United 1 Brentford 0 - report

[Deadbat]

United returned to the Championship after 6 years and marked it with a victory thanks to Billy Sharp’s first half headed. The Blades hit the woodwork twice and had two goals disallowed but also were thankful to the bar at their own end and two super saves from debutant Jamal Blackburn. United played good football at times against a dangerous Brentford side who had a lot of the ball themselves. Overall, the home side will be happy with a determined, battling display that saw them take the three points against a side you would wager will be nearer the top than the bottom at the end of the season end.


The Blades began with debuts for Blackman, Stevens and Stearman as skipper Billy Sharp led the now traditional huddle pre-game. Brentford were in their new green change strip but it was the Blades who began better in bright sunshine. They forced the Bees back and won a free kick and a corner. O’Connell facing his former club made a telling interception at the other end but it was certainly the home side who was on the front foot. Clarke and Carruthers linked well to win another corner that was cleared but then Vibe had the best effort of the game as Jota came inside after Fleck lost the ball and fed Vibe but his shot was saved from Blackman tipping over.


Stevens sent a cross over after good work from Coutts and Carruthers but Clarke could not head the purchase on his header. At the other end Jota caused problems again but miscued his shot when he stole space in the area. United were looking comfortable on the ball though and after another nice move they nearly scored. The ball eventually found Stevens and his shot took a slight deflection but cannoned back off the post with Bentley well beaten. It was a let off the visitors.


United continued to come onto Brentford and Coutts and Freeman linked well but the cross was blocked before Basham went down in the box but his appeals were turned away. Coutts than had another effort blocked before a last ditch tackled stopped Clarke getting in. Soon after this the opening goal game. From a corner, the ball was transferred back in from the left but Clarke wildly miscued his first effort. However, the big striker turned and chipped over an inviting cross that evaded the defence and SHARP powered a header into the net despite Bentley getting a glove on it. Cue delirium from all sides of the ground save for the following in the lower tier from West London. Sharp had opened his account for the season after just 39 minutes.


Not long after the striker went down after a clash of heads with defender Egan and both had to have treatment and when play restarted the pair were sporting white bandages. Half time came soon after with a hearty round of applause from the United fans for the teams’ efforts.


The second half saw United come on strong once again with a number of chances to add to the lead. Clarke managed to wrestle away from his defenders and his cross came in but Sharp could not get the power on the header. Jota’s low shot was well saved from Blackman down low but United came again.


Stearman knocked it back into the box after a corner had not been cleared and Clarke got in and managed to poke the ball high into the net but the flag went up. It seemed a tight call a few Brentford defenders had no idea it was offside judging by their reaction.


Soon after United had the ball in the net again. Carruthers was tripped after a driving run and from the resulting free kick the ball was back heeled to Fleck who hit a superb effort that hit the base of the post and was put in by Sharp instinctively on the rebound but the flag went up. This one seemed more obvious that the Clarke one.


Watkins and Yennaris came on for Mokotjo and Jozefzoon as Dean Smith looked for new life from his side.


Fleck then shot wide as United looked to get the vital second goal but at the other end Brentford who had not really been in the game second half had a series of opportunities in one moment.


Firstly, Jota was allowed to drift inside and hit a powerful shot that Blackman saved superbly but the rebound seemed set to be converted by Yennaris but his header hit the bar and then when it came back into play Vibe somehow headed over from only a few years. The latter had seemed offside but the flag stayed down and thus was a guilt edged miss. A real let off for United.


O’Connell made a great block from Vibe after a slide rule pass set him through and then Clarke again caused problems before winning a corner at the other end. Lundstram made his home bow replacing Carruthers as the game has become more stretched and Wilder wanted more solidity in this area.


Lavery came on for Sharp for United and Maupay replaced McEachran for Brentford. The new man for the Bees almost got in as Woods beat the offside trap but Blackman got his angles and his run from goal spot on as he blocked the strikers shot and then smothered the rebound. A superb save again as Brentford went close once again to a leveller. At the other end Clarke and Lavery combined but the latter shot was well off target when well placed. The game entered the final stages and United were now throwing bodies in the way and both Basham and Stearman made good blocks. An additional three minutes were played but other than a Maupay shot over the bar, Blackman handled a few innocuous long-range efforts fairly comfortably and United kept their discipline.


The final whistle saw loud cheers from the Lane to signal their first win at the first attempt back in the second tier. The players embraced and Wilder gave the thumbs up the Kop. It was as if we had never been away in many ways as the Blades played with the same spirit and style they had last season and albeit against better opponents, still did enough to win again. The long unbeaten run going back to January 24th continues.


United – Really pleasing. We kept a clean sheet; scored a good goal and hit the post twice and also had a few disallowed. We really got stuck in, battled hard and passed when we could. It was not the same fluency we saw last season but we still saw smatterings of good football. We did well and I felt did not look out of place in any way against a side that has been top 10 for the last few seasons and will be even higher this year. We competed, won tackles and passed when we could. It was a game where we had spells of control but then had times when we had to sit in and dig in and do the gritty stuff. We saw a different side to our game and the likes of Coutts and Flecks did good defensive work rather than just the passing and control they have shown last season. I felt we passed it well at times but others were a bit sloppy and it is good that we can improve on the ball. Off the ball thought we really good and I felt we kept a really good shape and did not get pulled about too much. We kept good lines and made sure we got into areas to see off key threats. I felt we doubled up when we could the full backs kept inside and did not leave us vulnerable down the flanks. The three centre backs were nice and solid and the keeper made 3 super saves.


I thought we started the game well and had the best of it, but then they came into it and we had to survive for a period but then we scored and went in with a lead. After the break, I expected them to come strong but we actually started better and could have made it 2 or 3 nil with the disallowed goals and the post hit again. After this they came on stronger and they missed a sitter of course (one that keeper saved and hit the bar) but I did not feel they had lots of chances after this. They had the one on one but we managed to keep a decent line apart from this and I felt did well to see out time. We got blocks and tackles in and showed same togetherness we saw last year.


Overall, it was not scintillating but a solid, committed display with some glimpses of the football we played last season. Did we deserve to win? Debatable as chances wise they had as many and had as much, if not more of the ball. However, we got the vital goal and then did enough to see it out. I actually think we played decent but can play better (with the ball) and will do better. I also think we will play a lot worse side than them. So, all in all a good performance and a winning one.

