Michael Tonge - One of Our Own

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BrianRhewster said:
Liverpool 02-03, League Cup semi first leg, his goal 😍😍😍😍😍
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What a night he had, never got to that level ever again unfortunately. Compare him to Jags, at that time they both seemed to have the world at their feet but Jags worked that little bit harder. Great memories still.
 
Think he had a good season in the Premier League tbf. Was sad when he left, but arguably should have gone in 2003 when there was some real top club interest in him.
 
Great memories but not sure I'd describe him as "one of our own".

When he was on SUTV Live for the Blackburn game he didn't seem to have a clue about our current team and referred to us as "them" and "they" until someone clearly had a word half way through and he suddenly started using "us"!
 
Not one of our greats, but a decent player nevertheless. Preferred him when he played wide on the left cutting into the area. Had quick feet on the ball, but unfortunately much slower legs when running. His lack of pace held him back a bit, but the free-kick he scored at Hillsborough is an all time classic.....
 
I think as he put on muscle as he matured, he lost a bit of quickness. In 2003 he seemed to have the ability to go past his opponent either inside or outside. His display against Millwall was one of the best individual performances I have ever seen.
 
Rochdaleblade said:
I think as he put on muscle as he matured, he lost a bit of quickness. In 2003 he seemed to have the ability to go past his opponent either inside or outside. His display against Millwall was one of the best individual performances I have ever seen.
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I'd agree with that Millwall performance, he was unplayable. I bought an England shirt after that and got 'Tonge 18' on the back. In hindsight that may have been a tad premature.
 
YorkBlade said:
I'd agree with that Millwall performance, he was unplayable. I bought an England shirt after that and got 'Tonge 18' on the back. In hindsight that may have been a tad premature.
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I did something similar in 98 and had Fjortoft 9 in PL letters/numbers as we looked certs to go up. Best thing was I had it done in JJB at Parkgate Rotherham and literally guessed how to spell it as I had no way of checking. Luckily I got it right but probably cursed us going up.
 
I thought for a year or two after breaking into our team Tonge was absolutely fantastic - he went past opponents for fun, could finish and was in our top 3 or 4 players. His dip in form was equally dramatic though - opponents suddenly seemed to suss him out, not least because he nearly always tried to cut inside.

He went on to have an ok career but never lived up to his early promise.

The goals at the sty and at home to Liverpool will long be remembered though.
 
He was excellent for us and it's very sad he never fulfilled his undoubted potential. If he'd left us a little sooner then things might have been very different. I think he was more talented than Jags he just didn't have the same career.

I might have rose tinted specs on but he was also better for us (and did more) than the much vaunted David Brooks did.
 
Distinctly average after the 2002/03 season. fancied himself as a central midfielder, but had neither the guts nor the vision for it.
 



Tonge was a solid contributor for a number of years but he’s always marked down by the fact that his best season was his second, and he slipped back, little by little, after that, save for a strong second half in both the promotion and relegation seasons.

I thought there was no limit to what he could do after 2002-3. Didn’t quite work out, though he had a good career for all that. He had 2 big problems:

1. He is by all accounts a nice, inoffensive bloke. Perhaps he wasn’t aggressive enough.

2. I’ve seen United teams hurt by the sale of players, but I don’t think the sale of a single player ever affected a player who remained as the sale of Brown did with Tonge. Suddenly the responsibility as being the one to pull the rabbit out of the hat fell on him, and he couldn’t quite pull it off. McCall leaving didn’t help either. Everyone benefits with good players around them, but having Brown there put Tonge on another level.

In my life we’ve never been as close to a major final as we were after the first leg v Liverpool, and I’ll always love him for that.
 
When people talk him down, I wonder what it is they actually want in a player. We’re Sheffield United. We’ve not won anything since Lenin was warm in his grave.

In my forty-something years, how many players have taken us to the Premier League? Scored goals there? Taken us to the brink of cup finals? Turned out 260 odd times? Cracked one in at Wednesday?

Like Rev says, he needed good players around him - he couldn’t carry a team. But in an era of muck and nettles, he was a player of touch and class. The splay footed genius. ✊

PS - tremendous pod.
 
He was (and still is by all accounts) a really decent, honest chap. And generous as the day is long. He had time for anyone and not a scrap of arrogance or big headedness.

For me, the move to Stoke ended his career. It was meant to be the next stepping stone onto big stuff, but he festered in the reserves or was loaned out cheaply. His best days were undoubtedly at Bramall Lane with Jags, Browny, Monty and the rest of the close knit Warnock era battlers. The next best thing we ever got out wide was Jamie Murphy, and he strangely suffered the same downturn when he joined Brighton.

pommpey
 
Revolution said:
Tonge was a solid contributor for a number of years but he’s always marked down by the fact that his best season was his second, and he slipped back, little by little, after that, save for a strong second half in both the promotion and relegation seasons.

I thought there was no limit to what he could do after 2002-3. Didn’t quite work out, though he had a good career for all that. He had 2 big problems:

1. He is by all accounts a nice, inoffensive bloke. Perhaps he wasn’t aggressive enough.

2. I’ve seen United teams hurt by the sale of players, but I don’t think the sale of a single player ever affected a player who remained as the sale of Brown did with Tonge. Suddenly the responsibility as being the one to pull the rabbit out of the hat fell on him, and he couldn’t quite pull it off. McCall leaving didn’t help either. Everyone benefits with good players around them, but having Brown there put Tonge on another level.

In my life we’ve never been as close to a major final as we were after the first leg v Liverpool, and I’ll always love him for that.
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I wonder if VAR would have sent Chris Kirkland off?
 
JohnDenver said:
When people talk him down, I wonder what it is they actually want in a player. We’re Sheffield United. We’ve not won anything since Lenin was warm in his grave.

In my forty-something years, how many players have taken us to the Premier League? Scored goals there? Taken us to the brink of cup finals? Turned out 260 odd times? Cracked one in at Wednesday?

Like Rev says, he needed good players around him - he couldn’t carry a team. But in an era of muck and nettles, he was a player of touch and class. The splay footed genius. ✊

PS - tremendous pod.
Click to expand...

A bit of consistency maybe? If he had two good games in a row that would be a rich vein of form. He'd be good in one game, and then you'd have to wait 4-5 games before another good performance. Just like David Cotterill, capable of some great things, but not often enough.
 
Klaatu Barada Nikto said:
A bit of consistency maybe? If he had two good games in a row that would be a rich vein of form. He'd be good in one game, and then you'd have to wait 4-5 games before another good performance. Just like David Cotterill, capable of some great things, but not often enough.
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That is very harsh on Tonge IMHO. He had several seasons where he played consistently well.
 
Revolution said:
That is very harsh on Tonge IMHO. He had several seasons where he played consistently well.
Click to expand...

There were games when he was practically anonymous and he struggled against being closed down and getting away from his marker, something that probably hindered a move or more international recognition. But he did have quick feet and could hit a ball at goal in a manner that would make our current midfielders shit turn to liquid.

When cooking on gas, our midfield four looked unplayable at times

pommpey
 
Lost that influence when he moved into the centre. 02/03 he was unplayable in certain games. Much better than Brooks in the season he played with us.

Wolves away
Millwall Home
Palace in the League Cup QF


Took the piss that season. Diminished slightly every season since. Did ok in the PL.
 
Loved Tonge and along with Brownie and McCall formed a perfectly balanced midfield. Tongey had it all apart from pace and twas a sad day when he left the club. Great memories of what was probably the most enjoyable season ever for me.
 
Is it just me who could never get over having Brown Tonge in the middle of the park?
 



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