To any Blade having a melt down

[Dark muffy]

I think we've got to be patient for the next few games. Its going to get worse, before it gets better, just the way the fixtures are lined up. But you never know, Man City and Liverpool arn't looking unbeatable. I'm hopeful after 15 games we will be back on track and have pulled away from any trouble.

 

[Mesut Özil's Lawnmower]

Always knew this was going to happen with how well we did last season, have to keep the faith in tough times

We may be in a relegation battle, but I'd back our team and our manager to keep us up over any of the others that will be down and around the bottom of the table

We have 34 games left to play, it's not panic stations yet

Agree it should be Berge Norwood and Fleck going forward though

 

[Snake]

We’ve been appalling, we showed some promise in the leeds game, some desire to win the game but apart from that we have been out played and negative. We are relying way too much on our defence to save us this season. We cant win games 0-0.

in possession we are pony, wasteful, no composure, hitting long aimless balls that lose possession. We need to be more composed and show more value towards keeping possession with the ball. We cant score when we are chasing the opposition for the ball.

we have lost 7 games on the bounce, its very rationale to question what we are doing. ITs far more productive than burying your head in the sand and clapping along like we will be fine. If you want to play in the big boy league then your standards need to be high.

When do you start questioning the performances? When we are in the championship? When we are rock bottom at Christmas and have a mountain to climb?

we have lost the last 7 in a row and scored only 2 goals in those games, we have looked very poor in most of those games (apart from leeds) we have lost our identity in the last few months our style of play is boring/predictable/negative, we need to change and change ASAP.

I'm very much a glass half full person but tbh I can't argue with any of that. We have become very predictable and the changes we have made in our gradual evolution of how we play the game are costing us atm. We are losing the very tight games by the odd goal, rather than winning or drawing the same type of games last season. JOC is a big loss, as is Hendo. Berge is a good technical player but atm he is too slow in possession and the tempo is lost. We are half a second too slow atm and those are the very fine margins that are costing us. Teams are more aware of how we play and are more adept in stopping us and exploiting situations when we overload and lose the ball. This of course leads to uncertainty and a lack of confidence to play "our" system.

We are a work in progress side and Wilder is gradually changing and, I do believe, improving us. It's just that atm we are in that period when we are unsure of our identity now and it is costing us dearly in the tight games. Wilder will be acutely aware of this. We have been unlucky in the loss of JOC, Moose and Fleck (although I'm not sure if his absence is due to injury or loss of form). However, we are where we are, and we need to find a way to win points. I trust Wilder and his staff to do this. Brewster gives us another dimension and when Moose returns (hopefully refreshed and injury free) we will have much more of a goal threat about us.

Hang in there Blades, this is a time to dig in there and keep the faith. We haven't turned into dog shit over night - we are just going through a bad period and trying to fix it while the plane is in flight. I think we will stay up - just! And next season will be much stronger for this experience.

 

[pedro]

Us losing 1-0 at Villa with 10 men looks fabulous now they've beaten Liverpool 7-2

With 10 men for 78 minutes

 

[S64 Blade]

I still feel fine about things. Yes, there's issues, but there's a need to be pragmatic too.

We have started the season (and largely ended last season) poorly. We look laboured, lacking creativity, not as solid defensively and seemed to have left our overlapping centre back system behind. Something clearly needs to change - either a re-jig of how we play (as in my opinion, we have lost that identity), or some serious work on the training ground.

My own view is that we should tweak the system. I would go back to playing a 10. We need to be more attacking and any current attacks we do have seem to falter when we get in the final third (the amount of times we have the ball near the opposition's box and within two passes, it's back with Ramsdale, is worrying). Having that link player between midfield and the attack will help with that. That may be a new signing, or we may utilise Didsy, or perhaps Fleck, in that role. But for me, that'd allow us to attack with more intent and would help us hold the ball at the top of the pitch. I wouldn't worry about the defensive side so much. The flat three clearly isn't helping us cut-out goals, so why bother? Let's go back to giving other teams something to think about, rather than falling into this one dimensional routine.

