Finishing touches are still to come down the Lane, says Weir

Not only did his first game as Sheffield United manager end in a 2-1 victory over Notts County but the live Sky cameras were treated to a fine display from the Scot’s new charges.

There was also the exciting energy of new signing Febian Brandy, the control of fellow debutant Stephen McGinn in central midfield and Kevin McDonald matching his personal goal tally from last term inside the opening half-hour of the 2013-14 League One campaign.

However, what pleased Weir the most was how the Blades stuck to their task even after being pegged back on the hour by a wonder strike from County’s Enoch Showunmi.

Considering how many times a winning position was let slip last season when the points seemed theirs for the taking, the bodyblow of an equaliser could have seen United panic and abandon the cultured passing style that Weir had spent much of pre-season trying to instil in his players.

Instead, Weir’s men merely remained calm, kept passing the ball and their reward came when Harry Maguire headed in the winner midway through the second half.

The United manager said: “That was the most pleasing thing for me. We stayed patient and continued to do what we had been doing.

“The players looked like they really believed in what we’d asked them to do. It was a good start. Small steps and we are a long way from achieving anything. But it was a good start and we have things to work on.”

United’s fluid passing style certainly went down well with the regulars at Bramall Lane, with the final whistle bringing a deserved standing ovation for Weir’s side.

The only slight criticism was that the home side had not been more clinical, as had they taken even a fraction of the chances they created then the game would have been all but over long before Showunmi’s strike had threatened an upset for the 10-man visitors.

Weir, though, was unconcerned and insists that work on the training field will soon improve matters.

He added: “We haven’t really worked on finishing, which may sound stupid. We have been so pre-occupied by other aspects of the game because we felt those fundamentals were more important.

“We had to get them right because we are trying to instil our system of play into the players.

“Hopefully, that will come and we sharpen up as the season goes on. We want to be more clinical but the big thing is we are getting in the right positions and creating the opportunities.”

On taking charge of United for the first time since being named as Danny Wilson’s permanent successor in the summer, Weir, whose previous coaching experience was with the reserves at Rangers and the Under-21s at Everton, added: “It wasn’t totally different.

“Obviously, it was a big occasion, live on TV and my first game as a manager. That brought a lot of things into the mix.

“But I genuinely enjoyed it. I enjoyed how the lads played and that is the main thing. I was proud to be the manager of that team.

“The performance was pleasing. We scored a really good goal. The sending off did change things a bit.

“It created a test as it put added pressure on us but I thought we did well.

“We showed great patience and passed the ball well. We created opportunities. Unfortunately, we didn’t take them but I thought there were plenty of positive signs.

“The good thing is the fans seemed to enjoy it. We want to play that way and it was great the fans encouraged us.

“But results are what will give everyone the biggest encouragement and it is all about getting that balance between being attractive and being successful right.”

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