New signings,early thoughts

[Gordon cowans]

Hussey impressed me as did o connell in the whole,think with more fitness and game time these lads will impress.
Fleck always wants the ball which is good but i thought he tired quite early,duffy looks a livewire and saw good glimpses especially early on.clarke did what we want him to do,score.
Obviously very early days and the result was poor,i see potential in this team.

 

[BeatleBlade]

Clarke's movement and vision was fantastic but his finishing was poor. I think he'll improve though, only his second game.

 

[Ricky]

Wison's done very little wrong so far, been quite pleased with him. Time will tell with him, it takes a while to see defenders tested in enough ways to judge them properly.

O'Connell's looked good in most departments but seems to lack agility and acceleration. Makes the odd bad decision on the ball. Can hit a long pass.

Hussey looks edgy defensively but is physically decent for a full back, you can see he does have quality in his deliveries. Carries the ball fairly well.

Fleck's probably going to be our best player. Good football brain, good passer/good pass appreciation, more than punches his weight physically.

Duffy's tidy with good close control but seems to carry the ball into non-threatening spaces and sometimes hangs onto it too long. Good support player, can't do it all on his own. Naturally likes to roam and switch flanks. It would be good if we got another winger who can do similar.

Clarke looks like he'll score goals, good anticipation and movement, still seems good physically. Could've had 4/5 goals for us already. Still gaining sharpness.

 

[shrubbery]

Wison's done very little wrong so far, been quite pleased with him. Time will tell with him, it takes a while to see defenders tested in enough ways to judge them properly.

O'Connell's looked good in most departments but seems to lack agility and acceleration. Makes the odd bad decision on the ball. Can hit a long pass.

Hussey looks edgy defensively but is physically decent for a full back, you can see he does have quality in his deliveries. Carries the ball fairly well.

Fleck's probably going to be our best player. Good football brain, good passer/good pass appreciation, more than punches his weight physically.

Duffy's tidy with good close control but seems to carry the ball into non-threatening spaces and sometimes hangs onto it too long. Good support player, can't do it all on his own. Naturally likes to roam and switch flanks. It would be good if we got another winger who can do similar.

Clarke looks like he'll score goals, good anticipation and movement, still seems good physically. Could've had 4/5 goals for us already. Still gaining sharpness.

This.

 

[Skiliman]

Fleck was awesome tonight in the first half, tired in the second but his range of passing a as something we've not seen at the lane for a long time (KMac?)

Hussey put in some very good crosses and I thought he handled the young pacy lad from Chelsea very well.

O'Connell did ok but was definitely overshadowed by Wilson tonight who I thought was fantastic.

Clarke was good and did much better than Sharp who was poor tonight.

Duffy looked the business at times but went missing for spells.

 

[Hodgyman]

For my two pennyworth, I really rated O'Connel and Fleck the pick of the signings so far but Hussey, Wilson, Clarke and Duffy showed promise for when they are fitter and bedded into the team.

They created a number of real chances playing with much more urgency to get forward in normal time. Apart from a couple of brilliant volleys that shook the crossbar twice, I wasn't convinced that they really wanted to win. I'm not disappointed they are out of this cup either.

 

[s10blade]

Echo what's been said which just gives me more faith and trust in Chris Wilder. He will crack this one I'm sure of it. I can see more departures on the horizon and sure we'll sign more. Credit where credit's due, I didn't see us signing players like Duffy, Fleck and O'Connell.

But without a shadow of a doubt if we're serious (well us lot are, if the board are serious) about promotion we need hunger, pace and a bit of creativity. Oh, and a decent keeper.

 

[1973Blade]

Clarke gets himself into good positions, although he will miss a number of chances. Not sure he is a good strike partner for Sharp, which may explain Billy's early poor form.

 

[GreasyChipBeattie]

Early thoughts are.....yes we need some.

 

[Wards]

Wilson been the surprise signing so far for me, started very well. More assured than I was expecting.

 

[Treeton Blade]

Wison's done very little wrong so far, been quite pleased with him. Time will tell with him, it takes a while to see defenders tested in enough ways to judge them properly.

O'Connell's looked good in most departments but seems to lack agility and acceleration. Makes the odd bad decision on the ball. Can hit a long pass.

Hussey looks edgy defensively but is physically decent for a full back, you can see he does have quality in his deliveries. Carries the ball fairly well.

Fleck's probably going to be our best player. Good football brain, good passer/good pass appreciation, more than punches his weight physically.

Duffy's tidy with good close control but seems to carry the ball into non-threatening spaces and sometimes hangs onto it too long. Good support player, can't do it all on his own. Naturally likes to roam and switch flanks. It would be good if we got another winger who can do similar.

Clarke looks like he'll score goals, good anticipation and movement, still seems good physically. Could've had 4/5 goals for us already. Still gaining sharpness.

Couldn`t have put it better myself.

Spot on

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

Fleck is the stand out player of the newcomers.

Billy Sharp's arse is nearly as big as Serena William's,just an observation it waddles like a ducks when he walks,does he really need such a big gluteus maximus,its affecting his ball control.

