Not just us but do you think we pass it too much in the final 3rd

[BobblesBlade]

I’ve noticed lately how many teams including us like to pass the ball around a lot in the final 3rd.
It’s like we’ve gone from a good old British long direct ball to a crappy attempt at continental possession football instead of just making things easy and going quickly through the middle then whacking it in the net.

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

GERRITINTBOX, GERRITFORRAD YOONITED!

 

[JohnDenver]

GERRITINTBOX, GERRITFORRAD YOONITED!

Muck
Nettles
Happiness

 

[CarlMcBlade]

I think the phrase you’re looking for is “flat track bullies.” We play like Barcelona against lower league opposition. Yet we disappear up our own arses against the big boys. Although we’re in the same league (literally) as ManU, we will adopt the role of the league one side on Wednesday.

 

[pommpey]

It's 'Wlderball', innit. Try to play the overlapping centreback stuff, with centrebacks who don't overlap and against teams who basically cancel out overlapping centrebacks with a four-man block. Backwards, Norwood clips it across the pitch ten yards into our half and try again up the other flank.

Strikers be like 'what the fuck?'

This then repeats until we give the ball away, opposition midfield advances and Norwood brings whoever has the ball down. Yellow card.

pommpey

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

A notable feature of our play this season has been the negativity of our passing . Of all the teams I’ve watched at any level , I’ve yet to see a single one who pass it sideways and backwards as often as we do , especially when the player in possession is under no particular pressure .

In many cases , that player is more than happy to give it straight back to the player he received it from without even bothering to look for a forward option . This approach has now become part of our DNA a and is an indictment of the players themselves , but even more so of the management and coaching staff who have allowed it to become so .

An opposing fan on one of Roysview’s nailed it when he said “Sheffield United literally play walking football “ . This approach is the direct opposite of the one which was so effective in getting us promoted and which produced some wonderful performances last season .

Chris , what the fuck happened to “playing on the front foot” and can we have it back please ?

 

[jt64]

I’ve noticed lately how many teams including us like to pass the ball around a lot in the final 3rd.
It’s like we’ve gone from a good old British long direct ball to a crappy attempt at continental possession football instead of just making things easy and going quickly through the middle then whacking it in the net.

It's like defending has evolved since the 1980's and you can't just pass it straight through defences at will

 

[Whiston Blade]

The problem with Sheff Utd is, we always try and walk the ball in..

 

[Gavlar]

Can’t disagree with this chaps. But football is a game of patience where we wait for the right pass and run. Sadly this season we have No good runs and no good passes either. Our first goal against Plymouth I thought we overpassed it around their box but then Bill found space and played a great pass to Bash. It can work just not in the prem with the squad we have.

 

[Varkanoid]

It's 'Wlderball', innit. Try to play the overlapping centreback stuff, with centrebacks who don't overlap and against teams who basically cancel out overlapping centrebacks with a four-man block. Backwards, Norwood clips it across the pitch ten yards into our half and try again up the other flank.

Strikers be like 'what the fuck?'

This then repeats until we give the ball away, opposition midfield advances and Norwood brings whoever has the ball down. Yellow card.

pommpey

You could have just said "Predictable" after innit.

The problem with Sheff Utd is, we always try and walk the ball in..

That is true, see you later S12 Blade.

 

[mattbianco1]

I’ve noticed lately how many teams including us like to pass the ball around a lot in the final 3rd.
It’s like we’ve gone from a good old British long direct ball to a crappy attempt at continental possession football instead of just making things easy and going quickly through the middle then whacking it in the net.

We've played like that since Wilder came in. That type of build-up is the reason that overlapping CBs work and also the reason that Mark Duffy was so successful for us.

People are starting to whinge about it like it's something new, when in fact we've always done it, it's just that now it's being highlighted because we're scoring less and winning fewer games.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Is this a case where we actually got it right v Plymouth? First goal came from ‘faffing’ around, went from one wing right across eventually to the other wing, and opened things up for a cross with players arriving; second goal, lovely early through ball, straight into the run of Billy, goal. Both approaches can work - it is getting the decision-making right that is a problem.

 

[Swannyblade]

I’ve noticed lately how many teams including us like to pass the ball around a lot in the final 3rd.
It’s like we’ve gone from a good old British long direct ball to a crappy attempt at continental possession football instead of just making things easy and going quickly through the middle then whacking it in the net.

That's a strange way of describing the best football I've ever seen us play (and arguably the most successful in recent times)

 

[blades78]

We play some great 1 and 2 touch stuff and times, dragging the opposition all of the place, but I'd really like to see move early passes into forwards around the box, similar to the second goal on Saturday. The other area we fail to capitalise on is counter attacking opportunities. We have the chance to break, outnumbering the opposition with strikers making runs and what do we do? Turn back and pass into congested areas and lose it (see Plymouth's goal). Why pass it back into our area where we are likely to be matched up or outnumbered, when we have bodies breaking forward. If we don't lose it, it goes back to Ramsdale who hoofs it up the pitch for a 50/50 ball. Completely and utterly infuriating.

