Things that are obvious and need rectifying

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ekke287

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Another defeat. Fine. But let’s look at the obvious issues we have in an attempt to fix one at a time. We’re already down and have been for the last few games, so it’s high time to look at what blatantly isn’t working to try and salvage some hope for this season going into the next in the Championship.

I’ll start -

1) Three at the back without JOC isn’t working at all, we’re conceding every game at least one. We need to switch to four at the back and offer more protection for Ramsdale.

2) A follow on from the above, the overlapping CBs aren’t overlapping anymore, bar Bash who is easily predicted now it’s only coming from one side. We need to switch to a back four and use more depth in midfield.

3) Midfield is too lightweight and easily overrun, as Stevens and Baldock are pinned back more. We need some bite back in there, like Besic for instance, along side attacking wingers as a possibility.

4) Our strikers need to make their own chances a lot more, as currently they’re not getting the service most require. If we’re hoping this will change in the current setup we’re in for more of the same.

5) Maybe controversial but I feel we look more dangerous with Burke and McG on. We’ve created a lot with that pairing so it might be worth developing further, using Brewster, McB and Moose as impact subs, or potentially McG in the Duffy type role.

It’s hard to not be negative at a time like this, but this is aimed as constructive criticism on the team, as we should accept our fate.

To me the pressure is off now, we’re 99% certain to go down bar some miracle, so it’s the time to start swallowing pride and admitting when systems and so on aren’t working.

We need to aim for twelve points to save face. Three wins and a draw will do it, but perseverance with the approach that has seen us winless without the opposition breaking a sweat equals nothing changing anytime soon.

Feel free to add your own.
 

Feel changing to a back four would see us getting murdered most weeks. It might give us a bit more control in the middle of the park though. A left footed centre back that can play in a four or three should be on the Jan shopping list. This player is needed regardless of divisional status next season and has been a big omission in the last two season's recruitment. Jags and Robinson are stop gaps at best.
I don't understand the club's reluctance not to sign players on permanents that we'll need next season anyway.

Agree with your assessment of the need for a midfielder with bite. Athletic, gets stuck in and can progress the ball forward. Wilder has to play Osborn to go with a two because he has some of those qualities out of possession. These are our two big omissions in recruitment that are costing us big time now with the breakdown of the left sided overlapping CB..
 
Main obvious thing all season is just how much we waste possession.

Usually we just give it away with aimless long punts and even when we do have a lot of the ball like today, we turn promising attacking positions into giving it back to Ramsdale with minimal pressure from the opposition.

If they're not playing backwards, ridiculous attempts at Hollywood diagonal balls seem to be the order of the day, when almost every single good bit of good football we've played all season (not many) have involved moving the ball quickly to feet.

Today's bizarre wasting tactic was taking throws and freekicks 10-20 yards further back than where they were given, so a throw near the corner flag turns into a throw from halfway along the touchline or a freekick 30 yards out gets taken just over the halfway line instead.

Not a single one of our central midfielders deserves a place in the team, with a mixture of scared/disinterested/incapable performances between them.
 
I’ve said it in a previous thread, but Ben Osborn should never start as part of a central midfield pairing in the Premier League. He’s alright at LWB, or at a stretch, the left-sided player in a flat midfield three, but he surely can’t play in a two again.

Robinson is shite as well. I get that we’re short in that position, but CWAK knew that when JOC was ruled out for the season, before the window closed.

We’ve looked much better and more comfortable when reverting to a back four, but surely Chris sees that?
 
As Eric Cantona said, you need a water carrier in midfield alongside an at least half decent creative midfielder. We’ve got no creative midfielders, just three blokes who play like camels carrying water in their humps.
 
1. Things with the wife aren’t working out and we should consider divorce.
2. My jobs shit,its just a job and I could be happier on less money.
3. Staying in Sheffield is not a necessity anymore, it just gets me down alot and I should move abroad.
 
I don’t want to be a pain, but we all know and are well aware the system isn’t working.
Is there anyone who isn’t “admitting when systems aren’t working and so on”?
 
Feel changing to a back four would see us getting murdered most weeks. It might give us a bit more control in the middle of the park though. A left footed centre back that can play in a four or three should be on the Jan shopping list. This player is needed regardless of divisional status next season and has been a big omission in the last two season's recruitment. Jags and Robinson are stop gaps at best.
I don't understand the club's reluctance not to sign players on permanents that we'll need next season anyway.

Agree with your assessment of the need for a midfielder with bite. Athletic, gets stuck in and can progress the ball forward. Wilder has to play Osborn to go with a two because he has some of those qualities out of possession. These are our two big omissions in recruitment that are costing us big time now with the breakdown of the left sided overlapping CB..

This!

We need one (ideally two) athletic midfielders who will chase all day. We'll definitely need them next season, so using 1/2 season of PL experience as a carrot to entice them to join.
 
This!

We need one (ideally two) athletic midfielders who will chase all day. We'll definitely need them next season, so using 1/2 season of PL experience as a carrot to entice them to join.


