Well... the FA Cup didn't go to well did it? An embarrassing performance led to United being one of the big giant killings of the third round. Full credit to Barnet though, they fully deserved their victory and could have potentially had more goals. They came to play and a team that had players who've spent the majority of their combined careers in the top three divisions of English football looked lost and disjointed. It speaks volumes that the only players who have continued to feature in the regular matchday 18 are Kieran Dowell, Paul Coutts and Leon Clarke although Clarke could consider himself lucky that he's still in and around the matchday 18 after a particularly awful performance.
After the disappointment of the cup defeat, United were back in league action against a QPR side who after a poor start to the season, have gone on a blistering run and came into this match on the back of four straight league wins. A match between two of the inform and entertaining teams in the league turned into a cagey game of chess with both teams producing few chances, however this wasn't helped by QPR deciding to play the timewasting game from about the 15th minute OF THE FIRST HALF. Anyway that soon changed after David McGoldrick netted a bullet header after patient build up which led to an Oli Norwood cross onto the head of the onrushing McGoldrick. This was McGoldrick's 10th league goal of the season and after initial scepticism over his signing at the start of the season, Big Dave has become a crucial part of our fight for promotion and, if he was younger, could possibly be plying his trade at a mid table Premier League club. Credit most lie solely at Wilder's door with him again taking on a player who isn't wanted by another club and turning them into a key player. The fact that he's also recently signed a new two and a half year deal is welcome news and although he is the wrong side of 30, that hasn't stopped a certain fat lad from Sheffield being affected and with McGoldrick being adaptable, he could perform at a high level (injury permitting) for a fair few years yet. Onto the last game before our clash with Norwich, we went to Swansea City looking for our fifth straight win and a return to the top two in the table. After a fairly impressive first half with Sharp and McGoldrick missing two gilt edged chances to score, United came out in the second half looking tired and Swansea took the initiative and scored a rather soft goal on our part with ex Blade Nathan Dyer putting a ball into the six yard box which Oli McBurnie latched onto and slotted home. After this, Wilder put on Gary Madine for his Blades debut and he looked decent with him being able to either knock on or knock down balls. However, nothing really came of these balls and Swansea saw out the game comfortably. The introduction of the subs at the time that they came is was pretty confusing. I think if a change was made at around the 50 - 55th minute period we could have regrouped and kicked on but Wilder decided to put on Dowell and Madine on closer to the 75th minute which was too late to make an impact in a game like this one. It seems to be a weakness of Wilder as to when and who he puts on the pitch but hopefully he learns from this in time for this important clash against 2nd placed Norwich. Onto our opponents, Norwich have had a stellar campaign under manager Daniel Farke which is quite incredible when you think about the key players they've lost in the past few years with the latest being James Maddison. Norwich have made a habit of scoring late goals this season and this ability to grasp wins and draws from the jaws of defeat has seen them gain plaudits from pundits and journalists alike. Players like free transfer Teemu Pukki (16 goals so far this season) have added to a team that had started to flounder a little in the Championship. However, form has been a little bit inconsistent as of late with two wins in their last seven games perhaps showing their luck is running out. However, a team with a knack to score late goals should never be taken likely and with the quality of players Norwich possess, this should be an intriguing battle between two promotion contenders. So, how do I think we'll do? If we can stop them from getting into the game late on and making a quick start ourselves, we could be in for a pretty important statement win. However I think if no goals are scored within the first 60 minutes of the game, then the game will swing in Norwich's favour. I'm going to say we'll win 2-1 with goals from Sharp and Norwood seeing us through and a solid defensive display closing Norwich out. As ever Blades, stay safe if your going to the game and try to enjoy it! UTB.
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Well, everything has blown up and gone a bit crazy hasn't it? Ever since I last wrote, Sheffield United has gone mental. We lost to West Brom, drew against Ipswich and people began doubting our play off credentials again. Then we beat Frank Lampard's Derby County in a match that had everything, then we beat Blackburn in another match that saw both teams go down to ten men largely due to an incompetent referee who, somehow, refereed the Manchester Derby but couldn't referee a Championship fixture. We then signed Everton prospect Kieron Dowell, then comprehensively beat Wigan with Billy Sharp surpassing Rickie Lambert as the top goal scorer in the top four English leagues during the 21st Century... Then it was heavily rumoured that we were signing everyone's favourite washing machine, Gary Madine. GARY MADINE. And, above all this, we've got a cup tie against Barnet to play. It's never boring following the Blades is it?
So, first things first. We go into this match in extraordinary form. we've scored 9 goals in our last three games and have also only conceded one goal during this period. A gripe that most fans have had so far this season is that our defence is too leaky and that we have to score at least twice in a game to secure the three points. Well, we've been scoring those two goals a game and then some and after the two clean sheets against Blackburn and Wigan, we've got the second best defence in the league behind only West Brom. So the defence has bolstered up, what about our strikers? Well in those three games, out of our nine goals, 8 have been scored by our strike force with previously criticised David McGoldrick scoring three in three, Billy Sharp scoring four in three and Leon Clarke scoring the other one. After many fans clamouring for a new striker (and perhaps after seeing who that new striker could possibly be) I think people have started to appreciate how good our strikers are especially Billy Sharp. I'll be honest, when Sharp was signed back in 2015, I thought it was more a nostalgia signing but I'm glad that Sharp has proved me (and others) wrong. He's managed to bag double figures in every season since and has been integral to our rise to third in the Championship. Sharp recently surpassed Rickie Lambert as the highest goal scorer in the top four English leagues during the 21st Century and with just about half of the season left, that lead that he has over a certain Jordan Rhodes could increase further. At 32, you've got to think that Sharp will start to wind down over the next couple of years but I believe that his style of play could provide beneficial, not to mention his incredible physique, could see him play at a good level until his late thirties at least and I hope that he spends these twilight of his career at Bramall Lane. We should all be thankful for Billy Sharp though because if he didn't come in 2015, who knows where we'd be? Probably playing Rochdale for the 8th season running. So, enough about our talismanic captain, lets talk about our opponents Barnet! Its been a strange through years for The Bees with them hopping between League 2 and the Conference. Currently sitting 15th in the Conference (or National League) it's not been the best start for Barnet with their fans probably expecting better from a team freshly relegated from the Football League. Although they are struggling at the minute, their FA Cup run has been impressive. They beat League 1 Bristol Rovers 2-1 away from home after drawing at The Hive, then beat fellow non league team Stockport County in the second round to secure a trip to Bramall Lane. The squad is a young one which may explain the struggles with the return to non league with key players like John Akinde leaving after relegation with the oldest player in the squad being 31. Are there any players to watch out for? Ex Tottenham trainee Shaquille Coulthirst is one to watch with a total of 5 goals in 14 games a particularly decent return. 20 year old youngster Jack Taylor has also impressed in his first full season of first team football. Top scorer Wesley Fonguck is also a danger with 6 goals in 20 games nothing to sniff at. So how do I see this one going? Well, in a perfect world I'd like to see United field some fringe players and those players put in a professional performance putting Barnet to the sword. However, this is the FA Cup and form goes out of the window and with the Kop closed, the atmosphere could be dulled and Barnet will want to show how good they can be. I'll go for a comfortable 3-0 win with new boy Dowell and goals for Washington and Clarke seeing us through into the fourth round. As ever Blades, UTB. |
AuthorHi my name is John and i will be giving my thoughts on the blades matches and all blades related news in this section Archives
November 2022
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