Sheffield United - Leicester City Post Match Thread (1-0 away win)

[Pegosteve]

Great to see out 86 mins against long ball Mickey's hoofers - earlier this year we'd have caved.

From here I wouldn't see any of QPR, Naaarwich, Swans, Florist or Cardiff missing out on the top 6, but with Leeds starting to slip a bit there's a big opportunity for us to make up the numbers in there.

...if only Sousa had managed 10 league points from the 9 games in charge we'd be in there already. How ironic if the defeat against Norwich, when he was a dead man walking, actually ends up costing us the points to finish top 6.

What will be worse if that joke game at Ipswich costs us!

[Captain...]

For those that were there, do you think the early goal contributed to our poor performance?

I know we have been guilty of this before, scoring then retreating into our shell to protect the lead rather than try and control the game.

As previously mentioned I love a good scrappy/ugly win it builds confidence and belief and the next time we come under the cosh this game will be in people's mind and they will know they can cope.

[Corky]

Since promotion in 2009, we've won 12 away matches (8 last season, 4 this) and 11 of them have been by a single goal.

We do love to make it interesting late in games.

[marbelladave]

For those that were there, do you think the early goal contributed to our poor performance?

I know we have been guilty of this before, scoring then retreating into our shell to protect the lead rather than try and control the game.

As previously mentioned I love a good scrappy/ugly win it builds confidence and belief and the next time we come under the cosh this game will be in people's mind and they will know they can cope.

Not really.

Utd's tactics was to hit it long, bypass midfield and scrap for the second ball, our midfield simply was not competive in a pysical battle, neither Wellens nor Abe won much ball and when they did, did nothing with it bar give away possession under pressure. We were conceding possesion in our own half so ended up defending too deep.

Poor performance but great result!

[Corky]

Against Millwall we attacked brilliantly and defended poorly, last night it seemed we didn't attack very well but defended brilliantly.

Need to combine the two bold bits now

[Ric Flair]

I didn't go to the game, nor did I listen to it. I was watching some crap programme on farms. But wins like last night are brilliant in our situation, it's that monkey off our backs that has plagued us for most of the season. An away victory when we were under the kosh. We've shown we can dominate teams and beat them, infact we can dominate teams home and away and not win. What we have struggled to do is nick wins when we've played fairly poorly. Last night we did just that, plus kept a vital clean sheet.

Respec'

[Christoph]

1-0 scrappy win, any other day we would have lost this, lvoe the fact our form is taking abit of luck on the side of it as well.

[edwbon]

Lets do the timewarp again….

An almost totally Pearsonesque kind of game, overall play was actually pretty poor, some tough last ditch defending after an early strike was so last season. Our midfield had the kind of game that reminds me of why it is in severe need of a shakeup, Vassell and Dyer had to drop so deep to help out that Yakubu was isolated and barely got involved, in short we were pretty much second best throughout.

Utd targeted our left flank, looking to upset the new boys, van Aanhalt's pace was critical on occasion getting us out of trouble and all things considered he did ok, not great but ok. Mee on the other hand was massively improved from his last outing, still fluffed about on occasion but was pretty damn good throughout. As usual Bamba looked likely to get things horribly wrong but didn't and Naughton was solid in defence but had fewer chances to get forward than usual.

The midfield was not good, Utd played it long and contested the second ball and we were distinctly second best, Abe and surprisingly Wellens were consistently bullied and harrassed, their passing went to pieces and with it went any chance of us controlling the game. King's biggest weakness is his lack of physicality, he rarely contributes in a midfield battle of this type though he was much better in the second half when he played deeper and was very tidy defensively in our box.

With hardly any decent ball Vassell and Dyer contributed little going forward, just the occasional threat from Dyer which rarely came to anything, Yakubu's big moment came early when he set up King who displayed the coolness that has been slightly lacking in recent weeks. For the rest of the game Yakubu was somewhat immobile, fair enough he had no support and little in the way of decent ball but I can't help thinking that Vassell would have made a much bigger nuisance of himself than the Yak ever did.

