TONIGHT: A look at the season and where we go from here

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YorkBlade

YorkBlade

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As Blades can't meet up, go to the pub and just chat about our favourite team we thought we'd try and do something to bring us all together until the world returns to normal.

7pm tonight we are going to look at the season so far and discuss what has gone wrong BUT more importantly the positives looking ahead. The talented youngsters, the return to the stadium and the return of key players from injury.

We'd love it if you joined in the conversation on YouTube. There's a chatbox and all are welcome. There will be a host of Blades fans to share their thoughts. If successful we will do more.

WATCH:
 

What has gone wrong? ......there’s a few reasons

1: Lack of pre-season preparation due to covid. I appreciate it effects every club...but if every club has ZERO preparation then you would expect those clubs with the best individual most talented players to perform better. Preparation of team structure and tactics...means weaker players can produce a well drilled team.

2: Lack of pre-season fitness training due to covid: again this effects every team but our team relies more on fitness than almost any other team.
We’re playing more matches with less rest...so strength of squad becomes more important as players are more likely to become fatigued or injured.

3: Injury to Jack O’Connell. When he didn’t play in the Championship we almost always lost.
Maybe O’Connell is our version of Virgil Van Dyke....Jack is probably our most important player but he’s not played a single game this year.

4: Over achieved last season. When even a team achieves something then the danger is they slightly lose their hunger.
Some players were given new contracts and pay rises. Our lower division players had finally made it to the big time and become established PL players.

5: Poor start. Confidence always plays a big part regards performance.
We started with a string of defeats....confidence must be at rock bottom...it’s difficult to regain it.
Next season in the Championship we need to get off to a good start...if we want instant promotion.

6: No home or away crowd. Again it’s the same for everyone but without a crowd the higher quality players should perform better.
I remember McBurnie being interviewed on Talksport about April time last season. He said he enjoys the banter coming from the stands
and thinks he performs much better on match days with a crowd compared to playing behind closed doors in training

7: Our previously better/ consistent players are all 1 year older.....and more past their prime....like Norwood, McGoldrick and Sharp.

8: Our new signings haven’t adapted as well as expected.
We still haven’t sorted how Berge slots into the team. He’s a technically excellent player but he doesn’t naturally slot in to the previously successful team framework.
Brewster has struggled more than expected..probably because he’s in a struggling team low on confidence.

9: Last season our main tactic for creating chances was using O’Connell and Basham to over load the wings and put in crosses.
Eventhough opposition teams knew our tactics they would still struggle to pick up O’Connell on the left and Basham on the right.
O’Connell has been out injured all season. and his replacement can’t do that role any where near as well. We‘ve lost one of our main weapons.

Conclusion: We haven’t become a bad team over night....we‘ve dropped our standards/ lost that edge just 10% to 20%
Last season we were winning 1-0 and 2-1 every week.....this slight drop in standards now means that this season we are losing 0-1 and 1-2 every week.
 
Last edited:
Sheffsteel said:
What has gone wrong? ......there’s a few reasons

1: Lack of pre-season preparation due to covid. I appreciate it effects every club...but if every club has ZERO preparation then you would expect those clubs with the best individual most talented players to perform better. Preparation of team structure and tactics...means weaker players can produce a well drilled team.

2: Lack of pre-season fitness training due to covid: again this effects every team but our team relies more on fitness than almost any other team.
We’re playing more matches with less rest...so strength of squad becomes more important as players are more likely to become fatigued or injured.

3: Injury to Jack O’Connell. When he didn’t play in the Championship we almost always lost.
Maybe O’Connell is our version of Virgil Van Dyke....Jack is probably our most important player but he’s not played a single game this year.

4: Over achieved last season. When even a team achieves something then the danger is they slightly lose their hunger.
Some players were given new contracts and pay rises. Our lower division players had finally made it to the big time and become established PL players.

5: Poor start. Confidence always plays a big part regards performance.
We started with a string of defeats....confidence must be at rock bottom...it’s difficult to regain it.
Next season in the Championship we need to get off to a good start...if we want instant promotion.

