Showing posts with label Huddersfield Town. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Huddersfield Town. Show all posts

Thursday, 17 January 2013

Unwanted Visitors

With ticket pricing in the news again a real set to started on twitter with fans of various clubs, journalists, fan organisations and fanzines all having their say on the issue of ticket pricing. Sadly much of the debate with fans sinks to two trains of thought. One driven by partisanship where fans are happy to criticise other clubs, but see little fault in their own club.  The other prevalent train of thought seems to be "well I can afford it so what is the problem if some cannot?". This again misses the point and seems symptomatic of an increasingly selfish wider society, where it is all about "me" and balls to everyone else. A survival of the shittiest, if you will.


My piece on Huddersfield fans boycotting Bramall Lane last season, over the prices being charged by for a League One match, caused a bit of debate at the time. My point then was that it needed a concerted national focus on ticket prices and discretionary pricing on the back of the cases being highlighted. As much as there were elements of the Huddersfield boycott to be admired, their fans seemed to direct ire personally at Sheffield United whilst remaining oblivious to their own club doing exactly the same to other clubs (United included); albeit with marginally lower prices.

Nothing has changed in my view. The FSF and other fan organisations need to ride off the back of the current media storm and push the authorities for controls and caps to be in place. This has to be at all levels, not just the Premier League, regardless of whether this creates problems for clubs lower down the leagues. How can Alfreton Town charge £18 for Blue Sq Premier League football? Obviously, the Premier League are in a much better position to absorb these reduction; as the FSF Chairman Malcolm Clarke pointed out last week, the new Premier League TV deal would allow clubs to reduce existing prices by an average of £30 per ticket.

Whilst many focus on the generic issue of high prices for all fans; after all you cannot charge away fans more than a home ticket in an equivalent part of the stadium, others focus on the price discrimination in play with game categorisation and the added difficulties of the away fan, the debate set me thinking on a different track - whether football clubs really want away fans in their stadiums at all?

In some ways it seems like a vaguely romantic notion that clubs would see the benefits of away support; the thrilling atmosphere of fans chanting support for their team, shouting down the opposition, generating a buzz and a visceral roar to the game. Two sets of fans going verbally head to head in a to and fro of songs and chants is an integral part of going to the match. Yet, with a few exceptions, is this becoming a thing of the past?

Maybe I notice it more as clubs come to Bramall Lane with away support proportionate to their home attendances; dwarfed by empty red seats around them and 18,000 fans in the other three sides. But switch on Match of the Day or Super Sunday and you will see it in the upper echelons of the game. How many clubs sell all their away tickets, how many times can you hear the away fans chanting in and amongst the home support. How often is a match played out to the sound of Martin Tyler and Gary Neville and little else, aside from moments of goalmouth action?

Are the clubs bothered? Are the TV executives bothered? When the Premier League started and ticket prices were more affordable there were empty seats, what is there incentive to do anything about it?  You could even see them sticking on a pre-recorded tape of crowd noise, who in the millions of Sky subscribers, those that seemingly matter most these days, would notice? They seemingly aren't botheredabout empty seats, the only people who are bothered are opposition fans who have another verbal stick to attack the opposition with.

Having given it a bit of thought over the last week I can see why clubs might want to minimise away support. At first I thought the theories set out below might only benefit clubs in the Premier League, where capacity is reached and demand for tickets outstrips supply, yet some could still be applied to Football League clubs and maybe the increase in costs for handling away supporters outstrips the often minimal uplift in turnover from them being there?

Financial benefits of selling those seats to home fans

Obviously there are segregation issues to address and this is not always straight forward depending upon ground design, access routes etc. but if tickets are returned and sold to home supporters there could be a significant financial uplift for the club.

With tickets priced between £30 and £65 the cost of attending as an away fan could be anywhere between £100 and £200 depending upont ravel costs, food and drink, programme etc. In most cases the home fans have much lower additional costs of attending and more likely/comfortable to spend that on a ticket.

Certainly at the larger Premier league clubs, where there are more members than seats and limits on match-day availability the lack of opportunities to see their team will encourage the casual fan to look past the ticket price. After all, it is not like they are spending this amount week in, week out.

Additional discretionary spend

Money made from other discretionary spend  should increase as well. Firstly as a home fan there is a greater willingness to spend money at your club on food and drink for example. Then there is the additional spend in other club concessions and the club shop. Granted not every additional home fan will do this, but whatever proportion does, it is all additional income the club wouldn’t have had with away fans in those seats.

