Jake Wright

[Slim Man]

Isn't it nice having a few defenders who can defend in the team?

Not mentioned yet, or if he has I apologise as I've missed it, but Wright was phenomenal yesterday. He doesn't get as much praise as EEL or JOC but he's every bit as important.

If there's ever been a 'backs to the wall' type defender you want in your side - he's it. The least fashionable of the defenders we have, the goalscoring tank championship loanee, the big(ish) money signing, and of course good ol Bash - dare I say Wright is possibly the best DEFENDER of them all?

He reads the game absolutely brilliantly, would stick his head on the end of a rocket if it meant it wouldn't go in the net, knows when to use strength, when to stay on his feet and when to dive in. And the biggest difference is he's a fantastic organiser of the defence.

What a signing. Reminds me of the good old days when Warnock used to sign allsorts of 'rejects' and they used to become our better players.

Could he play in the championship? I don't know but I tell you what - Oxford must have some bloody good defenders if he wasn't going to be first choice. The bloke is absolutely immense at what he does and as yet still hasn't tasted defeat as a Sheffield United player. Long may that continue.

 

[Harry's Game]

Probably our best defensive header of a ball since Morgan.

 

[Slim Man]

Probably our best defensive header of a ball since Morgan.

Only Maguire can hold a light to Wright in that sense for me since Morgan

 

[Tyler Durden]

Warnock also signed a lot of rejects who became bigger rejects.

But on the subject of Wright, yes I think he's the best natural defender in the team and the best natural leader as well. He's an integral part of what were doing right now and where we intend to go.

Would he be good enough for the 2nd Division? Maybe not, the gulf between the two divisions is wider than it's ever been.

But right now I'm just happy to have a team of players who are at least good enough for this one. Unlike the gutless, clueless cretins we had last season. That's progress at least.

 

[JohnDenver]

I like that he's been around, but never been higher in the leagues. In his shoes I'd be like a kid at christmas every time I turned out to play for us. I've no time for the massiveness debate, but it's surely a huge deal for a lower league stalwart to play to 20000 people every week, especially given current form.

You have to credit the manager because signing players based on character with limited ability is dead-easy (hi Dean Hammond). But fitting them in and protecting against their limitations is a whole lot harder (bye Dean Hammond).

Wright can talk, head and kick, and all the stuff he can't do is covered by JOC and EEL. That's almost certainly not enough in the Championship, but recruiting ready-made Championship players has cost us whole load of money and crap over the last 5 years... So who cares?

 

[Gimli]

Agree with everything that has been said so far, also think he is the reason why EEL has been so immense - Wright has the leadership that gives others around him confidence.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Isn't it nice having a few defenders who can defend in the team?

Not mentioned yet, or if he has I apologise as I've missed it, but Wright was phenomenal yesterday. He doesn't get as much praise as EEL or JOC but he's every bit as important.

If there's ever been a 'backs to the wall' type defender you want in your side - he's it. The least fashionable of the defenders we have, the goalscoring tank championship loanee, the big(ish) money signing, and of course good ol Bash - dare I say Wright is possibly the best DEFENDER of them all?

He reads the game absolutely brilliantly, would stick his head on the end of a rocket if it meant it wouldn't go in the net, knows when to use strength, when to stay on his feet and when to dive in. And the biggest difference is he's a fantastic organiser of the defence.

What a signing. Reminds me of the good old days when Warnock used to sign allsorts of 'rejects' and they used to become our better players.

Could he play in the championship? I don't know but I tell you what - Oxford must have some bloody good defenders if he wasn't going to be first choice. The bloke is absolutely immense at what he does and as yet still hasn't tasted defeat as a Sheffield United player. Long may that continue.

Think you'll find there's a thread or two applauding Wright's qualities. His is the type of talent based on experience and natural organisational skill. He's pivotal to Wilder's view of our ideal 3-man defensive unit. Balance and chemistry are some of the hardest things to assimilate into a team, and in Wright Wilder has brought in a player who seemed unlikely to play for the Blades. Often, the unlikeliest of players turn a corner and produce a standard of play and tactical nous no one thought they were capable of, except Wilder it seems. Maybe Wright will continue to surprise those of us who recognise his qualities, but for however long he remains with United I hope we continue to benefit from his skills.

