Vital Point

Leyton Orient 1
Sheffield United 1
Attendance 6,586
United Following 1,128

I think all Blades fans have to admit we were expecting a loss on this occasion, Leyton Orient have been top of the table for most of the season and have been the surprise package of the division. But the day ended with United taking a share of the points which could prove vital at this stage of the season. We, by no stretch

of the imagination went out to dominate and attack from start to finish, we didn't go out to play pretty football, we battled and put in a hard and determined shift, something I think we have lacked as of late.
Orient had the brighter start, Mooney getting into good space exposing Uniteds weakness at the back, luckily on this occasion Mooney shot wide of the mark. Mooney picked up the ball after the defence failed to get it clear but there were no Orient front men in the area to convert. The Blades dug in but were again caught out by the divisions high flyers, Shaun Batt showed incredible pace to run the ball from the halfway line into The Blades area, his cross met Mooney who looked odds on to give Orient the lead, however on this occasion George Long pulled a composed save out of the bag, getting low down to stop the ball rolling underneath him into the goal. Batt's pace continued to cause us problems but for all the opportunities Orient were not showing the killer instinct which got them to where they are at this stage of the season. Despite the problems unlike games gone by, United did not look down hearted, their heads were not on the floor and we continued to battle and try and grab the reigns. Uniteds first instance of taking the game to Orient ended with a weak cross from Tony McMahon causing no problems for Jones who caught the ball with ease. Now, many football purists will call the rest of the first half and the start of the second half boring, but what we saw as Blades fans was a vast difference from what we have come to expect, we held the ball, we played intelligently, we did not push on and press enough in my mind but to keep the ball and cut down

on possession loss was something that we had needed to work on. Despite Orient having a larger shots count we managed to keep the possession, having 59% of it by the games end, and in games like this this is vital. It prevented Orient totally overloading and crippling our defences, it boosted confidence amongst the players, something they so desperately need, frustrated our opponents and it all paid off seven minutes after the hour mark. The ball played forward to McGinn who was muscled off the ball which landed to Baxter who much like McGinn was forced to the floor, neither a foul simply a lack of strength, Porter collected the loose ball and instead of trying his luck showed the wherewithal to place a pass across the box to an unmarked Conor Coady who rolled the ball under Jones before showing in his celebrations how much his first senior goal meant to him. Coady celebrated like he had just scored in the FA Cup final, he showed the passion and love for football

that this team needs an injection of, something echoed by the one thousand plus following Blades fans who were now making a lot of noise. United from this point slowed the game down, really doing all they can to prevent Orient having opportunity to equalise, and for a long time this was successfully done.  Many thought United had come to London and shown enough to upset the odds, but when Orient lofted the ball forward to Cox the forward showed great ball control and unleashed a goal of the season contending volley, George Long having no chance as the ball looped over him into the goal, a cruel blow to The Blades but you just don't stop those. Orient nearly snapped all three points but Simpsons tame header was easily tipped wide by Long, a loss would have been undeserved, United worked incredibly hard for their point, but as the final whistle blew many knew if it wasn't for a wonder goal United may have come away with all three.
This game gave me a sense of hope that things can be turned around, and if we can show the same character we showed for this game until January we have every chance of putting a better run together.

CLOUGH'S COMMENTS
"It was all going according to plan and another screamer has denied us all three points"

"We’re unbeaten in three matches now and, even though two of those have been draws, it means we are slowly making progress. Getting out of the bottom four should, psychologically speaking, do us the power of good. But it is still very early days yet and this is just another small step"

