Paulus

Wilder is less given to talking bs in interviews than the vast majority of football managers, I've no reason to disbelieve what he is quoted as saying after tonights game. Sorry it doesn't fit the world view of many on here. https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/oli-mcburnie-scotland-sheffield-united-18863334

Fleck is always competitive and, as is said in Yorkshire, he’s not a guy to nesh a tackle. When he first came to us he occasionally let a bit frustration lead him to a bit of recklessness I remember him being sent off in league 1 for cleaning a guy out after he’d been clipped by the same guy moments before but he’s not done that over the last couple of seasons. Norwich players, how do I say this politely, sometimes struggle with their sense of balance so I wouldn’t be concerned about their fans bitching about a guy who believes it’s a contact sport. sorry, didn’t notice much Particular about McClean, worked hard, all the Norwich guys seemed to still be well up for the fight.

Had a good look at Hanley today. Basically a solid no nonsense performance but hardly stand out. Decent in the air, read the game well mostly. Although most centre halfs aren't well known for their mobility he's more rigid than most, very one-footed which adversely effects his positioning on occasions and can make him look a bit clumsy, seemed quite one paced. Biggest problem for him today was that he allowed Billy Sharp to draw him into a bit of a battle then he completely lost Billy for the only goal of the game. We played Billy and McBurnie up front today, neither of whom are known for their pace, Billy is probably the slowest striker in the EPL, and he coped well enough but wouldn't fancy seeing him up against any speedsters though. McBurnie worked very hard (as usual) but didn't really threaten, Fleck, best player on the pitch (again).

McBurnie’s problem yesterday was mainly due to the fact that Potter set BHA up to not lose at any cost. I think their 11 was the biggest I’ve ever seen, bigger than Stoke under Pulis. They had 4 centre backs on and 8 over 6 foot including some real monsters like Duffy and Burn who are both over 6 and a half foot. Needless to say leading the line against that lot he was on a hiding to nothing.

Fleck very good (again) today. McBurnie worked hard but ineffective.

I'm finding It so difficult to be sure about anything associated with our team at the moment, I've stopped trying to second guess what Wilder seems able to achieve and what I think is possible and like a lot of my fellow fans we just walk around with a big smile and enjoy the ride. The first choice back 8 are basically the lads who were with us in the Championship and 3 of them were in L1. We were odds on favourites to finish bottom and were viewed as a joke by some pundits at the start of the season. I don't know if this link will work but this is a good example Re centre backs, I've seen a lot of Maguire and I love him to bits but basically Egan and O'Connell are both, in my opinion, more effective all round defenders. They aren't as big and imposing as Maguire, but just about on anything else I think they are better. How can this be? It comes down to fitness levels, brilliant coaching, motivation and teamwork and that's basically the case throughout the team. The craziest example of this is Basham, he's a legend with us but not one of us would have believed for a second what he is achieving now when Clough signed him on a free, I am really struggling to think of any other player that has had a career like him, going from the very definition of journeyman footballer up to 26 or so then to improve so much; the closest I can think of maybe Don Masson. From what I've seen McTominay would fit in fine but we've just pushed the boat out to sign Sander Berge, so we'll see how that goes, Lundstram came on last game for Berge and turned the game around so I don't think he's going down without a fight either. I bet 99% of people would reckon that Robertson and Tierney are/would make better wingbacks than either Stevens and Baldock, in our case it's all about the management team.

Not a lot, I watched the Cyprus and Russia matches to see what he did but I hadn't paid much attention to him prior to last summer when he signed for us. I was impressed with him last year though when playing for Swansea against us. For those suspicious souls who doubt if I am genuine I assure you I am, unless some strange parallel universe is confusing me. I've posted very occasionally on here I think virtually exclusively on Scottish players I see in England and mainly ones who've played for the Blades. As I think I posted quite early on in the John Fleck thread I'm definitely English but I've a soft spot for the Scottish team in deference to my Scots gran, who was not a lady to be ignored and I wish you well despite the desperate times you've been going through. By means of encouragement though Sheffield United's very recent past was bleak indeed; 6 years in the wastelands of L1 were a disgrace for the club and if anyone had said to me that in a little over 3 years we would be where we are now I would have thought they were mad. Things can change around quickly in football but I think it needs an exceptional man to drive it through. We hit the jackpot with Wilder, I'm not sure Clarke, despite being a decided step in the right direction over the previous fool, has the dynamism to get players to buy into what he's doing, don't ask me for an alternative though, I'm fresh out of ideas. Some brief thoughts on various anglo-Scots I've seen recently: Be wary of Palmer's form, our dear neighbours across the City are having a desperate time and although his form hasn't been affected as much as some, the club is in turmoil and I'd be surprised if he isn't dragged down soon. One guy I'd love to see at Bramall Lane is Snodgrass, is there any chance of bringing him back in the National team? I think he's still got an awful lot to offer despite the carnage around him at the unhappy Hammers. Armstrong is going very well at the moment as well, lots of confidence, should definitely be in the squad. Rumours around McTominay suggest he's not far away from playing which would be a huge boost, haven't heard a great deal about McGinn though, unless they are doing a great job keeping it very quiet it still seems as though he's a bit away. Finally, can't avoid a comment on Fleck, he just keeps getting better, if there's a better Scottish midfielder about at the moment he must be a hell of a player.

