Preston finally ended their long hoodoo at Bramall Lane which dates back almost 35 years as a Stuart Beavon strike saw North End take all three points. United have now lost 5 straight games and manager David Weir heard calls for his head from some pockets of the crowd at the final whistle.
United were marginally improved in the first half but still had few chances and after the break after an appeal for handball, gave away a ridiculous goal as Matt Hill tried to claim a foul but was robbed by Kevin Davies leading to Beavon coolly converting. After this United barely registered an attempt of note and the game petered out in another desperately disappointing afternoon for the Blades’ loyal supporters.
United gave debuts to new signings Marlon King and Ryan Hall and a first Lane start for Florent Cuvelier. United began with Brandy back from suspension out wide left and Hall on the right with King up top. Baxter played just behind with Doyle and Cuvelier in the middle of the park. Preston began with three recognised strikers with former Blades junior Kevin Davies up top with Stuart Beavon and Iain Hume beginning out wide left.
Baxter was involved early and had a turn and shot easily by Rudd before McMahon came inside and fired over. United had started well and Brandy was lively creating space and winning a succession of free kicks. McMahon then had a free kick turned behind before Cuvelier blazed high and wide. United were the more assertive but were struggling to create clear chances and most of the efforts were long range. The play was at least varied and King was holding the ball up and Hall looking lively.
A series of cynical fouls by North End saw Hume finally booked and Preston had not really been a threat but then suddenly a mistake by Long when he threw out ill advisedly and it hit his own defender saw Davies attempt to chip him but he got back to save.
Just before the break Hill blazed over badly when well placed but it had been a better first half performance and United fans would have felt more positive.
After the break Collins picked up a booking for a daft foul before United had a strong appeal for a spot kick. Brandy’s shot may have caught a Preston hand but the referee waved play on despite strong appeals. Soon after Collins headed wide from a corner when he ought to have done better.
After this disaster struck as Hill dithered and Davies took the ball off him. As the United full back looked for a foul, Davies pulled the ball inside to BEAVON who took a touch, then moved inside feigning to shoot putting Long out of action before converting with ease.
Taylor had seemingly been stripped for action before this but was sent back to the bench before he did come on for Hall. Soon after there was another change and it was Westlake who came on for Brandy. The winger was struggling but the change drew loud boos from the crowd who had not seen a goal from their side for what seemed like an eternity.
United had a few set plays and Collins headed over again but United now were struggling to create and were getting crowded out. The game started to fade away and many had seen enough.
Doyle was injured at the death seemingly with cramp and McGinn came on but in the additional 4 minutes of time, United only had a weak Taylor shot that trickled through to Rudd. The visitors held on comfortably and the boos from the majority of the crowd at the final whistle summed up the feeling of discontent.
United – First half was better than anything for a while; maybe since Notts County. Other than one free kick we still did not even have a chance but at least we mixed it up and there was some sign of an attack or life in the side. King and Hall gave us some impetus and with Brandy looking lively I felt some positivity even though it was goalless. There was more forward passes and less tippy tappy nothing football. It showed a bit of variety. We shaded this half and you felt a bit of optimism but then second half it revered to type. We barely had a decent attack, looked slow and out of ideas and then became sloppy at the back as the defence started taking unnecessary risks. Preston upped it and played 5-10 yards further up the field and Grayson worked out how to play us as many managers this season have. Weir again had no answer and Preston started to win tackles and get amongst us. The game became scrappy but you felt if anyone would nick one or make a daft mistake and be punished it would be us. We had a decent appeal for a penalty and then not long after this we imploded.
The now inevitable daft goal came and after that we may as well have packed in. The heads dropped and we never looked like scoring. The game just drifted away and PNE held on easily. We had no one up when they had a corner, put on a defender for an attacker and even when we kind of went 2 up; Taylor was more wide. You never felt like we would score. The stats say we had 3 shots on target but two of them barely reached the keeper from Baxter and Taylor. McMahon’s free kick may have been going wide too! The best chances were for defenders but Hill smashed over and Collins headed wide. Both should have at least made the keeper make a save.
