Sheffield Utd Summary

[ian1980]

Overall, I think this game confirmed what many people already knew. We have a strong first eleven but not much behind that.

The first half which by and large was our starting team, held their own well against a strong blades team. We were easily the better team, created the better chances but as so often before we couldn’t put them away. However you could argue that on another day we could have been 2-0 up at half time which is encouraging.

Just about a full team change for the second half and the quality from Rovers took a big dip as a result. Utd took control and we found ourselves chasing the ball too much. They pushed forward and we failed to make the required tackle and the two goals they scored were too easy.

I don’t think I’d be offering a deal to either trailist. Neither really good enough and I’m sure there’ll be better out there.

Wilks was a bit of a positive. Was comfortable on the ball and caused problems by running at the Utd defence.

I’m not too worried about the upcoming season but as others have said, feel we could do with just two or three quality players for that push into the play offs.

[mpc123]

Thanks for the summary.

 It seems fair enough and probably about right with us playing a decent championship side a week before the season kicks off.

Come on GM get that couple in and this could be a promotion year again.

[mushRTID]

I’d give Taylor a contract.
Wilkes looks quality.
Lund might be back on the transfer list after that.
May really, really ineffective.
McCullogh looked good I thought.

[Scooter]

I think that is a fair summary. It’s hard to judge trialists on half a game but I would like to see more of Viera but Taylor would be a no from me. Maybe he is trying too hard to get a contract but I don’t think he impressed

Wilks had a good game. Marosi made some good saves, Wright played well. I think we will have a good season

[Alan Southstand]

Taylor was streets better than Beestin!

[the vicar]

I’d give Taylor a contract.
Wilkes looks quality.
Lund might be back on the transfer list after that.
May really, really ineffective.
McCullogh looked good I thought.

contrary to what some might think I would not pay Taylor out in washers, Anderson played well

[the vicar]

Taylor was streets better than Beestin!

that was not hard as beesting was rubbish

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Also agree with the summary, although I thought Taylor was OK bearing in mind we couldn't get enough possession.

Lund for me, just showed he hasn't got it between the ears. Too many bad decisions. Big plus tonight was Wilkes and a shame we didn't see enough of Crawford.

[ZiggerZagger]

Personally I thought Taylor was to fast for us with his quick feet and ball control. He knew where it was going before he got it. The trouble was the players in front or at the side didn't or can't understand what he was doing. At times it looked like he was over doing it because they were just stood, not moving into space for a return pass. Beeston wasn't his usual self, Alfie ran around a lot but never did anything with it.
Taylor in place of Blair would probably be about right for the starting 11.

[keith79]

I don't like leaving 3 up front.

[Move DRFC]

Same old same old with Alfie May then.

[Alan Southstand]

We simply can't give up the midfield like we did tonight - it's unforgivable. We struggled all last season with midfield and what have we done to correct it - reduce the numbers and quality!

When will the penny drop?

When we're bottom?
When we get an almighty walloping?
When?

Please, please, please - no more talk about who is going to be the fan's favourite. Let's have some action in the market and get the quality in that we so desperately need.

[since-1969]

We are not good enough again up front, with  too many chances going begging and little to show for the fine approach work . We can beat teams who are not in our League but not teams with better players or similar.
Southend away is going to be a real eye opener for McGann and it could see him turn to the loan market to bring in an old head .

[mpc123]

We simply can't give up the midfield like we did tonight - it's unforgivable. We struggled all last season with midfield and what have we done to correct it - reduce the numbers and quality!

When will the penny drop?

When we're bottom?
When we get an almighty walloping?
When?

Please, please, please - no more talk about who is going to be the fan's favourite. Let's have some action in the market and get the quality in that we so desperately need.

Your harping on about the 2nd half again alan.

The second team i would imagine

[Alan Southstand]

The second half? I'm talking about the whole 90 mins! What game were you watching?

It was a toss-up first half who was the worst player - Whiteman or Blair. 2nd half, McCullough started like he meant business, then disappeared.

