Coincidence - McGoldrick?

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

Now I have no stats or data to back up this assertion, but based on nothing more than anecdotal evidence it seems to me - in the past couple of years, every time we've had a fit and healthy David McGoldrick in the startin XI we've had our swagger back!

Others get the limelight, but it can't be a coincidence that when he's in the team, everyone around him seems to suddenly become better players.

Those with a sharper eye and more football nous can probably explain, but surely it can't be a coincidence?

 

[Tony Kenworthy]

I thought he was superb yesterday.

That move when he hit the side netting was his season distilled into 20 seconds. A classy bit of link up play, taking a whack, getting back up and joining back up with the play, only to put it into the side netting.

Is he the best player to ever play in the Premier League without scoring?

 

[Tynemouth Blade]

I like McGoldrick, he's a smart player, he links our play, but I get frustrated with him as he often seems to be the architect of taking us from an attacking position to the ball being passed all the way back to Henderson for a reset!
On a few occasions again last night, when he's playing in that wide deeper role, he'll make a long back pass rather than taking the ball forward!

 

[Superblades]

I agree, he links the midfield and attack up brilliantly, when he doesn’t play we really do miss that.

 

[Houso]

I agree with everything in this thread.
A) we always miss him when he's not there
B) he can be immensely frustrating too. A couple of moments last night when he gave the ball away in really good positions.

If he didn't have those moments, scored a couple more and was a few years younger... well... he likely wouldn't be here anyway. Rough with the smooth and all that.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Now I have no stats or data to back up this assertion, but based on nothing more than anecdotal evidence it seems to me - in the past couple of years, every time we've had a fit and healthy David McGoldrick in the startin XI we've had our swagger back!

Others get the limelight, but it can't be a coincidence that when he's in the team, everyone around him seems to suddenly become better players.

Those with a sharper eye and more football nous can probably explain, but surely it can't be a coincidence?

I'd been blathering on that before the Man Utd game Berge hadn't been on the pitch at the same time as McGoldrick in a Premier League game. But I don't think it's a coincidence that Berge looks so much better now there's a always another option for a first time pass.

Didzy is a superhero

 

[Scarebus]

Love Didzy, but lets be honest, if Sanders shot had hit his foot on the way through, from about 1 yard out, it would have 100% gone over the bar.

 

[cahill]

Didzy worth the entrance money on his own. An artist among artisans. Does things no one else in our squad can do. Only time he panics and loses his sang froid is when the net is gaping.

 

[GreasyChipBeattie]

Is he the best player to ever play in the Premier League without scoring?

I'm not sure, but I don't think David Seaman has.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

I'm not sure, but I don't think David Seaman has.

...and Peter Schmeical!

 

[Tony Kenworthy]

I'm not sure, but I don't think David Seaman has.

Didzy would have absolutely 100% found a way to divert Peschi‘s header away from goal.

 

[Eza Blade]

Didz is brilliant when surrounded by the opposition, the oppos bench and most of the crowd trying to control a ball on his nob end. At his worst when he has no one around him and has to poke in a 6 yard tap in.

 

[coaxingstar71]

I have felt priveleged to watch Didzy play for my team. Proper baller, watching him pull a ball out of the air and control it while under pressure with skill and artistry is a joy to behold, and the sublime body swerve is a thing of beauty. I think he's what is known as a 'player's player'.

Worth the entrance fee for me (when you can go).

 

[Wards]

He’s fantastic, you barely need a number 10 (aka the Duffy role) when he’s playing. We look so much more fluid when he’s on song

 

[SuperSonicBlade89]

I love Didzy. By far and away my favourite player to watch. His ball control and hold up play is just jaw dropping sometimes. When I saw him in the pre-season when we got him I was really excited as I watched he train because he was just so smooth on the ball and had a thunderbolt strike. Having said that I wouldn't class him as a striker as he doesn't play that role. He plays false 9 position, so really he's a midfielder holding the ball up. This is to trick the opposition so our centre backs/wingers can bomb past him to get up front. The lack of goals only bothers me a little bit considering the rest of his play is top notch.

