Fleck

[Sheff de party]

His pairing with Norwood, IMHO, is not optimal.

Norwoods performance levels have also dropped off a cliff in the last 2 months.

So easy for other sides to press Norwood or do a man to man job on him which visibly flusters him in to making basic mistakes.

UTB

That’s an incredible viewpoint. He’s our best player.

He makes so, so many good touches, runs our attacks and is our most talented player.

Entitled to your view obviously, but I genuinely don’t know what you expect.

 

[DronnieBlade]

That’s an incredible viewpoint. He’s our best player.

He makes so, so many good touches, runs our attacks and is our most talented player.

Entitled to your view obviously, but I genuinely don’t know what you expect.

Give Norwood time and space, or fail to deny him the opportunity to have that space, and he will often dictate games. So you’re right.

But recently it has been noticeable that he hasn’t had that time and space, which has meant that not only has he not dictated, he has frequently lost possession in dangerous areas of the pitch.

UTB

 

[FallowfieldBlade]

Yes of course he has. It’s a miracle we’ve managed to stay in contention for an automatic spot considering how the other ten players have carried him all season
I know today he wasn’t at his best and I know we all have different opinions but some people post some right shite at times

He’s been nowhere near as good as last year

 

[BushBlade]

Give Norwood time and space, or fail to deny him the opportunity to have that space, and he will often dictate games. So you’re right.

But recently it has been noticeable that he hasn’t had that time and space, which has meant that not only has he not dictated, he has frequently lost possession in dangerous areas of the pitch.

UTB

Which is why he cost £2m and only us and Hull were interested. You’re right, close him down and he shits himself.

He’s a good player but he’s not Iniesta.

 

[BushBlade]

That’s an incredible viewpoint. He’s our best player.

He makes so, so many good touches, runs our attacks and is our most talented player.

Entitled to your view obviously, but I genuinely don’t know what you expect.

I don’t agree. He’s talented but you have to take into account consistency when you’re assessing players, you can’t just judge a player on his best period of form.

Ask any manager if they’d rather have a player who is a 7 every week or one who is an 8 one week and a 5 the next and they’ll go for the former.

 

[spongebobblade]

He’s been nowhere near as good as last year

That’s your opinion and you may have a point but to say he’s been poor all season is ridiculous

 

[Sheff de party]

I don’t agree. He’s talented but you have to take into account consistency when you’re assessing players, you can’t just judge a player on his best period of form.

Ask any manager if they’d rather have a player who is a 7 every week or one who is an 8 one week and a 5 the next and they’ll go for the former.

I take your point, but we’re so much better with him in the team. Fortunately we haven’t had to find out what it’s like without him, but if he got a Coutts-style injury I genuinely think we’d be a lot, lot lower in the league.

 

[IOM Blade]

Then on Dowell. Commentator said that Dowell has SAID that he often questions Wilder when he puts him at LWB as if to say why am I here... Has anybody heard this quote or was it just nonsense from commentators trying to fill the seconds with words??

Nah, wasn't like that. Commentator simply said Dowell is constantly asking CW on the touchline where he should be when he's playing wing back, as he's new to the position.

 

[BushBlade]

I take your point, but we’re so much better with him in the team. Fortunately we haven’t had to find out what it’s like without him, but if he got a Coutts-style injury I genuinely think we’d be a lot, lot lower in the league.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s been a great signing and vital to us. We needed a player like him and Evans was not close. And all supporters tend to overrate their players a bit, remembering only the good games and forgetting the bad ones. I watch Spurs a lot with my mate and during the games he constantly criticises them but whenever I tell him Liverpool are better man for man he won’t have it and starts making out the same players he was calling ‘shit’ two days ago are now world beaters.

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

I dont think it's harsh to say that Fleck hasn't had his best season here. Tactically, it's been harder for him at times. The long ball to Madine and others at times takes him out of the game (remember when he first came to us, for about four games we booted the ball over his head, so he couldnt get involved). Other times, a lot of the play has gone through Norwood.

And on other occasions, Fleck just hasnt been at it.

 

[Sheff de party]

Don’t get me wrong, he’s been a great signing and vital to us. We needed a player like him and Evans was not close. And all supporters tend to overrate their players a bit, remembering only the good games and forgetting the bad ones. I watch Spurs a lot with my mate and during the games he constantly criticises them but whenever I tell him Liverpool are better man for man he won’t have it and starts making out the same players he was calling ‘shit’ two days ago are now world beaters.

Crikey do we know the same person? A Spurs fan I used to work with thinks Alderwiereld is the best defender in the league.

 

[BushBlade]

Crikey do we know the same person? A Spurs fan I used to work with thinks Alderwiereld is the best defender in the league.

Him and Vertonghen were very good last season and the season before. Arguably the best partnership at the time.

 

[nopigfansintown]

Give Norwood time and space, or fail to deny him the opportunity to have that space, and he will often dictate games. So you’re right.

But recently it has been noticeable that he hasn’t had that time and space, which has meant that not only has he not dictated, he has frequently lost possession in dangerous areas of the pitch.

UTB

Continually did this in our first third last night. He was Brum's best playmaker. That said, Fleck and Duffy weren't at it either. The first person to do a man marking job on Norwood was Bielsa in the defeat to Leeds at the Lane. It's been copied numerous times since and has been pretty effective in the main. I also think that we missed JOC's balance, overlaps and quicker, more accurate distribution when getting through that first press. It was too slow and ponderous. That said, Brum worked extremely hard for each other and were well organised.

 

[Fanny magnet]

Fleck was anonymous before madine came on and saw more of the ball afterwards unfortunately he was abject ,beyond awful and only in the last ten minutes did he produce anything like a respectable performance .some of the things wrote in this thread are pure ignorance

 

[Melbourne Blade]

This stats article seems to think they nullified him as opposed to in-team decisions reflecting on his poor performance ..

https://www.footballfancast.com/cha...birminghams-perfect-plan-nullifies-john-fleck

 

[CarlMcBlade]

With Ollie playing a lot deeper now I think Fleck should step up to the plate more in the middle. He should back himself more on the edge of the box. He seemed to play his best football when Coutts bossed the middle which allowed him to get forward more.