4-3-3 ? If this is going to be it, then get ready for a battle for relegation. We quite simply are crying out for more quality in that midfield 3. The vast majority know it, but certain individuals just don't want to see it (I wonder why?).

It's no coincidence that we havn't scored in any game against league opposition. Are we going to change our name to Doncaster Rovers Nil?

It's time to wake up and smell the coffee!

[mpc123]

The second half? I'm talking about the whole 90 mins! What game were you watching?

It was a toss-up first half who was the worst player - Whiteman or Blair. 2nd half, McCullough started like he meant business, then disappeared.

4-3-3 ? If this is going to be it, then get ready for a battle for relegation. We quite simply are crying out for more quality in that midfield 3. The vast majority know it, but certain individuals just don't want to see it (I wonder why?).

It's no coincidence that we havn't scored in any game against league opposition. Are we going to change our name to Doncaster Rovers Nil?

It's time to wake up and smell the coffee!

I dont mind talking about the team but you just seem to exaggerate the issue and go abit too far.

We were against top championship quailty tonight so its very doubtful that we would ever take control.

The games you are talking about are all friendlies.

Get a bit of perspective at least.

[scawsby steve]

Overall, I think this game confirmed what many people already knew. We have a strong first eleven but not much behind that.

The first half which by and large was our starting team, held their own well against a strong blades team. We were easily the better team, created the better chances but as so often before we couldn’t put them away. However you could argue that on another day we could have been 2-0 up at half time which is encouraging.

Just about a full team change for the second half and the quality from Rovers took a big dip as a result. Utd took control and we found ourselves chasing the ball too much. They pushed forward and we failed to make the required tackle and the two goals they scored were too easy.

I don’t think I’d be offering a deal to either trailist. Neither really good enough and I’m sure there’ll be better out there.

Wilks was a bit of a positive. Was comfortable on the ball and caused problems by running at the Utd defence.

I’m not too worried about the upcoming season but as others have said, feel we could do with just two or three quality players for that push into the play offs.

That sounds like a pretty good summary Ian, and much appreciated as I couldn't get to the game. There is however just one thing, if there's better out there than Taylor, I can assure you they'll be out of our price range.

[Alan Southstand]

Get a bit of perspective at least.

Alright, that wasn't Sheff Utd's starting 11. Is that perspective enough?

[mpc123]

Get a bit of perspective at least.

Alright, that wasn't Sheff Utd's starting 11. Is that perspective enough?

That was pretty much the squad + new signings that finished the season against bristol city in the championship last year plus a couple of signings. I just checked. There could have been a couple with injuries but so had we.

Or do we just want to make it up to make the situation look worse for some reason.

The 2nd half wasnt our starting 11 so i dont get what your point is apart from trying to make everything doom and gloom.

[Spilsby Red]

People like doom and gloom rather than think positive

[mpc123]

People like doom and gloom rather than think positive

Seems that way

[Alan Southstand]

It's not doom and gloom from my perspective - just good, honest critique. If you want to continually don your rose-tinted, that is your prerogative, however, I feel a bit of realism is needed now and again. It's not a gut reaction to last night's defeat either, as I have been saying since McCann was appointed, we are 3 quality signings away from having a decent L1 side. Get them and we'll be ok. Leave things as they are and we're in for a very tough season..........again.

Whoever came up with the 'top 6' ambition ought to be having a long, hard look at themselves.

Enough said. Time will tell who is right and who is wrong.

[Spilsby Red]

Everyone has different views. A lot of people were complaining about DF playing players in the wrong position and how different it could have been if he hadn’t. So if GM plays the players in the right position, then who knows. There is always something that isn’t right. Support the manager and players and who knows.
Also GM just might have players in the pipeline. He might not.

[DonnyOsmond]

Get a bit of perspective at least.

Alright, that wasn't Sheff Utd's starting 11. Is that perspective enough?

That was pretty much the squad + new signings that finished the season against bristol city in the championship last year plus a couple of signings. I just checked. There could have been a couple with injuries but so had we.

