[jjamez]

Well Town 'bounced' back from their thrashing at the hands of Fulham with a resounding 1-0 win over Preston... who we kidding, it was a crap performance all-round and it would come as a surprise to no one if both sides were in the battle at the wrong end of the table come the end of the season. Town started off slowly and went through the motions throughout the game, despite going through the motions it never really led anywhere, with the side struggling to conjure any glimmer of a chance in the final third. Preston had a few chances with Naby Sarr clearing one of the line, with another effort being fired straight at the returning Lee Nicholls, other than that, it was largely high wide and not at all handsome also the name of my autobiography, available at all decent charity shops

The second half was slightly less turgid, with Town having a few moments of spark, mainly through Sorbet Thomas, his pace and desire to run at and past defenders made him a threat throughout the game and he caused ripples amongst the North End defence. Early in the second half his whipped cross evaded everyone, mainly because the box was in the large part vacant with Campbell arriving half hour late the ball. At the other end the Preston fans were being treat to nothing of note and if anything it was just wide and high efforts. There was somehow a goal as Koroma slipped the ball through for Duane Holmes who as cool as mint waiting for Sep Van den Burg to melt as he calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner past his own goalkeeper. After that Town went more defensive than a politician being rumbled by Jeremy Paxman, whilst the Preston players knowing they needed to start attacking, refrained from doing so, with Town getting the next two and arguably the final two chances of the game, Sorbet hit the post after a fine move down the left, whilst Koroma, operating as a striker got behind the North End defence but dragged his effort wide. Apart from a heart in mouth moment for Nicholls when he came to punch clear but failed and Sarr decided to kick the ball at Turtons arse, Town saw out the win, but in truth it was a poor match and the win really papers over the cracks as opposed to solving any issues. I personally don't see either manager being in charge of the respective clubs come the end of the season.



Our hosts on Saturday suffered the same fate as we did in the Premier League, the dreaded second season syndrome, they finished bottom with 23 points and former Leeds manager Paul Heckingbottom in charge. He has since reverted back to his previous role as under 23's manager and been replaced by former Fulham and Watford boss Slavisa Jokanovic who joined the club from Qatari side Al-Gharafa. So far it has been a poor start for the Serb at Bramall Lane, with the blades sitting in the bottom 3 on just the one point.

They began the season live on Sky in front of fans and the cameras at Bramall Lane against Birmingham City. Maxime Collin scored the opener and what would prove to be the only goal as Brum managed to hold out despite Sheffield United throwing Oli McBurnie, Rhian Brewster and Billy Sharp as they chased the equaliser. United had 16 shots on goal during the game, but only hit the target twice. A younger Sheffield side played Carlisle in the League Cup and ran out 1-0 victors, Rhian Brewster scoring his first goal for the club since his £23 million pound move last year. They picked up their sole point of the campaign away at Swansea, where the two sides played out a 0-0 draw, both sides struggling to work the opposition keeper. United came into the game more in the latter stages as Swansea began to tire, but were unable to make the most of any opportunities. On Wednesday they travelled to the Hawthornes to meet fellow relegated side West Brom. Michael Verrips made his United league debut in goal as England stopper Aaron Ramsdale looks set to join Arsenal, just days after Jokanovic told the media he wasn't for sale. The Dutch keeper had a night to forget as he conceded 4 goals, his defence not helping him much to begin with as former Liverpool defender Jack Robinson scored an own goal. A mistake of his own allowed defender Dara O'Shea to score early in the second half before former Barnsley midfielder Alex Mowatt scored his first for his new club. Callum Robinson, a former Blade himself that was sent to the Hawthornes as part of the Ollie Burke deal sealed the rout as he converted from a Darnell Furlong long throw.

They'll be looking to bounce back from the heavy defeat and will no doubt have had a rocket from the manager following the game, it's likely that we will see a few changes from the Blades with the likes of Burke, Mcburnie and Brewster all gunning for a start to try and kickstart Uniteds campaign. At the other end of the pitch it is probably going to be as you were, with former Derby full back Max Lowe a possible candidate to replace Robinson, whilst former Preston Ben Davies has just signed and could be thrown in at centre half. They've played a couple of different formations so far this season, starting with a good old fashioned 4-4-2 but most recently playing 4-3-3. With Town looking likely to go with 3 at the back again, it is possible that they will look to stick with the 4-3-3 and go with 3 out and out strikers for our defenders to contend with and use attacking full backs as width.

