Finally the long wait is over for Micky Adams and Sheffield United as they were able to end their long quest for that elusive victory beating promotion contenders Nottingham Forest at Bramall Lane ending a 14 game wait for a win. It had seemed like the pain would go on as the home side fell behind with a soft goal on the stroke of half time from the veteran Dele Adebola in a largely forgetful first half. The second half saw United seemingly spurn a golden opportunity when Daniel Bogdanovic won and then missed a penalty. It seemed like United's season was effectively over but a smartly taken goal from loanee Sam Vokes and then a powerful header from youth product Matt Lowton turned the game around and gave United the vital three points which gives them a chance at staying alive.
United began without the injured Riise and Evans and also dropped Williamson and Ertl; replacing them with Bogdanovic, Vokes, Lowry and the returning Montgomery. Forest began with the experienced Adebola up front alongside David McGoldrick and also featured former Owl Marcus Tudgay with firepower in the bench in Earnshaw, new signing Boyd and the talented McGugan.
United began the game with a 4-4-3 formation with Vokes up front on his own flanked by Bogdanovic and Cresswell but the game began in scrappy fashion with an uneven surface not helping either side. The first chance came to Forest when McGoldrick cut in but fired well wide and after this there was a long spell of midfield supremacy with neither side either to penetrate the other. United’s fans were becoming frustrated and could not get Vokes into the game relying on knock downs or percentage football to get the ball forward with often players too far apart to link up effectively. Bogdanovic and Quinn linked up well but the ball was cleared after the cross came over and then Forest had a half chances as United did not close down Tudgay but the chance was put wide on the half volley. Soon after Bogdanovic again showed his class as he flicked the ball into the path of Lowton whose cross then found Vokes but his shot was saved easily by Camp.
Collins cleared from Adebola with the striker going down and half heartedly appealing for a spot kick and then soon after McGoldrick nearly got in before Lowry cleared. Quinn had been one of United’s best performers and his skill and drive led to him drawing two bad challenges from Morgan and Tudgay; who were both cautioned. Lowton then cut in and had a low shot that was saved from Camp but this in truth has been the first proper effort on goal all game from either side. The first half seemed to be drawing to an inevitable stalemate with neither side impressing when suddenly the visitors were in front. A seemingly harmless ball was played into the box and Collins let ADEBOLA receive the ball too close to the goal and allowed him to turn way too easily. He hit the ball goal wards but Simonsen would have been disappointed with his attempts to save as he seemed to shovel the ball into the corner when it seemed like it was a comfortable save.
The half time whistle came not long after and United’s fans voiced their frustrations once again. The second half began with united trying to pen Forest back but Cresswell’s effort was way too high after a scramble in the box. United had the lion’s share of possession and were pushing Forest back but a mistake by Bogdanovic led to a chance for McGoldrick but Collins was able to clear. Manager Adams opted to make a double change as he replaced Nosworthy and Cresswell with Mattock and Yeates; putting Lowton at right back and switching to a more orthodox 4-4-2 formation. Mattock was booked instantly for a poor challenge but Quinn was driving United forward again and his run led to a succession of corners. Despite the improvements it did not seem as if United were going to break forest down until they were given a golden chance when Bogdanovic won yet another penalty at Bramall Lane. He moved into the box and drew a challenge from Gunter which led to the award. After the appeals died down the striker could not convert after previous successes and his kick was a nice height and too close to keeper Camp who saved down low to his left.
Despite this massive blow to their chances of getting back in the game United kept coming. Bogdanovic appealed for another penalty in vain and then Quinn and Vokes linked but the ball was scrambled clear. Suddenly though the Blades were level. Lowton got forward and advanced with the ball inside before playing a reverse ball into the path of VOKES. It seemed the striker was too wide but he kept his composure and threaded the ball under Camp and into the net from a difficult angle to put the home side back into the game.
Buoyed by this the Blades kept coming and Yeates had a shot blocked from his own man Collins. They forced another corner that was cleared but from the next set play, Quinn’s corner was met on the full by LOWTON whose powerful header soared into the top corner beating Camp all ends up.
Forest now behind suddenly showed urgency they had not shown and with substitute Boyd now on and defender Morgan thrown up front they tried to salvage something. Boyd was onto a loose ball but Simonsen got down to smother his shot then saved from a header from Morgan. Williamson came on for Bogdanovic as United tried to see things out as the game entered five minutes of stoppage time. Despite Forest throwing the ball into the box they did not create any further clear chances and finally after the long wait the final whistle signalled that Adams could celebrate that first win in charge of his beloved Blades. At the final whistle the United team huddled together in front of the Kop to celebrate and show a sense of togetherness as they gave their faint chances of survival a shot in the arm and now must try and put together consecutive victories; something they have failed to achieve since November.
Forest - Often a different team at home compared to away from home both in performances and results; they of course lost a long unbeaten home record on Saturday but usually when I have seen them away they have been quite dour but hard to beat. The last couple of times at the Lane; once when they were much lower down the league when we were going for promotion and then last season when they were near the top; they have been awful to watch and time wasted, been overly aggressive and played the tactic of spoilers. To be fair it worked both times and they secured two 0-0 draws from what I recall.
