Berge

[Booker4]

Show me one committed tackle from Berge today.

Think you'll be waiting a while for Berge to make committed tackles. He's not that type of player, nor are any of our midfield really - which is a problem in my view, but Berge isn't there to win the ball he's there to glide forward, make incisive passers and to generally cause problems for the opposition.

It's like saying with other players, so and so can only head the ball and make a tackle and that's it, he's no good on the ball. We're Sheffield United and to be honest how many complete players have we got that can do everything for their position, each has their own strengths and weaknesses, Billy's not the fastest for example, if he had pace he'd have never played for us for long! Granted Berge cost £20m plus, maybe he should be better at the physical side of things but I think the key with Berge is to get the best out of what he does well, rather than focus on what he could do better.

 

[Duffy21Blade]

Berge would have been my second MOTM today, Gibbs-White only gets it ahead of him for his brace and his own great performance. Berge looked a player today. He's definitely more useful going forwards.

 

[CornwallBlade]

Sorry, but he didnt put a tackle in??
He seems scared to get in and win the ball!?
Fair do's, he can push forward and hes hard to get off the ball, but he also loses it and doesnt seem to try and win it back?, he doesnt make his presence known in the box eather, and his marking was almost non existent today........ only my view, but definitely not his best game in my eyes.

No doubt you think McBurnie is the answer as well then?

 

[BigBed]

No doubt you think McBurnie is the answer as well then?

Hell no.

 

[coolasanidiot]

Hell no.

Great then you are not totally brain dead. Berge was exactly what we want - superb 90 minutes. 8/10. Edged by MGW who gets a 9/10.

We should have won 7-0 today. The aggression from the team was spot on, the tempo was spot on and the dynamo that kept it ticking was Berge. You are talking bollox.

 

[Blade56]

Think you'll be waiting a while for Berge to make committed tackles

Best ever game for the lad today. Looked a force.

As for tackles he’s no need to make them in the conventional way. Several times today he got up to speed alongside a player and used his size/weight to ease the player out. Either that or he just ploughed through them

 

[FallowfieldBlade]

As I said, hes ok at pushing forward, but, whether his forte is or isnt tackling, it's pretty useful for a footballer, to be able to tackle, infect, I think he was the only player on the pitch, keepers aside, that didnt put in one sliding tackle.

He doesn’t need to tackle because nobody can get the ball of him

Norwood has too for example because he has too to get the ball back Berge doesn’t because he’s the size of a lorry

 

[PokerBlade]

Yeah, criticised him enough by saying that he's had his share of moments but not an overall performance. Today was solid throughout the game. Can't complain about anyone today.

 

[blade67]

I thought Berge pressed brilliantly today and won a good number of challenges against his opponent, sometimes even winning the ball then bursting forward on the counter

Very good today and his pressing was very good.

My only "but", is that Swansea eere awful but you can only smash what is in front of you.

He'll be an important olayet if we get more of what is on show today

 

[Luke1993]

At times today it was like the Y11 had nicked the ball off the Y7s and they all gang up on him but he just keeps it and throws them off. Weird player berge, freakishly strong on the ball, very weak when jostling to get it back/tackle. His close control and ability to receive the ball under pressure on his back foot and keep it shows he's a class above when he's on it. Play like that and we have a £20m midfielder.

 

[Rhyll Grease]

Berge doesn’t because he’s the size of a lorry

More like a Rolls Royce. Excellent today for me. Makes the game look so easy.

 

[blade67]

Berge would have been my second MOTM today, Gibbs-White only gets it ahead of him for his brace and his own great performance. Berge looked a player today. He's definitely more useful going forwards.

Agreed

Mgw was MOTM but Berge was very good

 

[bakeblade]

Brilliant. From the first moment of the game, you could see the intent was there - Push Berge on and allow him to play forward. Have to play him in, what it obviously, his preferred role. So good to watch him in full flow.

