Discussion Forum

Sheff Utd v Boro
 

Sheff Utd v Boro

78 Posts
19 Users
386 Likes
1,316 Views
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 1278
Topic starter  

THIS. IS. HUGE.

Yes, there are still lots of games to go and yes, a win, a draw or a defeat guarantees nothing but Sheffield United v Boro (Tuesday, 7.45pm KO) has the feel of a pivotal game in the play-off picture.

Boro’s hard-fought and feisty victory over Luton at the weekend – our ninth consecutive home win in all competitions - coupled with Sheffield Utd’s Friday night draw against Forest has set this rearranged game up perfectly with Boro occupying the final Championship play-off spot and Sheffield Utd just one place and one point below them.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the two sides’ records so far are very similar, with Boro having won and lost one more game than The Blades. We’ve both scored 45 goals. Boro have conceded one more.

The hosts expected a good season this year following relegation from the Premier League but made a slow start under Slavisa Jokanovic. With the South Yorkshire club limping along in 16th spot in late November, Paul Heckingbottom took the reins and the club haven’t looked back, picking up an outstanding 31 points from just 12 games.

Over the season, they’ve only won half of their home games - 8 from 16 - compared to Boro’s 12 from 18 but those wins have been coming in recent months with The Blades third in the home form table.

Boro’s away form has been below par. We’ve only won one of our last six away games and only four all season. The Championship away table has Boro down in 18th which really highlights the Riverside run. This would be quite the game to add to that away tally and significantly strengthen our play-off prospects.

The good news for Boro is that our better away performances have often come in these pressure-cooker games against the better sides. We’ve played 6 of the top 10 away from home and picked up 8pts from those games as well as a handy point away at West Brom, who were involved at the top at the time. They say a point away from home is usually a good one and Boro have generally averaged that against the better sides.

No-one would love an away win more than former Blades boss, Chris Wilder, of course. The lifelong Sheffield United fan had a glorious spell in charge of the hosts transforming them from League One languishers to Premier League party-poopers with the swashbuckling style that Boro fans are now enjoying. Wilder’s relationship with the United board turned sour in their second Premier League season and he left his boyhood club with a heavy heart in March 2021, ending five incredible years at Bramall Lane. Sheffield’s loss has been Boro’s gain and now Wilder returns for the first time for what will surely be a pleasant reception.

There can be no room for sentiment, though. Heckingbottom’s run has seen the Blades dispatch promotion rivals Fulham, Luton, West Brom and Blackburn whilst also avoiding defeat to Huddersfield and Forest. They are a serious threat to our ambitions and will fancy extending their form against their former boss.

The evergreen Billy Sharp, now 36, remains their main goal threat. He has notched 14 this season and also tops their assist charts with 7, though it’s midfielder Oliver Norwood who has created the most chances overall with 43, only 3 of which have been converted. Indeed, looking at the stats, Norwood could well be the key man to shackle as he has completed nearly double the number of passes of any of his teammates and looks likely to be the orchestrator, even if he doesn’t score many or play the final pass.

It's a similar story at Boro in some ways as Isiah Jones has double the number of assists (8) as second-placed Marcus Tavernier (4), yet Tav is out in front in terms of chances created (56) compared to next-best Crooks (40) and Jones (35). Sorry – I just had to find a way to shoehorn in some praise for Tav!

So, there’s very little between the sides overall but despite Boro’s excellent home results, the form is with Sheffield Utd. This should be a tense tussle with a bit of added emotion via the Chris Wilder backstory. A draw would be a good one for Boro you feel but a win for either side could take them up to 4th in the table – it’s so tight, it’s so tense.

I can’t wait.

This topic was modified 2 years ago by Andy R

Martin Bellamy
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 1094
 

It’s finger nail nibbling stuff at the moment isn’t it?  Thanks for the starter, Andy. 


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2247
 

Thanks Andy for the nail biting starter.

I will take a point now but fear the blades may edge it.  

A win really would be the icing on the cake and change dreams to belief! 😎


   
ReplyQuote
Powmill-Naemore
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 1335
 

Thanks for setting the tone so well Andy.

