What is wrong with John Fleck?

[bladesman3]

“Noticeable Wilder has started taking him off in games”. Can you explain this comment?

In the 27 game she’s played this season Fleck has been taken off 3 times, one was today and one was against Villa when we were winning 4-0

Personally I thought he was good today and I wouldn’t have taken him off

Thought he was good first half but poor second half...like the rest of them though

 

[gavtheblade]

He was good last night.
It was Norwood who needed taking off.

 

[mancunianblade]

Does anyone have coverage stats? Fleck really is box to box and is all but ever present so I’d expect there to be a little fatigue in those legs.

 

[Chali 2na]

LJBlade you are seriously stalking me. I could post it's sunny outside and you would say it's raining, I could say it's morning and you would say it's night. You are really pssing me off pal.

Every time I post you are on my tail, you are a stalker.

You can block/ignore him if it really bothers you.

 

[Brian Deane]

After a decent first half he did look tired / fatigued which is why I think he was taken off. I've noticed a few times this season that seem to be a good yard off the pace in the second half of matches and perhaps were over doing it in the first half ? Nutrtion will play a huge factor as well as overall fitness. Maybe he needs a rest .

 

[Chali 2na]

The defensive side of Fleck's game has generally been good this season - no noticeable difference than last season IMO.

Going forward, with the ball, he's been far less influential and not up to the (extremely high) standards he set since he arrived.

I put this down to the following:

• We're not playing as centrally as we did last season, we've been building play more quickly this year, and often focused on using the wings: Fleck gets less time on the ball.
• Norwood is less likely to pass to Fleck than Coutts (deliberately or otherwise) - he favours long diagonals or through balls, where as Coutts and Fleck would be happy to bounce of eachother more.
• He looks to be playing slightly deeper - this may be a loss of confidence or it may be a tactical instruction.

 

[Rob86]

I thought he was alright yesterday. No worse than anyone else. Norwood gave it away a lot 2nd half but because he gets so much of the ball it masks it a bit. JF doesn’t get the ball as much so when he does, if he gives it away, it’s more noticeable.

I think recently he has been getting forward more and is looking more like the old Fleck.

1st half yesterday I thought he was good.

 

[robbiez666]

When he played with Coutts/Lundstram they sat whilst he played in a more advances role.

With Norwood, Fleck sits more often than not. I don't think it suits him as much and I think he'd rather be playing in a similar role to last season.

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

In terms of competition, I think Dowell has shown today that he would be able to play Duffy’s role or Fleck’s. Quite excited about him, to be honest.

Yep, agree with that. I thought it was interesting that when Duff came on during the Barnet game Dowell, on debut, was dropped deeper into more or less Fleck’s position. I wondered at the time if this might tell us something about how Wilder plans to deploy him.

Last season and the promotion year Fleck was a joy to watch and, despite several contenders, for me he was comfortably our outstanding player. If we can get him back to those levels in the run in, or if Dowell can drop into that role successfully, some added creativity / solidity in that area of the pitch could still give us a real tilt at autos.

After all, no one else in the top 6 seems reliable or consistent enough to be “nailed on”. (Obvs this is because, per Porktalk, it’s a rubbish division this year ).

 

[Manuel Azaña]

Maybe playing for Sheffield United is hindering his international career?

 

[originaltrueblade]

The original poster has a point, it’s not just him saying Fleck is off the pace at times and has been giving the ball away in vital places everyone I know have been saying the same thing. Maybe a start for Dowell is imminent and a rest on the bench for Fleck may well do the trick to fire him up again

 

[boo radley]

He could do with some encouragement. So lets sing his song more. Over to you Ricky .

 

[Latters]

Football player in giving the ball away shock!!!

Name one player who doesn’t ever give it away?

Couttsy. There’s even a song about it...

 

[JackSUFC]

He’s been a mainstay in our team all season and we’re 3rd in the league?

 

[Ricky]

It was Norwood who needed taking off.

HOW DARE YOU ever suggest that.

 

[him behind you]

One of our shining stars of recent seasons is worryingly dropping right off the pace. He's giving the ball away far too often, worryingly often in the danger zone. He seems to have lost that drive/zest that made him a star for us and it maybe just me but he doesn't look anywhere near the fitness levels he was 12 months ago. Noticable Wilder has started taking him off in games, there is something wrong with the lad. Without a direct replacement for Fleck in the squad I think Wilder must sign one this window, it's a key position and right now we are exposed until Flecky gets his mojo back.

He's become a Scottish international

 

[Fanny magnet]

I think he's been identified as a weakness u opposition coaches and just seems to.get overpowered now
His trademark driving runs and half turns seem to have been tactically stifled Nd he doesn't seem capable of adapting and improving

 

[DronnieBlade]

Nowt.

Remains one of our better players, even though previously attained levels are not presently being attained.

And there is something in the pairing with Norwood in comparison with that with Coutts. It’s different and this dynamic does not help JF.

UTB

 

[blade53]

The one worry that niggles me is that Fleck seems to have not been himself since his link up with the Scotland squad. Has his head been turned? has he been advised that he needs to be playing for a 'higher profile club' before being considered?

