Blades Blunt Addicks?

I won't be going to Bramall Lane tomorrow. I have a lunchtime speaking engagement, but in any case I wasn't planning to go. Our 2-1 defeat there last season after being 1-0 ahead was for me the nadir of watching Charlton last season. In fact it's the only time in recent years that I have been really angry with the club and the players. Our inability to take more than one point off a poor Sheffield United side says it all about our relegation.

United's game against Boro on Wednesday was hardly a football classic and I didn't watch much of it. What is evident is the Blades can defend and this is reflected in the statistics. We have conceded 41 goals against their 37 but we have scored 49 compared to their 35.

The Blades were tipped to bounce back again to the Premiership, but then so were we. No one thought that mighty Stoke and Bristol City would be leading the table at this time in the season or that United would be in 17th place with a pressing need to gather points to avoid getting sucked into the relegation dogfight.

I think that we should go for a relatively attacking formation tomorrow, starting Sinclair and Cook and retaining Varney and Gray up front. Admittedly Gray had an indifferent game at Blackpool and Iwelumo might cause more confusion in the Blades defence.

I know that Holland gives his all, but there might be a case for bringing Semedo in for the additional defensive protection that he offers. Youga will be back to forage forward. If Bougherra is not fit, I would bring in Sodje to replace Fortune. Halford got a rather unfair roasting from Pards last week which focused on one error rather than his contribution to the game as a whole. His long throws do provide something extra. However, Mouto2 might well be brought back in.

Our historic record at Bramall Lane has not been good and I understand that the Sub-Standard's cryptic clue is 'BLADES BLUNT ADDICKS'. This could well be a 0-0 draw which would not be really good enough given the closing pack of mediocrity just behind us. But I would take it rather than a defeat.

I should be away from my lunchtime talk in time to see Leamington take on Dunstable Town. Brakes remain a comfortable 2nd in the table, putting them in a prime play off spot, but Evesham United have streaked away at the top of the table. The Robins are ground sharing with Worcester City this season while a new super stadium is built on the outskirts of the town. They do not seem to be short of money so it looks like the play offs for Leamington as well as Charlton.