Deadbat
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Sheffield United maintained their consistency of results at Bramall Lane as they finally saw off stubborn Plymouth Argyle in a seven goal thriller. In a game that the Blades looked to be coasting after they went 3-0 up; the relegation threatened Devon side hit back to reduce the arrears with two goals to leave the game in the balance. However, even after a comedic fourth goal from Richard Cresswell, the visitors did not lie down and hit back once again leaving the Blades frantically hanging on to the three points.
United welcomed back skipper Chris Morgan and had Richard Cresswell in for the suspended Darius Henderson. Plymouth, who had taken all three points in South Yorkshire only two weeks ago at Barnsley, began the game well as Mackie was brought down by Bartley within the opening minute of the game. However, after the free kick came to nothing United started to get on top and with Ward and Yeates lively it was the home side who looked more likely. Cresswell headed wide from a Yeates corner and then Ward was nearly in on goal not long after.
It was not long before the opening goal came after Yeates through ball put CAMARA in the clear. The striker outpaced Arnason and was able to clip the ball past Stockdale and into the corner of the net. United were back on the attack not long after and Ward’s shot was deflected into the path of Camara but his goalbound shot was deflected over the bar by Barker. Plymouth had two half chances from Mackie and Fallon but these barely troubled Bunn. United were back on the offensive and Williamson’s strong running nearly led to another chance. Kallio tried his luck from long range but his effort was straight at the keeper. However, the left back was involved in the second goal as his cross into the box found WARD who was able to smash the ball past Stockdale into the top left hand corner of the net.
A rare effort from Plymouth saw Fletcher shoot wide but in truth they had not really been in the game thus far. Cresswell and Stockdale were both booked for innocuous indiscretions just before half time but it was a solid first 45 minutes for the Blades.
Plymouth manage Mariner was clearly not happy and replaced Fallon and Noone with Bloaise and Mason. Straight after the restart United were celebrating again though. Nosworthy threw the ball in and as Morgan and Barker grappled the ball dropped behind them to WARD who breasted down and fired the ball beyond Stockdale. As United fans celebrated and began to settle down to enjoy what seemed a comfortable victory, the visitors hit back instantly. A long throw came in and Bunn’s ill advised dash saw him unable to claim or punch the ball and BOLASIE was left completely unmarked to turn the ball into the unguarded goal. Johnson had somehow got injured in the goal and had to be replaced by Summerfield and Argyle had used all three substitutes.
This goal gave Plymouth new life and they were now winning tackles, 50/50’s and getting amongst United. Suddenly it was the home side on the backfoot. Mason was in on goal but Bunn got something on this effort. Arnason then headed onto the top of the goal as the keeper failed to gather again. It was now all Plymouth and the Blades simply could not stem the tide. It was no surprise when they scored again. Nosworthy’s indecision was punished as another substitute took advantage. This time it was MASON who nipped in and was able to drill the ball past Bunn. The comeback was now well and truly on. United were defending deeper and deeper and Plymouth were now throwing caution to the wind.
However, United still looked threatening on the break and Cresswell and Ward both had efforts as United looked to seal the game. Morgan and Mackie clashed but the referee opted to show them both yellow rather than red despite both raising their hands after a melee. Evans came on for Camara but the match was still definitely in the balance until a brilliant piece of thinking from Cresswell seemed to have sealed the points. The striker had been put in the clear and attempted to round the keeper but he took a touch too many and Stockdale was able to gather. The keeper rolled the ball out from his hands in order to try and get further on his kick out but CRESSWELL had stayed behind the keeper after he had initially gathered the ball. As Stockdale rolled the ball onto the floor, the United striker nipped in from behind him and was able to take a touch and then sidefoot into the empty net past the embarrassed keeper. It was a clever piece of quick thinking from the veteran striker and surely now had confirmed the result. Yeates then nearly got a firth after a run across the box.
Undettered Plymouth did not give up and were suddenly right back in the game again; MACKIE was able to convert a low shot after some niece link up play. Suddenly, the match was alive again and the blades put on both Harper and Stewart in an attempt to stem the tide. Five additional minutes were to be played and United were really hanging on now. Mason’s shot had the crowd holding their breath as the ball went narrowly wide with Bunn motionless. Plymouth forced two corners at the end and sent the goalkeeper up looking to make amends for his mistake. From the second corner he was able to take a touch at the far post but was crowded out and Fletcher’s shot went wide right at the death before the final whistle finally came to signal the end of frantic and highly entertaining contest.
