Deadbat
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The Blades failed to build on their Good Friday win at Tranmere as once again they failed to make home advantage count and with it lost valuable ground on the front runners in League One. For the third consecutive game United failed to score at the Lane and registered only one effort on goal as Carlisle actually came closest to breaking the stalemate after hitting the inside of George Long’s post. United shaded the second half but a glaring miss from Jonathon Forte was the closest they came to scoring as another large crowd once again failed to see a single goal.
United started with loanee Dominic Poleon in for the injured Ryan Flynn. Carlisle had a smattering of ex Blades in their match day squad; starting with Paul Thirwell and Jon Paul McGovern and having Danny Cadamateri on the bench.
Carlisle wearing their green away strip began better and won a few corners and throws in deep in United territory. Miller had an effort blocked out by Collins and then Welsh headed wide. The home side struggled to get in the game. The best things they did came from McDonald but his shot was blocked before his run and cross was blocked. United were struggling to make any headway and a few corners and set plays came to nothing. United were careless on the ball and the front two struggling to get into the game. Indeed it was the visitors that had the first real effort as a low shot that Long stretched to his right to push away Welsh’s low shot and United got the ball clear.
McMahon got involved in an unnecessary argument with the officials and was booked before finally United had an effort on goal as a powerful McDonald effort was pushed away by Gillespie. Robson then shot well wide from well over 35 yards as United looked woefully out of sorts once again at home.
O’Hanlon was booked for a clumsy looked challenge but in truth the visitors were coping with United too comfortably and as the half time interval approached United had a major let off as Noble’s low shot beat Long all ends up but hit the post and bounced across the goal and away to safety. It was a very good effort and unfortunate for the visitors who had been more than a match for their hosts. United did break forward for the final moments of the half but Robson took an extraordinary amount of time to take it and rightly referee Hill got sick of waiting and called time.
At the break Poleon and Hill came off with Murphy and Higginbotham giving United a whole new left side. Murphy then nearly found Robson who got not quite stretch enough but overall it was scrappy stuff. Carlisle were sitting back more and defending and looking less of a threat going the other way but United were looking no more likely to create anything as the expectant Kop continued to be frustrated.
Ironside then replaced Kitson and he put himself about to win a free kick. He then got on a through ball and held it up and as it looked like the chance had gone cleverly played in Forte who scuffed badly wide right in front of goal. For the second consecutive home game the Sheffield born front man fluffed his line with the game at 0-0. He held his head in his hands but soon after he was too slow to react to another through ball as the ball was played forward. Murphy tried to run at his man but overrun it but at least he showed some determination to go at his man.
O’Hanlon’s ill advised lunge on Ironside saw him given a second yellow card and you felt finally United with a man advantage would now press on but the game remained mired in a scrappy midfield battle. Robson and McDonald were the two men looking both the likeliest but often they took too long to get the ball forward and with Forte slow to read the game it was the youngster Ironside who looked the most likely to make something happen; if only with his sheer enthusiasm. Doyle’s awful shot that nearly went out of the ground summed up how poor it had been but sadly you could not say it had been a one off.
The game ticked down to the 5 additional minutes of stoppage time but as much as they huffed and puffed it was really awful fare as Carlisle were defending their hard earned point with ease. United continued to lump aimless diagonal balls and never got the ball wide. The game petered out and as Collins header was off target the final whistle came with the expectant and sadly deserved jeers from a home crowd that continues to watch an unacceptable product on the pitch.
United – 0-0 was the right score. Both teams were dreadful but as the home side it was up to us to take the initiative, to do something, to do anything. We did nothing. We basically just went through the motions. No one took the game by the scruff off the neck and we looked utterly clueless from start to finish. Really, really poor. Slow, lacking idea and punchless. We could have played till midnight and still not scored. If we carry on like this at home we can forget promotion. We are abject at home. We may not look like conceding much but we do not look like scoring. That is three games with no goals scored and we have maybe had a couple of efforts of note on goal in all three home games. It is not as if we have even played good sides as the three sides we have played have been mid table. Today we played a side that has conceded the most goals in the entire division and they coped with us easily. McDonald had one shot saved, they had a shot saved and hit the post and then Forte scuffed an awful sitter wide. That was it. The rest of the game as MK and Orient was mired around the midfield with nothing happening. We just lumped balls forward to no one. The forwards never held it up. The midfield created nothing and we never got wide or got decent crosses in all game. It was embarrassingly bad as players who many have played at a higher level could not even do the basics right.
Messrs Wilson and Barlow are simply not doing their job at the moment. They cannot put out a side or enable us to have the correct tactics to create many chances at the Lane let alone score any and for it to happen one game is poor; for it to happen three straight games is inexcusable. Three 0-0 draws at this level at the Lane is unacceptable. It shows Wilson is a poor coach who simply cannot change things and if we fail to turn it around for the final 7 games (4 of which are at home) then sadly he has to take a major part in the blame. We have lost players and have an inferior squad but should still have enough (still biggest wage bill in the division in my opinion – Kitson, Robson etc) to go up. If we fail again then he will have to step down. The home performances simply have been woeful. It is all too slow and predictable and mostly it was just angled balls or lumped balls forward. We never looked like getting behind them. We never looked like turning them or playing any real moves of note that would leave to a chance. Carlisle are a really poor side and concede goals every week. We never looked like scoring and they actually had the best chance (when they hit the post). Ironside at least put a shift in when they came in and Forte missed a sitter but in reality a win for United would have been unjust. As many of the other top teams keep sneaking wins at home we continue to toss points away.
