United gave a much more impressive performance than 3 days previously when Oldham were the opposition. An early goal from Jamie Murphy saw United in front and then after surviving a scare when Harry Maguire cleared off the line from Ryan Lowe; went on to score two excellent team goals with Jose Baxter and Ryan Flynn the scorers. A late Ash Taylor strike gave Rovers a consolation but the end result was never in doubt.
United made two enforced changes with the injured Shaun Miller and Aidy White being replaced by Flynn and Murphy. Baxter played in a more central role supplanting Chris Porter. Florent Cuvelier and Terry Kennedy were amongst the substitutes. Rovers fielded experienced midfield duo Andy Robinson and Jason Koumas with the dangerous former Wednesday striker Ryan Lowe up front.
United began in the ascendancy as the game began in bright sunshine albeit bitterly cold. Murphy was involved early on and seemed determined to get at his full back. From one attacking move United won a free kick but Maguire’s header was saved. United’s positive start was rewarded when from a Baxter corner, won by Flynn, Collins nodded down and MURPHY with his back to goal held it up against a defender tight to him, juggled with it and then turned and fired home from the edge of the 6 yard box. It was a clever finish but poor defending to allow the knock down and the chance for the player to turn and score so easily.
Flynn fired just wide after a spell of pressure as United dominated the game in every department. Murphy’s confidence after the goal was clear and he was involved in another move that led to Porter holding it up and allowing McGinn a chance but he fired over badly.
Rovers had not been in the game but after Lowe got away from Collins, Long made the mistake of coming off his line and this saw the strikers chance even clearer as the keeper was out of the equation as Lower went past him. He cut in and seemed certain to score but Maguire made a tremendous block to deny the equaliser.
United were back on the attack and Murphy’s cross was kicked clumsily against the bar by a Tranmere defender with some appeals from United players that it had crossed the line but with no goal line technology there could be no way of telling. It did not help that the assistant referee was nowhere near in line with the goal line!
The game had become more even now and Tranmere’s improvements saw them create another chance as Holmes hit a shot wide after McMahon had been booked and then Lowe was in again but his shot had power but lacked direction and Long parried away unconvincingly.
United re-asserted some level of control before the break and Murphy and Flynn were both heavily involved. The latter was played in but his heavy first touch saw the chance cleared. McGinn then had a shot blocked before Baxter may have done better with a header wide from McMahon’s delivery. Hill then had a driven cross sliced over leading to another corner.
Just before the break Holmes had to go off after sustaining a knock and was replaced by Power. Power fared no better as he too brought down Murphy continuing the theme of much of the first half. Baxter also needed treatment but he was deemed fit to continue and came on before the half time whistle.
The second half saw Long’s errant pass out nearly returned into an empty net but Robinson rushed when he had time and shot well wide. However Doyle won a series of tackles and United started to get control once again and just before the hour the vital second goal came.
McGinn’s ball put Porter through down the right and the striker advanced before putting in a lovely inviting cross for the waiting BAXTER who finished with aplomb. His slid into the corner in jubilation at the Kop end to celebrate his second goal in three days.
Manager Moore had seen enough and changed things with a double substitution and on came Akpa Akpro and Kirby for Atkinson and Robinson. However the flow of the game continued with the pressure continuing. Doyle had a shot saved by Fon Williams and then another chance saw McMahon and Flynn combine but the ball was hacked clear.
Maguire was booked for a poor challenge but McGinn was as much to blame for the errant pass but the free kick was blocked and it was not long before another goal came.
Murphy was released by Baxter’s clever ball and the winger went through and drove at the defence before intelligently pulling it back. FLYNN came across his defender and was able to cooly side foot home and give United a three goal advantage. It was another well made and finished team move.
Baxter was replaced by Coady to a standing ovation, with the Liverpool loanee employed slightly further back but still in a more attacking role than normally used. United continued to move the ball well and find increasing gaps in the Tranmere rearguard.
Lappin came on for McGinn and went straight into the same midfield position. Porter’s hard work perhaps deserved a goal and he had a curling left foot effort that looked goal bound before Williams’ brilliant save. Lappin then fired wide as the Blades looked for more goals.
Cuvelier replaced Flynn but his first act was to commit an unnecessary foul and from it Maguire could not clear and the ball dropped nicely to defender TAYLOR to lash home. It was a sloppy goal to give away but in all likelihood was probably too late to change the final verdict.