Sale of alcohol to away fans vs. home fans

Some grounds still impose a ban on the sale of alcohol to away fans. Obviously this will be relaxed if home fans take up the seats. Again it is a marginal financial benefit, but it is still additional profit.

Cost of policing and stewarding?

The greater the away support; the greater the costs incurred. Policing bills increase with increased resources deployed to maintain segregation and control outside the ground. The clubs' stewarding contractors will charge more for managing and maintaining safety in the ground. For the same sized crowd, the stewarding requirements will increase, the higher the proportion of away fans.

Partisan atmosphere

It could be argued that minimising the number of away supporters gives the home team an edge. Many clubs already try to marginalise the impact of away support; usually by placing them in a distant part of the stadium and making them barely seen or heard - take the rafters of St James' Park as an example.

The Premier League has said that it will encourage clubs to bring in new incentives to encourage away fans but will not intervene directly over ticket prices. There have been calls for a cap on the amounts clubs are charging away fans - particularly where the categorisation of matches is in place - but the league insists tickets are a matter for individual clubs. Yet again complete avoidance of the issue.

There have been various proposals put forward on the ticket price issue, many focusing on the problem for away supporters. One suggestion was that coaches should be subsidised for travelling fans, a laudable suggestion to some and the kind of incentive the Premier League were clearly angling for; but the cynic in me sees it differently.

Not all fans want to travel by coach, be held at service stations, be deposited next to the ground close to kick off, without the chance to explore a town/city and have a choice over where they eat and drink beforehand. This kind of suggestion just plays into the authorities' hands. We have already seen examples of "coach bubble" tactics from police,where fans have to buy joint match and coach tickets, and must travel to their home ground for a journey, escorted by police to the stadium. This has been used for high profile games, where they see a risk of violence, but this is hardly going to discourage them from making its use more widespread. At times it is the clubs as much as the police that are advocating such controls.

Yet again, what is proposed as a solution ends up being a punishment for the majority and reduces their civil liberties. Add in legislation that means that you can’t drink in a mini bus or coach going to or from a ground, it adds little to the supporter experience. Meanwhile, for those who arrive by train, it’s not unusual to be met off the train by police,corralled to a local pub and effectively made to stay there until shortly before kick-off.

I, as a shirt wearing fan, have been told where I will drink, not been allowed to leave for the ground well ahead of kick off and then been escorted there (arriving as the match kicked off), all the while having police dogs straining on the leash and cameras trained on us. Away fans are the enemy treated with contempt and suspicion, with no attempt to recognise the differences amongst them. So what if they miss a few minutes of the game.

I accept that there are some clubs taking positive steps and a look at the site of The Fan Experience Company http://bradleyprojects.com/blog.php?id=5 highlights interesting and welcome initiatives from Brighton, Cardiff and AstonVilla.

As an example; Cardiff addressed explored each visiting fantouch point with all of the key club representatives involved (including the Safety Advisory Committee, stewards, police, fans and those responsible for the away fan experience within the club itself), unravelled it and effectively re-engineered it. Yet the irony in Cardiff’s stance in trying to make visiting fans more welcome is that their away support can sometimes suffer from restrictions on their travel and allocations. I heard recently of potential issues they face going to Leeds, whereby restrictions on ticket collection and an early kick off are being imposed, with a threat of tickets being withheld otherwise.

The initiatives mentioned above have reduced instances of crowd trouble and increased pre-match revenues from away supporters, yet they are the exception rather than the rule. They will remain the exception unless the mind-sets of those running the game change. Talking about the Manchester City game Arsene Wenger commented;

"I am really worried they are high for our supporters.For the visitors, it only happens once a year, so that is less of a concern. We sell out our games, but ideally you want ticket prices to be affordable to everybody. It is a very delicate subject." You can argue that he is focusing on his club and the specifics of the ticket price furore and also that he is not in a position to influence club policy, but if that self-serving attitude pervades the whole of the football club that has to be a concern. As long as our fans are okay, we don't care about the rest.
The game of football has devalued away fans for many years; demonised by the authorities, treated like second class citizens by clubs, police and stewards, their football watching made more difficult by television schedules and prohibitive costs, and all without a second thought. Not all of this is driven by the clubs, but they are complicit in it happening. Away fans are a vital component of a British football match, more so than in other countries and aided by geography and a culture of travelling support. It seems at the minute that host clubs have only a little interest in their well-being or experience. There may come a point in the near future where they don't care for them at all.

