My take ...

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pommpey

THE FUTURE ... AS IT USED TO BE
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Another dismal result, eh? Filled with all the stuff we've been talking about, lack of movement, pedestrian attack development, being closed down easily and dispossessed and a critical lack of clinical finishing. Millwall were actually more of a challenge than higher flying Stoke the other day. Again, teams know how we play and the fact that we have no ability to switch emphasis means that pressing and closing us down is a cinch and no matter how much we push it up the pitch into predictable areas, we are easily marshalled away or dispossesed. Even if we do threaten, it ends in disappointing, weak efforts on goal.

No Norwood to start with tonight, so pleasingly no Wilderball and our back four is starting to look a little more together, if not still vulnerable at times. We've stopped tonning it up into the dead zone, and more giving it to the gifted players like McGoldrick, Ndayie and MGW although tonight none of them sparkled. Millwall seemed to have us in their pocket in the first half and vast empty holes appeared in the middle of the park with our own players not showing short or moving into those areas for the player on the ball meant we simply got nowhere, fast. I did at first think that their first was an attempt on goal but having watched it again, it was a spawny floated back-sticker which had enough pace and direction to outfox Olsen. My mate, sat in the BLUT simply texted 'Reyt goal', and it was. We don't score ones like that do we? #1

Then we looked shaken and beaten, very much a hangover of the Weir-to-Adkins era. Fleck bought us an equaliser and after that we looked again on the up if not able to do anything with the roar of Unitedites encouraging them on. We'd changed format too but that didn't bring much fortune even in the second half we continued to huff and puff. So bloody frustrating. MGW basically gives the shit referee a chance to send him off and although we rallied with ten men, Millwall simply swatted us away and it looked likely than rather than us grinding out an unlikely victory, we'd give up a late goal for a predictable defeat. Their late goal was a 'reyt sickner', want it? Smacked accurately into the corner from 25 yards. We don't score ones like that, do we? #2

Olsen 4/10: He covered some efforts on goal but from distance and with the first goal, he is suspect. Is Fodders the answer?
Stevens 4/10: Substandard outing for him.
Egan 5/10: Again, the more time he stays unanchored to what looks now to be a permanently absent O'Connell, the less effective he becomes. There were 'okay' moments tonight, but he's no way as good as he was three seasons ago
Davies 6.5/10: A lot better tonight. Good interceptions and clearances and a bit more bite in his defending
Bogle 6.5/10: Thought he had a decent game up until his injury which I hope doesn't keep him out for long. He does combine well with the attack and has decent vision
Fleck 3/10: No apologies. Dispossessed and coughing up possession is Jimmy Fleck stuff and he isn't anything like the 8+/10 entity we saw develop and shine two seasons ago. He is predictable and easy to play against, simple as.
Hourihane 3/10: One of the 'holes' in midfield and somewhat of a mystery as to what he has above Norwood
MGW 4/10: Mainly fo his endeavour but he has the temperament in him to attract unsympathy from officials. Looking back at it now, deservedly redded
McGoldrick 4/10: Usually one of my favourites and showing class finishing on Saturday, but tonight substandard and error prone with sitters and misplaced passes alike
Osborn 5/10: Another blood+guts+nowt performance. Great effort but for fucks sake go round your man, get the early cross in or press on to the penalty area
Sharp 4/10: Great penalty but got nothing, despite busting a gut. It's been the story of his time at United.

Ndaiye 6/10: He at least tries and runs at oppositions but he tries too hard at times and they nick the ball off him or marshal him into areas where he is isolated and ineffective
Norwood 6/10: A better game from him, even though it is still not good enough for this level and for our ambitions
Basham 5.5/10: Shows endeavour and enterprise and was up that wing many times into the danger area if to hit the wall when there's no one reading him and moving into space

Slav 6/10: Still trying to get the best out of a team largely filled with losers and deadbeats. Some of them expensive ones too.

Ref: Fucking wanker. Yep. I think that sums him up. I sincerely hope his next shit is a hedgehog tied to a sea anenome, holding an open umbrella

pommpey
 

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Another dismal result, eh? Filled with all the stuff we've been talking about, lack of movement, pedestrian attack development, being closed down easily and dispossessed and a critical lack of clinical finishing. Millwall were actually more of a challenge than higher flying Stoke the other day. Again, teams know how we play and the fact that we have no ability to switch emphasis means that pressing and closing us down is a cinch and no matter how much we push it up the pitch into predictable areas, we are easily marshalled away or dispossesed. Even if we do threaten, it ends in disappointing, weak efforts on goal.

No Norwood to start with tonight, so pleasingly no Wilderball and our back four is starting to look a little more together, if not still vulnerable at times. We've stopped tonning it up into the dead zone, and more giving it to the gifted players like McGoldrick, Ndayie and MGW although tonight none of them sparkled. Millwall seemed to have us in their pocket in the first half and vast empty holes appeared in the middle of the park with our own players not showing short or moving into those areas for the player on the ball meant we simply got nowhere, fast. I did at first think that their first was an attempt on goal but having watched it again, it was a spawny floated back-sticker which had enough pace and direction to outfox Olsen. My mate, sat in the BLUT simply texted 'Reyt goal', and it was. We don't score ones like that do we? #1

Then we looked shaken and beaten, very much a hangover of the Weir-to-Adkins era. Fleck bought us an equaliser and after that we looked again on the up if not able to do anything with the roar of Unitedites encouraging them on. We'd changed format too but that didn't bring much fortune even in the second half we continued to huff and puff. So bloody frustrating. MGW basically gives the shit referee a chance to send him off and although we rallied with ten men, Millwall simply swatted us away and it looked likely than rather than us grinding out an unlikely victory, we'd give up a late goal for a predictable defeat. Their late goal was a 'reyt sickner', want it? Smacked accurately into the corner from 25 yards. We don't score ones like that, do we? #2

