What I enjoyed about today - Preston

[Houso]

Makes a change to walk out with a happy face.

• Calve's performance
• Calve's stunner
• Leon Britton's performance -the best central midfield effort in years
• That we passed it.... lots
• That we had a solid left back
• That we practiced passing in the pre match warm up
• That even Monty managed to pass the ball well
• That Nosworthy continued to entertain and exasperate in equal measure

Think that's about it.And yes, there will be a what I didn't enjoy.

 

[Mad Mick]

What about attack?
Sounds like we didn't have too many chances. Was it just bad luck or were the forwards poor?
Or were Preston solid?

 

[Houso]

What about attack?
Sounds like we didn't have too many chances. Was it just bad luck or were the forwards poor?
Or were Preston solid?

It's in the other thread really. We lacked any real guile when we got into the last third of the pitch and our crossing was generally poor too. That said, I'm very confident that we'll build on today and get much better.

 

[creswell blade]

i wasnt at the match today but i heard the coverage on blades player. it sounded like we continued with the passing on the floor game which is a bonus,speed changed the formation,calve scores a stunner, it sounded like briton calve jordan and monty had a good game,and we got our first 3 points of the season. i will say however if i had a pound for every time i heard the commenter say that we,d given them the ball id be alot better off but still speeds only had less then a fortnight to teach them a new passing game but all in all not a bad saturday

 

[Blade58]

clean sheet
fantastic goal
two good full backs
appreciative crowd when trying to play football
Leon Britton

 

[DuncDisorderly]

We passed it a lot but like Swansea and Donny, a lot of it was possession without real threat played in front of two banks of four. Speedo did suggest that getting the final third right is his main task. We will need to move the ball quicker into the front players and support them a bit more...

 

[ZoneManWilf]

Makes a change to walk out with a happy face.

• Leon Britton's performance -the best central midfield effort in years

Leon Britton is fast becoming my favourite player in our squad after today's performance.

And the reason for his excellent game was a tactical change in the setup of the team - he was clearly told to make himself available when the back 4 had the ball and the back 4 were clearly told to pass it to him. A massive change in the style of play, it reminded me of what Kendall did with Gordon Cowans, when he first took over.

Full backs who are footballers help matters as well. Hopefully we've seen the last of Andy 'aimless' Taylor.

Today was full of teething problems and things not quite clicking, especially in the final third and we created little in the box. But for me was a most enjoyable change of direction of how my team plays football.

Still plenty of fans around me getting frustrated when the ball wasn't banged into the box at the first opportunity though - I have no clue how some people actually watch the game without realising that effective use of possession is more beneficial than hopeful balls into the box.

 

[Houso]

Yeah, I had a couple whinging near me too. We did make a couple of dodgy decisions I won't lie; but overall we were intelligent with the ball.

And I agree entirely about Britton playing deeper. Worked wonders.

 

[Wards]

Leon Britton's midfield performance

 

[Houso]

It really was...

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

We passed it a lot but like Swansea and Donny, a lot of it was possession without real threat played in front of two banks of four. Speedo did suggest that getting the final third right is his main task. We will need to move the ball quicker into the front players and support them a bit more...

Same effect as kicking it long away from your goal - the opposition can't score which was Blackies way. Passing and keeping the ball is a better way to achieve the tha same result though.

I didn't go so won't comment on what i've not seen.

 

[moDtheGod]

Still plenty of fans around me getting frustrated when the ball wasn't banged into the box at the first opportunity though - I have no clue how some people actually watch the game without realising that effective use of possession is more beneficial than hopeful balls into the box.

It's always been like that in my time, at least. You hear fans clamouring for passing and you hear the same fans going on about Woodward and Currie and the quality they supposedly showed, but I've been going since the start of the 90s and I've only ever heard "STOP FANNYING ABOUT AND GET IT IN THE BOX". They'll make their mind up...

 

[silverfox]

The full backs were very good today. I'd mentioned Calve's class a few time before he scored. It's only the first time I've seen him but he looks a real football player.

Great goal too!

Thought Britton showed what he can do and monty was good too.

Last third is our problem at the moment.

 

[Brisca Blade]

Thought we kept the ball well and it was lovely to see us pass it around and not be afraid to go backwards with a pass rather than just lump it up front.

The ideas dried up in the final third and the front 3 did seem to struggle. Thought we looked better with Yeates on and Cresswell as the focal point.

The only real grumble i have about todays performance was the standard of the cross and corners we just seem to overhit them all.

But i am sure that will come with Speeds involvement on the training ground.

 

[Wards]

Reckon we could do with a striker who has real pace - someone who can play on the shoulder of the last man and cause some problems. We just seem a little one-paced at times in the final third though I'm sure the management already recognise this.

