Brewster; I don't want to be unkind but...

[N20 Blade]

I feel sorry for Brewster in that he'll always have the expectation of his price tag hanging over him.

But I have to concur with the criticism. He doesn't look anywhere near the standard we paid for and need. I do wonder if a loan to a L1 club would be beneficial for him to get some experience and hopefully a bit of confidence.

PS. He was 7/10 today.

It’s like horses when they’re odds on in low grade all weather handicaps, they don’t understand they’re favourites and have no control over it.
If we’d signed Brewster for peanuts we’d probably be more sympathetic and he himself would be more relaxed. The ridiculous price tag is a millstone around his neck and Slav’s. The manager has probably been told to keep him in the match day squad and to play him. The club can’t afford a player we’ve paid £23m for sit in the under 23s, we have to somehow make it work. That’s pressure on all.
Maybe by next season we can loan him out but I’m confident. I think we’re stuck with him for a while yet.

 

[FMBlade1]

The club can’t afford a player we’ve paid £23m for sit in the under 23s,

Yeah we can?

Let's say you buy a TV that does not really work. You don't persist in having it in your sitting room to watch things, so you use your laptop/IPAD/projector instead and put the TV in the garage until you get it fixed.

That's what we need to do with Brewster, as him playing for us is actually costing us more and more in negatively affecting our performances and I'm sure he'll have appearance fees as well.

 

[BigBed]

I think a loan for a season would be best for him, get his confidence up n get him scoring.

 

[ekke287]

It’s interesting seeing people say his confidence is shot whilst also ripping into him for not being Billy Sharp.

The issue with Brewster (and Berge) is the price tag that someone else agreed to pay. Currently we’re blaming a ten grand car for not being a twenty grand car because the salesman saw us coming and we stupidly paid in desperation.

if we’d paid 5-10 million for him would he have the same level of expectation? We paid 20m for McB too who is more experienced and offers next to nothing but is without criticism. 10m for Moose who’s permanently unfit or injured. 20m plus for Berge with injury issues too it seems.

Brewster is the least experienced of the lot, getting rare starts and minimal game time. The abuse he gets is unfounded.

 

[FMBlade1]

It’s interesting seeing people say his confidence is shot whilst also ripping into him for not being Billy Sharp.

The issue with Brewster (and Berge) is the price tag that someone else agreed to pay. Currently we’re blaming a ten grand car for not being a twenty grand car because the salesman saw us coming and we stupidly paid in desperation.

if we’d paid 5-10 million for him would he have the same level of expectation? We paid 20m for McB too who is more experienced and offers next to nothing but is without criticism. 10m for Moose who’s permanently unfit or injured. 20m plus for Berge with injury issues too it seems.

Brewster is the least experienced of the lot, getting rare starts and minimal game time. The abuse he gets is unfounded.

Thing is he barely looks like a toy car at the moment. It's not his price tag I'm judging him on, but his ability and performances. He's not cutting it. Stating so isn't abuse.

 

[Gimli]

It’s interesting seeing people say his confidence is shot whilst also ripping into him for not being Billy Sharp.

The issue with Brewster (and Berge) is the price tag that someone else agreed to pay. Currently we’re blaming a ten grand car for not being a twenty grand car because the salesman saw us coming and we stupidly paid in desperation.

if we’d paid 5-10 million for him would he have the same level of expectation? We paid 20m for McB too who is more experienced and offers next to nothing but is without criticism. 10m for Moose who’s permanently unfit or injured. 20m plus for Berge with injury issues too it seems.

Brewster is the least experienced of the lot, getting rare starts and minimal game time. The abuse he gets is unfounded.

I can assure you that McBurnie is definitely not ‘without criticism’

He was scapegoat number one for a while - Robinson, Norwood, Berge and Brewster have also had spells in this unwanted position

 

[Drunk blade]

It’s interesting seeing people say his confidence is shot whilst also ripping into him for not being Billy Sharp.

The issue with Brewster (and Berge) is the price tag that someone else agreed to pay. Currently we’re blaming a ten grand car for not being a twenty grand car because the salesman saw us coming and we stupidly paid in desperation.

if we’d paid 5-10 million for him would he have the same level of expectation? We paid 20m for McB too who is more experienced and offers next to nothing but is without criticism. 10m for Moose who’s permanently unfit or injured. 20m plus for Berge with injury issues too it seems.

Brewster is the least experienced of the lot, getting rare starts and minimal game time. The abuse he gets is unfounded.

I don't get the minimal game time argument he's had plenty of chances and showed nothing.

Ndiaye had his first start scored 2 and looked fantastic, Jebbison scored and looked a threat in the premier league on his first start, on performances they should both be way ahead of him, the fact that we've paid a huge transfer fee seems to be the only reason he's getting any game time at all. If he had come through our youth team he would be out on loan at a league 2 side

 

[Black Cloud]

It’s interesting seeing people say his confidence is shot whilst also ripping into him for not being Billy Sharp.