The substitutions were by and large for fresh legs, Gallagher confirmed that his improved workrate might actually be permanent and Oakley played the holding role well enough and his save on the line was first class.

In many respects this was not a good performance but for once our back 3 were excellent, Weale, Bamba and Mee were our best players and that made a huge difference.

Love the analysis How would you change the midfield?

[harpendenfox]

We have 17 games left and need 33 points to reach 75, which would be enough to reach the play offs in any off the last 5 seasons.

Over the last 17 games we have:

w 9

d 3

l 5

making 30 points. Those 17 games include a decidely poor run in December, and a very good run since late December. You could say we need 11 wins from the last 17 games, and could afford 6 losses. In other words we need to win 2 out of every 3 games, so there is no need to panic when we lose the odd game.

There's no denying it, the excitement is building

[SemperEadem]

Babylon initially, music cut off and it went mental. Ridiculous how many Leicester were in there, then continued out onto the street where Fryatt came out if club opposite and was whisked away in a motor to his usual chant and lots of bonnet bashing. Then it kicked off a bit with a few sheff u which I didn't see but my mate took a whack from some little card.

Was a speical moment in Babylon.

[Callabinho]

Back from sheff! Pitch was dyer! they played Vile hoofball so under the circumstances great win!

[deep blue]

Neither of our 3 midfielders have strapping physique, so we'll always be vulnerable to physical teams. Shame we couldn't have signed a strong midfielder in the window, to add cover and strength, when needed.

I was at the game. Sheff U played hoofball, very physical all over the park, and chased our players down like blue-arsed flies. The number of 30/40 yard sprints by their players to close down one of ours - can they keep up that sort of effort for the rest of the season? Also, as already pointed out, they were quick onto the second balls. All this made it very difficult for us to get our passing game going, although we kept trying throughout.

I thought, too, that Vassell and Yakubu weren't very involved; difficult for them, but I felt they appeared lazy, or didn't know the best way to get themselves involved in such a game. Waggy would have been a better option for his physical presence and willingness to get stuck in. Mee struggled manfully to cope with the direct physical challenges, but did everything else very well and made some telling blocks.

[marbelladave]

Love the analysis How would you change the midfield?

To make it different, it is too samey...

Last night was a reasonable example, Wellens and Abe are now trying to do one job, the running, hustling, supporting box to box role allied to a decent passing game. Sure, Wellens is a bit more assertive and gets forward more, Abe a little more conservative but essentially they are playing the same role.

Neither drives forward and attacks the box and neither provides much of a goalthreat, Wellens can create but usually only when we are dominant and neither has the game to grab hold of midfield when the going gets tough. Similarly in defence neither play with the discipline to sheild the back 4 and both can be bullied off the ball as was the case most of last night.

King is an odd player, doesn't really join in the physical side of the midfield battle, does most of his work in the penalty boxes both ours and theirs. Again last night was typical, scored the goal then was pretty quiet for the rest of the half, moved deeper after the break and was strong defensively in our own box when we were under seige.

It depends whether we are able to bring anyone in, either a real creative player or a sitting player are needed, but if this is not possible we could be in trouble, the only option would be Gallager in midfiels at the expence of one of the 3 regulars, on last nights performance that would be Abe, but it would give us a bit nore deapth allowing a degree of rotation.

[Captain...]

To make it different, it is too samey...

Last night was a reasonable example, Wellens and Abe are now trying to do one job, the running, hustling, supporting box to box role allied to a decent passing game. Sure, Wellens is a bit more assertive and gets forward more, Abe a little more conservative but essentially they are playing the same role.

Neither drives forward and attacks the box and neither provides much of a goalthreat, Wellens can create but usually only when we are dominant and neither has the game to grab hold of midfield when the going gets tough. Similarly in defence neither play with the discipline to sheild the back 4 and both can be bullied off the ball as was the case most of last night.

