Right then. Help it make sense.

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Negative approach after the break and an inability to deal with Sunderland's tactical tweaks.

Anything else is looking for excuses.

We didn't lose to a better team (although I don't begrudge them their win on the day - they changed their set up and made it pay.)

We lost it ourselves.

That's fair comment, IMO.

 

[Slugger]

Feeling fed up today. But yesterday, I felt calm throughout, I guess I must've thought we'd do it, despite saying beforehand that I couldn't call it.

The feeling at the end is familiar, we've been here a million times before but this time I was left feeling bemused, shell shocked. What just happened?

Go on, help it make sense.

First half, we looked comfortable, assured, settled at the back and creating a few chances. Their lot looked frustrated, limited and we'd silenced their fans.

1. Was it the psychological impact of the second goal being ruled out? Suddenly a 1-0 lead feels weaker, despite being a fantastic position to be in, and a comfortable performance to that point? Does it buoy their lot?

2. Was it injuries that shafted us? Losing your talisman and suddenly your system has to change. You don't have someone wanting to dictate the game. The rest are a good supporting cast, but they aren't the ones looking to make something happen.

3. Was it the lack of a Plan B? Our bench couldn't have looked much stronger, but we looked like we didn't know how to set up, when the subs came on?

4. Was it a lack of like-for-like replacements, to stick to the same game plan? We are mid-rebuild after all and it's very easy to lose sight of that, given how well we've done.

5. Was it Robbo getting wrong footed by their forward for the first? Bringing their fans back into it?

6. Was it injuries that shafted us again? Anel being off the pitch, leaving a hole in the side, conceding whilst temporarily down to 10 men. Yes, the Moore pass really, really didn't help us.

All/some of the above? Owt else? Make it make sense. Because there's no chance I'm chuffing watching it back. And no, I'm not interested in empty, throw away comments like "Wilder bottled it. He'll be out thru the back door". Give me something more substantial than that, based on what we saw. No snidy comments.

UTB, as ever.

Great post!
Nice to see some reasoned argument other than "Wilder bottled it" or "Fuck VAR"
I personally think all of those are valid but particularly 2,4 and 6.
Sunderland offered virtually nothing until they equalized and no doubt we did play 2nd half with the emphasis on protecting the lead but we'd all be happy now if that had resulted in a 1-0 which before our enforced changes looked very likely.
Apart from O'Nein's injury (and let's be honest his replacement is of similar standard) everything went against us...
Hamer injury
VAR decision
BBD as sub having to be subbed (injury from a very aggressive tackle that VAR ignored)
Sunderland keeper diving wrong way for Brooks' shot only to "save" it with his outstretched foot
Concussion protocol delaying our sub meaning Vini dropped back as a makeshift CB leaving a gaping hole for Moore's "pass"

Our tragic near misses can be written with names ...

Hans Segers, Carlos Tevez, Ched Evans, ...
What name are we attaching to this one?

 

[Gimli]

Great post!
Nice to see some reasoned argument other than "Wilder bottled it" or "Fuck VAR"
I personally think all of those are valid but particularly 2,4 and 6.
Sunderland offered virtually nothing until they equalized and no doubt we did play 2nd half with the emphasis on protecting the lead but we'd all be happy now if that had resulted in a 1-0 which before our enforced changes looked very likely.
Apart from O'Nein's injury (and let's be honest his replacement is of similar standard) everything went against us...
Hamer injury
VAR decision
BBD as sub having to be subbed (injury from a very aggressive tackle that VAR ignored)
Sunderland keeper diving wrong way for Brooks' shot only to "save" it with his outstretched foot
Concussion protocol delaying our sub meaning Vini dropped back as a makeshift CB leaving a gaping hole for Moore's "pass"

Our tragic near misses can be written with names ...

Hans Segers, Carlos Tevez, Ched Evans, ...
What name are we attaching to this one?

Add David Hopkin 97 and Steve Simonsen 2012 to the list!

 

[Bladesince61]

I blame var ruined the game

VAR ruins every game in my opinion. Hate it.

 

[VictoryBlade]

Blame was probably the wrong word. The manger is responsible for the performance of the team.

I said in the previous paragraph it's nobody's fault which I stand by, there are no individuals who can or should be singled out.

And yet there is hate aimed towards Keither, I don't get all that TBH!

 

[bruce]

Sunderland have beaten us twice out of three games. The better team does not lose two out of three games to an inferior team.
We can argue that they got the benefit of a VAR decision but we were not 1-0 down at that point, we were 1-0 up. We were still 1-0 up regardless of that decision. If we were better than them we would use the injustice (or, if your opinion is different, the perceived injustice) of that decision to fire us up to really hammer them. We should have done that. We didn't and we let them back into the game. If we are better than them we do not do that.
We were on top. We had chances. We failed to put our chances away. They had chances and put their chances away. They kept us out when we looked like scoring. We didn't. Or at least we didn't keep them out often enough.
Over our 46 league games we only scored more than two goals on 3 occasions. And we never scored more than 3 goals in any of those 46 matches. That in itself tells a story.
We lost because they were better than us. There wasn't much in it, but in the end they were better. The aim is to score more goals than the opposition. They were more clinical and mentally tougher. If we had their fortitude we would not be using the disallowed goal as an excuse, especially when we were still ahead.