6: No home or away crowd. Again it’s the same for everyone but without a crowd the higher quality players should perform better.
I remember McBurnie being interviewed on Talksport about April time last season. He said he enjoys the banter coming from the stands
and thinks he performs much better on match days with a crowd compared to playing behind closed doors in training

7: Our previously better/ consistent players are all 1 year older.....and more past their prime....like Norwood, McGoldrick and Sharp.

8: Our new signings haven’t adapted as well as expected.
We still haven’t sorted how Berge slots into the team. He’s a technically excellent player but he doesn’t naturally slot in to the previously successful team framework.
Brewster has struggled more than expected..probably because he’s in a struggling team low on confidence.

9: Last season our main tactic for creating chances was using O’Connell and Basham to over load the wings and put in crosses.
Eventhough opposition teams knew our tactics they would still struggle to pick up O’Connell on the left and Basham on the right.
O’Connell has been out injured all season. and his replacement can’t do that role any where near as well. We‘ve lost one of our main weapons.

Conclusion: We haven’t become a bad team over night....we‘ve dropped our standards/ lost that edge just 10% to 20%
Last season we were winning 1-0 and 2-1 every week.....this slight drop in standards now means that this season we are losing 0-1 and 1-2 every week.
Click to expand...
10. Lundstram...it's all Lundstram's fault, the rotter
 
Sheffsteel said:
What has gone wrong? ......there’s a few reasons

1: Lack of pre-season preparation due to covid. I appreciate it effects every club...but if every club has ZERO preparation then you would expect those clubs with the best individual most talented players to perform better. Preparation of team structure and tactics...means weaker players can produce a well drilled team.

2: Lack of pre-season fitness training due to covid: again this effects every team but our team relies more on fitness than almost any other team.
We’re playing more matches with less rest...so strength of squad becomes more important as players are more likely to become fatigued or injured.

3: Injury to Jack O’Connell. When he didn’t play in the Championship we almost always lost.
Maybe O’Connell is our version of Virgil Van Dyke....Jack is probably our most important player but he’s not played a single game this year.

4: Over achieved last season. When even a team achieves something then the danger is they slightly lose their hunger.
Some players were given new contracts and pay rises. Our lower division players had finally made it to the big time and become established PL players.

5: Poor start. Confidence always plays a big part regards performance.
We started with a string of defeats....confidence must be at rock bottom...it’s difficult to regain it.
Next season in the Championship we need to get off to a good start...if we want instant promotion.

6: No home or away crowd. Again it’s the same for everyone but without a crowd the higher quality players should perform better.
I remember McBurnie being interviewed on Talksport about April time last season. He said he enjoys the banter coming from the stands
and thinks he performs much better on match days with a crowd compared to playing behind closed doors in training

7: Our previously better/ consistent players are all 1 year older.....and more past their prime....like Norwood, McGoldrick and Sharp.

8: Our new signings haven’t adapted as well as expected.
We still haven’t sorted how Berge slots into the team. He’s a technically excellent player but he doesn’t naturally slot in to the previously successful team framework.
Brewster has struggled more than expected..probably because he’s in a struggling team low on confidence.

9: Last season our main tactic for creating chances was using O’Connell and Basham to over load the wings and put in crosses.
Eventhough opposition teams knew our tactics they would still struggle to pick up O’Connell on the left and Basham on the right.
O’Connell has been out injured all season. and his replacement can’t do that role any where near as well. We‘ve lost one of our main weapons.

Conclusion: We haven’t become a bad team over night....we‘ve dropped our standards/ lost that edge just 10% to 20%
Last season we were winning 1-0 and 2-1 every week.....this slight drop in standards now means that this season we are losing 0-1 and 1-2 every week.
Click to expand...

So 'everything apart from the obvious', then?

