Brayford

[Mouth of the South]

Given that Burton are safe, I'd be amazed if JB doesn't move to them on a perm over the summer.

 

[Blade56]

Stick him at right CB and send EEL back. That leaves freeman in his spot at RWB. Simples.

 

[Bladesman]

I don't know, you should see the alloys on that Mini he drives.

Someone should let his tyres down, he thinks he so flash driving a mini.

 

[Ben_1982]

No ta

 

[snootyfenooty]

As was reported at the time but is now remembered as Brayford running home to Daddy Clough.

It's pointless having a debate when one side of the argument is based on unsubstantiated childish comments, there's another thread running alongside this one with the same tripe being spouted. It's like listening to a party political broadcast by the Monster Raving Loony party.

 

[I should coco]

It's like listening to a party political broadcast by the Monster Raving Loony party.

Pound to a penny that you've never actually listened to one.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Given that Burton are safe, I'd be amazed if JB doesn't move to them on a perm over the summer.

Money permitting he may well do. Wilder may not have him in his plans and he could go elsewhere. I'm not desperate to have him back but as Snooty has pointed out, some of the comments are just pathetic, rather than being based on his perceived current ability or, more importantly for us, any ongoing injury issues.

"Some" comments, before anyones period comes early.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Someone should let his tyres down, he thinks he so flash driving a mini.

Imagine if the poor sod drive a Lamborghini and parked it in a disabled spot?

 

[Mouth of the South]

Money permitting he may well do. Wilder may not have him in his plans and he could go elsewhere. I'm not desperate to have him back but as Snooty has pointed out, some of the comments are just pathetic, rather than being based on his perceived current ability or, more importantly for us, any ongoing injury issues.

"Some" comments, before anyones period comes early.

Agree - he's still a champ level player and a decent one at that. Re: next season - I can't see NC missing the opportunity to sign him but if not, I'd be happy for him to return. Just where is the question - has he still got the legs and would he be a better option than Freeman at RWB (probably not for both) and is he big enough or would he have the right personnel (i.e. some big monsters) alongside him to play RCB (again probably not).

I may be proved wrong but I think CW's mind was made up at Bolton when he didn't sub JB after he took a knock and forced him to tough it out. Depending on what sort of deal could be agreed, I would have thought CW will think he'll be able to put the resources to better use by signing other players.

 

[Ricky]

Jack O'Connell was on par with Brayford for the first few games.

Just sayin.

No he wasn't. O'Connell had a bad 45 against Southend and gave away the penalty at Millwall. Other than that he was quite solid. He was at least fully committed and not half arsed.

 

[Sean Thornton]

No he wasn't. O'Connell had a bad 45 against Southend and gave away the penalty at Millwall. Other than that he was quite solid. He was at least fully committed and not half arsed.

Grrrrrr.

 

[Dellas Cowboys]

 

[Houston_Blade]

If he wants to play and Wilder wants him I'd welcome him back, however I do think the ship has sailed on Brayford and we should allow him to move for a fee if him and Papa Nige want it to happen.

No ill will against him at all but when people talk of paycuts etc, it was in his interest at the time as he wasn't a first teamer at Cardiff and it's worked out that he's now a first team regular at Champ level again. Let's also not lose sight of the fact that he was paid a fortune and is now paid a smaller fortune, unfortunately paying small fortunes for wages are something we'all have to get used to again. This should be borne in mind when people are questioning where the "investment" is in a few months.

 

[Shorty Blade]

Taken from a Burton Albion forum post;

I rambled on about my Barnsley matchday ticket charade on another thread and the circumstances that led to me being in their Main Office for 10-15 minutes. Whilst there I saw the usual series of unknown scouts arrive and collect their tickets.

One bloke who arrived was instantly recognisable. He wandered up to the glass and said 'Collecting 2 tickets. Might be in my name - Alan Knill. Might be in the name of Chris Wilder'.