United – It was a strange performance. At times we showed characteristics of the Bristol City game with some fairly expansive football with some clever interchange and sharp play from the likes of Yeates, Ward and Camara yet again. We scored two decent goals and were good value for the 2-0 lead. Monty and Williamson had controlled midfield, the wide men looked a threat and we had restricted Argyle to only half chances in the first half. However, maybe us scoring a third was the worst thing to happen as we relaxed, conceded a schoolboy goal instantly and then basically went to pieces at the back. Plymouth then suddenly started to win most of the ball and were finding huge holes all over our backline. They also now looked like they could score everytime they went forward. When it became 3-2 I actually thought at the very least they would get a point. The fourth goal was crucial of course but even then we did our best to throw it away.
Maybe it was the culmination of another patched up ‘new’ defence; maybe it was just the resolution of Plymouth to not go down meekly or a combination of both but we have to do better to finish games. Sure it made it exciting but in recent years, even criticisms of Blackwell upheld, that is the sort of game we would have seen out easily previously. However, we had not conceded 2’s, 3’s or 4’s very often at all prior to this season but the goals against this season reveals that this is now quite common place. It is strange that we now seem to be showing more in midfield and attack (introduction of Yeates, Camara and Williamson has helped massively), which was one of the critiques in recent years but at the same time the defensive strength and organisation has almost completely disappeared. Bunn has no organisation of his defenders and each one of them does not seem to know where the others are going are what they are doing.
As we move forward, there is now quite a gap developing between the top 4 or 5 and the rest and it maybe there is only one slot to play for. I still feel with all the injury problems, the decrease in playing ability of the squad and the inconsistency of performances that it will be tough for us to get there this year but we are still right in the thick of it and hopefully at the very least it will not be a dull mid table end to this season that I thought might be the case before Christmas.
Plymouth – I felt they looked really poor in the first half and 2-0 was a fair score. They looked woeful at the back and looked like they could concede every time we went forward. They seemed to lack fight, belief and ability. When the third goal went in I felt it could go on to be six or seven but after that they suddenly regrouped, helped by a quick sloppy goal and made a real fight of it. Credit to them as they were better and fought harder than many sides that have come down to the Lane this year. I think on reflection of the whole game it is a stretch saying they deserved a point as we had a lot of the play and a lot of chances but they nearly got one right at the death. They rolled their sleeves up and actually as well as competing more they started to pass the ball and got it wide creating chances; aided and abetted by our woeful defending. They scored two further well taken goals and with a little more luck could have had a few more. Fair play to them and if they show the same fight and belief they may have a chance of getting out of it but I do feel their defending was as equally bad if not worse than ours. They must improve in this area.
Bunn 4/10 – Thought he looked decidedly uneasy throughout the game. He was staying on his line when he should have come out and coming out when he should have stayed. His decision making on the first goal summed it up as he came and missed the ball badly leaving a completely open goal. I felt after this he looked very edgy and was slow down to the third goal which was reminiscent of some of the goals he let in earlier in the season. Just did not command his defence or the box.
Kallio 6.5/10 – He had a better game than he has in the previous contests and was one of our better defenders but that says more about the other defenders performance than him being particularly outstanding. He did most of the basics ok and showed one or two nice touches going forward. However, he is painfully slow and for an International footballer I would think he would sense/read danger than he often does.
Nosworthy 5/10 – Not convincing at all and reminds me each passing game as the second coming of Gus Uhlenbeek. Like Gus, Nyron does some decent things and shows pace and athleticism. However, he all too quickly goes from Premiership type defender to Meadowhall Sunday League. My main concern is I never seem to know what he is going to do next and tries to be too clever at times often leaving us in trouble. The second goal was a casing point.
Bartley 5.5/10 – First half he was ok but then after Plymouth scored his performance degenerated quite badly and he seemed to really struggle. He made a number of errors and got outmuscled quite a few times too. Looked very uneasy with whoever he was picking up and seemed to lose confidence not wining his tackles, blocks nor headers.
Morgan 7/10 – Our most solid defender and he was the one who headed, cleared and did the basics most of the game. He did not look totally fit having been out for a few weeks but in the second half the shambles around him must have been a bit of a shock after having the steady Kilgallon/Seip alongside him. Fallon went off which showed his first half performance but Morgs also looked slow with the rest of the backline in the second half and was partly at fault for the second goal losing his man.
Montgomery 6.5/10 – A typical Monty performance where he seemed to be everywhere in the first half closing down play, winning loose balls and more often than not giving the ball away under little or no pressure. He did so many good things but also wasted a lot of his running and harrying with awful control or passing.