 

[djbaldken]

...and Peter Schmeical!

I believe he once scored for Aston Villa.

 

[Houston_Blade]

Even piggy Hinchcliffe last night mentioned how important he is to the way we play with his dropping off and making himself available for the ball. He wasn't outstanding last night but his contribution helps the team.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

He’s fantastic, you barely need a number 10 (aka the Duffy role) when he’s playing. We look so much more fluid when he’s on song

Good spot. His development seems to have shifted Wilder's tactical evolution!

I liken him to Teddy Sheringham. Never wins MOTM but jees he makes everyone around him look better and when you speak to his team mates, they seem to appreciate him more than us fans!

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Very intelligent player , when he plays & drops deep it links up midfield much better , the thing that I wish some of Mc Goldricks critics fail to realise when he does this he opens up space for someone to run into , something that Berge managed to do last night . The only other midfield player that we have than runs beyond forward line is Lundstram , something we need to exploit more

 

[Bladepicker]

Didsy is the reason why when we have 30% posseaion we are still so potent and create more chances.

Win the ball back with didzy in the team you can play the bal to him and he can hold it long enough for us to build an attack and get our wing backs and centre backs forward.

Win the ball back without Didsy in the team and it all becomes a bit rushed and hot potato.

It's clear to see the difference he makes.

 

[Stevo]

#theblackbergkamp

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

So all we need now is a young Duffy and a younger goal scoring Didzy and we'll piss this league......

 

[Swannyblade]

My favourite Blades team to watch is a Blades team with Didzy in it. We can be effective without him, but we're a far more attractive watch when he's on the pitch

 

[Balham]

...and Peter Schmeical!

Schmeichel scored for Villa in 2002, he's got one more Premier League goal than Didzy.

 

[Tezza1889]

There's a reason nobody has a bad word against the bloke even though he still awaits his first premier league goal..

 

[cahill]

The other players look calmer when Didzy plays , has that effect

 

[Chabuddy G]

I think McBurnie showed yesterday how good he can actually be when you get players round him and feed it into his feet rather than pinging it off his bonce and isolating him for 90 minutes. He's got a touch of the Didsy's about him, for me

 

[PokerBlade]

I keep saying it, we have goalscorers at the club (Mousset and Sharp still beating Maupay for goals per minute, and McBurnie will take chances when given them) but what we don't have is a young McGoldrick. Holds the ball up well but also has the skill and vision to create chances. His link up play is exceptional and without him we end up with a larger and larger gap between midfield and attack that forces us into long balls we aren't very good at.

There were stats earlier in the season to back this up, but he's more involved in the build up to our goals than any other player i.e. when we score a goal, Didzy was probably involved somewhere leading up to the chance.

 

[CaptainMorgans]

Now I have no stats or data to back up this assertion, but based on nothing more than anecdotal evidence it seems to me - in the past couple of years, every time we've had a fit and healthy David McGoldrick in the startin XI we've had our swagger back!

Others get the limelight, but it can't be a coincidence that when he's in the team, everyone around him seems to suddenly become better players.

Those with a sharper eye and more football nous can probably explain, but surely it can't be a coincidence?

We can't play the "Sheff Utd way" without him. He knits everything together, he gets us up the pitch, he slows play down in the opposition half, he allows our players to get up the pitch and create our overloads on the flanks. He's pivotal to everything we do. Even when he plays badly, we at least try to play our football through him.

When he's not on the pitch, we tend to go direct, hitting McBurnie, or playing the balls into channels. Isolated, our front players get swamped, the ball doesn't stick & it comes right back to us. Our back 3 turns into a back 5 and we look disjointed from front to back.
We can still be effective playing like this, but it's less easy on the eye & more challenging to grind out results with far less possession.

He's a fantastic player & (in my opinion) has been Wilder's best signing. We need competition (& an eventual successor) for this role.
Or, we take things in a different direction & find midfielders with the ability to carry the ball up the pitch and play between the lines like he does. I have a feeling this is the way we're going to go with out recruitment.

 

[BLADES1988]

Thought he was called David?