The Stripeless Blades vs The Far From Rocksteady Crewe

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Staggered to see that abomination of a new home kit from Sheffield United. Not sure why Adidas keep wanting to get rid of stripes, first Southampton, then West Brom and now Sheffield United. It's sheer lunacy!

Anyway to the game. I believe this will be such a dull, turgid affair between two ultra defensive managers that means we'll play straight into Sheffield United's hands. My ideal team would be:

Rachubka
Turton Ray Tate (at CB please Steve) Davis Leigh
Grant Atkinson
Ness
Uche Ajose

However the actual team will probably be

Rachubka
Turton Ray Davis Guthrie Leigh
Grant Tate Ness
Uche Ajose

No Jones and Haber who are on international duty. Midfield will be terrible once again I expect, Uche getting a start might cause problems for the Blades backline but I highly doubt it given who they have at the back. Greg Leigh vs John Brayford will be an interesting battle but I can see our defence crumbling at set pieces which will cost us.


2-0 to the Blades for me after another utterly spineless showing of slow, predictable defensive football complete with one shot on target for the full 90 minutes. However, I would love to see us go for it at Bramall Lane like we did when we were 2-0 down 2 years ago and then get one over Nigel Clough though, what a bitter little man he is. That 3-3 game was one of the best Crewe games I've ever seen.

Post match, our tactical genius of a manager will then go on to say this was a bonus game and we need to be realistic when playing a side like Sheffield United despite the abysmal form Sheffield United are in, only scraping past a poor Port Vale side thanks to a penalty. He'll then give the inevitable 'I'm confident of staying in the division' to the press.

Least Harry Maguire isn't playing in this game, 3 goals in 2 games for him at Bramall Lane against us.

 

[blade1889]

We have Scunny at home tomorrow night before you.

Decided to ruin my 21st by going on Saturday though. Not sure why. Think I'm a masochist, although we do usually do well Vs Crewe.

As for our kit I actually quite like it. Its just a one-off cheesy take on one of our first kits, probably would've been best as an away but whatever.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

We have Scunny at home tomorrow night before you.

Decided to ruin my 21st by going on Saturday though. Not sure why. Think I'm a masochist, although we do usually do well Vs Crewe.

As for our kit I actually quite like it. Its just a one-off cheesy take on one of our first kits, probably would've been best as an away but whatever.

Giving this one a miss myself. Never won at Bramall Lane and decided to save my money and go down South over Easter for a few days. We'll give you the perfect birthday present no worries, we'll kickstart your season like we did to Oldham.

 

[JJ1532]

Swap Davis out for Guthrie(pipe dream I know) in the ideal team and that works for me. Seems like Colclough will be back on the bench, hopefully he gets a run out regardless of how we are doing. If he is fit mentally and physically, he could give us a massive boost in these final 8 games.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Swap Davis out for Guthrie(pipe dream I know) in the ideal team and that works for me. Seems like Colclough will be back on the bench, hopefully he gets a run out regardless of how we are doing. If he is fit mentally and physically, he could give us a massive boost in these final 8 games.

Think Stewart deserves a chance in his actual position at some point, Davis hung him out to dry at Rochdale by making him RB like he keeps making Tate a midfielder. That said Harry needs dropping, mind you remember how long did it take for Kelv to get dropped last season for an abundance of silly errors? That shit marking at Tranmere was the last straw for him!

 

[TimeyWimey]

I'd give Inman a chance at centre back, maybe stick Waters in as sweeper just to sure things up.

Let's face it, we can swap and change all we like. We can't defend. We've only been able to defend in one season in nearly 20 years. The problem is rooted beyond Harry Davis. Why we accept a GA column between 65-85 every fucking season without fail I don't know.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

I'd give Inman a chance at centre back, maybe stick Waters in as sweeper just to sure things up.

Let's face it, we can swap and change all we like. We can't defend. We've only been able to defend in one season in nearly 20 years. The problem is rooted beyond Harry Davis. Why we accept a GA column between 65-85 every fucking season without fail I don't know.

Reckon Dave Walton will swap mortgages for the backline? Efe Sodje and Fozzie would be better than the current lot too!

Reckon over the last decade we've conceded the most goals by a mile in the whole Football League.

 

[TimeyWimey]

I'd have Richard Walker back tomorrow.

I can only assume the defensive coaching in the academy is absolutely useless. It can be the only thing that explains why it's the same shambolic, schoolboy errors we see every year regardless of player and manager.

I'm not sure I want a Pulis to bore teams into submission but something's got to give, we need a fighting chance when we haven't got a Maynard or Ashton to outscore the opposition.

