After 12 games in 38 days, we've finally made it to the international break and for the first time since last season at least, I think most United fans are extremely happy that the international break has come and that our squad will (mostly) get two weeks off with no games. We've had everything over this stretch of a month and a bit, we've had goals, we've had reunions, we've had injuries (a hell of a lot of them), we've had wins, losses and even a couple of draws but we've got to the end of it and, believe it or not, we're firmly ensconced in the race for the playoffs which is incredible considering where we were just two months ago. So, what happened in our last match before the break as fellow South Yorkshire outfit Barnsley visited The Lane?
Only one change to the starting XI from midweek match against Blackpool with Conor Hourihane coming in to replace Iliman Ndiaye who dropped to the bench. Speaking of the bench, it's looked very young in recent weeks with the injury crisis we've experienced forcing Heckingbottom to delve into the youth teams. It looked a little bit more like normal this week with only Kacper Lopata being the only youth team player on the bench with Enda Stevens and John Fleck back in the matchday 18 after lengthy lay offs. Oli McBurnie also returned to the bench. With the sun beating down on Bramall Lane the match kicked off and then not much happened after that. It was a peculiar first half because it was played with the pace and atmosphere of a pre season friendly. United looked tired and careless with the ball and Barnsley just didn't look like punishing us when they pushed forward to attack. It's not like both teams are in the middle of the table with nothing to play for because both teams are still fighting to move up the table and secure promotion in United's case and safety in Barnsley's. After what felt like a stone age, Barnsley were the first team to test a goalkeeper with a stabbed effort from Quina forcing Wes into a cracking reaction save. A little bit later and United had their first real effort on goal with Jack Robinson looking to add to his recent goal haul with a fizzing effort from distance that flashed past Collins post. Apart from those two efforts however, that was your lot for the first half and there was a smattering of boos as the Blades and Tykes left the pitch in what had been a damp squib of a 45 minutes No changes to note at the break and the tempo did pick up a bit but there was still a reluctance from both teams to fully go all in and try and win a match that neither looked to fussed to win. It would be the Blades however who would open the scoring. Quick thinking from an Oli Norwood free kick set Hourihane off on his own on left side of the Kop box with the Ireland international curling in a cracking cross that bypassed the Barnsley defence and Collins to find Sander Berge at the back post with our former record signing slamming home to get his 3rd goal in 4 games and get us up and running. Billy Sharp limped off with injury ten minutes later that saw the introduction of Daniel Jebbison but despite our top scorer going off, United would net the eventual winner with 15 minutes left when Oli McBurnie sent a wonderful scoop pass through to Gibbs-White who rounded the keeper and slotted home to ensure that United go into the break with 3 points under our belts. Barnsley did have a header from a corner that went close late in the game but that was that as United secured a second double of the season and another 3 points that sees us settle in 5th in the league table. They say that the best teams win games that they should have had no right in winning and that was definitely the case with Saturday's win against Barnsley because for one half of football we were very, very poor. As was mentioned earlier, it was like a pre season friendly rather than a pretty crucial match at the business end of one of the most competitive leagues in the world. But in the second half, we came out and proved we were the better team without ever really getting out of second gear. The only real moment of attacking quality in the game was the McBurnie pass for Gibbs-White's goal and that came in the 75th minute of the game. It wasn't pretty, but we got the job done and at the end of the day, the 3 points is all that matters. Now, let's hope we don't have any more injuries over the course of the international break and that we come back against Stoke with at least a couple of the current injured players fit and firing. Until next time, UTB.
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It's been an extraordinary run of fixtures over the course of the past month. In the 29 days since the West Brom game on the 9th of February, United have played 8 games. It's fair to say we've all been pretty busy with the football as well as everything else. Hopefully that will ease a bit soon what with the international break coming up soon. Anyway, that felt like a hell of a tangent so what exactly happened when two of our play off contenders came to The Lane? I mean, you'll know I guess. It's been a few days since Boro and a week since Forest but hey. Here we are. Enough build up, let's get on with it.
