Need to Loan a Winger

[robbiez666]

Whilst there's been much talk about CB and Keeper I think our most urgent priority is to get a winger in.

JCR is patchy but he's often the only player offering an attacking threat. Adkins is expecting Freeman to provide the width on the right but it's noticeable how his defending has deteriorated. Take yesterday. Baxter was pushing in field and offering little or no protection so he was expected to cover the entire length of the pitch. The CMs were not helping him greatly either.

With Coutts and Hammond looking to be his preferred partnership there's going to be few goals and little creativity from the centre. We're reliant on the width to create chances. Woolford is simply not that player and Flynn has struggled this season for fitness and form.

I don't think Adams or Done can play well in that position.

 

[Lane Ender]

Sorry but good wide men a this level aren't in plentiful supply

 

[UnitedBlade]

Bring Otis back, bring him on from the bench and see if he has the ability and aptitude to step up.

We'd only sign someone over the hill who can't do it.

No doubt they will wait until January but we need more mobility, application and skill now in midfield.

 

[robbiez666]

Sorry but good wide men a this level aren't in plentiful supply

I reckon we could pick up a young pacey winger on loan from the Premiership. They would likely be inconsistent and raw but we could really use some kind of creative spark.

I think, in the long run, Freeman could possibly do a job there with Beard behind him.

 

[itsinyerblood]

As an aside to the question of an effective winger (which we had I might add, but hey ho.....) Done appears to have been reduced to the role of bit player for the Blades. When we signed Done his role allowed the team to use him to best effect, but with Murphy's sale, and a far less effective squad, and a different tactical approach, Done is now reduced to the role as coming on for the last 20-30 minutes, and with this limited role we'll not see the best of Done.

Instead we're relying on a young player, still learning his trade, and we're hoping this learning curve comes good quickly. I like Adams (a lot), but realising who can play alongside who is crucial, and in Done we have a far more effective goalscorer than anyone else in the team. A huge pity we're not allowing this talent to be used to best effect.

At the beginning of the season Sharp's supporters were claiming that he'd tear this division a new one.....well, as lovely as that thought was, it's not happening. You can't fault Sharp's work-rate or dedication, but we need goals. Maybe Bill needs the right partner, or maybe we need to return to what we already have within our ranks.

 

[PeteBlade]

It's almost as if we sold one.
And didn't replace him.

But that doesn't sound like something we'd do.

 

[derryblade]

If there is any video footage of Colin Morris, JCR and any other would be wingers at the club ought to sit down and watch it. Create room for a cross knock it into an area which if our attackers have any nous at all will have been discussed and practiced during training, little evidence to support that theory. I can imagine KE playing with JCR the air would have been blue.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

We missed a trick in not loaning Tariqe Fosu of Reading, who's now gone to Fleetwood.

But agree with the O/P - could really do with a young, hungry winger (one who's not expecting to play every single game) who can come on when JCR's not firing, or present an alternative to JCR, or can offer an opportunity to play two wingers at times.

 

[Darthblade]

Whilst there's been much talk about CB and Keeper I think our most urgent priority is to get a winger in.

JCR is patchy but he's often the only player offering an attacking threat. Adkins is expecting Freeman to provide the width on the right but it's noticeable how his defending has deteriorated. Take yesterday. Baxter was pushing in field and offering little or no protection so he was expected to cover the entire length of the pitch. The CMs were not helping him greatly either.

With Coutts and Hammond looking to be his preferred partnership there's going to be few goals and little creativity from the centre. We're reliant on the width to create chances. Woolford is simply not that player and Flynn has struggled this season for fitness and form.

I don't think Adams or Done can play well in that position.

My shopping list is a lot longer than yours mate. I believe that if we are to make a decent attempt at the play-offs, we need to buy / loan GK, 2 x CH, RW, 2 x CM, CF whilst shedding as much of our current dross as possible.

This can be followed by a completing the full squad rebuild in the summer.

Automatic places are now just a distant dream ( same as this time last year ) because by mid / end January when we finally get around to doing business, we will be much too far behind the top two to matter !!

UTB & FTP

 

[itsinyerblood]

If there is any video footage of Colin Morris, JCR and any other would be wingers at the club ought to sit down and watch it. Create room for a cross knock it into an area which if our attackers have any nous at all will have been discussed and practiced during training, little evidence to support that theory. I can imagine KE playing with JCR the air would have been blue.