Monday, 31 December 2012

Do The Right Thing

 
 
It started as a simple question on Saturday night; “If your club had a player shown two yellow cards, but no red, would you expect them to do the right thing and walk?”
 The responses I received were very interesting and once you put aside those comments driven by football rivalries i.e. applying it to the case in hand rather than, as I asked, if it was their club’s player, they showed a lack of belief in fairness and sportsmanship in football. The general tone being; If officials don’t do their jobs properly then why shouldn’t players/teams exploit it? On Saturday, gamesmanship took over from sportsmanship, a majority of fans who responded seemed happy with that precedence.
For me, it doesn’t sit right, but I can see where they are coming from. Taking Saturday’s incidents at the John Smith’s Stadium as the example, Sheffield Wednesday’s Jeremy Helan received his second yellow card after 20 minutes.  In effect, Huddersfield Town should have had a man advantage it what proved to be a tight Derby tussle for around 70 minutes. You could argue that the referee’s failure had a significant influence on the potential outcome of the game and Huddersfield’s anger was understandable.
However, I guess there are incidents like that in every game, where the outcome changes on one decision. Be it an incorrect offside call, a handball that is missed, or the Stuart Atwell goal incident at Watford, the official are potentially culpable in determining the outcome of game. Many of the responses on Saturday night, including several from Terriers supporters took this view. The referee has made a mistake, by all means complain, but if he refuses to reverse his decision or acknowledge his mistake, move on and get on with the game.
What makes Saturday’s situation even worse was that there was a fourth official and two assistant referees who witnessed the decisions. The fourth official in particular was the recipient of Simon Grayson’s ire and that of his coaching staff. What stopped him realising the mistake. For one official to get a decision wrong is one thing, for it to be compounded by the failure of three others is something quite unbelievable.
So Saturday and the response of fans afterwards tells me that we are quite happy to accept gamesmanship when the officials fail in their duties. That we are content to watch players shuffle away with a wry grin, for benefiting managers to pass it off post match in interviews. The very same manager who for the last couple of months has done nothing but complain about unfair refereeing decisions as his side went on a long and fruitless winless run.
That end of the last paragraph isn’t meant as a dig at the manager involved on Saturday. I can think of many managers who would have done the same, including those who have stood on the Bramall Lane touchline.
Maybe I am foolishly hoping for a utopian footballing world where sportsmanship actually wins over. Where the player voluntarily walks off to the tunnel, knowing the incorrect decision has been made. Where his manager wouldn’t condemn him for his action, but acknowledge the claims of opposition manager and fans and tells his player to come off. But hey, as someone pointed out on Saturday night, it’s just not cricket. Or Snooker. Or Rugby.  Or other sports where you see sporting acknowledgement of incorrect decisions of those that the referee/umpire misses. Not always, I grant you, but it is still a more frequent event than at a football match.
I can think of few occasions when sportsmanship has stood out over gamesmanship in football; Di Canio catching the ball as Everton goalkeeper lay injured and the empty goal was beckoning in December 2000, some may suggest the Arsenal offer of a replay to the Blades following Marc Overmars’ controversial goal in the 1999 cup tie, but I beg to differ. Arsenal could have let United equalise and then play on the rest of the match with the scores level, as they were prior to the goal. The offer of a replay benefited Arsenal as much with home advantage, gate receipts etc.
More recent examples show that when advantage has been gained, the benefiting team rarely recognise their advantageous stretching of fair play and there is little the officials could do. Ask Nordsjaelland or even Sheffield Wednesday themselves. The fact that so few stand up for fair play, seems to make it less and less likely other teams will set the example, particularly when they have suffered an injustice previously.
Maybe football could try and set new standards. Maybe Reading players should have admitted to Stuart Attwell that the “ghost goal” he awarded them in 2008 was nowhere near the Watford goal. Maybe the Shakhtar Donetsk players and management together should have acknowledged that Luiz Adriano’s goal was out of order and properly stood aside for Nordsjaelland to score from the kick off, instead of being split on what they should do. Maybe the Yeovil players last season should have stood aside to allow Wednesday to score; their player manager was on the pitch and could have instigated it. Maybe Jeremy Helan should have walked off the pitch on Saturday. Instead he lingered, saw the red card hadn’t followed and sheepishly shrugged and walked back into position.  Maybe his manager should have hauled him off, or supported Simon Grayson’s claims to the fourth official.
And maybe football won’t. In fact I know it won’t. Football over the last 20 years has been corrupted by money, to a greater extent than any other sport. Money places enormous pressure on managers and players. Pressure to win, pressure to succeed whatever the cost, every point and every place has a huge financial reward. Morals are marginalised and a generation of fans see the boundaries of acceptable behaviour stretched, more so if the officials and authorities are inept at dealing with those incidents when they occur.
Do you know what? In a year of depressing incidents in football, that makes me a little sadder and a little more disillusioned with the game. I doubt 2013 will do much to change my view.

