Sheff Utd vs WHUFC -- Friday, January 10th, 2019

and here we go... never going to get use to a friday night (lunchtime) kick-off

so game is already in progress...
2 minutes gone...

team selection is the first thing to deal with...

so here's who's playing...

1 Fabianski
4 Balbuena
21 Ogbonna
3 Cresswell
5 Zabaleta
16 Noble
41 Rice
26 Masuaku
10 Lanzini
8 Felipe Anderson
22 Haller

so... Zabaleta get the automatic replacement of Fredricks call up.

Cresswell starts... but Diop gets dumped to the subs bench. Now I know a lot of social media warriors have been calling him a waste of space but call me cynical (as you always do) it just feels suspicious to come in the week where rumors put a Chelsea bid of 40m for Issa that he doesn't get chosen to play...

Noble walks back into the first team line-up - which is no surprise since he sees to all everywhere. his last game was one of his best performances this season so it's hardly surprising...

Lanzini is the big surprise I guess... Fornals has been playing extremely well, better than he ever has since he joined... and so he gets dumped to the bench.

Then there's Masuaku... responsible for giving away the ball plenty of times when he last turned out for us... and so he gets the nod and Snoddy (another player I feel has been doing better than the inter webs gives him credit for) gets dumped.

and so to the subs bench:

11 Snodgrass -- see above
18 Fornals -- see above
20 Soares Cardoso -- who?
23 Diop -- see above
25 Martin
44 Costa Da Rosa -- who?
52 Ngakia -- who?

and so there's also the question of... Sanchez (everyone hates him but he no worse than Noble), Reid... both were good enough and/or fit enough to have been included... but for some reason don't even make the bench.

12 minutes gone...

the Blades have been all over us and were unlucky that the rifling short range header from a corner just went over the bar.


but way more horrifying...

Fabianski has just sat down... trainers are on... something went as he took a goal kick.

As soon as he kicked the ball he puts his hand up to call on the physiological...

yup... we probably rushed him back too soon... and his day is done.

Fabianski trudges off looking glum.

Martin will come on to replace.

could of minutes taken up with the Fabianski switch out... who knows how long he'll be out for... those unforced injuries are the ones that take the time...

they were all over his hip, so presumably whatever was wrong before has been aggravated...

16 minutes gone.

we've had two forays down the other end but it's been pretty much endless uncontested Blades pressure.

Balbuena makes a good block inside the 6 yard box to help keep the score at 0-0

Here's how the BBC feels about it;

Goalkeeping nightmare for West Ham
Sheff Utd 0-0 West Ham

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at Bramall Lane
That is an absolute nightmare for West Ham.

Lucasz Fabianski has just returned from three months out following his surgery.

It was that problem that effectively cost Manuel Pellegrini his job given deputy Roberto failed to keep a single clean sheet.

West Ham are lining up at the return of Darren Randolph from Middlesbrough. But that deal has been held up. You've guessed it. He is injured.



and this is just what's so frustratingly annoying about West Ham...

We fucked over Adrian who was a very loyal, very talented goalkeeper... leaving us with Randolf as the understudy who then steps into the leading role...

then we fupp off Randolf as well...

bring in a fantastic keeper in Fabianski but then buy the complete donkey that is Roberto...

Fab gets injured, Adrian does brilliantly at Liverpool, we have to go to our third string keeper, and now we're reduced to trying to buy back the understudy keeper that we already fucked off for not being good enough... and to add insult to injury... the purchase of Randolf is being held up because he's injured and can't pass a medical.



I mean what is it with our club...???????

someone please explain.

We carry Carlton Cole for years after his sell-by date... eventually just let him drift away out of contract... no other fucker feels he's good enough to hire... we fail miserably to enlist any other striker and we have to embarrassingly re-hire him because neither party are good enough to do anything else.

Then this season after having got rid of M*yes for not being good enough, for shepherding us through the worst managerial stats... we fupp off Pellegrini because he couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag...
and guess what?
the manager we fucked off as useless, who couldn't get a job in football in near two years... gets re-hired by the club who couldn't attract a decent manager if our lives depended on it.

and now we're struggling to complete the purchase of an injured goalkeeper who we also fucked off for not being good enough.


you honestly couldn't make up the shit that goes on at this club...

poor back header by the Blades... anderson luckily picks it up, runs on goal but cuts his shot too much and it goes wide of the post.

good opportunity against the run of play - that we make nothing of.

judas priest... even after all these years, comms can't resist bringing up the "Tevez affair" and still completely rewrite history.


Sheffield Utd got relegated because they weren't good enough... we finished 5 (five) places above them...

the only team or player or players that had anything to do with the Blades getting relegated that season were Sheffield United and their players...

they didn't go down because we played Tevez and Mascherano

they didn't go down because we beat them

they didn't even go down in place if us staying up


by all means... drag up history but at least get it right.

good attack by us... Haller too Anderson... plays it wide to Zabaleta...

Zab's cross is woeful and straight into the keeper's hands.

another Blades corner...

they've all been good deliveries but this one gets headed out for a goal kick

coming up to 5 minutes to go till oranges and a cup of tea...

Blades are inches from a score...

2 minutes of stoppage time - pretty much exactly what the Fabianski injury took.


corner to us.

first half ends 0-0

as it stands, we're 3 points clear of relegation and so unless Bournemouth win by 5 or more this weekend, we'll stay out for another week at least.

Secundo tiempo is under way....

2 shots... one deflected among defenders, the second goes wide of the open goal... a lucky escape for us.

defense at 6s and 7s...

Martin played the shittiest ball out that is easily intercepted by the Blades...

two on one against the keeper and the ball squirms under the diving Martin...

can't really get a better illustration of how important Fabianski is for us when his replacement just pisses away everything we've done so far in the game.

that was the first shot on target in the whole game so far.. and all from a ridiculous goalkeeper error


needless to say, the Blades are on the up, the crowd are on their feet.


Poor Fabianski is shown sitting all wrapped up, unable to do anything to help out.

"53 mins
GOAL - Sheff Utd 1-0 West Ham
Oli McBurnie
Terrible mistake by the Hammers!

The Blades are given an absolute gift as David Martin's sloppy pass to Fabian Balbuena is pounced on by John Fleck, who then squares to Oli McBurnie and the striker fires under Martin's body for the opener."

west Ham try to come forward, the ball comes to Noble, he looks around tries to figure out what to do with the ball and while he's dithering about, a sheff Utd player runs up behind him and easily dispossesses him.

for...

fucks....


sake...

"56 mins
Post update
Sheff Utd 1-0 West Ham
That goal has got the Blades' tails up while West Ham look rattled. The visitors again give up possession in defence but this time Sheffield United cannot capitalise."

Anderson rather than play the ball to Zab in the box, just slots it straight out of play...

The Blades decide to make a change... I mean why not... no reason for the team that's falling apart to do anything different.

our play up top has gone to pieces... late balls, incomplete passes... currently all over the place.

Snodgrass comes on for Masuaku (not the underperforming Lanzini)

his first task os a free kick...

it's a blinder... rocketing into the area... Haller sticks out a foot and bang... back of the net.

But of course... Haller moved too soon and was a fraction offside... so the potential equalizer is ruled out.

20 minutes to save our arses

Martin makes a big save as the Blades are one on one with the keeper...

comms call it 'making amends' but is it really if we lose?

comms also said 'he got a good right hand foot on it' - who doesn't love the english language