I figured they were there for one of the following:

a) To check out whether they should or should not get rid of John Brayford.
b) To watch some local football because they were bored.
c) To have a look at 2 of their rivals for next season.
d) To scout some other potential signings.

I did think about saying 'Here to check out John Brayford Alan?' and was quite close to saying it - but didn't.


Read more: http://burtonbrewers.proboards.com/thread/2926/john-brayford?page=4#ixzz4gBnDm474

 

[bertieblade]

I can see him going as I am confident that Wilder considers he can get better value for money for his wages. Any fee will be a bonus but should hopefully cover the cost of a younger replacement.
One thing that I find annoying is that he will gave been paid a sizeable promotion bonus even though he did not contribute.
The muppets who sorted out contracts under clough and Adkins want hanging

 

[bridgfordblade]

Read this thread with quite a bit of interest just to gauge what you boys are thinking when it comes to JB.

For those of you who talk about him being a busted flush of about losing his ability to be an overlapping marauding full back, afraid to say you're way wide of the mark.

He's mainly being playing centrally but that's entirely down to the system NC has favoured this season (he's used a lot of formations to be fair).

He's also played right back/ right wing back and holding midfielder and when he's played in those positions he's lost none of his ability to get forward, fairly sure he's got 5 assists this season and in the games where he played full back you could see the old Bray at his best and you could see the sides Burton were playing against getting caught out/ surprised.

Runner up in POTY, in contention for Championship player of the month, won Burton countless points with goal clearances and last ditch blocks. He's been absolutely brilliant, the stats with him and Ben Turner in the side make for startling reading, when Bray doesn't play Burton rarely win.

I won't be winning any friends here when I say for selfish reasons I really hope he doesn't rejoin the Blades, he'd be a massive loss to Burton and what they're trying to achieve. I've got a sneaky feeling NC may go in for Jake Buxton from Wigan in the summer, which would then free up the Beard to go back to bombing forward from the right hand side.

If I was Wilder I'd insist on him coming back and make him play whether he wanted to be elsewhere or not. If I was a United fan I'd want back a lad who has played brilliantly at the level you're now at.

I'm praying Wilder and the fans keep holding the view you've got now, which I struggle to understand, which is the Bray is surplus to requirements at The Lane and you're happy to let him join the Brewers for around 250-300k.

 

[alcoblade]

Agreed. But Jack stuck around and plugged away and has become as much a fan favourite as Brayford was first time around. Whilst John went back to uncle Nigel as quickly as he could.

He didn't, he went very reluctantly after Wilder asked him.

 

[Booker4]

Read this thread with quite a bit of interest just to gauge what you boys are thinking when it comes to JB.

For those of you who talk about him being a busted flush of about losing his ability to be an overlapping marauding full back, afraid to say you're way wide of the mark.

He's mainly being playing centrally but that's entirely down to the system NC has favoured this season (he's used a lot of formations to be fair).

He's also played right back/ right wing back and holding midfielder and when he's played in those positions he's lost none of his ability to get forward, fairly sure he's got 5 assists this season and in the games where he played full back you could see the old Bray at his best and you could see the sides Burton were playing against getting caught out/ surprised.

Runner up in POTY, in contention for Championship player of the month, won Burton countless points with goal clearances and last ditch blocks. He's been absolutely brilliant, the stats with him and Ben Turner in the side make for startling reading, when Bray doesn't play Burton rarely win.

I won't be winning any friends here when I say for selfish reasons I really hope he doesn't rejoin the Blades, he'd be a massive loss to Burton and what they're trying to achieve. I've got a sneaky feeling NC may go in for Jake Buxton from Wigan in the summer, which would then free up the Beard to go back to bombing forward from the right hand side.

If I was Wilder I'd insist on him coming back and make him play whether he wanted to be elsewhere or not. If I was a United fan I'd want back a lad who has played brilliantly at the level you're now at.

