John Fleck and my all time United XI dilemma

[Mario1889]

A few players worth a shout for a best United XI…

Alan Kelly, Simon Tracey, Dean Henderson, Vas Bobokis, Chris Morgan

 

[1973Blade]

I'm sure Fleck has contributed more good games than McCall did so if you were to replace him I'm not sure he'd be the one.

If you reveal the rest of your all time XI (since 1980 ) then we can offer suggestions

Kelly, Enda Stevens (I will go with what Silent Blade said!), Borbokis, Jagielka, Morgan, O' Connell, Brown, Fleck, Edwards, Deane, Morris. OK, not sure Borborkis and Morris would work on the right but I'm definitely keeping Morris in!

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

No dilemma for me. He wasn't in to start with.

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

Michael Brown and Paul Coutts. I was a big fan of Gordon Cowan.but he didn't play for long enough.

Brown for me also and my other would be Glen Cockerill .

 

[Geordie Blade]

A few players worth a shout for a best United XI…

Alan Kelly, Simon Tracey, Dean Henderson, Vas Bobokis, Chris Morgan

They certainly wouldn't concede many (with three keepers...). In fact, just stick those five on the pitch, with Brian Deane up top and I think they'd beat anyone.

 

[1973Blade]

Brown for me also and my other would be Glen Cockerill .

Cockerill almost made the team, he is in the bench!

 

[Mario1889]

They certainly wouldn't concede many (with three keepers...). In fact, just stick those five on the pitch, with Brian Deane up top and I think they'd beat anyone.

Very true.

Speaking of Deane, while watching England last night I started to think about how over the years since Deano’s first spell at United, the competition for places amongst the strikers in the England squad has got less and less.

If Deane were playing now rather than in the early 90s, I reckon he’d have at least a couple of dozen England caps such was his quality. He was just very unlucky that at the time he was playing he was competing against the likes of Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Peter Beardsley, Robbie Fowler, Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole, David Hirst, Alan Smith and David White.

 

[guancheblade]

Kelly, Enda Stevens (I will go with what Silent Blade said!), Borbokis, Jagielka, Morgan, O' Connell, Brown, Fleck, Edwards, Deane, Morris. OK, not sure Borborkis and Morris would work on the right but I'm definitely keeping Morris in!

If Morris is on the right, who is playing on the left?

 

[Sithblade]

Very true.

Speaking of Deane, while watching England last night I started to think about how over the years since Deano’s first spell at United, the competition for places amongst the strikers in the England squad has got less and less.

If Deane were playing now rather than in the early 90s, I reckon he’d have at least a couple of dozen England caps such was his quality. He was just very unlucky that at the time he was playing he was competing against the likes of Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Peter Beardsley, Robbie Fowler, Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole, David Hirst, Alan Smith and David White.

Les Ferdinand and Stan Collymore as well, have we ever has so many striking options for England as we had in early/mid 90s?

 

[1973Blade]

If Morris is on the right, who is playing on the left?

I'm not saying tactically it makes sense! They are the best players 8n my opthat I've seen. If I had four at the back it would be Hodges on the left but I wanted to include Jagielka, Morgan and O Connell at the back!

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

A year ago there was no doub that Fleck was in my all-time United XI (from 1980). Now I can't make up my mind, do I go on the first four years, or does his poor form for the past year mean he is out? Stuart McCall could get a recall into the team yet.

Just don’t worry about it.

 

[Stegosaurus]

Hi Stegosaurus here

Last season and this season has exposed Fleck & Co of being lower championship and League 1 players.

Wilder blundered his way onto an excellent tactic which made them look better than they were. We all saw what happened to them once the tactic was found out.

 

[Mario1889]

Les Ferdinand and Stan Collymore as well, have we ever has so many striking options for England as we had in early/mid 90s?

Agreed, along with Deane there’s an argument that many of those (like the 2 you’ve just mentioned) would have played a lot more for their country had they been around in any other era.

Criminal to think with such a pool of strikers to choose from we could qualify for the World Cup in 1994.

 

[guancheblade]

I'm not saying tactically it makes sense! They are the best players 8n my opthat I've seen. If I had four at the back it would be Hodges on the left but I wanted to include Jagielka, Morgan and O Connell at the back!

How about dropping Fleck for Whitehouse? He did more in half a season under Spackman than Fleck has done in his entire Blades career. More derby goals too

 

[Sean Thornton]

Thanks dad!

When you came the other day did you take my teapot full of money from under the sink? Again?

 

[1973Blade]

How about dropping Fleck for Whitehouse? He did more in half a season under Spackman than Fleck has done in his entire Blades career. More derby goals too

That does sound good, Whitehouse was excellent for us. Those six months under Spackman saw some of the best football I have seen us play.

 

[iBlade.]

If John Fleck gets into your all time top 11 then you are either very young or have been watching a different Sheffield United to me. I am 62yrs of age though.

 

[1973Blade]

If John Fleck gets into your all time top 11 then you are either very young or have been watching a different Sheffield United to me. I am 62yrs of age though.

For four seasons he and O Connell were our most important players during the most successful period I have watched us.

 

[Micky Narker]

Of players I've seen, McCall and Brown would probably be in central midfield for my Blades XI.

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

Surely which Div. we were in at the time and for what length of time they played has to come into this,
If Fleck had moved on or been badly injured after his first four great seasons, he would finish higher than someone who had just played a couple of season in Div 4 ?

 

[Geordie Blade]

Very true.

Speaking of Deane, while watching England last night I started to think about how over the years since Deano’s first spell at United, the competition for places amongst the strikers in the England squad has got less and less.