The issue with Brewster (and Berge) is the price tag that someone else agreed to pay. Currently we’re blaming a ten grand car for not being a twenty grand car because the salesman saw us coming and we stupidly paid in desperation.

if we’d paid 5-10 million for him would he have the same level of expectation? We paid 20m for McB too who is more experienced and offers next to nothing but is without criticism. 10m for Moose who’s permanently unfit or injured. 20m plus for Berge with injury issues too it seems.

Brewster is the least experienced of the lot, getting rare starts and minimal game time. The abuse he gets is unfounded.

The price tag will give him the biggest flop ever tag, however this doesn’t get away from the fact he doesn’t resemble a professional footballer . If he was busting a gut and showed glimpses of ability then I’m reasonably sure that the fans would get behind him....problem is that he doesn’t. Big problem for Slav...

 

[Drunk blade]

The price tag will give him the biggest flop ever tag, however this doesn’t get away from the fact he doesn’t resemble a professional footballer . If he was busting a gut and showed glimpses of ability then I’m reasonably sure that the fans would get behind him....problem is that he doesn’t. Big problem for Slav...

The busting a gut bit irritates me immensely

Fleck broke with the ball during the first half yesterday and absolutely burnt brewster off to create a chance for gibbs white, which forced a good save from their keeper (who had a very good game)
I watched on TV and brewster went off camera as he did a slow jog behind Fleck and the ball

 

[ekke287]

I don't get the minimal game time argument he's had plenty of chances and showed nothing.

Ndiaye had his first start scored 2 and looked fantastic, Jebbison scored and looked a threat in the premier league on his first start, on performances they should both be way ahead of him, the fact that we've paid a huge transfer fee seems to be the only reason he's getting any game time at all. If he had come through our youth team he would be out on loan at a league 2 side

Ndiaye played well, as did everyone against a very poor Peterborough side. He also played well against Preston but no players were near the levels shown last weekend against a much better team.

Jebbison scored into an open goal unmarked, has Brewster had similar chances outside preseason?

As for busting a gut getting forward with Fleck and MGW, you can see why he didn’t, he wasn’t needed. He’s also bombed forward into space before and not been given the ball, Tuesday night being a perfect example.

Make no mistake I definitely think he needs to do a lot more but I’m not writing him off by any stretch, he needs experience and creativity around him and support, not constant attacks at what he isn’t doing and ignorance of what he is.

We’re starting to see his confidence come back a little bit, having a crack from distance and playing through balls, but it’s a slow burner. Let’s not just write him off just yet as there is a solid player in there.

 

[HVR]

If we forget how much he cost, that might help. Is he the best player in the Championship? No! Does him being on the pitch make it more likely we will lose because he makes errors and is not a proper footballer? No!

I have now accepted that he is an average player that will be in the team for some matches and not others, he runs into space, he receives and release the ball, he adds at least some value to the squad.

I know it might be clutching at straws to some, but if you look at the two Egan goals, he was on the goalline, interfering with and causing a nuisance to the goalkeeper and defender. His presence there opened up space for Egan to head the ball into the net. They were obviously properly orchestrated training ground moves - and Brewster came into the squad at the last minute, but knew where he should be on both corners.

OK maybe a player that cost £500,000 could also have stood there, and that’s the point I’m making. He isn’t like Robinson who should never play for us again, because he cost us points - and whose presence was a negative to the match.

While Brewster is not adding £20 million to the team, he is adding some value. I would not be angry or surprised if we replaced him in a future transfer window, but while he is here he is worth playing for what he currently does, even if it’s not as much as what I expected when we bought him.

I doubt he will spark into life and suddenly become a world beater when he scores his first goal, but I do think he is worth cheering on and being given a bit of support by the fans, so he can maybe keep adding enough to get the Blades back in the Premier League.

Edit: To add, maybe under Slav he will the learn the basics, be more focused and turn out to be a worthwhile but unremarkable part of the squad.

 

[Yogi]

If we forget how much he cost, that might help. Is he the best player in the Championship? No! Does him being on the pitch make it more likely we will lose because he makes errors and is not a proper footballer? No!

I have now accepted that he is an average player that will be in the team for some matches and not others, he runs into space, he receives and release the ball, he adds at least some value to the squad.

I know it might be clutching at straws to some, but if you look at the two Egan goals, he was on the goalline, interfering with and causing a nuisance to the goalkeeper and defender. His presence there opened up space for Egan to head the ball into the net. They were obviously properly orchestrated training ground moves - and Brewster came into the squad at the last minute, but knew where he should be on both corners.

OK maybe a player that cost £500,000 could also have stood there, and that’s the point I’m making. He isn’t like Robinson who should never play for us again, because he cost us points - and whose presence was a negative to the match.