King is an odd player, doesn't really join in the physical side of the midfield battle, does most of his work in the penalty boxes both ours and theirs. Again last night was typical, scored the goal then was pretty quiet for the rest of the half, moved deeper after the break and was strong defensively in our own box when we were under seige.

It depends whether we are able to bring anyone in, either a real creative player or a sitting player are needed, but if this is not possible we could be in trouble, the only option would be Gallager in midfiels at the expence of one of the 3 regulars, on last nights performance that would be Abe, but it would give us a bit nore deapth allowing a degree of rotation.

Bamba as CDM was touted by a few on here when he signed, it would provide cover for Hobbs and Mee at the back and allow our wing backs to get forward. Wellens and King would have less defensive responsibility. It would also mean that if Bamba does get himself into trouble we have two centre backs to mop up. He could provide a much more physical presence in the midfield and would also be the simple outlet for Hobbs and Mee rather than having to play too much with the ball, give it to Bamba and let him boss the midfield.

Bamba chose to move to Hibernian, signing a three-year contract with the club.[13] He was sent off on his debut for a second bookable offfence against Dundee United, but Bamba subsequently established himself in the Hibs first team. Despite being a natural centre back, manager Mixu Paatelainen praised Bamba's contribution as a defensive midfielder in a 2–0 win against Celtic in December 2008.[14] Paatelainen commented further that he believed Bamba had improved as a player since his spell at Dunfermline, due to not going to ground when making a challenge.[15] Bamba quickly became a popular player with the Hibs support due to his tough and committed tackling in this new role.[15]

New manager John Hughes moved Bamba back to a central defensive role after the sale of Rob Jones in the 2009 close season. In his second match in this position, Bamba scored his first ever professional goal in a 3–1 win against Falkirk on 22 August.[16] Coincidentally, he scored his second goal for the club at the same ground against the same team and in another 3–1 win, on 27 March. The Edinburgh Evening News reported on 8 May 2010 that Bamba's performances had "not gone unnoticed", with scouts from Fulham and Rennes due to watch Bamba.[17] Sven Goran Eriksson, the new manager of the Ivory Coast national team, was also due to watch Bamba ahead of the 2010 World Cup,[17] but was not spotted at the last game played by Hibs in the 2009–10 season.[18]

[Haydos]

Babylon initially, music cut off and it went mental. Ridiculous how many Leicester were in there, then continued out onto the street where Fryatt came out if club opposite and was whisked away in a motor to his usual chant and lots of bonnet bashing. Then it kicked off a bit with a few sheff u which I didn't see but my mate took a whack from some little card.

Ahaaaa that sounds class. Stupid 9am lecture Fans were brill yesterday!

[Haydos]

Still don't understand why the wide men don't tuck in when Weale plays the ball down the middle. As soon as he kicks it they should be moving infield to give Yakubu options from the first ball.

[Houdini Logic]

Still don't understand why the wide men don't tuck in when Weale plays the ball down the middle. As soon as he kicks it they should be moving infield to give Yakubu options from the first ball.

Chest it down and knock it out wide a la Steve Howard?

[Haydos]

Chest it down and knock it out wide a la Steve Howard?

Exactly, it just seems fruitless. Even when Yakubu was getting it down and under control, he had no immediate options and had to wait for a midfielder (usually Wellens) to find some space to play it back to.

The midfield movement wasn't anywhere near urgent enough either but if the wide men are tucking in he has the option to give and go, either providing the opportunity for a pass or freeing up space in the middle.

[DMU Fox]

That was painful to watch last night, especially the last 10 minutes! Sheffield seemed to be targeting Ben Mee all game & he seemed to come through pretty well. Bamba & Weale were joint motm for me, both putting in some quality performances. Weale, especially pulled off some 'worldy' saves. Our midifield it seemed looked over ran & were pretty slow to the 2nd balls, United looked a lot more interested in competing in the midfield.Our attack was pretty non-existent at times with Yakubu & Vassell putting in below par performances & their lack of movement didn't help us when we had the ball.