1a. Extremely poor scouting and acquisition, resulting in a surfeit of non-scoring strikers who are underserviced by an incompatible and incapable midfield/wingback system
1b. As above, resulting in signing players who we see little of, or who are seemingly taking the fucking piss now with regard availability
2. The existence of a woefully underequipped midfield replete with three main, available options, all of whom have individual fragilities and playing shortcomings
3. Wingbacks who don't (and in one case can't) wingback any more, mainly because:
4. A badly provisioned back three - badly provisioned because the symbiosis and understanding build in the past few seasons has been shattered by just one injury (now three) and the replacement options are simply not capable and if anything several positions lower in capacity
5. Insistence and stubbornness in playing exactly the same positional system every single match, only to change it radically when we go behind, usually with baffling substitutions to nil effect
6. Insistence and stubbornness on relying on the same, now-defeatable tactic of 'Wilderball', in that the main attacking fronts are based on progress up the flanks to a crossing zone, whereby oppositions now have a worked solution, only for the ball to be recycled up the other wing, and back ad nauseum, until we finally lose possession and collapse in defending the counter attack
7. Failure to retain at all costs an athletic, highly capable and popular with the fans goalkeeper, instead signing a questionable option from a relegated club, who has frail confidence and has visually, mentally and physically crumbled under a barrage of opposition chances

pommpey
 
pommpey said:
So 'everything apart from the obvious', then?

1a. Extremely poor scouting and acquisition, resulting in a surfeit of non-scoring strikers who are underserviced by an incompatible and incapable midfield/wingback system
1b. As above, resulting in signing players who we see little of, or who are seemingly taking the fucking piss now with regard availability
2. The existence of a woefully underequipped midfield replete with three main, available options, all of whom have individual fragilities and playing shortcomings
3. Wingbacks who don't (and in one case can't) wingback any more, mainly because:
4. A badly provisioned back three - badly provisioned because the symbiosis and understanding build in the past few seasons has been shattered by just one injury (now three) and the replacement options are simply not capable and if anything several positions lower in capacity
5. Insistence and stubbornness in playing exactly the same positional system every single match, only to change it radically when we go behind, usually with baffling substitutions to nil effect
6. Insistence and stubbornness on relying on the same, now-defeatable tactic of 'Wilderball', in that the main attacking fronts are based on progress up the flanks to a crossing zone, whereby oppositions now have a worked solution, only for the ball to be recycled up the other wing, and back ad nauseum, until we finally lose possession and collapse in defending the counter attack
7. Failure to retain at all costs an athletic, highly capable and popular with the fans goalkeeper, instead signing a questionable option from a relegated club, who has frail confidence and has visually, mentally and physically crumbled under a barrage of opposition chances

pommpey
Click to expand...

Much more like it.

If we had just dropped 10-15% how then do we go from a team knocking on the top 6 to one of the very worst ever in the top flight at this stage of the season.

I do think in item 7 you couldnt expect Henderson to stay. He made no secret of his Man U preferences, so why did you expect him to come back? Problem was we bought a goalie IMHO who is only L1 standard. Jeez Cooper of Plymouth looked better than Ramsdale, as do most PL keepers, even at WBA, Brighton et al.
 
!/ Good god do we have to go through this same old rubbish again ?
2/ It 's the same old people trotting out the same old garbage again.
3 /No we don't want Mr Wilder to leave.
4 /Yes there are people on here who's idea of fun is to make as much trouble as they can.
5/ It's all a load of same old same and it's boring............

For a change lets consider what are some of the good point from this season.........🥴
 
Bennyand the Blades said:
!/ Good god do we have to go through this same old rubbish again ?
2/ It 's the same old people trotting out the same old garbage again.
3 /No we don't want Mr Wilder to leave.
4 /Yes there are people on here who's idea of fun is to make as much trouble as they can.
5/ It's all a load of same old same and it's boring............

For a change lets consider what are some of the good point from this season.........🥴
Click to expand...
Just one. Bogle.
 
Nowhere! Matt Ryan of Brighton would have been a good & probably cheaper shout!
 