I do not want to hammer them as first half was better and it was not a totally awful performance. It was much better than Carlisle. However the facts remain we have lost 5 on the bounce and do not look like scoring. We are slow and pedestrian all over the field and do not make chances at all. We do not get beyond defenders and when it gets in the last third it just sort of dies out. The defence continues to take stupid gambles and continue to get caught out. You cannot see any change about in us creating chances or scoring goals in the way we are playing. You can only see more blanks and more defeats. I do not even see the so called talent in the side such as Cuvelier or Baxter really improving things. They seem as lost as the rest. Indeed they have not even improved thing. Those that say they would rather have those two than McDonald; I totally disagree. The team looks lost without him and we see how important he was to the team. The side post Blackman (who many still say was not a loss?!) and now post McDonald is clueless and does not look like creating or scoring. We have to have some balance and whilst Weir looks out of his depth and seems like he is unable to change things around; the writing was on the wall from around March last year. The results since then have been awful. 3 wins in 18 games says it all. However as bad as it was getting under Wilson and did not improve under Morgan; I honestly do not think we could have been as bad under either of them (not that I am advocating them being back in charge by the way).
People will say the opposition are no better and I agree but I do not care about them. It is about us and we are really abject. It is early but I see no tangible improvements and cannot see how his way of playing will ever work not just with these players but any players. Whilst the players are not good enough and I have been the biggest person to say that; you have to say the fact that no matter how bad the players are, the fact a side is never creating chances, looking like scoring and giving away daft goal after daft goal (mostly defensive mistakes but also due to way they are told to play and pressure on them every week due to attacking side yielding nothing).
Not sure where we go from here. Wolves away next week will bring nothing but a hiding in my opinion. People can forget playoffs, even mid table really looks a long shot. The best we can hope for is to get away from the bottom, not be in a relegation scrap and try and build something moving forward. I do not see anything from this manager to suggest we have a plan or can see anything to suggest he will ever get it right. By waiting 1, 2 or 3 games we are just delaying the inevitable. I would love to be proved wrong but it is patently obvious and what we see in front of us suggest we all know that the reality is that it is not working and sadly we could go another 7 games and be in right mess then and staring relegation in the face. He has to do something radical now (in terms of how we play; the formation – do not even think tinkering or slight changes in personnel – it needs something huge to happen) or he will lost his job. It is that simple. I cannot see more than another couple of defeats and they will pull the plug on this experiment (that’s sadly what it is – he is experimenting with our football club and team). Can sadly see Crawley being the end the same way it was for Wilson if he does not get a positive result.
Preston – Thought they were poor and were certainly no better than us despite our lack of chances and conviction. They had one chance all game and took it. They are a big uncompromising sort of side who only looked likely I felt when they had set plays. Davies was poor and resorted to fouling most of the game but he did make the goal. The defence made a number of mistakes (keeper dropped a cross) and also they gave away a series of daft corners but we could not make them pay by even making a chance.
They defended ok but were put under no pressure at all. In the game itself they were sloppy in possession and gave away daft free kicks and corners. They may be high up in the league but that show how bad the division is really more than how good they were. A decent side with pace and adventure (say the Utd side of 2 years ago) would have beat them 3 or 4-0. It looks like a classic away performance but it was far from that. They won because we were so poor. No other reason. I cannot recall many great pieces of play, many chances they created or clever football. I cannot even think of superb defending or goalkeeping. It was another nothing sort of game. They were no better than Carlisle or many of the other sides we have seen at the Lane. Much of this division is dire and the fact we are 3rd bottom and lost 5 straight is embarrassing and shows how bad we are.
Opposition star man – Stuart Beavon. In the first half he was not in but kept plugging away and started to cause mistakes with his work ethic. Took his goal really well with real calm in a game of few chances.
Opposition weak link – Keith Keane. Thought he really struggled with Brandy and how he did not get booked was beyond me as he committed several fouls.
