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Oliver Burke


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20 hours ago, JECK said:

The trouble is going to be fitting all these guys into the team. Agreed though, you can't help but feel we're going to have a good period especially with the strength in defence as well. I reckon wales, ni and republic would be bending over backwards to select Burke if they could.

Agree. We're being way to shy about this just because he failed to set the heather alight when he got a few caps aged 18/19. I think it was crazy to completely bomb him out the way Strachan did, although I think he might have drifted out of the squad naturally anyway given the 18 months or so that followed (assuming it wasn't his treatment by Strachan that led to his decline in club form). He absolutely isn't perfect, but given the alternatives - Chris Martin, Rhodes, Griffiths, Fletcher - who is?!?

We've got a 21 years old powerhouse forward, clocked as 3rd fastest player in the world and now playing and playing well. How's about we use him?

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22 minutes ago, Rude Gullit said:

Agree. We're being way to shy about this just because he failed to set the heather alight when he got a few caps aged 18/19. I think it was crazy to completely bomb him out the way Strachan did, although I think he might have drifted out of the squad naturally anyway given the 18 months or so that followed (assuming it wasn't his treatment by Strachan that led to his decline in club form). He absolutely isn't perfect, but given the alternatives - Chris Martin, Rhodes, Griffiths, Fletcher - who is?!?

We've got a 21 years old powerhouse forward, clocked as 3rd fastest player in the world and now playing and playing well. How's about we use him?

Aye? When did that come out? Who was the top 2?

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1 hour ago, JECK said:

Aye? When did that come out? Who was the top 2?

Okay, might have conflated my facts here - but it's still pretty impressive. Seems that:

Has been second fastest in the EPL: https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/west-bromwich-albion/2017/09/11/west-broms-oliver-burke-clocks-second-fastest-premier-league-speed-of-the-weekend/

He was 16th fastest in the world in 2018: https://the18.com/soccer-news/fastest-soccer-players-in-the-world-today-2018-edition

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13 minutes ago, csinclair said:

He's first choice striker at Sheffield Wednesday

6 goals in 34 appearances, which doesn't sound great - but as we saw recently he works well with speedy wingers and attacking midfielders. Definitely should be in the next squad and would have no problem with him keeping the starting jersey. Just great that we have an option like Burke back in the frame now. Perhaps coming on as a sub might work best for him anyway - tired opposition defenders vs a machine like him? Could be match-changing.

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28 minutes ago, Rude Gullit said:

6 goals in 34 appearances, which doesn't sound great - but as we saw recently he works well with speedy wingers and attacking midfielders. Definitely should be in the next squad and would have no problem with him keeping the starting jersey. Just great that we have an option like Burke back in the frame now. Perhaps coming on as a sub might work best for him anyway - tired opposition defenders vs a machine like him? Could be match-changing.

The Wednesday fans seem to be losing patience with Fletcher. They admire and salute his hard work and graft, but bemoan his lack of goal threat. He is isolated tho, the Wednesday side has very little pace about it and Steve Bruce has been playing 2 defensive mids against bottom of the table sides in his opening games (who knows why), so Fletch is a bit on a hiding to nothing with that setup.

For me Fletch has always been decent if he has runners beyond, so Fraser, Forrest and Christie would fit that. As Wednesday he has nothing like any of those. He'd also work well with a partner, but again, Rhodes was sent out on loan due to Financial Fair Play and Bruce seems to want to play 1 up top anyway.

It's all a bit bizarre at Wednesday these days. For a couple of years (spanning 3 managers) they seem to have been doing their best to not win football matches.

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3 hours ago, andyD said:

The Wednesday fans seem to be losing patience with Fletcher. They admire and salute his hard work and graft, but bemoan his lack of goal threat. He is isolated tho, the Wednesday side has very little pace about it and Steve Bruce has been playing 2 defensive mids against bottom of the table sides in his opening games (who knows why), so Fletch is a bit on a hiding to nothing with that setup.

For me Fletch has always been decent if he has runners beyond, so Fraser, Forrest and Christie would fit that. As Wednesday he has nothing like any of those. He'd also work well with a partner, but again, Rhodes was sent out on loan due to Financial Fair Play and Bruce seems to want to play 1 up top anyway.

It's all a bit bizarre at Wednesday these days. For a couple of years (spanning 3 managers) they seem to have been doing their best to not win football matches.

Fletcher's never been a goal machine but as you say maybe we don't have to have that. When you have Burke/Christie/Forrest/Fraser/Armstrong bombing on goals will come. I'd still go for Naismith first though.

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15 hours ago, SkyBlueScot said:

Fletcher's never been a goal machine but as you say maybe we don't have to have that. When you have Burke/Christie/Forrest/Fraser/Armstrong bombing on goals will come. I'd still go for Naismith first though.

We have never really been blessed with prolific goalscorers especially not at international level. As long as we keep it tight at the back and cut down on goals we concede we have enough goal threat to get wins by the odd goal against decent opposition. Thankfully, it would seem in recent months some decent defensive options are becoming available to us such as McKenna and Bates.

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15 hours ago, SkyBlueScot said:

Fletcher's never been a goal machine but as you say maybe we don't have to have that. When you have Burke/Christie/Forrest/Fraser/Armstrong bombing on goals will come. I'd still go for Naismith first though.

Yep, should manage.

But there will be games, like Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend where Fletch had, i think, 3 really good chances and missed all of them.. and the game finished 0-0. To me that's the worry. In a 46 games league, you can take the odd game you should have won, but in international football you can't afford to be throwing away chances, as many of our recent qualifying campaigns have shown.

So.. yeah, I like Fletch. But I'd be very happy to play give McBurnie a shot at being the main man. Or if Burke or Rhodes continue their form, then go for them. Feels like we need to take someone who can score regularly, but also keep an eye on the future. I'm not against Naismith, but he's 32 and Fletch will be 32 in a few weeks. Giving someone in form the spot against the Kazakhs and San Marino seems like a good plan, as we'll manage goals from elsewhere in the team regardless.

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36 minutes ago, andyD said:

Didn't see it, but had the radio on. Sounded like Burke worked hard, made a lot of runs, but no one was really finding anyone.
Pretty much on a hiding to nothing as a forward if the balls' not getting near you.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell, Celtic didn't really try to utilize Burke's main strength, they played barely any through balls where he could outpace a defender. Not sure Burke is really a striker tbf. Not at that level anyways 

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I watched the first half and a lot of Celtic's passes seemed to be going astray. I think I saw one time where Sinclair tried to play Burke through but he'd overhit it so the keeper got their first.

I think he has the raw attributes to make a decent striker in a counter attacking team where he can just try beat defenders for pace then either have a shot or lay it off to a winger/midfielder running with him

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