Being able to get something from a game of football when you've not been at your best is something that separates the proverbial wheat from the proverbial chaff, so to see United come back from two goals down and secure a point that maybe should have been a win is encouraging to see from a team that is slowly but surely building momentum as we come towards the end of the first month of the season. The performance was very Jekyll and Hyde but all that matters at the end of the day is that we got something from the game. Let's get on with the review.
United were unchanged for the fourth game running and were looking to continue to impress after last week's mauling of Coventry United. United however, started the game fairly sluggishly and were under the cosh more or less from the off with Lewes looking more likely to open the scoring. The closest they came in the opening ten minutes was Kraft knocking wide after some pinball in our box. The Lewes striker really should have made more of the opportunity but the pressure continued and a Hartley foul in the area gave the hosts an ideal way to open the scoring. Dalton stepped up and slammed home leaving Davies stranded to give our hosts a deserved lead. The pressure continued from the hosts and Redfearn decided a change was needed as Wilson came on in place of Muir as we looked to get a foothold in the contest. United still struggled to assert themselves and after a mazy run from midfield, Stobbs picked her spot from just outside the box and doubled Lewes lead which was the least they deserved with United looking lost at sea. United did manage to rally a bit as the half came to a close with Sweetman-Kirk rising highest to meet a Lord-Mears cross but our no.7 saw her header loop high over the bar.United did strike the post just before the half ended with CSK going close again but the whistle blew to end a first half that I think everyone in a United shirt would rather forget with Lewes looking very good value for their lead. How would United turn this around? A spark of life was found four minutes after the restart after a RLM cross caught Mason in the box and bobbled past Whitehouse to give United a way back into the game. The Blades continued to search for an equaliser and Rayner saw a shot blocked and a Paul cross flashed into the area but was cleared before it could lead to anything dangerous. United's tails were up however and just before the 70 minute mark we had our equaliser! Lord-Mears put in another dangerous ball to the back post that Charlotte Newsham got onto the end of to tap home and get our second! After looking dead and buried at the half, United were now in the ascendency and perhaps should have had a third minutes later. A lofted cross from Paul was met in the middle by Newsham and our wing back coolly finished past Whitehouse in what appeared to be our third goal. Alas, Newsham was adjudged to be just offside but it was encouraging stuff from The Blades as we turned the tables on the hosts. As we entered the final ten minutes, United were fully in charge now with Cusack trying from distance but seeing her effort go straight at Whitehouse. United nearly won it twice at the death with a cracking pass from Rayner splitting the Lewes defence in half with Enderby timing her run in behind to perfection. With just the keeper to beat, Enderby's lofted volley just missed the net and as we slowly edged towards the conclusion, Sweetman-Kirk forced Whitehouse to pull off a cracking save to deny what would surely have been the winner. But the match ended all sqaure with a much improved second half performance seeing United stay unbeaten in three and get a first away point of the season. It really was night and day between the first and second half performances from United in Sunday's game. The first half was pretty woeful from a United perspective and is perhaps the worst half of football I've seen this team play. The direct play was not working with United not wanting to play through the midfield and Lewes picked us off almost at will. 2-0 flattered United a bit at the break with Lewes probably ruing missed chances, especially after the second half performance that United put in. To go from awful to fantastic to see from United and proves that you can never bet against this cohort of players. We could, and should, have won that game in the second period. Some unluckiness in regards to finishing and some cracking saves from Whitehouse denied United what would have been a hell of a comeback but would have vindicated a second half performance that was similar to how we've played in the games against Durham and Coventry. All in all, I think that this could be a very good point in the long run as we look to chase Bristol City in first place. We're now unbeaten in three after the opening day loss against Blackburn and go into the cup game against Durham surely buoyed by that second half performance. After the cup game against Durham, it's a big, big test against the aforementioned league leaders. Hopefully we can build more momentum against Durham and go into the Bristol City game with all guns blazing! Until next time, UTB.