I hesitate to stir up a pot that that seems to contain at least one somewhat unstable ingredient but I thought I would anyway. As a Sheffield United season ticket holder There's a chance I've seen McBurnie more than most and the same probably applies to Fleck, certainly in terms of his recent career. Re McBurnie I would make a few comments. Firstly, If he is played as a lone striker I very much doubt anyone is going to see a dynamic, match winning performance from him. He's predominantly a flick on, or turn and run type of striker rather than a back to the goal, hold up and feed player. If the midfielders aren't close and able to run beyond him then a couple of defenders will largely nullify him. If he's isolated there's every chance he'll look clueless; not big enough to dominate an International class centre half and not quick enough to outrun them. Having said this though, I suspect he wouldn't be the only striker to suffer in these circumstances. As part of a pair though he is a far better player. He does a lot of his best work from a more deep lying position, he works incredibly hard, his touch is deceptively good and with the ball at his feet he is a constant thorn for opposing defenders. Secondly, he is a far better player now than he was when he first signed for us and I suspect there is a lot more to come from him. Part of this may well be due to predictable issues like, general settling in time, a need to build confidence, moving up a level etc. But a lot of it is also due to growing strength and stamina and the customary brilliant coaching that he is getting from Wilder and Knill. I'm biased but I don't think there is a coaching team in England that has consistently improved players in the way that Wilder's team has done at the Blades. I would caution those upthread who are happy to write him off on the basis of past performances to remember that he is still relatively young and learning his trade. So, in my opinion whether he is a player to start with largely depends on the confidence and belief of the coach; If the mindset is predominately defensive/damage limitation with 1 up top then I can't see him doing much damage (nor indeed could I see many of the other options thriving either). In a 2, or indeed a very clear 1,1 up top I would undoubtedly start him, if it were me I would go with a 3-5-2 and have some belief that the strongest part of the team, the midfield, is good enough to both press, defend and create and therefore limit the number of times or the amount of sustained pressure that the somewhat flakey defence is exposed to by trying to play further up the pitch. If the midfield isn't good enough to impose itself on the games then the team is pretty much bolloxed anyway regardless of set up. I suspect to set up to try and soak up pressure and hit on the break pretty much bound to fail.

Pretty much bang on TDK. McBurnie and Griffiths in combination would be hugely more effective than either alone. and it wouldn't leave a hole in midfield cos out of possession McBurnie works his nads off closing down in midfield. Also to avoid confusion Fleck is left footed, he seems to be placed on the right a fair number of times upthread.

4-2-3-1 is a god awful formation, it only ever works well where the front 4 are bordering on genius level eg Chelsea under Jose, where they were rock solid at the back but still able to open most defences. With the back 4 that Scotland play it's highly suspect in the centre and it nullifies the attacking strength of the fullbacks. Even if the defence is well drilled and the full backs in particular are disciplined, its still so weak the coach feels obliged to play two defensive mids. The sad reality is that Scotland haven't got any combination of just 4 players to be effective in midfield and attack. It rules out a high press because it won't work with 4 at International level, if they try it they will get bypassed and the defence exposed. Invariably, the midfield spend all match chasing around with little structured attacking play and the poor old lone striker has to feed off scraps and then have to beat the two centre halves who will invariable have him in their pocket(s). Maybe they scrape a goal but in the meantime most decent International teams will have scored 2 or 3.

It's been a while since I posted but I've been watching with interest and this is an interesting thread. Good managers produce good teams by making the most of their best players not by sticking to a team shape that means some of the best players are left out and play crap players because they fit in an existing structure. At the moment Scotland potentially (if they turn up) have 2 excellent wingbacks about half a dozen decent midfielders some crap central defenders and virtually nothing up top, oh and no stand out goalkeeper. Recent performances have been poor. Few chances created, leaky defence midfield ineffective. In goal - Marshall seems best placed, just keep praying for someone else to come along soon. Defence - 3 at the back Arguably Devlin and McKenna seem the best of a mediocre bunch but as there are no stand outs it doesn't really matter, they have the advantage of playing together which is not to be sniffed at. Then, controversially, for a third I would try McTominay in the middle of a three. Why, because his natural game is a destroyer, he'll tackle anything that moves he's big enough to be useful in that position but he's already showing he's got the football brain to be adaptable. he has the ability to be the quarterback with the security of 2 centre backs alongside him. An example of how this can work is Conor Coady at Wolves, midfielder all through his youth development at Liverpool, now established as the glue that makes Wolves' defence stick and McTominay is a miles better player at this stage than Coady was. Wingbacks - This system now allows Robertson and Tierney to play in the role they excel at, ok one of them is on the wrong side but that's a small price to play for the threat they will bring. Flat 3 in midfield, sod attacking or defensive midfields, diamonds or whatever else you want, midfielders should be able to do the lot in my book but because the wingbacks will create the width no specialist wide player needed and fortunately there's a number to choose from. On what I've seen I'd go McGinn, Fleck and Fraser, first 2 definitely Fraser I'm open to alternatives. Now gloriously we can play 2 up front, problem is not many options, a big and little one would be my preference but its all a bit thin on the ground. I think if fit you have to go with McBurnie and Griffiths. I'm the first to say that this season McBurnie has been a massive disappointment but I think he would be effective in a team that actually has a structure and produces some decent opportunities. Griffiths doesn't look like happening any time soon so maybe Shankland has an opportunity, failing this put an attacking mid to play no.10. Maybe Shinnie or Armstrong in the middle and push Fraser up. Now before I get ripped for picking so many English based players, I'm basing this on players I've actually seen and I watch predominantly English matches; you guys may well be right that better options exist in the Scottish game, tbh It doesn't matter to me the key thing that has to happen in my view is that you need a shape to fit the guys available and it seems a no brainer to me that at present that shape should be 352.