 

[Ridgeway Blade]

The days of the old style centre forward are gone and now any side who played like that would be mocked as dinosaurs. Having said that I do feel sorry for our forwards. There were a number of times on Saturdau, especially in the second half when Sharp and Brewster were making good runs but the ball was just played sideways or backwards whenas an early ball in may have produced something. When we do break quickly e.g. when Burke gets the ball, our midfield is far too often too slow to offer support so the forward then has to stop and wait for midfield to catch up. Also, how many decent shots do we have from just outside the box . Very few and we don't seem to get free kicks on or near the edge of the box.
Having seen Mau U last night I can see bookings for all our midfielders and wingbacks on Wednesday trying to stop the pace of Rashford and others.

 

[Bladesman]

Can’t disagree with this chaps. But football is a game of patience where we wait for the right pass and run. Sadly this season we have No good runs and no good passes either. Our first goal against Plymouth I thought we overpassed it around their box but then Bill found space and played a great pass to Bash. It can work just not in the prem with the squad we have.

If felt like we took a good 10 minutes to finish passing the ball around before we scored against Plymouth. The cross was on about half a dozen times.

 

[Bucksblade]

United have played some wonderful one touch moves but equally they are guilty of overplaying, playing the triangles not once
or even twice but after beating a man or two and not shooting or crossing, they go for the third attempt at beating the defence
backwards or wayward diagonal. The simple answer is Blades do not have the pace or the nightmare tricky forward who
will run and weave and leave the defender looking stupid. Maybe Brewster will become more like that, Mouse also
when fit but the top teams have two or three players of that quality and we dont.
So either find more money to be in the big boys game, or hope a gem is found in lower leagues nobody has spotted and no greedy agent or
hone the Under 23s best players into that speedy tricky wizard.

But to answer the original question, yes very guilty of trying to walk it in which works in league 1, maybe championship but not good enough
at Premier level.

 

[BobblesBlade]

That's a strange way of describing the best football I've ever seen us play (and arguably the most successful in recent times)

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying our play is crap some of it has been amazing to watch.
Just seems a lot of teams play a patient build up pass all over the pitch instead of just smashing it through the middle to the strikers to latch on to.

 

[blades14]

Pointless overloads on the wing instead iof getting it quicker into the box and by the time we have about 4 players on the wing with possesion someone puts in a terrible ball and leads to a opposition counter attack. Whilst Brewster, McBurnie and Co are either waiting for the ball to be played or come to the ball as they've not had a touch for about 10 mins or so

 

[1889]

Yeah it was a well worked goal against Plymouth, but against Premier League opposition, the ball would have probably have been intercepted before it ever got to Billy Sharp.

The best football we have played all this season, was v Newcastle at home in the first half. I thought, someone had finally realised and we were back to the fast, one touch pass and move style that has brought us such success. Sadly, a week later against Spurs we were back to our pedestrian, cap doffing, respectful best against a team clearly deemed to be, too good to ‘go after’, so we sit back and wait for the inevitable.

FFS cant we just go for it in games, attack being the best form of defence and all that? I dont want us to go down with a whimper

 

[ancientblade]

its modern day football im afraid only got to look at liverpool yesterday 3-2 down going in to injury time and all they do is tip tap it about from side to side instead of getting it forward summed up by allison receiving the ball in last minute and passing it 3 yards sideways to fabinho

 

[SittingontheBall]

If we don't lose it, it goes back to Ramsdale who hoofs it up the pitch for a 50/50 ball. Completely and utterly infuriating.

50/50 would be a huge improvement on what currently happens to us. We never seem to get near to collecting the hoof up the pitch. I agree....infuriating.

It’s not just us that do this passing back to the goalie, though.
I understand the logic that says don’t give the ball away in your own half and that’s why it can finish up back with the goalie if a defender is under serious pressure but it happens so much more often than that.

Why is the goalie considered better able to find one of his own team in the middle of the park than one of the outfield players who were already further up the field?

 

[gordoncharles]

We're obsessed with crossing. This has come about through the success it had in the L1 and Championship seasons.

As a result we're actually 8th in the League for crosses. But our cross accuracy is a miserable 22%. Hence we don't score.

Spurs are bottom of the crossing league by the way.

Our opponents know that's what we'll do. Now and again it would be a good idea to plan an alternative approach.

 

[blades14]

We're obsessed with crossing. This has come about through the success it had in the L1 and Championship seasons.

As a result we're actually 8th in the League for crosses. But our cross accuracy is a miserable 22%. Hence we don't score.

Spurs are bottom of the crossing league by the way.

Our opponents know that's what we'll do. Now and again it would be a good idea to plan an alternative approach.

We're trying to walk the ball instead of just having a shot