Olsen 4/10: He covered some efforts on goal but from distance and with the first goal, he is suspect. Is Fodders the answer?
Stevens 4/10: Substandard outing for him.
Egan 5/10: Again, the more time he stays unanchored to what looks now to be a permanently absent O'Connell, the less effective he becomes. There were 'okay' moments tonight, but he's no way as good as he was three seasons ago
Davies 6.5/10: A lot better tonight. Good interceptions and clearances and a bit more bite in his defending
Bogle 6.5/10: Thought he had a decent game up until his injury which I hope doesn't keep him out for long. He does combine well with the attack and has decent vision
Fleck 3/10: No apologies. Dispossessed and coughing up possession is Jimmy Fleck stuff and he isn't anything like the 8+/10 entity we saw develop and shine two seasons ago. He is predictable and easy to play against, simple as.
Hourihane 3/10: One of the 'holes' in midfield and somewhat of a mystery as to what he has above Norwood
MGW 4/10: Mainly fo his endeavour but he has the temperament in him to attract unsympathy from officials. Looking back at it now, deservedly redded
McGoldrick 4/10: Usually one of my favourites and showing class finishing on Saturday, but tonight substandard and error prone with sitters and misplaced passes alike
Osborn 5/10: Another blood+guts+nowt performance. Great effort but for fucks sake go round your man, get the early cross in or press on to the penalty area
Sharp 4/10: Great penalty but got nothing, despite busting a gut. It's been the story of his time at United.

Ndaiye 6/10: He at least tries and runs at oppositions but he tries too hard at times and they nick the ball off him or marshal him into areas where he is isolated and ineffective
Norwood 6/10: A better game from him, even though it is still not good enough for this level and for our ambitions
Basham 5.5/10: Shows endeavour and enterprise and was up that wing many times into the danger area if to hit the wall when there's no one reading him and moving into space

Slav 6/10: Still trying to get the best out of a team largely filled with losers and deadbeats. Some of them expensive ones too.

Ref: Fucking wanker. Yep. I think that sums him up. I sincerely hope his next shit is a hedgehog tied to a sea anenome, holding an open umbrella

pommpey
Second

pommpey
 
Another dismal result, eh? Filled with all the stuff we've been talking about, lack of movement, pedestrian attack development, being closed down easily and dispossessed and a critical lack of clinical finishing. Millwall were actually more of a challenge than higher flying Stoke the other day. Again, teams know how we play and the fact that we have no ability to switch emphasis means that pressing and closing us down is a cinch and no matter how much we push it up the pitch into predictable areas, we are easily marshalled away or dispossesed. Even if we do threaten, it ends in disappointing, weak efforts on goal.

No Norwood to start with tonight, so pleasingly no Wilderball and our back four is starting to look a little more together, if not still vulnerable at times. We've stopped tonning it up into the dead zone, and more giving it to the gifted players like McGoldrick, Ndayie and MGW although tonight none of them sparkled. Millwall seemed to have us in their pocket in the first half and vast empty holes appeared in the middle of the park with our own players not showing short or moving into those areas for the player on the ball meant we simply got nowhere, fast. I did at first think that their first was an attempt on goal but having watched it again, it was a spawny floated back-sticker which had enough pace and direction to outfox Olsen. My mate, sat in the BLUT simply texted 'Reyt goal', and it was. We don't score ones like that do we? #1

Then we looked shaken and beaten, very much a hangover of the Weir-to-Adkins era. Fleck bought us an equaliser and after that we looked again on the up if not able to do anything with the roar of Unitedites encouraging them on. We'd changed format too but that didn't bring much fortune even in the second half we continued to huff and puff. So bloody frustrating. MGW basically gives the shit referee a chance to send him off and although we rallied with ten men, Millwall simply swatted us away and it looked likely than rather than us grinding out an unlikely victory, we'd give up a late goal for a predictable defeat. Their late goal was a 'reyt sickner', want it? Smacked accurately into the corner from 25 yards. We don't score ones like that, do we? #2

Olsen 4/10: He covered some efforts on goal but from distance and with the first goal, he is suspect. Is Fodders the answer?
Stevens 4/10: Substandard outing for him.
Egan 5/10: Again, the more time he stays unanchored to what looks now to be a permanently absent O'Connell, the less effective he becomes. There were 'okay' moments tonight, but he's no way as good as he was three seasons ago
Davies 6.5/10: A lot better tonight. Good interceptions and clearances and a bit more bite in his defending
Bogle 6.5/10: Thought he had a decent game up until his injury which I hope doesn't keep him out for long. He does combine well with the attack and has decent vision
Fleck 3/10: No apologies. Dispossessed and coughing up possession is Jimmy Fleck stuff and he isn't anything like the 8+/10 entity we saw develop and shine two seasons ago. He is predictable and easy to play against, simple as.
Hourihane 3/10: One of the 'holes' in midfield and somewhat of a mystery as to what he has above Norwood
MGW 4/10: Mainly fo his endeavour but he has the temperament in him to attract unsympathy from officials. Looking back at it now, deservedly redded
McGoldrick 4/10: Usually one of my favourites and showing class finishing on Saturday, but tonight substandard and error prone with sitters and misplaced passes alike
Osborn 5/10: Another blood+guts+nowt performance. Great effort but for fucks sake go round your man, get the early cross in or press on to the penalty area
Sharp 4/10: Great penalty but got nothing, despite busting a gut. It's been the story of his time at United.

