Pros and Cons vs Bolton

[Maurice Maurice]

If ever a team needed a win, the Mighty Blades needed one tonight. Bit of a mixed bag but a win's a win and I'll definitely take that. Bolton got off to a perfect start and with Gale on the wing looked dangerous the whole time he was on the pitch. Choudhary did as much as anyone could and needed more support from his centre half but Tanganga and McGuinness aren't leaders and let him get bummed all night instead. Hopefully the new lad from Coventry fixes that.

CONS
Centre halves didn't read the game very well and always seemed to be out of position. Like I said, no leadership there and their second goal proves my point.
Blaster I'm sorry to say looks done at this level. He has zero pace, looks afraid of a tackle and in one moment at the end, Phillips showed the gulf between the two of them.
Bamford gets fouled a lot but he falls down even more. You're a professional footballer, stay on your feet and stop complaining to the ref all game or you'll get fuck all sympathy as most of them are clueless.
The owners. You've fucking screwed us! You're not on board with what's needed, you don't appear to give a shit so please, do all you can to find a serious buyer at a reasonable price and fuck off never to be seen again.

PROS
Hamza got a bit of a roasting tonight but when he settles in he'll be a big player for us.
Phillips tenacity in winning the ball and picking the pass was just the type of creativity that we need but on a more regular basis.
BBD I don't really like him. I think his touch is terrible and he runs out of gas and ideas too quick. Tonight I thought he was excellent. He worked his nuts off, showed for the ball and I take my hat off to him.
Donovan, I think I love you He'll frustrate you, he'll exasperate you but he'll not stop trying. He tracks back, he gets a bit snippy and his goal tonight was a thing of beauty. To be honest, he looks like an upgraded version of Calum O'Hare.
Cooper was the difference. What a game he had, too many top class saves to mention but the header has to be my favourite. Outstanding tonight!
Sheffield United Football Club, not the owners but the fans, the staff, the team management and the players themselves. Tonight would have been easy to go all woe is me but after conceding in 25 seconds, then going two one down we did the opposite. We dug in, we rode our luck and we battled. Can't ask for a lot more to honest honest and despite a shitty week, tonight is a great night to be a Blade.

Edit:
Our hair! With MCallum and Hamza we have very big hair, get Chong on and it'll be even bigger so fuck off Wrexham, let's see what you can do about that.

UTBFTP

 

[GreasyChipBeattie]

And we shouldn't underestimate what coming back from 1 down not once, but twice to then go on and win does for the mentality of the squad.
Onnards and uppards.

 

[loyalblade95]

Good points there.

Result was better than the performance (2nd half especially) but not too bothered about that at the moment, it's more important that we keep picking up points.

Hopefully Kitching can bring a bit of organisation to that backline, I'd be surprised if he doesn't start ahead of McGuinness at the weekend.

We need to be more clinical when we have those moments, good block on line from their defender in 1st half but I thought we were wasteful at times, especially when Bamford just dinked it towards the corner rather than taking a touch and putting some power into it.

Phillips needs to be ready to start games asap, didn't have an immediate impact when he came on but grew into it, and great vision to find Donovan for the winner.

Don't think Blaster is done at this level, but he needs to get some confidence and be a bit braver in possession, especially in games like that where we're trying to get the momentum back.

 

[BazWainwright]

I think we made a damned hard task of an easy mission. Bolton were another team, freshly promoted and still showing Div One rawness, who should have been dispatched by half time. They were dead clumsy with the ball and allowed us so much space and play in their half and only improved slightly in the second when Wilder fiddled with the format and brought on subs who made us, if anything, not much better at all.