There also needs to be a few changes on the team sheet. Stevens has been poor for some time now, sadly. So it is time to give Lowe a chance. Robinson is not good enough at the back. I've always stuck up for Lundstram, but we need to go with Norwood until we can get someone better in - he makes us tick. Up top, I expect us to settle with Burke and Brewster soon. Burke has looked a real handful since signing - he must be a nightmare to play against. He also has good vision when on the ball, with those through balls into the box he seems to like to play. Sadly, I think Sharp's time is up. He's one of my favourite ever United players, but I do not think he is up to it any more; at least not with the current way we play that takes him out of his favoured poacher role.

On the flip side, the recent results in the Premier League suggest to me, that there's something larger at play. There's undoubtedly been a change since Covid-19 hit. These high scoring, freak result games have never happened over this kind of period before. I'm not sure what is causing this - perhaps the players aren't as interested/focused with the crowds not being there - I don't know. Anyway, we are yet to have been part of one of these types of games, which suggests to me that the players are still taking things seriously and remaining professional.

I think the game is at a real crossroads, not only due to the wider World situation, but perhaps more crucially - VAR. There needs to be a real stand from across clubs, in my opinion, against it. Nobody seems to like it. It doesn't work. It's creating more issues than there ever was before.

I think there will be a lot of twists and turns yet to come!

 

[Varkanoid]

Also being positive we did get a lot of compliments from the commentary team in the Arsenal match. Such a weird weekend of football. To top it all off my sons team won 5-2 dressed in there new team kit. The Columbia national team kit.

I dont think the green or the pink suits the Blades very well.

 

[SUFCinks]

I'm very much a glass half full person but tbh I can't argue with any of that. We have become very predictable and the changes we have made in our gradual evolution of how we play the game are costing us atm. We are losing the very tight games by the odd goal, rather than winning or drawing the same type of games last season. JOC is a big loss, as is Hendo. Berge is a good technical player but atm he is too slow in possession and the tempo is lost. We are half a second too slow atm and those are the very fine margins that are costing us. Teams are more aware of how we play and are more adept in stopping us and exploiting situations when we overload and lose the ball. This of course leads to uncertainty and a lack of confidence to play "our" system.

We are a work in progress side and Wilder is gradually changing and, I do believe, improving us. It's just that atm we are in that period when we are unsure of our identity now and it is costing us dearly in the tight games. Wilder will be acutely aware of this. We have been unlucky in the loss of JOC, Moose and Fleck (although I'm not sure if his absence is due to injury or loss of form). However, we are where we are, and we need to find a way to win points. I trust Wilder and his staff to do this. Brewster gives us another dimension and when Moose returns (hopefully refreshed and injury free) we will have much more of a goal threat about us.

Hang in there Blades, this is a time to dig in there and keep the faith. We haven't turned into dog shit over night - we are just going through a bad period and trying to fix it while the plane is in flight. I think we will stay up - just! And next season will be much stronger for this experience.

whilst rhian is an exciting prospect we cant expect him to do anything off the back of yesterdays performance. No striker would prosper with our ‘style’ yesterday. We need to start playing more positively and aggressively to create more opportunities for us to score. A 20 yr old with no prem experience with a smallish frame is not going to work with long punts up field.

Lets hope wilder gets them going for fulham and we show more of that Leeds performance with a little extra positivity.

 

[Nah den]

I'm not prone to going off the deep end, nor do i stick my head in the sand and assume everything will be ok because i want it to be. I try and analyse what i'm seeing and take a measured, rationale approach. What we've seen so far is quite concerning in my opinion. As others have said, thus far the starting 11 are weaker than last season. Take Hendo out and now JOC, two big players for us last season.