 

[Piddie]

Said the same thing coming out of the ground yesterday. Think he so consistent in the simple things that he largely goes un noticed in terms of man of the match.

He does all the basics really well and reads the game so well.

 

[wizadry]

The bloke doesn't know how to lose, he's a great player for this league.

 

[Ricky]

There was one header in the second half, a right wing cross came in and he was around the edge of our 6 yard box facing our goal, yet he managed to twist and head it behind him right out of the box and away from danger. Fantastic defensive header, best one I've seen for a while.

It's the first time in a while such an unheralded, low key signing has made such a good contribution.

Looks like very bad judgement from Oxford and Michael Appleton.

 

[nopigfansintown]

There was one header in the second half, a right wing cross came in and he was around the edge of our 6 yard box facing our goal, yet he managed to twist and head it behind him right out of the box and away from danger. Fantastic defensive header, best one I've seen for a while.

It's the first time in a while such an unheralded, low key signing has made such a good contribution.

Looks like very bad judgement from Oxford and Michael Appleton.

Yes, it was absolutely immense, and stopped what would've been a sitter.

 

[Slim Man]

There was one header in the second half, a right wing cross came in and he was around the edge of our 6 yard box facing our goal, yet he managed to twist and head it behind him right out of the box and away from danger. Fantastic defensive header, best one I've seen for a while.

It's the first time in a while such an unheralded, low key signing has made such a good contribution.

Looks like very bad judgement from Oxford and Michael Appleton.

He does that often, he seems to be able to read what direction the ball is coming, and the spin it has on it to be able to twist his body and head to make the right header every single time. It really is an art. He doesn't just HEAD IT ARRRT - quite often he makes a very difficult header and finds one of our men to keep possession. He really has been the biggest surprise so far for me. A winner.

 

[Ricky]

Doesn't it seem (even more) utterly ridiculous that we struggled for so long at centre half when a 30 year old free transfer from League Two can make such a positive difference?

 

[Jesus_was_a_Blade]

My MOTM yesterday, Fleck & Duffy were great, but Wright was immense, second half especially. The fact that he's not lost a game while wearing the red & white must give not only him, but the whole team a huge amount of confidence.

Long may it continue!

 

[Bladeinleeds]

There was one header in the second half, a right wing cross came in and he was around the edge of our 6 yard box facing our goal, yet he managed to twist and head it behind him right out of the box and away from danger. Fantastic defensive header, best one I've seen for a while.

It's the first time in a while such an unheralded, low key signing has made such a good contribution.

Looks like very bad judgement from Oxford and Michael Appleton.

100% agree. I'll hold my hands up and say I thought he'd been brought in as a cheap option solely to provide cover and certainly wasn't expecting much in the way of positive contribution from him.

He's done a bang up job when called upon and has established himself as a feature in the side. Think his experience has been vital along side 2 young centrebacks just learning their trade.

There's maybe a question mark on his ability on the ball and whether another step up might be a bridge too far if (and a big if) we went up. But for now he's more than earned the shirt.

In terms of low key signings i'm struggling for some recently - Geary, Shipperly, Chief and McCall spring to mind as players who for me far exceeded what I could have reasonably expected when they signed.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

I think Wright fits in perfectly with EEL and JOC when he's the spare man at the back, as his main strengths are reading the game, mopping up (not that that's needed too much with EEL and JOC winning virtually everything; Wright's seemed more stretched in the last couple of games, hence the last ditch stuff) and opening his gob/directing the defence. Personally, I don't think he's as effective when they're matching him against a forward as has happened in the last few games (I also don't think EEL is as effective as the spare man as he has been the last few games, discounting 2nd half Saturday).

I think what I'm getting at is Wilder should stop pissing about and get O'Connell back as one of the 3 centre halves (we've now conceded 4 in the last 2 games without him). That balances the defence out, it also adds a bit more aggression, strength and height to the team. On Saturday I thought the starting XI looked a bit lightweight, with EEL being the only natural 'heavyweight' in the team.

