One game

[bricktop]

We had a pasting today, but it is only one game and there is still plenty to play for this season.

Don't get too despondent and get behind the team on Saturday. That 4-0 is now in the past and not relevant, we can't do anything about it, and its happened. What is relevant is how we pick ourselves up and respond to this setback.

 

[Kenilworth]

It's the lack of chances and the lack of goals that results that worries me thouhg Browns.
Those 0-0 games at home will bite us on the bum.
The lack of positivity in the play will kill us

 

[GAZBLADE]

Only time will tell.

 

[BladeFisher]

We had a pasting today, but it is only one game and there is still plenty to play for this season.

Don't get too despondent and get behind the team on Saturday. That 4-0 is now in the past and not relevant, we can't do anything about it, and its happened. What is relevant is how we pick ourselves up and respond to this setback.

What's your tel number Brownie - for those of us who need therapy!

 

[Guesty]

It's not just one game though, we were relying on away form to prop up the frankly very poor home form. As I said in the shoutbox during the game, you always get at least one walloping away from home. However when you've been haemorrhaging points at home like we have it's something you can ill afford.

We've won, what, one of the last six at home? Far from promotion form.

 

[super_pig]

its a one off result away from home. ultimately, wilson's negative home tactics will cost us promotion.. too many draws
plaoffs if we're lucky i'm afraid.. but out at the first hurdle

 

[Jehovah]

Its not so much the result today that's pissed me off, its the fact I can see us bottling it afuckingain

 

[UnitedBlade]

Its not so much the result today that's pissed me off, its the fact I can see us bottling it afuckingain

I now have that feeling. Five games in 15 days to finish the season, miss out on autos, knackered for the play offs. Fail to score sufficient goals in the playoffs (either eliminated in the first two games or fail to score at Wembley again)

Can they prove me wrong ?

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Yes, hopefully a one-off result. The lack of movement and lack of leadership was embarrassing today though. Probably the only one to come away with any credit today was McFadzean - the rest were awful. Worst performance I've seen since relegation. Particularly worrying given our good away form and recently solid defence.

 

[Gavlar]

maybe a result like that was coming, maybe not. its still in our hands tho, if we win against brentford on sat we're back in 2nd with a game in hand on donny, who drew with relegation certs pompey at home today which im sure they wouldnt have been pleased with either. im hoping for a draw between yeovil and swindon on tues aswell. i sometimes wonder if i am a blade, where's this optimism coming from?!!

 

[super_pig]

i sometimes wonder if i am a blade, where's this optimism coming from?!!

it's the prozac mate

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Yes, hopefully a one-off result. The lack of movement and lack of leadership was embarrassing today though. Probably the only one to come away with any credit today was McFadzean - the rest were awful. Worst performance I've seen since relegation. Particularly worrying given our good away form and recently solid defence.

Trouble is we must have said "Worst performance for years" several times this season...

This performance was probably just a bit worse than the last worst one we had a a couple of matches ago.

Was it worse than the Yeovil match, for example?

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Trouble is .....

.... non of our fuckers would get in any championship side and no championship side would have our manager.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

I'm not happy about a 4-0 beating today, but I can right it off as one off on the road, given the generally good away results all season. What worries me more is our home form, the last two home games in particular, where they were both 0-0 and there was no urgency to find the winner on the pitch or from management on the sidelines. Wilson was far to happy to let it drift, bringing Poleon on with 7 minutes to go was a joke (and it's far from being the only example of that at the Lane this season).

I don't mind so much having full backs that won't cross the halfway line (given Hill's distribution that's a distinct plus point) provided we've got two wingers that are going to give it a real go going forward. Don't mind Flynn but he's got to be axed from the starting XI for all the remaining home games. Robson on one wing, Poleon on the other with Forte up top alongside Kitson, with Kitson under strict instructions to stay up front, no drifting back to midfield, left back, or centre back.

They've got 9 games left, especially at the Lane, just go for it. If they do that, they'll also get nearly 20k Blades willing the team on. All round that's got to be the better way to go than sitting back hoping for something to happen with the fans getting more p!ssed off by the minute.

 

[Rodley]

Agree hando

 

[Hartley Hare]

Very disappointing performance yesterday. Shocking defeat and very embarrassing.

Credit to Stevenage, they were the better team on the day. A tiny club with average attendance of just 3,000. As their fans sang "SW are laughing at you" ........I felt very embarrassed and it is still ringing in my ears.

Stevenage were a big strong team, their goalie was massive (6 ft 5") and the centre back not much smaller. They made Kitson look like a lightweight.

They only had eight shots on target and four went in. We had a good chance before they scored (I think it was Flynn) had that gone in the result may have been very different. We were very sloppy at times, particularly in midfield, Robson was not with it, and persistently gave the ball away. I thought Mcfazdean did very well when he came on, our best player on the day. Forte should have scored at the end but for some reason gave his simple chance to Kitson who missed. Just about summed up the day.

Other results were reasonably kind. Donny only gaining a point. The Brentford game is now massive, a six pointer for sure. We have to win.

For the rest, enjoyed a couple of pints before the match in the Our Mutual Friend pub. Chatted to some other Blades and made a few new friends.

Got told off for smoking by steward at half-time - very bad behaviour on my part.

HH

 

[gavtheblade]

I now have that feeling. Five games in 15 days to finish the season, miss out on autos, knackered for the play offs. Fail to score sufficient goals in the playoffs (either eliminated in the first two games or fail to score at Wembley again)

Can they prove me wrong ?

no

 

[yorkshirecoast]

I think yesterday's result has been coming. We are a shadow of last season's team (& even then we bottled it once we lost Ched). Last season we often played teams off the pitch - particularly at home - and were scoring for fun. We've hardly dominated a game all season. Just about every game has been very close and could have gone either way - either against some shockingly poor teams.