United had a brief spell where they looked nervous and substitute Kirby hit a flashing volley that grazed the bar. If that had gone in then the final minutes would have been tense. United were able to see things out spending much of the additional 5 minutes in either corner of the goal they were attacking. The final whistle came and United could celebrate leap frogging their opponents and moving further away from the relegation area.
United – It was a game we thoroughly deserved to win. We had 19 shots and 11 on target to 9 and 2 from them and had more corners (9 to 3), more possession and generally were the much better side. We scored early which helped and after what seems like a run of poor starts to games, we did start better and even after we scored, we then could have had 2 or 3 more and played well. However we had a sticky spell in the first half when Long’s rush of blood should have seen Tranmere level when Lowe missed with the goal at his mercy but Maguire did block well. Another Long error saw Robinson have a chance but he miscued. After this we then took control and scored two excellent team goals with the much maligned Porter involved in the second and then a clever move leading to Murphy assisting to fellow wing man Flynn. I thought we would go on and get more and had more chances to do this but the keeper made some good saves and we had a few chances go awry. We played some really good stuff second half; maybe the best all season and really relaxed. A sloppy goal took the edge of things a bit and then we had to just see the game out which we did.
In an attacking sense that was good as we have been this season. We made a number of chances, we penetrated far quicker than we have all season and put in a number of really good balls across the box. Tranmere were poor at the back and contributed to some of the chances we had but that is not giving United enough credit with some lovely flowing moves and using the wide men well. We got balls in and but for some better finishing we could have had 8 or 9 goals today.
At the other end sadly we were not convincing and Tranmere could lay claim to the fact they could have had at least 2 or 3 goals too. Long made one uncertain palmed save but then nearly gave them 2 goals with poor decisions such as coming racing out of his goal unnecessarily which should have seen them level and then a bad kick that also could have led to a goal. At times we made some mistakes and were less than certain with Long and probably Collins showing moments of indecisiveness. In front of them McGinn did not help with some dreadful passes (although he contributed to our second) and was poor for much of the game. That is the negatives out of the way.
Onto the positives and today there were many. Doyle was excellent and broke things up all game and completely controlled midfield aswell as not allowing the dangerous Koumas any time on the ball.
The front players were remarkably better than Boxing Day. They showed hunger, movement, good control and passed it well between themselves. There was interchange and more than that they moved into different areas and were not stagnant. Finally they moved across the front line or came deep and were able to allow other players to move into their areas. It meant Tranmere struggled to hold us second half and we also played some surprisingly good one touch stuff at times.
Flynn came in and did a really good job working up and down whilst Murphy played like he did at Cambridge. He got at his man and drove to the byline. He scored a good goal and made things. He has to hit those standards more consistently. Baxter had a quiet first half but improved after the break and was involved in many of our good moves. Finally Porter had a decent game today. Still made some poor decisions but overall he was much better, competing for the ball all game, winning headers, holding it up and generally linking with other players. He made the second with a lovely ball. Still think we need another striker really and maybe two as this is an area we are particularly weak for me. The wide men have to play like that every week. Sadly they have yet to prove they can do that every week.
Today was good though and so much better than Boxing Day. Despite defensive frailties and we easily could have been level on a few times we could also say Tranmere were lucky not to have been further behind with the chances we had. If we can keep creating as many chances as we did today, we will win a lot more games. Not sure we will play a defence as poor as Tranmere though in future.
Not sure we will play a defence as poor as Tranmere though in future weeks!
We are slowly moving in the right direction but with a few winning at the bottom we are still only a couple of defeats from being back in the bottom four so cannot relax. However if we keep the results going and go another 3 or 4 undefeated then we could be around mid table. Walsall will be tough. I would take a draw to be honest but we have some tough home games coming up against some of the higher teams so will have to keep getting results on the road too as I am not sure our home form is good enough to keep us away from trouble on its own.
With January looming it is interesting (and a little concerning) that Clough says he is interested in 5 or 6 players from his former club. Not sure there are that many Derby reserves that will drastically improve us and if Champ/Prem reserves like Lappin and White are the types he wants then do not feel they are any better than we already have. I would rather we sign one quality striker somehow and maybe another central midfield players with some height and presence. Not convinced any of McGinn, Coady etc are really good enough or should I say consistent enough. Ditto for the wide men. Hopefully as the management team alluded to we can move 5 or 6 and bring at least 2 or 3 in but they have to be better than what we have not more of the same.