Ndaiye 6/10: He at least tries and runs at oppositions but he tries too hard at times and they nick the ball off him or marshal him into areas where he is isolated and ineffective
Norwood 6/10: A better game from him, even though it is still not good enough for this level and for our ambitions
Basham 5.5/10: Shows endeavour and enterprise and was up that wing many times into the danger area if to hit the wall when there's no one reading him and moving into space

Slav 6/10: Still trying to get the best out of a team largely filled with losers and deadbeats. Some of them expensive ones too.

Ref: Fucking wanker. Yep. I think that sums him up. I sincerely hope his next shit is a hedgehog tied to a sea anenome, holding an open umbrella

pommpey
Beautifully put. Entirely fair and accurate report to be honest. Share your thoughts on the fucking woeful ref.
 
I enjoyed the game. Thought once we changed formation when Hourihane was hooked we looked decent. Second half thought it would be how many up, and even after the sending off (was it a good call - not seen a replay?) I thought , whilst end to end, we still showed something. Unlucky in my view.
 
Just how bad was Didz tonight though? He was really lucky to not get hooked at the same time as Hourihane. I guess he has some goodwill from last season but you can't keep missing 1-2 gilt edged chances per game when playing up front. Him and Sharp can't play twice in a week. Seems Slav can't get his head round this. Still back at the weekend with Sharp starting on his own up front
 
Any one of Hourihane, Sharp or McGoldrick could have gone off during that first half, desperately poor from all three.

The ref had a shocker but for me the only game-changing decision he got wrong was not sending Saville off for a second yellow. He didn't make McGoldrick miss those sitters, Olsen make that howler, Gibbs-White dive or every single fucking player fail to close down Cooper at the end. The players need to look at themselves after that.
 
Fourth???
This didn't go to even my moderate plan. You sum it up Pommps. I'd have been ok with a point except for the officials. We weren't great (well, a bit crap really, and I finally see your view about Norwood, especially with corners and free kicks), but this was one of the worst displays by the team of officials I've seen for a very long time. As Esteemed Forgeblade said, 10 against 11 is fair enough, 10 against 14 isn't really doable. Combine this with our very disjointed approach (very different to Saturday, when in phases we did look like a team who had met each other before the game), and just a disaster really.
Couple of beers and a large Jamesons has taken the edge off, but not the greatest Tuesday night ever!!!
 
My take is this.

We were shit for the first 30 minutes. Hourihane offered nothing and we looked very lethargic.
It really doesn't help when we give away a really poor goal. Partly caused by the terrible tactic of passing the ball 3 yards to centre back with no options, who then lumps it 50 yards straight to their player. 3 seconds later a cross-shot goes straight ver the goalies head into the net.

In addition, without Norwood it seems that no-one was brave enough to come and start any moves

We put the young French lad and suddenly we are in the game and look the better side. the penalty looked a bit soft but we just about deserved to be level. What I like about Ndayie and MGW and Didzy is that you can knock into them fast and when they are marked and they will largely come away with the ball and look to start an attack in the final 3rd.

Fleck has taken some stick but he was served with some right shit tonight, especially in the first half.

2nd half we looked the team most likely to win until the sending off - it looks like a dive and a mad thing to do in the circumstances. I didn't think his first was a booking but even so, he needs to be smarter. His dive technique, which we have seen before is pretty shit TBF

After that it was a very even end to end game and I'm a bit surprised about the shit the other players are getting generally on here. They've looked as good as Millwall with only 10 men in the last 30 minutes and the winner could have come at either end.

I'd be picking a back three with 2 wing backs given the squad we have, but recognise the real answer is some wheeling and dealing in January, if we can kid anyone that 3 or 4 of our big money signings are just what they need.

Edit - slav needs to make some fringe players a bit uncomfortable. A few of the those boys would be begging their agents for move under Warnock
 
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The only mark I'd disagree with is Hourihane's 4/10, pal.
I can't ever remember a less effective, more anonymous, and frankly, cowardly 35 minutes in a Blades shirt in all the years I've been watching them.
On several occasion when we had the ball deep in our half he actually went and stood next to a Millwall player, seemingly so as not to want the ball.
At the 20 minute mark I honestly wondered if Slav might have the guts to hook him that early. it took him 35, at which point Hourihane finally showed a bit of passion and kicked a water bottle on the touch line!
If ever anyone deserved a '0', this performance was well and truly it for me, tonight. Even the water bottle performed better.
Well done Conor.
utb
 
That fucking twat Jake Cooper scoring an injury time goal against us again. In fact I think he scored for them even when we beat them 3-2 at their place.
Painful isn't it? Many of us were suggesting that we were/still are in dire need of Cooper or someone like him. A massive aerially dominant unit at centre back. But we got Davies instead. Probably at a greater weekly cost than what Cooper is on. Remind me how many goals Davies has got for us.
I keep banging the drum for Lopata and wish SJ would play him. Still it seems we would rather play our loan players and lose making the same mistakes week in, week out...
 
Painful isn't it? Many of us were suggesting that we were/still are in dire need of Cooper or someone like him. A massive aerially dominant unit at centre back. But we got Davies instead. Probably at a greater weekly cost than what Cooper is on. Remind me how many goals Davies has got for us.
I keep banging the drum for Lopata and wish SJ would play him. Still it seems we would rather play our loan players and lose making the same mistakes week in, week out...
Yet it seems Millwall fans are not keen on his defensive performances judging by the view from...
 
Good report.

Really slow first half especially, even though it was a freak goal for them (keeper at fault obviously) and a deserved pen for us, they deserved to be ahead at half time. I think this squad is simply a somewhere between 24th to 12th squad.

Osborn is annoying, he makes it seem like he's doing something all the time but actually he's not. When he tried to do step overs on the left wing and step inside on his right foot. Why. Then when the Milwall player tackled him he acted like it was just a given and wasnt his fault.