Long 6/10 – He had little do in general play other than taking a few crosses but nearly cost us with a daft throw out which hit Collins and Davies nearly scored. On the goal whilst other mistakes were clearly responsible I felt he went to ground too easily and allowed Beavon to take an extra touch and effectively put it in an empty net.
McMahon 6/10 – Our best defender and he was hardly brilliant. He put in a few poor crosses but also put in some good ones that no one attacked. Had our only proper attempt on goal with a free kick (that may have been going wide) that was tipped behind by Rudd. He had another free kick off target. At times he made some poor mistakes and two poor missed defensive headers before half time nearly cost us. At least did try and attack and was one of few who made something happen.
Hill 2/10 – A nightmare from start to finish. Slow and stumbling in possession. He did not attack when he had yards in front, sent several telegraphed balls out of play, blazed over an excellent chance as he leaned back badly and then to cap it all he got brushed off the ball looking for a foul. They caught him and scored. He nearly did it again soon after. Shocking performance. Not like there is anything better to bring in either as McGinn and Williams are even worse!
Maguire 5/10 – First half he was fine and won battles and headers and coped with threat of the front players easily. Second half he started to become really sloppy and
gave it away quite a lot. He tried to do too much or his control was poor. Preston get behind him a few times. He was slow and hesitant as they finally started to out our defence under pressure.
Collins 4/10 – Thought he was solid first half and even came out of the back a few and times or stepped out and beat his man. However towards the end of the first half he lost a few headers due to waiting and then second half I felt he was appalling. He lost so many headers, got outmuscled but more than anything else took an eternity to react to loose balls or danger. He got booked for a poor challenge and then after Hill made a bad mistake did not react and allowed Beavon to score far too easily without so much of a challenge.
Doyle 5/10 – Thought he was quite poor but at least he did not hide. Yes he played some shocking balls forward to no one in particular but at least he tried to go forward. He made some poor choices granted and at times was too slow to see where the next ball was. Lucky not to be booked for leaving his feet in a tackle where he won the ball but was a little reckless. He was clearly struggling towards the end and his change was cheered by many in the ground. People may call him and he was poor but he contributed more to the game than the nonexistent Cuvelier.
Baxter 5.5/10 – He was busy and tried to get on the ball but nothing came off for him today. He at least tried to jink or make a little run or flick to get past people. However everything he tried did not come off. He also gave the ball away quite a bit today. He is decent technically but at times gets crowded out and lacks pace and strength to power away from opponents. If his touch is not spot on this means it is hard for him. His set plays were mostly poor too. He sent several crosses high and too long away from the men in the box.
Cuvelier 4/10 – Got to be honest I have seen him twice now and not been impressed at all. He is painfully weak and gets brushed off the ball too easily and even on the ball he contributed very little. Maybe he needs to be playing further forward as he was playing more with Doyle in an orthodox two in the centre and seemed restricted how much he could get forward with 4 players in front. Indeed even Doyle played more advanced than him. Despite him playing close to the defence he still did not see much of the ball and the game sort of passed him by. Sadly he was the same at Carlisle. I thought he was a real quality ball player who could dribble, had a range of passing and shooting. Seen nothing from him whatsoever so far.
Brandy 6.5/10 – He was our best player and maybe the best on the pitch for the first hour where he caused them all sort of problems with his running and control. Sadly much of his tricks and dribbling came too far from goal and for all his quick feet and running, he never got beyond them or made a cross or shot. Still he did more than anyone else! He faded and seemed to pick up a knock as he was limping. He had to go off despite fans reaction but his replacement was not the positive move you wanted to see.
Hall 5.5/10 – Started well and was lively with a few flicks and bits of combination play but then he too began to deteriorate and clearly lacked fitness. He went long quite a bit and often played things first time which is against what Weir is wanting to see but at least this saw us mix things up a bit. After the break he made a few poor decisions and lost the ball a bit and then his lack of games saw him taken off.