I'm praying Wilder and the fans keep holding the view you've got now, which I struggle to understand, which is the Bray is surplus to requirements at The Lane and you're happy to let him join the Brewers for around 250-300k.

Why are you called Bridgeford Blade by the way mate? Surely if you're a Blades you just want what's the best for United and who cares about what Burton do or what's best for them. If Wilder wants him back at the Lane an Brayford is willing to give it a go at the Lane again then it would be great to see him play for us again. Personally I can only see him leaving and maybe its the best for all parties since a lot has changed from when he left but who wouldn't want to see Brayford return to us if he can re-produce the form he's shown for them.

 

[TonyAgana]

This is the scenario that makes the most logical sense to me.

• Wilder needed funds to push for promotion
• Brayford's name is in a big red block on a spreadsheet
• Wilder believes Brayford is a luxury he can't afford in L1 (same as many Blades fans felt)
• Wilder puts the notion to JB that he's clearly a Championship player and would best serve his club by playing there and freeing up money so that we can mount a push and join him later

 

[1066blade]

Doesn't Brayford himself have any say in this? If so, surely he can't fancy another season at a club who will probably continue with another relegation struggle for survival. No one to my knowledge when discussing United's prospects next season have ever used the R word (not even on Radio Pig) it's usually mid-table, lower mid, and some of us hoping to be in or about the play-off places. Surely Brayford is aware of this and will be forwarding his opinion on the matter. It could of course come down to wages, but I cannot believe Burton can afford to pay him more than we could. Ultimately, it will probably be Wilder's call. And I don't have a problem with that at all.

 

[bridgfordblade]

Why are you called Bridgeford Blade by the way mate? Surely if you're a Blades you just want what's the best for United and who cares about what Burton do or what's best for them. If Wilder wants him back at the Lane an Brayford is willing to give it a go at the Lane again then it would be great to see him play for us again. Personally I can only see him leaving and maybe its the best for all parties since a lot has changed from when he left but who wouldn't want to see Brayford return to us if he can re-produce the form he's shown for them.

I've taken a bit of stick for explaining this before Booker me 'old mucker, I support whichever club NC is managing. A fair majority of football fans can't/don't understand my reasons but then again a fair majority of football fans aren't the brightest tools in the shed. The majority of them then don't/can't respect my views on football and usually the personal insults start, which is quite bizarre really bit I've got used to it and have developed a fairly thick skin and a sometimes narky and provocative posting style in response.

I registered on this forum the second I knew for 100% NC was getting the job and then immersed myself in all things SUFC related.

My loyalty is to Clough and I blindly follow ANY team he's in charge of, while he's at that team I want huge success, so far once he's left/ been fired I still have a soft spot for the old side he managed. That includes you boys. Despite McCabe sacking him, I still want the Blades to be successful and it's also been interesting to see the turnaround in some fans views on those duck egg/ wage stealing/ waste of spaces Clough left you with in Coutts and Freeman.

Delighted you went up, even more so that you did it in such style. One thing I can agree with most of you on is, there should a been a bit more bravado and a bit more "we're Sheffield united and we're too big for this league" mentality from NC during his time here. You were too big and too good to be in the division. Glad to see you heading in the right direction.

 

[Lord Bos of Eckington.]

This is the scenario that makes the most logical sense to me.

• Wilder needed funds to push for promotion
• Brayford's name is in a big red block on a spreadsheet
• Wilder believes Brayford is a luxury he can't afford in L1 (same as many Blades fans felt)
• Wilder puts the notion to JB that he's clearly a Championship player and would best serve his club by playing there and freeing up money so that we can mount a push and join him later

Not been taking much interest in Brayford .

I believe he is still a Blade player , no idea of contract length left. Would be a great asset and complement Coutts making him a even better player.

Me I would have him back tommorow . Also we ain't going to get many suitors if we try and off load him.

He is tried and tested so it's up to Wilder who will take advice from Knill and Mitchell .