 

[Seth Rollins]

The one worry that niggles me is that Fleck seems to have not been himself since his link up with the Scotland squad. Has his head been turned? has he been advised that he needs to be playing for a 'higher profile club' before being considered?

I was wondering this to be honest. I’d rather play for us than Scotland though!!

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

One of our shining stars of recent seasons is worryingly dropping right off the pace. He's giving the ball away far too often, worryingly often in the danger zone. He seems to have lost that drive/zest that made him a star for us and it maybe just me but he doesn't look anywhere near the fitness levels he was 12 months ago. Noticable Wilder has started taking him off in games, there is something wrong with the lad. Without a direct replacement for Fleck in the squad I think Wilder must sign one this window, it's a key position and right now we are exposed until Flecky gets his mojo back.

The answer to the question, in a word, no make it two ... Ollie Norwood.

 

[Stretch]

A lot seem to suggest his role has changed since Norwood came in [seen it on here in a few places and Ben Bloom has made this point a few times] but personally I am not seeing it. As far as I am concerned he is still the box to box player of the midfield 3, with Norwood sitting and Duffy drifting wherever he wants behind and around the strikers.

He was magnificent in the previous 2 seasons, just a little off colour in this one. It happens, maybe other teams target him more too? In any case he was getting back to his best since the weather turned colder, before yesterday. Watch him thrive again into late January/ February.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Football player in giving the ball away shock!!!

Name one player who doesn’t ever give it away?

His second name is Couttsy oh ee oh.
He never gives the ball away.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

In our efforts to get into the top 2 positions, various players have stepped up their game.

We've also got 4 new regular players in the team from start of season (Hendo/Egan/Ollie & McG) that have made the team much better than last season.

Fleck hasn't/isn't producing the levels from from the past - this could be a dip in form, or it might be he is now being left (slightly) behind the level other players are now achieving.

Numerous commentators are saying "we are over achieving" - we aren't - we now have better players and some others are responding to that and consequently upping their game and i'd put Stevens/Baldock/Bash and Billy in that category.

The management need to try and get Flecks levels up to match some of the other players as he's a vital player with a peach of a left foot that doesn't really have direct competition for his place.

Teams evolve - our's virtually hasn't stopped evolving since CW & AK took over, but for sure CW has a ruthless streak that won't countenance a drop in anyone. Fleck included as much as we all admire him.

Sure he'll start v Norwich and perhaps being taken off v Swansea was the kick up the arse he needed.

UTB

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Football player in giving the ball away shock!!!

Name one player who doesn’t ever give it away?

Coutts. According to the song.

 

[lakedistblade]

Definitely seems to have become a weak link. Maybe move Bash up to that role and give cranie another run in back three who did well at Wigan. Better to do this in Bolton game rather than change set up before Norwich. Substitution v Swansea might just gee fleck up because he has looked occasionally a bit casual.

 

[wesleysnipesmen]

Definitely seems to have become a weak link. Maybe move Bash up to that role and give cranie another run in back three who did well at Wigan. Better to do this in Bolton game rather than change set up before Norwich. Substitution v Swansea might just gee fleck up because he has looked occasionally a bit casual.

I'd really rather us not play Bash in midfield unless it's something like switching to a back 4 to put more numbers up the pitch after we've ran out of subs.
His current position suits him perfectly, but he's not a top end championship midfielder. If we're dropping Fleck for anyone then there's Coutts, Dowell and Lundstram ahead of him for me.

 

[RedandWhite]

I stated this in the shoutbox the other week and got my head bitten off, people fear the truth.

Stevens was pretty shit the start of the season, after he lost his spot to Johnson. He came back and for me has been one of our standout players since.

I would like to see Fleck dropped to see if his mojo comes back after realising his first team spot is no longer safe. Although even with a poor Fleck who else in the squad is going to be any better?

This is why I suggested replacing him in this window or definitely in the summer if no change has been made to his performances. Yet everyone disagreed

 

[west_yorks_blade]

The defensive side of Fleck's game has generally been good this season - no noticeable difference than last season IMO.

Going forward, with the ball, he's been far less influential and not up to the (extremely high) standards he set since he arrived.

I put this down to the following:

• We're not playing as centrally as we did last season, we've been building play more quickly this year, and often focused on using the wings: Fleck gets less time on the ball.
• Norwood is less likely to pass to Fleck than Coutts (deliberately or otherwise) - he favours long diagonals or through balls, where as Coutts and Fleck would be happy to bounce of eachother more.
• He looks to be playing slightly deeper - this may be a loss of confidence or it may be a tactical instruction.

Agree with the gist of the OP, and I was struggling to figure out why there has been an apparent dip in form.
I think Chali 2na has come up with a rational and logical explanation here.

Good post fellow blade (copyright woodwardfan).

 

[GrayBlade]

I thought he played well in the first half and looked in top form, but he seemed to lose it almost from the off in the second and just couldn’t get his game back together. It was his spate of mistakes along with other players that seemed to invite Swansea on and encourage them in that spell just before they scored. It’s baffling how his form could dip so radically over the two halves of a game, but he’s not the only Blades player that this has happened to this season his he?

To be fair, I think that he’s played quite well in the last few games before Swansea, it’s just that I think that he’s been such a stand out player since L1 we probably expect a bit more than ‘quite well’ from him.