With the Blades just coming down from the Premier League, they still have numerous quality players, yes, even we did on the face of it when we came down, its just they did everything they could to prove they didn't want to be here or in this division, but unsurprisingly have ended up back in this division anyway unless they went abroad. In regards to transfers, they have been fairly quiet with the incomings, with Ben Davies being the sole new signing so far. Whilst relegation has seen defenders Phil Jagielka and Kean Bryan leave the club, Jagielka going on to sign for Derby. John Lundstram moved to Rangers, Jack Rodwell was released, whilst Simon Moore moved to Coventry.



But which Blades could be the sharpest of the set?

1- Sander Berge- Norwegian midfielder who stands above 6 foot tall. He joined in a big money move from KRC Genk in Belgium back in January 2020. He has been tipped to make the move back into the Premier League this summer with the likes of Arsenal believed to be circling the 23 year old. Generally looks to sit deeper and bring other players into play, he'll need to be monitored or he could run the game.



2- Rhian Brewster- Why include a guy who has struggled to find the net the last season? Mainly the campaign before where he scored 10 for Swansea on loan, sure not mind blowing, but enough to convince United to spend the big bucks on him. He's been highly rated since his time at Liverpool, perhaps the big fee got to him a little bit, but if he gets past the figure and gets his confidence back on the pitch, he could be one of the deadlier marksmen in this division.



3- Ben Osborn- Not the most stand out of candidates from the United squad, but he's a versatile, all action player that I wanted Town to sign when we first got promoted. Capable of playing anywhere down the left and in the centre of midfield, the Derby born midfielder has featured in every game so far this campaign. Made his name back at Nottingham Forest way back in the 14/15 season he consistently played 30+ games for the Reds before moving to South Yorkshire, he found the step up initially difficult, but will have a point to prove back in the Championship.



As for Town, Matty Pearson and Danny Ward both took ill on Tuesday, so depending on the severity of the illnesses, they both could possibly be missing on Saturday, with Tom Lees having stood in adequately for Pearson, he'll be looking at filling in again, although it remains to be seen whether he can play the full 90. Danny Ward if fit will probably find himself sat on the bench, with Rhodes and Campbell looking at taking the starting berth, it'll probably be Campbell who gets the look in, Otherwise, baring any late transfers or injuries, I don't see there being any other changes.

Corberan talk

"Matty Pearson was feeling dizzy after the warm up on Tuesday. Yesterday he had a scan, his results were fine. We're going to see how he feels today."

"Danny Ward came off because he was having heart palpitations. He's had some tests and he is okay. We'll see how he feels today to see if he'll be available tomorrow."

"Harry Toffolo has done two days of training. He could be an option for the squad. Josh Ruffels won't be available, he needs longer."

"I was pleased on Tuesday. After a defeat like Fulham it can mean you lose a bit of confidence and that only comes back little by little with the passage of minutes and time. Over time we'll find a way to compete and perform better."

"It's true we need to create more chances. You're not going to do it every time you get the ball, but that's our target and we want to attack better and play with more confidence."

"The strikers are involved, but we need to bring them in more and create more chances in the box for them. If you have to play long you need to win second balls to create chances.

"You have to take Tom Lees' circumstances into account. He hadn't played any minutes before Tuesday. The intention was to play him on Wednesday, but he had to play Tuesday instead."

"Although Tom Lees arrived to the game without enough time with the team, you could see that his self-demands and professionalism were high, which meant he could compete and put in a good performance."

"Sheffield United are a high level of opponent. I think over the season they will prove that, but we know we need to compete on Saturday."

"Pipa has been out for a long time and hasn't really trained with the team. We'll assess him today and if all goes well he will start working with the team on Sunday."

"Rolando Aarons missed pre-season with his knee, but played for the B Team on Wednesday. Aaron Rowe is not ready yet."

"Danel Sinani's minutes with the B Team were positive. He showed that he's a player that has something different. That's why we brought him to the Club, he's versatile."