One of the issues we have is conceding 70-80% possession in games. Firstly because by definition you aren't going to create as much if you don't have the ball, and the opposition likely will. The other problem is out of possession football is knackering. Chasing the ball, trying to press the other team for large parts of the game really does take it out of you. So when we do get the ball back we don't have the energy to be effective with it. Also, there's a question of quality in possession. How many times do we win the ball back and within 3, 4, 5 touches it's back with the other team? Far too many.

The other obvious problem is pace, particularly upfront. Hopefully Brewster comes in and improves us massively, but that's a big ask on a young kid. Didzy, nice goal yesterday but doesn't have the mobility for the PL. McBurnie came on and from minute 1 looked like he'd just run the London marathon. These guys try their best i'm sure, but they aren't worrying PL defences. Defenders can play a high line confident that they'll be able to recover if we do get in behind them. Most clubs that get relegated do so because they can't score. We've scored 2 in 7 games in a row is it?

Let's hope we get a bit of luck and turn some of the tight games in our favour, but for those saying "We'll stay up no problem, why is everyone so negative?" i honestly don't know what you're seeing that makes you think that, unless it's blind optimism.

 

[brownblade]

People need to stop counting the last 3 games of last season. Players were knackered by then and some of the summer temperatures were really hot as well.

Just focus on the 4 defeats so far. Otherwise, although technically accurate, it's more like scaremongering than accurate analysis.

 

[Nah den]

People need to stop counting the last 3 games of last season. Players were knackered by then and some of the summer temperatures were really hot as well.

Just focus on the 4 defeats so far. Otherwise, although technically accurate, it's more like scaremongering than accurate analysis.

I see what you're saying Brown, but the players shouldn't have been any more knackered than other teams, weather the same for everyone, and it's not really scaremongering when it's based on fact. Using facts to demonstrate a point is probably more reliable than the weather.

 

[brownblade]

I see what you're saying Brown, but the players shouldn't have been any more knackered than other teams, weather the same for everyone, and it's not really scaremongering when it's based on fact. Using facts to demonstrate a point is probably more reliable than the weather.

It's a seperate set of facts/data though. Literally a different season.

 

[Nah den]

It's a seperate set of facts/data though. Literally a different season.

But part of the same sequential pattern of performance/results.

But ok, if we leave last season out of it, 4 games in and i think the points people are making about being concerned are still legitimate and relevant.

 

[Houston_Blade]

It's a seperate set of facts/data though. Literally a different season.

Fans are happy to quote favourable stats like "we haven't lost away this year" when it crosses seasons, are we to stop doing that as well then?!

The trend from last season was worrying, it's carried on into this season, also worrying. It's much easier just to ignore it though and hope it will go away.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

No ones having a melt down. Plenty are rightfully royally fucked off with our negative shit play.

yep, spot on.

UTB

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Madness to think we'll stay up easily, I reckon. We might stay up but it'll be an almighty scrap.

That midfield we put out today just isn't Premier League quality. Any team in the league would fancy their chances lining up against that.

yes, 100%

UTB

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Remember singing that at Oldham away, night match I think it was. Didn't Simon Tracey get sent off?

Yep, was there that night - it was a midweek night match - I remember picking up a pal from Penistone then driving over.

Was the result 1-1?

UTB

 

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

Today's the first time I think we've put in a bad performance. We'll stay up. There's still 3 teams worse than us, although the table 4 GAMES IN doesn't show it.

Correct. And still some Pigs thought we didn't play badly

 

[Badger Blade]

This season in general is just one of survival for all 92 clubs to grind out and get through what has been a shit show of a year for everything, not just football and to make sure we're still in the Premier League when crowds are back and we're back to normal again.

If we had a crowd in for some of our performances, it would have been made known in no uncertain terms what we thought and there'd be a response, I don't think its a coincidence that our form dropped off a cliff at the same time that there were no crowds in. At the moment there aren't 30000 people for the team to answer to, it's a mindset thing where every game is a behind closed doors training game even though there are points to play for.

