What is wrong with John Fleck?

[BigBed]

Is it that loads of folk are tweeting about his fitness and ability??

 

[Chali 2na]

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).

Kind words blade. Refreshing amongst a sea of Sharks

 

[Kendal]

Football player in giving the ball away shock!!!

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

Coutsy

 

[Chali 2na]

Coutsy

You've got him there mate.

 

[Kendal]

You've got him there mate.

So have half a dozen others. Note to self: Always read to the end of a thread before posting

 

[CarlMcBlade]

My favourite Blades player of the last few years, but you're right.
Just what role is he playing at the moment? Maybe if we knew that we could think of an alternative option. Loved his partnership with Coutts but that era has come to an end. He isn't playing in the number 10 role and he isn't sitting in. Just what is his role in this team?
With Norwood doing the 'distribution/sitting role and either Duffy or Dowell providing the creativity, just what is his instruction before going out to play?
UTB

I always thought he was the tenacious ball winner in midfield........ but he don’t do that either.

 

[nopigfansintown]

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.

I would add: Mcgoldrick comes in to advanced midfield roles more often than any striker we played last season, rendering another attacking threat from the inside left channel superfluous. We already have Mcgoldrick, Duffy and Stevens who do the majority of their work - when in possession -, down this side. All of Fleck's best attacking play comes down this side; whether it's an early left foot cross, a quick one two, or a run into the penalty area. That's not a dig at Fleck or Mcgoldrick by the way; just an observation. Fleck's upturn in form (and United's) has coincided with Mcgoldrick playing more central - closer to Sharp and the opposition goal. I'm yet to watch the replay of the Swansea game, and don't want to jump to conclusions garnered from my own eyewitness account, but if I was a gambling man, I'd bet on us reverting to back to Goldie dominating this piece of the field?

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

The difference between this season and last (and up to Coutts breaking his leg we played much better, were more consistent and beat a number of the top teams, unlike this season's team who tend to flunk it when the pressures on against the better teams), is that Fleck received a lot of the ball to feet from Couttsy, who was always available for a return pass if needed, this season all Fleck tends to see is the ball 6ft above his head after Norwood tries another of his Hollywood passes (most of which go out of play or to the opposition).

Personally I'd drop Norwood and give Coutts a run in the team, two players (Coutts and Fleck) giving regular 8 or 9 out of ten performances has to better than one player (Norwood) giving a 6-7 out of ten performance and at the same time reducing John Fleck to a shadow of the player he is when playing alongside Paul Coutts.

 

[RedandWhite]

The difference between this season and last (and up to Coutts breaking his leg we played much better, were more consistent and beat a number of the top teams, unlike this season's team who tend to flunk it when the pressures on against the better teams), is that Fleck received a lot of the ball to feet from Couttsy, who was always available for a return pass if needed, this season all Fleck tends to see is the ball 6ft above his head after Norwood tries another of his Hollywood passes (most of which go out of play or to the opposition).

Personally I'd drop Norwood and give Coutts a run in the team, two players (Coutts and Fleck) giving regular 8 or 9 out of ten performances has to better than one player (Norwood) giving a 6-7 out of ten performance and at the same time reducing John Fleck to a shadow of the player he is when playing alongside Paul Coutts.

Last season we won 2 of the 12 games against the top 6 so what do you mean?

 

[FallowfieldBlade]

The difference between this season and last (and up to Coutts breaking his leg we played much better, were more consistent and beat a number of the top teams, unlike this season's team who tend to flunk it when the pressures on against the better teams), is that Fleck received a lot of the ball to feet from Couttsy, who was always available for a return pass if needed, this season all Fleck tends to see is the ball 6ft above his head after Norwood tries another of his Hollywood passes (most of which go out of play or to the opposition).

Personally I'd drop Norwood and give Coutts a run in the team, two players (Coutts and Fleck) giving regular 8 or 9 out of ten performances has to better than one player (Norwood) giving a 6-7 out of ten performance and at the same time reducing John Fleck to a shadow of the player he is when playing alongside Paul Coutts.

I mean have you watched Norwood ? Are we on about the same player ? Didn’t we just win 4 on the bounce ?
Not saying coutts doesn’t deserve a run in the team but if your gonna drop anyone it should be for fleck.

Also why’s everyone moanin Christ 3 points of autos with 15 games left

 

[S64 Blade]

Not ready through all of this thread (sorry!), but I think some kind of competition for Fleck is now our most needed recruitment position, along with LWB. Lundstram has not been able to prove that he's able to dislodge or even stand in for Fleck and whilst he's not had the best of seasons, we would miss him more so if he was to get injured or suspended.