Jonathan Gascoigne

RIP SPEEDO, FOOTBALL LEGEND

Luck, Wimps and Bad Refs Match Reports

Bristol City 0
Sheffield United 1
Attendance 13,220

By all accounts this was one of the most boring non events in recent memory. Many believed that we were about to be thumped as kick off approached, Bristol may be at the wrong end of the table but were unbeaten in five. In regards to highlights to report it is difficult because genuinely they were non existent. A tame free kick from Shorey was caught easily by George Long in the first half, at the other end an equally

weak free kick, all be it lower and marginally more dangerous, was easily grasped by the Bristol goalkeeper. Shorey made mugs of our defence with quick feet but could only find row z with a long shot. An all to familiar theme is our defensive weakness and on this day we were lucky that in front of goal Bristol were as awful as we are, our defenders dropped to the floor like children throwing a tantrum when they couldn't make a tackle, they were left looking foolish and amateur all to often. In the second half Bristol City were left furious as appeals for handball in the box were ignored by the referee after a scramble. Then came a flash of luck, something we are not used to this season, McMahons weak cross to the front post went straight to flint in the Bristol defence, unfortunately for Flint his sliced clearance went straight into the back of his own net, Flint is now tied with Marlon King, Ryan Flynn and Jose Baxter as fourth leading scorer. A foul on George Long lead to the visitors having an equaliser ruled out. As the full time whistle sounds we have to realise that is a valuable three points, and no one can argue we need them, but again we showed we were not good enough. Bristol fans dubbed us the worst team to play them that season, and despite them being just as poor it is hard to argue with them. A lucky three points. 

Sheffield United 1
Walsall 1
Attendance 14,796

A match that left me furious, not just because the draw felt like a loss, not just because of the lack of fight, determination or attacking ambition, but also because of the ludicrous statement by Nigel Clough this was a well earned and well battled point! BATTLED!! A statement that I believe is beyond delusion. 

The match itself did not start too badly, The Blades had a corner flicked into the back of the Walsall net only for it to be cleared off the line by a Walsall defender. After this the Blades nearly repeated the mistake that cost us last time out at The Lane, having a weak back pass fall to a Walsall forward.  Luckily for us George Long was quick off his line and pushed away the attempted chip keeping the game goalless. The game became slow and stagnant from this point, neither team looking likely to score. The Blades were second to nearly every ball, we showed no strength or fight when making challenges, it looked like men against boys for a long duration. The Blades found a way forward and Aidy White progressed into the Walsall box only to be brought down by Lalkovic for what most of the world would class as a stonewall penalty, a clumsy sliding challenge from behind. The only person in the ground who did not think it was a penalty appeared to be

referee Chris Sarginson who claimed Lalkovic won the ball, to add insult to injury he then gave a goal kick, contradicting his theory that the ball was won. This gave United a brief spark of inspiration and we began to pile forward, but the same old problems showed themselves, our strikers trying to walk the ball into the net rather than take glorious shooting opportunities. Wasted chances and an inability to pick put players in dangerous positions led to the game simmering back down on the field. Off the pitch Nigel Clough along with the fans were still outraged by the Referees decision and he was booed ferociously even ten minuets later. Just before the half time whistle a cross came into the box towards Miller who was being marked by two Walsall players, the ball fell behind Miller and James Chambers brought up his hand and struck the ball. The referee awarded the penalty on this occasion. Walsall fans have since argued that this was not a penalty and the player couldn't help the ball striking his hand, going further also claiming that the only reason it was awarded was to appease the fans who had been booing him since his first mistake. This is untrue, the referee gets this spot on, the players arm is in a high and unnatural position and is a blatant handball. Chris Porter Stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way seconds before the half time whistle, Half Time and the Blades lead one nil.

The second half could not have gotten off to a worse start, poor defending from the full backs led to a cross being whipped into a waiting Craig Westcarr whose powerhouse header tore into the Blades goal, one all and again the back four too easily exposed, especially with the absence of Harry Maguire. The rest of the second half was a non event, a few penalty shouts from the home crowd, but in reality non of them had any substance, Chris Porter just fell over a few times. The crowd got more and more frustrated as time passed, not passing the ball forward or even looking like trying to attack. The anger reached fever pitch when Miller was replaced by Baxter leaving only Porter as the sole striker, not the shape of a team looking to push on for the win. It was as though the decision was made to hold on for a point against a distinctly below average Walsall side. Again the players failed to see players in attacking positions and made lots of lofted balls forward which resulted in us loosing possession far to often. Taylor replaced Porter and looked full of energy and attempted to drive the team forwards, but when the ball is constantly being passed backwards and George Long hits the ball straight down the field to there defenders there is not a lot he can deliver. The only real chance came as Taylor's clever flicked header bobbled towards the bottom corner, it was wide but the real let down was the lack of pace by McMahon who was following it in, a simple outstretched leg could have bobbled the ball into the back of the net, but McMahon couldn't show the fight to even stick out a leg, instead watching the ball bobble in front of him and out for a goal kick. Two of the worse corners I have ever seen as a Blade ended the game and the players showed again that we are bad enough to be contenders for relegation this season, an unhappy Lane crowd left disgruntled and shocked at the lack of guts shown by their team.