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Shellacking is a hell of word, I assume it's a word in the English Dictionary because it's not flashed up with the dreaded red squiggly line in fact, just before we continue, let's have a quick look at the definition of 'shellacking'. Give me a moment...Yep, definition is that it's just a decisive defeat or to beat someone decisively. It's also derived from verb shellac that's a type of varnish, the more you know. Anyway, enough dictionary corner, let's talk about United and the demolition job we unleashed on Coventry.
For a third game running, United's starting XI stayed the same with the only change to the 18 being Mia Enderby returning to the bench. Coventry made a change between the sticks with Heeps coming in for Whiteman after their loss against Palace. A cagey start soon saw United put the peddle to the meddle with Sophie Haywood nodding agonisingly over Heep's bar from a Cusack corner. United would make the early good start count and open the scoring on the 10th minute with another Cusack corner causing chaos in the Coventry box which Grace Riglar capitalised on and headed home to open her Blades account and our first of the day against her old club. Joy soon turned to worry however as Heeps didn't get to her feet after a clash of heads. Quick work from both medical teams saw the Coventry stopper eventually lifted off the pitch to rapturous applause from everyone in the ground. I wish her all the best and we all hope to see you back between the sticks soon Eleanor! The game restarted with Whiteman replacing Heeps in the Coventry goal. United continued to probe with Rayner having an effort blocked and another fizzing over the bar, Chene Muir also threatened but was denied by some good Coventry defending. Courtney Sweetman-Kirk went down after a tough but fair challenge and had some treatment. Almost immediately after coming back on, she had the ball in the back of the net after a superb bit of play by United but the goal was cruelly ruled out by the offside flag. That was forgotten shortly after however as United got a second! Riglar sent a header crashing against the bar that saw the rebound fall to Rhema Lord-Mears who stabbed home for the goal. Alethea Paul almost had a third after a burst down the left but her effort crashed against the side netting despite having runners in better positions, that didn't matter however as not long after United had a third and what a goal it was! Cusack spotted Whiteman off her line from about 35 to 40 yards out with the veteran midfielder lobbing the ball over the keeper's head and into the net for a spectacular finish that would make Cantona blush. A minute later and it was four! Quick interplay down the wing saw Newsham set free with our wing back's low hard drive beating Whiteman and surely putting the game beyond the visitors. United went close again from a corner with Haywood, Rayner and Muir all going close. As we entered 12 minutes of added time at the end of the half, Cusack was at it again with another special finish! Our longest serving player floated a free kick from near the corner of the penalty box over everyone and into the Bramall Lane End goal to get her second and our fifth, yes fifth, goal of the first half! That was that from a first period that never really stopped with action or goals as United went into the break with a very commanding lead. Could we add to it in the second period? Mia Enderby entered the fray at the half replacing Chene Muir and made an almost instant impact in getting our sixth of the afternoon! An RLM corner deflected around the box and fell to Enderby who's driven effort beat everyone and settled in the Kop net for Enderby's first league goal. The pressure continued from United as Sweetman-Kirk and Rayner had further efforts blocked as we hunted for a seventh. We did eventually get it just after the hour mark and it would by Rayner who'd get it with her great performance being capped by a bullet header getting on the end of a Cusack corner. A platoon of subs entered the game after this with Walters, Brown, Wilson and Francis-Jones coming on. Wilson was causing chaos down the right and battled her way down the pitch to earn us a corner mere minutes after coming on. From the resulting corner, United would get an eighth of the afternoon, Enderby would again get on the end of some penalty box pinball and see her goal bound effort deflect slightly off a Coventry player and squirm past Whiteman for her second. The efforts would continue to rain on the Coventry net as Haywood had an effort saved and Walters sending one wide after some sloppy distribution from Whiteman, Enderby nearly had a hat trick from the bench but her deflected effort was easy for Whiteman. After all of that and all those goals, the game eventually came to an end with United setting a benchmark of a performance and a slew of goals on a fantastic afternoon in front of 1,149 Blades at The Lane. I don't think there's much else to say about that performance other than a simple wow. It was incisive, decisive and stunning. United just completely dismantled