Sander berge

[Pollingtonblade]

Berge would just blend in if we'd paid 500k for him.

Its the fact we mortgaged our future on him to put in bang average performances.

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

I mean cowardly in a football context…as in he always takes the easy “safe” option rather than the more difficult one that might open up a defence. The ball against Brum shows he capable of it.

And by the way, you’ve just implied that I’m a coward whilst using a pseudonym…unless Pittsburg is the name given on your birth certificate touché

Yeah, sorry I was just pulling your leg

 

[andy m]

Thought he was very good today. Passed forward through the lines on numerous occasions first half. Unfortunately MGW had a mare a couldn't take advantage.

 

[Russtheblade]

Berge would just blend in if we'd paid 500k for him.

Its the fact we mortgaged our future on him to put in bang average performances.

Berge is a superb footballer,composed, great feet, great control & technique, reads the game well, has the ability to ghost past opponents & has vision, always available,never hides, he has suffered 2 serious injuries,one of which required the hamstring to be re attached to the thigh bone,he needs a run of games to find himself & regain his confidence,as for the fee.....absolutely not his fault, the guy is a Rolls Royce, give him a break FFS

 

[Bearlie]

Berge is a superb footballer,composed, great feet, great control & technique, reads the game well, has the ability to ghost past opponents & has vision, always available,never hides, he has suffered 2 serious injuries,one of which required the hamstring to be re attached to the thigh bone,he needs a run of games to find himself & regain his confidence,as for the fee.....absolutely not his fault, the guy is a Rolls Royce, give him a break FFS

Wow just fucking wow ......Unbelievable how some arrive at this conclusion

 

[Bladesince59]

Berge is a superb footballer,composed, great feet, great control & technique, reads the game well, has the ability to ghost past opponents & has vision, always available,never hides, he has suffered 2 serious injuries,one of which required the hamstring to be re attached to the thigh bone,he needs a run of games to find himself & regain his confidence,as for the fee.....absolutely not his fault, the guy is a Rolls Royce, give him a break FFS

When do you get back in?

 

[gordoncharles]

Thought he was very good today. Passed forward through the lines on numerous occasions first half. Unfortunately MGW had a mare a couldn't take advantage.

Something similar came up on the match thread.

Can you please remind me of these numerous occasions, because I must either have fallen asleep or gone to make a drink each time?

 

[Bladey_blade]

Wow just fucking wow ......Unbelievable how some arrive at this conclusion

Some see a fee and assume an elite footballer, he wouldn't even be on the top 50 20 million plus footballers who have struggled in the last few years. When he inevitably leaves us he will be playing at the top level in a top 5 league somewhere and shining

 

[gordoncharles]

Some see a fee and assume an elite footballer, he wouldn't even be on the top 50 20 million plus footballers who have struggled in the last few years. When he inevitably leaves us he will be playing at the top level in a top 5 league somewhere and shining

What is your basis for assuming this? Which of the top five Leagues do you watch regularly? I watch as much Spanish football as I do English and I can't think of one Spanish team where he would improve the midfield, let alone a top one.

He has some qualities and a number of limitations, and it may be the case that he would fit in better at a different club so nobody should write a player off completely, but I struggle to see how you could possibly arrive at that conclusion.

It's like we're watching entirely different games.

 

[andy m]

Something similar came up on the match thread.

Can you please remind me of these numerous occasions, because I must either have fallen asleep or gone to make a drink each time?

Must have been a grandad nap

 

[ISZA ⚔️]

Seems to take the first half to get going so I now refer to him as second-half-sander.

 

[gordoncharles]

Must have been a grandad nap

I can only assume you can't remember any either.

Comments like yours aren't helpful. If you're going to tell me about all these key passes he made, then you could at least try and recall them.

Otherwise I'm going to have to go through the torture of re-watching that match.

 

[blade67]

Russtheblade

You've made some pretty strong claims on Sander's behalf and I suppose it's all a matter of opinions but I'm amazed by the difference in opinion on him here compared to the people I know who attend games, who generally agree with my comments below

Composed - yes, I'd agree with that
Great feet, great control & technique - Yes, I'd agree, he has good control and technical ability
Has the ability to ghost past opponents - definately agree, we just don't see enough of this for whatever reason

Reads the game well, has vision - I've seen this from time to time but not consistently, too often he takes the easy option, therefore slowing play and making us less dynamic
Always available,never hides - Really? I think this is totally wrong, and is the main weak point in his game. He hides and doesn't impose himself on games. He's only 23, and I can imagine we'll be watching him, aged 28 looking a much more dominant player, but he isn't today

He has suffered 2 serious injuries,one of which required the hamstring to be re attached to the thigh bone - yes that is a fact, but he wasn't much different prior to his injury to be fair

He needs a run of games to find himself & regain his confidence - that might be what he needs, but what SUFC need is the best player for the day, starting in every game, currently he'd be getting minutes off the bench or starting to give our 1st choice midfield a break if I was picking the team.

