Back From The Game - Sheff Utd (H)

[working class hero]

FWIW I thought we were hugely better than we were against Swansea.

However, relegation is a real possibility if we do not get some decent experienced players to back the youngsters. The booing and the defeat will have sapped squad morale. If we fail to back them I think the team will fold catastrophically. And yes I appreciate that we are being asked to back some really poor football at the moment.

On another thread I read some RTG wittering on about how Hansen was so wrong when he said you never win a title with kids.... Those kids were of course Beckham, Giggs, Scholes etc so a marked difference to our crop! Also they were supported by Bruce, Pallister, Cantona, Hughes and other battle hardened stars.

We need to invest [heavily] on some experience. Will 200 k for Smith really seem a lot if crowds drop any further? I envisage a tiny crowd on Tuesday, and even fewer away fans travelling to Barnsley. Our crowd is fed up. We are the 2nd most expensive team to watch in this division - and probably one of the lowest paid once Harper and Marek are forced out. We are also not full of expensive signings.

Personally I think BR is a decent manager - but if things do not turn quickly I could see his tenure being pretty short as the fans are already losing patience [after 4 games ffs!!!]. Mr M would then be able to look decisive and could get in another manager who would be excused should we go down.

Relegation would be disappointing - but some of us have watched RFC in Leagues 1 & 2 before and would continue to support the team even in the Conference. I still hope we can turn the corner but would not be surprised if there is a lot worse to come before things get better.

For perspective think of some of the dross we watched between Pardew leaving and the Championship season. It was dire on many occasions, but all came good eventually.

[Man Friday]

Someone commented early on that it was men against boys

Just like Vs Newcastle then. Very worrying indeed. Just heard Rodgered on Sky Sports News. He seems to have O'Leary's obsession with going on about "kids". FFS, play older, more experienced players before you send us down. It's as though losing with kids is alright...because they're kids. No, losing is not alright. Do something about it FFS. You don't have to play last year's academy team.

[Man Friday]

First half - Good

Second - Back to Newcastle/Forest style

Rubbish - Forest style was good - dominated the game, just couldn't stay calm enough to score, that's all. Newcastle style was crap - men Vs boys.

[I was there at Elm Park]

We were unlucky that we were playing against a team who will finish in the play offs. I know it's not much consolation but today's first half performance would have beaten most teams and we could have been a few up.

[LoyalRoyal22]

Can I just say that Mills looks like a useless sack of sh*te.

Let the player in front of him for a shot in the first couple of mins. awful backpass to Fed....... and EVERY sodding defensive header dropped lamely to an onrushing sheff utd player

A few lose passes, but are you blind? he looked quality at times, some of his passing in the first half was brilliant, i think him and Pearce will form a great defensive partnership and both have good distribution.

[LoyalRoyal22]

First half - Good

Second - Back to Newcastle/Forest style

MoTM was Jay Tabb in my eyes, brilliant performance

Jay Tabb was good but had no end product, was fustrating, got in loads of positions.

[LoyalRoyal22]

Pretty good peformance to be fair, that idiot on the radio Dellor and the fans that booed are just ignorant tossers that couldnt accept a unlucky defeat.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

A game we should have won but a goal to equalise just before half time changed the outcome.

Sheffield Utd came out a different team in the second half and were helped to victory by a Federici' error to put them in front.

This is going to be a long season for RFC and the fans as there is to much change on the pitch going on for the players to handle.

We are lacking expierence on the pitch whether it be the back, midfield or up front.

[LoyalRoyal22]

Good performance I thought.

Sadly though the youngsters have little chance of gaining any confidence because of the inbred morons who call themselves RFC fans.

That was a good performance? Are you kidding, or have you just had more to drink than me? It was abject, not down to the personnel, but solely down to the man in charge of team affairs getting it horrendously wrong.

There were some problems. Like having Cisse in midfield. But there were certainly positive signs IMO.

Siggurdson in particular looked class. The mix of direct, and patient play was better and more balanced, we just lack a decent striker (Smith) and winger.

This team will come good, assuming the players aren't completely demoralised by our moronic fanbase.

Totally agree with your comments, spot on.

[LoyalRoyal22]

The minute the team was announced, I tried to work out in my mind how this team was going to work. 5-3-2, Cissé at centre-back? 4-5-1, Tabb and Hunt on the wings? 4-4-2, Tabb and Siggy on the wings? Nope, a 4-4-2 diamond, with 4 central midfielders, and absolutely no width. Ok, at least we'll dominate the middle of the park. Nope, every time they got the ball they looked dangerous.

First half, we were alright. Knocked it around nicely, a few good chances, and 1-0 up everything was peachy. Then the inevitable lapse of concentration only inexperience can bring, and it's 1-1, and the game was slipping away.

Second half, we were found out. All they did was knock it wide every time, knowing we had absolutely no width. Sure, their second goal was a Federici mistake, but where was the closing down? Same for the third?