 

[Camden Blade]

Sunderland have beaten us twice out of three games. The better team does not lose two out of three games to an inferior team.
We can argue that they got the benefit of a VAR decision but we were not 1-0 down at that point, we were 1-0 up. We were still 1-0 up regardless of that decision. If we were better than them we would use the injustice (or, if your opinion is different, the perceived injustice) of that decision to fire us up to really hammer them. We should have done that. We didn't and we let them back into the game. If we are better than them we do not do that.
We were on top. We had chances. We failed to put our chances away. They had chances and put their chances away. They kept us out when we looked like scoring. We didn't. Or at least we didn't keep them out often enough.
Over our 46 league games we only scored more than two goals on 3 occasions. And we never scored more than 3 goals in any of those 46 matches. That in itself tells a story.
We lost because they were better than us. There wasn't much in it, but in the end they were better. The aim is to score more goals than the opposition. They were more clinical and mentally tougher. If we had their fortitude we would not be using the disallowed goal as an excuse, especially when we were still ahead.

Yes, Sunderland were mentally and I think physically tougher. We had the more 'cultured' technically gifted footballers. My biggest fear approaching the final was that we'd have a mental collapse as we've seen it before. Except on previous occasions we just choked or froze. It was different this time as we attacked with confidence from the off. Great, we've at least turned up I thought. As you say the VAR decision/injustice should have spurred us on, not defeated us. But the collapse eventually came at a critical point in the game, the closing stages. Sunderland were stronger and played with more grit and determination than 'style'. That said I think their keeper was the Motm.

 

[bruce]

Yes, Sunderland were mentally and I think physically tougher. We had the more 'cultured' technically gifted footballers. My biggest fear approaching the final was that we'd have a mental collapse as we've seen it before. Except on previous occasions we just choked or froze. It was different this time as we attacked with confidence from the off. Great, we've at least turned up I thought. As you say the VAR decision/injustice should have spurred us on, not defeated us. But the collapse eventually came at a critical point in the game, the closing stages. Sunderland were stronger and played with more grit and determination than 'style'. That said I think their keeper was the Motm.

And Sunderland have shown that grit in every single one of their play offs games. I think they scored a decisive late goal in all 3 games.
And their keeper is part of their team. He made a decisive save. Our's didn't. Again shows they were better as a team. And I mean no disrespect to Cooper, who I think is a fine keeper.

 

[Camden Blade]

And Sunderland have shown that grit in every single one of their play offs games. I think they scored a decisive late goal in all 3 games.

You can call it killer instinct. That's what they had and we lacked.

 

[bruce]

You can call it killer instinct. That's what they had and we lacked.

And it is what we have lacked all season. We really should have mullered some teams, but didn't.
We are a good team, but not good enough to get promoted. We lose the real crunch games. The league programme tells us that. 5 defeats out of 6 in the league against the other 3 teams around us. 6 out of 7 if you include the play offs.
Fact is, I had a sinking feeling as soon as Sunderland scored that late winning aggregate goal in their semi final against Coventry. I was fairly confident we could have beaten Coventry. We had outplayed them in our last encounter, but we struggled in both matches against Sunderland.

 

[Blademan89]

The only other point I'd add to our list is whether or not our support is a factor. Given that we were up against, vocally, one of the best supported teams in the land, I thought we started quite well but, as you say, the VAR intervention killed is stone dead.

We all know, too well, that feeling of sinking into the abyss, as the final whistle looms and there is nothing in the world to compare with the outpouring through the Wembley exits as our fate is sealed. Some throwing away scarves and other adornments, a few turning on the players or manager, others vowing never to return again, a few making mundane conversation about anything other than football, but the great majority solemnly trooping away like a defeated army, keen to get down the Underground rabbit holes before the opposing fans head out, celebrating in a way that none of us know.

Each Sheffield United team that turns out in a play off, generally bears little or no connection to the previous failures...... but we do. Would other clubs, without a similar play-off history to ours, have let their bubble burst so quickly at the VAR crossroads? A Portsmouth or Ipswich or Derby might have dusted themselves down and got back behind their team at 1-0.

Not necessarily our fault. History dictates the way we are.

I think we was pretty good as a fan base, Sunderland was poor until their goal, just before that you could see the pressure the players was inviting by sitting on a 1-0 trying to protect it and that transition up into that stands, you could sense it and feel it, it started to make the fans nervous and deflate us which roared Sunderland fans into action.