pommpey
THE FUTURE ... AS IT USED TO BE
- Banned
- #1
Really satisfied today with the come back since Preston. It was a comprehensive victory, albeit against a pretty low-rent and ten man Luton side. We needed a win and needed the three points but I am still unconvinced over ninety minutes we are anything near a playoff contender let alone a now-unreachable automatic spot.
I was a bit surprised at Hecky's lack of want to scalpel and adjust the midfield since Preston, clearly the guilty parties of our lack of ability to control the game at two up at Deepdale. Our engine room isn't anywhere near where it should be and the evidence was there today throughout the first and second half, even at two up. Hourihane's continued reluctance to put himself in the mix ad Norwood's continued want to pump it out to a non advancing wingback with both guilty of possessional offences tells it all. Thank fuck for players like Bogle, Basham and for once RND for stepping up and making the advances even though RND is guilty of some shitstopping misses where scoring was a harder option. The fact that once again that game should have been home and hosed by minute 45 tell you, the supporter, that change is not just necessary but essential in the ongoing tale of Sheffield United's credibility as a footballing side. In twelve months time in this division (because hopefully we will stay here) we have Hourihane, Fleck, Berge and Norwood as our pick any from this list then we are in trouble. We clearly need bite, teeth and players who will not only turn skill on, but show positionally for the way up the pitch. We have tolerated shit midfielders for too long and it is many years since Michael Brown, possibly the last player who could do the job effectively, efficiently and for the shirt. 22 goals in one season tells it's own tale. Watching Norwood rocket that shot with his 'sweet feet' and 'wand of a right foot' into the kop today should finally drop the pennies for those amongst us who think he has a future at Bramall Lane next year.
Upsides though are that Brewster seems to be slowly maturing in both positional and directional sense, and that Robinson had a pretty decent game, capped by a well-deserved goal. We also got, and managed three points from today's outing and kept a clean sheet. We have a week off now before the chaos starts with a winnable awayday at Peterborough, a team we fucking demolished at BDTBL. I expect three points from that too, before that puts us in the mixer with the seven match flurry from which it is hard to see where the next set of points will emerge. There are 21 points to gain and ten would be nice, even if it clears us of any low-stomach-ache fears of being pulled into the outer rim of a relegation scrap. Historically, we've not done well from those.
Foderingham 7/10: Confident display and a really decent save low down to his left from Jerome
Bogle 8.5/10: MotM. Again, I reinforce that he is the only Wilder signing who has paid his transfer fee. He is industrious out on that flank and whilst untested defensively today, offers real, palpable threat with his ventures forward and into the opposition penalty area
Basham 7.5/10: Another pretty flawless performance from Mr Reliable. It comes to something when you are actually looking for something to downmark Basham, such is his contribution
Egan 6.5/10: Largely untested with high balls and longballs today, but pretty solid
Robinson 7.5/10: A really pleasing performance from C3PO. Worked fucking hard in his position and his levels of concentration are obviously improving. A well taken, if unchallenged goal but ... it sealed the win.
RND 6/10: Loses a point for his abject inability to drive the sword home. Fuck me he missed some today. Okay some hit their defenders but the last one was a roll across the box, knee-above-the-ball crack into the far corner
Norwood 5/10: In some areas of this match, Norwood was at 7/10 levels. He was intercepting, hitting pretty decent passes and contributing well to out system. Then he picks the ball up (as in the first half) and there's twenty fucking metres of empty pitch ahead of him, almost to the edge of their area, to run into. What does he do? Downshifts a gear and allows Luton to close him down. Fuck me. Michael Brown. That's all I have to day. In fact fuck this. Michael Doyle. Even he'd have ran into that empty space and made shit happen.
Hourihane 4/10: Still not good enough for me. Nesh, undercommitted and basically not good enough for this system or team
Ndaiye 8/10: Cracking outing from this lad. Seems to be the only conduit as to how and where we make real advances on the opposition. Carries the ball well and digs it out from challenges. Bit he is mission MGW badly.
Sharp 5/10: Grafted hard to make Luton work and was guilty of the wingers and midfield not finding him in space in the danger area. As ever, spent a lot of time fetching and carrying
Brewster 7.5/10: A possibly inflated mark for the kid but it seems with every game now, he is maturing steadily and understanding how the Sheffield United system works. Well taken goal and made the opposition work with (I don't care what you think) was a fucking nailed on red card.
Berge 3/10: Not sure what speed this bloke is set at, or if he's running round the car park before he is sent on. But he seems to be at a different, lower level of energy output every time I see him. Involved but ineffective. We need to get rid. Berge is never going to set the planet on fire for us, or for any team in the English Leagues. What a waste of money and supposed talent.
