Deadbat’s report on Saturday’s win over Hull City. Sheffield United`s new found confidence and resolve passed yet another test in spectacular fashion as they brushed aside the challenge of promotion contenders Hull City at Bramall Lane. The victory appeared straight forward and in reality it was comfortable but an examination of the facts shows that United actually played the entire second half with 10 men after Chris Morgan was sent off for two bookable offences on the stroke of half time. The fact that United dominated the second half after a largely even first half was testament to the both the skills of Kevin Blackwell and the bravery of United`s players. The manager chose to leave two strikers up front despite the loss of his captain and his gamble paid off handsomely as a wonder strike from Stephen Quinn and a penalty from the in form James Beattie sealed the three points.
In a game between arguably the two in form teams in the Championship, United began with only one change from the win at Turf Moor with John Halls back at right back in place of Derek Geary. Hull brought in David Livermore for the injured Wayne Brown and Manager Phil Brown left former Blade Dean Windass on the bench, starting with Caleb Folan and Frazer Campbell as his front pairing.
The game began at a frenetic pace but neither side could trouble either keeper with the first opening coming when the lively Campbell got away but his shot deflected and this took the sting out of the shot and it rolled into Kenny`s hands. Tonge offered United`s first opening as his strong run took him away from two players and he decided to let fly but his shot although powerful went over Myhill`s bar. Beattie then turned the ball over after a neat short corner routine between Quinn and Tonge. United were enjoying more of the game and were looking to get Cotterill involved at every opportunity. Clearly Hull had done their homework though and were effectively doubling up on the loanee. Hull offered their best chance when after a nice passage of play the ball fell for Marney but he volleyed well over when well positioned. Morgan was cautioned for a clumsy foul on Campbell and Livermore was then booked for bringing down Sharp as the game started to develop an edge to it. This was confirmed when Fagan chopped down Quinn and the Derby man was rightly booked but then continued to protest and was lucky not to have been given his marching orders. Beattie was continuing to cause problems with his strength and strong hold up play but United`s best chance came when Cotterill sent over an inviting cross and Sharp, well positioned, sent his header off target. Just before half time, the game threatened to be turned upside down as a long ball sent Campbell away. Kilgallon could not deal with the initial danger and Morgan tucked at Campbell`s shirt. The Hull player opted to stay on his feet and go on but after the initial advantage, the linesman continued to flag and after referee Dowd had consulted him, he opted to give Morgan his second yellow card before the inevitable red came out. Gary Speed took over the captain duties as Morgan left the field but not before leaving a parting shot for the linesman who had effectively ended his afternoon. Aswell as being down to ten, United now had to defend a free kick right on the edge of the box. Hull`s free kick specialist Dawson took it but it came to nothing and moments later the half time whistle came with United`s players and officials surrounding the officials as they left the field.
Surprisingly it was the dangerous Cotterill was that replaced by the expected incoming Ehiogu to shore up the backline but it was even more surprising that Blackwell appeared to have reverted to a 4-3-2 formation with Quinn becoming more central in midfield. Leaving two strikers up front was a gamble but it appeared to be working, as the side with ten men were very much in the ascendancy. United began superbly and after penning Hull back into their own half they created the first chance when Tonge sent over a brilliant cross towards Beattie and Sharp, but it was the latter who got there first and sent his header back across goal and seemingly into the net, but Myhill turned and brilliantly clawed the ball away with his left hand to deny Sharp the opening goal. United though managed to make there early second half dominance pay off when they deservedly took the lead. Hall`s diagonal ball was headed down by Beattie towards Quinn on the edge of the box but the midfielder had a lot to do if he wanted to direct a shot on goal with the ball dropping out of the air and a mass of bodies between him and the keeper. However, QUINN hit the ball sweetly on the volley with his favoured left foot and the ball arrowed high into the roof of the net past the despairing dive of Myhill who did not have a prayer of saving the ball. The diminutive Irish man whipped off his shirt in glee, hurling it skywards as his teammates mobbed him. Quinn was of course booked for his celebrations before the game restarted as Hull`s players still were left visibly shaking their heads at an unbelievable strike that had put them behind.