Tranmere – Thought they were not too bad going forward and had a particularly decent spell in the first half with some good passes and swift counter attacks. They missed the big chance when Lowe did all the hard work but then somehow missed. They had another saved and also had the chance when Robinson miscued when Long had errored again. They had a 15 minute or so spell in the first half when they were better than us but for the rest of the game they were second best. We could have had a lot more goals in the first half but for the bar and some poor misses/bad decisions in final third.
After the break we threatened to run riot and their defence was absolutely awful and being pulled all over the place. The centre backs were sloppy at marking and basic clearances and the full backs let far too many crosses come in. Horwood was particularly poor and the other lad Holmes was given a torrid time by Murphy before he went off for the delightfully named Max Power who fared little better. The experienced Robinson just moaned to the referee all game and Koumas other than a few decent balls spread wide was never really in the game. Lowe can score goals but had little support really. The big lad Peterson was it was not really in the game and handled easily by Maguire and Collins.
I felt we swamped them in midfield as they had even less pace than us. Thought they were quite cynical at times too and picked up a few bookings and one lad Jennings was lucky to stay on after lashing out at Lappin.
They lost their discipline quite a bit in the second half and were arguing amongst themselves at the back after the goals went in. It seemed no one knew who was marking who.
They may have enough with the aforementioned experienced players and the wily Ronnie Moore to just get out of trouble but with the way they defend they may go right to the wire. They are certainly a team much inferior to us and if we finished below them this season, wherever we both end up, I would be very disappointed.
Long 4/10 – Another decidedly dodgy game. He came off his line wrongly and did not get there when Lowe then went in and should have scored. His clearance fell for a Tranmere man in the second half and he also should have done better. Pushed out a speculative shot and then took too long to kick out nearly dribbling round his man. Did get better as the game went on with a couple of brave punches out but his form has been worrying in recent games after he had seemingly been getting better and better.
McMahon /10 – Steady game and did well going forward with some nice runs forward and clever passes/crosses. He still did a few daft things such as the booking in the first half for a crude challenge
Hill 7.5/10 – Thought his start set the tone as he won two or three tackles early on. He was very good today and although his distribution continues to be mixed he actually put some decent balls out today and linked well with Murphy. His man barely got any time on the ball and he completely dominated his man.
Maguire 7.5/10 – Played well for the most part despite a few errors. He got booked for a cynical foul after McGinn’s mistake had put him in trouble. He did not cover himself in glory on the goal (same as Boxing Day) with a poor defensive header. However outside of this he was dominant both in the air and on the deck. He won the ball consistently and was quicker than the strikers most of the game. Used the ball well coming out of defence to ensure we were on the front foot. Saved a certain goal with his tackle/block.
Collins 6.5/10 – Felt he was ok but was the poorest defender (again) although he did well from an attacking sense as he came out and tried to move into midfield and initiated two or three attacks and played some good balls. Defensively twice he was badly outpaced and both nearly led to a goal. The one where Long made the error coming out and after when Lowe had the shot saved by Lond. He at times looks very hesitant and does not attack the ball like his centre back partner. He did make the first goal though. Better from an attacking send than a defending one.
McGinn 5.5/10 –.Our poorest outfield player for me. He made the second with a decent pass but most of the game his passing was really poor and he telegraphed at least 2 or 3 passes whilst on another few occasions he just aimlessly kicked it anywhere without even any thought who he as passing to. He got McMahon booked on Boxing Day with a poor piece of play that led to him taking the man down and did the same today with a shocking pass that meant Maguire kind of had to bring his man down. Not sure he is the answer. Seen quite a bit of him and now with Baxter and McMahon on set plays; unsure what is strengths are. He is very weak physically and does not pass it that well. Think I would prefer Coady to him but of course he will remain in the side whilst we are unbeaten.
Doyle 8/10 – Felt he was excellent today. He completely bossed the central midfield, winning tackles, intercepting, using it well and moving the ball quickly and intelligently. He is much maligned and sometimes he has been poor but many probably have to admit he is still by far our best central midfielder at the club. Not just for tackling but for passing and control. Watching so many of the others struggle shows he is actually not bad for this level really. Ideally like with Hill and Porter, you would not think he would be part of a promotion side but for a side currently he is one of the first names on the team sheet whatever those who criticise him may think of him.
Murphy 8/10 – Maybe my man of the match just ahead of Doyle/Flynn as he scored a good goal using neat skills and some strength and was a threat all game. He beat his man a few times and nearly contributed to a few more goals in the first half with one run and cross and then another that was knocked onto the bar by a defender. I was concerned his efforts in the first half he made may have seen him run himself into the ground but to be fair he still contributed well and had another few good runs including the one for the third goal. He used the ball well, was positive all game and committed defenders. More than this he got good and dangerous crosses in that caused problems.
