Sheffield United (H) League One 14 Jan, 3pm

[Super Gabor]

Reflections:

1. Was surprised Laird didn't start but....
2. Edwards was excellent
3. O'Connor solid throughout - his neck muscles must hurt on Sundays with all the heading away he does
4. We look a better team with Osbourne playing
5. Flo is improving
6. It didn't look a pen. Dobson seemed to be tumbling before contact but who cares?
7. Blades' away kit was a shocker. As bad as our Wembley season away kit

Great team performance. Let's hope we take a lot confidence from that. Onwards and upwards.

[Guest]

Channel 5 tonight, 10pm :D :D :D

We might get a little more than the usual 30-40 seconds.

A full minute you mean?! :lol:

You're so right.

https://youtu.be/dXWIc6bRqXI

[Guest]

Enjoy :D :D :D :D
http://www.skysports.com/efl/championsh ... -sheff-utd

#paperingoverthecracks

Many thanks for that, Super. Brilliant! I thought our goals showed some very neat passing and, of course, clinical finishing.
Feel good tonight.
EXCELSIOR!!
:D

Bit conscious of stealing Guest's thunder as highlights link supremo, but it's worth putting out there.

I don't just post a link, I record the thing and post it to YouTube. It's a shame Channel 5 just do snippets, though.

It's also a shame for many of us in other locations that we are not allowed to view the Sky links. (Even when using TunnelBear.)

Edit: I have been able to view the Sky link now using the incognito tab on Chrome and TunnelBear. Looking forward to the extended version...

[chunkster]

Reflections:

1. Was surprised Laird didn't start but....
2. Edwards was excellent
3. O'Connor solid throughout - his neck muscles must hurt on Sundays with all the heading away he does
4. We look a better team with Osbourne playing
5. Flo is improving
6. It didn't look a pen. Dobson seemed to be tumbling before contact but who cares?
7. Blades' away kit was a shocker. As bad as our Wembley season away kit

Great team performance. Let's hope we take a lot confidence from that. Onwards and upwards.

It wasn't this seasons away kit it was last years for some reason? i think they said on sad world that both of this seasons kit clashed with ours :|

[SaddlerSteve]

Reflections:

1. Was surprised Laird didn't start but....
2. Edwards was excellent
3. O'Connor solid throughout - his neck muscles must hurt on Sundays with all the heading away he does
4. We look a better team with Osbourne playing
5. Flo is improving
6. It didn't look a pen. Dobson seemed to be tumbling before contact but who cares?
7. Blades' away kit was a shocker. As bad as our Wembley season away kit

Great team performance. Let's hope we take a lot confidence from that. Onwards and upwards.

It wasn't this seasons away kit it was last years for some reason? i think they said on sad world that both of this seasons kit clashed with ours :|

Yes, their away kit is black tops with red shorts so they were wearing last seasons away kit to avoid clashing with us.

[aaaae]

Their keeper gave us 3 goals. Very generous of him. Might be worth clubbing together to send him a thank you card.... :twisted:

[BathSaddler]

Superb result, all the more enjoyable because of the unexpected nature of it. I think that is only the 6th time this season (excluding the Checkatrade Trophy) where we have scored two or more goals in a game. A pity I was not there to see it.

Let's hope we start with the same selection/formation against another high-scoring side in Bristol Rovers next week. A conundrum for JW then, as if he brings Laird back he would have to drop Edwards, or risk tinkering elsewhere. Interesting to see what he does....

UTS

[Gripper]

Their keeper gave us 3 goals. Very generous of him. Might be worth clubbing together to send him a thank you card.... :twisted:

He was allllll over the shop.

[WFC_Rob]

Their keeper gave us 3 goals. Very generous of him. Might be worth clubbing together to send him a thank you card.... :twisted:

He was allllll over the shop.

He really did look poor. To my surprise when I looked him up, it was Simon Moore, who was about the best goalie in the league when he was at Brentford a few seasons back.

[WFC_Rob]

I just don't know what to think anymore - football's weird, isn't it? How can we go from being absolutely horrendous two weeks ago to being that impressive?