I love it when the opposition players just bounce off him

 

[raimond]

Think you'll be waiting a while for Berge to make committed tackles. He's not that type of player, nor are any of our midfield really - which is a problem in my view, but Berge isn't there to win the ball he's there to glide forward, make incisive passes and to generally cause problems for the opposition.

All I'd disagree with mate, is I think we very much signed him (whether that was Wilder wanting him or not) as a defensive midfielder who keeps things ticking over (like he'd shown for Norway and against Liverpool in the Champions League). So rightly, we'd have expected someone more physical.

What we got was not only someone who couldn't cope with our tempo and high pressing, but someone who killed it. With our fans (including me) enjoying the Bookers and Bashams of the world, busting their backsides to chase lost causes and put a challenge in, Sander sauntering around was never going to work.

What we've found almost by accident though, is that even when not playing well, no fucker could get the ball off him. And when he goes forward, no fucker can get the ball off him. And he's capable of smart, cute little passes and puts decent balls in.

So I don't reckon 'that's not the sort of player he is'. I think that's exactly what he was meant to do....but instead, we've found someone who can cause a bit of havoc going forward and play a bloody good ball as well. Let's not get carried away like but that could be worth a hell of a lot more to us in these last couple of months of the season (and financially) than someone playing it round looking like a 'ROLLS FUCKING ROYCE' (please stop this everyone) anyway!!

 

[Davalon]

That's the sort of performance we've been waiting to see

 

[Nick Jansky]

Doesn’t this apply to every player in the league?

No. Nearly every player in our squad (not all) would look poor playing for Liverpool or Man City because their lack of elite level ability would be glaringly obvious. Berge wouldn’t look out of place.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Sorry, but he didnt put a tackle in??
He seems scared to get in and win the ball!?
Fair do's, he can push forward and hes hard to get off the ball, but he also loses it and doesnt seem to try and win it back?, he doesnt make his presence known in the box eather, and his marking was almost non existent today........ only my view, but definitely not his best game in my eyes.

You really show yourself up on a regular basis, don’t you

 

[Russtheblade]

Sorry, but he didnt put a tackle in??
He seems scared to get in and win the ball!?
Fair do's, he can push forward and hes hard to get off the ball, but he also loses it and doesnt seem to try and win it back?, he doesnt make his presence known in the box eather, and his marking was almost non existent today........ only my view, but definitely not his best game in my eyes.

Total & utter bollox, has to be a wind up,or porktalk

 

[alcoblade]

Good again today. All his best performances are high up the pitch. Keep it up Sander.

 

[jim2007]

There’s a voting site on a Swansea forum where Swan’s fans vote out of ten on the players of both teams. Berge is second behind MGW today.

 

[blade67]

All I'd disagree with mate, is I think we very much signed him (whether that was Wilder wanting him or not) as a defensive midfielder who keeps things ticking over (like he'd shown for Norway and against Liverpool in the Champions League). So rightly, we'd have expected someone more physical.

What we got was not only someone who couldn't cope with our tempo and high pressing, but someone who killed it. With our fans (including me) enjoying the Bookers and Bashams of the world, busting their backsides to chase lost causes and put a challenge in, Sander sauntering around was never going to work.

What we've found almost by accident though, is that even when not playing well, no fucker could get the ball off him. And when he goes forward, no fucker can get the ball off him. And he's capable of smart, cute little passes and puts decent balls in.

So I don't reckon 'that's not the sort of player he is'. I think that's exactly what he was meant to do....but instead, we've found someone who can cause a bit of havoc going forward and play a bloody good ball as well. Let's not get carried away like but that could be worth a hell of a lot more to us in these last couple of months of the season (and financially) than someone playing it round looking like a 'ROLLS FUCKING ROYCE' (please stop this everyone) anyway!!

spot on.

 

[Rudders]

He bossed it today. Touch of Coutts like class to the midfield. Needs to deliver that level of performance in every game and start adding goals. Think he can get better on heading and closing down, tackling some of the easier things to improve.