 

[Bladezz]

His performances need to improve or he will be left behind.

 

[Pinchy]

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

I would like to see Fleck dropped

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

Forgive me but I stated it a long time before that. I always do. I see things coming. I am the guardian of uncomfortable truths.

Fleck is rubbish at the moment. He was dreadful against Swansea and should be left out. No sentiment. No Bladey favouritism.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

No sentiment. No Bladey favouritism.

yep, agree with this - it's all about the team and the big prize.

UTB

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

A month on, I’d say there’s nothing much wrong with John Fleck. He’s come through a patch of (for him) relatively poor form but is looking much more like his old self now. He worked really hard today and his return to somewhere near his best will be very important for the rest of our season.

 

[sitwell]

Forgive me but I stated it a long time before that. I always do. I see things coming. I am the guardian of uncomfortable truths.

Fleck is rubbish at the moment. He was dreadful against Swansea and should be left out. No sentiment. No Bladey favouritism.

Man of the match today ,has been getting steadily better week by week.

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

They should change his surname to Fleek.

Because he's on.

 

[DronnieBlade]

Form is temporary.

As things pan out, might have had “stuff” on his mind. Or at least that of his agent .

Class is permanent. And make NO mistake, the Scottish Ginger twat is class .

UTB

 

[Pinchy]

Man of the match today ,has been getting steadily better week by week.

He was excellent but the Goal Machine was man of the match by many a mile.

 

[Anston Blade]

Man of the match today ,has been getting steadily better week by week.

Biit harsh to re-post Pinchy's comments as, at the time they were made, they were correct. He did have a poor run of performances.

Equally, this last few weeks he has been superb and if he carries on this form it'll be just the boost we need for the run in.

 

[flashinblade1889]

Head turned of course a few extra quid a week......

Now back in that there groove

 

[Weasel]

Form is temporary. Class is permanent.

 

[Chali 2na]

He was excellent but the Goal Machine was man of the match by many a mile.

Fair play to you Pinchy

 

[cc1]

Forgive me but I stated it a long time before that. I always do. I see things coming. I am the guardian of uncomfortable truths.

Punchy, are you Gandalf?

I just knew it

Xx

 

[mattbianco1]

Man of the match today ,has been getting steadily better week by week.

Agreed. Quality today

 

[Pinchy]

Fair play to you Pinchy

No problem. I’m delighted when a Blades player performs really well. I said before kick off that I hoped he would.

Some people ought to stop and reflect that if he’d performed regularly as he did today, there’d have been no concern expressed, by many others in addition to me. There was concern, and rightly so.

Well done Flecky. Keep it up. There’s better opponents ahead.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Biit harsh to re-post Pinchy's comments as, at the time they were made, they were correct. He did have a poor run of performances.

Equally, this last few weeks he has been superb and if he carries on this form it'll be just the boost we need for the run in.

The point is surely though that contrary to the view at the time Fleck shouldn’t have been dropped, as had we followed that we would have not seen his recent form. It’s fair to flag that as bad judgment. That’s the danger you get in from making very forceful views on particular situations.

 

[Chali 2na]

No problem. I’m delighted when a Blades player performs really well. I said before kick off that I hoped he would.

Some people ought to stop and reflect that if he’d performed regularly as he did today, there’d have been no concern expressed, by many others in addition to me. There was concern, and rightly so.

Well done Flecky. Keep it up. There’s better opponents ahead.

I absolutely agree.

I might add as well that I did acknowledge that Fleck hasn't been the same player as last season and that he needed to improve. I think where we didn't see eye to eye were the words we both used to describe his underwhelming form.

Good point about better opponents, and something we'd do well to remember; Reading were as bad as any team we've seen all season and we'll have to step it up against West Brom - I'm sure Wilder and the players know this, fortunately.

 

[Pinchy]

The point is surely though that contrary to the view at the time Fleck shouldn’t have been dropped, as had we followed that we would have not seen his recent form. It’s fair to flag that as bad judgment. That’s the danger you get in from making very forceful views on particular situations.

A permanent place for Fleck, then? Sharp as well, it would seem from the juvenile wailing about him being ‘dropped’ yesterday.

 

[zablade]

A permanent place for Fleck, then? Sharp as well, it would seem from the juvenile wailing about him being ‘dropped’ yesterday.

Rested..