Williamson 7/10 – Still showed to me that he is a good footballer who is one of few who can get it down under control relatively easily and find a red and white shirt with little fuss. He has a good engine and gets up and down. He was good in the first half but felt he was not as influential second half as Plymouth started to get their foot in and create more.
Ward 7.5/10 – Scored two well taken goal; with a ferocious driven first goal and then a well taken opportunistic second goal. Aside from that he showed his pace and direct play which really worried Plymouth and it was an improved performance on recent weeks. However, I still would like him to be more involved at times.
Yeates 7/10 – Started the game well and showed his excellent touch and football brain. He was involved in the first two United goals. Always looks to get it down, go forward or try something that will get his opponent on the back foot. He did drift in and out of the game today but has looked promising in games I have seen.
Cresswell 6.5/10 – As he has been most of his spell at United so far; fairly quiet game but one in which he always was working hard and never hid. Not on the ball very much and not directly involved in much of our attacks but was able to score yet again. The goal was a very clever piece of play and was as much down to his experience and quick thinking as the keepers’ naivety.
Camara 7/10 – An excellent taken goal which showed his pace and finishing ability. He looked very dangerous in the first half and showed some real class with his touch and tricks. Plymouth looked terrified every time he touched the ball. Second half I felt he faded badly and this has unfortunately been a hallmark of his performances which makes you can see why he is not a regular who plays 90 minutes every week. If he played consistently like he does in flashes then he probably would be playing in the Premiership though.
Subs –
Evans – Replaced Camara and showed a few decent touches but also rather worryingly was hardly busting a gut which was what we needed (a fresh pair of legs to chase defenders and make them play). Also gave ball away twice in corner which led to them having a few more chances at the end.
Harper – Replaced Yeates as United tried to squeeze the midfield towards the end but he was playing in our box with the rest of the players for the final stages of the game.
Stewart – Came on as we were trying to ensure we hung on at the end.
Referee – Sarginson. I thought he was fine first half but then he seemed to completely lose the game second half. For 20 minutes he gave us absolutely nothing and seemed hell bent on getting them back into the game. Then after an innocuous free kick was given to us that drew ironic cheers from four sides of the ground; he started to give us everything for the next 15 minutes. His lack of control culminated in the incidents like Morgan and Mackie clashing when arguably the ref should have sent them both off. Generally just seemed to lose control of the game and I felt both ways he was poor.
United welcomed back skipper Chris Morgan and had Richard Cresswell in for the suspended Darius Henderson. Plymouth, who had taken all three points in South Yorkshire only two weeks ago at Barnsley, began the game well as Mackie was brought down by Bartley within the opening minute of the game. However, after the free kick came to nothing United started to get on top and with Ward and Yeates lively it was the home side who looked more likely. Cresswell headed wide from a Yeates corner and then Ward was nearly in on goal not long after.
It was not long before the opening goal came after Yeates through ball put CAMARA in the clear. The striker outpaced Arnason and was able to clip the ball past Stockdale and into the corner of the net. United were back on the attack not long after and Ward’s shot was deflected into the path of Camara but his goalbound shot was deflected over the bar by Barker. Plymouth had two half chances from Mackie and Fallon but these barely troubled Bunn. United were back on the offensive and Williamson’s strong running nearly led to another chance. Kallio tried his luck from long range but his effort was straight at the keeper. However, the left back was involved in the second goal as his cross into the box found WARD who was able to smash the ball past Stockdale into the top left hand corner of the net.
A rare effort from Plymouth saw Fletcher shoot wide but in truth they had not really been in the game thus far. Cresswell and Stockdale were both booked for innocuous indiscretions just before half time but it was a solid first 45 minutes for the Blades.
Plymouth manage Mariner was clearly not happy and replaced Fallon and Noone with Bloaise and Mason. Straight after the restart United were celebrating again though. Nosworthy threw the ball in and as Morgan and Barker grappled the ball dropped behind them to WARD who breasted down and fired the ball beyond Stockdale. As United fans celebrated and began to settle down to enjoy what seemed a comfortable victory, the visitors hit back instantly. A long throw came in and Bunn’s ill advised dash saw him unable to claim or punch the ball and BOLASIE was left completely unmarked to turn the ball into the unguarded goal. Johnson had somehow got injured in the goal and had to be replaced by Summerfield and Argyle had used all three substitutes.
