14th October 2003: Lucky to get
nil. That's my opinion of the Sheffield United game, and it has left
me very worried as to the viability of our promotion campaign.
Twice this season, we have been on top spot and played the team immediately
below us, and twice we have produced a dreadful performance. At Wigan,
I laid the blame firmly at Megson's door for changing the formation
and picking the wrong team. Tonight, I'm not as reticent, but questions
must be asked.
However much I dislike Neil Warnock, I have to admire the way he has
transformed Sheffield United from a team of thugs to one that has
a great spirit and plays some excellent football. Ironically, it seems
like the Battle of Brammall Lane may have started him down that path,
given his comments prior to the game, but whatever the reason, he
prepared his side extremely well this evening. Whether Megson expected
them to come for a point, I'm not sure, but I, for one, was surprised
at how much attacking endeavour they showed in the first half - they
seemed to be playing more of a 4-3-3 than a 4-4-2. The annoying thing
is that, as the home side, Albion should've been asking all the questions.
Instead, the home side seemed lacklustre and lacking in invention
and, bar a ten minute spell midway through the first half, they created
next to nothing.
So far this season, the results have been good but the performances
have been unconvincing. We've been waiting for the team to "click",
but I'm wondering whether it ever will. If Gregan remains in the side,
I'm convinced it will not. He may have had a couple of better performances
recently, but tonight he was appalling - how he remained on the field
after half time is beyond me.
And what of Sakiri? There was such a fuss about bringing him to the
Hawthorns, and yet Megson has only started him on four occasions.
Lacking in match fitness has been the excuse, but how can the odd
twenty minute appearance correct that? He needs a run in the side
to get him fully match fit, and to learn how to play with this squad.
He is a quality player, but he has not been given the opportunity
to prove it.
One of the major criticisms I have had of the side this season, is
that the midfield fails to get close enough to the forwards. On countless
occasions, a player has been in wide positions and had only one or
two players in the box to aim for, with the three midfielders sitting
fifteen yards from the box. Tonight, it was even more evident without
AJ in the side, and it's something Megson needs to address with some
urgency. Gregan appears not to be mobile enough to get forward, and
O'Connor and Koumas only do it on the odd occasion; one should stay
back at all times, but two should be getting forward to support attacks
all the time.
The other issue that is bound to rear its head is 3-5-2 versus 4-4-2.
During pre-season, it was widely believed that Megson was buying the
players to play 4-4-2. Haas was more a right full back than a wing
back, Sakiri a left winger, etc. Haas has proved effective as a wing
back, and Sakiri has so far failed to be given a real chance, but
how does the arrival of Paul Robinson affect the situation. He has
always played in a 4-4-2 at Watford, and may feel more comfortable
in that formation. He should get a chance after another inept performance
from Clement, whose inconsistency must be infuriating for Megson,
as it is for the rest of us.
My view is that we should probably go to a 4-4-2, because the 3-5-2
formation is not creating enough going forward. A 4-4-2 should give
us more options, leaving the 3-5-2 as an option available for when
we need to tighten things up. Megson may point to the times we have
played 4-4-2 and not been effective, but he has only employed it when
we've been chasing a game. He's never made a concerted effort to play
4-4-2 and get the players used to it, so it's never going to be effective
as an afterthought midway through a game, just as the switch to 4-3-3
didn't work this evening. If we can become comfortable with either
formation, it should make us much more difficult to counter. Warnock
worked us out this evening, and we didn't have anything else in our
arsenal to change the course of the game - that needs to change.
The biggest crowd of the season went home disappointed this evening.
If we don't get a good result on Saturday, what was always going to
be our smallest attendance of the season will be even lower next Tuesday,
as we might not even reach the 20,000 mark. GM and the players need
to look at themselves and learn from this evening's game. And if we
can get back on track, we need to ensure we don't stumble again when
we meet Sunderland and West Ham in November.
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