Hull threw on firstly Pedersen, for Fagan and then Windass for Dawson but it did not affect the flow of the game with United still the far better side. United had further half chances and continued to keep the ball well with Tonge and Speed now in complete control of the midfield. United then surged further ahead and it was the front two that combined again with Sharp winning the penalty that Beattie emphatically converted. Beattie flicked the ball on continuing his supremacy over Turner and Sharp got away from Livermore. After the defender had tried to pull him back in the first instance, he once again made contact bundling the striker to the floor. The penalty decision, made by the assistant referee who would have had a perfect view, was an easy one and was signalled instantly by him putting his flag across his chest. Hull barely protested and indeed were incredibly fortunate that Livermore was not given his second yellow of the afternoon. Unbelievably Dowd did not even motion the defender over to speak to him. BEATTIE carried out his usual spot kick routine that has served him so well, aside from the miss versus Leicester, and turned quickly from a short run up to smash the ball high past Myhill`s right hand and into the net. The goal gave United vital breathing space but in truth it was nothing more than they had deserved as they had dominated the second half. Despite having a man advantage Hull continued to disappoint and their passing in particular was woeful with the ball being given away or knocked into touch with great regularity. The hard working Sharp was given a standing ovation when he was replaced by Hulse who instantly caused problems with his willingness to chase lost causes as United continued to have more of the ball and more of the pressure. Hull did have a brief late flurry punctuated by a few corners and a decent free kick by Windass that Kenny turned away but their best chance fell after a scramble to Marney but the midfielder blazed wildly over. The visitors could feel their automatic promotion hopes slipping away and united saw out the extra 4 minutes of time out comfortably.
Player Ratings
Kenny 7/10
Do not think he actually had a significant save to make all game (one from Windass that was going wide). His distribution was usual mixed bag with some surprisingly good throw outs and then some awful ones, where he put players under pressure. His kicking was poor again especially from out of his hands where he struggles to often even send the ball to an area where a red and white shirt is. The only time he seemed to find a red and white shirt was when he almost pole axed a fan in the crowd as the kicked the ball into the stand on half time. At least he went to apologise.
Halls 7/10
Steady if not spectacular. He does not get forward much and in fact rarely left our half, even when we had 11, but his positional sense was better than it has been today. He made a fair few tackles, blocks and clearances and was a competent fill in for Geary.
Naysmith 8/10
Thought he played really well again today and continued his good form over the last few months. He made several excellent tackles and interceptions, defended sensibly and used the ball well when he had it. Set his standards now.
Kilgallon 7.5/10
Continued standards of all season for the most part and had a really good second half but loses half a mark for part in the sending off. He was at fault for the sending off in some ways, as it was his initial failure to cut the ball out aerially that saw Campbell in the clear. His partnership with Ehiogu was impregnable in the second half and they limited Hull very well to hardly a decent chance.
Morgan 5/10
He has played well post Xmas and has been solid for the most part getting back to the standards he displayed in his excellent Premiership campaign, but at times he can be a liability. Two daft bookings which were half down to the fact that Campbell was just too quick and half down to the fact that Morgan is too rash and dives in unnecessarily. He needs to use his brain at times and realise that sometimes players will be quicker and he needs to try and jockey them and not just hack them down. Basically he needs to cut down his bookings and red cards by concentrating on brain rather than brawn.
Speed 7.5/10
Had a dodgy start to the game and gave the ball away quite a bit but got stronger as the game went on and I felt he was one of our outstanding performers in the second half. He played some sublime cross-field balls and finally looked the class act I thought we had signed when he joined us. He showed a real range of passes, short and long and also won a lot of free kicks by getting his body in the right position and using his experience.
Tonge 8/10
Steady in the first half but really improved in the second half as he and Speed dominated midfield despite having inferior numbers in this particular area of the field. Tonge showed that when he runs at people he can cause real problems. Two or three times when urged on by the crowd he went at defenders and had shots that went just over or won us a corner. He needs to do this more as he has the skill and close control to draw more defenders and subsequently create more space for others. His passing out wide and also into the channels for the strikers was also very good in the second half. He put two or three good crosses in too from wide. The only negative was two corners that failed to beat the first man.
Cotterill 6.5/10
Had an ok first half but he did waste a couple of crosses. He also had a few good runs and crosses too and did look a threat as he has done most games in recent weeks. I thought it was an odd decision to take him off as he has been our most dangerous outlet and provider in recent months and Quinn had been totally ineffective. Shows what I know! I suppose with ten men he could be perceived, as a bit of a luxury player as defensively he will not give you that much.
Quinn 7/10
Had a bit of a ‘mare in the first half and I felt he may have been withdrawn but then he scores an absolute beauty and all of sudden the confidence emerges once again and he gets stronger and stronger, having a good second half performance, being involved in some of our better moves and working hard. The moment where he ran 30 or 40 yards to chase the defenders down and make Hull play it back to the keeper typified his work rate. He was asked to support the strikers and tuck into midfield where needed and he did this well. We just need more consistency from him. The goal was a strike that no keeper in the world would have saved and really was a tremendous strike.