 

[TonyAgana]

I've taken a bit of stick for explaining this before Booker me 'old mucker, I support whichever club NC is managing. A fair majority of football fans can't/don't understand my reasons but then again a fair majority of football fans aren't the brightest tools in the shed. The majority of them then don't/can't respect my views on football and usually the personal insults start, which is quite bizarre really bit I've got used to it and have developed a fairly thick skin and a sometimes narky and provocative posting style in response.

I registered on this forum the second I knew for 100% NC was getting the job and then immersed myself in all things SUFC related.

My loyalty is to Clough and I blindly follow ANY team he's in charge of, while he's at that team I want huge success, so far once he's left/ been fired I still have a soft spot for the old side he managed. That includes you boys. Despite McCabe sacking him, I still want the Blades to be successful and it's also been interesting to see the turnaround in some fans views on those duck egg/ wage stealing/ waste of spaces Clough left you with in Coutts and Freeman.

Delighted you went up, even more so that you did it in such style. One thing I can agree with most of you on is, there should a been a bit more bravado and a bit more "we're Sheffield united and we're too big for this league" mentality from NC during his time here. You were too big and too good to be in the division. Glad to see you heading in the right direction.

Never met anybody that follows football quite like you pal but fair play to you.

 

[bridgfordblade]

Never met anybody that follows football quite like you pal but fair play to you.

Cheers TA.

I'd ask if you've ever met anyone who was saved (pretty much) from a very trouble childhood and a life without any hope and adopted by Brian Clough and his family before going to live with them, in the process having his whole life opportunities/chances/direction totally changed.

I think that deserves a bit of loyalty pal, these days the only way I can show it is through football.

 

[PittsburghBlade]

Didn't he take a massive pay cut because he wanted first team football with us? Everything I've seen about his attitude has been very complimentary. He was often praised on here for being a "proper old school footballer" who put playing first and was quite humble.

I've never read anything to suggest he's problematic or got an ego.

More bothered about his persona than the team? What is this based on?

He isn't on social media, he took a huge paycut to come down the leagues to join us, and by all accounts is a model professional and has just come runner up in a championship teams POTY along with being in the championship team of the week.

Yeah. Lets get rid. He sounds a bad egg.

Took a huge paycut? sorry if he had to knowingly earn almost double everyone else on the team, a lot of people triple and most 4x the wages of other players.

He had social media when he played for united.

 

[Booker4]

I've taken a bit of stick for explaining this before Booker me 'old mucker, I support whichever club NC is managing. A fair majority of football fans can't/don't understand my reasons but then again a fair majority of football fans aren't the brightest tools in the shed. The majority of them then don't/can't respect my views on football and usually the personal insults start, which is quite bizarre really bit I've got used to it and have developed a fairly thick skin and a sometimes narky and provocative posting style in response.

I registered on this forum the second I knew for 100% NC was getting the job and then immersed myself in all things SUFC related.

My loyalty is to Clough and I blindly follow ANY team he's in charge of, while he's at that team I want huge success, so far once he's left/ been fired I still have a soft spot for the old side he managed. That includes you boys. Despite McCabe sacking him, I still want the Blades to be successful and it's also been interesting to see the turnaround in some fans views on those duck egg/ wage stealing/ waste of spaces Clough left you with in Coutts and Freeman.

Delighted you went up, even more so that you did it in such style. One thing I can agree with most of you on is, there should a been a bit more bravado and a bit more "we're Sheffield united and we're too big for this league" mentality from NC during his time here. You were too big and too good to be in the division. Glad to see you heading in the right direction.

Fair enough Bridgeford, I get it now! Of all the managers to follow because you like the manager, Clough junior wouldn't be someone I'd follow but that said I think he's a decent manager. I didn't like his inability to change system at United and in my view it cost us promotion. He spent quite a lot of money to produce an average team and also inherited Jamie Murphy (class - signed by Wilson) and Harry Maguire but he also added some decent players but couldn't seem to get them playing well as a team. What Wilder's done to Coutts and Freeman is a sign of a really good manager to me because they weren't his players but he's made them play to their potential. But Burton seem to be a good fit for Clough and he's done brilliantly this season, fair play to him.