Flynn 8/10 – Very good. He got up and down all game. He put in numerous decent crosses, linked with McMahon and his other teammates well. He had a few good runs and crosses and had a shot just wide in the first half. He then ghosted across his man and scored with a cool finish. He maybe could have had a few more goals too. Worked hard and used ball sensibly and intelligently. May not have beaten his man much but does not need to if he uses ball well and gets into good positions.
Baxter 7/10 – Not quite as good in the first half as he has been and was not really in the game. He missed one good headed chance and his touch and passing was not quite there. Improved a lot in the second half and he scored a well taken finish and was involved in a lot of our link play in and around the areas that matter. Clever footballer that if he could lose a bit of weight and also improve his fitness could be quite an asset moving forward.
Porter 7/10 – Much better than the other day. He still had a few misplaced touches/headers but today he showed more appetite, getting in front of his man and holding it up. He linked well with others including Baxter as he showed with a great ball for the second goal. He also chased lost causes and run the channels well. He moved out of the central area and dragged defenders around. He had one good shot saved but he had a few other chances where he was too slow to react and is not a natural striker/poacher as is often on his heels. Not the answer for me short or long term but he did do well today so credit where it is due.
Subs-
Coady – Played just off Porter when he came on for Baxter and thought he was very good. He played 2 or 3 good balls (one excellent cross field ball to Flynn) and got on the ball and looked hungry to make things happen. Think he harshly lost his place as he was just getting better I felt with more games and would like him to play instead of McGinn; if he remains on loan.
Lappin – Got involved with Jennings when he came on as he played central midfield and tried to ensure we could keep the midfield nice and solid. Not sure what he offers in addition to what we have. Not pretty average in the games he has played here although useful he can play a number of positions.
Cuvelier – Gave away a daft foul that led to the goal when the player was going nowhere. Had a couple of runs going the other way where he held off his man and helped us run the clock down. Very slight player and unsure where he plays if he gets into the side.
Manager rating –
Clough 8/10 – Got the selections right of Flynn and Murphy who showed a zest and appetite I have not seen from either for some time. He also used his subs well (although Cuvelier contributed to goal) and allowed key men to get rest such as Baxter with games coming up. He made sure we started the game much better and quicker after so many poor starts. We were at it from the beginning and controlled the midfield. Tactically and formation we out thought and out fought them as we won the battles and Clough made sure we were up for the battle in a really key game.
Officials – David Webb was an odd referee. He let things go initially and then started booking people all over the place. McMahon and Maguire were both rightly booked. Felt Akpa Akrpo and Robinson’s were harsh as were nothing fouls although the latter had been persistently fouling. The one where Jennings was booked he could have walked as although the ref was right to give a foul as Lappin committed original offence it was a cynical kick out and some refs would have dismissed him. As for the rest of the game I felt he gave some things which could have seen the game go on and then there was a spell when both teams were lumping each other and he just played on! It was a little inconsistent. The one at the end where the guy for them fouled our man and then bounced it down and was not even spoken to was ridiculous. He also stopped the game for Porter’s head injury and then when one of the Tranmere men got hurt in a similar area of his body; he played on which rightly infuriated the Tranmere fans. I felt the second may have been touch and go for offside but seen it back since and he was clearly onside (Baxter). Another one when we went though (Porter?) did not look offside; the one near the South Stand second half. How he found 5 minutes at the end I am not sure, although I suppose there were 4 goals and 5 substitutions.
Crowd – A few thousand down from the other day (17, 460) but Tranmere only brought maybe 4-500 (good to see applause on 7th minute for the lad Thompson who was diagnosed with Cancer – they kept on clapping even through our goal which came at same time). Home crowd were positive and enjoyed a much better performance with finally some good flowing football and some chances. The crowd enjoyed seeing the ball hit the net 3 times which is a rarity this season (have we even done it this year – just Colchester in the cup?). Pleased the away fans have been put in the upper tier (but to one side). It is a much better view for them and it is never used and to me reduced effect they would have as they are further away. Hopefully we could maybe give away some cheap/free tickets to children/youth groups the remainder of the season for the lower tier and give us an even bigger home advantage. I would never have a problem if every school in Sheffield area were given a chance for free tickets and they rotated it around.