Wilder's Substitutions

[Keen Blade]

I hesitate to criticise my hero of the last 3 seasons , but I can't hold back after today.
On various occasions during this season , he has gone safe with a sub defender and dropped points.
But I have kept my thoughts to myself.
Today he has criticised the players , accusing them of "going backwards" and inviting an equaliser.
I think he's said this because he is so upset with himself and the result.
When he's had time to reflect , surely he will question his own decision to replace Billy with Cranie instead of a straight swap for Hogan - what message does that send to the team if not "hang onto what we've got".
A curiously cowardly decision to take us off his famous front foot.
At the time , we were on top and pressing for the second goal.
From that moment on we invited Wall to have a go .....and you know the rest.
Can anyone explain why he has moved away from " the best form of defence is to keep attacking" ?
I watched Leeds play on the front foot all game.
I reluctantly have to concede that on today's evidence they deserve an auto spot more than us.
Come on Chris.
Nothing ventured , nothing gained ..... Get back on the front foot.
We might yet finish second - and if we don't , let's enter the playoffs with a team that is playing to score.
Please accept that we just can't manage to defend one goal leads.
So don't be substituting defenders for strikers in the vain attempt to do so.

 

[Harry's Game]

The first one worked out well.

The second and third not so much.

Wouldn’t be to unhappy if Coutts wasn’t on the bench again for the rest of the season. Sad end to his Blades days.

 

[Topplayersleave]

Lack of bottle, lack of belief, lack of spine.
Sheffield United employees losing their nerve, who'd have thought it

 

[Ricky]

Don't tell me the Big Ballsy Chris myth is finally going to die....

 

[Sheff de party]

I regularly think he makes poor substitutions and gets tactically outdone by several managers. Bristol City at home was a case in point.

He’s a great manager, but he makes some really odd decisions. Appreciate I have the benefit of hindsight, but he baffles me. We weren’t creating a huge amount but we were running the game when Bash got injured and he brings Madine on, changing our entire shape. I don’t get it.

 

[Lawrence]

The switch was wrong again, I know Duff was knackered (they all looked knackered) should have been Norwood off, he did nothing except for a few 5 yard pointless backwards and sideways passes! Duff was doing OK and looked still full of running. Sorry but Coutts looked out of his depth.

 

[Weasel]

I got the Madine for Bash substitution, but i couldn't fathom the others.

Sharp goes off (and remember we are winning at this point), why not put Hogan on as he has pace and Madine and Hogan could have played up top, retained the ball, and stopped them from pushing on to us. Goldie could have moved back into the Duffy role if necessary, and Duffs gone further back or out wide.

The Coutts sub was really baffling. Fine take of Duffs (I'd have kept him on myself) but either put Stearman on to counter their aerial bombardment, or put Hogan on to put them on the back foot again. This was CWs last chance to get us further up the pitch again by putting a forward on to play off Madine who was winning things but who had no one around him to support him - hence the ball wasn't sticking up top and we had no out ball. It was coming straight back at us, and it was a tide we couldn't stop. Put a quick lad on up top alongside Madine and we give them something to think about. If we don't use Hogan with his pace up front with 30 to play when we are leading at home, when will we use the lad? His game is suited to space behind the defence I.e. like yesterday, not when we are trying to break down a massed defence.

Odd decisions yesterday by the management and it just didn't make sense at the time. It still doesn't now.

All subs (with the exception of injuries replacements) should be to give us more attacking impetus during the game. We should only be contemplating defensive subs with 10 to play and if we need to see a game out. Yesterday we were seemingly trying to see the game out with 35 mins still to play.