Next: Preston v Blades

[true99blade]

Thought we offered nothing tonight to try and win the game. Defensively solid and I'll definitely take a draw.

 

[S5Blade]

Aye, Think we were setup for the draw and Cloughy was obviously confident in our back line keeping a clean sheet. They had 20 attempts on Goal!

 

[blader]

Thought we offered nothing tonight to try and win the game. Defensively solid and I'll definitely take a draw.

No we didn't. Great result at any other stage of the season, but if we harboured any playoff ambitions (they've gone now) we had to try and win today. Still no one can complain, we'd have lost 3-0 under Weir.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

Peno!

 

[moDtheGod]

NGreat result at any other stage of the season, but if we harboured any playoff ambitions (they've gone now) we had to try and win today.

Totally agree with this. Play-Off talk needs to end now. Obviously we need to keep trying to win to keep momentum going, but let's focus on trying to win the cup. As unrealistic an ambition as that might be, we might never get this opportunity again and we can look at promotion next season when Sir Nigel has had a full pre-season and transfer window under his belt.

In isolation, that is a terrific point. A tough place to go, a good footballing side in good form and yet another clean sheet, but thanks to Posh winning at the weekend, we are simply too far off the pace. That is the first good team we have played in ages and we got marmalised. They should have had at least 2. With four more top six sides to come, we simply aren't going to accrue enough points.

 

[moDtheGod]

First good side in the league, I meant.

 

[Blade56]

We're running on fumes, it's the price of such a backlog of games plus cup run. Good point all in all. Preston looked good in position but had nothing in the last third to trouble the defence.

 

[moDtheGod]

We're running on fumes, it's the price of such a backlog of games plus cup run. Good point all in all. Preston looked good in position but had nothing in the last third to trouble the defence.

Nothing in the last third is a bit harsh? There were two or three last ditch blocks, real backs-to-the-wall stuff at times. Not to mention the fact that they hit the post and there were a couple of saves from Howard that stuck in my mind first half. They could have scored after 60 seconds!

 

[itsinyerblood]

With Super Kevin Davies, Joe Garner, Craig Davies and Ian Hume we have way too much up front for you to cope with.

The rest of our team are top notch but these guys are brillliant. The squad we have is good enough to win the Championship next year and do well in the Prem the year after so don't be too disappointed about the result (a defeat for your) tonight.

Ha, Some prediction that Audrey, your 'star' players didn't turn up. Looking at your lot tonight you'd do well to end up as runners-up in the U-16s league, let along anything else. Very ordinary compared to how you described them.

 

[itsinyerblood]

I never spout shite. I have an instinctive understanding of football and i'm nearly always spot on with everything i post.

By 10:00 tonight you will all agree with this.

It's now turned 10.00.....uh will you remind me what we're meant to agree with?

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I never spout shite. I have an instinctive understanding of football and i'm nearly always spot on with everything i post.

By 10:00 tonight you will all agree with this.

Apparently the record books will show that you do spout shit and your team are simply not good enough.

See you in the play offs.

 

[Blade56]

Nothing in the last third is a bit harsh? There were two or three last ditch blocks, real backs-to-the-wall stuff at times. Not to mention the fact that they hit the post and there were a couple of saves from Howard that stuck in my mind first half. They could have scored after 60 seconds!

But they didn't score and resorted to dives and cries for hand ball every attack. Garner should not have been on the pitch by half time and tried to hard at cheating claiming a handball on us knowing full well it was his hand. Didn't wash and we got a deserved point with a dogged defensive display.

 

[Esablade]

Preston have lost four games all season. That was a good point, well done Blades.
UTB!

 

[moDtheGod]

we got a deserved point with a dogged defensive display.

Happy to agree with that. But I think on another night, we'd have lost 3-0. I don't think "they had nothing in the final third" is fair. It's a game of opinions I guess

 

[Paulus]

A good point in the circumstances, Clough's chance of a smash and grab raid unfortunately disappeared with the use of the 2 subs in the first half leaving him limited for choices late on. Excellent defensive resolve but I am worried by the number of injuries we seem to be picking up. It looked to me as if Murphy, Baxter and Scoogs were still carrying knocks and that just took the edge off the play when we had chances to open them up. Preston were a typical good League one team, strong and well organised but I suspect that if they went up they would be pretty anonymous in the championship like the other Grayson sides that have gone up - he definitely seems to be a bit of a League one specialist as a manager.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

No we didn't. Great result at any other stage of the season, but if we harboured any playoff ambitions (they've gone now) we had to try and win today.

