The Luckiest Win I Can Remember

[Ricky]

Hammond was good today and knew what he was doing with those niggly fouls. He played with more energy, closed down well and got himself in the right place all the time as well as using the ball quite well.

We did have a bit of luck and we were far from great - as was always going to be the case with that line up, but the work rate and defending was better and that outweighs the negatives today.

 

[derryblade]

Welcome come win, can't lack the squad for work rate, commitment , desire, but it shouldn't hide the fact this team lacks quality, creativity, pace and movement off the ball. It's not a confidence thing they just don't possess it. The back four scared me to death today, midfield can't get forward, last ditched tackles, shirt pulling anybody with decent pace they struggled with and the forwards total lack of movement, did Sammon win a header at all. Mceverley lucky to be on pitch, Hammond the same with continually fouling, so slow it's unreal, with Coutts alongside it's painful. Usually listen to it on Blades Player, to watch in real time is alarming.

 

[Blade58]

creativity - zilch
endeavour - questionable
commitment - unquestionable
luck - in abundance
3 points - fkin priceless

 

[metalblade]

I don't believe that today means things are starting to turn. I've been away for over a month and we looked so much shitter.

When your two centre midfielders are playing the ball along the back four in the second half and are behind the two awful centre halves, we have issues

Everyone is afraid to make a mistake or take a chance. We were woeful, but dirty today. Does that mean Adkins has changed his style to kicking the hell out of better sides? Hope so

Oh I don't know recently we seem to have been punished for every mistake today it was nice to see us score off one that hit Billy's back and bobbled in .................... good tactics though to have 2 or 3 attack the ball when you know their keeper will come for everything, he was crowded out and got nowhere near it and we got the break.

 

[judge]

Shoulda woulda coulda. If we had refs in this division who got 95% of their decisions right, a lot of our results for us over the past 4 seasons would look VERY different.

A win's a win. Shite first half but it was refreshing to see us get stuck in and play a bit ugly in the second. It's been missing for a long time.

What made the second half fairly enjoyable was a mix of grit and determination, coupled with pure fear of someone fucking it all up royally. I could do without the second part.

Special mention for Tyson Fu...Connor Sammon for being the most uninterested footballer on the pitch for his entire game. Soz Woolford, you narrowly missed out.

Interesting you make the connor sammon -tyson fury comparison as i was thinking the exact same thing during the game

 

[SwissBlade]

Oh I don't know recently we seem to have been punished for every mistake today it was nice to see us score off one that hit Billy's back and bobble in .................... good tactics though to have 2 or 3 attack the ball when you know their keeper will come for everything, he was crowded out and got nowhere near it and we got the break.

Ok we had a bit...maybe a lot of luck. But we were far from a dominant force

Nice to see a side in red and white at the lane though

 

[yorkshirecoast]

Very little quality but at least we showed more effort. Nice to see us toughen up too but need to cut out silly fouls as we could easily have been down to 10 men.

As always the result is the main thing and it's a relief to get a win.

We do desperately need some better players though.

 

[TJB.]

Interesting you make the connor sammon -tyson fury comparison as i was thinking the exact same thing during the game

At our dullest in the first half I was also daydreaming about what it would be like to have Fury upfront instead.

Still mulling over who'd put more of a shift in.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

We win and people still aren't happy!

No doubt if the result had been reversed it would have been a professional and measured performance from a Coventry team certain for promotion.

Coventry were mind numbingly average and we were both diabolical and lucky. Anyone that can be happy with that level of performance needs a sanity check. They will never be luckier to win a game.

 

[judge]

Coventry were mind numbingly average and we were both diabolical and lucky. Anyone that can be happy with that level of performance needs a sanity check. They will never be luckier to win a game.

I agree
We wont play as bad as that again and win this season
Cov looked a bit lightweight with most of their better players more than likely to be playing elsewhere next year id be worried if were them

Emphasises the poor quality of the division and the need for us to sort our selves out in jan

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Let's not forget, we should have been down to 10, they had a cast iron penalty ignored and scored a goal which wasn't given. Even our goal was ugly and pathetic.

3 points was the only positive to take out of that and I have no idea whatsoever how we got them. Hodgy must have put in a good word with the big man today.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

I agree
We wont play as bad as that again and win this season
Cov looked a bit lightweight with most of their better players more than likely to be playing elsewhere next year id be worried if were them

Emphasises the poor quality of the division and the need for us to sort our selves out in jan

Agreed. I feel for them today if I'm honest. They were certainly better than us with at least a little talent in the team, although nothing special.

