Sheffield Utd 1-0 West Ham Utd (10/01/20)

[Billydinho]

The Moyes Effect.

Still, it was a good appointment right? We were running before we could walk?

[Billydinho]

Having looked at it three or four times, I reckon their goal was as much down to Balbuena changing his mind as it was to David Martin.

We also missed a few sitters: Lanzini not given the ball to a totally unmarked Haller being the biggest and, I'm afraid that Noble just wasn't at the races. He was caught in possession a few times and played the whole game as if he was wearing concrete boots.

I think a draw would have been a fair result and the powers that be really do need to change this ridiculous accidental handball rule.

Their goal was 100% down to Balbuena however I’d have expected a keeper to have kep McBurnie’s effort out.

However, the rigidity, the natural defensive nature of three at the back with one up front? The wingers spending more time in their half than ours, the isolations of Haller.

That is all management.

[aaronhammer]

Just back home. Stupid ****ing handball law! Yes VAR implemented the law but it’s an awful, awful law. Other way round it wouldn’t have been a free kick or penalty if in the box, so why is it enough to disallow a goal. Awful!

Still I guess if we go down by 1 point we’ve now got grounds to sue Sheffield United as if their player hadn’t have headed the ball at Rice’s arm we would stay up...

Was satisfied with the first half and thought we were slightly the better of 2 not great but hardworking teams. We were not good in the 2nd half as they seemed to want it more but still we carved some good chances out. A mistake cost us a goal and ultimately a point. Moyes should’ve given Fornals more time on the pitch too. A point wouldn’t have been undeserved.

[Unlucky Alf]

The official result of that match may be 1-0 Sheffield United but as far as I'm concerned that goal in the 92nd minute was good and we drew 1-1. Well played boys for fighting your way back into the match effectively down to ten men.

[Ironing Board]

Don’t you just hate posts from people who don’t understand football at all, people that have probably never played the game so don’t appreciate the difference between losing 4-0 to losing 1-0, you don’t even have to have a degree in maths to work that one out

If anything this game could have a galvanizing effect. The players will have fire in their bellies after getting robbed of a precious point in that fashion.

[SEAHammer]

VAR again not the problem, the rules were implemented correctly, the problem is the idiots at UEFA, the FA and the EPL who gave such ridiculous guidelines for this season ... accidental handball is accidental, clue is in the name ... if in doubt the striker MUST get the verdict, same goes for these millimetre off-sides, if less than 30 cm's then the striker gets the OK ...

As for their goal, how the keeper gets blamed when Balbuena was at fault? beats me but all the papers have slaughtered the lad.

A decent battling effort and a point would have been good value, but blimey do we lack quality.

[Doylaz]

Their goal was 100% down to Balbuena however I’d have expected a keeper to have kep McBurnie’s effort out.

However, the rigidity, the natural defensive nature of three at the back with one up front? The wingers spending more time in their half than ours, the isolations of Haller.

That is all management.

Bore off, we have looked much better under Moyes. Our shape is much improved and we are actually going into each game with a game plan. Try and get behind the manager rather than write him off straight away.

[Bonzos4Lagers]

Opinions, eh?

I thought we deserved a point. The fundamental reason I don't like VAR is that it's not the same game played at Sunday league. I used to love the fact that, essentially, the WC Final was the same basic contest with the same laws as Hackney Marshes. You can't claim that any more.

Observations . . . I thought Balbuena has to take half the blame for their goal.
Haller could do so much more for the team - he's just not a willing runner IMHO. Someone needs to light him up.
Anderson has to start taking players on - that was his principal attraction when we signed him, right?
Zabaleta is where our attacks go to die.
Rice was excellent.
We have to stop flopping. Imagine a team that doesn't fall down at every opportunity, doesn't expect a whistle but just gets on with it and fights like a pack of crazed dogs (all within the laws of the game). So much energy wasted in falling over and protesting. So tiresome.
I saw enough tonight to suggest that we'll be OK, but it will be a fight - no doubt about that.
COYI

[simon hammer]

Win some, lose some.

Onwards and upwards, COYI.

[Beavis Danzig]

not a fan of moyes or how he negatively sets up his teams, but this was a 100% nailed on loss under pellegrini too.

[The Old Mile End]

Thought I saw enough fight from that side to know things have changed for the better since the new man came in. Had the goal been allowed, it was a point wrestled by a team that fought the to the final whistle. Reminiscient of his Everton side. I've got no problem with that.

Despite all that, we still fail to take advantage of Haller in the game. We have one of the fittest centre forwards we have had for years, and yet we knacker him by forcing him to come deep into play just to get a touch of the ball. You can see his frustration as time and time again we fail to get the ball into the box. So many crossing opportunities are not taken by the man on the ball. Often we back away and sometimes even go back to the keeper from an advanced positions. And when we do cross, sometimes they are either on the floor, or so poor that the only person troubled is the ball boy. This is an area that has been poor all season and really needs to be improved on. It is here that we miss Antonio. His unpredictability upsets defenders and he generally brings Haller into play much more often.

