United 1 Blackburn 3 - report/ratings

[HOT CURRIE 10]

I didn't see it that way at all. The second half was much better.

The first half was the kind of stuff that stops people supporting football.

You lot with the thumbs up are diehard Wilder supporters and cannot see the wood for the trees . That was pathetic again throughout,our old Saturday/Sunday side would have defended that second half,no problem. Shite team selection,shite tactics,that was his plan B and what a disaster. It’s happened many times under his tenure and you still defend him.

 

[Blacksea]

What's Wilder talking about with the turning the ball over thing he kept referring to?
Is it players who can't pass the ball to another one of ours,players who can't move the ball quickly enough before they get pressed or players who can't withstand a tackle and cough the ball up?
Whichever,it seems like a recurring theme and should be sorted out by better coaching and tactics,or simply by stopping recruitment of players who can't do the basics of football.

 

[HOT CURRIE 10]

In defence of Wilder it was a game with nothing at stake so he decided to shuffle the pack first half and it didn't work. He no doubt wanted to have a final look at certain players before a decision is made on whether to move them on in the summer.

Still, if that's the case Oxford won't be happy. If we'd beaten Blackburn relegation would have probably gone to the final day. They would have wanted Wilder to put his best side out. I'm reminded of when Man U played West Ham in the Tevez season. We were fuming when we saw Fergie's team selection.

I was quite impressed by Blackburn. They were clearly motivated, their defending was excellent and they took their goals well.

It's clear now that some of the bench warmers aren't good enough and need to be shifted.

Those first two paragraphs are laughable,I’m still fuming after these performances again this season. You are giving him a free pass.

 

[ATL Recs]

Your overall analysis is, understandably, severely affected by the woeful first half. The second half was immeasurably better and the scores for the subs are way too harsh.

The second half was better but still very poor they just sat in we didn’t have a clue how to get round the back of them only one player in that second half ran at them and he’s not our player

 

[Dkc]

Those first two paragraphs are laughable,I’m still fuming after these performances again this season. You are giving him a free pass.

Not at all, he should have put his best team out.

 

[Blademan89]

Im not sure on what wilder is trying to do with that god awful stupid tactic of having out dm sit in between the cbs and leave our other only midfield isolated in the middle of the park.

He started rhis bizarre idea after january last year with Choudhury... it didnt work and was shit then, not sure why he thinks it will work... (i assumed it was Choudhury judt playing like that, but we now know its a shit wilder tactic and it has to go).

My only thought on why, is to try and get full back high and wide but it doesn't work when you pass it between defenders all game and cant deliver crosses into box.

On another note I do feel like Tanganga slows the entire play down and we should implement a fine into his contract for evrrytime he passes it backwards or sideways or takes 20 touches before passing...he looks disinterested and feel he has an attitude problem (which ive heard snippets about) hes not captain thats for sure (again especially what ive heard).

 

[Darlington82]

Wilder trying to be clever again with the selection so he can play his strongest team against Hecky on Saturday or trying to prove to the owners he needs alot of cash in the summer or just criminally incompetent ?

 

[BobbyDavison'sDebut]

I saw on X a post from someone who said this was the worst performance since the PL. I'd say it was worse when you look at the standard of the opposition. Even when we got bummed 8-0 at home to Newcastle we kind of played ok up until the 1st goal

 

[Harry's Game]

I saw on X a post from someone who said this was the worst performance since the PL. I'd say it was worse when you look at the standard of the opposition. Even when we got bummed 8-0 at home to Newcastle we kind of played ok up until the 1st goal

I can except us being 3-0 down and game over in the Prem, we were completely out of our depth at that level. Last night first half was completely unacceptable.

 

[Chimpan-A]

A brilliant summary, and captures the whole downbeat mood of the evening too. The only thing I might take issue with is Cannon, who, although he is weak and terrified of physical contact, continually makes very good runs off the shoulder of the defenders only for the ball not to come, it just gets recycled round again. I can only assume that the defence, midfield and strikers are trained and coached as independent groups, otherwise what would be the point of asking a striker to make those runs? There is no intention for the midfield to try and find him. Someone is getting the memos!

