Ruben Selles takes blame for Sheffield United's 4-1 defeat to Bristol City
Ruben Selles told Sheffield United supporters to blame him after his team were booed off at the end of his first competitive game at Bramall Lane.
The Blades opened their new Championship campaign with a 4-1 defeat at Bristol City, who they swept aside 6-0 on aggregate in the play-off semi-final in May.
They were hamstring by their lack of summer recruitment – only three loan signings and two artificial intelligence-generated youngsters – but also by Selles' tactics which left Sydie Peck isolated in the unfamiliar position as the sole midfield anchorman.
That meant that for all the good football they played, and the luck Robins coach Gerhard Struber admitted they had at 1-1, the away team deserved their victory.
"I think we started slowly, the first five minutes and conceded, but we came back to the game and created situations to score a goal," he said. "There was a period (where) we were good enough to score the second one but we conceded a goal when we were open and that became the problem of the game, being too open in transition.
"They took their chances, so we're disappointed on that. We can, we should and we must do better. And that includes myself."
Former Hull City loanee Scott Twine gave his side an early lead from a fifth-minute free-kick.
Tyrese Campbell equalised from a well-worked move nine minutes later, and the Blades went on to have a spell of dominance, only to be hit on the counter-attack by a Ross McCrorie goal.
But the real killer was Ani Mehmeti's goal 36 seconds into the second half, quickly followed up by another for Twine.
"After they scored the first goal and we came back, we had the game," lamented Selles. "It was there to score the second goal but we didn't, we didn't defend the transition and at half-time we felt there were goals in the game.
"We made a couple of mistakes quickly in the second half and that killed any reaction. We tried to stand in the game and created enough chances to score again but it doesn't matter because we never did it, and we didn't get the crowd back with us.
"A disappointing day for me."
Struber reflected: "You need also a little bit of luck against Sheffield but we had players with an outstanding attitude. "We scored in the right moments and also with their equaliser, I could feel the boys' heads didn't go down. The resilience was at a good level. This is something we need over the whole season, players with a high resilience. There are moments when you have to be ready to suffer. They created a win we deserved.”
The Blades are at Birmingham City in the League Cup on Wednesday.