As for the fee....not his fault -Agree 100%

The guy is a Rolls Royce - I'd love this to be true, I've just not seen it yet

I notice you haven't commented on his heading or tackling ability or his desire. These are critical attributes for central midfielders unless they are surrounded by players who are stronger in those areas. Ultimately the Blades currently have 4 tidy central midfielders, none of whom are particularly strong in that regard. Hopefully Sander will prove you right and be the central force in our promotion push in the months ahead, I certainly hope so.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

Berge should be nowhere near our midfield, especially as one of the main two in the centre. The way our team is set up, we need them all, 1-11, giving 100%. We can't afford to have any passengers. Be reyts he should have been moved on in January, problem solved then.

 

[Bladey_blade]

What is your basis for assuming this? Which of the top five Leagues do you watch regularly? I watch as much Spanish football as I do English and I can't think of one Spanish team where he would improve the midfield, let alone a top one.

He has some qualities and a number of limitations, and it may be the case that he would fit in better at a different club so nobody should write a player off completely, but I struggle to see how you could possibly arrive at that conclusion.

It's like we're watching entirely different games.

Salernitana signed an unfit mousset as an "upgrade" just to give you perspective

 

[CornwallBlade]

The people who slag Berge off generally know nothing about football and are the ones who sit at the back of the KOP and shout at Egan because he didn’t gerrrrritttttt forward after 2 seconds

He was quality today didn’t lose the ball once or give it away unlike Norwood who did after 1 minute which led to there penalty appeal ( I think)

He is far far far better than Norwood but Norwood can play a 20 yard pass fizzed across the ground even though it’s just a simple ball and that isn’t saying Norwood is poor because he isn’t he is very good

If he plays in the QB role like today then he won’t go forward because he can’t it isn’t his job to do so if he is playing there his job is to get the ball and play it sideways to the wings and back up all the attacks which he does

Not to forget the lad hasn’t had a run of games in 12 months since he tore his hamstring of his leg

If people slag him off or don’t appreciate him then we don’t deserve decent players and should just play Basham there

Sorry but that is balls. Bash made forward passes at every opportunity. Berge, due to the press, went deeper and deeper as the game progressed. Couldn’t cope with their pressure and played sideways and backwards. Can’t win a header and gets muscled off the ball. If playing 10 yard passes across the back 3 makes him worth £20m congratulations - you’re on a winner

 

[SWB]

Sorry but that is balls. Bash made forward passes at every opportunity. Berge, due to the press, went deeper and deeper as the game progressed. Couldn’t cope with their pressure and played sideways and backwards. Can’t win a header and gets muscled off the ball. If playing 10 yard passes across the back 3 makes him worth £20m congratulations - you’re on a winner

crap assessment. Berge was ok 1st half & was better in the 2nd....loads of people have said similar.

 

[nopigfansintown]

I rewatched the match after attending yesterday. Suffice to say, Berge was fine, and actually the better of the three midfielders in the first half.
United had a tactical issue yesterday with the fact our press was shocking. Sharp, Mcburnie and MGW were played through with little to no resistance resulting in an almost continuous numerical advantage in favour of Huddersfield. Hecky doesn't really have the option of changing to a lower block due to our lack of pace on the break, so this was an issue he rectified in the second half by playing Fleck as the highest midfielder in the press. This improved us somewhat with Fleck winning a few turnovers deep in their half.
MGW and Fleck barely won a ball in the first half which meant it was down to Berge and the backline to break things up. In possession, Berge gave well weighted passes to the players in front of him. What happened was the play continually broke down; usually when it reached MGW whose touch was positively elephantine. If there needs to be a scapegoat he's your man for yesterday. We could progress the ball from the deep lying midfielder forward, but not from that point to the strikers.
We defended very well yesterday, but this is also due to Huddersfield's toothlessness. They were only really threatening until the edge of our box.They lacked midfielder runners into the box to finish their good play off.
When Hecky rang the changes and brought Ndiaye on, Berge forward and Norwood deep United's press improved tenfold: we won more balls in the Huddersfield half than the three forward players that started the game. Berge also influenced things with his interplay, and breaking lines on the right hand side.
The left was a problem as Baldock invariably cut back on his right foot and crossed from far too deep. Catching practise for the goalkeeper. I personally feel we need a left footer there.
Mcburnie and Sharp has never looked like working. Out of possession they aren't athletic enough. In possession they like to occupy the same spaces: drop in, link and then arrive. I was looking at both of their numbers for almost the whole half when they were attacking our end, which says it all.