By the way, to the melons waiting to get in a personal insult on the author of a report instead of the report itself. Talk about the football
 
Slav 6/10: Still trying to get the best out of a team largely filled with losers and deadbeats. Some of them expensive ones too.

I think this is the point that we shouldn't lose sight of.

I don't feel Slav is under pressure because he has inherited a team that lost 29/38. He's lost the one who was player of the year and replaced in the dying embers of the window with a loanee who hardly played at Everton. I can't deny Gibbs-White has been a good pick up and N'Diaye has been an added bonus. But otherwise Davies has yet to show his best and still lags behind O'Connell and Hourihane has done nothing to displace Norwood.

In truth there isn't much value in this squad. He's basically having to teach them to play football again properly.

He may be working without certain players but let's not pretend he's down 70m worth of talent.

McBurnie might fetch 10m if you're lucky and we find someone desperate enough. Otherwise I can imagine he sees out his contract and joins Rangers on a free in 18 months.

Brewster isn't a 23m play. He's done little to suggest he's a 2.3m player. At best he's someone he may look the part in the final year of a 5 year deal is mollycoddled for the next few seasons. Probably the most lavishly over expensive buy ever in football compared to relative resources. I can only think of Coutinho not fitting in at Barca after 142m or Akinbiyi going to Leicester for 5.3m that come remotely close. He makes Jordan Rhodes look a snip.

Berge is like one of those shiny Russian dolls, looks great on first viewing but as you peel away the initial packaging there is less and less there. His lack of availability is now noteworthy to any interested club. Most of which rated him as 10-15m max. To paraphrase Darth Vader's dying moments "tell Pommpey he was right."

Plus the club failed to get Slav 'the bloke who plays with wingers' any wingers at all. Nice one.

I bet he'd like to offload most of the strikers. The only one who probably fits the bill is Mousset who is strong, pacy and but fit is one thing that he certainly isn't. So he's left relying on soon to be 36 year old Billy.

All in all he's got a pretty shit hand. Best we can hope for is something to click and the season ending in play off failure and then Slav gutting the squad and bringing in the players he needs. I don't see how we trouble Bournemouth, West Brom and Fulham in getting out of this division.
 

Another dismal result, eh? Filled with all the stuff we've been talking about, lack of movement, pedestrian attack development, being closed down easily and dispossessed and a critical lack of clinical finishing. Millwall were actually more of a challenge than higher flying Stoke the other day. Again, teams know how we play and the fact that we have no ability to switch emphasis means that pressing and closing us down is a cinch and no matter how much we push it up the pitch into predictable areas, we are easily marshalled away or dispossesed. Even if we do threaten, it ends in disappointing, weak efforts on goal.

No Norwood to start with tonight, so pleasingly no Wilderball and our back four is starting to look a little more together, if not still vulnerable at times. We've stopped tonning it up into the dead zone, and more giving it to the gifted players like McGoldrick, Ndayie and MGW although tonight none of them sparkled. Millwall seemed to have us in their pocket in the first half and vast empty holes appeared in the middle of the park with our own players not showing short or moving into those areas for the player on the ball meant we simply got nowhere, fast. I did at first think that their first was an attempt on goal but having watched it again, it was a spawny floated back-sticker which had enough pace and direction to outfox Olsen. My mate, sat in the BLUT simply texted 'Reyt goal', and it was. We don't score ones like that do we? #1

Then we looked shaken and beaten, very much a hangover of the Weir-to-Adkins era. Fleck bought us an equaliser and after that we looked again on the up if not able to do anything with the roar of Unitedites encouraging them on. We'd changed format too but that didn't bring much fortune even in the second half we continued to huff and puff. So bloody frustrating. MGW basically gives the shit referee a chance to send him off and although we rallied with ten men, Millwall simply swatted us away and it looked likely than rather than us grinding out an unlikely victory, we'd give up a late goal for a predictable defeat. Their late goal was a 'reyt sickner', want it? Smacked accurately into the corner from 25 yards. We don't score ones like that, do we? #2

Olsen 4/10: He covered some efforts on goal but from distance and with the first goal, he is suspect. Is Fodders the answer?
Stevens 4/10: Substandard outing for him.
Egan 5/10: Again, the more time he stays unanchored to what looks now to be a permanently absent O'Connell, the less effective he becomes. There were 'okay' moments tonight, but he's no way as good as he was three seasons ago
Davies 6.5/10: A lot better tonight. Good interceptions and clearances and a bit more bite in his defending
Bogle 6.5/10: Thought he had a decent game up until his injury which I hope doesn't keep him out for long. He does combine well with the attack and has decent vision
Fleck 3/10: No apologies. Dispossessed and coughing up possession is Jimmy Fleck stuff and he isn't anything like the 8+/10 entity we saw develop and shine two seasons ago. He is predictable and easy to play against, simple as.
Hourihane 3/10: One of the 'holes' in midfield and somewhat of a mystery as to what he has above Norwood
MGW 4/10: Mainly fo his endeavour but he has the temperament in him to attract unsympathy from officials. Looking back at it now, deservedly redded
McGoldrick 4/10: Usually one of my favourites and showing class finishing on Saturday, but tonight substandard and error prone with sitters and misplaced passes alike
Osborn 5/10: Another blood+guts+nowt performance. Great effort but for fucks sake go round your man, get the early cross in or press on to the penalty area
Sharp 4/10: Great penalty but got nothing, despite busting a gut. It's been the story of his time at United.

Ndaiye 6/10: He at least tries and runs at oppositions but he tries too hard at times and they nick the ball off him or marshal him into areas where he is isolated and ineffective
Norwood 6/10: A better game from him, even though it is still not good enough for this level and for our ambitions
Basham 5.5/10: Shows endeavour and enterprise and was up that wing many times into the danger area if to hit the wall when there's no one reading him and moving into space

Slav 6/10: Still trying to get the best out of a team largely filled with losers and deadbeats. Some of them expensive ones too.