Totally agree with this. Play-Off talk needs to end now. Obviously we need to keep trying to win to keep momentum going, but let's focus on trying to win the cup. As unrealistic an ambition as that might be, we might never get this opportunity again and we can look at promotion next season when Sir Nigel has had a full pre-season and transfer window under his belt.

In isolation, that is a terrific point. A tough place to go, a good footballing side in good form and yet another clean sheet, but thanks to Posh winning at the weekend, we are simply too far off the pace. That is the first good team we have played in ages and we got marmalised. They should have had at least 2. With four more top six sides to come, we simply aren't going to accrue enough points.

Why are people so eager to end any talk of reaching the play-offs?
Keep dreaming until it's impossible. What is to be gained by saying we can't catch Peterborough? Nothing.

 

[Dkc]

We're a point better off than nine days ago and we were talking about it then. Why can't we talk about it now?

 

[moDtheGod]

We're a point better off than nine days ago and we were talking about it then. Why can't we talk about it now?

You can talk about it, but it wasn't going to happen last week and it isn't going to happen now. But talk away, no skin off my nose.

Why are people so eager to end any talk of reaching the play-offs?
Keep dreaming until it's impossible. What is to be gained by saying we can't catch Peterborough? Nothing.

You dream all you want, much like the other guy that wants to talk. You two can do whatever you like, but hopefully Nigel will be focusing on the real world, where making the play-offs is nigh on impossible. If I were in charge, I would be building up to the Hull game and making sure we win that. We have never made a cup final in my lifetime and I am quite sure we never will (from next season onwards). This season is our best chance to do that in decades. And if we get there, anybody can win in a one-off game of football - recent examples being Birmingham and Wigan. Imagine what an achievement making the final would be. Imagine if we won it. Promotion can come whenever we like, but there will never be an opportunity like this again and it should take priority.

Looking at the league, we need to win our game in hand - so in other words, we need to beat Brentford - just to be within 7 points of the Play-Offs. Then we have just 10 games to reel in that 7 point gap. And not only that, but we have to hope that Peterborough, Walsall, Swindon and Milton Keynes all drop points consistently. And Crawley too I guess, because they can go above us by winning their games in hand. There are just too many variables.

Walsall have the easiest run in in the world, whereas we have to play four of the top five. We played a top five team tonight and got marmalised. We did really, really well to come away with a point.

 

[jezzablade]

Steve Bruce was there unfortunately to witness that. I think he will have seen enough not to worry him. I believe a few players need a rest I reckon Nigel was hoping to get them through last night and against Wolves before rotating. But he is going to have to start rotating now.

 

[Northyorksblade]

Steve Bruce was there unfortunately to witness that. I think he will have seen enough not to worry him. I believe a few players need a rest I reckon Nigel was hoping to get them through last night and against Wolves before rotating. But he is going to have to start rotating now.

I'd say fortunately

 

[Dkc]

Over the past two games we've gained just a single point on Peterborough.

If we win our game in hand and carry on gaining just a point on them every couple of games, we'd be three behind them with two games left tp play (gain of four points plus the game in hand). I'd take that.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Over the past two games we've gained just a single point on Peterborough.

If we win our game in hand and carry on gaining just a point on them every couple of games, we'd be three behind them with two games left tp play (gain of four points plus the game in hand). I'd take that.

I'll take that as well considering I thought we'd hit 51 points.
Not bad considering our start position.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

You dream all you want, much like the other guy that wants to talk. You two can do whatever you like, but hopefully Nigel will be focusing on the real world, where making the play-offs is nigh on impossible.

Thanks for giving me your permission. I will.
Hopefully Nigel will agree with me that the best way to prepare for the Semi Final is by continuing to win matches and keeping clean sheets. If that takes us anywhere near the Play-offs so be it.
Your alternative seems to be to for Clough to tell the players to stop trying in the league, accept a few thrashings and then suddenly ramp it back up for the cup match in 3 weeks time.
I think I know which route he will actually go down in the "real world".

 

[jezzablade]

Thanks for giving me your permission. I will.
Hopefully Nigel will agree with me that the best way to prepare for the Semi Final is by continuing to win matches and keeping clean sheets. If that takes us anywhere near the Play-offs so be it.
Your alternative seems to be to for Clough to tell the players to stop trying in the league, accept a few thrashings and then suddenly ramp it back up for the cup match in 3 weeks time.
I think I know which route he will actually go down in the "real world".