Sure - we won. Thank god for that and the small mercy of three points but for me to be satisfied we don't kick off half asleep and go one down before the crowd have finished singing GCB and we don't turn into statues when a ball is crossed into the box. Full marks to us for instantly punching back and in the end landing the killer blow but out of all of them tonight there was only one performance worth commenting positively about and that is the Illiman Ndiaye clone we seem to have in Romelle Donovan. He was yards, fathoms, miles above everyone else and Bolton cacked their pants when he was on the ball. He was a joy to watch. Big credit to Cooper too who seems to be regaining his capability and kept us afloat - the mere fact that we relied on him so much is testimony to the four in front of him being a bit crap. The centrebacks are so rigid and beatable. When the ball is in the danger area we freeze and don't act. Both their goals were from that. Choudrey was getting skinned all evening, McCallum tried but at times got his pants pulled down. In the middle Peck continues to get the nod and continues to make a horse's cock of basic midfield duties, Jairo was effective but ineffective in equal parts and BBD is clearly in need of minutes, but worked hard. Quite why Wilder changed three of four midfielders and brought the clearly incapable Shackleton on is anyone's guess, save to hook a failing Peck for a slightly better Philips. Arblaster was absolutely pathetic. Up front Bamford was critically ponderous and wasteful and Campbell and his useless replacement might as well have not turned up.

Looks like this is the squad we are fixed with now and aside from the bright spark out wide on the left, we look very vulnerable and prone to gift oppositions the initiative too easily. We've got Andre Brooks coming back on Saturday in a seemingly easy to beat Norwich City at Bramall Lane. We'd best get our shit together because right now, to me, we are on minus six and stuck with this lot until the closing hours of 31 January 2027.

 

[Bladesman]

The real con: Not picking Bolton apart in those opening 20 minutes because after their opening goal we actually got at them and they could barely string a pass together. We once again dropped off and spent a fair chunk of the match hanging on.

 

[dc_blade]

First half we played some nice stuff at times and looked dangerous while also being wide open at the back. Peck was really good, massive improvement from him.

Second half was diabolical. We got taken apart time and again by a team that’s likely to be one of the worst in the division. We were very lucky to be level going into added time. It could easily have been 2-4 or worse if not for Cooper (so so good to have the real Cooper back). But then we only went and won it.

Something to build on. We’ve been uninspiring so far but are unbeaten and in terms of points on the board it’s a decent start to the season. We need to play much better and I think we will.

 

[MartBlade]

If ever a team needed a win, the Mighty Blades needed one tonight. Bit of a mixed bag but a win's a win and I'll definitely take that. Bolton got off to a perfect start and with Gale on the wing looked dangerous the whole time he was on the pitch. Choudhary did as much as anyone could and needed more support from his centre half but Tanganga and McGuinness aren't leaders and let him get bummed all night instead. Hopefully the new lad from Coventry fixes that.

CONS
Centre halves didn't read the game very well and always seemed to be out of position. Like I said, no leadership there and their second goal proves my point.
Blaster I'm sorry to say looks done at this level. He has zero pace, looks afraid of a tackle and in one moment at the end, Phillips showed the gulf between the two of them.
Bamford gets fouled a lot but he falls down even more. You're a professional footballer, stay on your feet and stop complaining to the ref all game or you'll get fuck all sympathy as most of them are clueless.
The owners. You've fucking screwed us! You're not on board with what's needed, you don't appear to give a shit so please, do all you can to find a serious buyer at a reasonable price and fuck off never to be seen again.

PROS
Hamza got a bit of a roasting tonight but when he settles in he'll be a big player for us.
Phillips tenacity in winning the ball and picking the pass was just the type of creativity that we need but on a more regular basis.
BBD I don't really like him. I think his touch is terrible and he runs out of gas and ideas too quick. Tonight I thought he was excellent. He worked his nuts off, showed for the ball and I take my hat off to him.
Donovan, I think I love you He'll frustrate you, he'll exasperate you but he'll not stop trying. He tracks back, he gets a bit snippy and his goal tonight was a thing of beauty. To be honest, he looks like an upgraded version of Calum O'Hare.
Cooper was the difference. What a game he had, too many top class saves to mention but the header has to be my favourite. Outstanding tonight!
Sheffield United Football Club, not the owners but the fans, the staff, the team management and the players themselves. Tonight would have been easy to go all woe is me but after conceding in 25 seconds, then going two one down we did the opposite. We dug in, we rode our luck and we battled. Can't ask for a lot more to honest honest and despite a shitty week, tonight is a great night to be a Blade.

Edit:
Our hair! With MCallum and Hamza we have very big hair, get Chong on and it'll be even bigger so fuck off Wrexham, let's see what you can do about that.

UTBFTP

Fantastic summary - bang on.

 

[MayorOJC]

On paper that might be the easiest game of the season and if any of them could finish they would have scored 5.