Roll on the next game

 

[Nick Jansky]

I really enjoyed the style of football today. Delighted with the back 4 and the midfield. Britton is a real footballer, great to see a Blades central midfielder so comfortable on the ball, and with a great range of passing. I'm not overly concerned at this stage with the lack of chances, I think we are a Camara type of player away from addressing that, and I expect to see one come in. I also think that the number of chances will increase as the players get more and more used to playing the new style, which will take months rather than weeks, but there has already been a huge improvement in the space of 6 days.

 

[The One]

I agree with what everyone has said.

But i'd also like to add that the for the first time in a long, long time the fans actually sounded like they were enjoying themselves.

 

[Bubbleburp]

I enjoyed everything about today, especially watching Calves' skills..the goal was a fantastic bonus ...what a debut !! Britton AND Ertyl were totally different players today .... keep it up lads !!

 

[Elsecar_Blade]

I agree with what everyone has said.

But i'd also like to add that the for the first time in a long, long time the fans actually sounded like they were enjoying themselves.

Correct. Whilst the attendance was poor, I sensed that we had weeded out the moaners, the Premier League glory crew and were down to our core Blades support. In a round about way, I prefer it.

 

[bladesfan]

We won ))))))

 

[mattbianco1]

clean sheet
fantastic goal
two good full backs
appreciative crowd when trying to play football
Leon Britton

What he said ^^^^^^^^

 

[Guesty]

The Fullbacks showing for the midfield made it so much easier to keep the ball. That's not to denigrate Britton's performance, as he was mesmeric. It was nice to see in Ertl too a midfielder capable of winning headers. We've not had that since Jags played there in our promotion year really.

 

[shorehamview]

I enjoyed the Christa Ackroyd impersonator. She was lovely.

 

[Zinedine]

We're lacking the killer instinct up top, when we find that we'll be laughing.

What we need to concentrate on is beating teams like Preston, Chelsea win the PL by getting 60 points off the shit teams...

 

[kelham blade]

Leon Britton
Leon Britton
Leon Britton

The guy was always looking to receive a pass and rarely wasted possession.

He's destined to be the Xavi of the Championship!

 

[shorehamview]

Leon Britton...........
He's destined to be the Xavi of the Championship!

Short and balding? It does make a change having a short-arsed midfielder who not only is constantly looking to make a good run or pass but also not get mardy if it doesn't work and have another go. S. Quinn please take note.

 

[DazBlade88]

I think it does look much more promising under Speed, we're keeping the ball better and we're not wasting possession as often as we did if we couldn't create something in the final third. We looked to turn back and start again if the final ball wasn't available.

I still believe we're lacking 1 or 2 players with that ability to create a chance. Evans is a good player and if he gets chances he will score goals. Some people will argue that but his strike rate was just under 1 in 3 at Norwich when they were relegated at this level. With Yeates and Ward (despite how poorly Ward played) we looked a bit more balanced for me. We just need a player who can play in the role just behind the striker if we are to play this 4-2-3-1 system, but these tend to cost a bit of money which we don't seem to have.

A fit Williamson would be massive for us as it stands IMO.

Another positive for me is what Speed is saying after the games. He realises which areas need improvement and he's looking to address it. It's not going to happen in the space of 3 or 4 games but I'm confident over the season we will get much stronger once the players get used to how he wants to play.

 

[Bergen Blade]

I got a text at the start of the game saying that Britton was playing deeper, like he has for years, and it's great to see that people thought it worked. Agree that Williamson can make a real difference, as I think it's going to be difficult to create enough chances with what is really three defensive central midfielders in Monty, Ertl and Britton. While they all seem to have had decent games, the chances created may show what they won't be able to do.

 

[cooperblade]

I got a text at the start of the game saying that Britton was playing deeper, like he has for years, and it's great to see that people thought it worked. Agree that Williamson can make a real difference, as I think it's going to be difficult to create enough chances with what is really three defensive central midfielders in Monty, Ertl and Britton. While they all seem to have had decent games, the chances created may show what they won't be able to do.

I'm surprised that Quinny didn't get on, especially as Monty didn't look fit. I thought he could've been a far more effective link between Britton and the front players and would've given the PNE back 4 a lot more to think about.

A lot more positives that there were from the Boro game. 2 fullbacks who looked comfortable on the ball, Britton very involved and more movement up front.

We still need something different up front though, Cresswell looks a shadow of the player he was last season at the moment.

Bartley MoTM for me, incredible amount of potential.

 

[Cassius Kray]

Britton looked good, the defence (Nyron excluded) looked solid, two decent debuts, a wondergoal from Calve, and three points!