Ref: Fucking wanker. Yep. I think that sums him up. I sincerely hope his next shit is a hedgehog tied to a sea anenome, holding an open umbrella

pommpey

Hang on Pomps, while your assessment of the game is pretty much spot on, I have to pull you up here:-

"...Sharp 4/10: Great penalty but got nothing, despite busting a gut. It's been the story of his time at United...."

Behave lad! :)

Billy was instrumental in getting us out of League One, and has scored at every level asked of him. The clock is running against him now, we all know that, and it's the one thing that none of us can stop, but we all know that (as it stands) he is the only one of our strikers you would think has a chance of scoring.

Put it this way, if Billy was taking the one-on-one (first half), instead of McG, it's pretty much in the net.

And if it's Billy, 5 feet in front of goal, (instead of McG), it doesn't go over the bar.

Mousset might have put the away as well, but give Billy a sniff on goal and he will have more of chance of converting than anyone else we have.
 
Good read - spot on - and I take it back re Fleck - he was dismal last night. Felt he was hiding from the ball most of the time, and you could see why when he got it - is he shot? Just doesn't look fit or strong enough.

McGoldrick - he was ridiculously sloppy on the ball in the first 10 minutes - he gave it away at least 7 times in the 1st half - set the tempo for the rest of the team. Awful performance from him, no better than Fleck so also deserves a 3.
 
A season heading nowhere it seems,the best we can hope for in the near future is to be the next Middlesboro or Stoke and get our house in order off and on the pitch while doing it,nothing amazing is going to happen anytime soon and unless the hard work is put in behind the scenes to put right what has gone wrong recently,the alternative will be a lot worse.Fulham,Bournemouth and WBA are doing it,we are way behind these and falling further behind at the moment.We still have to even begin to adress the rebuild,sooner or later there has to be big numbers leaving and coming in,and yes,money needs to be spent on incoming,not just loans,but what confidence can you have that the right players will come,and indeed go after the shambles of the last couple of years.
 
I think this is the point that we shouldn't lose sight of.

I don't feel Slav is under pressure because he has inherited a team that lost 29/38. He's lost the one who was player of the year and replaced in the dying embers of the window with a loanee who hardly played at Everton. I can't deny Gibbs-White has been a good pick up and N'Diaye has been an added bonus. But otherwise Davies has yet to show his best and still lags behind O'Connell and Hourihane has done nothing to displace Norwood.

In truth there isn't much value in this squad. He's basically having to teach them to play football again properly.

He may be working without certain players but let's not pretend he's down 70m worth of talent.

McBurnie might fetch 10m if you're lucky and we find someone desperate enough. Otherwise I can imagine he sees out his contract and joins Rangers on a free in 18 months.

Brewster isn't a 23m play. He's done little to suggest he's a 2.3m player. At best he's someone he may look the part in the final year of a 5 year deal is mollycoddled for the next few seasons. Probably the most lavishly over expensive buy ever in football compared to relative resources. I can only think of Coutinho not fitting in at Barca after 142m or Akinbiyi going to Leicester for 5.3m that come remotely close. He makes Jordan Rhodes look a snip.

Berge is like one of those shiny Russian dolls, looks great on first viewing but as you peel away the initial packaging there is less and less there. His lack of availability is now noteworthy to any interested club. Most of which rated him as 10-15m max. To paraphrase Darth Vader's dying moments "tell Pommpey he was right."

Plus the club failed to get Slav 'the bloke who plays with wingers' any wingers at all. Nice one.

I bet he'd like to offload most of the strikers. The only one who probably fits the bill is Mousset who is strong, pacy and but fit is one thing that he certainly isn't. So he's left relying on soon to be 36 year old Billy.

All in all he's got a pretty shit hand. Best we can hope for is something to click and the season ending in play off failure and then Slav gutting the squad and bringing in the players he needs. I don't see how we trouble Bournemouth, West Brom and Fulham in getting out of this division.
It‘s not going to click often enough, and we’re not going to trouble the play offs. As soon as you accept this, it makes watching the ups and downs easier and more tolerable. We’re not great, but shouldn’t be bad enough to get sucked into the relegation scrap. Manage expectations to “mid table” with the odd rueful smile at the idea that certain players were supposed to “rip it up” at this level.
 
The only mark I'd disagree with is Hourihane's 4/10, pal.
I can't ever remember a less effective, more anonymous, and frankly, cowardly 35 minutes in a Blades shirt in all the years I've been watching them.
On several occasion when we had the ball deep in our half he actually went and stood next to a Millwall player, seemingly so as not to want the ball.
At the 20 minute mark I honestly wondered if Slav might have the guts to hook him that early. it took him 35, at which point Hourihane finally showed a bit of passion and kicked a water bottle on the touch line!
If ever anyone deserved a '0', this performance was well and truly it for me, tonight. Even the water bottle performed better.
Well done Conor.
utb
Ive just made this point in the shout box, the bloke is a coward and massively overrated. Get him sent back to where he came from
 
Another dismal result, eh? Filled with all the stuff we've been talking about, lack of movement, pedestrian attack development, being closed down easily and dispossessed and a critical lack of clinical finishing. Millwall were actually more of a challenge than higher flying Stoke the other day. Again, teams know how we play and the fact that we have no ability to switch emphasis means that pressing and closing us down is a cinch and no matter how much we push it up the pitch into predictable areas, we are easily marshalled away or dispossesed. Even if we do threaten, it ends in disappointing, weak efforts on goal.