It was good to see how up for it and positive we were with the ball yesteday, which was a massive improvement on the Rochdale game. Even from the kick off we tried to be positive with the ball, which was good to see.

Osborne really did make a huge difference though. He got about the pitch like the box-to-box midfielder we've been missing, and really drove us forward when we looked to hit them on the break. When you combine that with Oztumer's creativity, we look a potent force going forward. We absolutely need to keep those two in the side though.

You've got to take your hat off to Whitney for the system he played too. Goals from both wing backs say he nailed that one and we never really looked like we were going to give them too much in our defensive third either. Edwards played like a man possessed, McCarthy was as excellent as he often is and the best praise I can give O'Connell is that I barely noticed him, which is more or less what you want from a centre back who is there to do the basics well.

Whitney deserves a lot of credit for getting so many 8/10 and 9/10 performances from his players in the game after such chronic display. One thing yesterday should encourage him to do though is play his best players in their best positions. It's no wonder we looked so much better with the likes of Cuvelier, Osborne, Oztumer and Bakayoko playing in the roles they know best.

[chriss5471]

Their keeper gave us 3 goals. Very generous of him. Might be worth clubbing together to send him a thank you card.... :twisted:

He was allllll over the shop.

He really did look poor. To my surprise when I looked him up, it was Simon Moore, who was about the best goalie in the league when he was at Brentford a few seasons back.

Maybe all chip in for a thank you banner when we play them in the play offs?

[Bee_Leevers]

Reflections:

1. Was surprised Laird didn't start but....
2. Edwards was excellent
3. O'Connor solid throughout - his neck muscles must hurt on Sundays with all the heading away he does
4. We look a better team with Osbourne playing
5. Flo is improving
6. It didn't look a pen. Dobson seemed to be tumbling before contact but who cares?
7. Blades' away kit was a shocker. As bad as our Wembley season away kit

Great team performance. Let's hope we take a lot confidence from that. Onwards and upwards.

The penalty looked as blatant as they come on first viewing.. watched it back and it looks even more blatant... he was going down before the keeper took him out due to the push from their defender!

Fantastic 2nd half performance, but our defending in the 1st half was inexcusable at times.. makes me angry to see how many times they were doubling up sometimes trebling up on chambers at the back post.. their first goal is laughable.

anyway i'll certainly take it! UTS!!

[Super Gabor]

The penalty looked as blatant as they come on first viewing.. watched it back and it looks even more blatant... he was going down before the keeper took him out due to the push from their defender!

Thanks Bee. I didn't see the push from where I was or from TV angle. Nice to get our first of the season. :D

[Exile]

Edwards' goal was a cracker. Enjoyed watching that!

[Guest]

Wish you had been there?

https://youtu.be/hwPy_Zc6bqY

[killers left foot]

fantastic performance and result this needs to be built on now not go backwards like we have after previous good wins.fair play to whitney today he got it right credit where its due and i will happily admit i was wrong about him if this is a turning point in our season.

[Cheesebag]

We went all "Premier league" with three at the back

And it worked!!!!!

Flo and Osbourne in the middle with Captain covering worked superbly.....


Onwards and upwards

[NEWPORT SADDLERS DAD]

Here's one Sheffield fans view on two of our players,


Worst part of this? They are a bang average League 1 side, big and fast, with one good footballer (Otzumer), at least one terrible clogger who looked like he was not even good enough for a Sunday pub side (14, Osbourne?) and a couple of dubious ref decisions, but all in all, they kept closing us down quickly and caused us trouble.


Osbourne a sunday league clogger. :lol: :lol: :lol: Did he not see the game.

[tinned]

Great second half performance. Buzzing. It needs to be more like the norm, not the occasional highlight it is at the moment though.

