Match Day Thread Southampton v Sheffield United, 26th July, 4pm

I have been surprised by Sheffield Utd's reversal of fortunes. They look doomed. Last season, people cold not heap enough praise of Chris Wilder.

 

I haven't. They ended last season badly. Their squad simply isn't good enough, particularly their strikers.

 

They were hard to beat. Once they started conceding goals they were always in trouble as they don't score enough.

 

I think they’re a better side than either Burnley or West Brom. Obviously with one point in the second week of December, there doesn’t seem any way out for them, but they’re capable of making things difficult for opponents; we shouldn’t take them lightly.

 

They had an extremely well drilled defensive unit which was also the base for their attacking width and movement last term. Wilder created something rare in football, an entirely original concept of overlapping centre backs that let them move from a 2 to a 3 to a 5 dependent on the situation. They’ve seen injuries this year which has stopped all that fluidity and they don’t have depth in quality to cover.

 

Their defence is still decent. They are not down the bottom because they are getting thrashed every week. They are losing most games just by one goal, even against Liverpool and Man City there was just one goal in it. I don't see this being a walk in the park despite their league position.

 

Is this the new match thread @sotonsaint

 

Hope we don’t do something silly here and slip up, like the Saints of old would do ....

 

No it isn’t! I’m tempted to close this one down to be honest.

 

Please don't then we can't mock @Le Tissier's Laces for wanting to sell Vestergaard for £2.

 

To be fair, a lot of us thought that would have been a reasonable fee back in July!

I wonder who our next undeserving scapegoat will be?

 

Djenepo, looking through Twitter.

Forster, Redmond, Stephens, Jannick ... now Djenepo I think.