Our current predicament: which way will we go

[diplomat]

I think we can get out of it. The Leicester game wasn't pretty but there was a damn sight more positivity and chances than I've seen for a long time and on another day we could have absolutely mauled them let alone claiming we were good for a point.

I don't hold much hope out for Ipswich away as it is a bit of a bogey ground, they have a new manager and should be doing better than they are. I'd be elated with a point.

However, someone at home is going to get it. (When do Derby come, they seem a bit weak willed to me.)

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Indeed.

I have argued that we were in an inflated position aerlier this season (we won games under Speed we should not have won) but now is the opposite. We probably deserve to be a few points away from relegation, rather than in the bottom 3.

Perhaps we don't do it the Blades way this season and are only out of the bottom three five minutes before the final whistle of the final game?

 

[Selly]

For every Norwich, Man City and Leicester, there is a Charlton, Plymouth etc. .

Clubs in the bottom 2 divisions or lower that have been in the PL or Div 1 since 1990/91

Luton
Bradford City
Notts County
Swindon
Wendy
Charlton
MK Dons (arguably...)
Oldham
Southampton

 

[bricktop]

I think we will drop, i thought we would drop a lot earlier in the season.

People are pointing to luck, and the fact that luck will even itself out, but i don't believe that. You can play well, lose and hit the bar three times, but at the end of the day you've lost the game because you've failed to hit the back of the net.

I've seen three relegation season during my time. 87-88, 93-94 and 06-07, and this one is like the first, struggling at the bottom of the division all season, managerial change around Christmas/New Year and just not winning games.

 

[Balham]

Fair enough Highbury, but equally Middlesbrough have never ever even been a Yorkshire team. Plus 86-87 is over 20 years ago. Since we came out of Div Three in 1989, every Yorkshire club has been there except us.

Try telling my Middlesbrough born grandfather he's not a Yorkshireman, I dare you.

 

[Railway Blade]

This month is fairly crucial with games at palace, scunny and ipswich and home games like Derby and Millwall.

Its starting to look dodgy but I am still reasonably confident we will get out of it, except as Grecian said if it comes to the last game then we have no chance !!

 

[axel smeets]

Clubs in the bottom 2 divisions or lower that have been in the PL or Div 1 since 1990/91

Luton
Bradford City
Notts County
Swindon
Wendy
Charlton
MK Dons (arguably...)
Oldham
Southampton

Bradford have arguably had the worst of it, relegated to the bottom division in 07 and still fighting to stay out of the conference. Luton of course are having a bad time, but they were championship level more recently than Bradford. Also, I know they weren't in the top tier, but Grimsby were a regular fixture on the Blades list throughout the 90's and into the 2000's. On the train on the way back from Coventry, we saw a group of them coming back from an FA Vase defeat at somewhere like Halesowen Town. They were proper supporters!!

 

[Guesty]

I think we will drop, i thought we would drop a lot earlier in the season.

People are pointing to luck, and the fact that luck will even itself out, but i don't believe that. You can play well, lose and hit the bar three times, but at the end of the day you've lost the game because you've failed to hit the back of the net.
I've seen three relegation season during my time. 87-88, 93-94 and 06-07, and this one is like the first, struggling at the bottom of the division all season, managerial change around Christmas/New Year and just not winning games.

Fully agree with all that.

I love the idea that were just going to be given some wins soon because we've had some "bad luck" previously.

 

[SteelCity Blade]

Fully agree with all that.

I love the idea that were just going to be given some wins soon because we've had some "bad luck" previously.

Football fans often like to use "bad luck" as a term to make excuses for their team not doing well. It is essentially blinkered bollocks.

A lot of people seem to interpret hitting the post or bar as "unlucky" when in fact it is a miss, just like firing a shot 10 yards wide. There is no difference between the two, in both scenarios you have failed to hit the target which is the area between the posts and bar.....therefore it is a miss, nothing more.

It doesnt matter one jot how close you go, you dont get points for going close or being supposedly "unlucky" - a miss is a miss, a defeat is a defeat, excuses are tedious.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Football fans often like to use "bad luck" as a term to make excuses for their team not doing well. It is essentially blinkered bollocks.

A lot of people seem to interpret hitting the post or bar as "unlucky" when in fact it is a miss, just like firing a shot 10 yards wide. There is no difference between the two, in both scenarios you have failed to hit the target which is the area between the posts and bar.....therefore it is a miss, nothing more.

It doesnt matter one jot how close you go, you dont get points for going close or being supposedly "unlucky" - a miss is a miss, a defeat is a defeat, excuses are tedious.

What if the ball hits the back of the net or the stanchion, bounces out again and ref waves play on? (a la Crystal Palace, Clive Allen etc). Is that "bad luck" or a "tedious excuse"? I know what you're saying but there are times where teams lose due to bad refereeing decisions or have a bad run of injuries or the ball flukily loops in off a defenders bum. Sometimes it's not blinkered to suggest a team has been unlucky or let down by the officials. Our Premier League season being a prime example.

 

[secretchief]

What if the ball hits the back of the net or the stanchion, bounces out again and ref waves play on? (a la Crystal Palace, Clive Allen etc). Is that "bad luck" or a "tedious excuse"? I know what you're saying but there are times where teams lose due to bad refereeing decisions or have a bad run of injuries or the ball flukily loops in off a defenders bum. Sometimes it's not blinkered to suggest a team has been unlucky or let down by the officials. Our Premier League season being a prime example.

'The harder I practice, the luckier I get' - some golfer.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Arnold Palmer but he didn't have to contend with refs not seeing his putt go in the hole and costing him a win.