Like quite a few others, I have this down as a draw in the Emil Challenge. What would I give to be wrong and for us to steal away with 3 points. But on the other hand how disappointing will it be if the Blades win.

You are right about this game feeling as if it will be pivotal. All the same, even losing will not be the end of our challenge.

I fancy that we might win, but I am sticking with my original prediction and expect the spoils to be shared on the night. Tuesday evening can't come around quickly enough...

CoB


   
ReplyQuote
Pedro de Espana
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 1120
 

Great Headliner Andy. Thank you.

Blink and you can drop a few places if the results go against you.

Stats are one thing, form and points on the board are another. We still are not creating enough, and a much as Boro were reasonably comfortable against Luton, it could be argued that they had more goal scoring chances and Lumley saved the day.

CW continues to believe (I assume) that Connolly and Balogun will come good, he is certainly talking them up, which you cannot disagree with. However in my opinion they are not yet delivering the goods in terms of contribution and more importantly goals. Deleriad’s post summed that up well.

So Tuesday night. I have the Boro down for a defeat, basically because of inconsistent poor away form. Unless something changes dramatically then our play off place will be lost also. 


Ken Smith
Mr
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2132
 

Sheffield Utd have failed to score 4 times and only scored once in 5 of their home matches this season, thus if Boro can score one maybe that will be enough for at least a share of the spoils.


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 643
 

It's another Biggest Match of the Season (TM). In theory, Sheffield Utd are under a bit more pressure for a win than us. They are behind us and a draw keeps it that way. They really have to beat us. If they lose, doubts will creep in them for them. From our point of view, a draw keeps us ahead of a direct rival but risks us dropping out of the play-off places depending on results elsewhere. No pressure then.

Depending on fitness and who's available I can see Wilder making 1 or 2 changes ahead of an incredibly intense run of away matches. Conversely I can see him sticking with Connolly and Balogun as starters; I think he thinks that one goal for either of them may spark them up a level.

Oddly, I have a feeling that we come out on top of this. I think Sheffield Utd may be dreading this match: they have been on a fantastic run but it's going to come to an end at some point so Bramall Lane may be edgy. 


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 1278
Topic starter  

I think Boro’s recent away defeats at Bristol City and Barnsley have both been games where we were expected to win or at least not lose.

Conversely we drew in 90mins at Man Utd and also picked up a point at QPR - games when we weren’t expected to win.

The first half at Blackburn was shocking but we should have got point in the second half and prior to that our away form wasn’t bad at all with wins at Blackpool and Huddersfield and draws at Stoke and West Brom.

This game certainly fits into the Blackburn/QPR/Man Utd set more than the others and that might suit us. I’m certainly not going into the game full of dread.

That said, I did predict a defeat for us in the  Exmil Challenge.

This post was modified 2 years ago by Andy R

jarkko
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2161
 

@Andy thanks for the starter. Appreciated as always.

I predicted a draw in my entry for the Annual Exmill Challenge Cup First Round. I hope I am wrong and we get three points tomorrow.

On 13 March 2021, Wilder left Sheffield United by mutual consent, with the club bottom of the Premier League, with 14 points from 28 games. So it was just a year ago (next Sunday). So it will be a tense match in more ways than one.

I think the opposition is quite different than the one Wilder left behind.  They have already the second manager down there after him and they also got relagated which has changed the team as well.

But I am sure Wilder has something in his sleeve and if we start well, we could upset the home team. Nothing is lost yet if we lost this game thought but I would be nice to get some more distance to United if we won.

So I will go for a 0-2 win now. But my back up in thre Exmill Cup is a draw. Just hope we avoid a defeat and fight like at Riverside in resent matches. Up a Boro! 

This post was modified 2 years ago 5 times by jarkko

Site Creator
Joined: 7 years ago
Posts: 2230
 

Thanks for another excellent match preview Andy and this certainly could be a key fixture for Boro's play-off push - win and it could give us a decent cushion over the Blades and possibly fourth spot as both Blackburn and QPR start to wobble a little. Indeed, with the trip to in-form Millwall at the weekend a victory would ease the pressure on that other massive game.

