Squad reshape this summer

[ancientblade]

Even after signing Phillips (CM) still think we're 5 short for a decent season.

disagree get souttar and another centre back in plus a winger and were good enough for top 8 no doubt about that in my mind

 

[Proper Blade]

We don't have any wingers!

 

[Blademan89]

We don't have any wingers!

Need 2 LW in, 1 that can play either left or right and one that can play AM (or somone that can do all 3). Then we should be covered for Ohare rotation / backup and our on the right of needed.

Add 2 cbs and I think we should be good to go...

 

[Nick Jansky]

To be fair, Burrows is too good to be leaving out. Depending on how the window fares then I’d certainly look into playing him there in certain games.

He has good delivery. His build up play is decent. He can score goals. It removes the main failing of Gus that he didn’t always help out his full back consistently.

His build up play generally consists of checking inside and laying the ball off sideways or backwards. I have never seen him attempt to go past a man.

 

[Ndiayewillalwaysloveyou]

disagree get souttar and another centre back in plus a winger and were good enough for top 8 no doubt about that in my mind

Hamer replacement? Being greedy i did want a striker.

 

[12SCooke]

Depends if he is going to be on the pitch. I do think McCallum has nailed down the LB position

From memory I'm pretty sure Sam was taking a good portion of the set pieces when Hamer was out

 

[Kenworthy’s Tash]

When it’s written on paper like that the last 2 windows have crippled us.

I would imagine the wages and loan fees, agent fees and transfer fees on the DROSS we brought in in the last 12 months must be ruinous

Barry 1/2mil
Soimare 1/2mil
Fucking Godfrey - 1/2mil
Ings 1mil
Zatrerstrom -3/4mil
Chong -2/3mil
Matos - 3/4mil
Mcguinnes -8mil
Mee 1mil
Rothwell 1mil
Hoever - 500k
ANOTHER FUCKING RIGHT BACK - hjede 500k
Phillips - 500k for about 2 touches and a red card

Conservatively we Must have spunked best part of 25mil on some of the worst players I’ve ever seen play for us.

When you ask yourself how Cov or Brentford, Brighton or Bournemouth would have spend those same fees - it’s no surprise we are where we are now.

Just the success rate of the last 2 years of transfer - where maybe 10/15% you’d actually make again In hindsight. Another 20/25%added very little or didn’t live up to billing and about 60/70% were actually detrimental or provided absolutely nothing at all to us. Mean the recruitment needs an overhaul. We have to get better at using limited fund or we are never ever sniffing the PL again.

If you examine the total costs of the Brewster and Cannon deals alone versus their contribution it’s enough to make you weep. An astonishing waste of money and both Wilder signings.

 

[Booker4]

If you examine the total costs of the Brewster and Cannon deals alone versus their contribution it’s enough to make you weep. An astonishing waste of money and both Wilder signings.

I believe there was a rumour that Cannon was signed by the then new board?

 

[DronnieBlade]

Cards on table.

I simply don’t get this obsession with wingers in the current set up.

Not sure we have the CF players to benefit significantly from it.

What we DO have are, arguably, the 2 best wing backs in the division in Femi & Harrison and I just can’t help but think reverting to playing them BOTH in this position would benefit the team as a whole and negate the requirement for out and out wingers.

Maybe.

UTB

 

[ancientblade]

Cards on table.

I simply don’t get this obsession with wingers in the current set up.

Not sure we have the CF players to benefit significantly from it.

What we DO have are, arguably, the 2 best wing backs in the division in Femi & Harrison and I just can’t help but think reverting to playing them BOTH in this position would benefit the team as a whole and negate the requirement for out and out wingers.

Maybe.

UTB

quite right and if we get souttar a back 3 of tanganga souttar and baptiste/mcguinness plus wingbacks seriki and burrows it would be a good back 5 even think mcallum could slot in at left centre back

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Cards on table.

I simply don’t get this obsession with wingers in the current set up.

Not sure we have the CF players to benefit significantly from it.

What we DO have are, arguably, the 2 best wing backs in the division in Femi & Harrison and I just can’t help but think reverting to playing them BOTH in this position would benefit the team as a whole and negate the requirement for out and out wingers.

Maybe.

UTB

3-5-2. MAKE IT SO.

 

[LBA_Blade]

From memory I'm pretty sure Sam was taking a good portion of the set pieces when Hamer was out

Yeah, he has got a good boot on him can really whip in the ball. Downside to your LB going up to take it, is usually having to drop a CB to the centre circle unless desperate to cover, in case of any counter attacks.

 

[ben1987]

Cards on table.

I simply don’t get this obsession with wingers in the current set up.

Not sure we have the CF players to benefit significantly from it.

What we DO have are, arguably, the 2 best wing backs in the division in Femi & Harrison and I just can’t help but think reverting to playing them BOTH in this position would benefit the team as a whole and negate the requirement for out and out wingers.

Maybe.

UTB

But to counter that how many really good teams play 3 CB’s these days?

The vast majority of teams at the top level play a 4231 or a 433 variant.

As we came to the end of our fantastic run under wilders first reign a lot of top managers started leaving wingers on the half way line hugging the touch lines against us because once the wing backs or wide CB pushed on there were huge spaces behind the wingbacks that the CB’s struggled to defend. They had the dilemma to come right out of position or face the prospect of a winger running full pace at them already in control of the ball if they stayed put.

Part of the reason it worked so well before was we had very special players moulded to specialist roles in bash and JOC too.

You have to commit the wingbacks forward in that formation or you leave your midfield / attack isolated and at least one man down against the 4231/433 formations and don’t score enough goals so you always have this vulnerability.

I would argue that Seriki has acquitted himself fairly well defensively, as has McCallum. Burrows is a problem though. The most enjoyable aspect of last season for me was the link up between Brooks and Seriki.

 

[DronnieBlade]

But to counter that how many really good teams play 3 CB’s these days?

The vast majority of teams at the top level play a 4231 or a 433 variant.

As we came to the end of our fantastic run under wilders first reign a lot of top managers started leaving wingers on the half way line hugging the touch lines against us because once the wing backs or wide CB pushed on there were huge spaces behind the wingbacks that the CB’s struggled to defend. They had the dilemma to come right out of position or face the prospect of a winger running full pace at them already in control of the ball if they stayed put.

Part of the reason it worked so well before was we had very special players moulded to specialist roles in bash and JOC too.

You have to commit the wingbacks forward in that formation or you leave your midfield / attack isolated and at least one man down against the 4231/433 formations and don’t score enough goals so you always have this vulnerability.

I would argue that Seriki has acquitted himself fairly well defensively, as has McCallum. Burrows is a problem though. The most enjoyable aspect of last season for me was the link up between Brooks and Seriki.

Yeah it’s a different perspective and I accept that.

I don’t accept that Burrows is any where near as big a problem as you suspect.

Consider this.

If Andre was deployed on the left and teamed up on that side with HB, would this have been any less effective than FS / AB down the right ?

I can seriously make a case for the following as well in order to accommodate Sam Mc who could easily, IMHO, do a job at LCB :-

Femi Tangs Soutts Sam Mac Burrows.

Completely disagree about the vulnerability aspect as you have 2 “holding” midfielders - one being the deep lying play-maker the other being the out and out CDM.

It relies on your wing backs being able to get up and down but in essence, they are sort of doing 2 jobs rolled in to one.

Dismissing Burrows left peg and its ability to perfectly cross the ball is also not lost on me either. He chips in with a few goals too.

I rate Burrows - that much is clear. I wouldn’t dismiss him just yet !!

UTB

 

[Red Wing Blade]

I'd rather we brought in wingers and changed the formation. Wilder has stuck with this 4231 but treats it as a negative defensive formation home and away.