Monday, 28 May 2012

Good as Gold (Stupid as Mud)

Good as gold, but stupid as mud
He'll carry on regardless
They'll bleed his heart 'til there's no more blood
But carry on regardless

(Dave Rotheray/Paul Heaton)







Dusk falling on Saturday night and as our coach wound its steady way back up the M1 I described the day's denouement as devastatingly inevitable. Many fans of other clubs graciously commiserated and said it was the worst way to lose. It is, whether it lasts 4 or 5 penalties or goes all the way through to 11, or beyond.

The fact that we finished, over 46 games, 9 points clear in third makes it even harder to bear. The reality is that over 120 minutes at Wembley, when it mattered, we were second best on the pitch and unable to hold our nerve when it really mattered. I could talk about my long-held lack of agreement with the play-off system, but given the timing that would just come across as bitter and I am not. These are the rules, this is the system in place and we knew what finishing third meant.

The inevitability may seem odd, it may seem like a typically pessimistic comment from a football fan managing expectations, but this was United's fourth play-off final and Saturday's result leaves us with a record of Won 0 Goals Scored 0 Goals Against 5. You would struggle to find a club with such a poor play off final record.

Throw in the sequence of events at the culmination of this season, from the jailing of Ched Evans and its impact on morale and team structure, to the injuries to subsequent key players such as Hoskins, Cresswell and McDonald, to the reckless stupidity of James Beattie's sending off in the final league game at Exeter and the relentless and ultimately successful pursuit of second by Wednesday. All have contributed to what has felt like a slow and painful death by a thousand cuts, the final swipe at around 6:35 pm on Saturday was the deepest and finally proved fatal.

Despite playing poorly and riding our luck a little we took it to extra time, somewhere we had never taken a final before. They even had me believing in the shoot-out. After Town had missed their first three penalties, I honestly believed Lowton would score and that would leave us two up with two penalties left.

He missed. I clutched my little boy's hand, more for my emotional support rather than his, and early in the sudden death element of the shoot-out he turned to me and said;

"Daddy, can we go back to the coach now?"

"No, the shootout is still happening, why do you want to leave?"

"Because they (Huddersfield) are going to win"

Very perceptive my boy, he has learned "The Blades Way" of doing things at a tender age. For those of us much older we become hardened by it. We are used to disappointment and despite the positive support and encouragement we give the team, we train our minds to expect the worst. It doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

The support was more positive and lively than at previous finals, but Wembley has a horribly negative effect on atmosphere, with chants starting within groups of fans cast around the stadium and the sound seemingly travelling with a delay. At one point there were about four versions of the Greasy Chip Butty song drifting around the stadium at various stages of fulfilment. The creation of a single unifying chant seemed difficult unless it was more rudimentary in nature and benefitted from the rhythm of clappers, as used by Huddersfield fans. 

The match was poor. United applying what in effect was a 4-5-1 formation, although the management would claim that Stephen Quinn was to push on from midfield to make it a 4-4-1-1. The aim clearly being to stifle the threat from Huddersfield and try and nick a goal, as we had against Stevenage. It was a similarly gritty match to the Stevenage games, with little skill on show, plenty of mistakes and scrappy play.

What frustrated me was United's contentment in launching the ball forward, instead of playing it from the back in a manner which had brought success all season. Clearly missing our midfield playmaker Kevin McDonald I would have liked to have seen Lee Williamson playing alongside Michael Doyle, giving someone to put a foot on the ball, steady the nerves and dictate possession. United offered little attacking threat. The final ball often letting us down, with two few players attacking the area and for those that did the ball was played behind them or too close to Smithies in the Town goal.

Huddersfield were the better side and provided more attacking threat throughout. On the day I can't argue with the outcome. We didn't play positively enough and lacked the fluency with which we have played all season. Whilst I couldn't say that we didn't turn up - an accusation levelled at the United team at previous finals - we didn't play to our strengths and had the look of a tired side shorn of our most potent threats.

On Sunday, whilst uploading my photos from the day, I named the folder "Wembley 2013". I could blame it on tiredness or a touch of sunstroke, but it wasn't until later in the day I noticed I had done it. When I realised my mistake the first thought in my head was,

"Please God, No!"