Long way to go yet and Moyes needs to be given this season and next before we can judge him IMHO.

[PlaistowIron]

Noble didn’t look fit to me. No doubt rushed back due to a lack of alternatives.

If we could’ve got any sort of control in the middle of the park, we could’ve done a lot more. Sheffield United weren’t great, and it’s a shame it’s another individual error that’s ultimately cost us a point.

It’s going to be a long battle to stave off relegation. Let’s hope the team are up for the fight.

[pezza20]

I think there are a lot of unbalanced views on here - more so on Moyes selection and tactics.

I wasn't a lover of Moyes, but he has us playing with more intensity and desire, and at least sets the team up to both defend and attack.

Last night should have been a draw, but wasn't - let's face it if someone smashes a ball at you from 3 yards as you are running and it hits your arm how an earth can it be handball? VAR is the antichrist of football in this regard.

On the game itself, we competed well first half, which was even except we had the best chance to take the lead. We also went far too long. Second half I thought Shef Utd edged it in terms of possession but we had three gilt edged chances and fluffed our lines, whereas they had 2, one of which was scored from. For me we were unlucky to lose out on a point and on balance of chances maybe could have got all 3. Bad error for their goal, and typical of West Ham, but the response was encouraging and I still think we will scrape over the line.

Negatives were the midfield looked slow and ponderous all game, both Noble and Zaba were very poor getting forward and it was noticable that we only looked livelier when Snods and Fornals came on - Fornals I felt should have come on on 60 mins for Noble. Also seemed to take us too long to adapt to the 4-4-2 when he changed it. I think if he is going to do that it should be at half time.

Anyway on to the next one, and at least there are green shoots. Antonio should be back which gives us more pace, and Moyes would have had another week to work on the 2 systems.

[PlaistowIron]

I think there are a lot of unbalanced views on here - more so on Moyes selection and tactics. I wasn't a lover of Moyes, but he has us playing with more intensity and desire, and at least sets the team up to both defend and attack.

What he said...

[Burnley Hammer]

We need strong midfield players that are able to compete and drive forward with the ball. They weren't doing that today. Anderson was the best midfielder on the pitch by a country mile.

[chappo59]

Haller winds me up. I really think he can’t be ****ed.
Lanzini gets the ball from that slip and Haller can’t be bothered to work to get into the correct position. Nice ball comes in and Haller doesn’t work hard enough to get into a position where he can get a good connection. He instead pretty much puts in into the ground with his face. Good balls put through to him and he jogs around. Look at Mousset. Any similar ball and he’s giving 100% to chase it or get into the right position.

If Haller is who we are relying on we are in massive trouble.

^^^^^^^ This 100%

[rciron]

This ones really done me how can football seem so crap compared to A few years ago in that last season at the Boleyn. Clubs rotten from top to bottom, they might be a flash in the pan and probably are but sheff United seemed so much more up for it than us.
**** VAR
**** the Olympic stadium
**** the so called next level
**** GSB
Really think going down might be best in the long run, we remind me of how Sunderland was a few seasons ago, just barely surviving year after year while aiming for nothing. This is no fun anymore we’re rotten as a club from top to bottom.

this

[Crouchend_Hammer]

I know he is 'one of us' but their goal is Martin''s fault. Goalkeepers responsibility to clear the ball. If he wants to pass it to Balbuena he needs to tell him or Balbuena asks for it. He should have saved the shot as well.
He knows it was his fault as he was apologising to the away end at the end
If that had been Roberto there would be no one defending him

Back to the game. We set our stall out for a point from the start and didn't get one. We didn't have a shot on target until the Lanzini free kick in about 70 mins

All very Moyes.

I don't understand all these comments that we would have defo lost under Pelligrini or we would have lost by 3. Excluding the games where Roberto played we didn't let in that many goals under him, and at least we usually scored

Let's see if the strategy of keeping hold of the point we have at kick off will work or not for the rest of the season...it won't be much fun that's for sure

[Swiss Pauli]

I think Moyes got the shape right, but Cresswell was the wrong choice at CB given they play two big lads up front.

Fornals being benched was odd. Unless he had a knock then he should have started ahead of Lanzini.

Noble was dreadful. Simply too slow to make any defensive impact and did next to nothing with the ball.

I wonder if Moyes will try to convert Snodders to LWB. His set pieces were outrageously good.

We were too slow on the ball: by taking a touch rather than play first time balls we let them close us down.

The luck we had against Bournemouth went to Sheff U last night.

[Brown Sauce]

Don’t let VAR cloud the issue.

Awful performance from start to finish. Only chances created were two mistakes from them.
Midfield was constantly out run and out fought.

Two injuries and we’ve got a 34 year old trying to play wingback and a keeper who shouldn’t be anywhere near the first team.

Chickens coming home to roost.