Or do we just want to make it up to make the situation look worse for some reason.

The 2nd half wasnt our starting 11 so i dont get what your point is apart from trying to make everything doom and gloom.

Lawlor, Anderson, Butler, Andrew, McCullough, Rowe, Taylor, Beestin will be part of our first eleven so not sure where the "second half team isn't our first XI" comes from.

The starting XI next week will be from these:

Marosi
Lawlor
Mason
Wright
Anderson
Butler
Andrew
Whiteman
McCullough
Crawford
Rowe
Coppinger
Taylor
Beestin
Wilks
Marquis


And at the end of the day it was a friendly, if we play the next handful of games and are still called Doncaster Rovers nil then we can worry but otherwise remember back to Chesterfield fans thinking they were going up last season, Sheffield Wednesday lost 14-0 a few seasons ago to a Conference team and we lost to a non league 6-0 a few years ago under SOD.

[the vicar]

We are not good enough again up front, with  too many chances going begging and little to show for the fine approach work . We can beat teams who are not in our League but not teams with better players or similar.
Southend away is going to be a real eye opener for McGann and it could see him turn to the loan market to bring in an old head .

there keeper had a blinder, but we need to put some of our chances away Wells should of scored instead of setting up the keeper with heading it to  high

[Alickismyhero]

On IF last night they made an interesting comment...…

…. Moor, the United GK, was the GK for Brentford the day we won the League, "funny old game football"

[mpc123]

It's not doom and gloom from my perspective - just good, honest critique. If you want to continually don your rose-tinted, that is your prerogative, however, I feel a bit of realism is needed now and again. It's not a gut reaction to last night's defeat either, as I have been saying since McCann was appointed, we are 3 quality signings away from having a decent L1 side. Get them and we'll be ok. Leave things as they are and we're in for a very tough season..........again.

Whoever came up with the 'top 6' ambition ought to be having a long, hard look at themselves.

Enough said. Time will tell who is right and who is wrong.

There is middle ground Alan you always seem to be so far fetched at the negative end. Even before i read your posts i feel i dark cloud coming over. Its not critique it is just picking on every fault, without a mention of any of the good play.

I understand there is alot to work on, man city have a lot to work on, but constantly just dragging it down gets to the point where you almost drag me down and thats near on impossible, i feel like dropping to my knees at your every post.

I feel like we may as well just give up after one of your posts and just close the club.

We are not a bad team at all, if we were playing armthorpe welfare every week i could understand but we are a decent league one club, lighten up a bit.... jeez.

[Campsall rover]

I thought the 1st half was encouraging all that was missing was the finishing and we are going to need to be much more clinical from next week onwards.
2nd half 9 changes and we were very disjointed. To be fair to Alfie May most balls played to him were 6ft in the air.
Without Marquis we have no one able to hold the ball up and bring others into play.
Lund had no one to give the ball to and consequently had to pass backwards 90% of the time.
Wilks looked very promising and if he can finish then he will be a real asset to us this season.
Not sure about the 4-3-3  as we were a bit short in the middle.
Would prefer 4-4-2 giving genuine width and the wide men can tuck in when defending.
We played against a top half Championship side yesterday so a bit of perspective needed.
We have a big squad when you look at the numbers but the problem is we are still short of 2 quality proven promotion winning players who will take this team to a top six place.

[Bentley Bullet]

Anyone showing pessimism is considered a pillock by the optimists, and anyone showing optimism is considered an Ostrich by the pessimists. The pessimists are stupid and the optimists have their heads buried in the sand.

Why not enter the PvO competition and measure your level of REALISM?

[raggytash]

Mpc did you go the game or Grimsby??? It’s rubbish, even though it’s a friendly it’s obvious the midfield is weak there’s no one with marquis, Wilkes looks decent but I think it’s going be a ‘which side of bed did he get out off’ , Crawford is injured already and this is what happens to injury prone free signings .... from what I’ve seen it looks more attacking football but we are wide open and lacking in quality