da bwin：
da stake casino： Sitting in second place with 88 points, having scored a record 88 goals, with three games still to play, it is clear that by anyone’s standards this has been a great season for Sheffield United.
After a worrying pre-season that had fans protesting over Danny Wilson’s appointment as manager, the Blades supporters soon changed their minds after an impressive display against Oldham on the opening day of the season.
One player who stood out for me that day back in August and who has carried his fine form throughout is Harry Maquire. Maguire came through the ranks at Shirecliffe making his debut against Cardiff last season with the unenviable task of marking Craig Bellamy. Since then he has never really looked back, notching up 50 starts in a year. In his first full season he’s been a rock in the heart of defence alongside Neil Collins and has only missed two games all season (one through suspension and the other through illness). As a result he is almost certain to pick up the young player of the season award.
After such a great season it is hard to pick out one individual player but for me I think that Kevin McDonald has been excellent. He made his debut against Bradford and showed his potential, firing over after just 90 seconds on the pitch. His unbelievable strength and pin-point passing has made him a key figure in our promotion push. He has missed a few games through injury and his influence has been felt with a draw against Tranmere sticking out as a game where we missed his ability. In fact, just days later when he returned we smashed five past play-off chasing Notts County with the former Burnley man playing a key part in the victory. McDonald also the capacity to pitch in with vital goals and with his contract expired in the summer I’m sure other clubs will be looking to get him on a free transfer. However I’m confident that Wilson will be doing everything in his power to keep ‘Super Kev’ at the club this summer.
After a horrible campaign last season which resulted in our relegation to League One there have been a number of players who have looked like completely different players this term. This includes Michael Doyle who couldn’t hold a ball up and seemed to lose it every time he touched the ball. However this season playing in the heart of midfield alongside McDonald has altered his play and as a result his passing has vastly improved. His wonderful strike against Yeovil may have sent 16,000 Blades fans into shock and his confidence has shoot through the roof this season. I think every United fan will be want him to carry this form into next season, hopefully back in the Championship.
Neil Collins has also found extra confidence after having a poor season during our relegation campaign. He has the ability to pass the ball well up-field and even on some occasions going for looping runs up-field including a memorable one against Bury. Collins has even popped up with goals this term, one of which secured a vital victory in the Yorkshire derby against Huddersfield.
Despite Collins’ fine form I think the biggest turnaround has to be with keeper Steve Simonsen who had to put it fairly had a terrible season last term. After a mediocre start to the season he seemed to have found his old form again but mistakes against Wednesday and Leyton Orient led to him being dropped to the bench which resulted in 17-year-old George Long making his first league start. However ‘Simmo’ was recalled after the Exeter match where Long had conceded four times and since then he hasn’t been out of the side. He came back a better player, making fewer mistakes and running his defence better.
However one man that deserves a special mention after struggling last year is Ched Evans who has a remarkable 34 goals in all competitions. He has been outstanding all season and his form has been noticed by everyone in English football. The Welshman has the ability to do everything on and off the ball, has blistering pace to get him away from defenders and also has a venomous shot to finish with. He’s had all kinds of pressure on his shoulders this season but he coped well to become something of a shining star in the Football League. If he can carry this brilliant form through to next season he could possibly help the Blades’ survive in the Championship, if that’s where we end up in May.
As this is my first blog feel free to follow me on twitter @jakkUTBveall
[ad_pod id=’writer-2′ align=’right’]