Tonight, they looked like a lot of other sides that have been at the Lane this season. That is a team that in all honestly was not much better than us and were really very ordinary but got a sloppy goal and then seemed like they would do enough to see off a powder puff home side. Indeed, they barely had an attack (granted we did not either) and looked quite content to be part of a stalemate until they scored a soft goal on the stroke of half time. I feared they would time waste and spoil as they have before and do what many other teams have and snuff us out relatively easily but we did manage to pen them back quite a bit and we deserved to be level when it happened. The second goal was not a massive surprise either. They finally came out and started to attack when they went behind but it was too little too late. I actually can’t remember many difficult saves Simonsen had to make in the second half and they probably left it too late to rescue things. I thought they just felt they would see game out and then it was a bit of a shock when we scored not only once, but then twice.
I felt they looked fairly solid at the back but then towards the end at times we got through them easily. They did not really cut us open at the other end but probably felt at 1-0 it was enough and would see the game out. You would have thought the penalty was a wake up but they did not react and defended deeper and deeper.
They have some decent players with McKenna, Anderson good technicians in midfield and a wealth of striking options with Earnshaw, McGoldrick, Tyson, Tudgay, Adebola etc and have pace and power in these players; something we do not have in our frontline of honest plodders. They are a decent side but nothing spectacular and lack real class and creativity to take teams apart. The payers up front and some of the strong, big defenders mean they will win more than they lose but against some of the better teams they might struggle to break teams down due to lacking that real class in terms of creative players or pace down the flanks. I was surprised McGugan did not play as he has scored some great goals and was relieved he was on the bench.
I am surprised Konchesky dropped down to this level as whilst he may not be top drawer and the move to Liverpool may have been a bit too much of a step up; he has been a decent performer at lower to mid Premiership but he was up and down tonight. They have signed the likes of Gunter (permanently) and also Ramsey and Shorey on loan so have done well in this regard. Other than Reid we have struggled even last season when we were doing better to attract/sign players of this ilk on loan.
I am not Billy Davies' biggest fan; certainly in terms of his personality and how he conducts himself (bit of a Warnock who seems to lose badly and with little grace) but he has done a good job there. He was given a lot of money a few years ago and just missed out last year when Blackpool played them off the park in the second leg at the City Ground but he has managed to keep them up around the top despite not bringing in that many players this summer/season outside of loan players. I think they will hang around the playoffs and probably may sneak in the top 6. Once they get to that stage then who knows as there is little between many of the top teams and outside of QPR, 2nd down to about 8th; you could say any two could get the final promotion spots. If they don’t then he may walk away after his frustrations he has voiced previously.
United – The performance was not great and in all honesty for most of the game it looked pretty desperate. It was not much better than most of the other defeats/draws in recent home games and there was some awful individual pieces of play allied too little kind of team cohesion in terms of football played. The players kept battling and put effort in but the actual composure, technical ability and invention was nil bar a few glimpses from Boggy. The same performers limped along offering nothing (Doyle, Collins, Nosworthy and Cresswell) whilst the same ones who have shown some heart and fight (Quinn, Monty and Lowton) continued to give their all to the cause even if the actual quality was sadly lacking from anyone in a red and white shirt. Second half we gave it a real good go but it was more effort, drive and heart than any kind of clever football with a lot of percentage stuff that led to the odd chance or knock down.
The first half certainly we played no real football, created no real chances and looked a relegation side in every aspect. The players just wanted rid of the ball and it was hot potato time. Forest was not much better! The confidence looks rock bottom and it seemed like no one wanted to take responsibility or try and advance the ball forwards just shuffling it off sideways or backwards. I honestly did not think we looked like winning a game at all and cannot remember any effort by us at all (or them). The goal before half time was poor defending by Collins and awful keeping by Simonsen but had come out of nothing but then how many other times have we said that this season? It summed up our season and you got the impression that was it.
However, we kept plugging away and tried to get back in things but I never felt we looked like scoring for all the huffing and puffing. Obviously a penalty earned by Bogdanovic would be out best hope and so it proved. After the miss I really felt the game would be up but fair play they kept battling and scored a decently worked goal and then converted an old fashioned goal from a set play (when I thought we would never score from a corner again!). After this we inevitably backpedalled and sat back but Forest did not really have many chances.
Is it going to be enough? My opinion being the pessimistic Blade I am is that it is probably too little, too late. We may win an odd game between now and the end of the season but not consistently. They simply do not have the ability, composure or class in the final third to create and score goals and keep them out at the other end. I hope I am wrong and this is the start of the revival but I do not want to get carried away and there still has to be massive improvements in the way we play and perform and sadly I am not sure we have the players to be able to do that and go on a winning streak that is required. However, for tonight I will just enjoy the win and worry about the next game when it comes.
Simonsen 5/10 – He made a vital save at the feet of Boyd I think at the end but he was pretty indecisive on crosses again; remaining glued to his line often and the goal he conceded was dreadful keeping. I know the shot was hit from close range but he should have thrown his cap on it and it seemed like he managed to almost fumble it into the net.