a Coventry United outfit that looked shell shocked by the scintillating performance that they were on the receiving end of. I said that United needed to start taking chances after the Blackburn game and since then we've done just that and then some! 11 Goals to open the home campaign is a hell of a return and it could and probably should have been more. Just a fantastic day for all involved with United. Everyone was fantastic and at it from minute one. It was iconoclastic and just downright superb. There's something special about this team, let's keep this early momentum going and get ourselves firmly ensconced in that promotion race. If an 8-0 win doesn't convince you to get down and support the girls, I just don't even know what to say to you, if you can, get down for the match against Bristol City and let's back these players because they're playing some cracking stuff and deserve to be backed. Until next time, UTB. "When I see our fans in the North Stand, I can't ask for any more from our fans when they show us this energy. When the stadium has full energy like this, our stadium will be hell for the away teams." - Acun Ilicali
That's a hell of a quote ain't it? Because when you think of hellish atmosphere's in football, you ignore the Turk Telecom Stadium, the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium and go straight to the *checks notes* MKM Stadium. Even the name strikes fear into the fiercest of away fans. And the fans, my god the fans! They rachet up the atmosphere in their MKM dome by doing the equivalent of a 'rawr XD' at opponents whlist they sing about mauling you. Really terrifying stuff I'm sure you'll agree dear reader so, how did United come away from this cauldron of noise? Let's discuss. Unchanged for United which is a bit of a rarity since Hecky took over but you know what they say about winning teams and continuing to pick them. Our gladiatorial opponents lined up with names to send shivers down your spine. Ingram, Jones, Woods and Elder all lined up for the opposition. Our former academy graduate Regan Slater manned the midfield with league leading scorer Oscar Estupinan up top. With the baying masses behind them, Hull started quicker and Estupinan had a cushioned header claimed by Wes. United somehow managed to overcome the cacophony of 'rawr's' from Hull and got a couple of efforts on goal with Sander dragging wide from distance and Doyle having one easily saved by Ingram. Somehow, someway, despite the hellacious atmosphere, it would be United who took the lead in the 20th minute when good work down the Hull left saw Lowe knock the ball onto McBurnie who took the ball just outside the box and saw his deflected shot slip past Ingram and give us the lead. It's three in three for Oli which after a nearly two years without a League goal is a very nice surprise and gives us somewhat of goalscoring forward line with Ndiaye on 4 and Oli on 3. Something really must be in the water. United nearly chucked away this opening goal minutes later however when a dodgy corner routine reminiscent of the one against Watford saw Norwood robbed and Estupinan set clean through with nobody back defending. Despite having the freedom of the MKM, Estupinan saw his first effort blocked by Wes and the follow up expertly turned behind for a cracking double save that's up there with Deano's triple save against Watford. It kept us in the game and next to have a go was Elder but his effort was blocked. Anel took the game by the scruff of the neck after this but his effort from outside the box went well wide of Ingram's post. United probably should have had a second when a brilliant through ball from Doyle was latched onto by Sander who rounded Ingram but couldn't quite pick out Ndiaye to tap home and saw his cross turned behind for a corner. Hull should have had another goal as we came towards the end of the half when Tufan was set free by Estupinan but his chipped effort cleared the crossbar and landed on the top of the net. It was the last action of much note in the first half as United went into the break ahead but probably lucky to not be behind thanks to the two guilt edged chances we gifted Hull. No changes from either side at the break but United came out swinging and should have had a second eight minutes after the restart. Iliman Ndiaye danced into the box, ignoring the challenges of various Hull defenders, and worked his way into a good position in the box. Unfortunately, his effort wasn't as good as the build up and was comfortable for Ingram. The game became a bit of a Mexican stand off after this with Hull beginning to probe for an equaliser but not getting anything concrete on Wes's net thanks to some great defending from United. As the game entered the final fifteen it would be United who would get the next goal in the game and more or less secure the three points. More good work from Ndiaye saw our Senegalese international make a mockery of Jean Michael Seri and lay the ball off to Berge who trucked past Slater, took aim, and had a deflected effort arrow past Ingram and give us our second and Sander's third of the season. United