My take ...

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pommpey said:
What's that supposed to mean? I love this 'so-called fans' shit. We're all fucking fans. We differ in opinions. Stop making it out like its something else or that you're more a billy big blade than others who simply see things differently. It might shock you to the core to discover we all want success for our football team but the general consensus is that we were bound to catch a cold sooner or later. If you think we played any better than we think they played, lets see your assessment and comments rather than snide sideswipes.

pommpey
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Touched a nerve have we?
 

The managers substitutions are beginning to concern me. They have a certain logic e.g. Jebbison on for Anel as we were defending a 2-1 defeat at the time but Osborn for Norwood? Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I would have hooked both Ndyai and Berge at halftime . Also the timing of the actual substitutions was far too late.
 
CaptainMorgans said:
We don't seem to turn up in second halves of games. It's been the case for a number of weeks now. Not sure if it's a conditioning thing but it's noticeable.
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It's a lack of dynamism in the strategy.

When you are planning for war, you'll fuck up if you keep the same tactics and strategy you start with. Everything is fluid and dynamic and you use what is known as the Operational Estimate to effectively project manage the conflict (did a very interesting course at JSSC Shrivenham on this). As soon as the first bullet comes out of the first gun fired, you are dynamically adjusting the poise and strength capability to counter your opponent's movements and objectives, and find opportunities to defeat them and gain advantage by individually strategising against 'the next move'. This might be some way ahead, it might be tomorrow or it might be now. HJ&SMcC don't seem to have any change in dynamism ... and it's very 'Chris Wilder doesn't have a plan b'. If you are changing poise it has to be subtle, effecive but for a specific reason you have planned against and everyone needs to be fully briefed and prepared to change (we in the military are good at this) at a given signal and attack with renewed focus on new objectives. If you stay locked to a system, don't be surprised if your opponents quickly suss you out, find out your weaknesses focus in and exploit them. Some or our teams we have faced haven't had the potatoes to do this, some, like Boro, did it very quickly and by 15 minutes in all our attacking intent had been snuffed out. After a while it becomes too late to change because effectively you've changed so much that you are now defending or have key components neutralised (Norwood, for example) so any tweaks like his faffing with midfield was ineffective. There is a key moment when you change and attack and Hecky misses it every time. Then he brings on what he believes will be something which will be effective - Jebbison - but all the rest of the team are concentrating on dealing with Boro capitalising on their lead and exploiting our midfield breach. Bringing Osborn on was like saying to the regimental piper 'go grab for instrument. They'll need some music as they get over-run.

pommpey
 
pommpey said:
Again, no idea what you're on about love. Put the turps away and go to work

pommpey
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varkanoid said:
I must admit that is a rather odd comment to make and not really called for. Why do the players need to confirm they are better than the fans ?
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They don’t! And most of us are ready to hold our nerve and get right behind em.I firmly believe that most of my fellow Blades, are the best in the country.
There are some, on here however, thankfully only a few,who constantly get on their case the minute something goes wrong, and in some cases, before things go wrong.Some of the comments about our players, and manager,I’ve read on here, go beyond criticism,are over the top, and unjustifiably negative and dismissive,for a side which has done so well so far.It is these few, to which, I refer.
 
varkanoid said:
I must admit that is a rather odd comment to make and not really called for. Why do the players need to confirm they are better than the fans ?
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Because using the term 'so-called fans' is a somewhat grandoise, billy-fucking-big-blade-me and intrinsically lazy smear on people who come on here and offer differing opinions. Fallowfield isn't a 'so-called fan'. He's wrong (in my opinion) but one can't doubt what colours he wears. SSM can't be fucking bothered with the nuances of debate. It's easy for him to put statements like that without any foundation, because it scratches an itch. How DARE people assess our performance in a game where we played provenly sub par football against a better organised and more effective team and how dare people are apprehensive about a sudden collapse in form leading to us not achieving automatic promotion, ending up in the playoffs and going out on penalties? I mean, it's never happened before, has it ...