On a side note, I used to live in Nottingham and used to play for West Bridgeford Hockey Club so I know Bridgeford reasonably well!

 

[PittsburghBlade]

For me the resources can be used much better, 12k contract and promotion bonuses COUNT so he'll be earning upwards of 15k at least, he's defensively inept at right back which is proved by countless occasions where if you took your brayford tints off you could see, Hull in the semi for example.

So I wouldnt play him at right back as we don't play a 4 at the back system, I don't trust him defensively at right center back although i believe that is the only possible position he could play for us but we'd lack height with Basham, Wright and Brayford in the championship. I wouldn't play him ahead of Freeman, a very strong contender for player of the year and has proved over and over to come in for brayford and play just as well if not better, 11 goals.

If he came back to the lane and walked in the side ahead of Freeman it would cause changing room problems, the team spirit and the camaraderie is brilliant but is something thats sensitive in any environment.

 

[Booker4]

Cheers TA.

I'd ask if you've ever met anyone who was saved (pretty much) from a very trouble childhood and a life without any hope and adopted by Brian Clough and his family before going to live with them, in the process having his whole life opportunities/chances/direction totally changed.

I think that deserves a bit of loyalty pal, these days the only way I can show it is through football.

Didn't see that, that's very touching. I'm not taking the piss there. Totally get it. I've watched many, many videos on Clough senior, someone I really respect as a bloke. I'm a big socialist too and Clough was very much a man who knew traditional socialist values. Clough junior I'm sure will be similar. I just find Nigel very frustrating. You can see his Dad in him but the football doesn't reflect the amazing football Forest played. Now he's not had the team that Clough senior had but Clough senior built that as you'll know. Clough junior doesn't seem to have that Midas touch but as I said fair play to him this season.

 

[Bladesman]

I've taken a bit of stick for explaining this before Booker me 'old mucker, I support whichever club NC is managing. A fair majority of football fans can't/don't understand my reasons but then again a fair majority of football fans aren't the brightest tools in the shed. The majority of them then don't/can't respect my views on football and usually the personal insults start, which is quite bizarre really bit I've got used to it and have developed a fairly thick skin and a sometimes narky and provocative posting style in response.

I registered on this forum the second I knew for 100% NC was getting the job and then immersed myself in all things SUFC related.

My loyalty is to Clough and I blindly follow ANY team he's in charge of, while he's at that team I want huge success, so far once he's left/ been fired I still have a soft spot for the old side he managed. That includes you boys. Despite McCabe sacking him, I still want the Blades to be successful and it's also been interesting to see the turnaround in some fans views on those duck egg/ wage stealing/ waste of spaces Clough left you with in Coutts and Freeman.

Delighted you went up, even more so that you did it in such style. One thing I can agree with most of you on is, there should a been a bit more bravado and a bit more "we're Sheffield united and we're too big for this league" mentality from NC during his time here. You were too big and too good to be in the division. Glad to see you heading in the right direction.

A bit like many racing fans. Most support their favourite driver regardless of what team they race for.

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Delighted you went up, even more so that you did it in such style. One thing I can agree with most of you on is, there should a been a bit more bravado and a bit more "we're Sheffield united and we're too big for this league" mentality from NC during his time here. You were too big and too good to be in the division. Glad to see you heading in the right direction.

This was one of the things that pissed me off most about NC - he talked up the opposition - in effect, he prepared his excuse in advance in case we lost. Your hero would have taken us up last season (the Madkins season), but it would have been turgid and boring. NC deserved the loud and extended applause when he brought Burton to play us 2 seasons ago, and I am sure he will get the same respect (from most fans) next season - only this time, we KNOW we can get 6 points.

All the best.

UTB