King 5/10 – He got little to no service at all and had no chances on goal. He looked quite a bit over weight and unfit but at least a few times the ball stuck to him rather than coming straight back as it has with Taylor and Ironside in recent weeks. He did not really do much right though despite the lack of service and I can hardly say he massively improved things. Sadly it matters little who plays up front in this formation and style of play as we do not create chances. Seemed to wave Weir off when he wanted to take him off for Taylor just before they scored and then carried on.
Subs
Taylor – He ran around a lot and chased and harried again without any real quality. Had one cross that he did not even have the strength to get over. His one scuffed shot at the end barely reached the keeper. He seemed to play more centrally with King for the final period.
Westlake – An odd replacement for Brandy. Suppose you look at the rest of the bench and you wonder who could come on but even Ironside or to put McGinn on and shove Cuvelier forward may have been more attacking. He had a few touches and half blocked crosses. Involved in one semi scramble at end but did not get enough on the ball.
Weir rating 3/10 – As he keeps saying in his broken record post match interview week after week; ‘disappointing.’ He says the same thing again and again with no sign of improvement. He has brought several players in and probably had more money and bigger budget (who else could sign likes of King, Cuvelier and Hall?) than most still in this division and is not getting results or performances. You can live with one of the two to a degree but we are getting neither and no sign of any answers. The players are really poor but not this poor; not 5 straight defeats and third bottom in league one poor, not worse than Carlisle, Port Vale, Shrewsbury etc. Also 5 of the 11 today were his players (and you can argue the back 5 had the best defensive record in the league last year)so those excuses about personnel are wearing thin too. Now he is saying the players need time? Not sure how he can trot out the same line again and again. We have scored 2 league goals in 6 games now and 5 in total in 8. A striker has not scored since that Swindon game back in April and frankly none of them look like scoring.
I do not see anything from this manager to suggest we have a plan or can see anything to suggest he will ever get it right. He keeps saying it is bad luck and yes today we maybe could have had a penalty but you make your own luck and have to get more ball in the box. By waiting 1, 2 or 3 games we are just delaying the inevitable. I would love to be proved wrong but it is patently obvious and what we see in front of us suggest we all know that the reality is that it is not working and sadly we could go another 7 games and be in right mess then and staring relegation in the face. He has to do something radical now (in terms of how we play; the formation – do not even think tinkering or slight changes in personnel – it needs something huge to happen) or he will lost his job. It is that simple. I cannot see more than another couple of defeats and they will pull the plug on this experiment (that’s sadly what it is – he is experimenting with our football club and team). Can sadly see Crawley being the end the same way it was for Wilson if he does not get a positive result.
Officials – Referee: Fred Graham. Thought he let PNE get away with some poor tackles and cynical fouls especially on Brandy. Keane should have been booked long before Hume was booked for a nothing sort of challenge. Davies also committed several fouls but seemed to get away with it as he kept having a chat. The big turning point was maybe the penalty appeal. I have seen them given and he did seem to go with his hand but equally if it had been given against us many may have complained. The goal was not a foul for me. Hill was just slow and did not react. No United players actually appealed outside of him which said it all for me. I felt he was an odd ref and got some things right but also was a bit weak at times. His biggest annoyance was his inability not to be near the ball and he got in the way for both teams on 4 or 5 occasions.
Crowd/Atmosphere – King got more cheers than boos but there were some boos. First half the crowd were buoyed by a better display but second half as we started to fade and they upped the tempo the crowd started to lose patience. Misplaced passes and general poor play saw the crowd start to jeer and the Westlake for Brandy change saw further criticism (although Brandy was injured). As the clock ticked down with little to nothing happening and no sign of a chance, let alone a goal, the boos started to emanate from the terraces. At the end there was very loud boos from many who had stayed in (a lot had drifted away) and I heard pockets of ‘Weir Out!’ For the first time from some sections (not really loud but a portion of Kop and some in South Stand) that could be clearly heard.