You bar-steward derry! Just when I'd forgotten the memory of the once great Morris, you raise his ghost to taunt me!

Although Colin never had the opportunity to play at the very top level, he was truly gifted, and here's the most important point, he was...wait for it........effective!!!

He played the best form of route one. Morris made himself available, he knew how to attack a fullback, he knew how to feint, how to draw in a tackle, and then he'd be on his way, leaving dust and defender in his wake.....one of the greatest Blades I can recall.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Could not disagree more. Its NAs obsession with width that is, IMHO, causing most of our defensive problems.

We actually need to narrow our play rather than obtain extra width. This would hopefully make our defensive unit a bit more reliable as, from where I am sat, we rarely look like keeping a clean sheet.

Now wether or not we have the playing staff to adopt such a play pattern is another question. One thing is sure, we are desperate for a holding midfielder capable of tracking running midfielders and breaking up play. Truth is we don't have one and this is becoming abundantly clear.

I will always be of the opinion that you build a side around a solid spine. Get your defensive shape / pattern sorted and build the flair around that. Adkins appears to have done the opposite, although I accept his hands have been somewhat tied by the unbalanced squad that he inherited.

UTB.

 

[Ricky]

Decent young wingers will be plentiful in Premier League reserve teams and Championship squads but unfortunately for us most of them will be on less than 10k a week and not totally past it so realistically we can't consider them.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

There are a couple of issues that could be solved by returning Adams to the wing. Against Chesterfield and Rochdale we had good width, and Adams for me is more effective pulling players out of position from the wing than he is as a striker.

 

[robbiez666]

Could not disagree more. Its NAs obsession with width that is, IMHO, causing most of our defensive problems.

We actually need to narrow our play rather than obtain extra width. This would hopefully make our defensive unit a bit more reliable as, from where I am sat, we rarely look like keeping a clean sheet.

Now wether or not we have the playing staff to adopt such a play pattern is another question. One thing is sure, we are desperate for a holding midfielder capable of tracking running midfielders and breaking up play. Truth is we don't have one and this is becoming abundantly clear.

I will always be of the opinion that you build a side around a solid spine. Get your defensive shape / pattern sorted and build the flair around that. Adkins appears to have done the opposite, although I accept his hands have been somewhat tied by the unbalanced squad that he inherited.

UTB.

I think one of the reasons behind our appalling defensive record is because Adkins is relying on both fullbacks to get forward all the time. If we had another winger there would be less need for them to take chances and get caught out of position.

Having said that a good defensive midfielder would also solve many of our problems.

 

[DronnieBlade]

I think one of the reasons behind our appalling defensive record is because Adkins is relying on both fullbacks to get forward all the time. If we had another winger there would be less need for them to take chances and get caught out of position.

Having said that a good defensive midfielder would also solve many of our problems.

Interesting obs.

But would this ultimately be introducing even more by way of attacking intent, at the expense of being even more vulnerable in defence ??

You know where I stand on this !!

UTB.

 

[Smirth]

I've said it since we sold Murphy. We haven't replaced him at all.

Adams and Done are not left wingers.

 

[Ecco1889]

Deffo a winger,and certainly a goalie

 

[Rodley]

Otis Khan.

 

[blades_95]

Just seen Dominic Samuel's gone on loan to Gillingham from Reading (and scored yesterday). Young, powerful and pacy striker - is this not exactly the type of player we're crying out for? Che aside we have nobody like this.

 

[metalblade]

Should have got Adam Hammill before Barnsley did to replace Murphy.

 

[wizadry]

Just seen Dominic Samuel's gone on loan to Gillingham from Reading (and scored yesterday). Young, powerful and pacy striker - is this not exactly the type of player we're crying out for? Che aside we have nobody like this.

You generally have Geography being an issue when loans are being considered, Gillingham being a lot closer to Reading than what Sheffield is would have been an issue, although us going for the player in the first place could be a stumbling block.

I'm not disputing whether he'd be good for us or not, just a case in point when seeing which players we could loan in the forseeable future.

 

[Barrowlad]

Please can we keep Otis.
Scored two good goals yesterday.
Good little player 3 goals in two games for us now.

First two goals in this link are yesterday
Made the 3rd with good play down the left

 

[wizadry]

Please can we keep Otis.
Scored two good goals yesterday.
Good little player 3 goals in two games for us now.

First two goals in this link are yesterday
Made the 3rd with good play down the left

Great finishes. The second one bobbled up on him too, very classy goals.