4 defeats for the Blunts since September apparently, and 3 of them are us :lol:

Loved a tweet doing the rounds from a Blunts fan on Saturday, something along the lines of " People ask me if I like football, I say yes I do. I don't like Walsall though, they can fudge off" :mrgreen:

[philthesaddler]

Didn't go to the game, but watching the highlights, there's a big question mark over their keeper for every single goal

First one, Baka shoots across him from a narrow angle

Second, McCarthy beats him at his near post, again from a narrowish angle, he looks very sluggish to get down

Third, gets wrong footed by Edwards reverse shot, but still is statuesque.

None of the first 3 shots were hit with much power, yet he didn't get a hand to any of them.

Fourth, comes rushing our clumsily with the ball and player heading away from goal and with a defender present for cover.

Still good performance, just like the Merson days, brilliant on the odd week, dross the rest of the time.

[coop63]

Didn't go to the game, but watching the highlights, there's a big question mark over their keeper for every single goal

First one, Baka shoots across him from a narrow angle

Second, McCarthy beats him at his near post, again from a narrowish angle, he looks very sluggish to get down

Third, gets wrong footed by Edwards reverse shot, but still is statuesque.

None of the first 3 shots were hit with much power, yet he didn't get a hand to any of them.

Fourth, comes rushing our clumsily with the ball and player heading away from goal and with a defender present for cover.

Still good performance, just like the Merson days, brilliant on the odd week, dross the rest of the time.

I agree philthesadler but that doesn't detract from what was a massively improved performance...

I was right behind the goal on the front row with my 6 year old grandson and their keeper made a huge error for the McCarthy goal and it literally flew under him (not even a squeeze on it!)

Dead right - completely Wrong footed for the Edwards goal and the penalty was a spot of luck in my opinion as it was a classic defender goalie sandwich! How good it was to see us win a penalty :shock: uts

[Mazza01]

Here's one Sheffield fans view on two of our players,


Worst part of this? They are a bang average League 1 side, big and fast, with one good footballer (Otzumer), at least one terrible clogger who looked like he was not even good enough for a Sunday pub side (14, Osbourne?) and a couple of dubious ref decisions, but all in all, they kept closing us down quickly and caused us trouble.


Osbourne a sunday league clogger. :lol: :lol: :lol: Did he not see the game.

How opinions differ hey, Osbourne was superb. He won every tackle , every header and his footwork was very good. Certainly way to good for their inform midfield.

Its easy to see why Smith signed him, had he been fit last season there is no way that we would still be in league 1. He would of been perfect in games such as Oldham away where we dropped points.

[aaaae]

I just don't know what to think anymore - football's weird, isn't it? How can we go from being absolutely horrendous two weeks ago to being that impressive?

I remember reading an interview of Kenny Dalglish when I was a kid. He was asked the difference between a great footballer and average one. His answer was, the difference isn't ability, it's those players that can raise their game every week, whether they are playing the top of the league or the bottom.

That stuck with me. That and Franz Beckenbauer's advice on defending 2 on 1 situations...

[SaddlerSteve]

Here's one Sheffield fans view on two of our players,


Worst part of this? They are a bang average League 1 side, big and fast, with one good footballer (Otzumer), at least one terrible clogger who looked like he was not even good enough for a Sunday pub side (14, Osbourne?) and a couple of dubious ref decisions, but all in all, they kept closing us down quickly and caused us trouble.


Osbourne a sunday league clogger. :lol: :lol: :lol: Did he not see the game.

The ref was completely dire but if the Blunts fan thinks we were assisted by his decisions then he clearly wasn't watching!

A missed handball.
Yellow when their guy should have been off.
Booking the wrong one of our players.

Not to mention all the other minor decisions he got wrong against both sides!

[Welsh_Saddler]

Here's one Sheffield fans view on two of our players,


Worst part of this? They are a bang average League 1 side, big and fast, with one good footballer (Otzumer), at least one terrible clogger who looked like he was not even good enough for a Sunday pub side (14, Osbourne?) and a couple of dubious ref decisions, but all in all, they kept closing us down quickly and caused us trouble.


Osbourne a sunday league clogger. :lol: :lol: :lol: Did he not see the game.

The ref was completely dire but if the Blunts fan thinks we were assisted by his decisions then he clearly wasn't watching!