 

[Wards]

Just a reminder there were 120 points to play for when CW came back. We won't muster anything near half that. A complete waste of a season, and don't come at me with the 'Selles' talk. That's long gone and doesn't wash.

 

[Pintor75]

That first half was the worst football from us I've seen since I've followed the blades, awful, embarrassing and an insult to the fans who pay good money to watch. Once again it's all on the players and not yesterday's man, he picked the side!, whatever they do in training under Wilder and Knill I don't know, it worked years ago ,but not now, we need to move on from signing has been, Rothwell,Hever and Hjelde, Phillips and old blades etc which under our current financial situation is the market we are shopping in, why are we only signing lads who can't get in other championship sides ,yet are deemed good enough for us?, get rid now manager and coaching staff too, get someone in with half a clue and or we are going back where wilder started from league one if we are not careful

 

[KMC-1889]

Your overall analysis is, understandably, severely affected by the woeful first half. The second half was immeasurably better and the scores for the subs are way too harsh.

Blackburn shut up shop to protect a three goal lead, we were always going to look better in the second half.

 

[alcoblade]

Blackburn shut up shop to protect a three goal lead, we were always going to look better in the second half.

They'd shut up shop in the first half yo be fair, they just exploited the nativity of the way we played. We obviously changed significantly in the second half, I'm not sure they did (they didn't need to).

 

[ekke287]

Wasn’t it something like Blackburn couldn’t finish and before last night had taken six games to score three goals?

How many more teams are we going to make look like fucking Barcelona at the Lane? Even a poor squad and basic tactics should be enough to make it at least competitive, but down by three at half time?

No-one on that team or coaching set up comes out with an ounce of self respect following that utter dogshit performance (and it’s not the first of the season).

Credit to Deadbat for caring enough to do a write up. It’s a shame that level of care isn’t echoed by the club.

 

[Tarqs]

They'd shut up shop in the first half yo be fair, they just exploited the nativity of the way we played. We obviously changed significantly in the second half, I'm not sure they did (they didn't need to).

They spent most of the half just waiting for us to give it to them. We didnt see to do anything in their half outside a chance on 30 seconds.

 

[dexter101]

I had spent most of yesterday really looking forward to watching the game. No pressure for us to win, just building some positivity after a win at the weekend and I wanted to see a good, competitive game of football.

That first half was dreadful. I don't really know how we turn this team around in a couple of months, with no money and a bloated squad, most of who we won't get any money back for. Would love to see the running data on our squad as I am not sure if you could actually call any of our players quick from what we see on the pitch.

I thought Peck and Blaster at least looked bright (Deadbat, I think you may have been stewing on the first half as the subs at least showed something), Bindon looked positive although he will be disappearing off so thats more depressing than if he was crap.

Burrows is showing himself not to be a left back, I think last season, he just was given enough cover it didn't show as much.

heavy touches and slow passes seemed to be the order of the day, maybe Wilder needs to look at the Boot man?!

 

[Bergen Blade]

Im not sure on what wilder is trying to do with that god awful stupid tactic of having out dm sit in between the cbs and leave our other only midfield isolated in the middle of the park.

He started rhis bizarre idea after january last year with Choudhury... it didnt work and was shit then, not sure why he thinks it will work... (i assumed it was Choudhury judt playing like that, but we now know its a shit wilder tactic and it has to go).

My only thought on why, is to try and get full back high and wide but it doesn't work when you pass it between defenders all game and cant deliver crosses into box.

On another note I do feel like Tanganga slows the entire play down and we should implement a fine into his contract for evrrytime he passes it backwards or sideways or takes 20 touches before passing...he looks disinterested and feel he has an attitude problem (which ive heard snippets about) hes not captain thats for sure (again especially what ive heard).

Regarding a midfielder dropping deeper as we build from the back:

I think it's first and foremost a strategy to combat Blackburn's packing midfield and pressing our two central midfielders, like here:



They're reasonably ok with our defenders being on the ball, knowing they're not brilliant with it. Instead, they're determined to target us if we play into midfield. Wilder said he'd warned our players about this:



So Riedewald drops deeper, our centre halves get wider in the hope they're going to get different angles, with better and less risky passing options in front of them:



So, there's some logic behind it, but it's still dependant on things being done right, with tempo, good movement, good accuracy and decision making.