Though the Championship promotion race is starting to come to the boil with perhaps 12 teams still in contention - it's a bit like one of those 10,000 metres races where the fancied runners are jockeying to get into a good position with a few laps left. Hopefully, Boro have the legs to kick on and opening up a gap before the international break allows everyone to regroup and rest tiring limbs.

While the FA Cup run has lifted spirits and gave the team the confidence to believe they can beat anyone - it is a double-edged sword as it also kicks the fixture congestion, already added to by earlier Covid cancellations, down the road.

The quarter-final against Chelsea has seen the game against Cardiff shunted from the weekend before the international break to another midweek slot on 26 April - with that cancelled fourth-round league fixture against Fulham now being played on Wednesday 6 April. Should Boro actually progress against Chelsea by seeing off another PL club, the scheduled slot for the semi-final is actually the Easter weekend - where Boro are due to travel to Bournemouth on Good Friday before hosting Huddersfield on Easter Monday!

God knows how the club would manage that fixture conundrum as there is only one free midweek slot left just ahead the final weekend of the season. Can you imagine preparing for a semi-final by travelling to Bournemouth two days earlier?

Anyway, that's a problem for another day and while I'm hoping for a win at Sheff Utd, it won't be easy against a team who has only conceded three goals in their last ten fixtures - especially given our strikers recent record of squandering chances. I suspect it will be a tight game with one goal being decisive - plus I'm sure the Boro players will be up for this game given how it would please their manager to get one over his old club.

On that basis I fancy a win and one more step closer to Wembley - or indeed a second trip 😉

This post was modified 2 years ago by werdermouth

jarkko
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2161
 

@werder Do the have season cards at Wembley for the Boro fans this season? We might play there three times. 🤣🤣🤣 Up the Boro! 


   
ReplyQuote
Site Creator
Joined: 7 years ago
Posts: 2230
 

@Jarkko

Not sure but maybe supporters could make booking easier by just asking for their usual seat...


   
ReplyQuote
Powmill-Naemore
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 1335
 

Of course, there may only be two Wembley appearances for us, the semi-final and final of the FA Cup... 🤔 

I really believe that 2nd spot is still up for grabs and although it will be difficult, it is still a genuine possibility for us given the way the fixtures are looking for everyone, just so long as we can get a couple of wins under our belt away from home. 

With only a hint of rose colour in my spectacles, I have completed all the results for the rest of the season in the Worldfootball Calculator site and actually have us winning promotion at the Riverside against Stoke... even allowing for Bournemouth to beat us at their place!

So I am sure the results are not all going to go as I have predicted, but some will, and some will be different favouring us and some will be different favouring others. The point is, however improbable it may seem, it is possible.

 

It would be interesting to see if anyone else has tried to gaze into the crystal ball and filled in all the results between now and the end.

Here is my top half of the table prediction to be laughed at and brought back to taunt me with in May:

 

# Team M. W. D. L. Goals Dif. Pt.
1 Fulham FC 46 28 11 7 96:37 59 95
2 Middlesbrough FC 46 25 9 12 60:43 17 84
3 AFC Bournemouth 46 24 10 12 61:37 24 82
4 Blackburn Rovers 46 22 13 11 56:41 15 79
5 Sheffield United 46 22 12 12 56:41 15 78
6 Nottingham Forest 46 21 14 11 59:41 18 77
7 Huddersfield Town 46 22 11 13 52:41 11 77
8 Luton Town 46 21 12 13 56:45 11 75
9 Coventry City 46 22 9 15 54:47 7 75
10 West Bromwich Albion 46 19 13 14 48:39 9 70
11 Millwall FC 46 19 12 15 45:42 3 69
12 Queens Park Rangers 46 18 13 15 57:50 7 67

 

 BTW I have only gone for 1 goal victories/losses so only really the points totals are valid predictions.

This post was modified 2 years ago 2 times by Powmill-Naemore

   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 1250
 

Andy, thanks for your great opener 👍

peasepudinperth, your entry is in the challenge 👍

Come on BORO.