Coutts and Norwood aren't peas in a pod, I'd agree Norwood's vision to see a pass and his ability to drill a long ball is superior to Coutts' but my view is that Coutts is(was) superior in terms of close movement and short passes he's also slightly better defensively, Norwood is quite a slight player physically and can get brushed aside in the heat of the battle. Coutts isn't starting because he's still not back at the levels he was before the leg break, You see it in his general athleticism and less fluent movement I very much hope he can get back there but there is always a doubt after a long term serious injury. Re Fleck's performance levels, I'm guessing you're a man for the stats/analysis side of the game but I'm not convinced it tells you the whole truth. There has been a change in the way we've played over the last year or so. In L1 we developed into a team that was so superior to most of the opposition that we became incredibly attack focused. If the opposition caught us on the break we were confident we would still outscore them. We took this into the Championship last season but against better players and managers we have gradually become more pragmatic and not as open as we were and this has impacted probably more on Fleck's role than anyone else's. His average position has moved back a few yards and the intricate stuff in and around the box is more likely to see Duffy, McGoldrick and the wing backs involved. Why's no one come in for him? I fear that sooner or later someone might but it's also the case that he's being very well managed, He knows he has the managers total trust, he's the first name on the team sheet, he's been given improved terms twice in the three years he's been with us, he's still got a long contract in front of him. Overrated I know but he's bought into the club there is a real buzz around the place, he's playing in front of 25,000+ week in week out; you genuinely get the feeling the players are happy to be here and I guess finally who's going to come in for him? I think he's unlikely to move to another championship team unless they offer stupid money (always possible) For various reasons I think it unlikely he'll go to either Celtic or Rangers and I doubt anyone else in Scotland would be able to put a deal together for him. The biggest danger to us is a lower level EPL side in much the same way as we lost Brooks to the mighty Bournemouth but Fleck isn't Brooks. The stupid money available in the EPL allowed Bournemouth to take a punt on Brooks, they bought potential knowing that if he developed over the next couple of years as he has the raw ability to do they'll have the possibility of flogging him onto a top EPL side for £80-£100 Million. Because of his age/playing career etc. that isn't going to happen to Fleck he'll get bought as cover/squad player for someone like Newcastle if he goes anywhere.

I think you are a bit guilty of downplaying Fleck andyD. Norwood has made a big impact at SUFC because he filled a yawning gap in the side that was critical to the way we play that occurred when Coutts had his leg broken a year ago. Wilder signed 3 midfielders last Jan none of whom were good enough for the role and our performance level dropped accordingly in the 2nd half of last season. Norwood is quite a similar player to Coutts and therefore signing him in the summer has made it possible for us to start performing at the level we were doing a year ago and hence why people say he's made such an impact. (btw Coutts is now back playing and my personal view is that he is a tad better all round than Norwood and may well start instead of him when he gets back up to full match fitness, if he can get back to the levels he was at Scotland could do a lot worse than calling him up as well). However, in my view Fleck is more important to the team than either of them. He's the glue that holds our team together, if you put a list of the desirable characteristics you'd want in a midfielder he's pretty good at all of them, I grant you he's not a De Bruyne, He hasn't got the skill and pace of a Mahrez but he's a pretty good approximation for a one level down Gundogan. Add to this he is also that comparative rarity a left footer and certainly that gives us balance. You put in a bit of a mix of characters that you claim are way better than him but for what it's worth Grealish has a sublime touch and when he drifts past players it's a thing of beauty but he's also a mardy, sulky, diving whinger who in the 5 matches I've seen him live in has yet to put a shift in. Hernandez, Jota, Adams are predominantly wingers/second strikers and not really comparable. Allen, Leitner clearly decent players but having seen both this season play against us I wouldn't take either of them above Fleck although I admit I might be a bit biased. Oh and trust me Fleck is a better player now than he was 2 seasons ago when he was able to lord it against League 1 players without having to be outstanding.

Not officially but this is from the Sheffield United journalist on the local rag. https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/sheffield-united-john-fleck-could-be-set-for-his-first-scotland-cap-after-all-1-9447157

Fleck called up today apparently.