 

[Deadbat]

Brentford – I predicted they would be close to the top 6 pre-season and I still feel that. They have some lovely footballers and move it around with pace and purpose. Today they may have struggled at times defensively but when they got on the ball they looked good. They moved it around and got into little pockets and with a bit better final ball or finishing could have scored a few goals. They missed a few chances and Blackman made some good saves of course.


However, they may feel they lost the game in key spells. United began well, but they came back into it and seemed to have control but United wrestled it back and of course scored. I also felt they never really came out and gave it a real go to start the second half and it was only late on when they had a proper go. Still they are a decent side and have good footballers with likes of Vibe and Jota always dangerous. They all seemed to have quick feet and move it on before defenders could react. They got into some good areas and of course had good chances but we made blocks, had a bit of luck and they finished poorly. Midfield was a bit mixed. At times they had a lot of the ball and controlled things more than anyone has for a long time against our excellent midfield but then they sat off and we had a lot of the ball. I thought at the back they made mistakes and that they struggled with our penetration at times and Clarke caused some problems with his endeavour and strength.


Bit disappointed with Dean Smith’s comments to some degree who talked about a fortunate effort from Stevens that hit the post and kind of dismissed the two offside goals of which one seemed to be onside (with replays backing this up). No talk of the excellent Fleck effort in the built up or of a few other decent efforts we had. He made out that they never defended and that his keeper had nothing to do. His summary seems to suggest they battered us second half. That is nonsense. We had the better of the first 15 minutes after half time which surprised me as I expected them to come out and have a real go second half and it never really happened initially. Blackman made a good save and they hit the bar and missed a sitter in a trio of chances in the same attack and then the sub was also denied by Blackman one on one. Outside of this though they hardly penned us back incessantly and I felt whilst they always looked dangerous, I never felt it was attack after attack. They were always going to be the side pressing being behind but it was not non-stop pressure. I felt United did what they had to and for a team fresh for the division did a professional job.


Brentford have a few players missing; that has to be said with Canos, Dean and Judge to come in. Add these to the mix and some of their new player bed in and I expect them to be right amongst the top 6 by the end. They have a good manager who had had time to sculpt a decent team and have had investment (helped by money from funds from selling Hogan etc). The fact Sawyers and Watkins are options on the bench show the depth of the side.

Opposition Man of the Match: Ryan Woods. I thought Jota looked a threat first half and drifted in and had a few efforts. Second half he came very close with the long range shot but he kind of drifted out of it after then and got crowded out a few times. Vibe was dangerous with a few flicks and hold up play and McEachran passed it well when he got on the ball. However, the best player by a long way was the red-haired lad Woods. He was superb today. He got on the ball, used some superb control and quick feet and some sublime passing. He was excellent. We have raved about Coutts and Fleck but today was saw how the bar could be raised as a player that is maybe little known was the best midfielder on the pitch by some way.



Opposition Weak link: The two centre backs Bjelland and Egan were a bit shaky at times and I felt Clarke gave them some real problems at times. They were a bit hesitant and I felt against pace could be turned. They were missing Dean at the back of course who will come straight back in but I feel that pace and movement against the back line could see them struggle. I felt the poorest player today was someone I rate in the lad Henry who played left back. Always liked him at Walsall but today he was poor and I felt we got down this side quite a bit and showed his deficiencies defensively. He seemed very sluggish and Freeman and a few others nipped in and took the ball off him a few times.


Blackman 8.5/10 – Excellent debut. He made a smart stop first half when he pushed a shot away. Not much else to do other than routine handling but second half he came into his own. Made a superb save in the succession of chances when they also hit the bar and headed a sitter over. He then made another super stop when he denied Maupay when he came one on one and blocked the shot and then grabbed the rebound. He saved a few other long-range shots and punched a cross away. Cannot really fault him save for maybe his kicking which was mixed to say the least. Some good long-range punts from feet and hands and then some shockers that barely made half way including a few sliced efforts. He reminded me a bit of Simon Tracey (totally different in looks and build of course) but the way he kind of ambled around, looked a bit dopey but made some great saves and kind of looked so relaxed when everyone else in the stadium was probably concerned at certain chances. Wilder has been steadfast in his feelings about him being the number one target all summer and today he showed why. He was excellent and rivalled Clarke for Man of the Match.


Freeman 7/10 – Nothing spectacular and maybe did not get forward as much as he had done in League One. However, he did his bit defensively. A few sloppy moments when he sat off but he got better as the game got on. He got his foot in, cleared when he could and kept his shape. He did get caught when he tried to play offside and Mau pay got in and nearly scored. He also got forward more in the second half and started to have more of an influence turning Henry round the other way. He will need to get tighter and be sharper but he was ok generally today and showed usual good control and touch even when under pressure.


Stevens 7.5/10 – Good debut. Felt he looked strong defensively and seemed to get into good positions to block passes/crosses. He is a strong lad and better built than Lafferty. Wilder was honest and just said he had played better in pre-season which is fair enough. I think Lafferty is a bit weak defensively and can get caught out defensively. Stevens seemed to be in the right place most of the time today. He did not get forward that much but got a few crosses over. I just felt he was really solid and used the ball well when he had it.


Basham 7.5/10 – Steady and carried on from last season. He was able to get his foot in and make blocks/clearances. He was not getting forward as much as he had done last season but that is to be expected. However, he stuck to his task all game and faced with some quick feet and nimble attackers did not dive in and just was nice and solid. He got turned once second half when he tried to intercept and dived in but got back into position after quite quickly. One excellent moment second half when he cut the ball out and then danced round two defenders before clearing.


O’Connell 7.5/10 – Like Basham a solid performance all game. He was able to read the game well and get into good positions to snuff out danger. A few times his passes got intercepted and they got on the attack quickly after which shows you cannot make mistakes at this level. I felt second half he was really solid though and got on the front foot to win the ball when he could and intercepted some key attacks. Made a superb block when they shot goal wards second half when it seemed lie they might score.


Stearman 7/10 – I had been a little concerned with him in pre-season and at times he was careless with the ball but today he was fine. Still looked a bit slower than others and shows pace we have played at on and off the ball. He mopped up nicely when had to and often played as the last man just sweeping up when he could. He was not flashy but decent today. When he gets used to the pace of our play hoping he will improve even more.