Blackburn have been hard to beat recently, but great sides would still find holes in their defensive setup.

And that is probably a worry, that despite the points tally last season, despite the improvement from the disastrous start, it's difficult to see any real signs that this team is moving towards playing entertaining, modern, high-quality football.

 

[BazWainwright]

Pretty much agree with DB there.

Dreadful night, and us coughing up a game to a team that is on the ropes. Things definitely have to change in the close season and we need to shift players on who clearly don't care about Sheffield United any more.

That first half was as bad as I have seen us play for many years. We always have this big problem that we are a static, one dimensional footballing outfit, no matter what manager or players we have at Bramall Lane. We are shot-shy, not clinical, apt to pass the ball endlessly sideways and backwards around the back four, never possess players who can take the opposition on in a foot race, we are clumsy and wasteful in possession and switch off when the ball is in our own danger zone. If Selles was still our manager last night, it would be even more believable. I just think we have a group of players now who have given up and are banking on Wilder booting them out in the summer or are hoping on a move out of the Lane. It was so evident last night. They just don't give a damn.

Our back four, in any configuration. Can anyone now have any confidence in them actually defending properly as a unit? The lack of vision, anticipation and reaction to their firs was gobsmacking, and their second and third - McGuinness just turned to a stone statue. To be 0-3 down at HT to a team needing snookers below us in the danger area doesn't smack of us being outplayed, it tells a different story of the psychology and entitlement of those on the pitch. The stadium was two thirds full from the start and by half time possibly half full, and rightly so. That should tell the players enough that we could be Leicester City right now with that kind of output. Were it not for Bamford being unemployed and his mercurial goals we would be looking at the trapdoor wide open.

That midfield was abysmal also. I know we chime nicely about Reidewald but its only because he is the best of a pretty bad bunch. Rothwell is a pub player, proven by his first disastrous game in red and white and amplified by his careless, unfocussed, unfit and frankly wage-stealing performances since. Chong seems to have won a Shoot/Goal competition to a season long contract at a Championship club and Gus is just a tubby showpony who owns a poor tackling technique who we eternally pin our forlorn hopes on he will whack in a 30 yarder every week.

As for Cannon ... just 'why'? Just side-by-side that bloke with the 56 year old Billy Sharp who has just retired for the tenth time at Beighton Miners Welfare 1stXI. That second minute put-through. Cannon didn't even look up. He didn't even put his foot through the ball properly. I know we go on about 'confidence' and 'pressure to score', but Billy went through droughts. He missed some chances. But his execution rate when you gave him the half-yard was unbelievable. What is actually wrong with Tommy Cannon? I watch him, he gets about the pitch, he runs, he works hard. But basically he is creating a massive amount of froth behind him in the water and his boat is going nowhere. He's shit. And he's never gonna get any better.

There were no positives last night, not even after we went to 3-5-2 and at least tried to get back at them. It was a typical end-of-season, drab defeat by a bunch of players fed up to the back teeth with Bramall Lane and embarrassed to play in our shirt. If you forensically trace all of this back (as DB will do in a few weeks in his end-of-year-report) you will see the genesis of all this starting in that dismal capitulation to Oxford, Millwall, Plymouth and Burnley last season and the play off final disaster and the sacking of Wilder because - its clear to see now - they had one vision based on schonky recruitment and team strategy and Wilder had another and we ended up with Selles, minus Vini and Anel and shipping some frankly awful footballers managed by a total skipfire of a coach.

Can't wait for this season to end. It's like Adkins all over again.

 

[Ginger Gnome]

Regarding a midfielder dropping deeper as we build from the back:

I think it's first and foremost a strategy to combat Blackburn's packing midfield and pressing our two central midfielders, like here:

View attachment 235640

They're reasonably ok with our defenders being on the ball, knowing they're not brilliant with it. Instead, they're determined to target us if we play into midfield. Wilder said he'd warned our players about this:

View attachment 235642

So Riedewald drops deeper, our centre halves get wider in the hope they're going to get different angles, with better and less risky passing options in front of them:

View attachment 235644

So, there's some logic behind it, but it's still dependant on things being done right, with tempo, good movement, good accuracy and decision making.

Blackburn have been hard to beat recently, but great sides would still find holes in their defensive setup.