If you want to see a snippet this is interesting, looking at our academy and future Blades players:

 
1. The players have done their job badly.

2. The manager has done his job badly.

3. Don't mention number 2.
 
Keef Chedwyn said:
1. The players have done their job badly.

2. The manager has done his job badly.

3. Don't mention number 2.
Click to expand...
faults on all sides the players have underperformed and the management team have been poor with recruitment and tactics big fan of chris but just dont understand his comments about there being nothing wrong with the system 20 defeats out of 25 suggest it isnt working so whats to lose by mixing it up with a different formation
 
We had a great season last season, but I think that we played above our selves.
This season hasn't gone for us from the start, In fact every thing that could go wrong has gone wrong.
But I don't think in either of these season we have seen the true United,
I.M.O. that's some where in the middle.
 
Keef Chedwyn said:
1. The players have done their job badly.

2. The manager has done his job badly.

3. Don't mention number 2.
Click to expand...
Are there many people who really don't accept number 2?

It seems to me that those who want him out make lots of unbalanced noise, and people push back on that in support of him. There aren't many I come across who think Wilder has covered himself in glory tis season.
 
Question: do we have to wait for 4 seasons of losing before we admit the system isn't working? - - - just wondered as we keep being told the system we've used for the last 4 years works perfectly fine?
 
Why not ? it did us alright for the 4 season before this. I'll settle for one bad season in every five any time,
Just like Liverpool supporters are having to do right now.
Or do you think they will want to change their system or sack the manager ?
 
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Short answer the teams on its way out. The Arab owner has stated his stopped buying or spending because it's a waste of time.weve lost more players and recruiter nothing in 3 seasons.the manager has layed pretty much the same deadwood every game for the last three seasons refusing to delist even the most pathetic players there are.the players knowing there's no money or threat of being axed due to poor play just turn up go through the motions and get a good wage.any club worth its weight would drop the starting 11 and put in reserve players as a protest knowing were going to lose anyway why not risk it .can any blades believe that the same names are listed from three seasons ago when they were shit then. I think the writings on the wall as it's a team that's got no marketable quality and long term is not wanted by the fa and is headed for the same way as Sheffield's msnafacturing industry.theres a lot of teams not in the league's long term interest and some are red flagged as being let go and their license not being renewed.in ten years time the blades will fold this I'm sure
 
Grehblade said:
Short answer the teams on its way out. The Arab owner has stated his stopped buying or spending because it's a waste of time.weve lost more players and recruiter nothing in 3 seasons.the manager has layed pretty much the same deadwood every game for the last three seasons refusing to delist even the most pathetic players there are.the players knowing there's no money or threat of being axed due to poor play just turn up go through the motions and get a good wage.any club worth its weight would drop the starting 11 and put in reserve players as a protest knowing were going to lose anyway why not risk it .can any blades believe that the same names are listed from three seasons ago when they were shit then. I think the writings on the wall as it's a team that's got no marketable quality and long term is not wanted by the fa and is headed for the same way as Sheffield's msnafacturing industry.theres a lot of teams not in the league's long term interest and some are red flagged as being let go and their license not being renewed.in ten years time the blades will fold this I'm sure
Click to expand...

Nah.

Transitionary phase. Simple as. Said a while ago in one of Nick and Hal's broadcasts, it will take some time to get the Wildervirus out of our bloodstream. They key is the lengths of contracts, the abject waste of money on underperforming players and the fact that HRH's pockets aren't bottomless.

The club, and HRH are going to have to take the losses and rebuild and come back at this, and it's gonna take time. We have a mismatched setup now, a manager who has a system of play and players who can't play it. When they did play the system they were accustomed to, they lost twenty nine games in that season, with two different managers.

They players are the key here. They simply are not good enough to play even at this level, with one or two exceptions. Once we've shoved the ones who aren't out of the door and restyled the playing staff, we will be in a position to consolidate our position in this division and the build for a challenge for the top.

pommpey
 
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