Reply With QuoteDerby – I expected much better from them and they really surprised me how poor they were. They got a draw but were a touch fortunate to even come away from that. Sure, they had as many chances as us but they did not really have any spell of control save for maybe 5 minutes after the goal. Outside of this the away side dominated possession and had control of the game. The only issue was they let us have it for long spells and we failed to hurt them even when we got into good areas.
The boos at times in the second half from the home fans said it all. They had been on a tremendous run and completely overran some teams and today were made to look a poor side by United. They scored thanks to good work from Russell and poor defending and then had a few chances.
They made opportunities by breaking at speed with Russell and Vydra the key men running with the ball but were surprisingly direct and most of their chances came from long balls they ran onto. They did not play much football and I felt were very sloppy on the ball for long spells. At the back they struggled with Donaldson’s pace and running and at times looked at full stretch.
They have spent a fortune on players and their squad is ridiculous really in terms of what they have in reserve. Not quite sure how they are within the FFP regulations really in terms of outgoings but that is another argument.
Opposition Man of the Match: Vydra was the threat for me. He got on the ball and always looked a danger. Russell had a nightmare at the Lane but today caused problems and won the penalty. Those two and Weimann were ones that caused us problems in terms of running in behind. Huddlestone got the man of the match but not sure how? He played a few raking balls but I felt we controlled midfield. They did not really hurt us at all second half.
Opposition Weak link: I felt Nugent was quiet and it was too late for Martin and Winnall to make an impact. At the back Keogh and Davies wrestled with the strikers and at times were sloppy and slow to react to things. The lad Johnson was really poor in midfield and Fleck outplayed him. He got the hook on 70 minutes.
Moore 7/10 – Had little to do really. Of course, the goal is a penalty and then he saw two shots flash wide but other than that he was well protected. He commanded his area well and communicated well to take some balls through and allow defenders to clear on other occasions.
Baldock 7/10 – He actually did ok in general play and got forward well, supported the attack and had a few weaving runs and overlapped well. Still he made a big mistake on the goal. He should have just put it out and then under slight contact from Russell; he then let him get in and brought him down. After this he recovered well and I felt showed a lot of bravery to keep surging forward.
Stevens 7/10 – Like Baldock he made a few errors to begin but got stronger as the game went on. His final ball continues to frustrate but he was better defensively and cut out the sloppy touches. He got forward more and more in the second half and I felt finished the game on the front foot.
Basham 7/10 – Began in probably his best position; right centre back in a three and was really solid today. Did not try and be too clever and just did the basics. He headed it and kicked it away and read things well too.
O’Connell 7.5/10 – Much better performance. He was more switched on and cut out the lack of concentration or silly giveaways. He was tight to his man and denied space. The three of them kept together and were really solid. He got forward when he could too and I felt his passing was much improved.
Stearman 8/10 – Gets a lot of criticism but felt he was excellent today. He defended with common sense and bravery. Won tackles and interceptions and played with real confidence. Did not put a foot wrong against some really good attackers. Also used the ball better today. Today showed that the defence can be fine with the three he played if the full backs are on it too.
Fleck 8/10 – Up and down the other day but today he was very good and maybe the best midfielder on the park. Showed some lovely touches, jinks away from players and some nice passes short and long. Got booked for a pullback (2 games – 2 bookings since he came back) and needs to show bit more discipline but his overall performance was great to watch. He just gets his foot in, moves it around and creates time for himself and others. Really clever player. You look at players like Johnson and Huddlestone who cost millions and he is a better player.
Lundstram 7.5/10 – After a poor performance the other day; he got back to standards he set v Villa and Derby. He was really good and him and Fleck controlled the midfield with and without the ball. Thought we looked excellent in that area today.
Duffy 6.5/10 –I thought he had an off day with the ball today and two or three times set them on attack with give aways. Shows how well the rest played when he was one of our off key players. He was not bad and always looking for it and never hid but things did not quite happen and he got harried off it a few times. He is clearly a marked man at the moment.
Donaldson 7.5/10 – Thought he really ran his socks off. Chased down balls, held it up and tried to bring others into play. He had our chance first half with a great run and shot that was saved. Second half he held it up again and then made the goal with superb play and then a brilliant cross that was begging to be converted. He had really upped his game in recent weeks and the front two pick themselves currently. They are a handful to play in terms of running and goal threat.
Clarke 7/10 – First half he tried to link but did not get much service. He got closed down and just helped it on but second half held it for longer and linked really well. He was involved in the chances we had and then scored a superb header. Outside of his goal he was a bit more languid today though and a few times made wrong decisions but that is a bit harsh but judging him against recent high standards he has set. However, another goal and another performance where he worried defenders.
Subs:
Carruthers – I get called for analysing his every thing when he comes on but again he did little right when he came on. He does not hide that I will say as he tries to get on it. My mate says he has the yips at the moment and that pass straight out under little pressure backs that up. He had one run and cross that was poor and then a bad shot. Surprised he came on. Wilder seems determined to trust him to bring himself out of his slump.
Lafferty – Brought on for Lundstram I think just to give us a bit of fresh legs at the death and make sure we did not let them nick anything.
Manager: Wilder 8/10 – After he was quite complimentary of a performance many felt was not good enough the other day; he rightly lauded today’s efforts. We were really good and from start to finish the better side. I felt we passed it better, looked more composed and the only criticism is we did not do enough when we got into great positions and lacked that extra bit of quality/class when it mattered. Today the defence was solid (one mistake notwithstanding) and the midfield controlled the ball and pressed well to get it back. The front two chased and harried. It was a complete performance aside from the final ball and the decisions in the last third. We do need to shoot more and be more clinical but overall, he will be delighted with how we played and rightly so.
Officials – Referee was mixed. He tried to keep things flowing for spells and let strong challenges go and susses them going to floor quite a bit but he then booked Duffy, Fleck and Stevens for nothing challenges but let similar things go the other way. Thorne was booked for a bad one on Lundstram when the ball had long gone. He frustrated Derby by giving us a handball when he waved one away from them but he was another ref that was a bit inconsistent. The penalty was fair. Some said that Baldock got pulled back a bit initially but not sure it was enough for a foul and then he just rugby tackled him down.
Crowd – Could only hear the Blades fans from the feed. The 3,109 sounded in tremendous voice. They had a few bounces a la Wednesday but they were very quiet and became frustrated as United dominated the game for long periods and they started to grumble quite early on in the second half.
Originally Posted by AceOfBlades