Fleck 7/10 – Not dominant game that he has shown in matches last season. He played deeper than he has done but today did a job for the team. Different kind of job in that he was not on the ball as much and a lot of what he did was more covering, intercepting and getting in areas to deal with danger coming the other way. He did a good job in doubling up on Jota and I felt got in some decent tackles and blocks second half. Attacking wise he played one superb diagonal ball from the ground when he turned and spun first half and then of course had a superb shot from the short free kick which hit the post. I think he will get stronger but we may have to see him do more of this side of his game; defending and digging in as United won’t be as dominant on the ball.


Coutts 7/10 – Did well when he had the ball at times and played some nice balls but also gave it away a few times today which was unlike him. I felt against a strong midfield full of running, flicks and skill, him and Fleck showed a different side to their games. Coutts showed his improved fitness and stamina and I felt did some good defensive things today. Showed his range of passing, short and long and at times helped us get forward quickly. I think both him and Fleck did ok today but both an do better on the ball, but oddly did well off it; not qualities you would always associate with them.


Carruthers 7/10 – Started the game well and like some of the pre-season games I saw got into little pockets, used close control and linked well with forward players. Showed some of his lovely dribbling and skills when under pressure. Attacking wise he caused problems and ran with the ball and got them going back and turned then. Gave it away a few times but always looking to get on the ball and link when he could. He was a bit sloppy though with his passing and I counted at least 4 or 5 times he gave it to them and a few times he was not under pressure. He needs to be more assured with his passing. When he dribbles he looks a threat and won a free kick (when we hit the post second half) I am not sure whether he is the answer long term in that ‘number 10’ position but he did ok today. Tired second half and came off as we went to a more solid and defensive three when Lundstram came on.


Sharp 7/10 – To be honest he was not in the game that much for long spells. I had said he had barely had a kick when not long after he was heading us in front with a real opportunistic strike. It was a good header getting power from a floated cross. He had another headed second half; an even harder chance when Clarke again crossed it. Outside of this cannot remember too many clear chances (had a goal disallowed which did look off- turned in Fleck’s effort off the post). He worked hard off the ball and chased when he could but he did not see too much of the ball and it was correct to give Lavery a go and some fresh legs.


Clarke 8/10 –Thought he was excellent today and carried on his form from the end of last season. He held it up, played others into play and chased down defenders. He did not stop and not sure I have ever seen him put that much effort in as he did today. He really did give his all. He worried defenders and showed some really god strength to hold play up and bring others into things when they joined the attack. Made the goal and also had a few other decent runs and crosses. Did not have many chances outside of a goal that was disallowed (looked marginal that one). Needs to keep these standards up as he worried the defenders all game.


Subs:


Lundstram – Brought on for Carruthers but was put on in a different position. His job was to help us block out the midfield and sniff out the gaps that they were getting into. He looked lacking in fitness and to me is carrying an extra few pounds (maybe he is just barrel chested!) but when we needed someone to chase and harry I am not sure that is his forte.


Lavery – Came on for Sharp and showed some good running off the ball and tried to chase things down. He linked well with Clarke once but he pulled his shot badly off target when maybe had more time; after good initial work.


Wilder 8/10 – He got us off to a winning start. We were organised and committed; kept our shape and he made the right changes when he had to. Kept a clean sheet, got the keeping selection right from today’s performance and also Clarke vindicated his selection. He will be really pleased with the opening performance and the win.


Officials – His name is Steve Martin but there were no jokes in how he refereed it. No bookings, nothing controversial all game; he had a really good game. Kept it flowing bringing it back when he could for obvious fouls but he was just nice and consistent and I felt he did not get a lot wrong – maybe one foul on Lavery he ignored and then gave one for them exactly the same. There was barely a bad foul all game though; maybe could have booked their lad for the pull down on Carruthers for the free kick. He did overrule his assistant giving them a free kick down the South Stand side when his assistant gave us a throw but I am nit picking. Overall all the officials were fine – maybe the offside on Clarke may have been border line but can see why both were flagged.


Crowd – A very good opening day crowd of almost 27,000. The Kop and South Stand were almost full with just some gaps in the John Street towards the away end and in the upper tier which was occupied by Blades fans. Brentford brought 1,210 fans sat in the lower tier; which may seem healthy to them but will be one of the poorer away followings I would wager. They were relatively quiet I felt. United fans began loud and of course when the goal went in the noise levels went through the roof. I felt when the side needed them; the fans kept the volume up and the backing was good and really giving the players a lift in seeing off the visitors. As they were last season, the fans were really appreciative of the endeavour of the players as they fought every inch for the win and made the key blocks/clearances to see them over the line.


Great to see the Lane almost full with a loud backing for the home side and they got the win on the opening day. Important we got off to a good start to keep the momentum of the support and the optimism going.


We had the new screen and scoreboard but the new screen seemed to have permanent loops of Jeff Stelling adverts (rather than Maggie Mays) and no scores. We did at least see some replays of the goal at half and full time but I am not sure it was utilised well enough. Why not show scores or updates from games? It seems a bit of a waste if they just have one or two adverts on a loop. Even at least get more than a few companies to advertise to maximise our revenue from it! The new scoreboards main feature seems to be it counts up rather than down in terms of the 45 minutes!

 

[Stretch]

Agree with most of those ratings Deadbat but would have scored Basham higher. The guy is a Lion, and just occasionally gives us a moment of magic.
Immense today.

 

[Bladeaway]

Basham almost gave me a heart attack when he dribbled around their two players in our box !!

Al in all a solid performance. We defended well, had a little bit of luck defensively and were unlucky at the other end not to have scored another (or at least had it count).

I thought we were a bit nervy in possession at the back and would like to see a bit less long ball in these circumstances, but that's to be expected first game back not having found our feet in this league yet.

Great result, couldn't ask for more. Carruthers might be our surprise star player this season. And we didn't even get chance to see Brooks!

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

They are lively, have some good footballers and play some lovely stuff and probably ought to have scored today. That said we were resolute and I'm delighted with a win. I still maintain they'll make the top 6.

 

[Wards]

Would echo your sentiments on the referee, best I've seen in a LONG while. Very good.

 

[wizadry]

Agree with most but I'd have rated Clarke atleast one lower and rated Basham and Coutts one higher.

