Best midfield in the Champ

[Bruce Wayne]

Tell me a better one and we have the pass master Coutts who is watching on.

- Norwood is the best dead ball player since Glyn Hodges

- Fleck is the best box to box player in the league

- Duffy is the icing on the cake, he just makes us tick and creates havoc

Wouldn't swop them for for any midfield from about 8th place in the premiership.

 

[Grizzly blade]

Brave assertion...some good players in that premier league.
And they must be better cos they cost more!

 

[FTPE]

On today's showing, Grealish wouldn't get in our starting 11 and he's the most sought after player in the league.

 

[Eric Cartman]

Let’s not be hasty about the Prem.

But as for the championship... Leeds aside I’m struggling. I think their midfield is top class. Villa’s has all the tools to be but it’s a rudderless ship. Derby’s of Huddlestone / Mount / Bryson is pretty good.

It’ll be very interesting when we come up against Leeds. Phillips / Klich / Saiz under Bielsa will be our biggest test of the season.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Let’s not be hasty about the Prem.

But as for the championship... Leeds aside I’m struggling. I think their midfield is top class. Villa’s has all the tools to be but it’s a rudderless ship. Derby’s of Huddlestone / Mount / Bryson is pretty good.

It’ll be very interesting when we come up against Leeds. Phillips / Klich / Saiz under Bielsa will be our biggest test of the season.

Dem 3 would hold their own and some.

 

[Punk Blade]

On today's showing, Grealish wouldn't get in our starting 11 and he's the most sought after player in the league.

Grealish’s attitude means he would never be in a Chris Wilder squad.

 

[Ricky]

Stoke's should be - Allen, Woods, Clucas, Etebo, Ince

But that's on paper.

On grass? Ours might well be the best right now.

 

[ChemEngBlade]

Villa's is certainly weaker having lost Snodgrass. I was thinking though before kick-off whilst the teams were being announced, just how far we've come as a team. The players Villa have, most of them are well-known names amongst the Premier League: James Chester, Miles Jedinak, El Mohamady, Alan Hutton, Glenn Whelan, Henri Lansbury. Each one of them probably on more money than our top-paid player, yet we absolutely tore them apart today through sheer intelligence, understanding between teammates and passion for the shirt. Long let it continue and we show the 'big guys' what it means to play for passion

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Stoke's should be - Allen, Woods, Clucas, Etebo, Ince

But that's on paper.

On grass? Ours might well be the best right now.

No paper Ricky. They are destroying teams on grass FACT.

 

[Stretch]

All about Chemistry, not just how good each player is.

I (and many others) have said since the promotion season that Coutts, Fleck and Duffy were the most perfect and complimentary trio they had ever seen in a United team. Now Norwood is in for Coutts and looks equally as in tune with the other two if not more so.

How many other teams have such an effective unit, despite possibly having much better individual players?

 

[Ainsley Harriott]

I keep saying it (not particularly on here) but we should have signed Duffy years ago (ideally when he was at Scunny). We’ve missed someone like him for a long long time. It’s a shame he’s 32

 

[Superblades]

Grealish’s attitude means he would never be in a Chris Wilder squad.

The way he goes about his game and as good as he is - I wouldn’t want him. What a prick.

 

[Sheffsteel]

I keep saying it (not particularly on here) but we should have signed Duffy years ago (ideally when he was at Scunny). We’ve missed someone like him for a long long time. It’s a shame he’s 32

Hasn’t Duffy spent most of his career as a winger though?, could be wrong not 100% sure what he did before joining us.

Think it’s the experiment to give him a floating role that’s transformed his career.
He has the passing and vision of a creative midfielder
But what sets him apart is that due to his days spent as a winger he can actually dribble past opposition midfielders
And also he has the intelligence to float around and find space between midfield and attack.

 

[coaxingstar71]

All about Chemistry, not just how good each player is.

I (and many others) have said since the promotion season that Coutts, Fleck and Duffy were the most perfect and complimentary trio they had ever seen in a United team. Now Norwood is in for Coutts and looks equally as in tune with the other two if not more so.

How many other teams have such an effective unit, despite possibly having much better individual players?

That's the key isn't is, it's the combination that makes the sum greater than the parts. It's clearly noticeable how the addition of Norwood has re-invigorated Fleck's performance in that he's now able to play to his strengths rather than trying to do the work of two players as he had to with Evans. Love Duffy, he floats around in that area that makes him so difficult to pick up and brilliantly links the midfield to the forwards. He works so hard, perfectly exemplified by his goal yesterday, having the strength to win the ball on halfway, then bringing it forward before smashing it in the corner. It's no wonder he tires later in the 2nd half because he runs his bollocks off for 60-70 minutes.