They deserved the win though, on the balance of play and the fact that they scored! I was embarrassed to win that and what I should be feeling is relief!

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Coventry were mind numbingly average and we were both diabolical and lucky. Anyone that can be happy with that level of performance needs a sanity check. They will never be luckier to win a game.

I'm not happy with the performance but I'm ecstatic with the result.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

I'm not happy with the performance but I'm ecstatic with the result.

I'm 99% embarrassed. 1% relieved.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Thought the substitutions from both sides changed it. Coventry looked so comfortable until they took off O'Brien and Lameiras. They were brighter than us, seemed to react and think quicker than us, and won almost every second ball.

For us, Woolford and Sammon were desperately poor. Sharp did more in his first 10 seconds on the pitch, winning a ball, controlling it and putting in a cross, than Sammon did all match.

Very lucky win, but once we scored we did control the game well and didn't give them a sniff.

Sums up my feelings. Sammon and Woolfotd should not be any where near a Sheffield UTD match squad never mind starting.

Onwards.

UTB

 

[Esablade]

Ugly win and lucky, yes, but I expected a lot more from Coventry tbh..I think a lot of that was down to how Adkin's set us up...bit like 'an away team' dropping behind the ball.

Thought Mcev's ( apart from the couple of rash decisions) Hammond and Coutts did OK considering their 'mobility issues' ..Bash average as per and Long did very well at key moments.

Thought Scoogs did well with his energy...helped relieve the pressure a lot!

 

[TJB.]

Even our goal was ugly and pathetic.

What a nonsense comment.

If it hits the back of the net, do you really care how it's gone in? If an accidental richochet off Done's left nad takes it past the opposing keeper at 0.2 miles an hour, would you not cheer?

No such thing as a pathetic goal. Take 'em however they come.

 

[Dkc]

Demonstrates to me that we still need Baxter or a similar type in midfield. We didn't have one defence-splitting pass all game that I can remember, and there seemed to be quite a few aimless balls up the wings. Great result, which keeps us in contention for the play-offs and closes the gap on 2nd. But we need a very good JTW in order to push on. Defence is still dodgy, and they passed the ball through our midfield far too easily. First half possession stats were 40 percent us, 60 percent them.

And we're still undefeated since Brayford's return with just a single goal conceded - two wins and a draw in the last three.

 

[ziggy4001]

We have been due that kind of result. Yes we were lucky but we've had a number of teams come to the lane this season and last and get 'lucky' 'scrappy' wins. Think some of the lads showed a bit of fight which has been lacking in recent weeks.

Woolford and Sammon looked bloody terrible. I'd send Sammon back to Derby if I was Adkins.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

It's been obvious since we lost at home to Shrewsbury and what Adkins said that he had had enough.

It is now also obvious that Adkins has decided to go solid, boring and ugly.

If some had cared to listen to what he said and take notice of the shit style we have had all season trying to be pretty then these types of performances wouldn't have come as a shock.

We WON, it wasn't pretty - three points............oh, nearly forgot - and have a moan as usual.

We battled all game - yes, it needs changing - get over it.

Scunny next - same old, same old - Hammond /Coutts/ Basham in midfield - get used to it.

UTB

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

What a nonsense comment.

If it hits the back of the net, do you really care how it's gone in? If an accidental richochet off Done's left nad takes it past the opposing keeper at 0.2 miles an hour, would you not cheer?

No such thing as a pathetic goal. Take 'em however they come.

Get some perspective. It was pathetic in the context of the game and masks how utterly hopeless our team is.

It will say 1-0 in the paper when the reality is that we will never been luckier and that Billy Sharp knew fuck all about that goal until he heard a cheer.

 

[TJB.]

Get some perspective. It was pathetic in the context of the game and masks how utterly hopeless our team is.

It will say 1-0 in the paper when the reality is that we will never been luckier and that Billy Sharp knew fuck all about that goal until he heard a cheer.

The context of the game is that due to some bad decisions we were still in it. And then it goes in and bags us 3 points we desperately needed, and points a lot of folk didn't think we'd get.

Does a win paper over the cracks? No, and Adkins will know that. But being negative about the manner in which we scored a goal is daft. They all count.

