Reply With QuoteUnited – Really enjoyed today. Proper Boxing Day game. Big crowd, local rivals and both teams up near the top. Both teams committed with some decent football and some excellent goals for both teams. In the end United thoroughly deserved the win. We were the better team for the first half hour; then they had a strong spell but for once we scored when we were not on top. We went in at the break leading but many feared the second half regression and inevitable upping of the game from a decent opponent. In truth though United started well and could have got a second. It seemed a clear penalty was denied; then they get a free kick and score a great goal. There was then some argy bargy on and off the field (coaches/managers clashing) and becomes very testy. This got the crowd going and everyone seemed to rally around then and United upped the tempo again.
Huge credit to United’s players that kept plugging away, won all the loose stuff and dominated the ball and territory even after going behind. We got a lovely second goal and then after this we looked more like scoring and some more neat moves and good football eventually led to us getting more chances and finally after Sharp missed one; Clarke scored one. We saw the game out really well after this and Derby lost their rag a bit with Lampard becoming very angry over every little thing that went wrong. The crowd lapped it up and as the tackles came in, the players belief came back in waves. We won all the loose balls, then played some lovely football. The defence won crucial headers/tackles, the midfield controlled things and all the forwards were a threat. The only negatives were us giving away silly free kicks (the goal came from one) and a few sloppy spells (end of first half before Sharp scored) and of course the final ball/cross not quite being good enough again. However, we did score from two crosses and also a lovely finish in between these two.
We played some good stuff today and after the blow of the poor officiating decision and then the goal we could have gone under (we did king of play flat and lose the game completely against West Brom and against Leeds it just came so late the goal) but we came again and had a second win. We had most if not all the really good chances. The crowd really willed us on and with Lampard and Wilder clashing, the incident on their goal – not long after the non-penalty; you felt we had the bit between our teeth both on the terraces and on the pitch. United’s players and fans seemed determined it would not be another case of déjà vu and no repeat of Leeds and West Brom (and many home games against the better teams last season) where a decent performance did not yield the deserved points outcome.
Today we zipped it about again. We did go direct a bit and saw more variety in terms of play in the final third. We had chances to score more goals (Sharp could have had a hat trick) and limited the opponent to mostly long-range efforts. Most of the decent stuff came from us and I felt we really wanted it today. It was high intensity and on and off the ball I loved what I saw from us. Finally, after so many 2nd half let downs; we saw a proper performance for most of the game and 2nd half we got better and after they scored, we actually stepped it up a gear and seized back the initiative.
It was great to see the 2nd and then 3rd goals go in and we saw out things really well. In the end it was a well-deserved victory in front off a packed and passionate Bramall Lane. Perfect really and gives us heart that we can stay the pace. Leeds and Norwich seem away at the moment (think both will have poor runs) but we are staying up with the pace with the other big teams (WBA, Derby, Boro, Forest, Stoke, Villa etc) with two winnable games to come in the next week against a Blackburn side that will have been stunned by the late goals at Elland Road and against a desperately out for form Wigan side with a huge United away following backing the side. With January looming and the possibility of us getting some additions in, we need to be so positive. It is a great time to be a Blade. Sure, we could have had more points and maybe we still are inconsistent but this manager and team continue to put out the best they can and for the most part very good performances. Today we saw a good performance, married up by goals and the all-important three points.
Derby – They deserved nothing from the game at all. They were second best in terms of football played, tackles/harrying/pressing and also in terms of chances created. It would have been fortunate of they had taken anything from the game. They had some spells of decent play but they had many where they were struggling to keep us from dominating. I felt individually and collectively we were much better. They had one really good spell – 25 mins to 40 but we scored at the end of this. They then got level with a superb goal and had a few break aways but overall, we were the only side creating and pinning them back second half and most of their opportunities came when we lost it after another attack and they broke away.
They played ok in patches and at times you could see why they beat Man Utd, gave Chelsea a run for their money and have won some big games against some fellow promotion contenders. A spell first half they really penned us back and had some good moments and then had another spell second half but for long stretches United were the side who played with a higher intensity and better level of football. They eventually succumbed and looked a well beaten side by the end.
Wilson scored a superb goal – we had given him a few sighters before – and then had another one not far wide but they did not have that many clear chances all game. Most of the efforts were long range save the one Baldock kicked off the line when they got around the back. They have some good players and the two loan lads are the stand outs but have some decent experience too and this will help them. A quick glance of the benches and the squads on the programme shows how much depth they have in comparison. 34 senior players! Wage wise they have numerous performers like Davies, Nugent, Davies, Olsson, Ledley, Malone, Waghorn and Forsyth that all are probably more than most of our players and none of these started today.
You wonder how they do it in terms of FFP as they have fell away several years yet continue to pump in big wages and transfer fees. Today showed for all the cash outlay they are not quite good enough to be a top two side and a 5th/6th finish (as for us) is about as high as they probably will get. Lampard is doing ok but has inherited a squad full of experience. Ironic that his key men are the young, loan players. Today they never really performed and it seems like many of the top 6 (outside of the top two current form) they have good games and then big let downs. This inconsistency means it will be tight between around a dozen sides for those playoff places.
Lampard is fortunate to get a job like this with his first gig as a manager and be interesting if he has a really bad spell how he reacts. I think they will remain around this position though as they have a lot of goals and creativity in the side. They also have that depth for when players lose form/get injured or suspended. You worry a little when the loan players go back (Tomori too) as the rest of the team are not exactly spring chickens.
Opponent man of the match – Wilson scored a superb goal and most of the decent efforts came from him. Mount flitted in and out of the game but the Liverpool man was the main threat.
Huddlestone did a decent job on Duffy as they stopped him getting the ball. Keogh defended well for the most part not helped by a poor midfield in front and he also came out of the back Basham style a few times but like Bash then panicked when in the final third!
Weak link – Not one player but several very average to poor. I felt Carson was all over the place all game. He struggles with his kicking but also was slow to react to efforts on goal and was dithering long before he scrambled across to watch Sharp’s header nestle home. He just looked all at sea. Tomori also made a few mistakes. I also felt Bryson was completely ineffective and never in the game and our midfield-controlled things. Marriott had a quiet game well marshalled by Egan and O’Connell. Indeed, attacking wide outside of the two loan lads, not sure they offered much. Jozefzoon never really got forward to cause any problems and Waghorn/Nugent did not change things either