No Norwood to start with tonight, so pleasingly no Wilderball and our back four is starting to look a little more together, if not still vulnerable at times. We've stopped tonning it up into the dead zone, and more giving it to the gifted players like McGoldrick, Ndayie and MGW although tonight none of them sparkled. Millwall seemed to have us in their pocket in the first half and vast empty holes appeared in the middle of the park with our own players not showing short or moving into those areas for the player on the ball meant we simply got nowhere, fast. I did at first think that their first was an attempt on goal but having watched it again, it was a spawny floated back-sticker which had enough pace and direction to outfox Olsen. My mate, sat in the BLUT simply texted 'Reyt goal', and it was. We don't score ones like that do we? #1

Then we looked shaken and beaten, very much a hangover of the Weir-to-Adkins era. Fleck bought us an equaliser and after that we looked again on the up if not able to do anything with the roar of Unitedites encouraging them on. We'd changed format too but that didn't bring much fortune even in the second half we continued to huff and puff. So bloody frustrating. MGW basically gives the shit referee a chance to send him off and although we rallied with ten men, Millwall simply swatted us away and it looked likely than rather than us grinding out an unlikely victory, we'd give up a late goal for a predictable defeat. Their late goal was a 'reyt sickner', want it? Smacked accurately into the corner from 25 yards. We don't score ones like that, do we? #2

Olsen 4/10: He covered some efforts on goal but from distance and with the first goal, he is suspect. Is Fodders the answer?
Stevens 4/10: Substandard outing for him.
Egan 5/10: Again, the more time he stays unanchored to what looks now to be a permanently absent O'Connell, the less effective he becomes. There were 'okay' moments tonight, but he's no way as good as he was three seasons ago
Davies 6.5/10: A lot better tonight. Good interceptions and clearances and a bit more bite in his defending
Bogle 6.5/10: Thought he had a decent game up until his injury which I hope doesn't keep him out for long. He does combine well with the attack and has decent vision
Fleck 3/10: No apologies. Dispossessed and coughing up possession is Jimmy Fleck stuff and he isn't anything like the 8+/10 entity we saw develop and shine two seasons ago. He is predictable and easy to play against, simple as.
Hourihane 3/10: One of the 'holes' in midfield and somewhat of a mystery as to what he has above Norwood
MGW 4/10: Mainly fo his endeavour but he has the temperament in him to attract unsympathy from officials. Looking back at it now, deservedly redded
McGoldrick 4/10: Usually one of my favourites and showing class finishing on Saturday, but tonight substandard and error prone with sitters and misplaced passes alike
Osborn 5/10: Another blood+guts+nowt performance. Great effort but for fucks sake go round your man, get the early cross in or press on to the penalty area
Sharp 4/10: Great penalty but got nothing, despite busting a gut. It's been the story of his time at United.

Ndaiye 6/10: He at least tries and runs at oppositions but he tries too hard at times and they nick the ball off him or marshal him into areas where he is isolated and ineffective
Norwood 6/10: A better game from him, even though it is still not good enough for this level and for our ambitions
Basham 5.5/10: Shows endeavour and enterprise and was up that wing many times into the danger area if to hit the wall when there's no one reading him and moving into space

Slav 6/10: Still trying to get the best out of a team largely filled with losers and deadbeats. Some of them expensive ones too.

Ref: Fucking wanker. Yep. I think that sums him up. I sincerely hope his next shit is a hedgehog tied to a sea anenome, holding an open umbrella

pommpey
Can't disagree with much of that. How didzy missed that sitter i will never know. Game totally changed on the red card which probably was a dive but saville should have walked as well. We need to start getting some clean sheets and fast.
ps when do we ever score from outside the box?
 
That fucking twat Jake Cooper scoring an injury time goal against us again. In fact I think he scored for them even when we beat them 3-2 at their place.
That's his 4th goal in 6 appearances against us.

He scored in both games in 2018-19 as you say, and also scored when we lost 3-1 there in 2017-18.
 
First half was abysmal, looked like we had just got out of bed , second to every ball , slow & sloppy and error prone , you could have substituted the entire 11 we were that poor but Fleck & Hourihane looked like they were playing pissed . I just do not like the keeper always looks like he’s got a clanger waiting to happen .. appalling positioning on their 1st goal . Ndiaye made a difference when he came on , livened us up ran at them & at least tried to make things happen unlike some of the other tippy tappy side wards backwards shite that we yet again reverted back to . The pen got us back into the game & gave us a lift & we started to get things going moving the ball with a bit more urgency . The two turning points in the match were McGoldrick skying it from 3 yards & MGW sending off as this again passed initiative back to them . Played well tbh with 10 men but deja vu .. we concede yet another late goal . Played poor yet had the better chances to win the game but if you can’t put them away I’m I afraid you make your own luck.
MOTM - Davies think he’s getting better game by game looked very assured at the back
.
Referee .. fuck me me we’ve had some shockers so far this season but this twat was bewildering , worst I’ve seen in an eternity !! Wanted to be the centre of attention & succeeded in that 😡
All our inconsistencies summed up in a game ⚔️
 
Cheers, Pompey. Good read, not so sure about this sentence “No Norwood to start with tonight, so pleasingly no Wilderball”. Give me Wilderball any day over that first 30 minutes or so. We didn’t know what we were trying to do, and we didn’t know how we were going to do it.

I’m often on here or FB defending Norwood, so the first half pleased some twatty part of me deep inside. We all know Norwood’s weaknesses, but we saw his strengths in that first half.

The worrying thing is how easy it was for Millwall. They pressed us, and we had no answer. We were unable to play through the lines, and they didn’t have to worry about any pace up front if we tried to play long. MGW and McGoldrick couldn’t keep the ball when we got it to them, and for all of Osborn’s strengths, he can’t do anything in dangerous territories. His attempts to beat his man were really poor, as was his attempt of a pass to play Stevens in in the first half.

