Why Has Billy Sharp...

[Berlin Blade]

Yep.

This thread is the shit that I'm apparently making up.
No anti-Billy Sharp vendattas here. No siree.

That's like saying there's a huge vendetta against Coutts because people slagged him off two years ago.

Most (most) of these posts are fair comment. Billy WAS poor in those games. I don't think it's unfair or unrealistic to say that. Infact, I think you're being a little unfair and unrealistic by saying that he's beyond criticism.

Interesting to see most of these posters revelling in our demise are really unfamilar usernames that haven't been seen since the week of this OP.

It's a really good read this, as this game was the turning point. Comments about Chesterfield 'running away with it' are funny. Imagine if someone had posted saying.. 'I know we're bottom but just be patient.. We'll win the league with 100 points, look incredible, go into the Championship with virtually the same squad and be top 3 going into December, with Clarke leading the scorers charts playing up top with Sharp - Don't worry, these players are better than they look.... We need to give that Jake Wright a game...' There's no way anyone would have taken you seriously.

 

[Tommoblade66]

Whatever it takes to whinge a game, diving, whinging, kick people off the pitch, 3 points are all that matters. A win's a win no matter how they come. It's called gamesmanship. History only remembers the winners regardless how it's done

 

[tomtheblade]

I've an idea. Why don't we resurrect a thread from 2004 about how Warnock was taking us nowhere and clearly out of his element, or that he's the man to take us up to the Prem, so that we can all pat ourselves on the back over how right we all were (or weren't).

Or... we can stop this nonsense and simply enjoy and look forward to our glorious future under Lord Wilder.

 

[Harry's Game]

I've an idea. Why don't we resurrect a thread from 2004 about how Warnock was taking us nowhere and clearly out of his element, or that he's the man to take us up to the Prem, so that we can all pat ourselves on the back over how right we all were (or weren't).

Or... we can stop this nonsense and simply enjoy and look forward to our glorious future under Lord Wilder.

I agree I don’t see the point in resurrecting threads from a clearly frustrating and difficult period for the sole intent of embarrassing other posters with the use of 20 / 20 hindsight.

(And I am not saying this to defend myself as I didn’t contribute to the original thread.)

We now know it was the system used in the first three or so games last season not individual players that was the issue. I remember thinking Fleck looked a wasted piece of recruitment the first few games that season, I don’t think anyone thinks that now.

 

[oldblade]

I agree I don’t see the point in resurrecting threads from a clearly frustrating and difficult period for the sole intent of embarrassing other posters with the use of 20 / 20 hindsight.

(And I am not saying this to defend myself as I didn’t contribute to the original thread.)

We now know it was the system used in the first three or so games last season not individual players that was the issue. I remember thinking Fleck looked a wasted piece of recruitment the first few games that season, I don’t think anyone thinks that now.

Yes you did. Post 67. I quote:

"He's still our best (only?) hope of scoring the goals to keep us up this season.

However he is going to pick up a suspension or two the way he is behaving, maybe The captaincy is having a detrimental effect on him? I am not a big fan of strikers or keepers being captain".

But as far as the OP goes, you were being fairly neutral, although TD will conclude that you hate Billy and think he's rubbish. After all 2+2=9 Million.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Yes you did. Post 67. I quote:

"He's still our best (only?) hope of scoring the goals to keep us up this season.

However he is going to pick up a suspension or two the way he is behaving, maybe The captaincy is having a detrimental effect on him? I am not a big fan of strikers or keepers being captain".

But as far as the OP goes, you were being fairly neutral, although TD will conclude that you hate Billy and think he's rubbish. After all 2+2=9 Million.

To be honest, I'm just happy that you've broadened your conversational palette from creeping up Neil Warnocks arse to getting upset at people for defending our great captain and stalwart.

This is progress, of sorts.

 

[oldblade]

Yep.

This thread is the shit that I'm apparently making up.
No anti-Billy Sharp vendattas here. No siree.

Yep. We have a forum with 6917 members and on this thread a total of 15 of them could be considered (in varying degrees) to have been negative about Billy Sharp. Conclusive proof that the forum has it in for him and he gets far more criticism than anyone else.

 

[Woodwardfan]

The team form and playing system is key for Sharp, always has been.

Play him in from an advanced part of the pitch with a controlled pass and he will provide big returns. Knock long high balls up to him with his back to big defenders or even into the channels from deep and he will look distinctly slow and laboured.

Keep feeding early balls into the box from out wide and get supporting players up there with him and he'll make the runs to score and provide assists too.

He is short, stocky, slow and ineffective as a Vardy-type player. He is effective as an Aguero-type.

Celebrate the strengths of every player and accept their weaknesses. Let the manager decide their role in the team and their future. We are supporters not judges and juries, especially when it's 'one of our own family'

 

[I should coco]

Whatever it takes to whinge a game, diving, whinging, kick people off the pitch, 3 points are all that matters. A win's a win no matter how they come. It's called gamesmanship. History only remembers the winners regardless how it's done

Billy gives as good as he gets. Centre halves and strikers all practice the dark arts, with sly pushes, blocks, digs and elbows. It was ever thus.
Billy doesn't go looking to the ref as he knows he will get SFA, he just gets stuck in and carries on. He's probably 'better' at this than any other striker at the club, despite his size.

The one thing he rarely does is to dive. Maybe because his game doesn't involve running into the box at pace with the ball, means he knows he'd be easily found out, but most of us draw the line at diving anyway so are happy with this.

