Deadbat
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Preston finally ended their long hoodoo at Bramall Lane which dates back almost 35 years as a Stuart Beavon strike saw North End take all three points. United have now lost 5 straight games and manager David Weir heard calls for his head from some pockets of the crowd at the final whistle.
United were marginally improved in the first half but still had few chances and after the break after an appeal for handball, gave away a ridiculous goal as Matt Hill tried to claim a foul but was robbed by Kevin Davies leading to Beavon coolly converting. After this United barely registered an attempt of note and the game petered out in another desperately disappointing afternoon for the Blades’ loyal supporters.
United gave debuts to new signings Marlon King and Ryan Hall and a first Lane start for Florent Cuvelier. United began with Brandy back from suspension out wide left and Hall on the right with King up top. Baxter played just behind with Doyle and Cuvelier in the middle of the park. Preston began with three recognised strikers with former Blades junior Kevin Davies up top with Stuart Beavon and Iain Hume beginning out wide left.
Baxter was involved early and had a turn and shot easily by Rudd before McMahon came inside and fired over. United had started well and Brandy was lively creating space and winning a succession of free kicks. McMahon then had a free kick turned behind before Cuvelier blazed high and wide. United were the more assertive but were struggling to create clear chances and most of the efforts were long range. The play was at least varied and King was holding the ball up and Hall looking lively.
A series of cynical fouls by North End saw Hume finally booked and Preston had not really been a threat but then suddenly a mistake by Long when he threw out ill advisedly and it hit his own defender saw Davies attempt to chip him but he got back to save.
Just before the break Hill blazed over badly when well placed but it had been a better first half performance and United fans would have felt more positive.
After the break Collins picked up a booking for a daft foul before United had a strong appeal for a spot kick. Brandy’s shot may have caught a Preston hand but the referee waved play on despite strong appeals. Soon after Collins headed wide from a corner when he ought to have done better.
After this disaster struck as Hill dithered and Davies took the ball off him. As the United full back looked for a foul, Davies pulled the ball inside to BEAVON who took a touch, then moved inside feigning to shoot putting Long out of action before converting with ease.
Taylor had seemingly been stripped for action before this but was sent back to the bench before he did come on for Hall. Soon after there was another change and it was Westlake who came on for Brandy. The winger was struggling but the change drew loud boos from the crowd who had not seen a goal from their side for what seemed like an eternity.
United had a few set plays and Collins headed over again but United now were struggling to create and were getting crowded out. The game started to fade away and many had seen enough.
Doyle was injured at the death seemingly with cramp and McGinn came on but in the additional 4 minutes of time, United only had a weak Taylor shot that trickled through to Rudd. The visitors held on comfortably and the boos from the majority of the crowd at the final whistle summed up the feeling of discontent.
United – First half was better than anything for a while; maybe since Notts County. Other than one free kick we still did not even have a chance but at least we mixed it up and there was some sign of an attack or life in the side. King and Hall gave us some impetus and with Brandy looking lively I felt some positivity even though it was goalless. There was more forward passes and less tippy tappy nothing football. It showed a bit of variety. We shaded this half and you felt a bit of optimism but then second half it revered to type. We barely had a decent attack, looked slow and out of ideas and then became sloppy at the back as the defence started taking unnecessary risks. Preston upped it and played 5-10 yards further up the field and Grayson worked out how to play us as many managers this season have. Weir again had no answer and Preston started to win tackles and get amongst us. The game became scrappy but you felt if anyone would nick one or make a daft mistake and be punished it would be us. We had a decent appeal for a penalty and then not long after this we imploded.
The now inevitable daft goal came and after that we may as well have packed in. The heads dropped and we never looked like scoring. The game just drifted away and PNE held on easily. We had no one up when they had a corner, put on a defender for an attacker and even when we kind of went 2 up; Taylor was more wide. You never felt like we would score. The stats say we had 3 shots on target but two of them barely reached the keeper from Baxter and Taylor. McMahon’s free kick may have been going wide too! The best chances were for defenders but Hill smashed over and Collins headed wide. Both should have at least made the keeper make a save.
I do not want to hammer them as first half was better and it was not a totally awful performance. It was much better than Carlisle. However the facts remain we have lost 5 on the bounce and do not look like scoring. We are slow and pedestrian all over the field and do not make chances at all. We do not get beyond defenders and when it gets in the last third it just sort of dies out. The defence continues to take stupid gambles and continue to get caught out. You cannot see any change about in us creating chances or scoring goals in the way we are playing. You can only see more blanks and more defeats. I do not even see the so called talent in the side such as Cuvelier or Baxter really improving things. They seem as lost as the rest. Indeed they have not even improved thing. Those that say they would rather have those two than McDonald; I totally disagree. The team looks lost without him and we see how important he was to the team. The side post Blackman (who many still say was not a loss?!) and now post McDonald is clueless and does not look like creating or scoring. We have to have some balance and whilst Weir looks out of his depth and seems like he is unable to change things around; the writing was on the wall from around March last year. The results since then have been awful. 3 wins in 18 games says it all. However as bad as it was getting under Wilson and did not improve under Morgan; I honestly do not think we could have been as bad under either of them (not that I am advocating them being back in charge by the way).
People will say the opposition are no better and I agree but I do not care about them. It is about us and we are really abject. It is early but I see no tangible improvements and cannot see how his way of playing will ever work not just with these players but any players. Whilst the players are not good enough and I have been the biggest person to say that; you have to say the fact that no matter how bad the players are, the fact a side is never creating chances, looking like scoring and giving away daft goal after daft goal (mostly defensive mistakes but also due to way they are told to play and pressure on them every week due to attacking side yielding nothing).
Not sure where we go from here. Wolves away next week will bring nothing but a hiding in my opinion. People can forget playoffs, even mid table really looks a long shot. The best we can hope for is to get away from the bottom, not be in a relegation scrap and try and build something moving forward. I do not see anything from this manager to suggest we have a plan or can see anything to suggest he will ever get it right. By waiting 1, 2 or 3 games we are just delaying the inevitable. I would love to be proved wrong but it is patently obvious and what we see in front of us suggest we all know that the reality is that it is not working and sadly we could go another 7 games and be in right mess then and staring relegation in the face. He has to do something radical now (in terms of how we play; the formation – do not even think tinkering or slight changes in personnel – it needs something huge to happen) or he will lost his job. It is that simple. I cannot see more than another couple of defeats and they will pull the plug on this experiment (that’s sadly what it is – he is experimenting with our football club and team). Can sadly see Crawley being the end the same way it was for Wilson if he does not get a positive result.