McGoldrick 3/10: Not much to mark him on TBF
McBurnie 3/10: Again not much. Seems very match rusty
Overall a great win and good feeling of muted progress. We need to batter Posh next week to announce our resurgence because the upcoming programme is both punishing and relentless
pommpey
I was a bit surprised at Hecky's lack of want to scalpel and adjust the midfield since Preston, clearly the guilty parties of our lack of ability to control the game at two up at Deepdale. Our engine room isn't anywhere near where it should be and the evidence was there today throughout the first and second half, even at two up. Hourihane's continued reluctance to put himself in the mix ad Norwood's continued want to pump it out to a non advancing wingback with both guilty of possessional offences tells it all. Thank fuck for players like Bogle, Basham and for once RND for stepping up and making the advances even though RND is guilty of some shitstopping misses where scoring was a harder option. The fact that once again that game should have been home and hosed by minute 45 tell you, the supporter, that change is not just necessary but essential in the ongoing tale of Sheffield United's credibility as a footballing side. In twelve months time in this division (because hopefully we will stay here) we have Hourihane, Fleck, Berge and Norwood as our pick any from this list then we are in trouble. We clearly need bite, teeth and players who will not only turn skill on, but show positionally for the way up the pitch. We have tolerated shit midfielders for too long and it is many years since Michael Brown, possibly the last player who could do the job effectively, efficiently and for the shirt. 22 goals in one season tells it's own tale. Watching Norwood rocket that shot with his 'sweet feet' and 'wand of a right foot' into the kop today should finally drop the pennies for those amongst us who think he has a future at Bramall Lane next year.
Upsides though are that Brewster seems to be slowly maturing in both positional and directional sense, and that Robinson had a pretty decent game, capped by a well-deserved goal. We also got, and managed three points from today's outing and kept a clean sheet. We have a week off now before the chaos starts with a winnable awayday at Peterborough, a team we fucking demolished at BDTBL. I expect three points from that too, before that puts us in the mixer with the seven match flurry from which it is hard to see where the next set of points will emerge. There are 21 points to gain and ten would be nice, even if it clears us of any low-stomach-ache fears of being pulled into the outer rim of a relegation scrap. Historically, we've not done well from those.
Foderingham 7/10: Confident display and a really decent save low down to his left from Jerome
Bogle 8.5/10: MotM. Again, I reinforce that he is the only Wilder signing who has paid his transfer fee. He is industrious out on that flank and whilst untested defensively today, offers real, palpable threat with his ventures forward and into the opposition penalty area
Basham 7.5/10: Another pretty flawless performance from Mr Reliable. It comes to something when you are actually looking for something to downmark Basham, such is his contribution
Egan 6.5/10: Largely untested with high balls and longballs today, but pretty solid
Robinson 7.5/10: A really pleasing performance from C3PO. Worked fucking hard in his position and his levels of concentration are obviously improving. A well taken, if unchallenged goal but ... it sealed the win.
RND 6/10: Loses a point for his abject inability to drive the sword home. Fuck me he missed some today. Okay some hit their defenders but the last one was a roll across the box, knee-above-the-ball crack into the far corner
Norwood 5/10: In some areas of this match, Norwood was at 7/10 levels. He was intercepting, hitting pretty decent passes and contributing well to out system. Then he picks the ball up (as in the first half) and there's twenty fucking metres of empty pitch ahead of him, almost to the edge of their area, to run into. What does he do? Downshifts a gear and allows Luton to close him down. Fuck me. Michael Brown. That's all I have to day. In fact fuck this. Michael Doyle. Even he'd have ran into that empty space and made shit happen.
Hourihane 4/10: Still not good enough for me. Nesh, undercommitted and basically not good enough for this system or team
Ndaiye 8/10: Cracking outing from this lad. Seems to be the only conduit as to how and where we make real advances on the opposition. Carries the ball well and digs it out from challenges. Bit he is mission MGW badly.
Sharp 5/10: Grafted hard to make Luton work and was guilty of the wingers and midfield not finding him in space in the danger area. As ever, spent a lot of time fetching and carrying
Brewster 7.5/10: A possibly inflated mark for the kid but it seems with every game now, he is maturing steadily and understanding how the Sheffield United system works. Well taken goal and made the opposition work with (I don't care what you think) was a fucking nailed on red card.
Berge 3/10: Not sure what speed this bloke is set at, or if he's running round the car park before he is sent on. But he seems to be at a different, lower level of energy output every time I see him. Involved but ineffective. We need to get rid. Berge is never going to set the planet on fire for us, or for any team in the English Leagues. What a waste of money and supposed talent.
McGoldrick 3/10: Not much to mark him on TBF
McBurnie 3/10: Again not much. Seems very match rusty
Overall a great win and good feeling of muted progress. We need to batter Posh next week to announce our resurgence because the upcoming programme is both punishing and relentless
pommpey