By FBFR
West Brom, Window and Watford combine to bring a premature end to any ambition of promotion that the Blades may have had.
After we got turned over big style at West Brom, the phone lines and chat rooms went back into meltdown about how rubbish we are.
The Baggies were easily the better team, with our full-backs, Stewart and Walker, mercilessly tortured for the 90 minutes. The formation angered many Blades, who had hoped we would line up in a more attacking formation. I dread to think what the score would have been if we had.
Our inability to win games against teams in the top six is a worry, and our hopes of promotion seem more remote and more distant than ever. Mind you, making the play-offs as complete underdogs could be just the trick. Having not won against a top-six team all season, we sneak into the play-offs as underdogs and...
In the window, Killa has gone to the north east and made us some money which will help us financially, and has meant the recruitment of two Premier League defenders – Nosworthy and Kallio - has been possible.
I think they will be both be very good additions to the first team and, should they stay fit, will make us as strong as the Kevin Blackwell and Sam Ellis like us to be at the back.
Walker going back to Spurs surprised everyone, not least because he was on the coach to Watford so, while the outcome of the transfer window was looking okay at one point, it now looks like a shambles, which could potentially knock us off balance again.
So, off to Watford then for the re-arranged league game and, under-soil heating permitting, we needed to get back to winning ways against the Hornets.
Winning ways, however, could not be further from what was produced. We had an awful night when we were just abject and didn't look like we had anything to offer at all.
From a back four of Walker, Killa, Morgs and Naysmith, we ended up with Geary, Nosworthy, Fortune and Stewart. With Walker and Killa gone and Morgs injured in the first half, we were, to say the least, at sixes and sevens with a generous tendency to gift our hosts chances.
If Bunny hadn't been in on the joke, it showed, as he actually tried to stop Watford scoring. With nothing happening for us creatively, our defence had no respite. Ward, Henderson, Cresswell and Quinn looked like they it was them who had never met before, not the defence.
Anger amongst the frustrated supporters soon turned from Blackwell and started to head in the direction of the powers that be who have not, so the story goes, backed the manager sufficiently during this window. He has sold player after player, saved money on wages and kept us in the top six.
The dull-as-dishwater display at Watford suggests that this juggling act has been stretched beyond breaking point, and that this season will vanish into mediocrity now the plug has been pulled on our ambition.
What now? Loans and excuses, I suppose. Naughton at Boro and, more immediately, Tonge at Derby will cause more heartache for the Blades faithful.
The defense did have a shocker its understandable tho Killgallon and Walker leaving were both massive losses to the back four. I still feel after time they will gel,i think the main problem has to be Blackwell's inability to produce a attacking formation. Also he doesn't understand the importance of a goal-scorer we have been missing that goal scorer after Beattie left.Further more he didn't give Hulsey or Sharpy a chance it just seemed he wanted to get rid off them.
I have faith in his ability to manage the team but it is getting tiring of the same old excuses.
Posted by: Sam Maddison | Wednesday, 03 February 2010 at 18:45