About the goal...it was a corner which he shouldered in (or perhaps it just went in off his shoulder). If he'd used his head, would you still think it a 'pathetic goal'?

 

[PokerBlade]

The positive was that's the first time in a while that we've actually pressed a team and tried to close them down. The downside is that with the pathetic lack of pace in our team, it resulted in us giving away foul after foul.

The only reason I'm not going to call Coutts and Woolford awful is because they don't do anything to merit any attention. Collins and McEveley make some major mistakes but at least they contribute to the game instead of just watching it pass by.

Fine, we lucked out and won but I'll keep on saying this: performances lead to long term results. In the short term you get lucky in one, unlucky in another. Long term you end up in the position that your displays merit. And for us, that means sheer mediocrity in a shockingly poor division. At the end of the season it won't matter if we baffled everyone by being the team that finished with eleven men and a win. Coventry will be up in the top six, and we'll be a long way behind them.

 

[Stretch]

Get some perspective. It was pathetic in the context of the game and masks how utterly hopeless our team is.

It will say 1-0 in the paper when the reality is that we will never been luckier and that Billy Sharp knew fuck all about that goal until he heard a cheer.

Would you have been happier if JM had been sent off, their goal had stood and we had shown absolutely no fight whatsoever, to go on and lose 1-0? Serious question.

Maybe NA should have made the players do press ups on the pitch at full time, as an apology for the performance today. After all we don't want any semblance of confidence to creep back into the team do we?

We all recognise that things must improve but for goodness sake, take the 3 points, acknowledge that they were hard earned, albeit with a huge slice of luck and enjoy your beers this afternoon.

 

[Tyler Durden]

I've slated the level of application from this team in pretty uncertain terms throughout the season, but overall we approached this game with with a much healthier attitude.

Our shortcomings in this match were largely the result of having too many players in the squad who are simply poor. Woolford is garbage and Collins could easily have cost us two goals, I want both out of the club in January if nobody else.
McEveley doesn't deserve the criticism he normally warrants today. He put in two tackles before his bad foul that were hard but got the ball. The third time was a gross misjudgement, BUT is that not what we want to see? Some sense of fight? Today, if only today he deserves a measure of credit.

Hardly a world beating performance, and we displayed some the bad habits that have put us in this position thus far, but in light of what we've seen this season we should be glad of the result and hope in lays down the foundation for an upturn in performances.

 

[Coily]

Woolford has to be pushing Collins for "worst footballer" title...

How would we truly know? He spent 55 minutes without going anywhere near the ball! If he is anywhere near the starting line up again I'd seriously question Adkins' sanity...

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

The context of the game is that due to some bad decisions we were still in it. And then it goes in and bags us 3 points we desperately needed, and points a lot of folk didn't think we'd get.

Does a win paper over the cracks? No, and Adkins will know that. But being negative about the manner in which we scored a goal is daft. They all count.

About the goal...it was a corner which he shouldered in (or perhaps it just went in off his shoulder). If he'd used his head, would you still think it a 'pathetic goal'?

He knew nothing about it and you know it. I want to start seeing a team with method, skill and desire winning games. I've no interest in seeing one that gets enormous slices of luck that it won't get very often.

 

[Bladesman]

Demonstrates to me that we still need Baxter or a similar type in midfield. We didn't have one defence-splitting pass all game that I can remember, and there seemed to be quite a few aimless balls up the wings. Great result, which keeps us in contention for the play-offs and closes the gap on 2nd. But we need a very good JTW in order to push on. Defence is still dodgy, and they passed the ball through our midfield far too easily. First half possession stats were 40 percent us, 60 percent them.

And we're still undefeated since Brayford's return with just a single goal conceded - two wins and a draw in the last three.

I was going to highlight that last week. Not sure what it is about John but he does give others around him a lift and it's mostly just leading by example.

 

[PokerBlade]

Would you have been happier if JM had been sent off, their goal had stood and we had shown absolutely no fight whatsoever, to go on and lose 1-0? Serious question.

I'd feel worse, but not by much.

If we continue to field that eleven and play that way then we'll end up well short of our pre-season ambitions. So what joy does it give me to fluke the odd game?

I want to see us putting out a side capable of promotion. We're nowhere near that. Seeing how much pace they had compared to us was embarrassing.

 

[Boxer Blade]

How about the cheer that went up when sammon won a header, wonder what the TV audience made of it, embarrassing day but we move I suppose