If Wembley 2013 does happen, many United fans won't be there; not prepared to endure more potential heartbreak at such a significant mental and financial cost and do you know what? A bit of me doesn't blame them.

Maybe, in this age of bragging over levels of support, where attendances seem more important than on pitch results to some; where measuring fan loyalty and tiresome debates of how big a fan you are become increasingly prevalent; such an attitude seems odd.

But for everyone there is a breaking point. For my dad that was the last final versus Burnley three years ago. This time, at 70 years old, the cost, the long journey, the "buggering about" before the match and past disappointment all caught up with him. I missed him not being there. He will still be there at Bramall Lane next season though and still supports the team with a passion, but for him the big days out are finished through choice. I still have an appetite for it, slightly dimmed, but it's still there.

I still believe our day in the sun, with a result to match, will come and I want to be there for it. It might be a League One play off it may be a JP Trophy final, but if and when Wembley comes round again I'll be there and, despite the mental damage limitation, I'll still believe.

On leaving The Green Man pub pre-match I saw a large flag attached to a garden fence backing on to the beer garden. Sheffield United - Carry On Regardless. Three words which sum up the life of a football fan and a song whose lyrics can be used to demonstrate the vain hope of football fans who place their faith in the universal liar.



I want my love, my joy, my laugh, my smile, my needs
Not in the star signs
Or the palm that she reads
I want my sun-drenched, wind-swept Ingrid Bergman kiss
Not in the next life
I want it in this
I want it in this

(Rotheray/Heaton)




Postscript:

For those who read my last blog post; "Me, My Son and Wembley" I am pleased to say that despite the result we had a fun day out. We ate sweets and crisps, til we were full, I drank beer in the sun whilst we played football, we walked down Wembley Way to mingle with the crowds, he waved his flag and blew his horn and, thanks to some tweeting I did for the Football League, we were able to go pitch-side for photos as the players warmed up.

We held hands tightly as the penalties were taken and grasped them even tighter as we navigated the crowds back to the coach. Eventually, despite his protests about not being tired, he fell asleep on me as the coach neared Sheffield. His painted Blades badge, a sweat-smeared red and white smudge across his cheek. It was a day that filled up our senses and that at times he struggled to take in, but we have some great photos and some great memories to remind us in future years. We will just choose to forget about the match.


Monday, 21 May 2012

Me, My Son and Wembley




Given the recent history of both Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town in the play offs you might be forgiven for expecting Wembley to be filled with 60,000 grim faced, negative Yorkshiremen on Saturday. Their demeanour forming one big grey cloud over the game; muttering, moaning and fearing the worst.

Watching United regularly over the last 24 years I have witnessed three promotions, four relegations, three FA Cup semi-final defeats (one of which was at Old Wembley versus the other lot), a League Cup semi-final defeat and all three play-off finals united have reached have ended in defeat. The last of those came against Burnley, three years ago, when Unitedites arrived in a state of mind that seemed to be anticipating inevitable defeat. Whilst Burnley fans seemed to be there for the day out, positive, upbeat and cheery, the Blades fans struck a more muted tone that only deteriorated over the course of the match.

We know that what has happened before is history, different teams, different players and different managers, but it doesn't mean that the expectation is any different this time around. Given the novelty of a visit to new Wembley wore off three years ago,  considering the way United's push for promotion fell away in the dying embers of the season and reviewing the paucity of fit and available strikers, Blades fans could be forgiven for thinking another expensive day out at rip-off Wembley was a luxury and not a necessity. More so in these austere economic times. I suspect the ticket sales will confirm that many see an afternoon in the pub or armchair as a better use of time and money.

However, the lounge room at home or public house is not for me and the main reason I am looking forward to this trip is the fact I am taking my 6 year old son to Wembley; a father and son rite of passage. Yet, to do this, middle-band tickets and coach travel have set me back £157 for the pair of us and that is before drinks, food, programme, souvenirs. The cost, the hassle, the journey have all contributed to my Dad and Brother - both season ticket holders - not joining us. It's wholly understandable why many fans and families will not be there.

Now it is not like my son has not been to Wembley before; he went last year with his Mum to watch her team, Bolton Wanderers, lose to Stoke City in the FA Cup semi-final. Yet, as many readers of this blog will already know, it wasn't the crushing defeat that sticks in their memories from that day. It will be having their car attacked half a mile from the Wembley car parks.  It will be the snarling Stoke fan getting in their faces and hurling abuse as they walked from car park to stadium. It will be the missiles and threats flying back and forth between Bolton fans and Stoke fans in the Club Wembley seats above them. I wrote about their experience here, if you haven't read it please do.