The Olsen mistake I could handle if it wasn’t combined with a) a very lackluster start to his Blades career and b) the Millwall offside goal in the second minute or so where he spooned a cross into his net.

I think Egan and Davies put in similar performances. Not bad, not great.

Fleck, I feel a bit sorry for, after Hourihane was hocked, he was having to come very deep for the ball, and he simply doesn’t have the play or the sense to do it. Trying to carry the ball in really bad areas. His worst crime for me was taking the quick free kick when he was fouled by Saville on a yellow. Never really gave the chance for the ref to consider a yellow. Needs to be way more savvy than that.
 
Another dismal result, eh? Filled with all the stuff we've been talking about, lack of movement, pedestrian attack development, being closed down easily and dispossessed and a critical lack of clinical finishing. Millwall were actually more of a challenge than higher flying Stoke the other day. Again, teams know how we play and the fact that we have no ability to switch emphasis means that pressing and closing us down is a cinch and no matter how much we push it up the pitch into predictable areas, we are easily marshalled away or dispossesed. Even if we do threaten, it ends in disappointing, weak efforts on goal.

No Norwood to start with tonight, so pleasingly no Wilderball and our back four is starting to look a little more together, if not still vulnerable at times. We've stopped tonning it up into the dead zone, and more giving it to the gifted players like McGoldrick, Ndayie and MGW although tonight none of them sparkled. Millwall seemed to have us in their pocket in the first half and vast empty holes appeared in the middle of the park with our own players not showing short or moving into those areas for the player on the ball meant we simply got nowhere, fast. I did at first think that their first was an attempt on goal but having watched it again, it was a spawny floated back-sticker which had enough pace and direction to outfox Olsen. My mate, sat in the BLUT simply texted 'Reyt goal', and it was. We don't score ones like that do we? #1

Then we looked shaken and beaten, very much a hangover of the Weir-to-Adkins era. Fleck bought us an equaliser and after that we looked again on the up if not able to do anything with the roar of Unitedites encouraging them on. We'd changed format too but that didn't bring much fortune even in the second half we continued to huff and puff. So bloody frustrating. MGW basically gives the shit referee a chance to send him off and although we rallied with ten men, Millwall simply swatted us away and it looked likely than rather than us grinding out an unlikely victory, we'd give up a late goal for a predictable defeat. Their late goal was a 'reyt sickner', want it? Smacked accurately into the corner from 25 yards. We don't score ones like that, do we? #2

Olsen 4/10: He covered some efforts on goal but from distance and with the first goal, he is suspect. Is Fodders the answer?
Stevens 4/10: Substandard outing for him.
Egan 5/10: Again, the more time he stays unanchored to what looks now to be a permanently absent O'Connell, the less effective he becomes. There were 'okay' moments tonight, but he's no way as good as he was three seasons ago
Davies 6.5/10: A lot better tonight. Good interceptions and clearances and a bit more bite in his defending
Bogle 6.5/10: Thought he had a decent game up until his injury which I hope doesn't keep him out for long. He does combine well with the attack and has decent vision
Fleck 3/10: No apologies. Dispossessed and coughing up possession is Jimmy Fleck stuff and he isn't anything like the 8+/10 entity we saw develop and shine two seasons ago. He is predictable and easy to play against, simple as.
Hourihane 3/10: One of the 'holes' in midfield and somewhat of a mystery as to what he has above Norwood
MGW 4/10: Mainly fo his endeavour but he has the temperament in him to attract unsympathy from officials. Looking back at it now, deservedly redded
McGoldrick 4/10: Usually one of my favourites and showing class finishing on Saturday, but tonight substandard and error prone with sitters and misplaced passes alike
Osborn 5/10: Another blood+guts+nowt performance. Great effort but for fucks sake go round your man, get the early cross in or press on to the penalty area
Sharp 4/10: Great penalty but got nothing, despite busting a gut. It's been the story of his time at United.

Ndaiye 6/10: He at least tries and runs at oppositions but he tries too hard at times and they nick the ball off him or marshal him into areas where he is isolated and ineffective
Norwood 6/10: A better game from him, even though it is still not good enough for this level and for our ambitions
Basham 5.5/10: Shows endeavour and enterprise and was up that wing many times into the danger area if to hit the wall when there's no one reading him and moving into space

Slav 6/10: Still trying to get the best out of a team largely filled with losers and deadbeats. Some of them expensive ones too.

Ref: Fucking wanker. Yep. I think that sums him up. I sincerely hope his next shit is a hedgehog tied to a sea anenome, holding an open umbrella

pommpey

Fans 1/10; Awful throughout, moans and groans for playing out from the back, sarcastic cheers when Olsen caught a cross, even though the goal wasn't his fault, constant shouts of get it forward. No backing upon going down to 10 men. Abysmal.
 
The first 35 minutes was embarrassing, slow, zero movement, no midfield
Looks like it’s going to be a mid table kind of season, too many players over the hill and can’t play two games a week at a higher level which would get us at least into the playoffs
Loads of the squad out of contract in the summer, so looks like a major squad re vamp for next season, hopefully an opportunity to bring in some quicker and more dynamic players
 
A season heading nowhere it seems,the best we can hope for in the near future is to be the next Middlesboro or Stoke and get our house in order off and on the pitch while doing it,nothing amazing is going to happen anytime soon and unless the hard work is put in behind the scenes to put right what has gone wrong recently,the alternative will be a lot worse.Fulham,Bournemouth and WBA are doing it,we are way behind these and falling further behind at the moment.We still have to even begin to adress the rebuild,sooner or later there has to be big numbers leaving and coming in,and yes,money needs to be spent on incoming,not just loans,but what confidence can you have that the right players will come,and indeed go after the shambles of the last couple of years.
All Wilder's players need to go.
Rebuild only starts when all his manure has been sold or driven away.
 