And that is probably a worry, that despite the points tally last season, despite the improvement from the disastrous start, it's difficult to see any real signs that this team is moving towards playing entertaining, modern, high-quality football.

It was dependent an Blackburn being lazy and not marking or pressing players, as our players were the ones being lazy and not even trying to get into space it was idiotic to persist with it all the way through the first half as it left hopeful high ball to nobody in particular as the main outlet, you can't call it building from the back if you don't actually build anything.

 

[TJ blade]

The only card Wilder has left to play is his love of the club which allegedly means that he is above average at motivation.
Once that's absent , like tonight , what he produces is utter garbage.

They play in a clueless fashion , bordering on the insane repetition of the same routines which produce nothing -
Do they think that by repeating the slow predictable patterns , a better performance will suddenly somehow happen ?

I am well & truly sick of Wilderball.

If he's allowed to stay and conduct the rebuild , he will have to up his coaching , fitness & motivational aspects.
In fact everything.

My worry is that the clueless absent owners are incapable of understanding what's actually going on in games like tonight's and in any case have wedded themselves to the Bettis/Wilder regime for the foreseeable future.

The sword of Damocles hangs not only over Wilder's head but also over our club.
We've reached the end of the PL £ years and there is now absolutely no room for mistakes or bad buys or inept management.

And yet recent evidence suggests we'll suffer all three.
I reckon it's 5/1 against that we'll regain our status as a "top half" Championship club - I don't believe the performance of the club from owners , through management , to players , actually deserves it.
So all I can hope is that we get lucky.

Spot on, im questioning myself why me and my wife's renewed! Already dreading the recruitment drive this summer probably more over the hill players arriving to make us even slower! It's never going to happen because the owners are clueless at running us, but I've got to say its time for a clear out, Wider & his crew are a busted flush! Get the recruitment lot out as well, if this lot carries on next season we're heading back to league one!

 

[Blade56]

Can criticise players all we want but there’s enough in that squad to do much better. It’s the managers job to get players playing to the best of their ability and Wilder fails to do that. When they don’t he just calls them out, nothing to do with his motivational skills or his inept tactical ability. Wilder will now be plotting raids on opposition treatment rooms and project players with issues.

Yes he can motivate fans, they are easily motivated when you tell them what they want to hear but he’s lost the ability to translate it into results on the pitch. Yes he “saved us” from relegation this season but with the players, facilities and support he’s got any half decent manager could have done that.

It was the right thing to do sacking him.
It was the wrong thing to do hiring Selles.
It was the wrong thing to do bringing Wilder back.
It’s the wrong thing to do keeping Wilder.

All this points to owners and management from top to bottom set to fail.

 

[Missing Spark]

....sorry, I really cba to document the full game. I'll summarise and rate the set of useless twits.

Absolutely dreadful.

Team selection and shape did not work. That is an understatement. The pitifully weak duo of Chong and Cannon continue to show nothing at all. Two slow and unadventurous midfielders. Riedewald playing as a 3rd centre back which just allowed them extra men in midfield. Bizarre but alongside the shape and selection, we simply did not look arsed one bit. Lost tackles, did not run and did not do the basics. Out run, out fought, out thought.

Blackburn wanted it more and were quicker, more determined and realised our weaknesses. We actually missed a good chance through Cannon after 30 secs but then it went to pieces.

The goals were laughable. 1st was onside. The lad who ran through was played on by Hoever (other one was off) but came through us being wide open after Hamer lost it. 2nd was hilarious from Burrows who let his man walk go past and just stood there. Free shot. Saved. Free cross. Free header. Saved. Tap in as we stood and thought about what we might have for supper. Felt sorry for Davies. They looked like scoring every time they attacked. Just ran through a static, slow midfield and square defence. Third was same story. Cross as Burrows stood again and Tanganga just got beat to the ball.

Subs should have been made after 20 mins. Make a statement for me?

We make 4 changes and it's better - could not be worse but Blackburn just sat back, banked up and we just moved it side to side repeatedly without going anywhere. The players remained in a set shape. Few times we came out of this, we created a couple of things and Burrows scored after a decent shot from Hamer and good work from Cannon.