   
ReplyQuote
Philip of Huddersfield
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 442
 

I can’t see Boro finishing second as other teams have less difficult games but more importantly we just haven’t got good enough forwards capable of scoring - haven’t Balogun gone 10 games without scoring, Connelly has one goal in a similar number of games and finally how many goals has Sporor scored in 20 plus games excluding penalties- 5 or 6?

I could also throw in that our away form in the last half dozen games is one of the worst in the League.

I also can’t agree with the locals- Huddersfield- not being in the top 6.
They are the form team of all divisions in being unbeaten plus statistically in the last 15 years  every team , except one, with the number of points they currently have from the games played, have always been in the top 6.

okay - only opinions - keeps us all interested

I expect all Boro supporters if offered sixth place now, would snap your hand off.

And so to tomorrow- I’d be very pleased with a draw but based on Sheffield’s home form and our away form then Sheffield should win.

Philip of Huddersfield 


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2633
 

Andy R

Your best post yet! I really enjoyed that full of facts and figures and good to compare against Boro performances.

It’s a game I’m looking forward to and this season Wilder is certainly getting the fans back into the stands. I’ve spoken to a few people who are returning to the Riverside long May it Continue !

Me I’m going for 1-2 to the Boro !

OFB

 

 

 


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 1159
 

Good opener, Andy R.  Maybe we should just say "as usual".

Head says a defeat at Sheffield U tomorrow. Heart says we sneak a win.  I will now have a quick glance at what I predicted for the game in the Exmil Challenge...


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 1159
 

I  have now checked and see that I had put this match down for a DRAW.  Only a few days ago but I'd already forgotten.  Let's hope my heart is right rather than either my head or my Exmil Challenge prediction.


   
ReplyQuote
Powmill-Naemore
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 1335
 

Not disagreeing that the Terriers won't make the top 6 Philip, they are =6th in my prediction which doesn't take account of what Goal Difference might be at the end.

If you have a look at their remaining fixtures...:

(AWAY) WBA, Millwall, Hull, BORO, Coventry and (HOME) Bournemouth, Luton, QPR, Barnsley, Bristol

...then 15 points will be a good return for them, much better than that and it will only go to show how little I know !

 

Re Boro's inability to score goals. We only need to score one more than we concede in a game to win and often enough one goal will be enough and we do have that in us, even if we don't have that regular 2, 3 or even  4 in a game. I know I was inhaling a lot of foam and my glasses did have a rose tint when I ran through the fixtures, but I honestly think more than one of our promotion rivals would swap their next dozen fixtures for ours.

Anyway, the thrust of my post was that 2nd place really is still up for grabs and whichever of the half a dozen teams or so in with a chance will deserve it at the end of the day.

 


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 632
 

It is the most exiting end to a season for years, different outcomes of various games can be calculated for ever we have an obvious problem with scoring goals, but I think that the kid will be in the team and in the action pretty soon, it is obvious that I rate him, and with our poor goals tally (but great win tally) something will give. I have seen his three great goals and note his great advantages of height, strength, and power in the air. But I noted that when we got our second goal he was waiting for the tap in and they count just as much as the wonder goals. Just thinking of that winner against Spurs gives one a lift.      


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2247
 
Posted by: @original-fat-bob

Andy R

Your best post yet! I really enjoyed that full of facts and figures and good to compare against Boro performances.

It’s a game I’m looking forward to and this season Wilder is certainly getting the fans back into the stands. I’ve spoken to a few people who are returning to the Riverside long May it Continue !

Me I’m going for 1-2 to the Boro !

OFB

 

 

 

Talking to my brother last week and having given up his season ticket at the end of Pulisball, he is now talking about going back when it is a bit warmer! 😎


   
ReplyQuote
Ken Smith
Mr
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2132
 

Strangely although I can see Boro reaching the FA Cup Final providing they avoid Liverpool and Man City in the Semifinal, I have them finishing 10th in the League. I think a lot of fans are thinking with their hearts yet in reality with their heads in the exMil challenge. 