 

[Sheffsteel]

The comment about Blackman looking dopey made me laugh.

I agree he seemed to have a very laid back calmness about, he didn't seem nervous in the slightest so I can understand the dopey comment. Impressive debut and I think if Moore was in goal today we wouldn't have kept a clean sheet.

If he continues with his good form then Simon Moore may struggle to get back in the team.

 

[Champagneblade]

Brentford – I predicted they would be close to the top 6 pre-season and I still feel that. They have some lovely footballers and move it around with pace and purpose. Today they may have struggled at times defensively but when they got on the ball they looked good. They moved it around and got into little pockets and with a bit better final ball or finishing could have scored a few goals. They missed a few chances and Blackman made some good saves of course.


However, they may feel they lost the game in key spells. United began well, but they came back into it and seemed to have control but United wrestled it back and of course scored. I also felt they never really came out and gave it a real go to start the second half and it was only late on when they had a proper go. Still they are a decent side and have good footballers with likes of Vibe and Jota always dangerous. They all seemed to have quick feet and move it on before defenders could react. They got into some good areas and of course had good chances but we made blocks, had a bit of luck and they finished poorly. Midfield was a bit mixed. At times they had a lot of the ball and controlled things more than anyone has for a long time against our excellent midfield but then they sat off and we had a lot of the ball. I thought at the back they made mistakes and that they struggled with our penetration at times and Clarke caused some problems with his endeavour and strength.


Bit disappointed with Dean Smith’s comments to some degree who talked about a fortunate effort from Stevens that hit the post and kind of dismissed the two offside goals of which one seemed to be onside (with replays backing this up). No talk of the excellent Fleck effort in the built up or of a few other decent efforts we had. He made out that they never defended and that his keeper had nothing to do. His summary seems to suggest they battered us second half. That is nonsense. We had the better of the first 15 minutes after half time which surprised me as I expected them to come out and have a real go second half and it never really happened initially. Blackman made a good save and they hit the bar and missed a sitter in a trio of chances in the same attack and then the sub was also denied by Blackman one on one. Outside of this though they hardly penned us back incessantly and I felt whilst they always looked dangerous, I never felt it was attack after attack. They were always going to be the side pressing being behind but it was not non-stop pressure. I felt United did what they had to and for a team fresh for the division did a professional job.


Brentford have a few players missing; that has to be said with Canos, Dean and Judge to come in. Add these to the mix and some of their new player bed in and I expect them to be right amongst the top 6 by the end. They have a good manager who had had time to sculpt a decent team and have had investment (helped by money from funds from selling Hogan etc). The fact Sawyers and Watkins are options on the bench show the depth of the side.

Opposition Man of the Match: Ryan Woods. I thought Jota looked a threat first half and drifted in and had a few efforts. Second half he came very close with the long range shot but he kind of drifted out of it after then and got crowded out a few times. Vibe was dangerous with a few flicks and hold up play and McEachran passed it well when he got on the ball. However, the best player by a long way was the red-haired lad Woods. He was superb today. He got on the ball, used some superb control and quick feet and some sublime passing. He was excellent. We have raved about Coutts and Fleck but today was saw how the bar could be raised as a player that is maybe little known was the best midfielder on the pitch by some way.



Opposition Weak link: The two centre backs Bjelland and Egan were a bit shaky at times and I felt Clarke gave them some real problems at times. They were a bit hesitant and I felt against pace could be turned. They were missing Dean at the back of course who will come straight back in but I feel that pace and movement against the back line could see them struggle. I felt the poorest player today was someone I rate in the lad Henry who played left back. Always liked him at Walsall but today he was poor and I felt we got down this side quite a bit and showed his deficiencies defensively. He seemed very sluggish and Freeman and a few others nipped in and took the ball off him a few times.


Blackman 8.5/10 – Excellent debut. He made a smart stop first half when he pushed a shot away. Not much else to do other than routine handling but second half he came into his own. Made a superb save in the succession of chances when they also hit the bar and headed a sitter over. He then made another super stop when he denied Maupay when he came one on one and blocked the shot and then grabbed the rebound. He saved a few other long-range shots and punched a cross away. Cannot really fault him save for maybe his kicking which was mixed to say the least. Some good long-range punts from feet and hands and then some shockers that barely made half way including a few sliced efforts. He reminded me a bit of Simon Tracey (totally different in looks and build of course) but the way he kind of ambled around, looked a bit dopey but made some great saves and kind of looked so relaxed when everyone else in the stadium was probably concerned at certain chances. Wilder has been steadfast in his feelings about him being the number one target all summer and today he showed why. He was excellent and rivalled Clarke for Man of the Match.


Freeman 7/10 – Nothing spectacular and maybe did not get forward as much as he had done in League One. However, he did his bit defensively. A few sloppy moments when he sat off but he got better as the game got on. He got his foot in, cleared when he could and kept his shape. He did get caught when he tried to play offside and Mau pay got in and nearly scored. He also got forward more in the second half and started to have more of an influence turning Henry round the other way. He will need to get tighter and be sharper but he was ok generally today and showed usual good control and touch even when under pressure.


Stevens 7.5/10 – Good debut. Felt he looked strong defensively and seemed to get into good positions to block passes/crosses. He is a strong lad and better built than Lafferty. Wilder was honest and just said he had played better in pre-season which is fair enough. I think Lafferty is a bit weak defensively and can get caught out defensively. Stevens seemed to be in the right place most of the time today. He did not get forward that much but got a few crosses over. I just felt he was really solid and used the ball well when he had it.


Basham 7.5/10 – Steady and carried on from last season. He was able to get his foot in and make blocks/clearances. He was not getting forward as much as he had done last season but that is to be expected. However, he stuck to his task all game and faced with some quick feet and nimble attackers did not dive in and just was nice and solid. He got turned once second half when he tried to intercept and dived in but got back into position after quite quickly. One excellent moment second half when he cut the ball out and then danced round two defenders before clearing.


O’Connell 7.5/10 – Like Basham a solid performance all game. He was able to read the game well and get into good positions to snuff out danger. A few times his passes got intercepted and they got on the attack quickly after which shows you cannot make mistakes at this level. I felt second half he was really solid though and got on the front foot to win the ball when he could and intercepted some key attacks. Made a superb block when they shot goal wards second half when it seemed lie they might score.


