Starting season with Collins & McEveley

[DazBlade88]

A big part of our defensive problem last season was the fact we put so much emphasis on being a solid defensive unit and playing on the counter. It put too much pressure on the defence and they made mistakes.

We have enough about us to dominate teams in this league and when the ball is in the opposition half you're not going to concede. I'm happy to have a defence that looks poor on paper if we don't intend to be defending too often.

 

[Gee]

I think they could really take the piss good and proper and make one of them the new team captain!!!
Oh shit they did ooerr..........

 

[jt64]

If it means that we're going to attack and try and outscore teams you won't see me complaining.

Of course, going to attack and playing that way is a lot easier if the attacking players know they've got something solid behind them that'll clean things up if they fuck up

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

Lack of centre halves was fucking obvious LAST September.

It was fucking obvious when Paddy M came and for me he made a bit of difference.

It was fucking obvious when we knew he was definitely going back December 31st.

It was fucking obvious we needed a solution during the JTW.

It was fucking obvious as we didn't get top 2 at the business end of the season.

It was SO FUCKING obvious in the playoffs - sorry Swindon, we would have stuffed you if Clough had swallowed his pride and egotistical nature and sorted the problem - score 5 away from home and don't win.................jeez.

Rant over...........I am so

UTB

PS: Dear Mr Adkins, I hope your man management skills are all they are professed to be, and a genuine good luck to Collins and Mceverly - we are Blades after all.

I know where you are coming from , and you may think , this CB situation , is the only downside of a productive season of both management and player recruitment by the blades to date . It is a subjective debate and Adkins does know better than us fans , although we have had the experience of watching the CB car crash of last season.

IMO i do not think the pairing of Collins and McEveley , is good enough and lacks -

Tactical awarness , with good mental attributes to deal with defensive situations

Both not good at man marking

Poor decision making and anticipation .

Poor ball skills

Eratic tackling

Play one of them with a good quality CB and yes it may work. Playing both of them , we will be found out and punished . Teams and managers in this league are not daft , and as we found out last season , they know how to play on your weaknesses . I hope we dont , but we could come a cropper , and i suppose , better to find out early than late . Gillingham will be a tester in more ways than one.

Adkins has to recruit . Goals - You have got to stop them going in , as much as you do scoring them, or we will be continually chasing games , which then leads to panic and mistakes .

May be tottally wrong , but thats the way i see it.

UTB

 

[metalblade]

More shocked than disappointed, I can't believe we have not yet signed at least one recognised centre back

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

Think it's quite poor that we'll be starting the season with McEveley and Collins as the cb partnership. It was glaringly obvious all last season we needed a big dominant centre half and we're starting the season with the same problem. McEveley is at best ok as a left back who can fill in at centre half when needs be, for a game here or there, and Collins is more than adequate at this level when paired with a big dominant centre half. With this partnership we'll end up getting goosed defending set plays and not getting much at the other end when attacking set plays.

I'd be happy on a number of levels with a defence that read Freeman-Big dominant centre half-Collins-McEveley, however one that reads Freeman-Collins-McEveley-McFadzean isn't strong enough defensively and physically, they'll get bullied and concede soft goals.

For me we're one player - big dominant centre half - away from walking this division, currently we might sneak top two but more likely play-off fodder.

 

[robbiez666]

If NC was still here everyone would be calling for his head. Some people think NA can work miracles.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

If NC was still here everyone would be calling for his head. Some people think NA can work miracles.

Adkins and miracles seem to be raising its head . Getting 1 or 2 CB players in , is just common sense to me.

UTB

 

[robbiez666]

Adkins and miracles seem to be raising its head . Getting 1 or 2 CB players in , is just common sense to me.

UTB

The odd thing is, you'd hardly need to be a world beater to better J-Mac. I love his attitude and effort but he's a left back and way too small.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

IMO i do not think the pairing of Collins and McEveley , is good enough and lacks -

I'd add pace to that list of deficiencies.

 

[Slim Man]

Changed vote already
Quicker than I expected...

Guess what to

 

[FTPE]

The "happy for now" brigade must be starting to reevaluate already

 

[super_pig]

>>We let in 53 goals last season,
yeah but they were all the same type of goal

 

[ilovesufc]

Vote changed!!!

 

[twirlo]

Straw poll...

I'd put myself in the happy for now box.
Come the end of August, we could have have 8 clean sheets having played 5 games with a Maldini/Baresi like partnership forming and I'll still change my vote to disappointed.

Those two won't be enough to get us over the line over the full course of the season IMO.

Nor do I think we won't sign anyone, may I add. Bit surprised myself that we haven't added a single body to the backline as yet though.

are you still happy

 

[Esablade]

Just bumping this...

 

[Esablade]

Id like to hear from our new Captain after that one...