all. He also gave some strange decisions. He went through a spell were he gave everything to united. Then he favoured the home team. He generally just looked off the pace and a bit bewildered. He gave throw ins the wrong way, pulled both teams up for non offences and then let fouls go unpunished. He did show consistency, but only in the way he booked people for challenges/incidents that were not yellows!
Ale
As usual, in my quest for real ale and proper football, I found much more of the former than the latter. Wasn’t that impressed by the local brews Ringwood Fortyniner or Dorset brewery Jurassic. Great Bear (by Old Bear brewery) was a nice pint, though slightly sticky and dark (for my taste). Old Thumper (also from Ringwood) was tasty for a strong drink and really packed a punch at 5.8%. I also tasted a drink from the Wood Brewery (some sort of Christmas special) which I cannot remember the name of. The best beer (even without a sparkler) was the classic Landlord, from Timothy Taylor. One of Yorkshire’s finest and an excellent gold ale. I always like to try something different (and I have had gallons of this stuff) but I had a pint of this and it was hands down the best ale I tried all day!
The match
With only a few minutes on the clock and nothing notable that had happened, United took the lead. Williamson and McDonald combined to feed the ball to Evans, who drilled a shot across the face of goal. BARRETT horrendous miscued an attempted clearance and the ball flew past his keeper and into his own net. It was a fortunate start from United who, had started the brighter but, had done little to trouble the Cherries.
Suddenly United looked composed and comfortable and almost doubled their lead. Cresswell capitalised on some poor defending and found himself in on goal. He touch an extra touch (when he maybe could have hit it) then rounded the keeper and shot at goal, only for it to be cleared off the line by a Bournemouth defender. Cressy was a bit unlucky, but I think an in form striker would have buried it. He probably should have hit it first time (in hindsight). After rounding the keeper and then he was at a fairly tight angle, but still looked like he had done enough. It was actually a brilliant, goal saving clearance by the defender (who hesitated in the first place and let Cressy in) who did an excellent job of getting back and blocking it. It was right at the other end to us so I could not see that well. Looking back at the highlights, there is a big shout for it being over the line. Evans made a big appeal and though it is difficult to see if all the ball crossed all the line, it was very close.
There was little or nothing to note in the first half, other than banter from United fans. The long, blond haired midfielder of Bournemouth took some real stick. My favourite chant was ‘Savage from Matalan, Save from Matalan’. That said, Doyle had a decent left footed shot from the best part of 30 yards that forced the Cherries keeper to a good save down to his right (though I am sure he would have been disappointed if it went in). United were in the ascendency and forced 6 or 7 corners, but failed to capitalise or really work Bournemouth’s goalie.
Bournemouth had a good spell at the start of the 2nd half and piled some pressure on United. They forced several corners and camped in the United half for the first 10 minutes. That said, they did not work the keeper enough. Simmonsen was solid and commanded his area well, taking several high balls confidently. Maguire and Collins were excellent and dealt with everything in the air. United held out and were rewarded by going 2 up, against the run of play.
Ertl, on for the injured McDonald, controlled the ball, delayed his pass and then sent Evans clear down the right. Evans broke into the area and sent in a teasing cross, which COOK was forced to out into his own net, with Cresswell waiting. It was an excellent run and ball, that the defender could do little with. Cressy had bust a gut to get into the area and would have had a tap in, had the defender not put it in his own net.
There was little incident in the second half, as United professionally killed the game, and the entertainment came from the Blades fans. The highlight of the second half was the 20 or so Blades dressed in Santa outfits doing the conga up and down the gangway.
Crimes against hoof
Kevin McDonald wins this week’s crime against hoof. He played well on Saturday and his range of passing was excellent. He always shows for the ball and almost always finds a red and white (or yellow) shirt. I would not go as far as saying ‘poor man’s Xavi’, like that bloke on P&G, but it was a performance worthy of the award.