United started with loanee Dominic Poleon in for the injured Ryan Flynn. Carlisle had a smattering of ex Blades in their match day squad; starting with Paul Thirwell and Jon Paul McGovern and having Danny Cadamateri on the bench.
Carlisle wearing their green away strip began better and won a few corners and throws in deep in United territory. Miller had an effort blocked out by Collins and then Welsh headed wide. The home side struggled to get in the game. The best things they did came from McDonald but his shot was blocked before his run and cross was blocked. United were struggling to make any headway and a few corners and set plays came to nothing. United were careless on the ball and the front two struggling to get into the game. Indeed it was the visitors that had the first real effort as a low shot that Long stretched to his right to push away Welsh’s low shot and United got the ball clear.
McMahon got involved in an unnecessary argument with the officials and was booked before finally United had an effort on goal as a powerful McDonald effort was pushed away by Gillespie. Robson then shot well wide from well over 35 yards as United looked woefully out of sorts once again at home.
O’Hanlon was booked for a clumsy looked challenge but in truth the visitors were coping with United too comfortably and as the half time interval approached United had a major let off as Noble’s low shot beat Long all ends up but hit the post and bounced across the goal and away to safety. It was a very good effort and unfortunate for the visitors who had been more than a match for their hosts. United did break forward for the final moments of the half but Robson took an extraordinary amount of time to take it and rightly referee Hill got sick of waiting and called time.
At the break Poleon and Hill came off with Murphy and Higginbotham giving United a whole new left side. Murphy then nearly found Robson who got not quite stretch enough but overall it was scrappy stuff. Carlisle were sitting back more and defending and looking less of a threat going the other way but United were looking no more likely to create anything as the expectant Kop continued to be frustrated.
Ironside then replaced Kitson and he put himself about to win a free kick. He then got on a through ball and held it up and as it looked like the chance had gone cleverly played in Forte who scuffed badly wide right in front of goal. For the second consecutive home game the Sheffield born front man fluffed his line with the game at 0-0. He held his head in his hands but soon after he was too slow to react to another through ball as the ball was played forward. Murphy tried to run at his man but overrun it but at least he showed some determination to go at his man.
O’Hanlon’s ill advised lunge on Ironside saw him given a second yellow card and you felt finally United with a man advantage would now press on but the game remained mired in a scrappy midfield battle. Robson and McDonald were the two men looking both the likeliest but often they took too long to get the ball forward and with Forte slow to read the game it was the youngster Ironside who looked the most likely to make something happen; if only with his sheer enthusiasm. Doyle’s awful shot that nearly went out of the ground summed up how poor it had been but sadly you could not say it had been a one off.
The game ticked down to the 5 additional minutes of stoppage time but as much as they huffed and puffed it was really awful fare as Carlisle were defending their hard earned point with ease. United continued to lump aimless diagonal balls and never got the ball wide. The game petered out and as Collins header was off target the final whistle came with the expectant and sadly deserved jeers from a home crowd that continues to watch an unacceptable product on the pitch.
United – 0-0 was the right score. Both teams were dreadful but as the home side it was up to us to take the initiative, to do something, to do anything. We did nothing. We basically just went through the motions. No one took the game by the scruff off the neck and we looked utterly clueless from start to finish. Really, really poor. Slow, lacking idea and punchless. We could have played till midnight and still not scored. If we carry on like this at home we can forget promotion. We are abject at home. We may not look like conceding much but we do not look like scoring. That is three games with no goals scored and we have maybe had a couple of efforts of note on goal in all three home games. It is not as if we have even played good sides as the three sides we have played have been mid table. Today we played a side that has conceded the most goals in the entire division and they coped with us easily. McDonald had one shot saved, they had a shot saved and hit the post and then Forte scuffed an awful sitter wide. That was it. The rest of the game as MK and Orient was mired around the midfield with nothing happening. We just lumped balls forward to no one. The forwards never held it up. The midfield created nothing and we never got wide or got decent crosses in all game. It was embarrassingly bad as players who many have played at a higher level could not even do the basics right.
Messrs Wilson and Barlow are simply not doing their job at the moment. They cannot put out a side or enable us to have the correct tactics to create many chances at the Lane let alone score any and for it to happen one game is poor; for it to happen three straight games is inexcusable. Three 0-0 draws at this level at the Lane is unacceptable. It shows Wilson is a poor coach who simply cannot change things and if we fail to turn it around for the final 7 games (4 of which are at home) then sadly he has to take a major part in the blame. We have lost players and have an inferior squad but should still have enough (still biggest wage bill in the division in my opinion – Kitson, Robson etc) to go up. If we fail again then he will have to step down. The home performances simply have been woeful. It is all too slow and predictable and mostly it was just angled balls or lumped balls forward. We never looked like getting behind them. We never looked like turning them or playing any real moves of note that would leave to a chance. Carlisle are a really poor side and concede goals every week. We never looked like scoring and they actually had the best chance (when they hit the post). Ironside at least put a shift in when they came in and Forte missed a sitter but in reality a win for United would have been unjust. As many of the other top teams keep sneaking wins at home we continue to toss points away.