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2633
 

Saturday 19th March 5:15pm Boro v Chelsea


   
ReplyQuote
Ken Smith
Mr
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2132
 

Congratulations to Gary Liddle on making his 700th appearance for Hartlepool against Harrogate last Saturday. He had previously played for Notts County, Bradford City, Chesterfield, Carlisle and Walsall. The Boro born centre back was a member of the Boro academy side that won the Youth Cup in 2004 but never played a first team game for Boro.  In two spells he has played 357 times for Pools. 

Incidentally for a long time Portsmouth’s Jimmy Dickinson held the English record for the most appearances for one club 828 from 1946 to 1968, but was superseded by Swindon Town’s full back who finished his career with 889 appearances from 1960 to 1981.

They certainly made them tough and resilient in those days!


   
ReplyQuote
Ken Smith
Mr
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2132
 

Sorry, I omitted to name the Swindon fullback who has made the most appearances for one  club. Of course it was John Trollope with 889.


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 78
 

Thank you Exmil and it's greatly appreciated that you accepted my entry to the challenge, thankfully I did get a few other predictions correct, otherwise it would have looked extremely suss if the only one I got right was the game that had already been played, phew!  Thanks also to Powmill for championing my cause.

As predictions go my forecast is for a draw tonight, but as I grow older (not that I can get that much older) I'm getting over the typical "every team we play is better than us" Boro supporters outlook.  I'm sorry, but the way we've picked up the pace, attitude and application of late, it's others that should be taking that approach when facing us.  I'm not saying that Wilder's turned a pigs ear in to a silk purse, because you can put lipstick, rouge and mascara on a pig, but it's still a pig.  Wilder's brought order and belief to a team that was happy to just meander through to the end of the season, with Lumley at the forefront we'd collectively dropped the ball.  He hasn't unearthed any gems either, they were in plain sight all along, but until the facets of the gems are cut and presented the correct way, they just look just like any other rock on the ground.

Cap off to a very likeable, open and honest man, it's not often I've thought like that to many that's been sat in the chair before him.


Ken Smith
Mr
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2132
 

Has Chris Wilder got the Midas touch? Well it would appear so for here is another fact to go with Andy R’s excellent prologue. Wilder has won all six of his encounters against clubs he has previously managed. If one believes in such statistics then this is certainly a good omen - a kismet moment to continue? Perhaps, but I’d settle for a goalless draw as before the last few minutes against Forest last Friday the Blades had not conceded a goal at home for 734 minutes.


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 1278
Topic starter  

According to the Gazette, the Blades are missing up to six defenders for tonight's clash.

Sheffield United hope for key player's return to ease defensive injury crisis against Middlesbrough - Teesside Live (gazettelive.co.uk)

Good time to play them maybe?


   
ReplyQuote
jarkko
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 2161
 

@Ken I learned a new English word in your use of "kismet". I had to google it but an easy word to remember, too.

In Finland Kismet is one of the most common and oldest choclade bars and made by an old Finnish company Fazer in my home town. Never stopped thinking before what the name meant, though. Too common to think.

https://www.google.com/search?q=fazer+kismet+in+english&client=tablet-android-samsung-rev2&source=android-browser&prmd=ivmn&sxsrf=APq-WBtIuI7AG5hDxcKbLHNoFmWcfSsHrg:1646726798712&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjo_YOvh7b2AhXNo4sKHaEiCt0Q_AUoAXoECAIQAQ&biw=825&bih=1318&dpr=2.13

I like this blog. It helps me in work also as I work for an American company based in Belgium. I am the only worker of about 14 000 people who speaks my mother language Finnish at the company.

Up the Boro!


   
ReplyQuote
Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 78
 

Jarkko, to add to your history education and to slightly adjust what Powmill outlined in an earlier blog, I think that you'll find that when the thrones of England and Scotland were brought together, in the 1600's we then became known as the United Kingdom.  It was only later in 1800 with the Act of Union, that we then became to be known as the United Kingdom and Ireland, Great Britain, the Welsh are in there somewhere but I think that they were too busy perfecting their art of rugby to be bothered who was in charge.

I'm there to be shot at, fire at will, poor will.


   
ReplyQuote
Page 1 / 3
Share: