The Sheffield United manager, anxious not to inherit an international-induced casualty list, is keeping fingers, toes and everything else crossed in the hope that Scotland's Gary Naysmith and Wales' David Cotterill emerge from their respective fixtures unscathed.

Consistent tactics and selections are the cornerstone of the Blackwell regime so games against Northern Ireland and Romania are guaranteed to make anxious viewing for a coach who sees no danger in being predictable.

"The one thing you always hope for when players go away is that they come back fit and healthy," he said.

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"You want them to do well but you're always glad to see them report for duty again okay.

"So I want them to do well and you're pleased they've been called up because it means you've got some good players in your squad.
"But it's obvious that there can be drawbacks.

"You've just got to hope that things go well for them."

Had Keith Gillespie not already been nursing sprained ankle ligaments, then Blackwell's brow would have been even more furrowed when he waits nervously by the telephone for news of his charges tonight.

The winger, chasing a century of caps for Northern Ireland, had been scheduled to face Lane teammate Naysmith before sustaining the injury during a pre-season fixture at Bury.

Cotterill's performance for the Welsh Under-21s could be the springboard for more prominent role at Blackpool on Saturday after being named on the bench for United's first two outings of the new Championship campaign.

Naysmith, by contrast, is already an established figure in Blackwell's starting Xl and his membership of a defence which has excelled since the club's return to competitive action means he will be a particular source of concern for United's staff.

The former Heart of Midlothian and Everton full-back is the quiet man of a rearguard which has conceded just one goal in the league this term.
Never likely to attract headlines with the same ferocity as Chris Morgan or the irrepressible Sun Jihai, Naysmith, whose greatest asset is his dependability, is nonetheless a key component in Blackwell's Premiership masterplan.

However, David Carney's stream of call-ups for Australia are starting to raise eyebrows in the United camp.

The midfielder has been unavailable since reporting for Olympic duty earlier this month and he barely had time to unpack before being included in the Socceroos' squad for last night's game against South Africa at Loftus Road.

"I'm not sure if he's full-time with Sheffield United or Australia at the moment," Blackwell said.

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