However, it was so slow and pedestrian and too many touches and we seem to just hope Hamer or Seriki can find a yard and a shot or cross. There is no clear plan how we are trying to break teams down. It us depressing to watch that and easy to defend against. Blackburn keeper made a few saves but they saw it out comfortably.

It was a dreadful performance and the fans rightly booed em off half and full time - those that were left. They announced the crowd as 25k but it was nowhere near this. Credit Blackburn who did what they had to for first win at Lane since 1994 (Shearer scored twice) I think?

Ratings :

Davies 4/10 - Let in 3 but he made a few decent saves and totally exposes on 2nd. 1st he does not really even cover the goal making it easy to go round but he was given no protection all half.

Hoever 2.5/10 - Careless on the ball and played man onside for first. He did look our most athletic player though! A poor loan signing.

Burrows 2/10 - Yes, he scored but his defending throughout was abject. They attacked him at will. Hamer did not help but one on one defending he is horrific. Better 2nd half at least.

Tanganga 1.5/10 - Dire. Awful touch, crude fouls and does not react to situations. 3rd goal what is he doing? Countless other errors and cant believe how bad he is on the ball. He is quickly turning into another disastrous signing.

McGuiness 3/10 - Static and they ran through us but thought Tanganga should have gone before him. He showed with tricky forwards, he struggles. Not sure he was our worst player though?!

Riedewald 1.5/10 - Ended up in this weird centre half position, even when we were 2-0 down. Never came off it and saw us have none of the ball. I don't get the fuss over him personally. Another slow, unfit player who does not pass forward and takes too many touches.

Rothwell 1.5/10 - Just stood in the centre circle and never got hold of the ball. Twice gave it away and nearly put them in. Had to play in the middle often on his own, due to the ridiculous shape. Had improved bit back to poor standards.

Hamer 4/10 - Our best player in that he at least passed it forward or tried things but his poor play contributed to the first goal. Some dreadful tackles and easily could have been sent off. He did have a few shots including on the goal but barely saw him last half hour. Number 20 for them was nearly as fat and out of shape as him! Did not defend at all and left Burrows to deal with stuff - he couldn't!

Chong 1.5/10 - He is laughably bad. Slow, weak and hates contact. He is so timid. Had one decent run but often just ran down blind alleys. He has no awareness or football brain. An awful signing.

Bamford 2/10 - Worse than Cannon tonight. Ball never stuck and he did not really offer much at all. Little service though.

Cannon 2.5/10 - He missed a really good easy chance and then never imposed himself. Just too weak and does not react. No anticipation and he is another that can't deal with physical stuff. He did set up the goal and had a header wide and a shot bit his overall game is completely lacking. Needs moving on. He is not the answer.

Subs

Peck 4/10 - Least got stuck in but he was careless on the ball and too slow to move it on. Saw some fight though.

Arblaster 4/10 - Tried to get on the ball and move it but too many sideways/backwards but he did not hide. Passes were too slow though and behind players. One good block.

Bindon 5/10 - Might have been our best outfield player! Low bar mind. He came out with the ball, showed a few clever skills and ended up as overlapping centre back. Got a whack but keot going.

Seriki 4/10 - Least tried to get down the right. Put a few decent balls in but got crowded out as they realised he was our main outlet.

Wilder 1.5/10 - Poor selection, poor tactics, poor coaching. No idea what we were trying to do first half? Players also looked disinterested and seemed to have downed tools and were not even running at times. He has a huge job to change a lot of personnel but also to come up with a better tactical plan. We have no idea how to get through teams or create things. It's hero ball or nothing. Worry when Hamer and maybe Brooks go, where we get any creativity from.

Ref was garbage too. Wilder was right on him.

Sorry, that's it. Nothing else to say. A waste of an evening. We have a massive amount of work to do thus summer. I wouldn't care if I never laid eyes in the majority of players after this season. Set of absolute unlikeable dross on the whole. 21 losses. More than anyone apart from Wednesday. A bunch of losers. Most need to be gone. Somehow.

Wilder will get start of next season but there are big questions against him for me? I am not sure he has that x factor anymore that he used to have. He will get the summer but we need to see something different in hie we play even if the personnel is massively changed round. We need a clear identity to how we play.

Far too generous marks for Riedewald and Rothwell.