"It was a hard-earned point against a very good Walsall side"

-Delusional post game comments from The Gaffer

Jonathan Gascoigne

Enough is Enough

Now after recent events I do not want to be classed as scapegoating individuals, the truth is the team is not performing, but certain players continuously season after season become a huge hindrance. I have already expressed my opinion on Michael Doyle but now I think its time we ask why is Chris Porter still at the club. He has scored fifteen goals in seventy nine games since joining Sheffield United, that for a striker is not good enough, especially since he is used in a goal scoring role. He misses sitters and loses the ball all to often, he does try do not get me wrong, but if trying was enough I would be a Premiership striker, but in the real world

I don't have the talent or ability. Working hard and trying is admirable but it does not change the fact he does not have the ability. Chris only scored nine goals in forty four league games for Derby County, again not the record of a goal scorer. It really aggravated me on the radio after the Gillingham game to hear Paul Walker of BBC Radio Sheffield say things like it frustrates him to hear people criticizing Porter and Doyle, good Paul I am very glad, it means you feel a fraction of what we feel every time we see their name on the team sheet. To defend his work ethic is like the only defence he could muster, and of course the fact he scored, but again in the real world how many times has it happened in football a player having a nightmare game grabs a goal. Paul also seemed to have watched a different game to myself saying Porter had linked up with Miller well and put on a good display, that's not what I remember, I remember Chris constantly loosing the ball and not being able to do the most simple of things. Things became worrying when Nigel Clough came on the radio and explained that he intends to build a partnership with Porter and Maguire, alarm bells rang immediately at this, Chris Porter should not be in our team never mind the foundation of a striking partnership. Watching the Gillingham game he was more a hindrance to Miller than a partner, he did not hold up or supply Miller at all, neither did he manage to latch onto any balls from Miller. If Clough does in fact go through with this Harry Maguire will remain top scorer and we will be relegated.

The solution? Personally, I want to see Taylor and Miller start together,  try and build that partnership, if this can be tested before January it will indicate whether a large portion of any transfer budget will go towards strikers or other positions. We have seen already that Taylor has skill, pace and can finish the ball, he is a shade taller and stronger than Miller, meaning he can be used to hold up the ball if necessary, the two have the potential to cause the defences in this division major problems. This, like I said, would have to be tested before January so time is running out. Other options are out there with out of favour players. One of the more doubtful options is out of favour Billy

Sharp, this is doubtful because despite our new found investment and Southampton's willingness to let Sharp go, he has already had two spells here and could already have a sour taste in his mouth about us, despite being a fan. Another reason it is doubtful is the number of Championship clubs that are showing interest in the Sheffield born striker. As mentioned before Matt Derbyshire could be utilised at this level, more a gamble than Sharp but one in my opinion we should look at taking, as outlined in my previous article if we built up his confidence we could have a devastating hitman on our books. Whatever the choice made by those in charge I, like many fans, urge them to refrain from making Porter their number one choice, it hasn't worked and it wont work, it is time for a change.