Crimes against football
It is hard to single people out from the team effort, but Quinn was awful. The Ginger Messi tag is well and truly gone and he looks more like the elpiton of old. His distribution was terrible, he gets dragged out of position constantly, he does little or nothing to track back and he offered little all game. His aimless flicks, the way he holds onto the ball for an age in possession and his shocking passing makes me give him this award.
United
It was a thoroughly professional performance today. It was not pretty to watch, but we came and took 3 points. We shut Bournemouth out and they had little or no answer. We took our chances (albeit somewhat fortunately) and then defended resolutely. Rarely have I seen such a solid performance from the Blades. This is why I make the reference to Marcelo Lippi, manager of the Italy team that won the 2006 world cup by defending brilliantly. We kept our shape (other than Quinn), worked very hard and gave them nothing. The back 4 were excellent (and centre backs outstanding), Doyle protected the back 4 well, Williamson worked hard tracking back and Evans and Cresswell put in big shifts up front to act as the first line of defence.
It was a strange performance, that was almost Blackwellian in nature. We sat back, soaked up the pressure and hit them on the break. With Evans in the team and us having quality in McDonald, Quinn, Cresswell etc then this works. Basically because we don’t concede and usually nick a goal. I think this tactic will carry on working and we’ll go and pick up points at the likes of Colchester, Exeter, Rochdale etc. The real test will be when we take on MK Dons, Pigs, Huddersfield and Charlton away. This will define our season in my mind. I think we are definitely one of the best 4/5 teams in the league. I expect us to be top 2 by the new year. However it will be a hard slog and whilst we are guaranteed a play off place, I am not sure we are good enough for automatic.
It’s weird at the moment, as we are not playing that well and we’ve won 6 on the bounce. They key is being solid. We’ve kept 5 clean sheets in those games and we’ve gone back to basics. Credit to Wilson for this. We’ve cut out the silly mistakes and we’re not giving teams a sniff. The old cliché comes out ‘if you don’t concede goals, then you don’t lose games’. Simples. As long as Maguire and Collins (and the rest of the back 4) keep their concentration and keep putting in solid performances I think we’ll keep winning games.
Bournemouth
Thought they were pretty poor. They passed it around quite well at times, though they did not threaten us. I gather their best two attacking players were suspended and injured and this may explain some of this. They certainly did not look like a team that were undefeated in 5 and had won 4 of those. Perhaps this is partly down to United shutting them out, but they never got in the game. The early goal seemed to deflate them and they never looked like they thought they could beat us. They had little to unlock a solid defensive United performance and Collins and Maguire lapped up their direct balls all day.
They did have a little joy when they got the ball on the deck, but I don’t remember Simmo having to make a save all afternoon.
Player ratings
SS 6.5/10 – another solid performance. He commanded his area well and generally looked solid. He did not have that much to do, but did what he did well. My only qualm would be his distribution was not that great. He refused to throw it out, even when there was a man in space, and his kicking was not great. Credit where it is due though. Since being dropped he has pulled himself together and is playing really well.
Lowton 6/10 – decent performance. Thought he struggled a little first half, particularly when Quinn switched to his wing and did not track back. However he grew in stature. He generally defended pretty well and made some timely headers, blocks and clearances.
LJF 6/10 – decent performance. Was not troubled too much and did a fairly sound job defensively.
COLLINS 8/10 – an excellent, commanding performance and arguably the best player on the pitch. Narrowly pipped his young defensive partner to MoM. He won everything in the area and did a good job of mopping things up. Carried on in his player of the season vein. If the Blades were Italy in 2006, then Collins is Cannavaro!?
Maguire 7.5 – a very good game and rock solid performance. Kept it simple and did the basics right. Won the headers, made the tackles and looked comfortable all afternoon. He too has improved since the Exeter game and deserves credit.
Williamson 5.5/10 – strange performance from Willo. He offered little going forward and frustrated when he had the ball. However he worked really hard tracking back and helped Lowton out a lot. Wilson had clearly had a word with him to tuck in and keep his shape and it worked (but at the expense of his attacking flair).