 

[GodricBlade]

That's the key isn't is, it's the combination that makes the sum greater than the parts. It's clearly noticeable how the addition of Norwood has re-invigorated Fleck's performance in that he's now able to play to his strengths rather than trying to do the work of two players as he had to with Evans. Love Duffy, he floats around in that area that makes him so difficult to pick up and brilliantly links the midfield to the forwards. He works so hard, perfectly exemplified by his goal yesterday, having the strength to win the ball on halfway, then bringing it forward before smashing it in the corner. It's no wonder he tires later in the 2nd half because he runs his bollocks off for 60-70 minutes.

Just said similar on the Norwood thread.
The midfield are allowing/enabling each other to play their best football individually which - given they complement each other so well - means that as a unit, they have created a formidable force between them.

There was a moment in the first half yesterday where they were pinging 1-touch passes around in front of the dug-outs that included a ‘let it run through my legs’ dummy. I have no idea who did what but me & others round me were just laughing at how good we looked.

 

[DronnieBlade]

I said at the beginning of last season, we had the best midfield in the championship.

Turns out I was wrong, as that accolade was contested by Wolves and Fulham (Fulham just about edging it for me).

Those sides got promoted. Coincidence ?

Me thinks not.

Now. This season.

I appear to be in a minority of 1 that feels (appreciate it’s early days) that this years championship is not nearly as strong as last season. For a side like ours, who came close last year put ultimately ran out of puff, it’s WIDE open.

The margins of success and failure are narrow. Finishing 6th or higher is within our compass.

A strong midfield will contribute significantly towards this objective.

The good news is, we have one. One of the very best as it turns out. Perhaps THE best.

Time will tell !

UTB

 

[Benny and the Blades]

And who are the men who have formed these individuals into such a good team ? Mr W & Mr N
And to prove it wasn't a fluke ,who would have thought you could rebuild the Trinity without Coutts but it's looking like they have.

 

[Pinchy]

And who are the men who have formed these individuals into such a good team ? Mr W & Mr N
And to prove it wasn't a fluke ,who would have thought you could rebuild the Trinity without Coutts but it's looking like they have.

Alan Nil?

 

[Benny and the Blades]

Got to give the dog a bone..........

 

[Grappler]

I keep saying it (not particularly on here) but we should have signed Duffy years ago (ideally when he was at Scunny). We’ve missed someone like him for a long long time. It’s a shame he’s 32

When he played for Scunny and scored against us, Tony Currie turned to a mate of mine and said "that is the player that we should be buying", he thought he was a real talent.

 

[LS16Blade]

The way he goes about his game and as good as he is - I wouldn’t want him. What a prick.

And you have to wonder whether the likes of Spurs, who were strongly linked to a move for him in the Summer, have assessed his character and lost enthusiasm. Apart from routinely falling over as if playing in carpet slippers, the petulance when anybody has the temerity to take the ball off him is a real issue e.g. the nasty tackle down one of our player's Achilles in the second half yesterday which had no intention of winning the ball back.

As good a player as he is, how long would he last in the Premier League where he would be coming up more frequently against players who are more skilful and also more sly in the dark arts, together with officials who would be more likely to be star-struck by the opposition than by Villa? Grealish would be getting sent off 5 times a season.

 

[Stretch]

I keep saying it (not particularly on here) but we should have signed Duffy years ago (ideally when he was at Scunny). We’ve missed someone like him for a long long time. It’s a shame he’s 32

Can you imagine how much a 26 year old Mark Duffy would be playing like he is now? And there is the problem, even if we bought him cheaply then got him playing like this chances are he would have been sold within 2 windows. His only fault now is his lack of stamina over 90 minutes, which sort of helps us in a a way because other teams are unlikely to pay a significant fee. He is our little genius, and we know how and when to use him.

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

I agree - this midfield is definitely one of the best in this league. Norwood is absolute class and it's no conicidence Fleck's form has picked up as a result.

 

[Rusty view]

Bannan init

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

When we're on form, ours ticks along something lovely.

The only thing I would say is that the changes in midfield yesterday killed our control of the game. Lundstram still doesn't look quite ready and Lafferty is about as much of a central midfielder as I am, that took all our dominance out of the midfield from that point forward.

 

[SwissBlade]

Tell me a better one and we have the pass master Coutts who is watching on.

- Norwood is the best dead ball player since Glyn Hodges

- Fleck is the best box to box player in the league

- Duffy is the icing on the cake, he just makes us tick and creates havoc

Wouldn't swop them for for any midfield from about 8th place in the premiership.

On yesterday's performance, i don't think there is a better midfield in the country. They clicked at Bolton, they went rogue against Villa.

Lets see them when they go beast mode on a Friday night in November

 

[Benny and the Blades]

This is the problem, if you had another player as good as Duff. would he be happy to sit on the bench ?

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Tell me a better one and we have the pass master Coutts who is watching on.

- Norwood is the best dead ball player since Glyn Hodges

- Bannon is the best box to box player in the league

- Duffy is the icing on the cake, he just makes us tick and creates havoc

Wouldn't swop them for for any midfield from about 8th place in the premiership.

Edited for you.
We don't want these images working overtime on Porktalk.