Stearman 7/10 – I had been a little concerned with him in pre-season and at times he was careless with the ball but today he was fine. Still looked a bit slower than others and shows pace we have played at on and off the ball. He mopped up nicely when had to and often played as the last man just sweeping up when he could. He was not flashy but decent today. When he gets used to the pace of our play hoping he will improve even more.


Fleck 7/10 – Not dominant game that he has shown in matches last season. He played deeper than he has done but today did a job for the team. Different kind of job in that he was not on the ball as much and a lot of what he did was more covering, intercepting and getting in areas to deal with danger coming the other way. He did a good job in doubling up on Jota and I felt got in some decent tackles and blocks second half. Attacking wise he played one superb diagonal ball from the ground when he turned and spun first half and then of course had a superb shot from the short free kick which hit the post. I think he will get stronger but we may have to see him do more of this side of his game; defending and digging in as United won’t be as dominant on the ball.


Coutts 7/10 – Did well when he had the ball at times and played some nice balls but also gave it away a few times today which was unlike him. I felt against a strong midfield full of running, flicks and skill, him and Fleck showed a different side to their games. Coutts showed his improved fitness and stamina and I felt did some good defensive things today. Showed his range of passing, short and long and at times helped us get forward quickly. I think both him and Fleck did ok today but both an do better on the ball, but oddly did well off it; not qualities you would always associate with them.


Carruthers 7/10 – Started the game well and like some of the pre-season games I saw got into little pockets, used close control and linked well with forward players. Showed some of his lovely dribbling and skills when under pressure. Attacking wise he caused problems and ran with the ball and got them going back and turned then. Gave it away a few times but always looking to get on the ball and link when he could. He was a bit sloppy though with his passing and I counted at least 4 or 5 times he gave it to them and a few times he was not under pressure. He needs to be more assured with his passing. When he dribbles he looks a threat and won a free kick (when we hit the post second half) I am not sure whether he is the answer long term in that ‘number 10’ position but he did ok today. Tired second half and came off as we went to a more solid and defensive three when Lundstram came on.


Sharp 7/10 – To be honest he was not in the game that much for long spells. I had said he had barely had a kick when not long after he was heading us in front with a real opportunistic strike. It was a good header getting power from a floated cross. He had another headed second half; an even harder chance when Clarke again crossed it. Outside of this cannot remember too many clear chances (had a goal disallowed which did look off- turned in Fleck’s effort off the post). He worked hard off the ball and chased when he could but he did not see too much of the ball and it was correct to give Lavery a go and some fresh legs.


Clarke 8/10 –Thought he was excellent today and carried on his form from the end of last season. He held it up, played others into play and chased down defenders. He did not stop and not sure I have ever seen him put that much effort in as he did today. He really did give his all. He worried defenders and showed some really god strength to hold play up and bring others into things when they joined the attack. Made the goal and also had a few other decent runs and crosses. Did not have many chances outside of a goal that was disallowed (looked marginal that one). Needs to keep these standards up as he worried the defenders all game.


Subs:


Lundstram – Brought on for Carruthers but was put on in a different position. His job was to help us block out the midfield and sniff out the gaps that they were getting into. He looked lacking in fitness and to me is carrying an extra few pounds (maybe he is just barrel chested!) but when we needed someone to chase and harry I am not sure that is his forte.


Lavery – Came on for Sharp and showed some good running off the ball and tried to chase things down. He linked well with Clarke once but he pulled his shot badly off target when maybe had more time; after good initial work.


Wilder 8/10 – He got us off to a winning start. We were organised and committed; kept our shape and he made the right changes when he had to. Kept a clean sheet, got the keeping selection right from today’s performance and also Clarke vindicated his selection. He will be really pleased with the opening performance and the win.


Officials – His name is Steve Martin but there were no jokes in how he refereed it. No bookings, nothing controversial all game; he had a really good game. Kept it flowing bringing it back when he could for obvious fouls but he was just nice and consistent and I felt he did not get a lot wrong – maybe one foul on Lavery he ignored and then gave one for them exactly the same. There was barely a bad foul all game though; maybe could have booked their lad for the pull down on Carruthers for the free kick. He did overrule his assistant giving them a free kick down the South Stand side when his assistant gave us a throw but I am nit picking. Overall all the officials were fine – maybe the offside on Clarke may have been border line but can see why both were flagged.


Crowd – A very good opening day crowd of almost 27,000. The Kop and South Stand were almost full with just some gaps in the John Street towards the away end and in the upper tier which was occupied by Blades fans. Brentford brought 1,210 fans sat in the lower tier; which may seem healthy to them but will be one of the poorer away followings I would wager. They were relatively quiet I felt. United fans began loud and of course when the goal went in the noise levels went through the roof. I felt when the side needed them; the fans kept the volume up and the backing was good and really giving the players a lift in seeing off the visitors. As they were last season, the fans were really appreciative of the endeavour of the players as they fought every inch for the win and made the key blocks/clearances to see them over the line.


Great to see the Lane almost full with a loud backing for the home side and they got the win on the opening day. Important we got off to a good start to keep the momentum of the support and the optimism going.


We had the new screen and scoreboard but the new screen seemed to have permanent loops of Jeff Stelling adverts (rather than Maggie Mays) and no scores. We did at least see some replays of the goal at half and full time but I am not sure it was utilised well enough. Why not show scores or updates from games? It seems a bit of a waste if they just have one or two adverts on a loop. Even at least get more than a few companies to advertise to maximise our revenue from it! The new scoreboards main feature seems to be it counts up rather than down in terms of the 45 minutes!

You know the football season is finally here when you're looking forward to Deadbat's match report.

The modern day equivalent of waiting for the Green'Un to arrive.

I can think of no greater accolade.

Another great effort.

 

[Iceybabey]

Agree with every word

 

[Darlington82]

What a great day, i' m a long way from the lane for a couple of weeks, so truly appreciate your efforts. The great thing is, as I agree with 90% of your comments normally, I can now make sense of what I have missed out on. Not easy when you try to read between the lines of the official media and some of the other comments by people with another agenda.

 

[lawlessdan]

I would argue the ref should have given us a penalty in the second half for a similar scenario to the Scougal incident at Bradford the other year

 

[Groucho Blade]

I was wondering about that too. I'd certainly like to see the incident again. It looked like a stonewall penalty to me.