Just about every opponent we play against matches us with it and plays it better than us.

Then again other teams don't spend 90% of the time passing backwards for possession sake, and 90% of teams have off ball movement and pass ahead of players for them to run onto rather than some dimwit stood like a statue expecting the ball to come to them and looking shocked when it's easily intercepted or they come under immediate pressure on receiving the ball.

I genuinely don't think Wilder understands this formation and only went with it because everyone else does.

I'd rather we went with 5 at the back utilising Femi and Burrows as wing backs, then play 2 central midfielders with one acting as box to box, or even O'Hare and Peck both doing this, then have two wingers supporting Bamford.

My biggest worry now that Hamer is gone is that Wilder will cram someone in at left wing, most likely O'Hare, where he will become ineffective instead of bringing in a winger. Souttar I get. Phillips I don't get. He's a luxury that we don't need in a part of the pitch that's already overstocked, unless Wilder is going to play a three man midfield with wing backs. If we knew Hamer was going then why not use the money to sign a permanent left winger instead of wasting the money on a loan fee and wages of a player who we don't need and is a risky gamble?

 

[ben1987]

Yeah it’s a different perspective and I accept that.

I don’t accept that Burrows is any where near as big a problem as you suspect.

Consider this.

If Andre was deployed on the left and teamed up on that side with HB, would this have been any less effective than FS / AB down the right ?

I can seriously make a case for the following as well in order to accommodate Sam Mc who could easily, IMHO, do a job at LCB :-

Femi Tangs Soutts Sam Mac Burrows.

Completely disagree about the vulnerability aspect as you have 2 “holding” midfielders - one being the deep lying play-maker the other being the out and out CDM.

It relies on your wing backs being able to get up and down but in essence, they are sort of doing 2 jobs rolled in to one.

Dismissing Burrows left peg and its ability to perfectly cross the ball is also not lost on me either. He chips in with a few goals too.

I rate Burrows - that much is clear. I wouldn’t dismiss him just yet !!

UTB

I will agree with you that Burrows isn’t that bad. I would say that his poor season last season was down to three factors.

1 - that play off final defeat seemed to affect him as much as anyone else

2 - Selles apparently left the fitness side of pre season down to the players and concentrated on ball work. HB was regularly blowing out his arse and unable to close down his man. He seemed to be lacking a lot of fitness last season v the one prior where he made team of the season. You can expect to defend at the top of your game if you’re gassed all the time. Selles is partly to blame for that but he himself as a professional athlete and representative of Sheffield United also has to shoulder some responsibility for his own conditioning

3 - Hamer. During his first season on the left he was consistently good. Teams were shit scared to leave him and often doubled up. He was able to find space and allow burrows to overlap and underlap to his hearts content. Last season Gus was no where near as good. He left HB exposed both down to his lack of defensive work but also he wasn’t as good in possession and teams didn’t mind allowing their right back forward to overload HB. If we manage to sign a natural left winger who is more athletic than Hamer and Burrows gets his own fitness sorted then there is absolutely no reason why we can’t have season 1 HB back over the lite season 2 version. Hamer playing on the left but wandering wherever he pleased gave us some sort of unpredictability but also left the side unbalanced. I hope to see us address the in balance now he’s left.

We will have to agree to disagree on the system though im afraid. 4231 and 433 with wingers or inverted wingers is currently dominating world football. For a reason. They allow defensive solidarity, at least 4 attacking options and don’t compromise or rely on players doing two jobs at once. Look at the Euro, World Cup, premier league, champions league and championship winners the last few seasons. They pretty much all utilise similar systems and go man for man with the odd tweak. The fact that most teams play one striker also renders 3 CB’s a bit pointless too.

 

[DronnieBlade]

I will agree with you that Burrows isn’t that bad. I would say that his poor season last season was down to three factors.