ended the game stronger after this with Hull and the masses looking somewhat dumbstruck that United would dare come into their colosseum and steal the proverbial fire from the gods in this case that being the three points on offer. Norwood, Doyle and Brewster all saw efforts either saved or go wide as United hung on to a comfortable win despite nearly nine minutes being added on at the end. Hull turned out to be all bark and very little bite as United practically suffocated our opposition into having very little in the way of clear cut opportunities in the second period after giving them a couple of very good chances in the first half that better teams would have probably converted. Thankfully, Hull couldn't capitalise but that doesn't excuse us handing teams clear opportunities on our goal which we have done various times this season. It's something we need to iron out but it is still early days and hopefully it's something we're working on because everything else is basically flawless. We've started the campaign better than even the most positive of fans probably couldn't have imagined. We're scoring goals (lots of them), we're keeping clean sheets and we're unbeaten since opening day. So far, so good for United but the tests keep on coming. Another tough game next week in the visit of Rotherham to The Lane. It should be a good one, let's hope for another good result! Until next time, UTB. This summer window lasted a long, long time. It was only like a month in hindsight but god damn it feels like it was open for a full year. Perhaps that feeling of longevity was magnified by how Sheffield United experienced and participated in the window this year. Not signing a player until four days into the opening of the window (that isn't a lot of time but on United social media, it was a stone age). We then had a spate of signings, got everyone in before Watford, and then there was a deadline day where it looked like one of our star players was leaving, then he wasn't, then he was again, then he wasn't and, lo and behold, he's still here despite us apparently agreeing a fee for his replacement which thankfully was never needed. So, let's look back on the summer that never really ended.
Tommy Doyle Signed From: Manchester City Fee?: Loan deal until the end of the season Position: Midfield Previous Clubs: Manchester City, Hamburg SV, Cardiff City Honours: N/A After there was mild panic online that we hadn't signed anyone 4 days after the window opened, United finally entered the transfer market with the loan signing of Tommy Doyle from Manchester City. After a season on loan at Hamburg until the winter and then Cardiff until the end of the season, Doyle comes with a fantastic pedigree as a player with his grandfather's Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe both having long careers in football mainly for Man City. It's safe to say that Man City run deep in the Doyle family and Tommy is continuing that legacy, making 11 appearances for City already and getting 3 goals. The former captain of City's academy team, this is Doyle's 'making of' season whilst he's on loan with us. He does well, and he might be knocking on the door of Pep's first team XI. So far for United, Doyle has been steady. He's just had his first start for United as I write this and has been fairly influential so far including his second half stint against Luton. He's looked decent and you can tell he's definitely played football against older pros. He'll probably have a lengthy run in the team with John Fleck's injury and if he continues to play like he has, Flecky could find it tough to get his place back. Anel Ahmedhodzic Signed From: Malmo FF Fee?: Undisclosed 'substantial' fee Position: Defender Previous Clubs: Nottingham Forest, Malmo FF, Hobro IK, Bordeaux Honours: Allsvensken 2020, 2021 Despite more or less everyone who's anyone in the club saying we'd not be spending money this summer, United went out and bought a player for a 'substantial' undisclosed fee believed to be around the £3 million mark. So, who is the man we spent this chunk of change on? Anel Ahmedhodzic is a player who a lot of top level clubs have liked the look of. A Football Manager favourite, the tall Bosnian international has been linked with clubs like AC Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City to name but a few. So after all that, he's only gone and signed for Sheffield United. Of course, I'm being slightly jokey but a player linked with clubs of that calibre usually don't come to our fair stadium. How did we pull it off? Apparently, we've been in contact with Anel since at least January and even gave him a presentation on how he'd fit our system and that stuck with the then Bordeaux player. Come the summer, the funds were released to buy the man and, under the noses of Bordeaux, we secured his signature and he already looks like an absolute steal. Orchestrating games from centre back is something that you do not see often but Anel Ahmedhodzic has been doing just that. Linking play, popping up with shots and getting 3 goals already. He's been a revelation on the right and, whisper it