We lack quality, pace & determination. The football is dire - too negative and too slow. Personally, I'm surprised we are a high as we are as we don't look like a promotion chasing side.

But apart from that I'm quite optimistic about our chances......

 

[alcoblade]

They've got 9 games left, especially at the Lane, just go for it. If they do that, they'll also get nearly 20k Blades willing the team on. All round that's got to be the better way to go than sitting back hoping for something to happen with the fans getting more p!ssed off by the minute.

Spot on - but unfortunately, I don't think we have it is us - on or off the pitch.

UTB

 

[Greenwich Blade]

Trouble is we must have said "Worst performance for years" several times this season...

This performance was probably just a bit worse than the last worst one we had a a couple of matches ago.

Was it worse than the Yeovil match, for example?

Yeovil was much worse if you ask me.

 

[broomhillblade]

If it's any consolation - Brentford would have had scouts at the game. They must be as shocked and confused as the rest of us...

 

[broomhillblade]

I now have that feeling. Five games in 15 days to finish the season, miss out on autos, knackered for the play offs. Fail to score sufficient goals in the playoffs (either eliminated in the first two games or fail to score at Wembley again)

Can they prove me wrong ?

What play-offs? A couple more bad results and failure to win our game(s) in hand, and we could be in 7th place.

 

[blade too long]

http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/match/index.html?event=9;season=1989/90;team=344

basset promotion year , probably the best in most memories
includes a 5-0 tonking at west ham for us and a 4-0 at leeds
so the odd heavy set back does not a promotion cost

went up with only 85 points and lost 5 of the last 13 those tonkings included
so its how we recover not the loss

 

[blade too long]

5-0 on a wednesday night , at least 3 were offside and one handball , that and a 4-0 at leeds , but we still went up

 

[Grecian2000]

5-0 on a wednesday night , at least 3 were offside and one handball , that and a 4-0 at leeds , but we still went up

and that has any bearing at all on this season because?

What will be will be, but pointless comparisons with seasons past (and indeed even more bizarrely, with other teams in other divisions) has no value at all.

For what it's worth a good kick up the arse won't hurt us at this stage and might even jerk some out of a complacency that seems all too obvious at times.

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Yeovil was much worse if you ask me.

Mate, I know it was - I left at half time in the Yeovil game...

 

[LoughboroBlade]

What will be will be, but pointless comparisons with seasons past (and indeed even more bizarrely, with other teams in other divisions) has no value at all.

Yes, but who doesn't like a good ol bit of nostalgia?

I remember when NW got us promoted 7 years ago there were a number of worrying wheels-off moments:
- conceding 4 at Leicester (a disaster for Craig Short as I recall)
- the embarrassing 4-1 loss at home to Watford on Sky (where Unsworth got sent off)
- the infamous bizarre run of 4 games following what should have been a confidence-maintaining win at Hillsborough. The disaster of QPR, where poor old Paul Ifill missed a penalty, the even worse defeat at Coventry, and that infuriating draw with Crewe (again on Sky).

Promoted with 3 games to spare in the end...

 

[Silent Blade]

View attachment 5667

5-0 on a wednesday night , at least 3 were offside and one handball , that and a 4-0 at leeds , but we still went up

I remember Stuart Slater giving one of the best performances I have seen by an opposing player. Jimmy Quinn got a hat trick that night

 

[Ollessendro]

I think the original poster makes a very good point. There's been some scoreline journalism and classic Blades knee jerk over reactions. Some over the top stuff that you expect from fickle United-ites. I wrote a post after the Hartlepool debate about scoreline journalism and United fans being fickle and over reacting. I ended up getting in a big debate with Deadbat and took some stick for it. A few games later and we are back in contention. Back up in the auto spot's, sure to go up and best thing since sliced bread.

The difference between Sat-di and the rest of the season was we defended like school boys. We have been average all season, but our better than average defence does not concede many goals. Keep clean sheets and you have a very good chance of winning games. We need to get back to this and I think we will. That's why I see the game as a one off. We might look average against Brentford on Sat-di, but I don't care if we keep it tight. I'd like us to play 4-4-2 and attack teams but, TopBoy is right, our scuccess has come from being solid and nicking games. Grinding out results. Not pleasent, but effective. As good as our away record was, we were never going to win every one. We all know we need to be more effective at home and low and behold we have a couple of 6 pointers. In my opinion we need to beat Brentford and Swindon, as I could see us dropping points on the road at Walsall (and potentially Crewe and Tranmere).

 

[Darren]

Yes, but who doesn't like a good ol bit of nostalgia?

I remember when NW got us promoted 7 years ago there were a number of worrying wheels-off moments:
- conceding 4 at Leicester (a disaster for Craig Short as I recall)
- the embarrassing 4-1 loss at home to Watford on Sky (where Unsworth got sent off)
- the infamous bizarre run of 4 games following what should have been a confidence-maintaining win at Hillsborough. The disaster of QPR, where poor old Paul Ifill missed a penalty, the even worse defeat at Coventry, and that infuriating draw with Crewe (again on Sky).

Promoted with 3 games to spare in the end...

After we won at Derby on 1/2/06 our records for the next 8 games was as follows:

6/2/06 H Watford L1-4
11/2/06 A Plymouth D0-0
14/2/06 H Reading D1-1
18/2/06 A Sheff Wed W2-1
25/2/06 H QPR L2-3
3/3/06 H Crewe D0-0
11/3/06 A Coventry L0-2
18/3/06 A Norwich L1-2

That's 6 points from 8 games (relegation form), and as you can imagine there was much sackcloth and ashes and wrist slashing (led by the late lamented Len) on line asserting we had blown it and would be in the third division by 2007....