Sharp 7.5/10
Worked very hard all game and his link up play with Beattie was good once again. It is a partnership that is really starting to flourish. He won the penalty by getting away from his man and getting goal side. Should have done better with a header towards the end of the first half but was unlucky with a header in the second half that Myhill saved brilliantly. He kept working hard and caused problems with his movement. His marker should have been dismissed which is a sign of a good performance by any attacker.
Beattie 8/10
Just a class act. His body strength allows him to win most balls into him, either in the air (so good considering he is not that tall) or to his chest or feet. He has worked really hard in recent weeks and his touch and overall play with and without the ball, is just Premiership class. His penalty was converted with rock solid confidence by a man in form and someone who I hope goes onto win the Golden Boot. Hopefully we can keep him, as he will be crucial to any promotion assault next season. His value at the moment is soaring considerably and I would not accept anything less than 7 or 8 million if indeed we had to sell (by that I mean Beattie`s choice may want to go and play back at Premiership level again as he may see it as a chance to get back into the England squad – I could not criticise him if he did want to leave). Anything less than the fee I mentioned though and I would tell teams to forget it but as I say I would try and move heaven and earth to keep him.
Ehiogu 7.5/10
As he did against Leicester, he did not let us down. He came on and looked dominant in the air and just did the basics of clearing his lines, mopping up and helping keep Hull at bay from the only time they really got near our goal; set pieces. He has played really well in the last two games he has played and despite looking quite ungainly he has been very effective and will get a deserved start next week with Morgan suspended.
Hulse
Thought he was hard done by in terms of the referee as he got buffered 2 or 3 times and was not given a free kick and then did one innocuous foul and was penalised. He worked hard when he came on and won the flick ons and chased balls into the channels. Going to be hard to see him feature much next year if Beattie remains and Sharp continues to play well. His main priority is to get his match fitness to optimum level and see if he can replicate how he played against Norwich last season.
Crowd
United
First half we did ok but nothing spectacular. We gave the ball away a bit too much and also I felt defensively we gave the front two way too much room. However, there were only half chances each way and the game was fairly scrappy. I felt we gave Hull a bit too much respect and sat off a bit but they could not take advantage, as they were not great either. However, the sending off of course threatened to change the whole course of the game. That it changed in United`s favour was a huge surprise. The decision riled the crowd and got them really behind the home side and we came out and took the game to Hull. Hull seemed quite shocked that United kept two up front and basically used attack as their best form of defence. Massive praise to Kevin Blackwell both for his change (would not have expected him to replace Cotterill) and for his positive tactics – employed 4-3-2 and basically went for the win instead of playing on the break. We actually dominated the second half and as others have remarked I had to count our players a few times to see which team it was that actually had ten men! Our midfield pairing of Tonge and Speed completely imposed themselves on Hull and their passing was superb in the second half getting the ball wide and supporting the front two when they could. Quinn buzzed around and made himself a nuisance and of course scored a tremendous goal. Also key to the second half was the work rate of the front two, Beattie and Sharp who really covered every inch of the frontline. Beattie even helped out defensively and also switched to the right wing for a period towards the end. Sharp was doing work in central midfield aswell. The centre backs helped nullify the Hull strikers and protected Paddy tremendously who did not have a save to make and had to be concerned perhaps only once, an effort from Marney. I did find it strange even before the sending off that Kilgallon often faced Folan and Morgan the quicker Campbell – this was addressed when Ehiogu came on who took Folan thereafter.
We played with no fear, the crowd got behind the team more and we just went for it after the red card that strangely helped us. I am not advocating this as a tactic though! It was a real team performance second half and United, as a club at their best, with difficult circumstances to overcome being reduced to ten men but with the crowd passionately behind them, players working their socks off, the team deservedly and remarkably comfortably won the game. Of course the playoffs are almost certainly gone now. Cannot see Palace (and others) failing to pick up a point from last two really. We really have just run out of games which is sad as if we had sneaked in, I think we would have had a great chance to go up via the playoffs being the in form team in the division. The only drama left probably is with our city neighbours and what we do when we go to Southampton (assuming we have nothing to play for). If Wednesday fail to win at Leicester next week (draw or lose) and assuming West Brom beat the Saints at home (nailed on I would say) then we could either save or relegate Wednesday although my pessimistic prediction is Wednesday draw next week, Southampton lose and then the Saints will be in the bottom three on goal difference going into the last game of the season. If Wednesday beat Norwich (which they will as Norwich have nothing to play for), then even if we lost to Southampton, Wednesday would stay up on goal difference, unless we lost like 12-0 or something!!! We wouldn`t would we?!!! The key is next week. If Wednesday lose they are in big trouble and will probably go down. It is shame that we are now looking at our neighbours more than ourselves and the feeling yesterday was one of happiness but also frustration that basically we got the wrong manager in the summer and regardless of whether it was Blackwell or someone else, if a new manager had been brought in around Christmas, we probably would be in the playoffs. I just hope next season the fans and players do not get carried away by the end of the season and we become complacent and have a bad start. We have to continue to work hard and keep performing at same high tempo. If we keep Beattie, add Cotterill and 2 or 3 others and keep performing, as we are then we will be in the shake-up next year I have no doubt. Famous last words I bet!