While Brewster is not adding £20 million to the team, he is adding some value. I would not be angry or surprised if we replaced him in a future transfer window, but while he is here he is worth playing for what he currently does, even if it’s not as much as what I expected when we bought him.

I doubt he will spark into life and suddenly become a world beater when he scores his first goal, but I do think he is worth cheering on and being given a bit of support by the fans, so he can maybe keep adding enough to get the Blades back in the Premier League.

Edit: To add, maybe under Slav he will the learn the basics, be more focused and turn out to be a worthwhile but unremarkable part of the squad.

I agree with all of that a decent well reasoned post. I also think we’ve seen development under Slav he has improved from last year and hopefully that trajectory will continue.

 

[Large Mendonca]

I think yesterday was the day I finally gave up on Brewster being decent for us. I'm hoping now that someone takes a low risk punt on him in January - ideally a premier club even if it's a loan. Maybe he'll start "firing" for someone else but i'm afraid it ain't gonna be us.

I don't think he's awful, but he is for a £20m signing.

 

[HermitageBlade]

It’s now past the point of just saying he only gets the criticism because of the price tag. Even if we’d only paid £20k for him it wouldn’t make a difference as to his output, the fact we paid £23 million is now an irrelevance to what we see on the pitch. As much as it hurts unless he starts to perform he doesn’t deserve his place over other players.

 

[Drunk blade]

Ndiaye played well, as did everyone against a very poor Peterborough side. He also played well against Preston but no players were near the levels shown last weekend against a much better team.

Jebbison scored into an open goal unmarked, has Brewster had similar chances outside preseason?

As for busting a gut getting forward with Fleck and MGW, you can see why he didn’t, he wasn’t needed. He’s also bombed forward into space before and not been given the ball, Tuesday night being a perfect example.

Make no mistake I definitely think he needs to do a lot more but I’m not writing him off by any stretch, he needs experience and creativity around him and support, not constant attacks at what he isn’t doing and ignorance of what he is.

We’re starting to see his confidence come back a little bit, having a crack from distance and playing through balls, but it’s a slow burner. Let’s not just write him off just yet as there is a solid player in there.

Jebbison got the chance because he busted a gut to get in the right position, Brewster wouldn't get that chance because se he would be having a slow jog somewhere in midfield

I hope he comes good, I just can't see it

 

[Keen Blade]

Watching Brewster today makes me think “Thank fuck Wilders gone”.

If Wilder were watching Brewster today it could only vindicate his own decision to fuck off - the mental torture of having wasted his beloved Club's money on Brewster & others must have virtually blown his mind

 

[nopigfansintown]

A lot of people letting agendas get in the way of reality re this game. Brewster was more than fine. Two great runs in the inside channels got him in with shots on goal in the first half. The second was a fantastic bit of control and skill. Just before the start of the second half a great first touch lay off from a difficult long range Egan ball opened the space for MGW to put Sharp clean through. A sublime move by United which Brewster played a key role in. At the start off the second half he took a great touch and pushed it past the full back and got him booked. A few other bits where he created space and got a shot off or created the space for others to cross.

In the last 15 he had a half chance that he miscontrolled when he was well positioned; he should've also broken his neck to get on the end of an Osborn centre, but I'm perhaps being over critical here? Out of possession he was very good. Only when we disrupted the balance of the midfield in the second half did Hull come into it.
Don't judge him on his price tag or United career, judge him on United Vs Hull.

 

[Chimpan-A]

The price tag will give him the biggest flop ever tag, however this doesn’t get away from the fact he doesn’t resemble a professional footballer . If he was busting a gut and showed glimpses of ability then I’m reasonably sure that the fans would get behind him....problem is that he doesn’t. Big problem for Slav...

It’s strange how the same issue hasn’t dogged Moise Keen. Everton paid €27.5m for him, he scored one goal. They managed to loan him first to PSG and then back to Juventus, and he seems to fly under the radar of terrible signings. Maybe because Everton just spend millions on rubbish constantly!

 

[mattbianco1]

I feel for Brewster. He came in to the club with far too much weight on his shoulders. Last season we were absolutely woeful so any time he was on the pitch, he ended up feeding off scraps because we weren't creating chances.

This season we have now gone with a new formation which only allows a single main striker, currently that position is held by Sharp. Brewster is being played out of his natural position.

I just hope that he can adapt to this new position and not get too downhearted by it.

 

[Houston_Blade]

I'm always happy to give players a chance, but Brewster shows nothing irrespective of the position he plays to suggest that he might turn out a decent player for us. He looks really lost. We'll be reaching Oli Burke levels of "what the fuck is this guy doing?!" if he doesn't start looking like he has some idea of what to do on a football pitch soon.