As for Wright yes he's doing well and for me has a bit of the Bob Bookers about him, not a great player but gives everything.

 

[Bartleby]

I like that he's been around, but never been higher in the leagues. In his shoes I'd be like a kid at christmas every time I turned out to play for us.

I think he probably is, but like he said in an interview a month or so ago, when he was asked if he felt it was it was a "privilege" to be in this team. He said summat along the lines of not so much privilege as I think I've earned my place actually. Top guy.

 

[Slim Man]

I think he probably is, but like he said in an interview a month or so ago, when he was asked if he felt it was it was a "privilege" to be in this team. He said summat along the lines of not so much privilege as I think I've earned my place actually. Top guy.

Which he has. He's an absolute credit to himself. He's now absolutely proven himself in League One - whatever happens. Hypothetically speaking if we were to go up and we decided he won't be good enough Wright would have a nice queue of suitors in League One wanting to build their defence around him. He's been so impressive for nothing more than a 'league 2 reject', he's certainly no reject now.

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

Looks like very bad judgement from Oxford and Michael Appleton.

You see, I'd cut Oxford/Appleton a bit of slack here, because he wasn't performing like he is here for them.

With that in mind, his age etc then they can probably be forgiven for letting him go.

The fact he's playing for a club with bigger resources, better facilities, crowds etc has probably meant he's upped his game 5 fold from that of Oxford.

If we want to go up, we have to keep him fit. I'll be disappointed if I see his name on the next two team sheets.

 

[Slim Man]

You see, I'd cut Oxford/Appleton a bit of slack here, because he wasn't performing like he is here for them.

With that in mind, his age etc then they can probably be forgiven for letting him go.

The fact he's playing for a club with bigger resources, better facilities, crowds etc has probably meant he's upped his game 5 fold from that of Oxford.

If we want to go up, we have to keep him fit. I'll be disappointed if I see his name on the next two team sheets.

In my opinion if we want to go up we need to sign another Jake Wright in January. Because if Wright get's injured I worry about our defence being able to cope - without him we'd have folded on saturday. We were interested in Craig Morgan in the summer - we've got the funds - we should have another look. He might have to wait his turn though because Jake has been outstanding and deserves a long long run in the team.

 

[BushBlade]

In my opinion if we want to go up we need to sign another Jake Wright in January. Because if Wright get's injured I worry about our defence being able to cope - without him we'd have folded on saturday. We were interested in Craig Morgan in the summer - we've got the funds - we should have another look. He might have to wait his turn though because Jake has been outstanding and deserves a long long run in the team.

It's a bit of a dilemma. If we did go up, we'd be in a position to sign a better centre half than we're likely to in the JTW. But, as you say, if Wright gets a bad injury and is out for some time, do we have anyone who can take his place or would it scupper our season?

And realistically, how much are we going to spend in the JTW and how much will go on trying to secure EEL and bring in cover for, say Freeman and Duffy?

That's why I'm keen to see us progress to the FA Cup third round. We need the money.

 

[Ricky]

I can see another Shipperley scenario with Wright. We could understandably sign someone else in his position with a view to replacing him only to find that we're better off sticking with him.

Even if we could get someone better individually it might be better to stick with him due to the understanding he's built with the other centre halves, especially if we continue with 3-5-2.

We definitely need to think about signing another centre half though as an injury to him could really harm us, and he does have recent injury history. The difficulty for Wilder will be deciding whether it's someone to replace him or someone to cover him. It depends on his form until January, and it depends on what's available.

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

In my opinion if we want to go up we need to sign another Jake Wright in January. Because if Wright get's injured I worry about our defence being able to cope - without him we'd have folded on saturday. We were interested in Craig Morgan in the summer - we've got the funds - we should have another look. He might have to wait his turn though because Jake has been outstanding and deserves a long long run in the team.

Agree totally.

January is probably more important in terms of cover rather than first eleven.