Another dismal result, eh? Filled with all the stuff we've been talking about, lack of movement, pedestrian attack development, being closed down easily and dispossessed and a critical lack of clinical finishing. Millwall were actually more of a challenge than higher flying Stoke the other day. Again, teams know how we play and the fact that we have no ability to switch emphasis means that pressing and closing us down is a cinch and no matter how much we push it up the pitch into predictable areas, we are easily marshalled away or dispossesed. Even if we do threaten, it ends in disappointing, weak efforts on goal.

No Norwood to start with tonight, so pleasingly no Wilderball and our back four is starting to look a little more together, if not still vulnerable at times. We've stopped tonning it up into the dead zone, and more giving it to the gifted players like McGoldrick, Ndayie and MGW although tonight none of them sparkled. Millwall seemed to have us in their pocket in the first half and vast empty holes appeared in the middle of the park with our own players not showing short or moving into those areas for the player on the ball meant we simply got nowhere, fast. I did at first think that their first was an attempt on goal but having watched it again, it was a spawny floated back-sticker which had enough pace and direction to outfox Olsen. My mate, sat in the BLUT simply texted 'Reyt goal', and it was. We don't score ones like that do we? #1

Then we looked shaken and beaten, very much a hangover of the Weir-to-Adkins era. Fleck bought us an equaliser and after that we looked again on the up if not able to do anything with the roar of Unitedites encouraging them on. We'd changed format too but that didn't bring much fortune even in the second half we continued to huff and puff. So bloody frustrating. MGW basically gives the shit referee a chance to send him off and although we rallied with ten men, Millwall simply swatted us away and it looked likely than rather than us grinding out an unlikely victory, we'd give up a late goal for a predictable defeat. Their late goal was a 'reyt sickner', want it? Smacked accurately into the corner from 25 yards. We don't score ones like that, do we? #2

Olsen 4/10: He covered some efforts on goal but from distance and with the first goal, he is suspect. Is Fodders the answer?
Stevens 4/10: Substandard outing for him.
Egan 5/10: Again, the more time he stays unanchored to what looks now to be a permanently absent O'Connell, the less effective he becomes. There were 'okay' moments tonight, but he's no way as good as he was three seasons ago
Davies 6.5/10: A lot better tonight. Good interceptions and clearances and a bit more bite in his defending
Bogle 6.5/10: Thought he had a decent game up until his injury which I hope doesn't keep him out for long. He does combine well with the attack and has decent vision
Fleck 3/10: No apologies. Dispossessed and coughing up possession is Jimmy Fleck stuff and he isn't anything like the 8+/10 entity we saw develop and shine two seasons ago. He is predictable and easy to play against, simple as.
Hourihane 3/10: One of the 'holes' in midfield and somewhat of a mystery as to what he has above Norwood
MGW 4/10: Mainly fo his endeavour but he has the temperament in him to attract unsympathy from officials. Looking back at it now, deservedly redded
McGoldrick 4/10: Usually one of my favourites and showing class finishing on Saturday, but tonight substandard and error prone with sitters and misplaced passes alike
Osborn 5/10: Another blood+guts+nowt performance. Great effort but for fucks sake go round your man, get the early cross in or press on to the penalty area
Sharp 4/10: Great penalty but got nothing, despite busting a gut. It's been the story of his time at United.

Ndaiye 6/10: He at least tries and runs at oppositions but he tries too hard at times and they nick the ball off him or marshal him into areas where he is isolated and ineffective
Norwood 6/10: A better game from him, even though it is still not good enough for this level and for our ambitions
Basham 5.5/10: Shows endeavour and enterprise and was up that wing many times into the danger area if to hit the wall when there's no one reading him and moving into space

Slav 6/10: Still trying to get the best out of a team largely filled with losers and deadbeats. Some of them expensive ones too.

Ref: Fucking wanker. Yep. I think that sums him up. I sincerely hope his next shit is a hedgehog tied to a sea anenome, holding an open umbrella

pommpey
First 35 mins were awful, slow in thought and deed, no movement and a tendency to mark their players when we've got the ball. I was astounded at the frequency we gave them the ball, I also can’t get my head round how we can play like that when we were so different only 3 days before.

Things improved markedly once the Hourihane went off, the comments regarding his “cowardly” performance are bang on the money. We started looking like we had a bit of purpose and Millwall looked like they were struggling to cope with the change. Deservedly equalised before HT.

Weirdly I found most of the second half entertaining, I thought we looked more likely to score but it was end to end and I didn’t feel like we weren’t coping at the back. I’m still lost for words on Didzy’s miss though, wow.

I was surprised (pleasantly) we were as gung-ho as we were after MGW got sent off. I suppose on reflection from that moment on I could sense the spectre of inevitability, which duly manifested itself in the form of an unmarked Jake Cooper to pick his spot from 20 – 25 yards. United in a nutshell really.

Agree with most of your scores Pommps, however I would drop Didzy’s down to a 3 the same as Flecks as I feel he was as culpable in coughing up possession and that clearance second half. Hourihane gets dropped down to a 1 for me and gets that only because he managed to put his kit on the right way.

Oh, and you’re too kind on the ref, whilst your “punishment” for him made me laugh it just doesn’t feel enough somehow.
 
The Olsen mistake I could handle if it wasn’t combined with a) a very lackluster start to his Blades career and b) the Millwall offside goal in the second minute or so where he spooned a cross into his net.

I thought it set the tone for his performance last night, I'm still struggling to understand how it went in.

I've no confidence in him at all.
 

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