We should sign Sheffield’s Lundstram and Fleck. They looked great last season, Perhaps the lad Berge from Genk. Might be big money but he’s played in the Champions League
 
I might be in a minority of one on this, but I thought Osborn did ok today--at least in comparison to his pal Ampadu stood next to him. Osborn looked energetic, won a few tackles, claimed a few second balls. He's not and never will be a creative force in the centre of the pitch. But he might do okay next to such a player, if we had one.

Ampadu is lost and out of position. He needs to be out of the team ASAP and it might be better if Chelsea took him back. He might go on to have a great career but this is not the team or the situation for him to learn the ropes of big boys' football. Playing alongside Osborn he offers nothing. He won't be with us next season so let's start building the midfield to bring us back up.

In central midfield, we need minimum of one evil bastard and one creative type--ideally the latter could also play as a no. 10, but a solid no. 8 would be a good start.

We need one or two more wingers so that we can stop playing this broken system with no attacking players besides two isolated strikers.

And we need a left-footed centre back capable of being first choice if JOC leaves.
 
I don't understand the club's reluctance not to sign players on permanents that we'll need next season anyway.

The reluctance might stem from being worried that Wilder might waste the money again. I can see why they would be concerned about that.
 
You back your man or you sack him. If the money isn't there deals can be structured to get around that.
 

I might be in a minority of one on this, but I thought Osborn did ok today--at least in comparison to his pal Ampadu stood next to him. Osborn looked energetic, won a few tackles, claimed a few second balls. He's not and never will be a creative force in the centre of the pitch. But he might do okay next to such a player, if we had one.

Ampadu is lost and out of position. He needs to be out of the team ASAP and it might be better if Chelsea took him back. He might go on to have a great career but this is not the team or the situation for him to learn the ropes of big boys' football. Playing alongside Osborn he offers nothing. He won't be with us next season so let's start building the midfield to bring us back up.

In central midfield, we need minimum of one evil bastard and one creative type--ideally the latter could also play as a no. 10, but a solid no. 8 would be a good start.

We need one or two more wingers so that we can stop playing this broken system with no attacking players besides two isolated strikers.

And we need a left-footed centre back capable of being first choice if JOC leaves.

It's a bit of a mystery why we never played this system with Berge and Osborn.
 
As Eric Cantona said, you need a water carrier in midfield alongside an at least half decent creative midfielder. We’ve got no creative midfielders, just three blokes who play like camels carrying water in their humps.


And no genuine holding midfielder.
 
I might be in a minority of one on this, but I thought Osborn did ok today--at least in comparison to his pal Ampadu stood next to him. Osborn looked energetic, won a few tackles, claimed a few second balls. He's not and never will be a creative force in the centre of the pitch. But he might do okay next to such a player, if we had one.

Ampadu is lost and out of position. He needs to be out of the team ASAP and it might be better if Chelsea took him back. He might go on to have a great career but this is not the team or the situation for him to learn the ropes of big boys' football. Playing alongside Osborn he offers nothing. He won't be with us next season so let's start building the midfield to bring us back up.

In central midfield, we need minimum of one evil bastard and one creative type--ideally the latter could also play as a no. 10, but a solid no. 8 would be a good start.

We need one or two more wingers so that we can stop playing this broken system with no attacking players besides two isolated strikers.

And we need a left-footed centre back capable of being first choice if JOC leaves.


Norwood apart, 9 years older, Ampadu has more international caps at twenty years old than anyone else in the side. (Egan and Berge should end up with more, one would expect). There has to be something there. His caps are for Wales, who l believe are well above Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic in the UEFA rankings. Someone recently described him as a "Chelsea youth reject". OK, playing in a team devoid of confidence in different positions, he's achieved more than Fleck has this season, like it or not.
 
The defence concede too many avoidable soft goals.

The midfield don't win enough ball and don't create enough whilst being painfully slow.

The strike force get little service but are well short of what's required at this elevated level.

We have a handful of players who shouldn't be anywhere near PL football.

The manager has lost his mojo.

We've wasted obscene amounts of money on fees by SUFC standards.

Most importantly we don't have enough 50 years man and boy badge of honour Blades posting positive messages on here. That's what breaks my heart the most.
 
Norwood apart, 9 years older, Ampadu has more international caps at twenty years old than anyone else in the side. (Egan and Berge should end up with more, one would expect). There has to be something there. His caps are for Wales, who l believe are well above Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic in the UEFA rankings. Someone recently described him as a "Chelsea youth reject". OK, playing in a team devoid of confidence in different positions, he's achieved more than Fleck has this season, like it or not.

Fair points. I do think there’s a player in there somewhere—his first couple of performances were pretty good.

My overall philosophy this season has become not to write off any of our young players. They are in a very difficult situation and need a chance to show what they can do in a team that plays with confidence and plays better football. They can’t be expected to save us themselves. The difference is that Ampadu won’t be with us next season, and that’s what we need to be planning for.
 