If Deane were playing now rather than in the early 90s, I reckon he’d have at least a couple of dozen England caps such was his quality. He was just very unlucky that at the time he was playing he was competing against the likes of Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Peter Beardsley, Robbie Fowler, Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole, David Hirst, Alan Smith and David White.

Les Ferdinand and Stan Collymore as well, have we ever has so many striking options for England as we had in early/mid 90s?

And great that a lower league goal machine like Steve Bull could get a call up. I've always felt that bringing on somebody like Billy Sharp if you need a scrappy goal in the last five minutes would be far better than adding someone like Rashford.

 

[Cheets]

Yep.

For me, Quinn had a good half season 97/98 then faded. His other spell was largely forgettable.

Stevens was solid for a good couple of seasons. I’d actually have Stevens up there with Armstrong as the best left backs of my time watching.

Quinn had a second spell with us? I'd forgotten that.

 

[Wards]

Quinn had a second spell with us? I'd forgotten that.

I see what you did there...

Interestingly a quick Wiki search shows his professional career lasted a mere 7 years. I hadn't realised we actually had him for 4 of those, could've sworn we sold him earlier than I remembered, albeit a couple of those were also seasons I've managed to entirely blank from my memory!

 

[WigglyBlade]

For four seasons he and O Connell were our most important players during the most successful period I have watched us.

Totally agree with this. People have got very short memories if they forget just how good Fleck was for those 4 seasons. He was MOTM almost every week and was one of the main reasons we went from a nothing League One side to pushing for Europe in the Prem!

It's just so painful to see how much his form has dropped in the last year

 

[Bladesman]

Dont think it has been tbh.

He did nowt wrong ans subsequent events have almost exonerated him anyway.

His old man comparing Wilder to hitler?

 

[Tarqs]

His old man comparing Wilder to hitler?

What's that got to do with Mark Duffy the player?

 

[Bladesman]

What's that got to do with Mark Duffy the player?

He didn’t seem to get his family to reign it in.

Anytime he got dropped for a match or two there would be his missus or his old man bitching about it.

 

[Rudders]

For any credible XI that you have watched surely there must be a minimum games threshold of at least a seaons worth of Utd appearances to weed out the flash in the pans?! And surely you have to weight top tier appearances and performances more highly than those in the lower rungs of the ladder.
FWIW (been watching since 92 ish):
Formation 4-4-2 Kelly; Gage; Stevens; Tonge; O'Connell; Jagielka; Bradshaw; Whitehouse; Deane; Flo; Hodges. Subs: Agana, Fleck, Egan, Henderson, Baldock, Brown, Sharp
Thoughts/Rationale:
No defensive midfielders were selected so I could crowbar Tongey; Dane and Hodges in, if in an actual match you would probably want Fleck or Brown in there.
Henderson will probably end up being a better keeper than Kelly based on ability but was never truly 'our' player so has to settle for a place on the bench due to a lack of bladey bladeness and not being quite as consistent as Kelly. Sharp misses out based on top tier goal output which is very low - Jostein Flo was more prolific than him in the top flight and actually had a physical characteristic/ability which posed problems for elite defenders. We've really only had one decent top tier striker in the last 40 years (Deane). The cupboard truly has been bare in that department. Its probably why we cant ever stay in the top league for any length of time. Looking forward maybe we should try and put more effort into keeping good young strikers like DCL and Jebbison then.
At RB or RWB hard to choose between Gage or Baldock (Gage more composed going forward+POTY awards swing it).
Left backs not great for last 30 years, Stevens a fairly meh selection, Nilsen has lots of top flight appearances in the Bassett era but was awful going forward (proper old school defensive left back), don't recall Armstrong being that brilliant, quite liked Jon Harley but he was championship era fodder as was Wayne Quinn.
Some good midfielders, probably had most depth and good players in there in recent years.

 

[blades14]

For any credible XI that you have watched surely there must be a minimum games threshold of at least a seaons worth of Utd appearances to weed out the flash in the pans?! And surely you have to weight top tier appearances and performances more highly than those in the lower rungs of the ladder.
FWIW (been watching since 92 ish):
Formation 4-4-2 Kelly; Gage; Stevens; Tonge; O'Connell; Jagielka; Bradshaw; Whitehouse; Deane; Flo; Hodges. Subs: Agana, Fleck, Egan, Henderson, Baldock, Brown, Sharp
Thoughts/Rationale:
No defensive midfielders were selected so I could crowbar Tongey; Dane and Hodges in, if in an actual match you would probably want Fleck or Brown in there.
Henderson will probably end up being a better keeper than Kelly based on ability but was never truly 'our' player so has to settle for a place on the bench due to a lack of bladey bladeness and not being quite as consistent as Kelly. Sharp misses out based on top tier goal output which is very low - Jostein Flo was more prolific than him in the top flight and actually had a physical characteristic/ability which posed problems for elite defenders. We've really only had one decent top tier striker in the last 40 years (Deane). The cupboard truly has been bare in that department. Its probably why we cant ever stay in the top league for any length of time. Looking forward maybe we should try and put more effort into keeping good young strikers like DCL and Jebbison then.
At RB or RWB hard to choose between Gage or Baldock (Gage more composed going forward+POTY awards swing it).
Left backs not great for last 30 years, Stevens a fairly meh selection, Nilsen has lots of top flight appearances in the Bassett era but was awful going forward (proper old school defensive left back), don't recall Armstrong being that brilliant, quite liked Jon Harley but he was championship era fodder as was Wayne Quinn.
Some good midfielders, probably had most depth and good players in there in recent years.

no basham?

 

[Speedracer]

Works well on vinyl records. Cleans up the grooves and to an extent, the scratches.

No offence mate, but this is my Koetsu Urushi Vermillion cartridge, & it isn't going within 10 miles of a PVA'd record!