1 - that play off final defeat seemed to affect him as much as anyone else

2 - Selles apparently left the fitness side of pre season down to the players and concentrated on ball work. HB was regularly blowing out his arse and unable to close down his man. He seemed to be lacking a lot of fitness last season v the one prior where he made team of the season. You can expect to defend at the top of your game if you’re gassed all the time. Selles is partly to blame for that but he himself as a professional athlete and representative of Sheffield United also has to shoulder some responsibility for his own conditioning

3 - Hamer. During his first season on the left he was consistently good. Teams were shit scared to leave him and often doubled up. He was able to find space and allow burrows to overlap and underlap to his hearts content. Last season Gus was no where near as good. He left HB exposed both down to his lack of defensive work but also he wasn’t as good in possession and teams didn’t mind allowing their right back forward to overload HB. If we manage to sign a natural left winger who is more athletic than Hamer and Burrows gets his own fitness sorted then there is absolutely no reason why we can’t have season 1 HB back over the lite season 2 version. Hamer playing on the left but wandering wherever he pleased gave us some sort of unpredictability but also left the side unbalanced. I hope to see us address the in balance now he’s left.

We will have to agree to disagree on the system though im afraid. 4231 and 433 with wingers or inverted wingers is currently dominating world football. For a reason. They allow defensive solidarity, at least 4 attacking options and don’t compromise or rely on players doing two jobs at once. Look at the Euro, World Cup, premier league, champions league and championship winners the last few seasons. They pretty much all utilise similar systems and go man for man with the odd tweak. The fact that most teams play one striker also renders 3 CB’s a bit pointless too.

I don’t like just the 1 striker either !

UTB

 

[ben1987]

I don’t like just the 1 striker either !

UTB

But like it or not that is what football has evolved into and it’s those systems that are currently winning more games than other ones.

Football has become a mechanical, athletic game of who can make the fewest mistakes. It makes for poorer viewing but it’s clearly effective.

 

[ChezVegasBlade]

New season about to start and so far it's shaping up to be a worse squad than last year, no Hamer and Brooks replaced by an unknown loan. Great work Blades

 

[247Blade]

you have to wonder what on earth is our scouting team doing. but its as i say in modern football, its 1 things to spend money its another to spend it well

Tekkin the piss

 

[Davalon]

Hopefully there's some serious work going on in the background to improve our creativity and attacking strength. Without additions we're seriously lacking in that department.

 

[Red Wing Blade]

 

[DronnieBlade]

But like it or not that is what football has evolved into and it’s those systems that are currently winning more games than other ones.

Football has become a mechanical, athletic game of who can make the fewest mistakes. It makes for poorer viewing but it’s clearly effective.

Not sure that point of view is overly simplified.

There are still plenty of teams that go with wing backs from the start of games or revert to it during the course thereof. We do it on a less regular basis than maybe 2/3 years ago.

My MAIN point is that (and assuming Soutter does arrive) then the most natural positions for the majority of our defenders would be :-

FS and HB as wing backs.
Soutter in the middle of the 3.
Tangs as RCB.
Appreciate that there isn’t a “natural” LCB in the camp at present but Baptiste and / Or Sam Mac could very well prove to be that man.

It’s essentially putting square pegs in square holes and not round ones in my eyes.

I hear what you say and it’s accurate to an extent. IMO.

Fact is, Wilder will go with a system nearer to yours than mine.

But, in the right match circumstances that dictate, watch him switch it to my 5:3:2 on a semi regular basis. And that’s a good thing as it allows fluidity to change it up.

Time will tell !!

UTB

 

[Ndiayewillalwaysloveyou]

Alright CW saying we need 2 CBs but what about attacking areas?

Were definitely short of quality in the assists and goals areas.

 

[Red Wing Blade]

Alright CW saying we need 2 CBs but what about attacking areas?

Were definitely short of quality in the assists and goals areas.

You don't need attacking qualities in players, you need culture carriers and lads who will thump the badge. That's what wins games, not all this namby pamby football malarkey.