Jonathan Gascoigne

VS Gillingham

SHEFFIELD UNITED 1
GILLINGHAM 2
Attendance 16,560

A cold Saturday afternoon lead to The Blades sinking to a new low, I never thought in my lifetime I would see my team perform this badly. The local press and some fans would have you believe by their opinion we didn't play too badly, this is utter tripe. There was no communication between the goalkeeper and the back four, in the final third the strikers were unable to take advantage of the scraps provided by a very defensive

midfield, and of course the bench once again had more quality than the starting eleven. To suffer at the hands of goals crafted by our own inadequate defending was possibly the hardest pill to swallow from this. An early mistake from the usually solid Harry Maguire, his poor and weak back pass not reaching Long who was slow off his line, Longs rushed clearance rebounding back off Kedwell giving the Gills a one goal lead. The Blades had a chance from a corner to equalise, but Neil Collins header was cleared off the line. A slow period followed, the Midfield not finding the right passes, along with Chris Porter losing the ball all to often. Miller looked sharp but never got the service to cause any real damage. Another set piece led to the equaliser, a corner kick floated into an unmarked Porter who took advantage of the space to nod home from close range. Things picked up a little, but again Porter never really looked like keeping the ball or causing any real problems.

The second half started badly, a nothing cross not dealt with by the defence leading to a Gillingham header looping a poorly positioned Long, who bizarrely lowered his hand instead of stretching hitting the bar, the ball fell back into the area where George Long had to make a save from close range, but the ball ricocheted into

McDonald, the scramble ended with the ball into The Blades net, putting The Gills in front. The following was a long drawn out boring display, the midfield looking like scared children and the defence looking vulnerable on any kind of counter. Flynn again showed he was out of his depth, not being able to beat a player and looking negative, Porter still could not keep a hold of the ball or win a header. We lost any kind of progressive build up play and reverted to trying to pick out the strikers with lofted balls which of course lead to a loss of possession. Hill's performance was particularly terrible in defence, his lack of pace and ability to make a credible challenge was a major hindrance. Miller managed to find space on the odd occasion but was unable to get the goal he so desperately needs, but his energy and fight was a refreshing sight. Clough made some changes, McGinn and Taylor coming on, these two players delivered more in their time on the pitch than most of the starting eleven. An eleven which consisted of six defensive players and approached the game in a very negative way.

Gillingham began the task of running down the clock, and when a scramble formed in the Gills area the referee caused outrage by blowing for a Gillingham foul, despite it being a Blades player on the bottom of the dog pile and the Gillingham keeper being on the top. This caused a pushing and shoving match one of two that happened in the final quarter of the game, all caused by poor refereeing decisions. Outrage also engulfed the Blades support after the Gillingham keeper dramatically dropped to the ground despite no physical contact from anyone, leading to Shaun Miller being booked, nearly four minutes were wasted by the acting. The Gills game plan paid off and The Blades suffered another home defeat to a chorus of boo's from the home crowd. An awful display and a harsh reminder that unless things improve we are in real danger of becoming a League Two club.

Short Term Memory, Bias and Pretend Journalism

As most fans of Sheffield United will know The Sun published an article today, the sole purpose of this article was to further try and destroy the reputation of the football club as they have in the past, and to also discredit Selahattin Baki, one of the new directors who arrived with Prince Abdulla. The article notes Baki

appeared in the Danny Dyer series Real Football Factories International. It is noted Baki was a former 'ultra' and made poor judgements in his past, who hasn't? Rather than give any credibility to this article I think it best just to state some facts. First of all I have a hard time taking serious news from a newspaper that had to print a full front page saying "WE LIED". And on that same note they scrutinize Baki's past, lets look at the Suns past, lying about disasters, waging war with the BBC to try and influence readers toward the Murdoch empires television services, a newspaper that takes great pleasure in trying to ruin any chance English football has of becoming great at any level with it's gutter journalism.
The Sun reports on Baki's past indiscretions, why not about Vincent Tans involvement with corrupt Malay politicians? Whilst Baki is older, wiser and no longer involved with such stupidity, corruption and shady business is a constant in Tans life. Vincent Tan changed a clubs colours, destroying heritage and tradition, why, so he can make money, so he can do things selfishly with no consideration towards the fan's who come through the turnstiles. Why because he thinks it is HIS club. In this county Hull City AFC are now The Hull City Tigers, why because Assem Allam says it is HIS club, claiming it is important for business and that AFC means nothing, obviously clueless to the history of the sport he is investing in. Whilst here at our club our "Hooligan" Director is making an effort to connect with fans, to build relations with other clubs that will benefit the club in the right way, ensuring our history is protected and our traditions remain in tact, his past matters not, he was not picked at random from a crowd