Hull
Really disappointed. They have been beating teams throughout the division and beating some of them easily with some high scoring wins too. They brushed Barnsley aside easily in the week and were on a great run. So it was strange to see such a lethargic performance considering they started the day in the automatic places and if they won would have one foot in the Premiership. They did not win challenges, did not pass the ball well, created little and looked poor at the back. Indeed, I cannot think of one player who played well for them. Campbell was lively in the first half and Folan a handful but they did nothing in the second half as Kilgallon and Ehiogu dominated them. The wide men did not trouble us with Fagan lucky to stay on the pitch and Hughes ineffective. I felt Marney and Ashbee were very poor in midfield and looked poor technically as they just did not keep the ball or give any service to the front players. At the back, Dawson and Ricketts really should have pushed on more with Hull having a man advantage but United played so well and forced them back. This was key to the win as it meant that effectively Hull could not make extra man pay which was one of the two full backs. United went 3 v 2 in centre of midfield and just left the full backs for Hull, at least in a defensive sense when United needed to get men behind the ball but the full backs offered nothing. Turner looked clumsy and reminiscent of the tall, gangly Leicester defenders we faced recently. Turner may be usually good in the air but today he did not win much and overall he really struggled with Beattie who was just too good and too clever for him. Alongside him Livermore was equally slow and clumsy and should have been sent off. His two fouls were worse than the two Morgan committed and of course he did not finish the game. I like their keeper Myhill, who has impressed me in recent seasons (actually saw him concede 5 versus the Blades in his debut at Valley Parade 5 years ago) and he made a great save from Sharp`s header in the second half. He is one of the few players they have that could play Premiership I feel. Campbell is maybe the other. Windass got a decent reception when he came on which I felt he appreciated. His beef was with Warnock over his non-selection at Cardiff not with United fans and equally United fans I suppose should have no real ill feeling towards him. Quite funny to see him having a running slanging match (in jest I think) with Kenny as he warmed up in the first half although Kenny should have been concentrating on the game of course.
I think West Brom and Stoke will go up now and Hull will be on the playoffs but I feel they will not go up. Maybe they had an off day but I fear if they did somehow go up they will ‘do a Derby` next year. They are woefully short on talent and top-level experience. I do not want to be too critical though as it was only one game I suppose and Phil Brown has done a great job. If they had been told they would be on the verge of automatic and a definite for the playoffs, their fans would have taken that without question at the start of the season. They have definitely overachieved so credit where credit is due. However, Brown`s comments were a bit pathetic at the end. He did admit we fully deserved our win but also said: “Their supporters were goading us towards the end but if they’d played like that all season then they’d be the top team in Yorkshire, but they’re not, we are.“ I could argue about the fact Hull is technically not in Yorkshire but aside from this what a sore loser. They lost the game and United fans celebrated. That is football.
Crowd
Another excellent crowd helped by 5,000 travelling fans from Hull and a really good atmosphere. After the red card it was the United fans that love the ‘underdog` tag that cranked up the noise levels and really helped inspire the team. There was no way that the officials would not give a penalty after the first half incident such was the noise the Kop made when Sharp went to ground. The visiting fans were noisy in the first half but were as expected subdued in the second half with United on top. It was strange to see one fan decide to march onto the pitch and several other fans had altercations with stewards in the lower tier near the John Street side. It seemed as if stewards had felt some of the fans were not acting in the best interests of health and safety (standing on seats or in aisles and coming down steps near to the pitch and near to the United fans) but some of their fans opposed being told what to do so several skirmishes ensued. After the game there was an incident in and around the Sportsman on Denby Street with Hull and United fans clashing too. The last two games have not been the best in terms of incidents between two sets of fans which is a shame as it has marred two superb atmospheres at Bramall Lane which has seen the ground either full or nearly full and really good noise levels emanating around the stands.