I don't see anything changing though. 100% the next manager (Collins) will concede 65+ goals in their first season.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

I'd have Richard Walker back tomorrow.

I can only assume the defensive coaching in the academy is absolutely useless. It can be the only thing that explains why it's the same shambolic, schoolboy errors we see every year regardless of player and manager.

I'm not sure I want a Pulis to bore teams into submission but something's got to give, we need a fighting chance when we haven't got a Maynard or Ashton to outscore the opposition.

I don't see anything changing though. 100% the next manager (Collins) will concede 65+ goals in their first season.

In all honesty even when you look at the Premier League these days, only Chelsea and Southampton can defend. This is obviously down to Mourinho's European style of football and Koeman being a World Class CB turned manager who knows how he wants his players to defend. The other 18 clubs are useless at the back, even the big ones. Last 5/6 years defending has gone to pot in this country because world class defenders have been overlooked at the expense of a pacy, powerful but technically lacking attacking player and short-sighted Premier League managers believe CBs have to have pace in the modern game, look at Mangala, he's got pace and power but he doesn't do his primary role of defending. I mean look at Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Spurs and look at the shite they have at the back. Everton vs Dynamo Kiev was the worst defensive performance I've ever seen by any English side in all four divisions last week!

This is the problem at Crewe, the last time our defence looked anywhere near fit for purpose was when we had a leader, Dave Artell, shoring up the backline and complimenting Duggy and Harry who often played the ball out. Since his release we've gone for two young centre halves at the back and because they lack ability and leadership whoever it may be, we've been shocking at the back. Alan Tate played the Artell role and Davis cocks it up by putting him in the midfield and surprise surprise Tate's hung out to dry and Davis and partner (Ray/Guthrie) are finding life at the back a lot more difficult.

Experienced centre half is top of the priority list this Summer. Failure to sign one would be suicide.

 

[JJ1532]

We've never have an ethos in the club which values defending and keeping it tight, getting 1-0s/0-0s etc. We developed our reputation on producing good attacking players and tidy ball playing midfielders. The odd full back here and there, but there is a reason we don't produce CBs.

So because the club has never been able to defend(from the youth teams to the seniors) historically, why on earth Davis plays for tight 1-0 wins is utterly baffling. He needs to realise the best form of attack is defence. Yes, we don't have an Ashton, Maynard or Powell. But maybe if Davis focused on scoring more and trusted his attackers to win games, they would repay that faith. Maybe if he set out his team to suit his attackers and put less pressure on the defenders who are at the moment having to defend all the time, the performances and results will improve?

I get the impression he feels the defenders we have(most notably Ray and Davis are the best players at the club) are our best players, hence why his selections and tactics revolve around those players. If he trusted the likes of Uche, Ajose, Ness, Cooper, Inman etc and set up the team around getting chances and scoring goals, then the defenders would benefit from the lessened workload and would look better players for it.

 

[dannyc5]

I don't even know where to begin with Steve Davis. Thordarson was a pretty shit manager, but at least he went for it.

Anyway, if Colclough's head is right, he may just keep us up. I remember MK away last season where we got beat. He was by far the best player on the pitch, making Deli Ali look average. In fact, at the start of last season, he was pretty much the best player on show, regardless of opposition. He should walk into our pathetic team, even if he needs a pair of crutches.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Absolutely brilliant to see Colclough is back and looking good. When he was playing he was so obviously a million pound player in waiting (and I suspect that is the reason he's still a Crewe player now) but 18 months without football at his age I thought may have killed his career. Seems not. Just needs to stay out of court now.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Sheffield United winning 4-0 tonight was the worst thing that could possibly have happened. Davis will now have his 'we've got to be realistic excuse' ready to whip out.

 

[Crewelad87]

Need changes in this game I'd go

Rabchuka

Bailee Tate Ray Leigh

Colclough Grant Ness Inman

Ikpeazu Ajose

Subs Davis, Guthrie, Turton, Waters, LDV, Saunders

Davis won't though, he will go 5 at the back and "try" to play for a 0-0, he won't stop his son despite him being horribly out of form and he won't play wingers, leaving us very narrow and the strikers very isolated.

Sheffield Utd 4-1 Crewe (Done 2, Murphy, Baxter, Ikpeazu) 18,466 (350 Crewe)

 

[RJM]

reminds me of Thordarson's time in charge but worse,

the way we set up every away game, Bristol City & Preston away not even having a go against the big teams and just sitting back inviting pressure. it's not going to work with the worst defence in the league.

