That's why we don't go up

[Weasel]

What really irritates me about United and the early season is the apparent willingness to almost write off the first few games as some kind of extended pre-season, rather than being on it and reasonably well drilled. It's almost accepted and I don't get it?

Exactly. Its infuriating every season. That game last night was played by done of the players like it was still pre season and we were undercooked. Ffs, one of the advantages of the many injuries we had was that we had hardly any new signings playing and a mostly a team that had been together for a good while (far too long actually). The lack of intensity, lack of pushing for an equaliser, no one barking orders at the team, the meek way we just drifted to defeat etc was unacceptable even if it is game 1. I've slept on it and I'm still infuriated with that SUFC performance still this morning.

Players and management come and go at SUFC but the piss poor starts to the seasons remain ever thus. Why is that? And why are we notoriously slow at getting back up to speed again after international breaks? It needs reviewing and sorting out as it costs us points and handicaps us season after season. Its OK if Watford performance was put in in a pre season friendly but not when the season kicks off. The lack of movement by the players and intensity last night was dreadful, almost like some players were coasting through the game. It was almost 'OK to lose' and right it off. Utter horse shit. Of course picking some players who were done 2 years ago isn't helpful and I fail to understand why we are still playing the Stevens and Fleck for the first game.... Again. Someone isn't doing their job right if they haven't sorted this out by now.

 

[Rodley]

We are good at being negative and losing

Are you talking about posters on here?

I’m old enough to remember piss cascading onto the mattress on here after the WBA game last season. We’ve got Doyle, Anel and potentially McAtee to come back. If Watford are one of the top 3 or 4 teams this season we’ll be well up there.

 

[Houso]

Fast forward to the end of season...

"See, I told you we'd not go up. Look at this thread where I predicted it after the first match of the season."

Or

"Bloody love being wrong, but glad Hecky and the lads changed it! We're going up!"

It's easy being this pessimistic.

 

[Blade58]

I'm not getting too carried away after one game

With Brewster, Billy, Anel, Bash, Robbo, Doyle and hopefully McAtee and I would also argue Arblaster all to come into the fray, there's plenty to be optimistic about

A couple of wins next few games and Watford will be all but forgotten about

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

We won't go up because we're not a very good team.

Still can't believe how many people were predicting us to get automatic promotion before the season started.

 

[Rodley]

Fast forward to the end of season...

"See, I told you we'd not go up. Look at this thread where I predicted it after the first match of the season."

Or

"Bloody love being wrong, but glad Hecky and the lads changed it! We're going up!"

It's easy being this pessimistic.

The most shocking performance since the last time we lost?

 

[Weasel]

As it happens I think we will do very well this season. Think we will be right up there. But even injuries apart, last night's performance against an average looking Watford who conceded for fun last season by the way, was just bloody awful. That's where a lot of posters are infuriated with. Last night's meek performance and questioning why certain players continue to get a starting shirt year after year despite being clearly past it. Still, let's just give everyone a start in the league....again. Great fun.

 

[dublin 10 blade]

Thread logic:
Seasons should only last one game and whoever doesn’t win goes down and whoever wins goes up and whoever draws stays put.

Thought that’s how it worked
According to some ( most ) Blades fans here
You don’t win every game we’re wank

 

[LondonBlade89]

As a performance it was poor lack of intensity nil attacking threat and no mobility in midfield and we couldn’t string passes together out muscled our thought all over the pitch bar Ndiaye so as far a this game goes I reckon the frustration for this game is justified

I’m not arguing you can’t be frustrated. But since when does how you perform in the first game define how you do in the season?

 

[Revolution]

A few more in ?
There's 28 in the squad FFS
Need some crap shipped out first

Remember we need at least 10 players more than everyone else due to all of the injuries we are destined to pick up.

 

[scouseblade]

Its the first game. Last I checked 45 more to go. Who knows Watford might fade away. Yes disappointing but lets see what the next few weeks brings and then perhaps we can say "thats why we wont/dont go up"....

 

[Broomhall Blade]

I'm hardly Hecky's biggest fan but even I'm not having a pop after last night.
We've lost yes but I doubt there's a better side than Watford in the Championship certainly not one with a better forward line. We matched Watford in all areas created some good chances but lost to a goal we could have stopped, that also had a suspicion of off side.
I actually thought every player did ok including Norwood, Fleck and Clark, its seems some of ours fans have permanently got it fixed in their heads that Norwood and Fleck are crap and when we loose they are the default to who gets it. Clark looked strong even though played out of position and when you take into account that forward line is a freak for this division he'll be a good signing. The only player who looked poor was Lowe did he even manage on pass to a United player, if I was Hecky I would be having a word this morning. If he doesn't want to be here put him on the transfer list.
We looked a side that can only get better with games.
My only worries are the horrendous injury list that shows no signs of getting any better, we have got to be doing something wrong, has a side ever had so many injuries at the 1st game of the season.
And I think we are a forward light in the squad.

