pommpey
THE FUTURE ... AS IT USED TO BE
- Banned
- #1
Can't speyk.
I ... and so many others are expecting a resurgent, well fancied Burnley to come to Bramall Lane today and literally fuck us up the arse, and put our recent achievements in scruffy away wins into sharp, Sheffield Unitedlike perspective and expose the bald facts about our lack of potency due to a gathering storm of injuries to the fore. Team line up looked optimistic and somewhat laughable. Osborn in midfield, Enda back at LWB and Fleck shoved in to make up the numbers. What the fuck was Hecky doing? Furthermore, coming out of this 0-3 down to disconcertment cascading down from the well stocked terraces as we possibly drop to sixth and lose to Rotherham ...
Make no apologies for this. It's what we're used to.
But as ever, we are Bladesmen and as my dad always said, Sheffield United are unpredictable. This actually works both ways sometimes. Seem to remember us going away to Leeds a few years ago and tubbing them 4-0 at Bellend Road and certainly, no one expected us to beat Liverpool in the LC at BDTBL either a while ago. But take on Burnley at Bramall Lane and batter them 5-2? After going behind twice and being 1-2 down at HT? Have so many shots on target and look like a fucking Premier League team doing so with effectively a second string team? Fuck off!
We started really, really well. Instead of tentatively trying to play football in and around Burnley and not looking much like getting the ball to the strikers we did exactly the opposite - we went at them and played a high game up in their back garden and created chances that actually made the most of the new Deane/Agana partnership up front. Everyone seemed to be getting involved in the game, no slackers. Okay, Benson was ragging Stevens a lot and they came back into the game a bit and then, out of nowhere, they have a smash at goal which seems to be well covered except Robinson makes a despairing lunge and heads it the wrong way past Fods. To me, it was 'one of them things' and had he got more contact it would have ended up in the Kop. I can't blame Robinson for it. He was doing his job - defending. It just didn't evolve the right way. I felt sorry for him.
But what we didn't do is let Burnley control the game as we went at them. They tried, but a surprisingly well organised midfield (who I thought would struggle like fuck) just kept Burnley out of the game and we looked like we actually deserved an equaliser. After some pretty flawless into-the-box distribution from JLT and Norwood/Fleck from the corners it was nailed on someone would make the contact and score. Characteristically it bounces off NDaiye's knee in the end and we are deservedly level and in honest terms likely to beat these fuckers. But wait ...
Fodders chucks the ball (wrongly, to me) across the pitch to JLT who has a C3PO moment and fucking doddy-foots it letting a very sharp Benson in who makes no mistake to send us in astoundingly behind at HT. I get it ... I could hear everyone's inner thoughts of Burnley further shafting us dry in the second half or reducing us to shot after shot ending up in the kop. But hey ... pessimistic old me didn't feel that at all. I had real faith that this team of misfits and substitutes might actually prove their worth in the team and for the shirt. To me we were far better than the score suggested. Something was clicking out there and Burnley, for all their league position and manager pedigree, were there for the taking. They looked scared and vulnerable, like a bully that had had a slap from a dweeb. There was more to this game ...
Second half ... fuck me what a blitz. We still went at them and Burnley looked shell shocked and barely able to cope. It was us ... Sheffield United ... showing that firstly the post-international blues were over, secondly that Burnley were the ones in the exhalted, false position but mainly that we were a fucking force to be reckoned with, even with several key players out of the matchday squad and of those playing, many still tired and hobbling from the midweek triumph. I thought we'd run out of steam. We didn't. McBurnie was a constant pain in the arse for them, NDaiye everything you don't want 90 minutes against and the assumed limitations of the midfield and Stevens never' ever evident. It was the game of their lives and 'It's LIVE ... on SKY!'
The goals just kept coming. A well poached diving header from McB, a stadium destroying piece of kudos from JLT, a deserved reward for Anel and McBs payoff gave us four goals in a second half fightback I have never witnessed in my gathering years as a Blade supporter. It had everything about our story as a club in an hour and a half and it was luxuriant living watching the top of the table team ... well fancied by all ... to get the fucking spanking we have been waiting to give. It's all ver well and good bumming Peterborough. That's like kicking a cripple. Smacking Burnley square in the chops and putting them on their arse is what I'm saying, blud.
Foderingham 7/10: Decent catches, diving collects and a couple of good saves. After that ... nowt much to do
Baldock 7.5/10: Worked extremely hard to deal with Burnley's wing threat until the second half when they just gave up. Still a good performance
Anel 7.5/10: Not a classic Anel match but in a sense it was, because he scored a well dug-out goal and tried a scissor kick ... he did what? ... in their box. At times in the first half he wasn't his-self but as the game went on much more the Anel we know. Good assist for McBs first
Egan 7.5/10: Much improved and resilient against a somewhat invisible (possibly because of him) attacking threat
JLT 7.5/10: Hate to dock him marks. Not at fault for that first o.g. He was doing his job and it didn't turn out what he intended. The second one? Yeah ... C3PO. But got his head back in it and didn't let it get to him. And he fucking scored. In reality, an 8/10, but actually a half mark for his doddy-footed fuck up
Stevens 7/10: I know he was run ragged by their winger but again didn't let him get under his skin and was part of an effective trio out left all things considered. He is slowing up though. We need to acknowledge this. Today he worked his arse off but was limited and vulnerable
Osborn 8/10: Thought he had a great game and grafted hard to make some or other difference well out of position. Linked well inside and outside to keep the momentum up
Norwood 9.5/10: Best game I have seen him play for some years. Committed and involved - this against his hometown team and against on paper a better midfield. When needed to Hollywood he did just that but above all else it was effective. Outside of that he battled and stopped Burnley dominating. Just lacked a goal if anything. Great set up for a the marauding Baldock for McBs second and some pretty flawless corners too
Fleck 7/10: A better performance from him if not as effective as three years ago in the same fixture. Still nowhere near as good as he has been for us
McBurnie 9/10: We have a striker back and possibly ... if the stars align ... one as good as Brian Deane himself. For me to go from rating him at a 3 and calling him McPub to today where he looked excellent in defence and attack shows the development and revolution that has happened with him. I was convinced 12 months ago he was sellable at a loss and a total waste of space. Now he is on fire and a player of absolute worth
Ndaiye 8.5/10: A absolute star of a player. he's so slinky, controls well, pops up and scores and completes our front line
Basham 6/10: Pushed into RM in hoc of Stevens giving way to Osborn at LWB. Don't think he did too badly. His wisdom and composure was evident and characteristically for him we saw him in advance positions a lot to keep the pressure on
Sharp 4/10: Not really effective up front save for pressure and graft
Arblaster: Not marked
Brooks: Not marked
All to play for again now and we are back in the box seat. We have dented Burnley's paintwork and smashed their headlights out with today's display of Sheffield United at their best in a packed stadium of fervour. A game in hand and a better goal difference and a game at home against Toytown coming up to boot. We could go top into another international break!
Oh, wait ...
pommpey
I ... and so many others are expecting a resurgent, well fancied Burnley to come to Bramall Lane today and literally fuck us up the arse, and put our recent achievements in scruffy away wins into sharp, Sheffield Unitedlike perspective and expose the bald facts about our lack of potency due to a gathering storm of injuries to the fore. Team line up looked optimistic and somewhat laughable. Osborn in midfield, Enda back at LWB and Fleck shoved in to make up the numbers. What the fuck was Hecky doing? Furthermore, coming out of this 0-3 down to disconcertment cascading down from the well stocked terraces as we possibly drop to sixth and lose to Rotherham ...
Make no apologies for this. It's what we're used to.
But as ever, we are Bladesmen and as my dad always said, Sheffield United are unpredictable. This actually works both ways sometimes. Seem to remember us going away to Leeds a few years ago and tubbing them 4-0 at Bellend Road and certainly, no one expected us to beat Liverpool in the LC at BDTBL either a while ago. But take on Burnley at Bramall Lane and batter them 5-2? After going behind twice and being 1-2 down at HT? Have so many shots on target and look like a fucking Premier League team doing so with effectively a second string team? Fuck off!
We started really, really well. Instead of tentatively trying to play football in and around Burnley and not looking much like getting the ball to the strikers we did exactly the opposite - we went at them and played a high game up in their back garden and created chances that actually made the most of the new Deane/Agana partnership up front. Everyone seemed to be getting involved in the game, no slackers. Okay, Benson was ragging Stevens a lot and they came back into the game a bit and then, out of nowhere, they have a smash at goal which seems to be well covered except Robinson makes a despairing lunge and heads it the wrong way past Fods. To me, it was 'one of them things' and had he got more contact it would have ended up in the Kop. I can't blame Robinson for it. He was doing his job - defending. It just didn't evolve the right way. I felt sorry for him.
But what we didn't do is let Burnley control the game as we went at them. They tried, but a surprisingly well organised midfield (who I thought would struggle like fuck) just kept Burnley out of the game and we looked like we actually deserved an equaliser. After some pretty flawless into-the-box distribution from JLT and Norwood/Fleck from the corners it was nailed on someone would make the contact and score. Characteristically it bounces off NDaiye's knee in the end and we are deservedly level and in honest terms likely to beat these fuckers. But wait ...
Fodders chucks the ball (wrongly, to me) across the pitch to JLT who has a C3PO moment and fucking doddy-foots it letting a very sharp Benson in who makes no mistake to send us in astoundingly behind at HT. I get it ... I could hear everyone's inner thoughts of Burnley further shafting us dry in the second half or reducing us to shot after shot ending up in the kop. But hey ... pessimistic old me didn't feel that at all. I had real faith that this team of misfits and substitutes might actually prove their worth in the team and for the shirt. To me we were far better than the score suggested. Something was clicking out there and Burnley, for all their league position and manager pedigree, were there for the taking. They looked scared and vulnerable, like a bully that had had a slap from a dweeb. There was more to this game ...
Second half ... fuck me what a blitz. We still went at them and Burnley looked shell shocked and barely able to cope. It was us ... Sheffield United ... showing that firstly the post-international blues were over, secondly that Burnley were the ones in the exhalted, false position but mainly that we were a fucking force to be reckoned with, even with several key players out of the matchday squad and of those playing, many still tired and hobbling from the midweek triumph. I thought we'd run out of steam. We didn't. McBurnie was a constant pain in the arse for them, NDaiye everything you don't want 90 minutes against and the assumed limitations of the midfield and Stevens never' ever evident. It was the game of their lives and 'It's LIVE ... on SKY!'
The goals just kept coming. A well poached diving header from McB, a stadium destroying piece of kudos from JLT, a deserved reward for Anel and McBs payoff gave us four goals in a second half fightback I have never witnessed in my gathering years as a Blade supporter. It had everything about our story as a club in an hour and a half and it was luxuriant living watching the top of the table team ... well fancied by all ... to get the fucking spanking we have been waiting to give. It's all ver well and good bumming Peterborough. That's like kicking a cripple. Smacking Burnley square in the chops and putting them on their arse is what I'm saying, blud.
Foderingham 7/10: Decent catches, diving collects and a couple of good saves. After that ... nowt much to do
Baldock 7.5/10: Worked extremely hard to deal with Burnley's wing threat until the second half when they just gave up. Still a good performance
Anel 7.5/10: Not a classic Anel match but in a sense it was, because he scored a well dug-out goal and tried a scissor kick ... he did what? ... in their box. At times in the first half he wasn't his-self but as the game went on much more the Anel we know. Good assist for McBs first
Egan 7.5/10: Much improved and resilient against a somewhat invisible (possibly because of him) attacking threat
JLT 7.5/10: Hate to dock him marks. Not at fault for that first o.g. He was doing his job and it didn't turn out what he intended. The second one? Yeah ... C3PO. But got his head back in it and didn't let it get to him. And he fucking scored. In reality, an 8/10, but actually a half mark for his doddy-footed fuck up
Stevens 7/10: I know he was run ragged by their winger but again didn't let him get under his skin and was part of an effective trio out left all things considered. He is slowing up though. We need to acknowledge this. Today he worked his arse off but was limited and vulnerable
Osborn 8/10: Thought he had a great game and grafted hard to make some or other difference well out of position. Linked well inside and outside to keep the momentum up
Norwood 9.5/10: Best game I have seen him play for some years. Committed and involved - this against his hometown team and against on paper a better midfield. When needed to Hollywood he did just that but above all else it was effective. Outside of that he battled and stopped Burnley dominating. Just lacked a goal if anything. Great set up for a the marauding Baldock for McBs second and some pretty flawless corners too
Fleck 7/10: A better performance from him if not as effective as three years ago in the same fixture. Still nowhere near as good as he has been for us
McBurnie 9/10: We have a striker back and possibly ... if the stars align ... one as good as Brian Deane himself. For me to go from rating him at a 3 and calling him McPub to today where he looked excellent in defence and attack shows the development and revolution that has happened with him. I was convinced 12 months ago he was sellable at a loss and a total waste of space. Now he is on fire and a player of absolute worth
Ndaiye 8.5/10: A absolute star of a player. he's so slinky, controls well, pops up and scores and completes our front line
Basham 6/10: Pushed into RM in hoc of Stevens giving way to Osborn at LWB. Don't think he did too badly. His wisdom and composure was evident and characteristically for him we saw him in advance positions a lot to keep the pressure on
Sharp 4/10: Not really effective up front save for pressure and graft
Arblaster: Not marked
Brooks: Not marked
All to play for again now and we are back in the box seat. We have dented Burnley's paintwork and smashed their headlights out with today's display of Sheffield United at their best in a packed stadium of fervour. A game in hand and a better goal difference and a game at home against Toytown coming up to boot. We could go top into another international break!
Oh, wait ...
pommpey
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