It is hard to remove those kinds of images from a young boy's mind. My moans and groans, my fear of the potential for another Blades' failure on the big stage, pale by comparison. He went to watch a big match, at a world famous stadium, in front of a big crowd and his experience was horrific.

Thankfully his football watching experience has been more positive since. He has continued with his season ticket at Bramall Lane and watched better performances this season, with more wins and goals to keep him interested. Bolton chairman Phil Gartside, on reading this blog, invited my wife and George to hospitality in his suite at the Bolton v Everton game earlier this season. They had a great day, being well looked after by Phil and his guests, of course Bolton lost and again the result passed him by, but for the right reasons this time.

Yet, when the potential for United playing at Wembley was realised, there was still a reticence about going back. You could see the worry behind his eyes as he tentatively agreed to join me. His mind working over-time computing everything that happened last time, alongside thoughts of being with his Dad and cheering on the Blades.

Saturday's trip to Wembley is a must win game for the  Blades, failure to get promotion leaves the club in a difficult position next season, with wholesale changes likely as the club struggles to comply with FFP rules. If we lose, then realistically it could be a while before we bounce back. A Blades victory is something I want so much, yet at the same time and on a personal level, this is about giving my son the day-out at a big football match that he deserves to remember and for all the right reasons.

When I bought our tickets online, I sent a brief email to my wife. It was the excitable football fan in me; delighted to have got my tickets, despite the likelihood of it not selling out, nor my chosen price band selling out in the first afternoon! Her reply brought a little lump to my throat and dampness to my eye that, for a Yorkshireman who shows little emotion, took me back a little. 
 
"Don't go down there with the view that you are going to see a must-win match and it will be really disappointing if you don't win - instead look at it as a big adventure with your little boy and try to have as much fun as you can - buy stupid hats and expensive sweets/drinks/food, sing loud silly songs, put him on your shoulders to walk up Wembley Way, wave your flags - let the match/result be a sideshow rather than the main event."

"Try to imagine being a 6 year old again and forget all the years of disappointment…. that way, no matter what the result, you and George will have some great memories of a shared 'Father and Son Big Day Out'"

She is right (but don't tell her I said that) and that is exactly what I am going to try and do. I can't promise to follow it to the letter - I might draw the line at one of those red and white jester hats - but I am going with a positive attitude and I hope all other Blades fans are too.

If we all go with a bit of the wonderment and excitement of a 6 year old and less of the world-weary bitterness of repetitive failure, then maybe we might enjoy ourselves. If we enjoy ourselves, we might just back the team in a positive way. And if we back the team in a positive way, United could get the result to match the day-out.

Up the Blades!

Tuesday, 8 May 2012

Five thoughts on why 90 points wasn't enough

Any Blades fans would have taken a 90 point return at the start of the season, it has only failed to deliver promotion once before. Sadly, someone had to join Sunderland in this depressing, but exclusive club at some point.

I know the obvious answer to why 90 points wasn’t enough is that Wednesday got 93 points and finished second, but it is worth looking at a remarkable season for Sheffield football and five factors that I think led to late failure of the Blades’ automatic push and ultimately Wednesday’s success.

Some people may disagree. If you do, why not add your thoughts in the comments below....

A crazy 45 minutes on a Saturday afternoon in March

United have scored 92 goals this season, a phenomenal scoring record. Much is made of Ched Evans' contribution but with 13 goals for Lee Williamson, 9 goals from Richard Cresswell, defenders contributing a further 9 it shows that goals have been delivered from across the team. This willingness to get at the opposition, whilst exciting to watch, has left United open at the back at times. Whilst for much of the season the back four has been impressively solid, the concession of a goal has often led to edgy and nervous performances of which there had been no sign up until the goal.
With a relatively inexperienced and not too vocal defence, in front of a keeper who struggles to command his area, mistakes were always likely and have at times proved costly. It would be easy to point to the home match against Wednesday, the home game against Exeter - where United came from 2 down to lead 3-2 and then 4-3 with five minutes to go, before eventually drawing 4-4. However, the events of Saturday 3rd March against Oldham Athletic, in particular those events between 4pm and 5pm, are a key reason as to why United finished 3rd.