 

[Ricky]

Couldn`t have put it better myself.

Spot on

I know.

 

[Northyorksblade]

Someone put in another thread that Clarke can't jump. He won more headers last night than Sammon did in a season.

 

[Bladey McBladeface]

So far I'd agree with most of the comments.

Fleck has looked a really good acquisition (especially on a free). If he can ensure that he plays the ball forward and doesn't get tempted to be a crab then I'll be impressed.

O'Connell looks like a bit of a bruiser (which is a compliment), I like centre halves to head it and kick it!

Wilson, although his pedigree isn't good has looked fine so far.

Hussey has good attributes but I'm yet to see the delivery we were promised.

Clarke will prove to be a good buy. Sure, he misses some chances last night but he got himself in good positions. He's also an infinitely better header of the ball than Sammon (not hard). My only concern with Clarke was offering him a 3 year deal.

Duffy, looks lively and like an intelligent footballer.

Biggest concern for me is the form of Sharp and Brayford. I'm hoping it will come with time.

 

[Torrix1889]

PACE.....We haven't got any and desperately need some.

That is all.

 

[GreasyChipBeattie]

Fleck is the stand out player of the newcomers.

Billy Sharp's arse is nearly as big as Serena William's,just an observation it waddles like a ducks when he walks,does he really need such a big gluteus maximus,its affecting his ball control.

Blimey, does it spread right round the front as well?

 

[Slim Man]

It's not the new signings that are the problem, it's the shit that's already here.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Hussey good going forward, suspect defensively. Talking of defence, back line still looks shaky but will need time to bed in. Fleck, impressive though quiet in spells. Duffy flitted in and out of the game. Not a big fan of Bash, but thought, alongside Fleck, was one of our best players last night.

 

[Skiliman]

So far I'd agree with most of the comments.

Fleck has looked a really good acquisition (especially on a free). If he can ensure that he plays the ball forward and doesn't get tempted to be a crab then I'll be impressed.

O'Connell looks like a bit of a bruiser (which is a compliment), I like centre halves to head it and kick it!

Wilson, although his pedigree isn't good has looked fine so far.

Hussey has good attributes but I'm yet to see the delivery we were promised.

Clarke will prove to be a good buy. Sure, he misses some chances last night but he got himself in good positions. He's also an infinitely better header of the ball than Sammon (not hard). My only concern with Clarke was offering him a 3 year deal.

Duffy, looks lively and like an intelligent footballer.

Biggest concern for me is the form of Sharp and Brayford. I'm hoping it will come with time.

I thought Hussey put in a number of dangerous crosses last night, had the finishing been better he would have had a handful of assists. Agree about Bradford and Sharp though, they were poor.

 

[Deadbat]

As for the two centre backs, they both are very decent on the ball, better than I envisaged. They have competed well in general play but both have switched off at key times Saturday and last night.

Their job is to defend and the two goals they gave away last night is remiscent of Collins and his cronies last few years. They have to be able to see off danger like that otherwise being neat ad tidy and hitting a few long raking passes means nothing.

Ditto for Hussey.

We need defenders to defend. So far these three have not convinced me they can do that. Crewe had 2 or 3 other good chances from set plays last night.

Granted we should have had 10 goals but the habit of continually tossing goals away remains.

 

[Fraggle Blade]

Hussey good going forward, suspect defensively. Talking of defence, back line still looks shaky but will need time to bed in. Fleck, impressive though quiet in spells. Duffy flitted in and out of the game. Not a big fan of Bash, but thought, alongside Fleck, was one of our best players last night.

I didn't think bash did nearly enough to be in central midfield last night...thought he was mostly absent.

 

[Fraggle Blade]

I thought that Wilson and O'Connell looked decent at the back and will get more solid the more they play.......with Wright for back up and possibly Bash as extra cover, i'm not sure we still desperately need another CB as a priority.
Hussey was a bit hit and miss for me, he made a few defensive mistakes, but also made some good tackles and covered the ground well. Thought his crossing was generally ok, some quality ones and some average ones, but he got into some great positions, so generally I think he is ok.
Fleck is quality and we need another of him at his side in central midfield.
Duffy looked good, never got flustered and was involved in some quality moves, think he will only get better with more games and familiarisation with team mates.
Clarke could have had a couple more last night and looks like he will score regular for us, won a few headers, lost a few headers, but always threw himself in and showed good commitment with those challenges with the keeper.
So as far as i'm concerned they are all positives.
As many have said, it's some of the existing players that appear to be the weak links.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Wison's done very little wrong so far, been quite pleased with him. Time will tell with him, it takes a while to see defenders tested in enough ways to judge them properly.

O'Connell's looked good in most departments but seems to lack agility and acceleration. Makes the odd bad decision on the ball. Can hit a long pass.

Hussey looks edgy defensively but is physically decent for a full back, you can see he does have quality in his deliveries. Carries the ball fairly well.

Fleck's probably going to be our best player. Good football brain, good passer/good pass appreciation, more than punches his weight physically.