"We need to manage lots of game situations better. The game is full of game situations where you can grow. We want to be solid and aggressive in defence and brave on the ball and go on the attack."

"You need to see how your team is and not limit your players with your formation. The players are the most important thing. We need to find the best solution for each individual game."

The two sides have met on numerous occasions, with Town winning 41, drawing 35 and losing 29. The most recent of those being one of the more memorable matches, well, in the end, not that what happened in the vast majority of the game lives long in the memory. Yes it is the play off final, I can't actually remember much from that day, other than it was warm and we had a couple of chances into extra time that we fluffed, otherwise it is just the penalties. Town began by missing their first 3 spot kicks, all from the more seasoned campaigners, the rest I'll leave to this video



The same season, both teams won away from home. Town sitting in third won 3-0 at Bramall Lane, thanks to a brace from Lee Novak and a collectors item of a goal from Oscar Gobern. Novak put Town ahead in the 20th minute when he slotted home after Steve Simonsen parried Danny Ward's effort. Novak fired in a second when the United defence failed to clear their lines before Gobern headed in Ward's corner from close range. The reverse fixture saw the Blades win 1-0, Neil Collins scored after just 5 minutes from a corner, whilst Jordan Rhodes hit the post, with Sean Morrison seeing one cleared off the line. The game proved to be the last in charge for Lee Clark as Dean Hoyle sacked him from his Chateaux in the French Alps or wherever it was, his replacement Simon Grayson would lead Town through the playoffs mentioned above.



Since then, both sides have not met in a competitive fixture, with the Blades wallowing in League one for a number of seasons, whilst Town battled relegation in the Championship. The tables turned for Town when they appointed a German American as manager, whilst for the Blades it was the appointment of a local boy and former United player Chris Wilder. He was appointed back in 2016 from League 2 side Northampton, whom he had just guided to promotion. Come the end of the 16/17 campaign he had got another promotion to his CV as he guided Sheffield United to the Championship, at the same time Town were just getting promoted via the play offs once again. Both teams playing at a higher level survived, with United comfortably finishing 10th in the league. The second season in the Championship, Wilder would lead the Blades back to the promised land, with United finishing second behind Daniel Farke's Norwich. Town would be relegated from the Premier League. The first season back in the Premier League for the Blades saw them take it by storm with some surprise results against some of the bigger teams, beating the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea leading to a 9th place finish. The dreaded second season syndrome kicked in and Wilders tenure ended after a 2-0 defeat at home to Southampton.

So whats the story with tomorrows venue?

As the largest stadium in Sheffield during the 19th century, it hosted most of the city's most significant matches including the final of the world's first football tournament, first floodlit match and several matches between the Sheffield and London Football Associations that led to the unification of their respective rules. It was also used by Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield F.C. for major matches. It has been the home of Sheffield United since the club's establishment in 1889. It is the oldest major stadium in the world still to be hosting professional association football matches. It is one of only two grounds (the other being the Oval) which has hosted England football internationals (five games prior to 1930), an England cricket test match (a single Test, in 1902, against Australia) and an FA Cup Final (the 1912 replay, in which Barnsley beat West Bromwich Albion, 1–0). It also regularly hosted FA Cup semi-finals and replays between 1889 and 1938.

A scorecard for you

Bramall Lane is located in the district of Highfield, south of Sheffield city centre. Heading south from Junction 4 of the A61 Sheffield Inner Ring Road which surrounds the city centre.

On match days Bramall Lane closes off to most traffic shortly before and after matches, with traffic diverted to Shorham Street, or towards London Road or onto the A61. This is to ensure the safety of the public, as Bramall Lane is a main road labelled as the A621 and the turnstiles on Bramall Lane are only a few metres away from the road. Also this enables the away fans' coaches and team coaches to approach/leave the stadium unimpeded.

Sheffield railway station is under a mile from the ground, as is Sheffield Interchange.

Sheffield's light rail tram network runs east of the ground. The nearest stops are: Granville Road/Sheffield College or Park Grange Croft. Both stops are 0.5 miles walking distance and either stops can be used in both directions. The ground is also visible from the viaduct which connects the two stops. The Blue route and the Purple route serve these stops. Both routes go to/from the city centre.