This goal gave Plymouth new life and they were now winning tackles, 50/50’s and getting amongst United. Suddenly it was the home side on the backfoot. Mason was in on goal but Bunn got something on this effort. Arnason then headed onto the top of the goal as the keeper failed to gather again. It was now all Plymouth and the Blades simply could not stem the tide. It was no surprise when they scored again. Nosworthy’s indecision was punished as another substitute took advantage. This time it was MASON who nipped in and was able to drill the ball past Bunn. The comeback was now well and truly on. United were defending deeper and deeper and Plymouth were now throwing caution to the wind.
However, United still looked threatening on the break and Cresswell and Ward both had efforts as United looked to seal the game. Morgan and Mackie clashed but the referee opted to show them both yellow rather than red despite both raising their hands after a melee. Evans came on for Camara but the match was still definitely in the balance until a brilliant piece of thinking from Cresswell seemed to have sealed the points. The striker had been put in the clear and attempted to round the keeper but he took a touch too many and Stockdale was able to gather. The keeper rolled the ball out from his hands in order to try and get further on his kick out but CRESSWELL had stayed behind the keeper after he had initially gathered the ball. As Stockdale rolled the ball onto the floor, the United striker nipped in from behind him and was able to take a touch and then sidefoot into the empty net past the embarrassed keeper. It was a clever piece of quick thinking from the veteran striker and surely now had confirmed the result. Yeates then nearly got a firth after a run across the box.
Undettered Plymouth did not give up and were suddenly right back in the game again; MACKIE was able to convert a low shot after some niece link up play. Suddenly, the match was alive again and the blades put on both Harper and Stewart in an attempt to stem the tide. Five additional minutes were to be played and United were really hanging on now. Mason’s shot had the crowd holding their breath as the ball went narrowly wide with Bunn motionless. Plymouth forced two corners at the end and sent the goalkeeper up looking to make amends for his mistake. From the second corner he was able to take a touch at the far post but was crowded out and Fletcher’s shot went wide right at the death before the final whistle finally came to signal the end of frantic and highly entertaining contest.
United – It was a strange performance. At times we showed characteristics of the Bristol City game with some fairly expansive football with some clever interchange and sharp play from the likes of Yeates, Ward and Camara yet again. We scored two decent goals and were good value for the 2-0 lead. Monty and Williamson had controlled midfield, the wide men looked a threat and we had restricted Argyle to only half chances in the first half. However, maybe us scoring a third was the worst thing to happen as we relaxed, conceded a schoolboy goal instantly and then basically went to pieces at the back. Plymouth then suddenly started to win most of the ball and were finding huge holes all over our backline. They also now looked like they could score everytime they went forward. When it became 3-2 I actually thought at the very least they would get a point. The fourth goal was crucial of course but even then we did our best to throw it away.
Maybe it was the culmination of another patched up ‘new’ defence; maybe it was just the resolution of Plymouth to not go down meekly or a combination of both but we have to do better to finish games. Sure it made it exciting but in recent years, even criticisms of Blackwell upheld, that is the sort of game we would have seen out easily previously. However, we had not conceded 2’s, 3’s or 4’s very often at all prior to this season but the goals against this season reveals that this is now quite common place. It is strange that we now seem to be showing more in midfield and attack (introduction of Yeates, Camara and Williamson has helped massively), which was one of the critiques in recent years but at the same time the defensive strength and organisation has almost completely disappeared. Bunn has no organisation of his defenders and each one of them does not seem to know where the others are going are what they are doing.
As we move forward, there is now quite a gap developing between the top 4 or 5 and the rest and it maybe there is only one slot to play for. I still feel with all the injury problems, the decrease in playing ability of the squad and the inconsistency of performances that it will be tough for us to get there this year but we are still right in the thick of it and hopefully at the very least it will not be a dull mid table end to this season that I thought might be the case before Christmas.
Plymouth – I felt they looked really poor in the first half and 2-0 was a fair score. They looked woeful at the back and looked like they could concede every time we went forward. They seemed to lack fight, belief and ability. When the third goal went in I felt it could go on to be six or seven but after that they suddenly regrouped, helped by a quick sloppy goal and made a real fight of it. Credit to them as they were better and fought harder than many sides that have come down to the Lane this year. I think on reflection of the whole game it is a stretch saying they deserved a point as we had a lot of the play and a lot of chances but they nearly got one right at the death. They rolled their sleeves up and actually as well as competing more they started to pass the ball and got it wide creating chances; aided and abetted by our woeful defending. They scored two further well taken goals and with a little more luck could have had a few more. Fair play to them and if they show the same fight and belief they may have a chance of getting out of it but I do feel their defending was as equally bad if not worse than ours. They must improve in this area.