 

[finlaytheblade]

If ever a team needed a win, the Mighty Blades needed one tonight. Bit of a mixed bag but a win's a win and I'll definitely take that. Bolton got off to a perfect start and with Gale on the wing looked dangerous the whole time he was on the pitch. Choudhary did as much as anyone could and needed more support from his centre half but Tanganga and McGuinness aren't leaders and let him get bummed all night instead. Hopefully the new lad from Coventry fixes that.

CONS
Centre halves didn't read the game very well and always seemed to be out of position. Like I said, no leadership there and their second goal proves my point.
Blaster I'm sorry to say looks done at this level. He has zero pace, looks afraid of a tackle and in one moment at the end, Phillips showed the gulf between the two of them.
Bamford gets fouled a lot but he falls down even more. You're a professional footballer, stay on your feet and stop complaining to the ref all game or you'll get fuck all sympathy as most of them are clueless.
The owners. You've fucking screwed us! You're not on board with what's needed, you don't appear to give a shit so please, do all you can to find a serious buyer at a reasonable price and fuck off never to be seen again.

PROS
Hamza got a bit of a roasting tonight but when he settles in he'll be a big player for us.
Phillips tenacity in winning the ball and picking the pass was just the type of creativity that we need but on a more regular basis.
BBD I don't really like him. I think his touch is terrible and he runs out of gas and ideas too quick. Tonight I thought he was excellent. He worked his nuts off, showed for the ball and I take my hat off to him.
Donovan, I think I love you He'll frustrate you, he'll exasperate you but he'll not stop trying. He tracks back, he gets a bit snippy and his goal tonight was a thing of beauty. To be honest, he looks like an upgraded version of Calum O'Hare.
Cooper was the difference. What a game he had, too many top class saves to mention but the header has to be my favourite. Outstanding tonight!
Sheffield United Football Club, not the owners but the fans, the staff, the team management and the players themselves. Tonight would have been easy to go all woe is me but after conceding in 25 seconds, then going two one down we did the opposite. We dug in, we rode our luck and we battled. Can't ask for a lot more to honest honest and despite a shitty week, tonight is a great night to be a Blade.

Edit:
Our hair! With MCallum and Hamza we have very big hair, get Chong on and it'll be even bigger so fuck off Wrexham, let's see what you can do about that.

UTBFTP

Great post Maurice the players certainly hung on in there. As you say Cooper was great ( his best performance for us ?).Ironic that we thought our strengths would be defensive when we were all over the place.
Don't like singling out players but of our attacking players we sold the only one I would have been happy to lose was Cannon and hes still here.
Still he is a striker and if he had been sold as well would that have been swallowed up like the others to get us on track with the new financial
Regulations. We have to stick with.
Steve Bettis! In my opinion he takes orders from the owners and doesn't make financial decisions without the go ahead from the owners so I think getting at him gets us no where! Infact he and Wilder work well together ! They have disagreements i think but are pulling in the same direction despite the owners full support.
Bettis is a good man in my opinion.!

 

[joe casey]

On Blaster - its a game of opinions but for me I was suprised he was rated below Peck in the match ratings (who I felt had a stinker and was lucky to come out second half). Blaster I feel always is trying the right thing, his execution is just not there at the min ( a couple of loose balls out of play on one twos and an overhit through ball from memory).
In another world he'd probably benefit from another 6 months in League 1 as he probably needs to play himself into form/confidence - but can't imagine that happening any time soon. I'm an eternal optimist so will always have the hope he'll get back to that potential we all saw prior to injury - but it probably needs to be as an attacking midfield link man rather than a muck and nettles centre mid.

 

[Champagneblade]

The real con: Not picking Bolton apart in those opening 20 minutes because after their opening goal we actually got at them and they could barely string a pass together. We once again dropped off and spent a fair chunk of the match hanging on.

Bamford’s simple miss made an easier task harder. We never got to see how they would respond when falling behind.

 

[Bladesman]

Bamford’s simple miss made an easier task harder. We never got to see how they would respond when falling behind.

There was a period where they couldn't string two passes together and get out of their own half. We really didn't take enough advantage of that period of the match.

It's like we have a burst of energy for 15 minutes and then its gone.