Riedewald 0.5. Stood rooted to the centre circle passing sideways to McGuiness or Tanganga - again and again and again.

Rothwell 0.5. Didn’t even know he was playing until the 27th minute. Then didn’t notice him again.

 

[Vinny Kept Us Up]

Your overall analysis is, understandably, severely affected by the woeful first half. The second half was immeasurably better and the scores for the subs are way too harsh.

Blackburn stopped playing in second half though

 

[Blademan89]

Regarding a midfielder dropping deeper as we build from the back:

I think it's first and foremost a strategy to combat Blackburn's packing midfield and pressing our two central midfielders, like here:

View attachment 235640

They're reasonably ok with our defenders being on the ball, knowing they're not brilliant with it. Instead, they're determined to target us if we play into midfield. Wilder said he'd warned our players about this:

View attachment 235642

So Riedewald drops deeper, our centre halves get wider in the hope they're going to get different angles, with better and less risky passing options in front of them:

View attachment 235644

So, there's some logic behind it, but it's still dependant on things being done right, with tempo, good movement, good accuracy and decision making.

Blackburn have been hard to beat recently, but great sides would still find holes in their defensive setup.

And that is probably a worry, that despite the points tally last season, despite the improvement from the disastrous start, it's difficult to see any real signs that this team is moving towards playing entertaining, modern, high-quality football.

I appreciate the in depth review and its a good one at that. But the matter of fact is it wasnt working and it didnt work previously.

Its all good and well setting up to exploit.. but we need somone dropping in like norwood who can find those forward passes (for this style).. and someone in middle to try and break the lines Blackburn/ other had set up.

Blackburn and others have been happy with us moving it out wide as we dont get the ball in quickly from wide. Instead opt to piss about with it let them get set and they just defend the (often poor) cross in.

Problem we have when trying this system apart from above is, it allows the cbs to take less responsibility and accountability for launching attacks, by just passing it sideways to the deep lying playmaker. And thats whats been happening, too safe too sideways, when a team set up like Blackburn you need to punch the ball forward into the gaps and play on half turn/little 1 2s with runners fast passing and players dropping in (didsy style).

This is where you need you didsy type players and Duffy type players / role to pop up in those pockets of space and drop deep from attack to recive the ball. Sadly wilder got it massivly wrong imo and he doesnt have the players or pattern of play to utilise this tactic once the deep lying mid gets the ball or the wide players.

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

Im not sure on what wilder is trying to do with that god awful stupid tactic of having out dm sit in between the cbs and leave our other only midfield isolated in the middle of the park.

He started rhis bizarre idea after january last year with Choudhury.

I think it goes back further than that, tbh, all the way to Oli Norwood.

The difference being that, before his legs fell off, Norwood moved the ball inventively, at pace, to runners showing for the ball, then got himself forward to support the rest of the MF.

None of which applies in this side. Last night was embarrassing.

 

[Blade59]

First half was probably the worse I have seen since Atkins last game against Scunthorpe. So many issues with that team. Central defenders who don't impose themselves and are poor with the ball at their feet. Central midfield just easily played through due to one effectively playing as an auxiliary centre half and the other one trying to play the role of two. Burrows poor and weak defensively and left totally exposed as Hamer whilst trying to make things happen on the ball offers no support when out of possession. Bamford last night didn't look interested and Cannon whilst he tries other than the odd goal here and there contributes little. All over the pitch we lost every battle and duel which probably reflects one team had something to play for and the other clearly didn't. Everything we did was half hearted and lacked any conviction or urgency.

Not sure we were much better in the second half. It was more a case of Blackburn had the game won already and just sat on what they had. Yes we had a lot of possession but it was all laboured sideways and backwards for the most part. We never put them under any real pressure and even after we scored they saw out the game pretty easily. At least with a lot leaving early there was little traffic after the game so was home a lot earlier.

 

[wadblade]

I just wonder if Wilder 1st half was making a point to the owners how poor the squad is because most of the squad are just not good enough particually up front where we are completly relaint on bamford to have a good game, and the oppersion all know this

Also can i suggest if we do lose Gus, we look at Cantwell may be a knob but always looked effective when i have seen him this season

 

[Addison]

DB you deserve an award for summarising that debacle. After two scrappy wins stopping the rot I was hopeful for an end of season run that would suggest there was some form of plan for next season. Yet we reverted to type same owd same owd. Tricks flicks and triangles football at snail pace made a mockery of the managers post match comments that we got the ball forward quicker after the changes. We didnt. Its these Chris wilder does no wrong and its all the players fault rose tinted spectacles that frustrate.