Having said all that these type of results seperate play-off contenders from mid-table sides so it's pleasing we held firm and picked up the 3 points, maintaining our good form in 2011. Play-offs here we come!

[Wymsey]

As one of the 'threads' has gone regarding Mattock, any news on what extent it is on his injury? Personally, i hope its not a severe one. I think now Weale (after his performance yesterday) will keep his place in the starting 11 whilst Ricardo will be the no.2, leaving Logan out of the matchday squad from now on.

[FeedtheYak]

Off topic, but i LOVE your sig

thanks mate

[marbelladave]

Bamba as CDM was touted by a few on here when he signed, it would provide cover for Hobbs and Mee at the back and allow our wing backs to get forward. Wellens and King would have less defensive responsibility. It would also mean that if Bamba does get himself into trouble we have two centre backs to mop up. He could provide a much more physical presence in the midfield and would also be the simple outlet for Hobbs and Mee rather than having to play too much with the ball, give it to Bamba and let him boss the midfield.

Also me, I'm afraid....

But that was before I saw him play and also at the time when it looked like we might have Davies or Faye or whatever as a very decent alternative.

After just a handful of games he seems to have settled in to such an extent that he is now our most dominant defender, not sure I would want to lose that...

[Simmo86]

As one of the 'threads' has gone regarding Mattock, any news on what extent it is on his injury? Personally, i hope its not a severe one. I think now Weale (after his performance yesterday) will keep his place in the starting 11 whilst Ricardo will be the no.2, leaving Logan out of the matchday squad from now on.

Broken leg. He'll survive

[Thracian]

For those that were there, do you think the early goal contributed to our poor performance?

I know we have been guilty of this before, scoring then retreating into our shell to protect the lead rather than try and control the game.

As previously mentioned I love a good scrappy/ugly win it builds confidence and belief and the next time we come under the cosh this game will be in people's mind and they will know they can cope.

No question - and we might well pay for it on another occasion. But the pitch was an important factor and United's fast closing down. The pitch was so uneven and wet. Definitely not condusive to passing football. Several players tried to run with the ball but were easily tracked and dispossessed.

The home pressed high up the pitch - even denying time and space for Weale to throw a pass or two to one of our full-backs. Hence we too were reduced to hoofing and Sheffield won the majority of these aerial skirmishes.

And yet, defensively, United were vulnerable. Dyer had acres of space on the left and, with proper support, it would not have been difficult to get behind them, especially when their back line was stretched.

[marbelladave]

No question - and we might well pay for it on another occasion. But the pitch was an important factor and United's fast closing down. The pitch was so uneven and wet. Definitely not condusive to passing football. Several players tried to run with the ball but were easily tracked and dispossessed.

The home pressed high up the pitch - even denying time and space for Weale to throw a pass or two to one of our full-backs. Hence we too were reduced to hoofing and Sheffield won the majority of these aerial skirmishes.

And yet, defensively, United were vulnerable. Dyer had acres of space on the left and, with proper support, it would not have been difficult to get behind them, especially when their back line was stretched.

Difficult to say if the goal changed the game as it was scored so early, I thought, first half at least, we tried to pass out of defence but we were foiled by a poor pitch and incessant pressure from Utd. Wellens and Abe's passing game crumbled under the pressure and our midfield was outmuscled and overwhelmed, not for the first time this season. With Utd winning ball high up the pitch our back 4 had no chance to push up, so were caught deep much of the time.

Second half was mostly last ditch stuff but we did manage a period when we got after Utd on the break and that mostly came from long balls out of defence, mainly to Dyer and, towards the end, Vassell. Although these breaks were rare both Vassel and Yakubu were played in on goal but made nothing of their chances.