Wonder if man City would let foden go out on loan after his game time complaints could be just what we need in midfield 🤤
 
Feel changing to a back four would see us getting murdered most weeks. It might give us a bit more control in the middle of the park though. A left footed centre back that can play in a four or three should be on the Jan shopping list. This player is needed regardless of divisional status next season and has been a big omission in the last two season's recruitment. Jags and Robinson are stop gaps at best.
I don't understand the club's reluctance not to sign players on permanents that we'll need next season anyway.

Agree with your assessment of the need for a midfielder with bite. Athletic, gets stuck in and can progress the ball forward. Wilder has to play Osborn to go with a two because he has some of those qualities out of possession. These are our two big omissions in recruitment that are costing us big time now with the breakdown of the left sided overlapping CB..
Yeah but a back four would eradicate the need for that “stop gap” centre back altogether. Bash and Egan in the middle would allow Baldock and Stevens to concentrate on their defensive duties. Bogle and Burke can be our wingers. Just leaving us with the dilemma of a suitable midfield pairing (JTW). But I do feel with improved service and support from midfield, the lads up front we may get just about past Derby and maybe Sunderland’s points totals.
 
Yeah but a back four would eradicate the need for that “stop gap” centre back altogether. Bash and Egan in the middle would allow Baldock and Stevens to concentrate on their defensive duties. Bogle and Burke can be our wingers. Just leaving us with the dilemma of a suitable midfield pairing (JTW). But I do feel with improved service and support from midfield, the lads up front we may get just about past Derby and maybe Sunderland’s points totals.
I think we'd get murdered defensively with Bash at centre back in a four.One and two goal defeats would become threes, fours and fives imo. We'd still have the problem progressing the ball through the centre midfielders as the last two games, and, on top of that, lose Bash's ball carrying ability as he'd have to stay at home in a back four. We've nothing to lose though, so why not.
 
I think we'd get murdered defensively with Bash at centre back in a four.One and two goal defeats would become threes, fours and fives imo. We'd still have the problem progressing the ball through the centre midfielders as the last two games, and, on top of that, lose Bash's ball carrying ability as he'd have to stay at home in a back four. We've nothing to lose though, so why not.
Sorry Chris, I won’t mention 4 at the back again.
 
Main obvious thing all season is just how much we waste possession.

Usually we just give it away with aimless long punts and even when we do have a lot of the ball like today, we turn promising attacking positions into giving it back to Ramsdale with minimal pressure from the opposition.

If they're not playing backwards, ridiculous attempts at Hollywood diagonal balls seem to be the order of the day, when almost every single good bit of good football we've played all season (not many) have involved moving the ball quickly to feet.

Today's bizarre wasting tactic was taking throws and freekicks 10-20 yards further back than where they were given, so a throw near the corner flag turns into a throw from halfway along the touchline or a freekick 30 yards out gets taken just over the halfway line instead.

Not a single one of our central midfielders deserves a place in the team, with a mixture of scared/disinterested/incapable performances between them.
Our midfield is terrible for this level of football, Osborn gave it away at every opportunity, not sure what Ampadu brought to the team yesterday.
 
Norwood apart, 9 years older, Ampadu has more international caps at twenty years old than anyone else in the side. (Egan and Berge should end up with more, one would expect). There has to be something there. His caps are for Wales, who l believe are well above Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic in the UEFA rankings. Someone recently described him as a "Chelsea youth reject". OK, playing in a team devoid of confidence in different positions, he's achieved more than Fleck has this season, like it or not.


He’s been getting those caps as a centre back though hasn’t he?
 
I don’t want to be a pain, but we all know and are well aware the system isn’t working.
Is there anyone who isn’t “admitting when systems aren’t working and so on”?

No pain at all mate.

We’ve switched to a back four midway through games but atm we always start as a back three. We all know it and the opposition know it alongside our obvious weak left. All they have to do is run at us on that side and they’ll get chances.
 
bring a left sided centre back in and go 451 pack midfield play 1 striker with 2 midfielders supporting bogle can play in front of baldock and osborn in front of stevens
 
One thing that was picked up by the commentators last night was speed of thought and the fact that we had none.
The instinct was to get the ball and look backwards. The only player who has any kind of intelligence is McGoldrick but without anyone else being on the same page, he's on his own.

The system has stopped working but the problem is that for most the players in the squad, it's now all they know, down to the fact that we have a team of grafters who have been moulded to do certain jobs in that system because they don't have the individual talent to be able to just go out there and play. If something changes within it, whether it's different players or opposition doing something to stifle it, they're flummoxed and there's nobody in the team who can drag it kicking and screaming towards a result.
 

Nothing to do with the actual playing side because for me this season is gone and any changes to systems and personnel now is going to have a minimum impact and could cause more damage in the short term.

For me the major thing that needs looking at, and has for some time imo, is the scouting system. We have absolutely zero scouting knowledge of foreign players, most premier league sides and a fair few championship sides have great knowledge of the European leagues and constantly pick up players for a fraction of the money we've forked out over the past 2 seasons.

It was all very noble this trying to be a British team at heart but there's a good reason why the majority of the home nations don't qualify for major tournaments and it's the players aren't as technically strong as their foreign counterparts
 

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