Football isn't like that on either count. Firstly the consistency keep on playing argument has the problem of fatigue and injuries, the second use the subs until we have a big game doesn't work either as the team loses its edge and its closeness in passing and knowing where the other players are likely to position themselves or what runs they would make.

So rotations in the squad is the half way house so that all players play regularly and get adequate rest, just to give us a chance at Wembley. As Nigel has said his brief isn't to get us promoted this year but I'm sure he would try to take it if it was presented. Hopefully we wouldn't have to play Preston until the final if we did sneak into the sixth spot. I still think 6th is highly unlikely considering the teams we have to play and the frequency of games even if they are rotated.

 

[moDtheGod]

Your alternative seems to be to for Clough to tell the players to stop trying in the league, accept a few thrashings and then suddenly ramp it back up for the cup match in 3 weeks time.

Where did I say that?

We should try to win every single game we play, but there are ways of going about it. We should be heavily rotating the squad to give key players a bit of a break (but not a complete break obviously, we don't want them to lose their sharpness and momentum) with the focus being on winning on April 13th. As has been pointed out elsewhere, we have in recent weeks played more games than anyone else in League One and the constant Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday routine is bound to take its toll. Hull won't be playing anything like as often as we are.

If league success comes along, great. If not, it's not a big deal as the Play-Offs are highly, highly unlikely. Focus on the FA Cup.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Football isn't like that on either count. Firstly the consistency keep on playing argument has the problem of fatigue and injuries, the second use the subs until we have a big game doesn't work either as the team loses its edge and its closeness in passing and knowing where the other players are likely to position themselves or what runs they would make.

So rotations in the squad is the half way house so that all players play regularly and get adequate rest, just to give us a chance at Wembley. As Nigel has said his brief isn't to get us promoted this year but I'm sure he would try to take it if it was presented. Hopefully we wouldn't have to play Preston until the final if we did sneak into the sixth spot. I still think 6th is highly unlikely considering the teams we have to play and the frequency of games even if they are rotated.

5 and 7 changed didn't hinder us?

Trust in Nigel.

 

[wizadry]

Last night was the luckiest point we will get all season and cloughy said we really didnt play well tonight ,that was because the players were absolutely shattered in my opinion and many other peoples opinion .I think just imo cloughy got it wrong last night for the first time in his reign, he rotated against pboro by making 6 changes we win and play well ,then he plays full strength against carlisle and nearly gets caught out ,tiredness to blame yet again.
No matter what the run, we have to start giving squad players a game otherwise we really are going to kick ourselves in the foot,i think mods prediction of it could have been 3-0 isnt been fair on preston just my opinion

 

[Hartley Hare]

We had odd chances last night, but our goal led a charmed life at times.

A draw away at Preston is a good result.

I thought the stadium was pretty impressive, and I liked the butter pie at half time. Stayed fairly nearby and had a few pints back at the pub.

An enjoyable trip.

HH

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Totally agree with this. Play-Off talk needs to end now. Obviously we need to keep trying to win to keep momentum going, but let's focus on trying to win the cup. As unrealistic an ambition as that might be, we might never get this opportunity again and we can look at promotion next season when Sir Nigel has had a full pre-season and transfer window under his belt.

In isolation, that is a terrific point. A tough place to go, a good footballing side in good form and yet another clean sheet, but thanks to Posh winning at the weekend, we are simply too far off the pace. That is the first good team we have played in ages and we got marmalised. They should have had at least 2. With four more top six sides to come, we simply aren't going to accrue enough points.

Whoops! Nobody has told Sir Nigel that Play-off talk must end now and he needs to start living in the "real world":-

http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk...ted-clough-sounds-promotion-warning-1-6509137

<< Nigel Clough has warned it would be a grave mistake to rule Sheffield United out of the battle for a play-off place, writes James Shield.

Clough, the United manager, delivered his verdict ahead of Saturday’s League One fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers which marks the start of the FA Cup semi-finalists 125th anniversary celebrations.

United, who have won 10 of their last 11 outings, trail sixth placed Peterborough by 10 points following Monday’s stalemate at Preston North End.

Clough, whose team have played a game less than Darren Ferguson’s side, said: “We are not going to dismiss it yet. We’re still trying to win matches and it would be lovely to think we can challenge in terms of sixth.
“Admittedly, it’s a long shot and we’d love to have half a dozen more (games) to go. Then, I think people might really fancy us.”

“But while there’s a chance, we have to go for it. You can’t just give up on that.

“And the next few weeks could tell you a lot because we’ve got a lot of those around us in the table to play and those above us have also got some tough games coming up too.” >>