And what happened to Sharpy's head? Can we see that again, please.

 

[LSF]

Agree with most but I'd have rated Clarke atleast one lower and rated Basham and Coutts one higher.

In contrast I'd maybe have given Clarke a nine as he was immense today from where I was sitting.
Along wish Basham they were the the stand outs in an excellent team effort.

 

[coaxingstar71]

Thanks as usual Deadbat for providing the only match report worth reading. I watched the Sky highlights this morning and could not believe that they showed all Brentford's chances but didn't even show our two disallowed goals. I was impressed with Stevens, particularly first half when he was running at them. I think Stearman looks decent, a younger version of Jake with a bit more pace. The keeper, Blackman, is huge! Looks about 7 foot 6! Had a great game too. It was funny to see him at corners, looking twice the size of the rest of the players. I thought Freeman did ok but didn't run at them like he normally does, seemed to want to get rid a bit too quick. Basham and O'Connell played as they left off, both magnificent. I thought Coutts and Fleck both did well, although I thought Coutts was slightly better generally, particularly defensively, I notice he doesn't put big challenges in but is so good at nicking the ball away or being in the right place to anticipate and intercept. Carruthers did well but he's one of those that does something really good (good close control and bursts into the box) but then does something equally sloppy. Clarke had a great game, really gave their defenders a tough afternoon and Billy did what Billy does, not in the game for most of the time and then bang! Another header too, worth his place just for that knack of finding that bit of space in the box at the crucial moment.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Who"s. Jamal Blackburn?

 

[Blade56]

Can I add a few league facts Deadbat

Sheffield United joint league leaders
Sheffield Wednesday joint bottom
Gap between Blades and pigs =14

 

[McGrath]

One thing I noticed about Brentford was that they seemed very fit and pressed us hard when we didn't have the ball. I don't recall any League One team putting us under that much pressure. It will be interesting to see if we get more space against other teams.

 

[Yewsman]

Thought Carruthers was fantastic first half but faded a bit in the second. Bash and JOC were immense. Thought Brentford looked a very good team and may be deserved a point but we've got Billy Sharp and at the end of the day you need someone who can score. We were never put under that much pressure last season and it was great to see that we were able to defend. Thought we kept our shape superbly and looked well organised. It was interesting to see Coutts and Fleck putting in a defensive stint which they did really well. It was a pity that towards the end when won the ball back we kept giving it back. We needed an outlet to take the pressure off. All in all though a great performance and showed again the great team spirit in the camp.

 

[South Bucks]

Thought they all played well yesterday and although he only had a dozen things to do in the game, Blackman was MOTM for me, what he did he did well (apart from kicking) and the save he made when the forward went round him was worth a goal for me. I loved the way he seemed so laid back but when called upon did the business efficiently. Needs to work on that kicking though. Thought we need a bit more punch up front yesterday and more shots, can't desperately defend most of the game like that and get away with a clean sheet every week.

 

[Yewsman]

Brentford – I predicted they would be close to the top 6 pre-season and I still feel that. They have some lovely footballers and move it around with pace and purpose. Today they may have struggled at times defensively but when they got on the ball they looked good. They moved it around and got into little pockets and with a bit better final ball or finishing could have scored a few goals. They missed a few chances and Blackman made some good saves of course.


However, they may feel they lost the game in key spells. United began well, but they came back into it and seemed to have control but United wrestled it back and of course scored. I also felt they never really came out and gave it a real go to start the second half and it was only late on when they had a proper go. Still they are a decent side and have good footballers with likes of Vibe and Jota always dangerous. They all seemed to have quick feet and move it on before defenders could react. They got into some good areas and of course had good chances but we made blocks, had a bit of luck and they finished poorly. Midfield was a bit mixed. At times they had a lot of the ball and controlled things more than anyone has for a long time against our excellent midfield but then they sat off and we had a lot of the ball. I thought at the back they made mistakes and that they struggled with our penetration at times and Clarke caused some problems with his endeavour and strength.


Bit disappointed with Dean Smith’s comments to some degree who talked about a fortunate effort from Stevens that hit the post and kind of dismissed the two offside goals of which one seemed to be onside (with replays backing this up). No talk of the excellent Fleck effort in the built up or of a few other decent efforts we had. He made out that they never defended and that his keeper had nothing to do. His summary seems to suggest they battered us second half. That is nonsense. We had the better of the first 15 minutes after half time which surprised me as I expected them to come out and have a real go second half and it never really happened initially. Blackman made a good save and they hit the bar and missed a sitter in a trio of chances in the same attack and then the sub was also denied by Blackman one on one. Outside of this though they hardly penned us back incessantly and I felt whilst they always looked dangerous, I never felt it was attack after attack. They were always going to be the side pressing being behind but it was not non-stop pressure. I felt United did what they had to and for a team fresh for the division did a professional job.


Brentford have a few players missing; that has to be said with Canos, Dean and Judge to come in. Add these to the mix and some of their new player bed in and I expect them to be right amongst the top 6 by the end. They have a good manager who had had time to sculpt a decent team and have had investment (helped by money from funds from selling Hogan etc). The fact Sawyers and Watkins are options on the bench show the depth of the side.

Opposition Man of the Match: Ryan Woods. I thought Jota looked a threat first half and drifted in and had a few efforts. Second half he came very close with the long range shot but he kind of drifted out of it after then and got crowded out a few times. Vibe was dangerous with a few flicks and hold up play and McEachran passed it well when he got on the ball. However, the best player by a long way was the red-haired lad Woods. He was superb today. He got on the ball, used some superb control and quick feet and some sublime passing. He was excellent. We have raved about Coutts and Fleck but today was saw how the bar could be raised as a player that is maybe little known was the best midfielder on the pitch by some way.



Opposition Weak link: The two centre backs Bjelland and Egan were a bit shaky at times and I felt Clarke gave them some real problems at times. They were a bit hesitant and I felt against pace could be turned. They were missing Dean at the back of course who will come straight back in but I feel that pace and movement against the back line could see them struggle. I felt the poorest player today was someone I rate in the lad Henry who played left back. Always liked him at Walsall but today he was poor and I felt we got down this side quite a bit and showed his deficiencies defensively. He seemed very sluggish and Freeman and a few others nipped in and took the ball off him a few times.


