bookd.
Sheffield Utd0 - 1Wolves
Probably our most disciplined performance of the season. The back five gave us much better protection centrally and we largely kept a very talented Wolves attack at arm’s length (until the subs came in), while most of our threat came through overloads down the left, lots of punts to McCallum who is an expert when it comes to having a run and jump. We became more aggressive after half-time and Cannon and Ayew gave us a bit more life for about a good 15min period before we had to change wing backs, McCallum getting a knock and Hamza after doing a really solid job on young Mane one on one clearly tired. Not using Donovon at all in this match is such a waste to a point if feels criminal, i think he's a good defender and surely better attacking that right side than Blaster especially with Hamza playing RWB But it was another game where promising positions rarely became proper chances. Ultimately undone by Premier League-quality subs: Trippier creates it, Jiménez finishes it in the 90th. A harsh defeat, but a much more sustainable blueprint than the open Norwich performance. Oh before I forget Kitching was the MOTM, got on everything defensively blocks and last ditch tackles, even an old school under lapping run.
Sheffield Utd
Blackburn1 - 2Sheffield UtdAt work so stats and extended highlights for this one. One of those take the points and leg it away wins on the face of it, but I'd say there was some better defending and control in that second half. Blackburn were comfortably the better side early and we struggled to play through them, a few vall balls into Peck on the edge of our own downfall and he was fuming about it, after what must have felt like he was thrown under the bus for their goal. Good finish mind you. But Peck flipped the game almost by himself — a brilliant ball for Cannon who took it very confident and calm. then an even better finish from himself before half-time, touch over the defender then oopa (£) into the bottom corner. The second half was much more about defending the lead than controlling the game, with Cooper and Choudhury (arguably a match winning block off the line) producing massive moments. Gritty response after Norwich, although the lack of sustained control is still very much there.
Sheffield Utd1 - 3Norwich
MW5 — Norwich (H) 1–3 Probably the clearest warning yet about the 4-4-2. Norwich kept finding too much space either side of the midfield two, with Musaba and Brooks especially able to attack the wide areas and get at our back line. We had a decent spell after Bamford’s equaliser, but Touré getting released through the middle just before half-time rather summed up how easy we were to open up. It's a real problem when we concede too much space out wide, then they can run straight through the middle of us too. Toure showed what a player early in his early years vs later years when Bamford has the same chance in the second half. Slimane with a nice back heel assist. The second half was worse because Norwich didn’t even need to chase it — they controlled the game and we never really built sustained pressure. Honestly, it felt like we gave up. The last 20min was academic. The recurring issue is structural: when the direct ball into the front two doesn’t stick, there’s a huge gap between attack and midfield and not enough protection behind it. It works well when everyone if fully up for it and fit, so it looked decent at times during the first half. Donnovon looked good again but he evidently tired. Kitching had a good debut despite the result,fully gets stuck in and could even have scored from the set peice with a non ref protected goalkeeper. It's a pretty obvious offside for their 3rd too. I'm happy for Brooksy to have a good return TL;DR: 4-4-2 looked stretched, Norwich exploited it, and for once the late chaos never came to save us.
NorwichSheffield Utd3 - 2Bolton
They scored a smart reaction goal during the Butty song, we scored straight after. Second half they scored, we scored almost straight after but whilst they were singing (in your heaaaaad). Last min winner. Romelle "Who Else" Donovan. Back to a clearer 4-4-2, and having Donovan and Brereton Díaz providing genuine width made the direct game look much more purposeful. The first half was probably the best version yet of the Squeeze Ball: get forward quickly, surround Bamford and attack the box rather than simply lumping it.
Cardiff2 - 2Sheffield UtdThe directness started to feel less like a Plan B and more like the plan. We caused Cardiff real problems early by getting the ball forward quickly and attacking the channels around Bamford and Cannon, but once they settled we almost bypassed our own midfield entirely. Cardiff were able to recycle possession, work us side-to-side and repeatedly attack the wide areas while we sank deeper. The point owed far more to the chaotic opening than anything we controlled afterwards. Really should have been a loss. The drop off in quality after the opening flurry was glaring at some points felt like we were playing with 10.
Blackburn1 - 2Sheffield UtdA much more interesting shape. Wilder switched to a 3-1-4-2 with Rothwell underneath Peck and Arblaster, the wing-backs pushed high and O’Hare playing centrally off Bamford. We were still too easy to force long, but suddenly the roles made sense: Burrows and Seriki provided the width, O’Hare could press and receive centrally, and the midfield had actual layers. First glimpse of a workable post-Hamer side. We were the better team and if Bamford had his boots on we'd have it.
Swansea0 - 0Sheffield UtdA much more interesting shape. Wilder switched to a 3-1-4-2 with Rothwell underneath Peck and Arblaster, the wing-backs pushed high and O’Hare playing centrally off Bamford. We were still too easy to force long, but suddenly the roles made sense: Burrows and Seriki provided the width, O’Hare could press and receive centrally, and the midfield had actual layers. First glimpse of a workable post-Hamer side. We were the better team and if Bamford had his boots on we'd have it.
Sheffield Utd0 - 0Birmingham
The first attempt at life without Hamer didn’t really work. The 4-4-2 left Peck and Rothwell outnumbered centrally, while O’Hare and Donovan were dragged wider than you’d want, so we increasingly skipped midfield and went early into Bamford and Cannon. Defensively solid, but there was very little structure connecting defence to attack.