The problem I had with today was that every time, we tried to play it out wide. Despite the fact that anybody could see that our only wide players were our wing-backs. There was nobody even remotely in a wing position to support Bertrand and Rosenior. We looked more dangerous, for sure, but we also conceded 3 goals in open play.

Ratings...

Federici - 4 - Distribution OK, 2nd goal was obvious mistake, maybe that knocked his confidence for the 3rd.
Rosenior - 5 - Did an OK job. Might have been at fault for their first.
Mills - 4 - Turned in the first minute, poor defensively, looked good passing. Scored, though that doesn't boost his mark.
Pearce - 6 - One of 4 players who, I thought, actually looked up to the job today. Competent on the ball.
Bertrand - 6 - Good attacking, worse defending. 2 good runs.
Karacan - 6 - Good in possession, cleaned up well.
Cissé - 3 - I don't remember a significant contribution.
Tabb - 7 - Always ran, good tackles, good passes. MOTM.
Sigurdsson - 5 - Apart from "that" shot, didn't really do anything.
Hunt - 5 - Ran a bit.
Long - 4 - Ran a bit less.

Subs:
Church - 3 - See Cissé.
Harper - 4 - Waved his arms a bit.

Tactics: 2 - Once they'd figured us out, it was all over.

OH MY GOD. were we watching different games? or are you just ignorant and bitter. Sigurdsson was one of the best players on the pitch, great passing and movement and had a good attempt on goal.

Idiot

[wolsey]

There were some problems. Like having Cisse in midfield. But there were certainly positive signs IMO.

Siggurdson in particular looked class. The mix of direct, and patient play was better and more balanced, we just lack a decent striker (Smith) and winger.

This team will come good, assuming the players aren't completely demoralised by our moronic fanbase.


Totally agree with your comments, spot on.

Would you have been happy with this performance /result this time last year?

[SLAMMED]

Would you have been happy with this performance /result this time last year?

You can't compare last season with this season. Last year we had experienced players, this year we have an unproven manager and a team of youngsters.

[wolsey]

Would you have been happy with this performance /result this time last year?

You can't compare last season with this season. Last year we had experienced players, this year we have an unproven manager and a team of youngsters.

And why is that?

[SLAMMED]

JM is a tight fisted twat who is more concerned about profit than progress.

[Victor Meldrew]

My take on the game:
Bertrand
Karacan
Siggy
all played well-if only Siggy had some pace but if he did then he would probably be a Premiership player.
He reminds me a lot of Nigel Spackman.
With all the talk of us sticking to 4-5-1 I was surprised to see us play 4-4-2 and in that system it looked like Shorey all over again in that Bertrand had to play all the positions down the left-hand side which is asking a lot.
Some reasonable passing but like the Burns era and with teams like Doncaster no cutting edge with the final ball.

Interesting to hear the Radio Berks blokes getting steamed up about us not spending money and I expect them soon to be barred from the club.
Mick Gooding who rarely criticises anybody joined in the money debate and said that he is not convinced by Federici.
Unfotunately today Darius showed what a run-of-the-mill hold-up striker can do and hopefully the club will get the message as Long once again ran about a lot without much idea and both he and Hunt spent too much time diving for free-kicks,something I found a bit embarrassing.

Once again Rodgers talked the talk when interviewed and you would think there was nothing to worry about but there is-just 9 days left of the transfer window is worrying.

[North Somerset Royal]

We were unlucky that we were playing against a team who will finish in the play offs. I know it's not much consolation but today's first half performance would have beaten most teams and we could have been a few up.

Come on the Blades this season are nowhere near the strength of their team last season and a long way off of the standard of West Brom, Newcastle, Middlesborough (I see Leroy scored again today). They will be challenging for a play off spot at best which is what I hoped we would be doing in our last year of parachute payments. We did not force a single save from their keeper during the entire game. I do not call that unlucky. We are just not good enough for this level.

[SteveRoyal]

Exactly, it's the truth. He's unfairly forcing Harper&Matejovsky out, just for the sake of it.

Karacan > Harper.

[willz_royal]

well impressed. The kids really held there own. getting better!

[yappy]

Was very impressed with Sigurdsson, showed good movement, passing and his set pieces aren't bad either! Mills I thought was alright, he was playing more direct than most of the team, but I actually thought we looked more dangerous from the long ball, but the partnership with Pearce definitely will take time to develop (Come back Ivar!).

Feds, Rosenior and Cisse were disappointing, but as were the front two. I'm a massive Hunt fan, and I do think Long gets unfair criticism at times however they were both poor today. No movement, barely won a header, Shane Long in particular just walked around disinterested. Yes the tactics don't suit them however as a striker you still need to get into the game more. Without wingers in this tactic your especially looking for some creativity upfront.

[SteveRoyal]

I find it remarkable that the majority of fans always focus on the negatives of every game.
Let's be honest, even in Coppell's era it would always be difficult to beat Sheffield United - they are a class Championship act.
We're a new team, new manager, new tactics, new coaches, completely new. We're getting used to the transition and put up something of a fight against promotion contenders and all the fans focus on is that we lost.