Watford was always going to be tough Saturday will tells us more.

 

[gordoncharles]

I’m not arguing you can’t be frustrated. But since when does how you perform in the first game define how you do in the season?

You're right of course, though it doesn't help when we have the long (?) wait for the start of a new season, a fresh start, a blank sheet of paper, and then we all witness that non-event.

Although Watford just about deserved to win there were so few chances throughout that the game could easily have ended goalless and then the focus would have been about what a good point it was despite not playing too well, that's the hallmark of a good side blah blah blah, because for most people the result conditions the view of the performance. But the performance was awful and we lost, so everyone agrees it was awful.

I'll give the players some latitude. The team has lost 10% of its creativity since last season because Gibbs-White is no longer visiting. I say 10% because we start each match with 10 outfield players and he was the one, solitary, single creative one, but in reality, it means we've lost 90%+ of our creativity because the rest of the team are workaday pros who can run about and kick the ball in the right general direction and not look completely out of place in the second tier of English football. This, as I never tire of saying, is not the players fault. They can't help being mediocre, it's just what they are.

I see no reason to panic, but neither do I see any cause for any great optimism. We're a bland outfit in the same manner as practically all of the league, and the season is looonnnggg and split into two parts as well so who knows?

The only thing that's given me anything to smile about are those posters who still think we've got a couple of classy players who could be transferred to top level teams. I admire the positivity, but they're delusional.

 

[Hull Blade]

Whhooo, hold those horses there cowboy. Rub'em down with a copy of the Star, get back on the horse and go again on Satdee.
Permission to panic if they lose the next three.

 

[Trigger Blade]

Off to bed .... Though how can I sleep after that shitshow ?

Funnily enough, I slept well and when woke up this morning it was a good few minutes before I remembered we lost last night, when normally it’s the first thing I would think of.

Not sure quite what that tells me, but I’m not getting any younger.

 

[Weasel]

Funnily enough, I slept well and when woke up this morning it was a good few minutes before I remembered we lost last night, when normally it’s the first thing I would think of.

Not sure quite what that tells me, but I’m not getting any younger.

But you are getting wiser and not letting United make you feel pissed off and irritable all day through lack of sleep. Nowadays if they put in a shit show I just think 'fuck you United' and sleep like a baby.

 

[bladesmanluke]

I'm looking at the central core of this squad. The ones that have been here a number of years now that start every season poorly. Why?

 

[Champagneblade]

#bedwetter

Living in Asia I woke up at 3 and watched it until it finished. Then was sat at work by 7am. I think I'm entitled to wet the bed I'd had so little sleep in as I watched that kamikaze effort.

Fast forward to the end of season...

"See, I told you we'd not go up. Look at this thread where I predicted it after the first match of the season."

Or

"Bloody love being wrong, but glad Hecky and the lads changed it! We're going up!"

It's easy being this pessimistic.

It's not pessimism. It's realism.

No intention of doing a told you so. I'm not intentionally being all Nostradamus here.

Point was merely in an awkward game at the weekend Boro for instance managed to share the spoils. We very predictably walked away with nothing mainly due to our own stupidity. There are still too many players associated with the club who haven't shook off that losing mentality when it counts.

It's disappointing but so very predictable seeing us turn what could have been a useful and encouraging away point into a monumental cock up of our own making.

 

[JJBlade]

Teams that go up take 3 points from that game

Watford were not good either, and a team with a chance of going up would have got hold of the game and actually tried to win it, instead of mentally setting up to fail like us

"Oh boo hoo, a team relegated from the Prem, and we get them away from home first game, lets do what we usually do when our inferiority conplex sets in and refuse to take part in any attacking sense at all"

 

[Weasel]

Teams that go up take 3 points from that game

Watford were not good either, and a team with a chance of going up would have got hold of the game and actually tried to win it, instead of mentally setting up to fail like us

"Oh boo hoo, a team relegated from the Prem, and we get them away from home first game, lets do what we usually do when our inferiority conplex sets in and refuse to take part in any attacking sense at all"

Have to agree. I couldn't understand the thought process of many on here pre game re 'take a point' or 'let's just take a 2 nil defeat and move on' etc. I thought Watford would be still reeling from last season and were ripe for attacking. If we have turned up and gone at them I really fancied us to turn them over. Instead, we didn't and rolled over and had our bellies tickled. So frustating. Watford are no great shakes and this season will show that.

 

[CaptainMorgans]

A few more in ?
There's 28 in the squad FFS
Need some crap shipped out first

A general balancing needs to take place.
If someone will take Osula & McBurnie on loan then that would be helpful (but doubtful in the latters case).
I don't think we need Coulibaly and Arblaster. One should go out.
Kyron Gordon & Kacper Lopata need to go out and get game time.

And we then have some injuries that we're dealing with; Davies, Sharp & Brewster returning from long spells out, Bogle out long term, J Robinson possibly out long term, Stevens looks like he's now going to possibly need a few weeks.