Blackman 8.5/10 – Excellent debut. He made a smart stop first half when he pushed a shot away. Not much else to do other than routine handling but second half he came into his own. Made a superb save in the succession of chances when they also hit the bar and headed a sitter over. He then made another super stop when he denied Maupay when he came one on one and blocked the shot and then grabbed the rebound. He saved a few other long-range shots and punched a cross away. Cannot really fault him save for maybe his kicking which was mixed to say the least. Some good long-range punts from feet and hands and then some shockers that barely made half way including a few sliced efforts. He reminded me a bit of Simon Tracey (totally different in looks and build of course) but the way he kind of ambled around, looked a bit dopey but made some great saves and kind of looked so relaxed when everyone else in the stadium was probably concerned at certain chances. Wilder has been steadfast in his feelings about him being the number one target all summer and today he showed why. He was excellent and rivalled Clarke for Man of the Match.


Freeman 7/10 – Nothing spectacular and maybe did not get forward as much as he had done in League One. However, he did his bit defensively. A few sloppy moments when he sat off but he got better as the game got on. He got his foot in, cleared when he could and kept his shape. He did get caught when he tried to play offside and Mau pay got in and nearly scored. He also got forward more in the second half and started to have more of an influence turning Henry round the other way. He will need to get tighter and be sharper but he was ok generally today and showed usual good control and touch even when under pressure.


Stevens 7.5/10 – Good debut. Felt he looked strong defensively and seemed to get into good positions to block passes/crosses. He is a strong lad and better built than Lafferty. Wilder was honest and just said he had played better in pre-season which is fair enough. I think Lafferty is a bit weak defensively and can get caught out defensively. Stevens seemed to be in the right place most of the time today. He did not get forward that much but got a few crosses over. I just felt he was really solid and used the ball well when he had it.


Basham 7.5/10 – Steady and carried on from last season. He was able to get his foot in and make blocks/clearances. He was not getting forward as much as he had done last season but that is to be expected. However, he stuck to his task all game and faced with some quick feet and nimble attackers did not dive in and just was nice and solid. He got turned once second half when he tried to intercept and dived in but got back into position after quite quickly. One excellent moment second half when he cut the ball out and then danced round two defenders before clearing.


O’Connell 7.5/10 – Like Basham a solid performance all game. He was able to read the game well and get into good positions to snuff out danger. A few times his passes got intercepted and they got on the attack quickly after which shows you cannot make mistakes at this level. I felt second half he was really solid though and got on the front foot to win the ball when he could and intercepted some key attacks. Made a superb block when they shot goal wards second half when it seemed lie they might score.


Stearman 7/10 – I had been a little concerned with him in pre-season and at times he was careless with the ball but today he was fine. Still looked a bit slower than others and shows pace we have played at on and off the ball. He mopped up nicely when had to and often played as the last man just sweeping up when he could. He was not flashy but decent today. When he gets used to the pace of our play hoping he will improve even more.


Fleck 7/10 – Not dominant game that he has shown in matches last season. He played deeper than he has done but today did a job for the team. Different kind of job in that he was not on the ball as much and a lot of what he did was more covering, intercepting and getting in areas to deal with danger coming the other way. He did a good job in doubling up on Jota and I felt got in some decent tackles and blocks second half. Attacking wise he played one superb diagonal ball from the ground when he turned and spun first half and then of course had a superb shot from the short free kick which hit the post. I think he will get stronger but we may have to see him do more of this side of his game; defending and digging in as United won’t be as dominant on the ball.


Coutts 7/10 – Did well when he had the ball at times and played some nice balls but also gave it away a few times today which was unlike him. I felt against a strong midfield full of running, flicks and skill, him and Fleck showed a different side to their games. Coutts showed his improved fitness and stamina and I felt did some good defensive things today. Showed his range of passing, short and long and at times helped us get forward quickly. I think both him and Fleck did ok today but both an do better on the ball, but oddly did well off it; not qualities you would always associate with them.


Carruthers 7/10 – Started the game well and like some of the pre-season games I saw got into little pockets, used close control and linked well with forward players. Showed some of his lovely dribbling and skills when under pressure. Attacking wise he caused problems and ran with the ball and got them going back and turned then. Gave it away a few times but always looking to get on the ball and link when he could. He was a bit sloppy though with his passing and I counted at least 4 or 5 times he gave it to them and a few times he was not under pressure. He needs to be more assured with his passing. When he dribbles he looks a threat and won a free kick (when we hit the post second half) I am not sure whether he is the answer long term in that ‘number 10’ position but he did ok today. Tired second half and came off as we went to a more solid and defensive three when Lundstram came on.


Sharp 7/10 – To be honest he was not in the game that much for long spells. I had said he had barely had a kick when not long after he was heading us in front with a real opportunistic strike. It was a good header getting power from a floated cross. He had another headed second half; an even harder chance when Clarke again crossed it. Outside of this cannot remember too many clear chances (had a goal disallowed which did look off- turned in Fleck’s effort off the post). He worked hard off the ball and chased when he could but he did not see too much of the ball and it was correct to give Lavery a go and some fresh legs.


Clarke 8/10 –Thought he was excellent today and carried on his form from the end of last season. He held it up, played others into play and chased down defenders. He did not stop and not sure I have ever seen him put that much effort in as he did today. He really did give his all. He worried defenders and showed some really god strength to hold play up and bring others into things when they joined the attack. Made the goal and also had a few other decent runs and crosses. Did not have many chances outside of a goal that was disallowed (looked marginal that one). Needs to keep these standards up as he worried the defenders all game.


Subs:


Lundstram – Brought on for Carruthers but was put on in a different position. His job was to help us block out the midfield and sniff out the gaps that they were getting into. He looked lacking in fitness and to me is carrying an extra few pounds (maybe he is just barrel chested!) but when we needed someone to chase and harry I am not sure that is his forte.


Lavery – Came on for Sharp and showed some good running off the ball and tried to chase things down. He linked well with Clarke once but he pulled his shot badly off target when maybe had more time; after good initial work.


Wilder 8/10 – He got us off to a winning start. We were organised and committed; kept our shape and he made the right changes when he had to. Kept a clean sheet, got the keeping selection right from today’s performance and also Clarke vindicated his selection. He will be really pleased with the opening performance and the win.