Bunn 4/10 – Thought he looked decidedly uneasy throughout the game. He was staying on his line when he should have come out and coming out when he should have stayed. His decision making on the first goal summed it up as he came and missed the ball badly leaving a completely open goal. I felt after this he looked very edgy and was slow down to the third goal which was reminiscent of some of the goals he let in earlier in the season. Just did not command his defence or the box.
Kallio 6.5/10 – He had a better game than he has in the previous contests and was one of our better defenders but that says more about the other defenders performance than him being particularly outstanding. He did most of the basics ok and showed one or two nice touches going forward. However, he is painfully slow and for an International footballer I would think he would sense/read danger than he often does.
Nosworthy 5/10 – Not convincing at all and reminds me each passing game as the second coming of Gus Uhlenbeek. Like Gus, Nyron does some decent things and shows pace and athleticism. However, he all too quickly goes from Premiership type defender to Meadowhall Sunday League. My main concern is I never seem to know what he is going to do next and tries to be too clever at times often leaving us in trouble. The second goal was a casing point.
Bartley 5.5/10 – First half he was ok but then after Plymouth scored his performance degenerated quite badly and he seemed to really struggle. He made a number of errors and got outmuscled quite a few times too. Looked very uneasy with whoever he was picking up and seemed to lose confidence not wining his tackles, blocks nor headers.
Morgan 7/10 – Our most solid defender and he was the one who headed, cleared and did the basics most of the game. He did not look totally fit having been out for a few weeks but in the second half the shambles around him must have been a bit of a shock after having the steady Kilgallon/Seip alongside him. Fallon went off which showed his first half performance but Morgs also looked slow with the rest of the backline in the second half and was partly at fault for the second goal losing his man.
Montgomery 6.5/10 – A typical Monty performance where he seemed to be everywhere in the first half closing down play, winning loose balls and more often than not giving the ball away under little or no pressure. He did so many good things but also wasted a lot of his running and harrying with awful control or passing.
Williamson 7/10 – Still showed to me that he is a good footballer who is one of few who can get it down under control relatively easily and find a red and white shirt with little fuss. He has a good engine and gets up and down. He was good in the first half but felt he was not as influential second half as Plymouth started to get their foot in and create more.
Ward 7.5/10 – Scored two well taken goal; with a ferocious driven first goal and then a well taken opportunistic second goal. Aside from that he showed his pace and direct play which really worried Plymouth and it was an improved performance on recent weeks. However, I still would like him to be more involved at times.
Yeates 7/10 – Started the game well and showed his excellent touch and football brain. He was involved in the first two United goals. Always looks to get it down, go forward or try something that will get his opponent on the back foot. He did drift in and out of the game today but has looked promising in games I have seen.
Cresswell 6.5/10 – As he has been most of his spell at United so far; fairly quiet game but one in which he always was working hard and never hid. Not on the ball very much and not directly involved in much of our attacks but was able to score yet again. The goal was a very clever piece of play and was as much down to his experience and quick thinking as the keepers’ naivety.
Camara 7/10 – An excellent taken goal which showed his pace and finishing ability. He looked very dangerous in the first half and showed some real class with his touch and tricks. Plymouth looked terrified every time he touched the ball. Second half I felt he faded badly and this has unfortunately been a hallmark of his performances which makes you can see why he is not a regular who plays 90 minutes every week. If he played consistently like he does in flashes then he probably would be playing in the Premiership though.
Subs –
Evans – Replaced Camara and showed a few decent touches but also rather worryingly was hardly busting a gut which was what we needed (a fresh pair of legs to chase defenders and make them play). Also gave ball away twice in corner which led to them having a few more chances at the end.
Harper – Replaced Yeates as United tried to squeeze the midfield towards the end but he was playing in our box with the rest of the players for the final stages of the game.
Stewart – Came on as we were trying to ensure we hung on at the end.
Referee – Sarginson. I thought he was fine first half but then he seemed to completely lose the game second half. For 20 minutes he gave us absolutely nothing and seemed hell bent on getting them back into the game. Then after an innocuous free kick was given to us that drew ironic cheers from four sides of the ground; he started to give us everything for the next 15 minutes. His lack of control culminated in the incidents like Morgan and Mackie clashing when arguably the ref should have sent them both off. Generally just seemed to lose control of the game and I felt both ways he was poor.