Another game where the opposition manager schools the coaching team. At 0-1 it was clear changes needed to be made. At 0-2 after the comedy goal changes were needed. At 0-3 it was all over as we dawdled along to half time. The change in formation was 30 minutes too late and our 15 minutes of energy at the start of the second half only served to keep the score down.

Last nights first half was the poorest of the season by some distance. To eclipse Selles ball is some achievement.

CW blames the defence and midfield but he picked the team. Just for once can he just admit he got it wrong.

CW will get the first 10 games next season. The recruitment policy of signing experienced journeymen is likey to favour the pashun possession and passing obsession over the need for athleticism, physique and pace.

 

[pedro]

Pretty much agree with DB there.

Dreadful night, and us coughing up a game to a team that is on the ropes. Things definitely have to change in the close season and we need to shift players on who clearly don't care about Sheffield United any more.

That first half was as bad as I have seen us play for many years. We always have this big problem that we are a static, one dimensional footballing outfit, no matter what manager or players we have at Bramall Lane. We are shot-shy, not clinical, apt to pass the ball endlessly sideways and backwards around the back four, never possess players who can take the opposition on in a foot race, we are clumsy and wasteful in possession and switch off when the ball is in our own danger zone. If Selles was still our manager last night, it would be even more believable. I just think we have a group of players now who have given up and are banking on Wilder booting them out in the summer or are hoping on a move out of the Lane. It was so evident last night. They just don't give a damn.

Our back four, in any configuration. Can anyone now have any confidence in them actually defending properly as a unit? The lack of vision, anticipation and reaction to their firs was gobsmacking, and their second and third - McGuinness just turned to a stone statue. To be 0-3 down at HT to a team needing snookers below us in the danger area doesn't smack of us being outplayed, it tells a different story of the psychology and entitlement of those on the pitch. The stadium was two thirds full from the start and by half time possibly half full, and rightly so. That should tell the players enough that we could be Leicester City right now with that kind of output. Were it not for Bamford being unemployed and his mercurial goals we would be looking at the trapdoor wide open.

That midfield was abysmal also. I know we chime nicely about Reidewald but its only because he is the best of a pretty bad bunch. Rothwell is a pub player, proven by his first disastrous game in red and white and amplified by his careless, unfocussed, unfit and frankly wage-stealing performances since. Chong seems to have won a Shoot/Goal competition to a season long contract at a Championship club and Gus is just a tubby showpony who owns a poor tackling technique who we eternally pin our forlorn hopes on he will whack in a 30 yarder every week.

As for Cannon ... just 'why'? Just side-by-side that bloke with the 56 year old Billy Sharp who has just retired for the tenth time at Beighton Miners Welfare 1stXI. That second minute put-through. Cannon didn't even look up. He didn't even put his foot through the ball properly. I know we go on about 'confidence' and 'pressure to score', but Billy went through droughts. He missed some chances. But his execution rate when you gave him the half-yard was unbelievable. What is actually wrong with Tommy Cannon? I watch him, he gets about the pitch, he runs, he works hard. But basically he is creating a massive amount of froth behind him in the water and his boat is going nowhere. He's shit. And he's never gonna get any better.

There were no positives last night, not even after we went to 3-5-2 and at least tried to get back at them. It was a typical end-of-season, drab defeat by a bunch of players fed up to the back teeth with Bramall Lane and embarrassed to play in our shirt. If you forensically trace all of this back (as DB will do in a few weeks in his end-of-year-report) you will see the genesis of all this starting in that dismal capitulation to Oxford, Millwall, Plymouth and Burnley last season and the play off final disaster and the sacking of Wilder because - its clear to see now - they had one vision based on schonky recruitment and team strategy and Wilder had another and we ended up with Selles, minus Vini and Anel and shipping some frankly awful footballers managed by a total skipfire of a coach.

Can't wait for this season to end. It's like Adkins all over again.

But worse they got rid if Adkins