Officials – His name is Steve Martin but there were no jokes in how he refereed it. No bookings, nothing controversial all game; he had a really good game. Kept it flowing bringing it back when he could for obvious fouls but he was just nice and consistent and I felt he did not get a lot wrong – maybe one foul on Lavery he ignored and then gave one for them exactly the same. There was barely a bad foul all game though; maybe could have booked their lad for the pull down on Carruthers for the free kick. He did overrule his assistant giving them a free kick down the South Stand side when his assistant gave us a throw but I am nit picking. Overall all the officials were fine – maybe the offside on Clarke may have been border line but can see why both were flagged.


Crowd – A very good opening day crowd of almost 27,000. The Kop and South Stand were almost full with just some gaps in the John Street towards the away end and in the upper tier which was occupied by Blades fans. Brentford brought 1,210 fans sat in the lower tier; which may seem healthy to them but will be one of the poorer away followings I would wager. They were relatively quiet I felt. United fans began loud and of course when the goal went in the noise levels went through the roof. I felt when the side needed them; the fans kept the volume up and the backing was good and really giving the players a lift in seeing off the visitors. As they were last season, the fans were really appreciative of the endeavour of the players as they fought every inch for the win and made the key blocks/clearances to see them over the line.


Great to see the Lane almost full with a loud backing for the home side and they got the win on the opening day. Important we got off to a good start to keep the momentum of the support and the optimism going.


We had the new screen and scoreboard but the new screen seemed to have permanent loops of Jeff Stelling adverts (rather than Maggie Mays) and no scores. We did at least see some replays of the goal at half and full time but I am not sure it was utilised well enough. Why not show scores or updates from games? It seems a bit of a waste if they just have one or two adverts on a loop. Even at least get more than a few companies to advertise to maximise our revenue from it! The new scoreboards main feature seems to be it counts up rather than down in terms of the 45 minutes!

Agree that Ryan Woods was their best player. Interesting to see they bought him from Shrewsbury for reportedly £1mill. Just shows that you can pick up players from L1/2 who can star in the Championship. Bet he is not on huge wages either. Another justification of CW's transfer policy. I think Samir will be a similar player for us this year.

 

[Woodwardfan]

I predicted Brentford for automatic promotion and still think so. Pace, skill and mobility all over the field. Always hard to play a newly promoted team's first home game.

I predicted United for 10th and still think so. Hope I'm wrong to the upside!

Great performance by the home fans. Well done Wilder. We won't have many bigger challenges this season. Magnificent result but maybe 2-2 would have been about right. However in the final analysis Sharp had a free header and powered it in. Their lad who headed that big chance over the bar had a 6'6" big mass heading towards him and didn't he know it ! Their other chances were all under pressure from defenders or our keeper.

Blackman was immense in many ways. On one occasion I thought he'd come out too far for a cross from deep but he just plucked it out of the air. At that point I reasoned that he can take a ball some 4 foot above him - that's 10'6" - it helps.

Blackman, Basham, O'Connell and Clarke were all superb. The other 9 were just heroes

 

[blackydog]

In contrast I'd maybe have given Clarke a nine as he was immense today from where I was sitting.
Along wish Basham they were the the stand outs in an excellent team effort.

Yeah agree, after a slow start (first 10 mins) I had him MoM.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Agree with every word

So did the Sunday Times match report this morning, individual scores almost identical

 

[Antonb]

Basham was joint man of the match for me with the keeper. Thanks again for your fantastic write up.

 

[wizadry]

In contrast I'd maybe have given Clarke a nine as he was immense today from where I was sitting.
Along wish Basham they were the the stand outs in an excellent team effort.

It seems I watched a different game to you and many, many others by the sounds of it. Clarke was really sloppy and lazy in the first half, caught offside 3 or 4 times due to it, barring the assist which he sloppily attempted something the first time I didn't rate his first half performance.

It was clear as mud though that Wilder gave him a talking too at half time as he came out all guns blazing and put in a good second half performance which I think most people remember, although his performance dropped off in the last 10 to 15 mins when we needed an out ball and someone to hold it up which resulted in us having to defend quite a lot, which we did manfully.

As I say, I'm not saying he was shit but I thought it was a game of two halves for him which in turn shouldn't get no where near an 8 or 9 but like I say it's all about opinions and it looks like I'm in a minority of one, ah well.

Coutts defensive work was brilliant today, he worked back on two occasions to pinch the ball just as they were about to let leash in the first half so that's already improving and Basham really was immense, he looked like a Premier league defender at times, he was cool, calm and didn't shirk nothing. Just to add, I've given these two players some stick in years gone by so it's only fair to try and balance things out when needed.

 

[Sean Thornton]

One thing I noticed about Brentford was that they seemed very fit and pressed us hard when we didn't have the ball. I don't recall any League One team putting us under that much pressure. It will be interesting to see if we get more space against other teams.

Said the same in the Barrell afterwards. Did it for the full 90 minutes as well.

 

[LSF]

Well, like you say, its all about opinions but you are a bit lonely with this one.
Having said that I'm a paid up member of the Leon love in club so I'm not hard to please there ( but he was immense yesterday!)
As far as Coutts and Bash are concerned, I'm with you all the way there (and Bash could never do anything wrong for me even in his early days!).

 

[wizadry]

Well, like you say, its all about opinions but you are a bit lonely with this one.
Having said that I'm a paid up member of the Leon love in club so I'm not hard to please there ( but he was immense yesterday!)
As far as Coutts and Bash are concerned, I'm with you all the way there (and Bash could never do anything wrong for me even in his early days!).

With Basham for me he was a what you see is you you get sort of player, nothing more but he seems to be stepping it up and getting better every game, full marks to him for not resting on his laurels. It helps that Wilder has stated on more than one occasion were after another CB so Bash will no he's under pressure to perform more than anyone and he's responding brilliantly.

 

[CM14blade]

I think yesterdays game was a perfect example of all the players needing to realise the time and space afforded to them in L1 doesn't exist anymore....the likes of Fleck and Freeman took a while to work this out and it's to be hoped they can step up and sustain it for the season ahead

I'm sure CW is watching his promotion winners closely - and respect to him for being loyal and offering them the chance to prove themselves