A missed handball.
Yellow when their guy should have been off.
Booking the wrong one of our players.

Not to mention all the other minor decisions he got wrong against both sides!

One thing that struck me about the referee was concerning our penalty. The ref was perfectly placed to see the coming together, but having awarded the penalty kick he did nothing further ... I am in no way qualified as a referee, but I assumed that such a foul (depriving an attacker of the opportunity to attempt to score) would merit a booking of some kind. Even if not a red card, certainly a yellow - this referee did neither. :?

[coop63]

Here's one Sheffield fans view on two of our players,


Worst part of this? They are a bang average League 1 side, big and fast, with one good footballer (Otzumer), at least one terrible clogger who looked like he was not even good enough for a Sunday pub side (14, Osbourne?) and a couple of dubious ref decisions, but all in all, they kept closing us down quickly and caused us trouble.


Osbourne a sunday league clogger. :lol: :lol: :lol: Did he not see the game.

The ref was completely dire but if the Blunts fan thinks we were assisted by his decisions then he clearly wasn't watching!

A missed handball.
Yellow when their guy should have been off.
Booking the wrong one of our players.

Not to mention all the other minor decisions he got wrong against both sides!

One thing that struck me about the referee was concerning our penalty. The ref was perfectly placed to see the coming together, but having awarded the penalty kick he did nothing further ... I am in no way qualified as a referee, but I assumed that such a foul (depriving an attacker of the opportunity to attempt to score) would merit a booking of some kind. Even if not a red card, certainly a yellow - this referee did neither. :?

I'm not a ref either Welsh but from what I understand, unless the player is in movement towards the goal (directionally speaking) hence into a goalscoring position then its not a red card but I'm not sure why a yellow wasn't shown as he clearly deemed it a foul in the box!!

[Pedagogue]

Wearing my referee tutor's hat for a moment, may I say that some spectators are more "card-happy" than some of our referees - and that's saying something!

A foul in the penalty-area is NOT (and never has been) an automatic yellow or red card. It all depends upon the severity or cynicism of the offence. DOGSO (denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity) is nearly always a straight red (but even that Law was modified slightly for this season). A foul, provided it is not wild and reckless and threatening to hurt an opponent, is punished by, in this case, a penalty kick - and nothing else. This was one of the few major decisions that the referee got right! :D

[chriss5471]

Wearing my referee tutor's hat for a moment, may I say that some spectators are more "card-happy" than some of our referees - and that's saying something!

A foul in the penalty-area is NOT (and never has been) an automatic yellow or red card. It all depends upon the severity or cynicism of the offence. DOGSO (denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity) is nearly always a straight red (but even that Law was modified slightly for this season). A foul, provided it is not wild and reckless and threatening to hurt an opponent, is punished by, in this case, a penalty kick - and nothing else. This was one of the few major decisions that the referee got right! :D

As the players blocked him off and didn't play the ball could it not be classed as obstruction and therefore should have been an indirect free kick?

[Pedagogue]

Wearing my referee tutor's hat for a moment, may I say that some spectators are more "card-happy" than some of our referees - and that's saying something!

A foul in the penalty-area is NOT (and never has been) an automatic yellow or red card. It all depends upon the severity or cynicism of the offence. DOGSO (denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity) is nearly always a straight red (but even that Law was modified slightly for this season). A foul, provided it is not wild and reckless and threatening to hurt an opponent, is punished by, in this case, a penalty kick - and nothing else. This was one of the few major decisions that the referee got right! :D

As the players blocked him off and didn't play the ball could it not be classed as obstruction and therefore should have been an indirect free kick?

FIFA abolished the term "obstruction" quite a few years ago. It is now "impeding the progress of an opponent" (some improvement, eh?! :wink: ). If this impeding involves physical contact with an opponent then it is now a penal offence, i.e. punishable by a direct free-kick or penalty-kick. It is only when the impeding does not include physical contact with an opponent (e.g. running across a player's path causing him to slow or veer off course) that an indirect free-kick is awarded.

Hope this clarifies matters.