[Albion] How "must win" is the Sheffield United game?

[Lenny Rider]

As the club evolves certain games gain extra importance, IMHO in the current situation and where we sit before Xmas, this is one of the most important games in our time in the top flight.
Many describe Sheffield Utd as a Championship side in the EPL, anything less than an impressive win and all three points this lunchtime will be a disaster.

 

[trueblue]

6. In reality, it’s probably lower but failing to take maximum points again would raise wording questions. There’d still be plenty of time to address them though.

 

[southstandandy]

8 Eight

These are the type of games we must aim to win.

Both teams are basically so low on confidence that any further lowering of them tomorrow will see one of us drop off the proverbial cliff edge

Nil Nil then

 

[SoggyCabbages]

Well surely everyone will say that... and surely Sheff Utd won’t be on 1pt all season. There going to get a few wins somewhere.

Again, this is not “definitely a 10” must win.

A 10 must win would be win or you’re relegated.

Nahhhh, it is a 10.

 

[dazzer6666]

If it’s a 10 for us, what is it for them ?

 

[hart's shirt]

...failure to beat the bottom side with the worst ever top-flight history at home would be dire.

And it was dire.

 

[SEWDONIM]

Was a must win.

We have played 3 of 4 of the teams below us at home and only taken 3 points

 

[dazzer6666]

So what happens now we didn’t win a must win ? Must be some serious consequences right ?

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

So what happens now we didn’t win a must win ? Must be some serious consequences right ?

Yes, there are. Faith in the manager ebbing away
The next one of these polls will still have people saying we don’t have to win and every week we sleepwalk to relegation

 

[Swansman]

So what happens now we didn’t win a must win ? Must be some serious consequences right ?

Yes, the club has decided it will leave walk-over in the upcoming two thirds of the season as there is no longer a point to keep going. Either that or the word "must" must have lost its meaning somewhere along the road.

 

[Kosh]

So what happens now we didn’t win a must win ? Must be some serious consequences right ?

Ultimately the system today didn’t work, too much inflexibility and too little desire until it was virtually too late. As a fan it’s hard to fathom, as a chairman the team are playing the way he wants ...

I say again, the club will back GP - we’re not into sackings mid season. he’d be a fool to resign.

I’m down, but accept hammering my keyboard in frustration will achieve little.

Statistics favour GP match by match, yet paradoxically they may also be his downfall when you look at wins ... yes it’s that bit that’s starting to look rather flimsy.

Massive sigh.

I’m not sure where we’re going but it’s not looking like the progress we’d hoped for is going to suddenly materialise...

 

[dazzer6666]

Ultimately the system today didn’t work, too much inflexibility and too little desire until it was virtually too late. As a fan it’s hard to fathom, as a chairman the team are playing the way he wants ...

I say again, the club will back GP - we’re not into sackings mid season. he’d be a fool to resign.

I’m down, but accept hammering my keyboard in frustration will achieve little.

Statistics favour GP match by match, yet paradoxically they may also be his downfall when you look at wins ... yes it’s that bit that’s starting to look rather flimsy.

Massive sigh.

I’m not sure where we’re going but it’s not looking like the progress we’d hoped for is going to suddenly materialise...

It's all a bit strange really - Tony and his stat-driven approach will see things are 'going OK'. I haven't checked yet but I expect our XG was much better than SUs today as it usually is, and I saw a table midweek ranking teams on cumulative XG for and against - we were 5th - so it's not all wrong, but the real table doesn't reflect that and that's all that matters in the end. Watching today the thing that did look wrong was the ponderousness of us going forward, and how static the strikers were when we did - almost hanging as a group of 2 or 3 on the edge of the box without any movement. Decisions to be made - do we stick with what we're doing and expect the stats to start to show what might be expected or do something different ?

Massive sigh just about sums it up at the moment.

 

[Kosh]

It's all a bit strange really - Tony and his stat-driven approach will see things are 'going OK'. I haven't checked yet but I expect our XG was much better than SUs today as it usually is, and I saw a table midweek ranking teams on cumulative XG for and against - we were 5th - so it's not all wrong, but the real table doesn't reflect that and that's all that matters in the end. Watching today the thing that did look wrong was the ponderousness of us going forward, and how static the strikers were when we did - almost hanging as a group of 2 or 3 on the edge of the box without any movement. Decisions to be made - do we stick with what we're doing and expect the stats to start to show what might be expected or do something different ?

Massive sigh just about sums it up at the moment.

That’s it - brilliantly illustrated, but he can’t hide from the wins column forever... he needs to take some responsibility.

I said elsewhere, the tactical setup or general ethos is good - the coaching not so, on the evidence thus far and on the basis of practice making perfect.

If I were head coach, (again) I’d be embarrassed this evening.

 

[Frankie]

It's certainly a must not lose game , I'll wager we have at least 4 gilt edge chances to score to their 1 and it will still be a close game .

Maupay looks shot to bits and it wouldn't surprise me to see Connolly start with Welbeck tomorrow, we simply have to start converting our magnificent XG in to real goals or face the drop .

Pretty decent summary of what actually happened to be fair , have you been hacked