Sheffield United's Gus Hamer concern addressed with star man at risk of missing out on play-off campaign
Sheffield United's Gus Hamer concern addressed with star man at risk of missing out on play-off push
Gustavo Hamer has been reminded of his responsibilities as one of Sheffield United’s key men in their promotion push, after putting himself at the risk of missing the Blades’ upcoming play-off campaign. The former Coventry City man has scored nine goals this term and added seven assists, primarily from a free role on the left of United’s attack.
But he has also picked up 13 bookings so far, the latest of which came in Monday’s defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor, and two more in the final two games of the regular season would lead to a three-match ban which could rule him out of the entire play-off campaign that follows.
The 15-game threshold passes after the final league game of the season, meaning that Hamer wouldn’t be suspended if he reached 15 during any of the play-off semi-final matches. But the prospect is a concerning one for the Blades, with boss Chris Wilder admitting that Hamer’s situation is in his thoughts ahead of tomorrow night’s clash at Stoke City.
“A lot of things are,” the Blades chief added. “We had two meetings over the last two days, some really long ones, preparing us for scenarios, preparing us for the play-offs. There was clarity after Burnley, which is a good thing, and a lot of energy from the players coming in.
“They quickly got over Monday night and focused. I talked to them about the importance of finishing the season on a high, especially with our last home game. I want us to go into the play-offs with more points on the board and I definitely want to win our last home game in front of our own supporters.”
Whether Hamer features in either the Stoke game or the final-day clash with Blackburn Rovers remains to be seen, however, as he walks the latest disciplinary tightrope of a season which has already seen him miss three games through suspension after reaching five and then 10 yellow cards.
Hamer’s ability on the ball is unquestionable and in full flight there is no more exciting player at Bramall Lane to watch. But he also has a habit of picking up cheap yellow cards, which not only tally up throughout the season but also limit his combative approach for fear of being sent off.
Chris Wilder makes Gus Hamer Sheffield United point amid play-off suspension worry
“He needs to control a little bit more,” boss Wilder agreed. “You look at it and say possibly 50 per cent of them are avoidable, so we have to deal with that and he understands that. We can’t miss our best player and our biggest player.
“We’ve got some good players but he’s arguably our best, and we can’t afford for him to be on a yellow early on and miss games of football through the season. But if the trade-off is having players like that who care, who want to run around and compete, then I’ll err on that side more than the passive ones we’ve had in the recent past.”