Berge: fur coat, no knickers

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I agree it looked a bit strange, but there were probably reasons agreed on the training ground.

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We wanted 6 players in the box. Egan, Basham, McGoldrick, Sharp, Burke, Brewster, a mix of robust players, some finishing ability and some height.

Robinson is outside the box, presumably we wanted someone aggressive to challenge for second balls/half clearances, partly to keep the chance alive, partly to avoid the opposition breaking.

Baldock was covering at the back.

We wanted a left footer next to Norwood, but didn't have anyone apart from Robinson.

Berge - despite being tall - is clearly lacking in timing, leaping, bravery and heading technique - was told to pretend he'd potentially be able to swing the ball in with his left foot. It could be that Swansea hadn't been briefed to such a detail that they'd realise it was a trick. Consequently the wall may have been positioned a little more to the right, and was less of a restriction for Norwood's cross.

How did it go? Norwood found Sharp who got his header on target, but too close to the goalkeeper.

It would be great if Berge could be of some use at set pieces, but for now it's not something we should expect.
Is it just me or should professional footballers earning shed loads of cash be capable of heading a ball? In my job I not only am expected to do everything in my job description but lots of tenuously linked stuff too.
 

Has a huge abundance of talent.

Watching him glide past players as he has done on a few occasions this year with apparent ease is a joy to watch, like men against boys. That is the latent skill and ability he possesses. Driving forward with the ball he is almost unstoppable and very much a European standard player.

We still haven't seen the best of him in red and white and may in fact never. I hope we do, because he can take the piss in this league. Circumstance, systems, loss of form, injuries all have limited his impact (so far).

We should be utilising this ability with the ball, because other areas of his game aren't at the same level. Maybe Vieira will allow a bit more free reign?

Other thought is, as a few have said he's perhaps a bit too nice and not a natural leader - maybe not suited to being a big fish in a small pond, and the expectancy of being the match winner or dragging the whole team forward. We forget he's only 23.
 
Is it just me or should professional footballers earning shed loads of cash be capable of heading a ball? In my job I not only am expected to do everything in my job description but lots of tenuously linked stuff too.

Players have different attributes and that will always be the case.

I was a centre half and only average in terms of heading. My positioning, concentration and organisation skills were decent.
 
Players have different attributes and that will always be the case.

I was a centre half and only average in terms of heading. My positioning, concentration and organisation skills were decent.
I get that. I still play today, albeit so called walking football, I know various players specialise but it's a basic skill!
 
We played him too deep, to far forward, norwoods fault, slavs fault, burkes fault, recovering from injury, English game doesn't suit him, tactics wrong, no pre season, covid, living in a foreign country, too good for our game etc etc etc. How many excuses do we make for a 20 - 30 million pound footballer.
 
I get that. I still play today, albeit so called walking football, I know various players specialise but it's a basic skill!
As are throw ins for example. We haven't had many who can throw it long the past few years, even a big, strong lad like O'Connell was just ordinary at it. JR looks made for it.
 
We played him too deep, to far forward, norwoods fault, slavs fault, burkes fault, recovering from injury, English game doesn't suit him, tactics wrong, no pre season, covid, living in a foreign country, too good for our game etc etc etc. How many excuses do we make for a 20 - 30 million pound footballer.
That'll do! 😁
 
Still got a few things he needs to work on if he wants to be a success in England, at 6"5' he should be a huge threat in the air but he can't head a ball for toffee, he must close his eyes when he goes to head it as they can go anywhere and he should attack the ball like he was going to stick the nut on a pig fan. He needs to work on his awareness of who is around him when he receives the ball too he was caught flat footed a few time by Swansea. In this league he will be doubled up on, pulled and kicked but with the new idea of letting games flow he will not get much protection from refs. If this division doesn't toughen him up nothing will, at the moment he is just too nice he needs to develop a mean streak.
 
We played him too deep, to far forward, norwoods fault, slavs fault, burkes fault, recovering from injury, English game doesn't suit him, tactics wrong, no pre season, covid, living in a foreign country, too good for our game etc etc etc. How many excuses do we make for a 20 - 30 million pound footballer.
Agreed. He's not good enough. Hopefully we collect £25 mill before everyone else sees it.
 
The "Berge would be good alongside a better midfielder" argument is fucking stupid. It implies Norwood is the problem, when in fact we all saw Norwood dictate games with an attacking midfielder in front of him. If anyone is suffering from the numpties around him it's Norwood, based on actual evidence. The Berge argument is guesswork, he might be just as ineffective and pointless with Messi at the side of him for all we know.

People need to take the blinkers off and stop blaming everyone else for Berge's shortcomings.
 
Berge made three mistakes in quick succession first half. When that happens to a midfielder most will try to avoid taking chances and play steady, at least until he's recovered from the "shock". He didn't make many mistakes for the rest of the game, although I think he'll be disappointed with his overall game.

I also think Berge and Norwood were under instructions not to get to advanced. It is a little new to us that we don't have a back five. Then we also don't have a central midfield trio, but a duo. And we had four strikers in front of them. Away against the best Championship side from last season that did not win promotion - maybe it was a necessity for the two central midfielders to hold back a lot of the time. We did restrict them and Ramsdale didn't have a lot of saves to make.

I think we are crying out for a creative no 10, a poor man's Bruno Fernandes, a Duffy, someone to get on the ball with vision and creativity in the last third. I think Brewster is showing positive signs, but he should be playing centrally. Let's not waste the momentum he's starting to build at the moment. I'm not a fan of the idea of squeezing in as many strikers as possible.
Yes but Berge has to understand he is now an established player, the honeymoon is over and a footballer’s career can be short. He needs to seize this opportunity to make an impression. When he drives forward sometimes he looks like he could be the the next TC. So drve forward Sande, be a Lane legend,earn yourself a move to Man U or PSG or whatever. Do it. Don’t fanny around passing sideways make your mark. Let Slav see what you can do. Start against West Brom this week.
 
Yes but Berge has to understand he is now an established player, the honeymoon is over and a footballer’s career can be short. He needs to seize this opportunity to make an impression. When he drives forward sometimes he looks like he could be the the next TC. So drve forward Sande, be a Lane legend,earn yourself a move to Man U or PSG or whatever. Do it. Don’t fanny around passing sideways make your mark. Let Slav see what you can do. Start against West Brom this week.

He doesn't even need to do any silly sideways passes. He might as well keep hold of it. They aren't going to get it off him.

At least Slav saw the light early and left Fleck out. Wilder would have left him in for at least 12 matches.
 
Just need to leave out Burke, Norwood, Robinson, get some new players in, play people in the right position and he may be onto something.
 
Best player last week, bad (ok, awful start this week) and you want to get rid.
Let him at least play the match ffs

I was the first to defend him on this thread during Saturdays game but Christ has he been the invisible man tonight.

Never mind calling him Yaya Norway, fuckin Tall Thirlwell
 
What’s tonight’s excuse for our “pay £35m or fuck off” maestro?
 

Need to go... Waste of a shirt tonight absolute pussy
 

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