Duffy's tidy with good close control but seems to carry the ball into non-threatening spaces and sometimes hangs onto it too long. Good support player, can't do it all on his own. Naturally likes to roam and switch flanks. It would be good if we got another winger who can do similar.

Clarke looks like he'll score goals, good anticipation and movement, still seems good physically. Could've had 4/5 goals for us already. Still gaining sharpness.

Agree with all of that. My early concern though is Sharp. Last season he was playing under his favorite manager for who he always performs and he did just that. Under other managers, he’s struggled and I fear he might do again. Clarke is a good striker but is not a foil. I think it’s quite likely only one of them will have a good season and it’s looking more likely to be Clarke from the early signs.


If we can get the left winger we so desperately need, we could vary the play trying Done up front with Clarke who won quite a few flick-ons against Bolton with nobody running beyond. Done might just click with him up top.


We have some partnerships showing potential elsewhere (Duffy & Brayford, Fleck & Basham, O Connell & Wilson). Hopefully we can develop them and the strikers can get a better understanding to anticipate those low balls flashing across goal. If we can get the new left winger in, hopefully we can work on another partnership with Hussey down that side. I would play Kieran Wallace down the left with Hussey over Done with what we have available.

 

[Liaminho9]

I thought that Wilson and O'Connell looked decent at the back and will get more solid the more they play.......with Wright for back up and possibly Bash as extra cover, i'm not sure we still desperately need another CB as a priority.
Hussey was a bit hit and miss for me, he made a few defensive mistakes, but also made some good tackles and covered the ground well. Thought his crossing was generally ok, some quality ones and some average ones, but he got into some great positions, so generally I think he is ok.
Fleck is quality and we need another of him at his side in central midfield.
Duffy looked good, never got flustered and was involved in some quality moves, think he will only get better with more games and familiarisation with team mates.
Clarke could have had a couple more last night and looks like he will score regular for us, won a few headers, lost a few headers, but always threw himself in and showed good commitment with those challenges with the keeper.
So as far as i'm concerned they are all positives.
As many have said, it's some of the existing players that appear to be the weak links.

Agree completely with this - always thought Bash was better at CB. Spend the money on a quality CM.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

If the comments about players being "fantastic" after a home defeat are to be taken seriously, I am looking forward to the comments after a home victory.

FANTASTICHE!

 

[BushBlade]

If the comments about players being "fantastic" after a home defeat are to be taken seriously, I am looking forward to the comments after a home victory.

FANTASTICHE!

Could be waiting a while.....

 

[coaxingstar71]

Wison's done very little wrong so far, been quite pleased with him. Time will tell with him, it takes a while to see defenders tested in enough ways to judge them properly.

O'Connell's looked good in most departments but seems to lack agility and acceleration. Makes the odd bad decision on the ball. Can hit a long pass.

Hussey looks edgy defensively but is physically decent for a full back, you can see he does have quality in his deliveries. Carries the ball fairly well.

Fleck's probably going to be our best player. Good football brain, good passer/good pass appreciation, more than punches his weight physically.

Duffy's tidy with good close control but seems to carry the ball into non-threatening spaces and sometimes hangs onto it too long. Good support player, can't do it all on his own. Naturally likes to roam and switch flanks. It would be good if we got another winger who can do similar.

Clarke looks like he'll score goals, good anticipation and movement, still seems good physically. Could've had 4/5 goals for us already. Still gaining sharpness.

I agree with this.

It's funny (well not really) but if Calvert-Lewin had scored from that chance before they equalised, we'd be talking about this game and the team very differently.

Assuming that DCL scored and they hadn't (this being the last 3 minutes of the game), we'd be saying it was a steady, dominant performance, controlled the game and we could have won by more. We'd be singing the praises of all the new signings and only saying that McNulty looks sharper than Billy (having expertly set up DCL).

As the old saying goes..... "funny old game".

 

[Rodley]

Echo what's been said which just gives me more faith and trust in Chris Wilder. He will crack this one I'm sure of it. I can see more departures on the horizon and sure we'll sign more. Credit where credit's due, I didn't see us signing players like Duffy, Fleck and O'Connell.

But without a shadow of a doubt if we're serious (well us lot are, if the board are serious) about promotion we need hunger, pace and a bit of creativity. Oh, and a decent keeper.

Agreed, we need one or two more. No doubt about. I see us a top 6 team now. Need more to propel us towards the top 2.

 

[The_Green_Man]

Well I am afraid that they all flopped on Football Manager 2016 with the exception of Duffy who is MOTM and TOTW all the time.

Bury held me for ransom and I ended up paying over the odds for Clarke which disappoints me as he was that poor alongside Sharp that I transfer listed him half way through the season and even then nobody really wanted him.

Anyway I rectified this situation by signing O'Brien from Millwall.....He is just a monster in front of goal and has spearheaded me toward promotion with just a handful of games remaining. Him and Mike Jones who is also ridiculously good, it means I have to play Duffy on the other wing but he can do this quite easily.

There you go....Tufty is great but I think I am much more suited to the job I am afraid based on my PC heroics.