Sheffield United vs Tottenham Hotspur

UTB 05
Paul Heckingbot tom
MANAGER’S NOTES
Bramall Lane has witnessed some
extremely special occasions
under the lights down the years
and we hope tonight can be another,
although we are under no illusions about
the size of the task that faces us as we
offer a warm welcome to Tottenham
Hotspur.
Everyone knows Spurs are in excellent
form and their multiple strengths, amongst
them being fantastic on the break and
able to score from all sorts of areas. We
know we are in for a very tough night, but
cup ties are different and if we are at our
best then we have a chance.
Being at our best requires a concerted
effort from everyone and that doesn’t
just include the players. I mentioned on
Saturday that I thought the fans were
fantastic and undoubtedly played a role
in picking up three big points against
Watford.
We started well and the supporters
were right behind us. I love that and the
opposition often comment about how we
are driven on from the stands.
I’m aware that there will be a good
attendance tonight and I understand that
we have to perform in a way to get the
crowd going. It will be difficult, but we
need the fans to have players’ backs and
then get on front foot when we can.
It won’t impact Spurs and their players
much, we appreciate that, but encouraging
noises from the home areas of the ground
creates a positive response on the pitch
for our lads, it is human nature. We like to
be aggressive, create energy and passion
and it is so important that we get the
backing from the fans to support the effort.
Saturday’s victory was very welcome,
taking into account the circumstances
leading up to the game, there was a lot of
noise after a couple of defeats. Watford
have one of the best attacking units in the
Championship, we changed our approach
slightly and it worked well to limit a
talented team to very few opportunities.
We kept going after a tight first half and
as the second half wore on, we had the
chances and wondered if it would drop for
us, as always, we work hard on set plays.
When we looked back at how and why
we won the game there was plenty to be
pleased about, we created more chances
than them as well as nullifying some big
threats.
Ultimately, in preparation and on the
day, we got everything right in terms of
executing how we wanted to set up. I’m
a fan of trying to step on to everyone but
Watford deserved the respect we showed
them because they still create moments.
Our approach and application was very
pleasing and we were rewarded with three
deserved points.
That result, as everyone knows, opened
the gap up again between ourselves and
third place. There will be many twists
and turns to come as we weave our way
to the end of the season, which includes
a difficult trip to Blackburn less than 72
hours after tonight’s game.
We know what we’re chasing and teams
are chasing us, but, as I’ve said previously,
we look to win every game – and that
includes cup fixtures.
Hecky
SHEFFIELD UNITED vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR