I want a big finish to reward the supporters for their loyalty

Last Updated : 11-Apr-2008 by
Blades' boss Kevin Blackwell, who recently took over from Bryan Robson, said: "The lads are buzzing after that fightback against Sheffield Wednesday and all credit to them really. To do that against your biggest rivals in front of a full house shows that we have our club back.

"The courage they showed makes me feel proud to be in charge of this set of players and they have certainly responded to what I asked from them when I came in.

"Burnley is a tough place to go. They have an excellent home record and you know what you are going to get. They have David Unsworth, Jon Harley and Ade Akinbiyi there, lads with an affinity for our club who will no doubt be trying to put one over us come Saturday.

"We can go there and be positive after the derby fightback. On our day we have the ability to beat anyone and we certainly need all three points at the weekend.

Owen Coyle meanwhile has challenged his players to show a response after the poor showing at Norwich and reward the 'magnificent' fans. "The disappointment of last week was the manner of the defeat and I think it is fair to say there might be one or two changes," he said looking forward to Saturday's game.

"We are maybe in need of a little freshening up, but we have to stop conceding goals and if we do that we are a match for anybody. You must take the disappointment of that defeat and use that as a motivation to go and win a very difficult home game.

"I have stressed to the players since Monday that they have an obligation to the fans. We want to get the ball down, play at a high tempo and show all the good things we can bring to this football club."

He hasn't given up on the play offs yet and added: "A few draws this week means that we go into Saturday four points behind Crystal Palace who we still have to play, so there is a lot to play for.

"The difficulty is getting those points, but if we do that, who knows where we will be. We have four games left and a group of players who we know can win games, so maximum points will give us a fighting chance.

"It is a big ask every week to ask the players to come back from a goal down, so we must stop shooting ourselves in the foot because then we can win games week in and week out. I can stand losing goals in games, but they have been gifts and when I look back it is individual errors that have cost us. It is all about mental strength now."

He's also asked for supporters to be with the team and hit out at one supporter who criticised an individual player, believed to be in the Lancashire Telegraph. "There is expectation from the fans and I wouldn't have it any other way," Coyle said. "That is why we have top, top supporters and the one thing you do is stay together as a group.

"The easiest thing in the world is to criticise individuals and to me the word 'support' means to stay together. They will have opinions, but I read something (in a newspaper) during the week from a supporter who picked out an individual from within the team which I found to be poor taste.

"If you go and single someone out who is wrong every single time they pull the shirt on and go out to do their very best for the football club, it is disappointing. It is the easiest thing in the world to criticise and generalise, but to then go and individualise was so wrong and I would hope he is man enough to apologise to the person involved.

"I do think the supporters in general recognise that what direction we are trying to take the club in. Now I want a big finish to reward them for their loyalty."