Going into the match United were in 2nd place, 5 points clear of Wednesday with a game in hand and 45 minutes in all looked rosy. 2-0 up at half time and relatively comfortable, United had managed to cope with disruption to a back four that was starting to settle into being a compact unit. Neil Collins was missing his first game for personal reasons and so Andy Taylor made a return from long term injury at left back, as usual incumbent Lecsinel Jean-Francois shuffled into the middle. Then, late in the half, Jean-Francois was stretchered off after a collision and Johnny Ertl came on at centre back.

The second half opened nervously, although United continued to create openings. Then a crazy five minutes found United down to 10 men and pegged back to 2-2. An Oldham corner led to Cresswell putting through his own net. As Lowton took the ball back for the kick off, the antagonistic Chris Taylor tried to hurry him along and a confrontation led to yellow cards for both players. Shortly afterwards Lowton lunged for a loose ball on the edge of the Oldham penalty area and picked up another yellow, which was followed by the red. Oldham equalised within a couple of minutes and then with the game heading to a draw, two minutes into added on time, Harry Maguire brought down Reuben Reid in the box. A red card was issued and Kuqi dispatched the penalty for a 3-2 win for the Latics.

The following Tuesday at Walsall United showed they had little problem scoring, but a makeshift defence - now without any of the first choice back four and containing two loanee debutants – was troubled. Twice United came from behind, before succumbing 3-2 to a team that only escaped relegation late in the season. Although United still had a game in hand, the gap was down to one point and the pressure was on.

The sacking of Gary Megson

Oh how we laughed as the news of Megson's sacking filtered out in the aftermath of the Blades' derby day defeat at Hillsborough. Mouthpiece of a Wednesday PR machine that, like those spam emails you receive, was focused on claims of size rather than actual performance; Megson epitomised all that United fans disliked about the club across the city. The fact his departure came on the back of beating the Blades seemed all the more laughable to many outside of the city, but the fact remained that the latter part of his tenure was strained and his public bleatings and inability to recognise his failings were increasingly resembling the rambling of his arch-nemesis Neil Warnock.

As Wednesday fans called the local radio stations in shock and disappointment, Unitedites revelled in their torment. Then Dave Jones emerged as the favourite for the Hillsborough hot-seat and feelings changed, both of Wednesday fans, quick to forget their upset and anger, and of Blades fans recognising the relative quality of Megson’s replacement. In Jones, Wednesday were appointing a well-respected manager, one I would have had no problem being appointed at Bramall Lane in the right circumstances. His first few games saw tweaks to the way Wednesday played and a successful start with the apparent impetus that a new manager brings. What could never be envisaged was the length of run that his team went on.

From the victory over Scunthorpe, which coincided with the announcement of Megson's sacking United's record was P15 W8 D4 L3, a reasonable return of just under two points per game. Two of those defeats coming in the aforementioned games against Oldham and Walsall.

Since Jones was appointed Wednesday have P12 W10 D2 L0; a phenomenal record that no team has matched in League One all season. United have been good, although form has slipped in the final push, Wednesday's record will rarely be repeated. The team may be largely made by Megson, but I struggle to believe that he would have dragged this level of performance out of them, even on the back of a derby victory.

I am not suggesting that United should have followed Wednesday’s lead. I would never have envisaged calling for Danny Wilson’s head at any point this season, even when we have wobbled. I won’t be doing it if we miss out in the play-offs over the next couple of weeks. But Mandaric recognised that things were not quite what they needed to be at Hillsborough and he made a massive call. I don’t think he ever anticipated how successful it would be.

Use of the loan market

Wednesday used the loan market well; out of a necessity to fill gaps in the starting eleven, rather than strengthening the squad. The goals and supply line provided by first Ben Marshall and then Michail Antonio and Keith Treacy have been a key factor in Wednesday, both maintaining a Top 6 place up to the turn of the year and propelling their subsequent push for promotion. The further addition of Nile Ranger, whilst a wildcard in more ways than one, gave Wednesday further top level experience amongst League 1 specialists Lowe, O'Grady and Madine.

With United maintaining a position in the Top 3 for most of the season, there has been little need to pep up the team with loans. You would question the need to bring players in if all they are going to do is sit on the bench. Very few clubs and players will agree to such a move if that was likely to be the case anyway. Where United failed, was to adequately replace midfield lynchpin Kevin McDonald when injury kept him out for 7 games from the Hillsborough derby match in February.


United won just two of those games and picked up 8 points, as the uncertainty over the length of McDonald’s absence passed from one week to the next. Lee Williamson failed to adequately fill his boots and we don’t know if Danny Wilson’s reticence in the loan market was due to financial restrictions, lack of suitable candidates or an unerring belief in the players he had. I suspect that the reality is a combination of the first two factors.

Many point to the failure to replace Ched Evans, yet it can be argued that United made contingency plans there. The much derided Chris Porter had started the season in the first eleven and contributed to United's strong start. Also within the squad, Danny Wilson could call upon the experience, but limited fitness, of James Beattie. For further back up Wilson signed the flawed, but talented, Will Hoskins on loan from Brighton and coming off the bench to score on debut was quite an introduction. He also borrowed young Bolton and Scotland U-21 forward Michael O'Halloran, although there appears to be confusion about where is his best position down the middle or out wide. Either way, he is a player who will need a lot of coaching if he is ever to make it in the professional game.

Some have suggested United needed better cover and maybe if we hadn’t signed Beattie to largely gain fitness and warm the bench, then that might have given us more room for financial manoeuvre. The over-riding feeling remains that the signing of Beattie was a board signing to boost the fans and not a Wilson signing. Whatever it was, history will show that it didn’t pay off. However, at the time, this should have been adequate cover.

The jailing of Ched Evans

My views on the Ched Evans situation are published here. What is clear though is that it isn't purely the on pitch absence of Evans that led to United’s downturn in form over the last three league games. Accusations of United being a one man team were made all season; ignoring the goals that came from elsewhere and the strong start to the season made in the absence of the injured Evans.

As much as his on-field threat was sorely missed, it was the impact on the team spirit that stood out. The performance at MK, just 24 hours after Evans was sent down, was clearly affected by the court's decision. Let's not forget the players had seen a friend and teammate sent to prison, some may well support his case. Mentally detaching yourself from this would be hard, especially so close to a game.

I've read comments which have said that Danny Wilson should have been on top of this, that he should have got the players prepared and motivated. I am not sure what part of the managerial handbook best advises you on dealing with such a situation. I certainly find it hard to blame the manager.

The other reason United felt the absence of Evans more strongly was a catalogue of events that led to all good contingency plans going to waste. United’s other key striker Richard Cresswell, so often the selfless and tireless runner creating space and opportunity for others, was injured and has then played on with three injuries. Will Hoskins, having had limited run-outs before suffering a virus, then lasted a half at MK Dons until it was subsequently discovered that he needed a hernia operation and that was the end of his season.

When you consider that left United’s hopes pinned on players who Wilson seemed reluctant to give game time to, even when adequate opportunity presented itself during the season, it didn’t bode well. This meant that Beattie, O’Halloran and Porter lacked the match sharpness to take the opportunities that presented themselves at MK, at home to Stevenage and at Exeter. Beattie’s subsequent, reckless red card at Exeter leaving a further hole in the Blades attacking options for the play offs.

Form against the Top 6




Won
Draw
Lost
Pts
GD
Charlton
6
2
2
20
+7
Stevenage
5
2
3
17
+5
Huddersfield
3
4
3
13
0
Wednesday
3
4
3
13
-1
MK Dons
2
4
4
10
-4
United
2
2
6
8
-7


To truly succeed in this division you have to take points off those strong sides around you. United’s goal haul and points haul largely claim from teams who were not challenging for promotion; although 15 points were taken from a possible 18 against Brentford, Carlisle and Notts County who were challenging Stevenage for the final play off place.

If you consider the two points dropped in the final ten minutes against Wednesday at Bramall Lane, that three point swing could be viewed as vital. But defensive mistakes gifted Charlton two goals in an otherwise tight game at Bramall Lane, two deflected goals gave Stevenage a lead before United came back for a draw. Despite the lack of points very few of the top six teams comprehensively out-played United. In fact, the best side seen at Bramall Lane this season was probably MK Dons, who provided one of United’s two victories.

However, complaints of bad luck cannot mask the fact that in head to head games against the top 6 United were by far the worst performing team. A goal difference of -7 for such a high scoring team, highlighting a difficulty in breaking down their near rivals’ defences and a difficulty in containing the better forward lines and attacking midfielders. Whether bad luck on the day or tactical inadequacies, these matches have proved costly.   

This leaves United in the Play-Offs, facing a Stevenage side that have taken four points off the Blades this season and have the second best record against fellow top 6 sides. It doesn’t bode well, but then the play offs more often than not don’t reflect the results during the season. Sadly for United, they cannot be viewed as being in the best of form either, often another factor used to assess play off potential. Now is the time when Danny Wilson can really earn his salary, in challenging circumstances. Let’s hope he has more luck than he did at Swindon.