Game 1 VS Nottingham Forest Last minute equalisers are a hell of a thing aren't they? A gut wrencher for the team conceding them and absolute HBO Max Euphoria (I can do hip references, I'm cool I swear) for the team that scores them. United have conceded a fair few last minute goals this season. Jake Cooper, the Championship Amadou Bakayoko, belting home a howitzer from 25 yards to secure 3 points for Millwall, Riise Jakobson (twice!) scored for Preston, basically it's not cool and we need to stop doing it. But we went back to that last minute Kool aid against Forest last Friday when Ryan Yeates headed home a corner to be the first opposing player to score at The Lane since Anderson for Blackpool back in October. To be fair to Forest in their god awful melted Calippo kit they were the better team and had our big match boy Wes not saved a penalty for the second home game running, we could have gone away with no points rather than 1. We could also have had three had we managed to hold on after Billy Sharp opened the scoring just before the 70 minute mark when he cushioned a Morgan Gibbs-White cross into the Kop End net. Not much else happened in this game to be honest. I could be wrong, I probably am but it's been a week and I really want to talk about Tuesday so can we park this here? Yeah? Cool. Let's talk about the return of the man who we once anointed our saviour and how we cream crackered his new team. Game 2: Middlesbrough This was bloody fantastic. There's no superlatives strong enough to describe how good Tuesday was. It was just excellent. Chris Wilder came back to the team that he helped get to the heady heights of 9th in the Premier League and the stadium who's fans would have gladly donated any body part he wanted not even for a surgery, just if Chris fancied a big toe, here you go Chris have my toe. We love you Chris thank you for saving my club and allowing us to see us take it to City and the other United. It all got a bit messy at the end and now he's up where the people love bridges and parmos and his new boss is a fella called Steve. I hope Chris is happy, that's not sarcasm, that's a genuine sentiment. Chris Wilder did bring the good times back to Bramall Lane after 6 years of utter drudge and the times were good weren't they? They were and if you say no they weren't, last year aside, they bloody were and we loved it. But we've moved on now, so has Chris let's just leave it at that. So, 4-1 and a complete slobber knocker of a performance from Dem Blades, that was good wasn't it? Sander started it all off after Billy made Lumley look a bit silly with our big Norwegian boi slamming home into an empty net. Two minute later and it was 2-0 with Norwood getting stuck in and Gibbs-White dancing forward and then passing to Sharp for Billy to get his 15th(!) of the season and this was dreamland. Should have been 3 not long after but we can forgive Morgan for not squaring to Norway's biggest unit for a tap in for what he did later. We just dominated Boro. They had no answer and it could have been more in the first half if we'd wanted it to be but we didn't get anymore and it was 2-0 at the break. The second half feels like a fever dream. I don't know if it's just the music I'm listening to as I write this but I'm just constantly seeing Norwood's ball to Rhys in the second half play in my mind every so often and that makes me so happy! It's such a brilliant piece of football, Norwood somehow puts backspin on a football and no one expected it. We've seen Oli do this before, against Wednesday, against Palace, against Wigan, this man can do things to a ball that just shouldn't be able to be done but he does and its gorgeous. Go and watch that clip again now. Stop reading and watch that pass. It's on behind the blades at about the 15:40 mark, go! Watch it, I don't mind. Your back? How does that make you feel? Good? Me too. Anyway, Jack Robinson scored a volley that could have made Van Basten blush to make it 3, it was a good corner routine and our Scouse Maldini finished it off it was epic. Wes then let, I repeat he let, Balogun score to give the score line a bit of respectability then Morgan Gibbs-White happened. Oh my god. This was just incredible. I love this man, he plays football like he's playing FIFA Street and I love it. The flicks, the tricks I adore Morgan. This was just absurd. Osborn put in a cross right? Morgan Gibbs-White is in the air and he BACKHEELS IT WHILST IN THE AIR! It's superb, it's brilliant it's the whole Lady Gaga gif and then some. What a goal, what a player. Plus, he hit the mother trucking Griddy afterwards, just stop it Morgan! They're already beaten! It did stop after that and we serenaded our new saviour and my god did he deserve it. They all did and they all do, I don't know what else to write so I think I'm going to stop but I'll just say this as we leave. I fell out of love with United a bit during the pandemic, it was hard to watch us lose all the time but these past few weeks, Jesus, that love is back man. I love this team, I love these boys, I love football, I'll see you next time. |
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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