I wouldn't mind seeing us losing if we give it a go but we're not. it's frustrating and piss poor to watch.

I think we need a replacement as Davis as taken us as far as he can.

 

[darren gregory]

Loving the original post scraping past a poor Port Vale side, yes you took 6 points off us but your goal difference is embarrassing, had some right mullerings and i expect another this weekend, comes to something after all the grief Pope has received when Colclough is the messiah expected to lead you to the promised land, and i actually want you to stay up at the expense of the pointless Crawley but why we came into this thread is beyond me. For the record i can only go on last saturday and Sheff United were no great shakes though we would still be playing now and not scoring a goal, 3-0 easy home win.

 

[valefan16]

Loving the original post scraping past a poor Port Vale side, yes you took 6 points off us but your goal difference is embarrassing, had some right mullerings and i expect another this weekend, comes to something after all the grief Pope has received when Colclough is the messiah expected to lead you to the promised land, and i actually want you to stay up at the expense of the pointless Crawley but why we came into this thread is beyond me. For the record i can only go on last saturday and Sheff United were no great shakes though we would still be playing now and not scoring a goal, 3-0 easy home win.

Strange comment to make when the posters side has been above us at no point this season, we are inconsistent but no poorer nor better than the majority of teams in this division from 6th down that are in the close clump. Unfortunately for Crewe a teams quality is defined over 10 months not 2 games.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Far from strange really. I'm vehemently critical of our dogshite side, without doubt the worst Crewe side I've seen in my many years of watching us, we are a new level of shite far below the rest of the bottom half of this division along with Colchester and Yeovil. Two wins against Port Vale does not make us better than you I never said it did, indeed I think the second win we had was incredibly fortuitous given the dull one had set us up to defend the moment we scored like he always does but you lot couldn't even finish your dinner that day! I'm also not referring to Colclough as any sort of messiah as I think he's a tit and needs to become far more professional on and off the field.

And yes, you generally are a poor side, for a start you've lost more games than you've won, that to me is the marking of a poor or if we want to dress it up a bit in whatever way suits you, mediocre team. At no point did I say we were better than you so why you've gone on the defensive really baffles me. Besides the way your melodramatic callers on P'n'G and chairman keep referring to your season its like you lot aren't satisfied with where you are in the table anyway!

Ah well, least we agree Sheffield United will have an easy home win.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Loving the original post scraping past a poor Port Vale side, yes you took 6 points off us but your goal difference is embarrassing, had some right mullerings and i expect another this weekend, comes to something after all the grief Pope has received when Colclough is the messiah expected to lead you to the promised land, and i actually want you to stay up at the expense of the pointless Crawley but why we came into this thread is beyond me. For the record i can only go on last saturday and Sheff United were no great shakes though we would still be playing now and not scoring a goal, 3-0 easy home win.

Rabble rabble rabble.

 

[SRNP]

According to Smurf Port Vale have a top 6 budget as well. Can only end in tears.

 

[valefan16]

According to Smurf Port Vale have a top 6 budget as well. Can only end in tears.

No chance do we.

 

[SRNP]

No chance do we.

Well its from Smurfs mouth. He said he was angry because "Top 6 budget but not in top 6" I believe it was.

 

[valefan16]

Well its from Smurfs mouth. He said he was angry because "Top 6 budget but not in top 6" I believe it was.

Don't recall him ever stating that. Our wage budget is pretty average for the division, probably around 2 million per year.

 

[4froale]

are sheff utd to short at 4/11?

 

[RJM]

are sheff utd to short at 4/11?

definently not! I'd fancy us scoring at least one

sheff utd to win & BTS is just over 3.5/1

 

[Crewelad87]

It won't be anything other than a Sheff Utd win and probably by at least 3 or 4.

But as a rule I never bet for or against the Alex, been stung far to many times, always have been one of the most unpredictable teams about.

 

[TimeyWimey]

It'll be a Sheff Utd victory. They won't have to get out of second gear. We'll be rabbit in headlights trying to play for a 1-0 defeat (GD matters).

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Cooper out injured tomorrow, surely Colclough will feature at some point?

 

[JJ1532]

That injury will probably cut short any formation change Steve was planning. Sounded like Cooper was going to start. I reckon Davis would have gone with a 5-2-3 with Uche and Ajose with Ness and Grant holding the fort in midfield. Probably back to 5-3-2 with either Turton or Atkinson starting in midfield.

Reckon Colclough will come on just after Sheff U make it 2-0 with 5 minutes to go.

 

[dannyc5]

Such a boring manager. Anybody going tomorrow must be crazy. Sheffield is decent on the piss though!