So whilst I agree with you, I still believe we need some players in.
No more so than at the very top of the pitch.

 

[Houso]

Living in Asia I woke up at 3 and watched it until it finished. Then was sat at work by 7am. I think I'm entitled to wet the bed I'd had so little sleep in as I watched that kamikaze effort.


It's not pessimism. It's realism.

No intention of doing a told you so. I'm not intentionally being all Nostradamus here.

Point was merely in an awkward game at the weekend Boro for instance managed to share the spoils. We very predictably walked away with nothing mainly due to our own stupidity. There are still too many players associated with the club who haven't shook off that losing mentality when it counts.

It's disappointing but so very predictable seeing us turn what could have been a useful and encouraging away point into a monumental cock up of our own making.

Bloody love definitive predictions of us not going up (after one game) being pegged as 'realism'. It's not realism, it's pessimism.

 

[Alan Birchenall's hair]

What really irritates me about United and the early season is the apparent willingness to almost write off the first few games as some kind of extended pre-season, rather than being on it and reasonably well drilled. It's almost accepted and I don't get it?

Absolutely agree. It's similar to the folks who say 'we're tucked in nicely behind the leaders' when we're in sixth place. Or 'we're well positioned for a run at the play-offs' when we're ninth. No we're not, we're just miles off a promotion spot. Watch it unfold similarly this season.

 

[Champagneblade]

Bloody love definitive predictions of us not going up (after one game) being pegged as 'realism'. It's not realism, it's pessimism.

It's not a prediction. It's a statement that teams that do go up tend to get points in that type of situation. Just like late goals is also a Hallmark of promoted teams. Giving away daft goals that are self inflicted isn't such a Hallmark and we need to make better decisions in such circumstances.

The more type games like that we throw away, the more likely we won't be one of those teams that go up.

 

[biggiesablade]

I can't remember the last time we won on opening day, not worried yet.

 

[sheffieldred]

Teams that go up also lose quite a few games in the championship. Teams in the top 6 last season after 12 games who didn't make the play offs:

Stoke
Coventry
West Brom

For reference Fulham (by Miles the best team) were in 3rd and had lost 3, a quarter of their games. They'd drawn two as well.

No one want a shit opener but come on guys, bit of perspective required.

What is important is to see the team get a few wins on the board whilst building a pattern of play that will beat teams regularly. It takes time for that to happen, not one game against a team with arguably better players than you have.

 

[mattbianco1]

I'm throwing the towel in. We've played 2.17% of the season. Absolutely no way we can recover from here

 

[Gin&Juice]

It's annoying.

I only caught the highlights, as had an emergency last night.

Think by the end of the season, the team will be vastly different from last nights. One of those shitty games, that we always tend to have at the start of the season.

We're at home next, we have Khadra potentially starting, and Mcatee joining, so we might be abit less pedestrian..

Fleck needs to go now, Arblaster and Izzy C will need to get some game time.

 

[El Volví]

Still early days.

Yes, but were already seeing the same issues that have dogged us for 2 years!

It's great to see new players coming in, but some if the Wilder signings are showing the issues from previous seasons.
And God help us if McBurnie comes back!

 

[LS16Blade]

The sense of sheer unprofessionalism in the club’s preparation, almost every single year, becomes wearing.

Successive managers begin the Summer pleading that they want transfer business done early to allow pre-season training to actually have some value. It never happens, though, and there are always exculpatory reasons given about agents, other clubs etc.

Pre-season then becomes a muddled mess as the coaching staff juggle ‘pitch time’ for a bloated unbalanced squad. The unfocused approach to friendlies - where the management never get close to fielding the XI that will start game 1 of the season - predictably results in erratic/disappointing results. The unconvincing narrative that the management then feel obliged to give is that the friendlies are about ”getting time in the legs” to try to deflect from worryingly poor results against lowly opposition. Presumably, if friendlies are truly about getting pitch time, that also applies to the players of Scunthorpe, Mansfield and Barnsley - yet it is us that keep being on the wrong end of the results.

The fact that we continue to pick up impact injuries in training - a common theme since Henderson crocked Fleck on the eve of ‘Project Re-start’ - is cretinous. What the hell are they doing in training to pick up injuries? Football has all but become a non-contact sport on match day yet we’re maiming our own in training. Brainless. The fact that defensive preparations for game 1 are then disrupted 3 days before match day because nobody at a Professional football club knew about a relevant suspension is risible.

And then we arrive at game 1. Handed a chance to take advantage of a side carrying the inevitable fragility of a team that is in the habit of being pumped every week, and with a particular mental block at home where they have 1 win in 14. It’s the sort of vulnerability that Birmingham exploited at Bramall Lane last season. But, unfortunately, we turn up half-baked with a cobbled together line-up that hasn’t played in any of the warm-up games, and showing a mediocre relegated side so much respect that we barely have a go at them. In fact, we select a side that keeps all of the players that might have worried their fragile defenders, on our bench.