Billy works hard, whether he sees much of the ball or not. Nigel Adkins may have even called it 'unseen work'!

 

[Tommoblade66]

Billy gives as good as he gets. Centre halves and strikers all practice the dark arts, with sly pushes, blocks, digs and elbows. It was ever thus.
Billy doesn't go looking to the ref as he knows he will get SFA, he just gets stuck in and carries on. He's probably 'better' at this than any other striker at the club, despite his size.

The one thing he rarely does is to dive. Maybe because his game doesn't involve running into the box at pace with the ball, means he knows he'd be easily found out, but most of us draw the line at diving anyway so are happy with this.

Billy works hard, whether he sees much of the ball or not. Nigel Adkins may have even called it 'unseen work'!

I'd go with that, but whatever it takes. That's all that counts

 

[Booker4]

Billy scores goals when given service. Without service he is, like any forward of a similar style, less effective, especially as Billy doesn't have outstanding pace to run at defenders and create chances from nothing like Brooks can and to a lesser extent like Leon can do. So in games like Birmingham, I think we can cut a lot of slack for Billy. I love Billy Sharp, he's a legend in my eyes. One of my favourite ever Blades. He might need an occasional rest but he is still worth his place in the team 100%.

 

[Harry's Game]

Yes you did. Post 67. I quote:

"He's still our best (only?) hope of scoring the goals to keep us up this season.

However he is going to pick up a suspension or two the way he is behaving, maybe The captaincy is having a detrimental effect on him? I am not a big fan of strikers or keepers being captain".

But as far as the OP goes, you were being fairly neutral, although TD will conclude that you hate Billy and think he's rubbish. After all 2+2=9 Million.

I think most who have seen any of my posts about Billy will know that I am one of staunchest supporters, I am sorry for forgetting about a post on a thread from a year last August.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Billy scores goals when given service. Without service he is, like any forward of a similar style, less effective, especially as Billy doesn't have outstanding pace to run at defenders and create chances from nothing like Brooks can and to a lesser extent like Leon can do. So in games like Birmingham, I think we can cut a lot of slack for Billy. I love Billy Sharp, he's a legend in my eyes. One of my favourite ever Blades. He might need an occasional rest but he is still worth his place in the team 100%.

The Big Issue at this time of year is the JTW.

Is the improvement of the strike-force a priority i.e. replacement of Sharp because Clarke is outstanding.

It's about cover for injured and suspended strikers from January to the end of the season and importantly in the Play-Offs if that's where we end up.

We've been to Wembley without any strikers time and again.

Cole might be a great signing, good age, good record, pace I think. He can grow as a player for years too.

Maybe we need somebody for the here and now, real quality and immediate contribution. How much ? £8m ? Guaranteed, of course not. BUT we do need better than Hanson and Lavery, that's for sure. Donaldson, who knows?

Sign one better than Sharp and have Sharp for back up and we'll not go far wrong!! Do nothing and we will fall short of the Play-Offs.

 

[South Bucks]

Brilliant servant for the club and a legend but I feel he and Leon need to play closer together when the ball is played into them to feed off each other. Too far apart and it takes a miracle pass between them and all too often the defenders intercept it. Been a few times I've seen one of them out wide by the touch line and the other peels off to the back post and I'm thinking the chances of delivering a cross right onto his head from way out there when under pressure from a defender are pretty slim. Leon's third goal against Hull being one of the few exceptions.

 

[blade too long]

We have to accept both our 22 goals so far top 2 are in the twilight of their careers, both just now look really fit , but the clocks ticking.
CW is aware of this and his long term plans will have been corrulated with this in mind
2 years from now both will be out to stud, recruitment to cover this starts on Jan 2nd

 

[oldblade]

I think most who have seen any of my posts about Billy will know that I am one of staunchest supporters, I am sorry for forgetting about a post on a thread from a year last August.

Apology not necessary! And I don't doubt your support for Billy Sharp. That post appeared to me to be broadly supportive anyway. Certainly not particularly critical.

However, I'm not sure TD would see it that way. He seems to have some strange desire to believe that the majority of this forum's members have some kind of vendetta against Billy and are quicker to criticise him than other of our other players. Seems to think that this thread proves his point.

As you point out it is a 15 month old thread. I would add that the thread was started after a particularly bad home defeat to Southend and as is fairly usual after such performances (particularly after 5 years of them!) some people can get a bit over reactive. But even so, only about 35 (out of over 6000) forum members contributed to the thread and of those, only around 15 made negative posts.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Brilliant servant for the club and a legend but I feel he and Leon need to play closer together when the ball is played into them to feed off each other. Too far apart and it takes a miracle pass between them and all too often the defenders intercept it. Been a few times I've seen one of them out wide by the touch line and the other peels off to the back post and I'm thinking the chances of delivering a cross right onto his head from way out there when under pressure from a defender are pretty slim. Leon's third goal against Hull being one of the few exceptions.

Sharp v Barnsley.

 

[Right Back]

Nice little stat just popped up while checking tonight’s scores.

 

[Tommoblade66]

Billy scores goals when given service. Without service he is, like any forward of a similar style, less effective, especially as Billy doesn't have outstanding pace to run at defenders and create chances from nothing like Brooks can and to a lesser extent like Leon can do. So in games like Birmingham, I think we can cut a lot of slack for Billy. I love Billy Sharp, he's a legend in my eyes. One of my favourite ever Blades. He might need an occasional rest but he is still worth his place in the team 100%.

All a decent striker needs is a decent ball. One a game will do for me