There are bus links outside the ground with bus stops on Shoreham Street and Bramall Lane. Other bus stops located near the ground are on Charlotte Road, Queens Road and London Road. All buses from these locations will go to/from the city centre.

The post code for the ground for anyone driving is Bramall Ln, Highfield, Sheffield S2 4SU. 

Unfortunately general parking is not available at the ground on a matchday. Please be aware that the surrounding areas are controlled by pay and display or permit holder only restrictions.

Recommended Car Parking
APCOA Car Park
Eyre Street
Sheffield, S1 4QW

Parking costs just £5 and can be booked at the following link:
www.apcoa.co.uk/parking-in/sheffield/the-moor/
Please use promo code: SUFCDAY



Now as a bit of a change from the norm, the played for both quiz will be a link. So I'll give you the some of the clubs they played for in order, from any stage of their career, you've got to decide who it is. So for example, if I said Melbourne City, Manchester City, Huddersfield, Brighton, Shanghai SIPG. The player would be Aaron Mooy.

I may throw a curve ball in and not even include United or Town in the list, just to be sneaky. Also I'm only counting permanent clubs, not loans, unless it was to one of the two clubs

1) Peterborough, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield United, Huddersfield=

2) Sunderland, Sheffield United, Ipswich, Bristol City, Huddersfield=

3) Man United, Huddersfield, Reading, Brighton, Sheffield United=

4) Liverpool, QPR, Huddersfield (loan), Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United=

5) Leicester City, Wolves, Fulham, Sheffield United, Town=

6) Portsmouth, Coventry, Barnsley, Town, Middlesbrough=

7) Liverpool, Sheffield United (loan), Town, Wolves=

8) Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, Watford, Sheffield United, Leeds=

9) Chester, Chesterfield, Stockport, Sheffield United, Town=

10) Everton, West Ham, Aston Villa, Everton, Portsmouth=


And just to round it off, a few anagrams for you

1) Hairy arm urge

2) Jaws hoe

3) Jay shorn horn

4) Documentary washes

5) Its venom sense

[theo_luddite]

Another top effort there jjamez - Ill come back for the anti-grams after going for necessary supplies for the weekend. Hopefully Snoots won't hve finished them all.

Under normal circumstances I'd have gone to this but the performance's at Derby and home to Fulham meant that I took a Wakey type decision and decided the £50+ quid for ticket, train (or fuel) and food/drink is better placed in my bank account right now. The win v Both Ends didn't change my mind for a second. I doubt we'll feature much on Sky during the afternoon, though I doubt they are allowed to show goals as they go in on Saturday afternoon anymore anyway. It is on TV/Streaming sites all over the world and could prove to be a good cure for insomnia this one.

[theo_luddite]

1) Hairy arm urge - Harry Maguire

2) Jaws hoe - Joe Shaw

I'll let Snoots and the rest have a go now.

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3) Man United, Huddersfield, Reading, Brighton, Sheffield United=Ollie Norwood

7) Liverpool, Sheffield United (loan), Town, Wolves=Conor Coady

[Lord Snooty]

Nice one, jjamez.

I remember the cricket field at Brammall Lane. When I first went with my dad in the late 60s, it was still there. Looked really odd at a football ground. But then they built that main stand over it.

[theo_luddite]

Back end of the cricket field was still there for a few years I seem to recall.

[Lord Snooty]

Nice to see the Dewsbury lad Scott High being picked for the Scottish u21s. He qualifies for them because his full name is Scottish Highlands.

[theo_luddite]

Arsenal have finally signed Dinsdale, sorry, Ramsdale.

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Nice to see the Dewsbury lad Scott High being picked for the Scottish u21s. He qualifies for them because his full name is Scottish Highlands.

It's close enough to be true. Rhodes qualified because of a few years at junior school.

[Lord Snooty]

4) Liverpool, QPR, Huddersfield (loan), Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United = Jack Robinson

6) Portsmouth, Coventry, Barnsley, Town, Middlesbrough = Martin Cranie

---

5) Its venom sense - Steve Simonsen

[ritchiebaby]

4 is Harry Johnson

[theo_luddite]

Team news if it helps



Town bring Pearson back in for Lees