Nosworthy 5/10 – Erratic to say the least. He often gave the ball away when in possession and defensively he got in some really bad positions. He just looked like a player that was an accident waiting to happen. We improved quite a bit when he went off and Lowton went over to that side.
Lowton 7.5/10 – Got stronger and stronger as the game went on. Do not like him playing left back and feel he needs to be in a more natural position; right back. He did eventually end up there and after a decent performance he grew stronger when he was moved to this side of the pitch. He actually had our one effort in the first half with a run and shot; contributed to the equaliser and then won the game with a strong and determined header. He showed like he really cared (got ball out f net and run back to half way after leveller) and was driving us forward as shown when he was asking experienced players to get forward and get in the box when he was taking long throws. Should be given a regular shirt at right back and given chance to improve as he is a decent footballer and gives his all. With a run he can improve in his defending and grow as a player.
Collins 5.5/10 – Pretty ordinary again and error badly on the goal when he let Adebola pin him in and turn him way too easily so close to the goal. He should never have let him back him down that far and then to let him turn and shoot unopposed was shocking. Overall his defending was patchy. He won a few headers, clearances but for the most part I was concerned when the ball went near him and hoped he just got rid of it. Invariably he did but it often went to the opposition! For a big guy he is not exactly dominating and gets outmuscled quite a bit too. The smaller Lowry was more commanding and won more headers.
Lowry 6.5/10 – Whilst ability wise he is not much better than Collins I still feel more comfortable when he is defending his opponent or the ball comes near him. I acknowledge that at times his passing and distribution was shocking but the one thing I would say is that he attacked every loose ball and anything in his vicinity he generally won. He is a bit ale house but he does attack things and does not wait for things to happen. He will never be much of a footballer but is a bit Morgan like in his style and at times we have needed this. I always worry a rash tackle/challenge could get him sent off but do like his attitude to the game.
Doyle 4/10 – Sorry to say but I watched him carefully tonight and I felt he was terrible His passing and touch is awful, he is fairly weak in the tackle and is so slow it is untrue. I cannot see what he offers to the side at all. He may work hard and cover a lot of ground but he does not get forward to be a threat and does not protect the back four. When he gets the ball he invariably tossed it away. Looks a total waste of resources and the fact he is here for another 2 years is worrying in terms of Adams recruitment policy.
Montgomery 5/10 – I thought he was poor tonight. He did battle and put lots of effort in but his touch and distribution were generally awful. He gave several hospital balls in the direction of teammates and always seemed to be at full stretch after a poor first touch. He kept plugging away and did win a lot of loose balls second half as we turned things around but too often his inability to keep the ball was a major hindrance.
Cresswell 4/10 – Sound like I am repeating myself but he was really poor again. He made 2 or 3 poor mistakes early on both in terms of giving the ball away and then also losing his man as the full back attacked. He played wide right but was as ineffective here as he has been wide left and up top. Just seems like his legs have completely gone and it is sad to see an experienced and decent pro (in years gone by) basically coming to the end. He needs to be dropped and the improvement when he went off was noticeable.
Quinn 8/10 – Excellent. He carried the fight and was at the centre of all the best things we did. He moved between a more central position early on to becoming wide left more as the game went on. Drew and won numerous fouls and led to quite a few bookings. He showed passion and desire and whilst his touch was not always quite there he always looked to try and make things happen and never hid.
Bogdanovic 7/10 – He flitted in and out but still looked one of our main threats. Made one or two nice touches first half that led to half chances and always looked decent when on the ball. He cleverly won the penalty but it was a poor spot kick, just a nice height and position to save. He kept going after this and still looked a threat. Needs a run of games. Sure he is lazy and sure he does not exactly bust a gut at times but even that said he still makes things happen and does look a goal threat. You cannot say that about many in the side.
Vokes 7/10 – Thought he was really poor in the first half and let the defenders like Morgan impose themselves on him and he did not combine with others and looked off the pace. In the second half he got in front of his man more and generally looked more a nuisance. He held the ball up better and generally showed more desire. Took his goal well with a good run and cool finish from a tight angle and after this you saw his confidence grow as he won more and more headers/challenges. He is not as strong as he ought to be for a man of his size/physique and needs to play like he did the last half an hour for a full game.
Subs –
Yeates – Tried to run at his man and be positive and even though it did not always come off; at least he tried to attack his full back and make things happen. He had defenders back pedalling which we had not really had all game.
Mattock – Came on and kicked a simple ball out and then clattered his man to get booked. He did get better after this (could not get worse!) and actually won a few tackles and blocks. Does not convince me at all and another in a long line of poor left backs we have had on our books since Naysmith got injured/left.
Williamson – Came on for Bogdanovic at the end as we tried to preserve the lead - Kept ball well in the corner a couple of times.
Officials – Tony Bates; Decent game. I felt he got most things right and did try and play on as much as he could. He rightly booked a few Forest players for cynical fouls although Quinn’s play acting at times does not help taking off my red and white tinted spectacles. The penalty, although another one bought by Bogdanovic, seemed relatively clear cut.