Cover for Moore, Wright, Freeman and Duffy would be top of my wishlist.

 

[RammyBlade]

Isn't it nice having a few defenders who can defend in the team?

Not mentioned yet, or if he has I apologise as I've missed it, but Wright was phenomenal yesterday. He doesn't get as much praise as EEL or JOC but he's every bit as important.

If there's ever been a 'backs to the wall' type defender you want in your side - he's it. The least fashionable of the defenders we have, the goalscoring tank championship loanee, the big(ish) money signing, and of course good ol Bash - dare I say Wright is possibly the best DEFENDER of them all?

He reads the game absolutely brilliantly, would stick his head on the end of a rocket if it meant it wouldn't go in the net, knows when to use strength, when to stay on his feet and when to dive in. And the biggest difference is he's a fantastic organiser of the defence.

What a signing. Reminds me of the good old days when Warnock used to sign allsorts of 'rejects' and they used to become our better players.

Could he play in the championship? I don't know but I tell you what - Oxford must have some bloody good defenders if he wasn't going to be first choice. The bloke is absolutely immense at what he does and as yet still hasn't tasted defeat as a Sheffield United player. Long may that continue.

Yes he is one of those players that often you dont notice as much because he does things competently rather than being noted for dropping a bollock or even doing showboating (as if!) He fits into the style perfectly so credit Tufty for getting him in

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

It's a bit of a dilemma. If we did go up, we'd be in a position to sign a better centre half than we're likely to in the JTW. But, as you say, if Wright gets a bad injury and is out for some time, do we have anyone who can take his place or would it scupper our season?

And realistically, how much are we going to spend in the JTW and how much will go on trying to secure EEL and bring in cover for, say Freeman and Duffy?

That's why I'm keen to see us progress to the FA Cup third round. We need the money.

Whether its championship or League 1, if your under the cosh, backs against the wall, defending a lead with 10 minutes to go - having someone like Wright to throw on is a massive advantage, a talker, calming influence, ship steadier.

We have a track record with these types (the Short, Lucketti types from recentish successful teams).

 

[BushBlade]

Whether its championship or League 1, if your under the cosh, backs against the wall, defending a lead with 10 minutes to go - having someone like Wright to throw on is a massive advantage, a talker, calming influence, ship steadier.

We have a track record with these types (the Short, Lucketti types from recentish successful teams).

I agree but my point is that if we're going to sign someone who can organise like Wright can, he needs to be better than Wright, or if we go up this season we'll have two 'wrights' instead of a first team player and Wright as emergency cover/late sub to tighten it up.
We don't want to start signing squad players just in case we get bad injuries when there's a good chance they won't be needed next season and will just be a drain on the wage bill.
Which is why I said it's a dilemma. It's like having eighteen in Blackjack, there's a good chance you'll bust if you twist but also likely that the dealer may have a better hand. It's not an easy decision for CW and will be dependent on who we can get. There's an argument that we'd be better waiting to see if we do go up because we can probably sign someone better. But I can see the potential flaw in that.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I'm ready to hold my hands up and say I was completely wrong about this guy. When we signed him and Wilson I was concerned. Wrong side of 30, wrong side of 6 foot, never played above league 2, injury problems last season, deemed surplus to requirements by a club just promoted to our league. On paper, I thought it looked an awful signing. I haven't been this wrong since I lauded the signing of James Harper as the final piece in our jigsaw.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Agree totally.

January is probably more important in terms of cover rather than first eleven.

Cover for Moore, Wright, Freeman and Duffy would be top of my wishlist.

Are we assuming loan signings? If so, it will be difficult to get good players as cover, except from the division below. Good, experienced players would be even harder to get, as they would surely expect a starting role. A really tough call for CW.

 

[Slim Man]

Now the only member of our team to never taste defeat. He's the key at the back, without him we look clueless.

 

[SwissBlade]

Now the only member of our team to never taste defeat. He's the key at the back, without him we look clueless.

He's a leader thats for sure and as i said on one of the EEL threads the other day, after Moore, he's the next name on the team sheet if he's fit and available