Doyle 5/10 – a real mixed bag. At times he looked awful and at times he did a decent job. He did a decent job of hassling and harrying and protecting the back 4. He offered the protection for McDonald to roam. However he cannot pass and often his distribution was terrible!
McDonald 6.5/10 – he showed his typical good vision and range of passing. Rarely did not find a yellow shirt and kept us in possession. However he still looks unfit and was second to a few 50/50’s de to his lack of mobility. I think he is a bit of a luxury player and we could easily get over run with him in centre mid. That said, he has the ability to tear poor teams apart with his passing. Went off with a knee injury/dead leg mid way through second half.
Quinn 3.5/10 – he was poor and was the worst United player on the pitch. As described in crimes against football he was terrible. Constantly getting dragged out of position, never tracking back and making breaking runs but not getting back. Both full backs noticeably suffered when he was on their wings, due to him not supporting them. When on the ball his distribution was poor and he has this annoying habit of holding on to the ball too long (and the opportunity passing).
Evans 6/10 – had a quiet day, but still looked dangerous. Had a hand in the first goal and the second goal was down to his run (and Ertl’s ball to send him clear) and excellent cross. He is the Totty in the Marcelo Lippi’s Blades, as he is just making things happen at the moment!
Cresswell 5.5/10 – he tried hard, but things did not quite come off for him. He had a shot cleared off the line (which was a big shout for a goal) and would have scored had the defender not put it in his own net. I felt a bit sorry for him, as he was unlucky not to score. He worked very hard on Saturday and put a real shift in. I think he deserves credit for this. He does a really good job of offering the first line of defence. This was important on Saturday and has been in recent weeks. He hassled and harried their defenders throughout. This was an important factor in a solid, profession and well drilled defensive performance.
Subs – Ertl did ok in centre mid. He was fairly solid, without being spectacular. His through ball to Evans for the 2nd was excellent. He could be an asset at this level. Porter did ok when he came on, except he fluffed a chance. When in the clear he tried to pass inside to Evans and the ball was intercepted. I’ve no idea why he didn’t shoot.
Atmosphere
Thought it was a bit flat to be honest. More than a thousand United-ite’s was a good showing, but I didn’t think we made that much noise. The atmosphere was good at the beginning of the game and after the 2nd. But in between it was largely flat, other than a few sporadic chants. There were a small group trying to get the songs going, but I never felt like the whole Blades support got behind it.
I suppose the ‘Shoreham boys we are here … oh ho, ‘ went on for a bit, but that pissed me off more than owt. There’s something about a bunch of middle aged blokes singing something teenagers usually sing (‘shag your women and drink your bear’).
All that said, it was a cracking day out. Bit of a carnival atmosphere, with plenty of beer and banter. The santa’s doing the conga was excellent and much more entertaining than the game. A 3 sided stadium (a new ground for me) for the 2nd time this season really brings things home (along with the standard of football and refereeing) that we’re in the third tier. Really enjoying games at this level though!
Referee/Officials
Another dire referee. He dished out 6 or 7 yellow cards in a game that was not dirty at all. He also gave some strange decisions. He went through a spell were he gave everything to united. Then he favoured the home team. He generally just looked off the pace and a bit bewildered. He gave throw ins the wrong way, pulled both teams up for non offences and then let fouls go unpunished. He did show consistency, but only in the way he booked people for challenges/incidents that were not yellows!
Ale
As usual, in my quest for real ale and proper football, I found much more of the former than the latter. Wasn’t that impressed by the local brews Ringwood Fortyniner or Dorset brewery Jurassic. Great Bear (by Old Bear brewery) was a nice pint, though slightly sticky and dark (for my taste). Old Thumper (also from Ringwood) was tasty for a strong drink and really packed a punch at 5.8%. I also tasted a drink from the Wood Brewery (some sort of Christmas special) which I cannot remember the name of. The best beer (even without a sparkler) was the classic Landlord, from Timothy Taylor. One of Yorkshire’s finest and an excellent gold ale. I always like to try something different (and I have had gallons of this stuff) but I had a pint of this and it was hands down the best ale I tried all day!
