Basham

[ThatJa]

When we signed him, I was over the moon, a great player at league one level and someone who would help us cope in the Championship should we go up, had the championship experience we didn't really possess at the time when he first joined.

That's all I really expected, get us into the Champ, couple seasons there and he'd be replaced by "better".

But god fucking damn, he's been one of the best players to put on a Blades shirt in the last 5 years. A true professional and deserves all the success he's getting. An absolute brick wall, lungs of a true athlete.

Long may Bash continue in this team!

 

[Groucho Blade]

Ooh ahh Bashambauer, I said ooh ahh Bashambauer

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

When we signed him, I was over the moon, a great player at league one level

When we signed him he'd never played in League One.

 

[ThatJa]

When we signed him he'd never played in League One.

He was established in the Championship, which theoretically should make him a "great" league one player.

 

[Sparky]

He‘s not perfect though. He tried to get in my Uber tonight. He’s rubbish at getting cabs!

 

[Blade56]

Bob Booker esk legend

 

[Red Hot Currie]

Blade56 you beat me to it. So many similarities between Sir Bob and Bashambauer and how their careers and popularity grew as Blades. Heart warming stuff!!!!

 

[Bookers boots]

He was fantastic today MOM for me

 

[Stevo]

When we signed him, I was over the moon, a great player at league one level and someone who would help us cope in the Championship should we go up, had the championship experience we didn't really possess at the time when he first joined.

That's all I really expected, get us into the Champ, couple seasons there and he'd be replaced by "better".

But god fucking damn, he's been one of the best players to put on a Blades shirt in the last 5 years. A true professional and deserves all the success he's getting. An absolute brick wall, lungs of a true athlete.

Long may Bash continue in this team!

View attachment 66572

Last 20 yearS

 

[Bath Blade]

I remember watching United away at Swindon under Clough. We got hammered, Basham was in midfield and was completely anonymous. I couldn’t see that he was ever going to be good enough for a League One side.

I couldn’t have been much more wrong. What a player.

 

[shorehamview]

He‘s not perfect though. He tried to get in my Uber tonight. He’s rubbish at getting cabs!

If you’d got a shred of decency you’d have let him in, taken him home, paid for it and been glad you managed to get close to him.

 

[bladesmanluke]

He really ought to have his own song by now

 

[Snowman]

He still scares the fuck out of me when he has the ball going forward, but gets away with it every time. I have never ever seen a player almost ice skate through a football game with an impression of a weeble wobble and spend so much time horizontal on the floor heading away a clearance. I keep waiting for the bubble to burst, but still he keeps on going.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Blade56 you beat me to it. So many similarities between Sir Bob and Bashambauer and how their careers and popularity grew as Blades. Heart warming stuff!!!!

Much, much better footballer than Booker, who wouldn’t last five minutes in today’s team. Very insulting to Basham to compare him to Booker, who represented everything wrong with us at that time. Big heart, shit player. Today we have big hearts in good players.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Very good today Bash & how often do you see his standards slip ? his consistency sometimes goes unnoticed as we have had some stand out performances this season . Keep up the good work pal .. UTB

 

[Sparky]

If you’d got a shred of decency you’d have let him in, taken him home, paid for it and been glad you managed to get close to him.

I did offer to give him and Enda a lift but they declined!

 

[Baaaaaaa Blades]

A absolute legend in my eyes ,

Like Andy defraine, he crawled through a long pipe (team) full of shit and came out the other side to a beautiful beach (this team ) !

 

[Varkanoid]

The PL commentators today were loving Basham after that back heel. They said "Basham he certainly doesnt do that needs to be called 'Chris Messi'"
I was thinking Chris "Mo Sala" Basham

 

[Bobby Boo]

Messi needs to be called Lionel Basham

 

[Bergen Blade]

Much, much better footballer than Booker, who wouldn’t last five minutes in today’s team. Very insulting to Basham to compare him to Booker, who represented everything wrong with us at that time. Big heart, shit player. Today we have big hearts in good players.

Probably right, but Basham clearly lacks natural talent compared to a few other teammates. But it is very rare to see a player with such limitations work so well, making so much of the ability that he does have. There are thousands of players with more skill than him who are completely unable to have the impact that he has in games.

 

[Sheffsteel]

He was established in the Championship, which theoretically should make him a "great" league one player.

Agree.....but that’s what made his signing so disappointing because he wasn’t great at league 1 level.
He looked bang average at league 1 level under Adkins but you cut him some slack because he was a 100% committed player.

Was confident he’d struggle in the Championship but he proved me wrong.
Then I knew he’d struggle in the PL but he’s proved me wrong again....he’s been a revelation....incredible to witness really.

I’ve mentioned this before but Wilder/ Knill have designed tactics to bring out the best in Basham.
Bashams‘s 2 big strengths are versatilty and impressive box to box stamina. He’s got the best running stamina in the whole squad.

He’s been tried at centre back and is average/ decent, he’s been tried at right back and is average/ decent there too.
Basham has even been tried in midfield and he’s average to decent there too BUT he’s not great in any of those positions.

So what does Wilder do? He starts Basham on the right of a defensive 3 centre backs, supported by Egan who covers for his mistakes.
But then Basham told to cover right back when a Baldock is caught out of position and to help cover Baldock’s mistakes.
Then finally as Bash has a great motor he’s told to push up into midfield giving us an extra man.

The secret of Basham success is “positional fluidity”, he actually plays 3 positions (centre back, right back and midfield) all inside the same match.
Its another version of total football and it often makes it look like we have an extra man on the field.