quietly, could be the Chris Basham replacement we've been looking for. The king (could) be dead, long live the new Bosnian king. Ciaran Clark Signed From: Newcastle United Fee?: Loan to the end of the season Position: Defender Previous Clubs: Aston Villa, Newcastle United Honours: Nation's Cup 2011, EFL Championship Winner 2016-17 A slightly left field signing for United next, Ciaran Clark on loan came out of the blue. A stalwart of the Premier League and the Republic of Ireland, Clark has been a bit of subsidiary figure for Newcastle since Eddie Howe took charge in winter 2021 and, with his contract ending in the summer, United swooped in to secure his signature ahead of some competition. As mentioned, Clark is a player who's been around the block in the top two tiers of our national game with nearly 300 games in the Championship and Premier League over the course of a 14 year career. The Republic Of Ireland man comes with a winning mentality in this division as well as a very decent scoring record with 18 goals from centre back nothing to be sniffed at. Clark offers us more experienced competition after last season's injury debacle and has had a solid start to his United career before his injury at the back end of the month. A solid, if unspectacular, signing from United but those players sometimes turn out to be the best signings. Reda Khadra Signed From: Brighton And Hove Albion Fee?: Loan to the end of the season with the potential to buy Position: Attacker Previous Clubs: Borussia Dortmund II, Brighton And Hove Albion, Blackburn Rovers Honours: Under 17 Bundesliga West Winner 2017-18, Under 17 Bundesliga Winner 2017-18, Under 19 Bundesliga 2018-19 United have a slight penchant for signing players who have cracking games against us. Steve Kabba and Luke Freeman or two that immediately come to mind and Reda Khadra is the latest man to enter that 'good against us' bracket. After tearing us to shreds at Ewood Park last season and having a very good game at The Lane as the season came to a close, United secured a loan with the potential to buy Khadra in the summer if certain parameters are met during his loan period. Khadra is a player capable of getting you off your feet and has done so pretty consistently during his appearances in a United shirt with the highlight so far being a short cameo against Sunderland where he scared their backline to death with some speedy dribbling and close control. Another player with a good pedigree, Khadra will be a nice livewire player who looks like he will flit and dovetail with Ndiaye and our last summer signing who we'll get onto shortly. Early signs look positive so far, let's hope it continues! James McAtee Signed From: Manchester City Fee?: Loan until the end of the season Position: Attacker Previous Clubs: Manchester City Honours: FA Youth Cup Winner 2019-20, Man City EDS Player's Player Of The Year 2021-22, Premier League 2 Player Of The Month August 2021, Premier League 2 Player Of The Season 2021-22 Our final signing of the summer comes with a hell of a reputation in a relatively young career. A stand out year in Premier League 2 where he is the defending player of the year saw James McAtee move to Bramall Lane to get his first taste of football against tried and tested pros. A real favourite of Guardiola, it's full credit to United that we now seem to be tasked with helping develop some of the Premier League's upcoming top talent after the success we had with Dean Henderson and MGW last year. Already compared to former City impresario David Silva, McAtee is the current crown jewel of the City academy set up. So far, he's been fairly raw and has showed some shaky moments but there's also been flashes of a real player. Time will tell how successful James McAtee will be at Sheffield United but let's hope it will be a successful stint in Blades colours and we're once again thanked for doing a sterling job in a player's development. In conclusion, a very successful window all things considered. We've signed a lot of talent this summer with very high ceilings on a budget that looked a little bit shoestring when we started. Credit to Hecky and the recruitment team for maximising the hand they've been dealt with by getting some nice players who give us good depth in positions that looked stretched come the run in last season. Also, credit must go to the board for repelling some late deadline drama for Sander Berge. There was a tete a tete of information saying Sander was as good as gone at times but, lo and behold, he's still here and we look a hell of a lot stronger with him in the team than we would have done without him despite us apparently having a deal in place for a replacement should Sander have gone. It was all very un-Sheffield United but we're glad to be keeping our big Norwegian boy. There you have it then, time will tell whether these five men we've brought in will be remembered as United heroes or zero's but let's not think about that too much now. We've got Hull to reckon with first! Until next time, 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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