 

[mattbianco1]

So much better in that advanced role. Its like impossible to get the ball off him

 

[CornwallBlade]

Hell no.

Thank goodness - respect your views

 

[Booker4]

All I'd disagree with mate, is I think we very much signed him (whether that was Wilder wanting him or not) as a defensive midfielder who keeps things ticking over (like he'd shown for Norway and against Liverpool in the Champions League). So rightly, we'd have expected someone more physical.

What we got was not only someone who couldn't cope with our tempo and high pressing, but someone who killed it. With our fans (including me) enjoying the Bookers and Bashams of the world, busting their backsides to chase lost causes and put a challenge in, Sander sauntering around was never going to work.

What we've found almost by accident though, is that even when not playing well, no fucker could get the ball off him. And when he goes forward, no fucker can get the ball off him. And he's capable of smart, cute little passes and puts decent balls in.

So I don't reckon 'that's not the sort of player he is'. I think that's exactly what he was meant to do....but instead, we've found someone who can cause a bit of havoc going forward and play a bloody good ball as well. Let's not get carried away like but that could be worth a hell of a lot more to us in these last couple of months of the season (and financially) than someone playing it round looking like a 'ROLLS FUCKING ROYCE' (please stop this everyone) anyway!!

On the highlights reel I saw of him before he signed (I know!) he looked decent going forward and gliding past players on the right for Genk. Often it was from deep but I never saw him put in a really strong tackle or be physical. I don't think strong physicality was ever his strong point , pardon the pun. Reminds me of fellow Norwegian Jostein Flo signed and we all thought he was going to be great in the air as he was 7.4ft tall but it turned out he had a television head and was even worse at flick ons - I seem to recall Paul Parker outjumped him once?! Flo was really good at crossing and was an outlet for Norway on the right win but we played him as an out an out centre forward to replace Deane. Because Berge is big and is a unit I think we expect him to be stronger, but he's generally nesh and failed to impose himself but in Belgium it's a totally different ball game and here he has to impose himself more, but at the same time what he is good at is those runs forward, and we just need to use him in the role he can do that the most, which seems like further up the pitch will suit him more. I'd love to then say whereas Norwood and Fleck win the ball and are strong in the tackle but they aren't. For me the problem is we lack a Stuart McCall type who can win a tackle, we've got the ball player in Norwood but we're too soft in midfield, I don't see Berge as ever doing that for us, it just doesn't seem his bag.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Today we've seen the midfield that can get us out of this division IF we can keep them fit and firing on all cylinders.

It will be tough and we'll need to tweak teams and formations a tad - but I'd take todays team to take on and beat anyone in this division.

Would love to see todays team play away from home especially with MGW drifting all over the place - it's taylor made to win games and has ability and style all over the pitch.

It's a recipe to succeed.

UTB

 

[Bell4]

Berge was better

He needs to be further forward like this but he needs to be faster and stronger . Once he gets going, great, but he is too slow to get going but does overcome this at times with his natural skill.

Fleck was great today - and has been said i think this midfield is our way forward.

 

[Grappler]

Midweek, and today, he attacked the byline, neck and neck with an opposition player, and he suddenly puts the after burners on and he is at the line, crossing the ball in, leaving the other player trailing in his wake.

The thing is, he doesn't "look" like he is running fast, but he has pace in him, for such a big lad.

 

[AdamSufc1997]

Hopefully Hecky and the staff realise he's getting wasted playing in defensive midfield. Quality player going forward

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Hopefully Hecky and the staff ralise he's getting wasted playing a defensive midfield. Quality player going forward

Hecky did mention this last week I think in a press conference.

certainly this season, he'll stay in the right sided position for me.

the opposition find it extremely difficult to get the ball off him

It's taken MGW a couple of games to really get back in the swing of things - a couple more from Berge and we might just end up seeing what Alan Knill traipsed all over Europe watching.

This midfield 3 should be our first choice now they are all match fit.

UTB