'Blades must prove Newcastle surrender was a freak result'
- Published
Rob Staton, BBC Radio Sheffield
Sunday’s second half against Newcastle United was a complete surrender. Wes Foderingham could have taken off his white goalkeeper shirt, hung it on a corner flag and waved it. That was how poor Sheffield United were.
Bramall Lane needs to be a difficult place for teams to come and play this year. Instead, this was a terribly passive display. It ended up being like a training exercise for Newcastle and many fans have spoken about how embarrassing it was. The truth is it could have easily been more than 8-0.
The Blades looked shaky at the back before this game and the issue was exposed here. They have to fix that. Key players are also under-performing.
The Blades have to prove it was a freak result and not something more alarming.
Manager Paul Heckingbottom was right to point out defeats like this are more common these days. Manchester United lost 7-0 last season, and before that we have seen Southampton and Bournemouth embarrassed with similarly ugly scorelines.
The key now is to show this was just an aberration, tarnishing what had otherwise been a competitive start to the season.
The next two matches - West Ham United and Fulham away - are now so important.