Burnley are a side who are very similar in terms of last year's league position, "us against the world" mindset, small squad, comparatively skint and are also in the shit but then looking at some of the freak results, there's nothing to be fearful of apart from a backlash from a wounded team.

 

[BushBlade]

Fans are happy to quote favourable stats like "we haven't lost away this year" when it crosses seasons, are we to stop doing that as well then?!

The trend from last season was worrying, it's carried on into this season, also worrying. It's much easier just to ignore it though and hope it will go away.

I’ve never been a fan of across seasons stats. Whether it’s in our favour or not. I was a bit pissed off with the commentator, it was like he’d been on Porktalk for ammunition. I thought Smith was pretty fair, particularly considering he’s a gooner. He was a bit concerned about how shit we made Arsenal look in the first half and I tended to agree with his comments. We looked a lot more like us off the ball. Just crap in the final third.

Weird weekend though, weird season all round so far. But look at West Ham. A couple of games ago it looked like they might not win a game all season. We can turn this around.

 

[Sharrow Snuff Mill]

So far, without Hendo and O`Connell, we have had a bad 6 minutes v. Wolves ;, a bad refereeing decision and missed pen v. Villa ; the best chances v. Leeds ; and only lost 2-1 to a vastly improved Arsenal.

No-one has given us a pasting. Looking at Man City conceding 5, Man U conceding 6, and Liverpool conceding 7, I don`t think we should fear anyone.

A couple of wins will make all the difference, and I have no doubt we shall get them, increase in confidence, and move up the table.

 

[Sandygate Blade]

We will stay up.
We've had a bit of misfortune to the start of the season, nothing to worry about.
There's been some crazy scorelines today in the Prem.
I've followed United since 1971, that's from a century when the majority of you lot throwing the dummy out weren't even born.
You think Currie and Woodward are the name of a song, you don't know who the zone man is and you believe Henderson is the only player we've chanted Deano to.
Chill out we'll be fine
UTB ❤

Whilst I agree with this, I'm also old enough to remember the great 1970's teams. I don't want to be pessimistic but we went into the 1975/76 season full of optimism. South stand opened, new star striker signed, just missed out of Europe in season before. Shoot magazine even tipped us to win the Title. After an opening day draw we lost seven on trot and the manager Ken Furphy was sacked.

I'm still confident we'll be OK, but have been here many times before.

 

[blade too long]

You make your own luck. Right now we don't make much of anything.

How do we influence refs to give a vital decision in our favour for a change

Egan got sent off .Luis didn't even get a yellow for holding

These things change games

 

[blade too long]

It doesn't really matter how vulnerable any team are looking defensively at the moment though does it? If we don't attack, we still won't score no matter how vulnerable a defence are! Yesterday Arsenal faffed around playing it out from the back many times, Luiz is a liability...they look pretty vulnerable defensively too. And we still only managed to score 1 consolation goal. Incidentally from one of the only moves in 90 mins where we dared to run at their defence and creat some space for ourselves. Not a coincidence!

We had the better chances v leeds
We were better 2nd half v wolves
The sending off stifled our attacking options v villa
Losing Egan and oconnors made it hard

 

[Nah den]

How do we influence refs to give a vital decision in our favour for a change

Was discussing this with a mate, who is also a member of this forum, and taking yesterday's game as the example maybe we are a little too 'honest'. If Burke chucks himself to the floor then the ref has to look at it properly, as would VAR and clearly it's a foul. Is it a red? Not certain as i'm sure the argument would be that the keeper is getting there first (sure that wouldn't be the case if roles reversed). Lundstram in the second half gets a rap on the shin having nicked it off the toes of the Arsenal guy, not enough to make him go down, but if he had VAR would have looked at it and there is contact, it's irrefutable, and therefore has to be a penalty.

I don't think anyone wants to have to play like this, and i'm sure Wilder has something along these lines himself, but if you can't beat them join them. I'd rather stay up having engaged in a bit of sportsmanship than get relegated as the most honest team to go down.

 

[Maidenhead]

Whilst I agree with this, I'm also old enough to remember the great 1970's teams. I don't want to be pessimistic but we went into the 1975/76 season full of optimism. South stand opened, new star striker signed, just missed out of Europe in season before. Shoot magazine even tipped us to win the Title. After an opening day draw we lost seven on trot and the manager Ken Furphy was sacked.

I'm still confident we'll be OK, but have been here many times before.

I was thinking just the same last night.

I also think we will be ok this season.

 

[boggy1959]

Whilst I agree with this, I'm also old enough to remember the great 1970's teams. I don't want to be pessimistic but we went into the 1975/76 season full of optimism. South stand opened, new star striker signed, just missed out of Europe in season before. Shoot magazine even tipped us to win the Title. After an opening day draw we lost seven on trot and the manager Ken Furphy was sacked.

I'm still confident we'll be OK, but have been here many times before.

Didn't Furphy say something along the lines of"why change a team that did so well last season"?
Early days,but worrying parallels

 

[blade too long]

It doesn't really matter how vulnerable any team are looking defensively at the moment though does it? If we don't attack, we still won't score no matter how vulnerable a defence are! Yesterday Arsenal faffed around playing it out from the back many times, Luiz is a liability...they look pretty vulnerable defensively too. And we still only managed to score 1 consolation goal. Incidentally from one of the only moves in 90 mins where we dared to run at their defence and creat some space for ourselves. Not a coincidence!

We did what most teams do at Arsenal
Keep it tight first half then look get in the game.big difference was their ninety million pound sub Pepe.

We are not in any danger yet there's 34 games to get out.of it

Villa lost 21 games but stayed up but their fans never ran round like headless chickens saying we are doomed

Our fans are the greatest grouping of pessimists in football

 

[ilovesufc]

We did what most teams do at Arsenal
Keep it tight first half then look get in the game.big difference was their ninety million pound sub Pepe.

We are not in any danger yet there's 34 games to get out.of it

Villa lost 21 games but stayed up but their fans never ran round like headless chickens saying we are doomed

Our fans are the greatest grouping of pessimists in football

Ha I know quite a few Villa fan friends and I can assure you, they did
It's all well and good keeping it tight, the problem is we didn't in the end and we also left it till the last 10 minutes to come into the game. I think we have to accept that we aren't going to be as solid defensively this season...which means we have to try and play in a more positive manner if we want to get anything from games. You have to score goals to win matches! I totally agree that there's a long way to go in the season BUT there's no point burying our heads in the sand and thinking everything is hunky dory when it isn't.

 

[GrayBlade]

We Blades we need to take this one game at a time like Wilder tells the players to. I understand why some fans are concerned because ideally we needed to get some points in the bag before the difficult run starting with Arsenal began, but we’ve been here before more than once under Wilder as well as Bassett and other managers. Just one win and the confidence returns and we were up and running again.

The worst thing we as fans can do is pile on even more pressure and negatively. I’ve seen some disgusting stuff on social media where our own players have been slagged off, written off and even tagged in the abusive message for good measure just in case the player missed it. What is wrong with people? How do they think this will help matters? We’re FOUR games in, nobody has hammered us (unlike ManU and Liverpool), it’s been fine margins, let‘s back the players and management and help them turn it around, that’s what supporters do isn’t it?

We’ll always have gobshites that love the sound of their own voices more than the club, but it’s up to the rest of us to make it clear online that we’re 100% behind them. It’s the one and only way that we can support our club until we can start attending games again.

 

[Whiston Blade]

Yep, was there that night - it was a midweek night match - I remember picking up a pal from Penistone then driving over.

Was the result 1-1?

UTB

That's right, I had to google the result, I was only 9 years old at the time.