Sheffield United of course play in red and white stripes and there are many other similarities between them and us this season. Like us, they were expected to be up near the top of the league and challenging at least for the playoffs. Like us however, they are having somewhat of a wasted season. The only reason they are not in the Premier League this season is because they lost in the last minute of the play-off final to Sunderland last year and the new owners decided to go in a different direction and sack Chris Wilder, after winning 92 points last season. Like our owners, their appointment of new manager was questionable at least, when they fell for the presentation given by Ruben Selles agent, who is clearly a better magician than David Copperfield, Dynamo and Paul Daniels rolled into one. Ruben Selles himself was very predictably very shit, and became the first manager in the Championship to get sacked this season, after losing every game. The owners sent up the bat signal again and appointed Chris Wilder for his fourth stint in charge of Sheffield United, and turning to the more experienced man has seen them rise up the table but not significantly, as they currently sit at one place behind ourselves.

One thing that is consistent in Chris Wilder teams over the years, is a lack of discipline. Wilder himself managed to get himself sent off against us at Bramall Lane for wellying a ball into the crowd and in their defeat against Charlton a few days ago, they had had two players sent off before half-time and eventually lost 1-0. I wonder if Nathan Jones come out with that shit about it be more difficult to play against nine men.

Whereas we spent our free agent chip on Oriol Romeu, a move that has yet to work out, Sheffield United signed to Patrick Bamford who has repaid them with the goals that have moved them up the league. He will be the main threat today. Usually, it’s Gus Hamer but he seems to have fallen out with someone and he’s not being chosen at the moment, though with the suspensions they have, I guess he may come back into the equation if the rift has been at least partly healed.

In the game earlier on in the season when Wilder got sent off, we escaped with a 2-1 victory that we barely deserved with Ross Stewart scoring twice. Stewart‘s latest resurrection from the dead, saw him score against Hull at the weekend, so it would be interesting to see whether he is given a run out today or whether he is saved for the game on Sunday, which as everyone knows, is rather more important than this one.

That said, we certainly cannot afford to sack this one off given our position in the League. Results last night have dragged us closer to the bottom all of a sudden and a defeat here tonight and potentially another one on Sunday, would leave us seriously looking over our shoulders.

The way we are playing at the moment, it is kind of hard to see any other outcome. Even with Sheffield United missing players, all they have to do is work hard and throw a couple of set pieces into the box and we struggle. Selles look-a-like Tonda, gave a press conference yesterday which was the usual load of waffly-unlistenable-kick-the-radio-in-PE-Teacher-bollocks, talking about how when you analyse the Hull game, we won in every other aspect apart from the score sheet. Fuck right off mate. Regardless of your statistical approach to things, games are won and lost in both penalty areas and that will always be the fucking same and you can’t modernise or reinvent that, no matter what your college coaching badge course told you.

Tonda will be forced into changes today by his minutes spreadsheet and so we can probably expect appearances by the likes of Matsuki, Robinson and maybe even Shea Charles who is apparently very close to a return. One thing for sure is that we can’t afford to go behind early tonight as the atmosphere would take a turn for the grim, very quickly as anger isn’t far beneath the surface for a lot of people. Most fans will arrive at this game either feeling anger or apathy. I expect there will be a bit of dread thrown in. It does seem like a pivotal game, especially with Fratton on the horizon. The only way we’ll possibly get a result on Sunday, is if we win today.