pommpey
 
pommpey said:
Because using the term 'so-called fans' is a somewhat grandoise, billy-fucking-big-blade-me and intrinsically lazy smear on people who come on here and offer differing opinions. Fallowfield isn't a 'so-called fan'. He's wrong (in my opinion) but one can't doubt what colours he wears. SSM can't be fucking bothered with the nuances of debate. It's easy for him to put statements like that without any foundation, because it scratches an itch. How DARE people assess our performance in a game where we played provenly sub par football against a better organised and more effective team and how dare people are apprehensive about a sudden collapse in form leading to us not achieving automatic promotion, ending up in the playoffs and going out on penalties? I mean, it's never happened before, has it ...

pommpey
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On reflection, “so-called fans“ was not the right way to describe, any of my fellow Blades, even the annoying,feckless,gobshitey ones.
I stand corrected, and apologise for any offence,I may given.
 
MagnifiqueShorehamStreet said:
On reflection, “so-called fans“ was not the right way to describe, any of my fellow Blades, even the annoying,feckless,gobshitey ones.
I stand corrected, and apologise for any offence,I may given.
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Apology accepted. Your description wasn't well thought out or delivered. It's the kind of description a boring, lazy-brained wind up merchant who serves no practical purpose on a football supporter's forum would make, and most 'Blades' (as opposed to 'so-called Blades') would easily identify that.

pommpey
 
pommpey said:
Apology accepted. Your description wasn't well thought out or delivered. It's the kind of description a boring, lazy-brained wind up merchant who serves no practical purpose on a football supporter's forum would make, and most 'Blades' (as opposed to 'so-called Blades') would easily identify that.

pommpey
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Thanks for being so gracious.
It means a lot.
 
CaptainMorgans said:
Interesting take pommpey . Agree with a lot of it, disagree with some. Here's my thoughts for what it's worth...

First half was pretty even.
15 minutes in, we were throwing the kitchen sink at them and were unlucky to only have a 1 goal advantage.
Middlesbrough then started finding pockets of space behind our midfield and out wide and started to create a few openings. Their goal was coming and it arrived exactly how I thought it might. Down the left and nobody covering the inside runner coming into the box...
The rest of the half played out fairly evenly. It was a really good game, in the balance, with both teams attacking with quality.

Second half, they blew us away.
Heckingbottom referred to statistics and put the loss down to our inability to finish our chances... I didn't see it like that. Middlesbrough were much better than us and played all of the football.
Their 4-2-3-1 shape & pass-and-move style meant they always had options off the ball at all times. They were a cohesive unit, comfortable in possession. You could see Carrick's imprint on the team, as it was how he liked to play the game.
Akpom and Archer had the beatings of our defence and we looked exposed every time they got behind our high-press.
With the ball, they were excellent. Without it, they were vulnerable. Norwood picked a terrible night to have a stinker...
... Middlesbrough came to win, their full backs advanced high and there was space in behind for those Oli Norwood textbook diagonals. Alas, he was misfiring on all cylinders!

As for us, we looked like a team of individuals. Off the ball, nobody presented themselves as an option. The likes of Bogle, McAtee and Ndiaye were all guilty (as per recent weeks) of overplaying and dribbling down blind alleys. Anel, Robinson and Lowe all struggled defensively with the best forward line to come to the Lane.
The only players I thought came out of the game with any real credit were Egan, Berge and McBurnie.

Foderingham - 5
A couple of times he was glued to his line, when he needed to help out his defence by sweeping up. Terrific finish by Archer on their second but its still beaten him at his near post.

Bogle - 5.5
Heavily involved but lacked quality in key areas. Guilty of overplaying.

Ahmedhodzic - 5.5
Feel for him. He looks jaded. Archer gave him the run-around tonight. Bags half a mark for the last-ditch show-reel challenge.

Egan - 6
Good first half. Defended on the front foot. Maybe a bit flat footed on the Akpom goal and a bit slow to get out to him but, for me, a midfielder should have been tracking back there.

Robinson - 5
Akpom seemed to have him rattled. Thought he struggled along with a few others.

Lowe - 4.5
Worst game I've seen from him in a while. They seemed to get in down his side all night. He was miles off his man on a number of occasions and it reminded me of his performances in the PL.

Berge - 6
Had a really good first half, most of our best play went through him. Second half, faded along with the rest of the team - however, I still felt he tried to get us going at times. Dropped deep and tried to move us forward. Too many times we passed from side to side, then backwards, then lumped it up field whilst Berge was an option in the centre.

Norwood - 4.5
Such a shame he picked last night to have his first poor game in ages. It was nothing to do with being marked, or pressed either. He was just misfiring all over the park.
Too many Hollywood passes went astray. Didn't hide and got stuck in where he could and I do think he was badly exposed by their system and ours. Perhaps McAtee and Berge didn't offer him enough cover.

McAtee - 5.5
In terms of Man City, I'm just not sure he has developed enough of a final product to get anywhere near their first team for at least a couple of seasons.
He has nice balance and retains the ball pretty well (when he isn't fouled) but he needs to be offering so much more.


Ndiaye - 5.5
The quality has dropped off in recent weeks.
Taking too many touches and not getting the ball out of his feet and getting decent shots / passes off. His work-rate is still there (although, I felt his head dropped last night) but I don't think his link play is where it was. Needs a rest.

McBurnie - 6.5
Our best player. Some lovely hold-up and linking. A well taken goal and, as is often the case, defended set-pieces well. #

Subs

Jebbison - 6
Had a good impact. I'd start him at Millwall. Offers something different. He's pacey and direct.
We need to freshen things up and he's our only option with Sharp out.

Osborn - 5
Ran around.


In terms of the rest of the season...
I've maintained for a while that I could only see Middlesbrough troubling us. Last night has strengthened that view.
I can see that Middlesbrough team going on a Forest-like run of over 2 points / game. Probably finishing somewhere around the 85 points mark.

This means our form is going to have to be circa 1.7 points / game to hold them off. Equivalent to decent play-off form.
I think they're going to close the gap significantly over the next few weeks. Its a big ask for us to keep matching their points return over the next month or so given the level of opponents we will be facing in comparison to them.
It's going to be very tight before long.
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Good post.

Whilst we have a tougher set of fixtures in the next month, they have a harder set to finish with so they may well close the gap further but then fade when the going gets tough. It seemed a free hit the other day for them. Now people are talking them up there will be genuine pressure and expectation on them and other teams will also play less openly against them. Do they have the smarts to overcome that? Let’s see.
 

still think our problem is playing 3 centre backs i will admit its the system that has got us in to the position were in but teams have sussed us now its too easy for our centre backs to go sideways to each other all that does is slow us down and is too predictable know it hasnt worked for us in the past but go to 4231 and get an extra body further up the pitch were leaking goals with 3 at the back why not try something different
 
ancientblade said:
still think our problem is playing 3 centre backs i will admit its the system that has got us in to the position were in but teams have sussed us now its too easy for our centre backs to go sideways to each other all that does is slow us down and is too predictable know it hasnt worked for us in the past but go to 4231 and get an extra body further up the pitch were leaking goals with 3 at the back why not try something different
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Our formation leaves a fucking great hole in a key area. That area is the width of the centre circle to their penalty area. We used to attack these areas with MGW and NDaiye last season but this season with the lack of dynamism in the midfield and just NDaye trying to pick up and run at defences it's practically empty. Be interesting to see the heat maps. We seem still wedded to getting it out wide and making weak attempts to get the perfect cross in

pommpey
 
pommpey said:
Our formation leaves a fucking great hole in a key area. That area is the width of the centre circle to their penalty area. We used to attack these areas with MGW and NDaiye last season but this season with the lack of dynamism in the midfield and just NDaye trying to pick up and run at defences it's practically empty. Be interesting to see the heat maps. We seem still wedded to getting it out wide and making weak attempts to get the perfect cross in

pommpey
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Add to that the utter inability of the manager to inspire his team to put the opposition to bed,,,,,,
 
pommpey said:
Our formation leaves a fucking great hole in a key area. That area is the width of the centre circle to their penalty area. We used to attack these areas with MGW and NDaiye last season but this season with the lack of dynamism in the midfield and just NDaye trying to pick up and run at defences it's practically empty. Be interesting to see the heat maps. We seem still wedded to getting it out wide and making weak attempts to get the perfect cross in

pommpey
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agreed thats why i would like us to play a lone striker with an extra man in midfield nidaye in behind with mcatee
 
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