of thugs.   He changed his life and is now where he is for the right reasons. Fenerbahce have one of the most passionate and impressive supports in world football, viewing their stadium literally shake as their fans bounce, chant and set of pyro is one of the most awe inspiring in football. But it is well documented the football fans of Turkey whilst passionate are also the most active in the Hooligan world, to be a part of this, to get out and change his life, to become a trusted board member for a Billionaire Prince, to become director of a football club deserves respect, not scrutiny. After all if people can not change, then surely an organization can not change, so by that philosophy the short term memory of the Sun ensures they are and will always be Liars.

Not to be outdone BBC Radio Sheffield's Football Heaven team were indeed straight onto this story, a station known by many locally to be biased toward's the Blue side of Barnsley. Many may say this is unfounded and me wearing blinders, but lets look at the facts about Radio Sheffield, they dragged the Ched

Evens issue for weeks, not looking at the serious irregularities of his case and sentencing but making it an issue about Sheffield United. They did this in the Breakfast show with Toby Foster a man who just likes to raise eyebrows and feed his own ego (proven every morning just by listening to what he has to say) and on the Football Heaven 'Fan Forum' Show. Whilst in contrast the controversy surrounding Steve Evans, Gary Madine and The Hillsborough Disaster didn't warrant getting the extensive coverage on the Toby Foster breakfast show. The Football Heaven show will no doubt drag this story about Baki on as long as they possibly can, as, no doubt will Toby Foster in the morning. Aside from the Bias, the phone in's sometimes border on the farcical, no matter which club you support. Rob Staton a man who loves the sound of his own voice and would much prefer his own show to just talk to himself for a few hours and will talk down to callers, verbally assaulting anyone who disagree's with his own opinion, not caring this is a show supposedly here for the fans, paid for by the fans from their TV License. He believes his opinion is superior to that of the average supporter. 

I make no secret of the fact I do not like the press, nor do I like my local radio, so why do I want to become a Journalist, because I want to do what modern day journalists do not do, which is report about football, not gutter stories about controversy, I want to be a real journalist, not a pretend one like the ones we have to endure day in day out.

Jonathan Gascoigne

Match Reports Playing Catch Up

****Due to technical difficulties the reports have fallen behind, these match reports will be in a very basic format so as to bring things up to date.

SHREWSBURY 2
BLADES 0
Greenhous Meadow

A very strange team selection for Nigel Clough's first away game, defender heavy and players out of position, With very little action it took a screamer from Joe Jacobson to open the scoring. Substitute Fabian Brandy had a moment of madness, reacting to a foul he raised his hands to the opposing player, a cardinal sin in the modern game, he was sent off leaving himself in the supporters bad books, and having a lot to explain himself for as this is the second time this has happened.
Liam McAlinden doubled United's agony doubling Salop's lead end ending United's day as far as contesting for points were concerned.

COLCHESTER 2
BLADES 3
FA Cup
Weston Homes Community Stadium

A late penalty had the final word in this game. The Blades made hard
work of it however going two nil up after only twelve minutes thanks to leading scorer Harry Maguire and an own goal from Colchester's Sam Walker.  As is usually the case with The Blades however we couldn't just shut out the game and goals from Bonne and Garbutt had the game level with twenty five minutes to go. Controversy (according to the Colchester boss) as The Blades were given a Penalty inside the last ten minutes, Chris Porter stepped up despite not impressing throughout the game and grabbed the late winner. Sheffield United move onto the next round, not a classic performance but a win non the less. Hopefully in the next game things will fall into place and we will have reason to cheer without worrying about last minute winners.







Jonathan Gascoigne