 

[Reyt Then]

Still confident he'll turn good with Slav at the helm, he just needs one to go in off his backside and suddenly all those shots down the keepers throat will be either side and straight in. Of all the strikers we've had in my 20 years of watching I can't remember many if any that have such a powerful shot from a near-standing start and is happy to shoot through defenders. His time will come!

 

[Grizzly blade]

He turned 21 in April.

Basically signed for £20m to play in the premier league and save a club that was struggling when he arrived.

At the same time of his career, Billy Sharp had just been signed back to the blades in the championship for a decent fee after we had sold him to Scunny and he’s scored a fair few in L2 and L1 with Andy Keogh creating goals for him.
Sharp was utilised badly, played out wide and scored 8 goals in 3 years was it?? In the championship??

So I think some need to put some context on Brewster, accept our expectations were too high and acknowledge that we paid for potential….and that if we can get this lad full of confidence he has immense ability of ball control and pace, (and prior to landing here showed he can finish too) that we will see him gradually become the goal scorer we need.
Some might say “no chance”, but I recall plenty with similar opinions on Sharp 12 years ago, and he’s done ok!

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

He turned 21 in April.

Basically signed for £20m to play in the premier league and save a club that was struggling when he arrived.

At the same time of his career, Billy Sharp had just been signed back to the blades in the championship for a decent fee after we had sold him to Scunny and he’s scored a fair few in L2 and L1 with Andy Keogh creating goals for him.
Sharp was utilised badly, played out wide and scored 8 goals in 3 years was it?? In the championship??

So I think some need to put some context on Brewster, accept our expectations were too high and acknowledge that we paid for potential….and that if we can get this lad full of confidence he has immense ability of ball control and pace, (and prior to landing here showed he can finish too) that we will see him gradually become the goal scorer we need.
Some might say “no chance”, but I recall plenty with similar opinions on Sharp 12 years ago, and he’s done ok!

I suppose the question is are we the sort of club who can afford 20 odd million for someone who may be good one day?

 

[Yogi]

I suppose the question is are we the sort of club who can afford 20 odd million for someone who may be good one day?

In hindsight not us at the time he makes up a part of window which was definitely geared towards signing players to be good 3 years down the line. Him, bogle and ramsdale were all clearly with that in mind. It was wilders greatest failing imo believing we had arrived at that the current core he had could maintain their levels for another 2/3 years allowing him to assemble a core of young understudied over that period to eventually succeed those players. Whilst it’s a decent strategy it also needed to be supplemented with players for the here and now.

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

I still think we ought to have a word with Wolves about a swop for Gibbs-White........

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

In hindsight not us at the time he makes up a part of window which was definitely geared towards signing players to be good 3 years down the line. Him, bogle and ramsdale were all clearly with that in mind. It was wilders greatest failing imo believing we had arrived at that the current core he had could maintain their levels for another 2/3 years allowing him to assemble a core of young understudied over that period to eventually succeed those players. Whilst it’s a decent strategy it also needed to be supplemented with players for the here and now.

Thought that was what our youth system was for. Hadn't really thought that was why we bought him. Seemed more like a panic buy when we couldn't buy a goal in Shit Street.

 

[ShropsBlade]

If anything Brewsters price tag has helped him with United supporters who are still right behind him chanting his name and believing in him after an abysmal year.

Meanwhile 500k forest reserve left back jack Robinson gets thrown under the bus as he is faltering as a centre back

 

[Cutbush City Limits]

Im sure every Blade wants Brewster to do well and everytime he comes on his name is chanted but....foregtting his price and forgetting what he did at Swansea - has anyone seen anything from Brewster in a Red n White shirt that suggests he is gonna become a player who is one of the 1st on the teamsheet? If so - what????

 

[Bladesman]

Seeing Brewster in the starting 11 has become a disappointment.
I wish it were different,I wish he could read the game,I wish he would bust a gut for the chance to score,I wish he’d
learn summat from Sharp,I wish he’d stop aimlessly trotting around the pitch for long periods of the game.
Nothing will come to Brewster unless the penny drops.

Sharp is and was trying to help him. Even after Sharp scores, he starts giving directions to him after celebrating.

 

[Yogi]

Thought that was what our youth system was for. Hadn't really thought that was why we bought him. Seemed more like a panic buy when we couldn't buy a goal in Shit Street.

Don’t think we’ve ever had a youth system that’s been so productive that we haven’t had to supplement it with players brought in from elsewhere. We definitely pivoted to bringing in players with a view to the future. They were at a level where we probably thought they could be contributors now but long term that they’d surpass the current group and become pillars of the team. It’s a decent enough strategy if you have a side with no obvious holes in it and the money to afford it we had neither. So we’re now a division lower needing all those players to develop and be hits but the law of averages tells you that won’t be the case or at least not to the level we hoped.