 

[Eckingtonian]

We probably need to win nine or ten games from our remaining fixtures to stay up.This isnt going to happen,with this band of mercenries.Down we go.The annoying thing is, its been so obvious to see we werent good enough from early season and nothing was done to avoid it.Back to 13,000 gates next season.

 

[secretchief]

Totally get you Sothall, I'm not being completely serious with that anyway.

I just think that quality is the asset that will keep us up, over and above 'passion' or 'graft' or whatever, because it gets the ball in the net.

Adams hasn't recruited quality, he's gone for grafters.

 

[SteelCity Blade]

What if the ball hits the back of the net or the stanchion, bounces out again and ref waves play on? (a la Crystal Palace, Clive Allen etc). Is that "bad luck" or a "tedious excuse"? I know what you're saying but there are times where teams lose due to bad refereeing decisions or have a bad run of injuries or the ball flukily loops in off a defenders bum. Sometimes it's not blinkered to suggest a team has been unlucky or let down by the officials. Our Premier League season being a prime example.

Most of those haven't happened to us this season but I understand where you're coming from.....

I'm not saying that teams are never unlucky, of course they are. But what I disagree with is what people define as "bad luck" - hence the expression that a miss is a miss. Sometimes you can be unlucky yes but when you're losing week in and week out, cant score and you're conceding sloppy goals.....luck is nothing more than an excuse. Bad luck is not one of the main reasons for where we find ourselves. If you're good enough, you can overcome bad luck.

At the end of the day we have been let down by officials and been unlucky (like a lot of teams) for a long time. You cant do anything about luck, its a part of life which we cannot affect. Its a case of accepting that and getting on with it because you cant go out and buy luck or make it from scratch, it is what it is and you'll either get some good or some bad.....

What the team can do something about, is to be better. If they can somehow raise their game they would find that their "luck" will start to change and things that deflect away and crash off the post will start to hit the back of the net instead. Luck is purely random and will happen by chance.....it will not even out! I've never liked expressions of bad luck in football because it smacks of self pity. Whilst the players, fans etc. feel sorry for themselves things will not improve.

More defiance, effort and self-belief is required.....less excuses. Its just my view, I know some wont agree.

 

[axel smeets]

We probably need to win nine or ten games from our remaining fixtures to stay up.This isnt going to happen,with this band of mercenries.Down we go.The annoying thing is, its been so obvious to see we werent good enough from early season and nothing was done to avoid it.Back to 13,000 gates next season.

That's the gist of it really, isn't it? The fans could see it, the players and management deep down probably knew it, but nowt was done.

 

[bladeinspaceandtime]

Arnold Palmer but he didn't have to contend with refs not seeing his putt go in the hole and costing him a win.

Gary Player wasn't it?

---------- Post added at 05:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:56 PM ----------

I wonder what McCabe's response will be if the unthinkable happens - more apathy?

 

[Rodders]

To add to the point about luck: people are always quick to remember bad luck, but things like the ball hitting the bar, bouncing off Simonsens head and going over at Coventry are quickly forgotten. As said above, if you're good enough it shouldn't matter too much about luck.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

I'm not saying that teams are never unlucky, of course they are. But what I disagree with is what people define as "bad luck" - hence the expression that a miss is a miss.

I agree with that. It used to annoy me when we were scoring late goals nearly every week in 02-03 and people said we were "lucky". Erm no. We were very fit, had a massive team spirit and kept fighting against the odds.

 

[alcoblade]

That's the gist of it really, isn't it? The fans could see it, the players and management deep down probably knew it, but nowt was done.

Because we're skint. Hard to take, but that's the fact. The seed was sewn before how poor we are became apparent.

I do wonder how many of the fans that are demanding we spend more money now were complaining when we weren't shorlisted for the WC bid, and he need to spend tens of millions on otherwise pointless ground redevelopment?

UTB

 

[axel smeets]

Because we're skint. Hard to take, but that's the fact. The seed was sewn before how poor we are became apparent.

I do wonder how many of the fans that are demanding we spend more money now were complaining when we weren't shorlisted for the WC bid, and he need to spend tens of millions on otherwise pointless ground redevelopment?

UTB

Too true, alcoblade, too true. The fact is we are skint, but how much will it cost us to take the hit in Div Three?

 

[Fiery Blade]

Its not about spending money its about getting the best out of what we have plus bringing in things we are missing:
Whilst I am 100% behind Micky Adams on Tuesdays performance I was extremely dissapointed in both Bent and Doyle - neither offered anything more than we already have!
It is crying out for pace, guile and creativity Cresswell cannot give us that whatever position he occupies For Montgomery, see Doyle, Ertl, Quinn
Parrino is young and still learning, Lowry looks the part, Mattock was bloody awful before his injury, Williamson is no right winger
Unfortunately, Micky has inherited a shower of shite incapable of keeping possession or creating much in the last third!
It will be touch and go, thankfully for the Blades there are some bad,bad teams in this division and we may scrape safety by our fingertips!

 

[Tickhillblade]

We will stop up - there are very few good teams in this league. A couple of wins and the confidence will grow and we will stop up. First win on Saturday under Adams.

UTB

 

[JJ Sefton]

I think even the most hardened 'knocker'

Oooooooh, saucy!

 

[Selly]

FFS Walthy, I just opened this at work!!!!!

 

[Muttley]

Too close, however when it's time for season ticket renewals, it'll all be our fault that there's no money .

 

[Ollessendro]

I was in the too close camp until I went to Portman Road and now I can smell relegation. Still it is not over till Barbarra Windsor appears naked on this forum (apart from a skimpy love heart bikini).

I wonder how others are feeling. The poll looks pretty tight, though a worrying amount think we are going down for sure. As stated in another thread, I think the next 4 games will eiother seal our fate or gives us clear hope!

 

[Bladegirl]

Got a bad feeling that we are going down...would love to be proved wrong.