I'm surprised Ndiaye and Jebbison didn't enter the fray much earlier. Somebody that would stretch them and run in behind was needed. MGW looked incredibly rusty so should've been hooked if we continued with the same system. I can only presume that Ndiaye was in dire need of a rest.

Overall, it's good that the like of Berge, MGW, Baldock and Mcburnie got more minutes under their belt. Hopefully it benefits them in the future.United's man of the match was either Robinson or Egan.

 

[SUFCinks]

I can only assume you can't remember any either.

Comments like yours aren't helpful. If you're going to tell me about all these key passes he made, then you could at least try and recall them.

Otherwise I'm going to have to go through the torture of re-watching that match.

In the matchday thread this was answered, seems you dont want to listen… perhaps you should re-watch the match anyway?

1st half numerous to MGW all eye of the needle passes that cut hudders midfield out the game which sadly he couldnt control. 2nd half the ball through to sharp which he squared to McB.

Generally he played safe balls but that wasn't all he offered. In terms of possession hes got real quality.

He certainly isn’t immune from any criticism, personally i dont think he does enough defensively for the role he played today, he could definitely be more adventurous (driving the ball forward) but i dont think that was his role in the team until Norwood came on. Positionally i get frustrated with him sometimes when other players are being pressed he should be looking to support by offering himself into space for a pass but I clocked him multiple times just stood watching the game.

I dont think his performance yesterday was anything special personally, but his possession game, which you are trying to slate him for was actually quite decent.

 

[mattbianco1]

Unfortunately MGW had a mare a couldn't take advantage.

He was terrible. I said it a few weeks ago that sometimes you need to play the simple ball and stop with the flicks and spins.
Yesterday was a prime example

 

[Tezza1889]

I thought berge was good yesterday, I never worry that his passes come up short unlike some of the others, and the spell in the second half we passed them off the pitch, Berge was central to that..

Nah, he was fine yesterday, and those wanting superstar performances have thier heads in the clouds and by now should have adjusted expectations, I enjoyed how he played yesterday, but haven't re watched it back on the TV yet..

As some said, the using of the squad was critical yesterday, I thought he left OMB on too long as he should have gone at 60 mins but he put a shift in and was unlucky as usual in front of goal..

Special mention to Fleck for a great free kick, and more importantly taking that yellow in injury time.... That's the experience we want from experienced pro's (mcgoldrick take note) cause that winger was away without that, and we've seen what happens in injury time too often this season when they get in on goal.

Ps: we've gotta give a bit of credit to hudds, they're a good well organised side, and probably feel hard done by, the keeper was very good..

 

[Bladeloyal]

He’s a good player but his style is so introverted, he’s very, very, risk averse, he looks to play the simple safe option, he only uses his excellent balance, close ball control and body size, when he’s forced into it by the opposition leaving him no alternative.

In my opinion he needs to have more self confidence and carry the ball more often, show some self belief, create a bit of havoc in their half and exploit the gaps. Unless he starts to show a bit of self assurance and aggression, he’ll never achieve the heights that he is clearly capable of, which would be such a waste. He could do with a bit of TC’s arrogance tbh

Spot on ,it is the arrogance he lacks .he's got most of the tools

 

[gordoncharles]

In the matchday thread this was answered, seems you dont want to listen… perhaps you should re-watch the match anyway?

1st half numerous to MGW all eye of the needle passes that cut hudders midfield out the game which sadly he couldnt control. 2nd half the ball through to sharp which he squared to McB.

Generally he played safe balls but that wasn't all he offered. In terms of possession hes got real quality.

He certainly isn’t immune from any criticism, personally i dont think he does enough defensively for the role he played today, he could definitely be more adventurous (driving the ball forward) but i dont think that was his role in the team until Norwood came on. Positionally i get frustrated with him sometimes when other players are being pressed he should be looking to support by offering himself into space for a pass but I clocked him multiple times just stood watching the game.

I dont think his performance yesterday was anything special personally, but his possession game, which you are trying to slate him for was actually quite decent.

Firstly I don't "slate him". I slate those who seem to think he's a misunderstood Rolls Royce who should be playing for a top team in a top 5 League, whilst I happen to think he's a workaday Championship midfielder who doesn't do much wrong, but doesn't produce anything either.

At half time on the match thread I replied to a poster who was criticising him by saying he'd been tidy - hardly slating him - to which you replied to me "Hes thread multiple passes through the centre, that have both gone forward and cut through the midfield"

So, because fortunately (or otherwise because I didn't actually enjoy the game much when it was on) I have a lot of time on my hands I have re-watched the first half. I was concerned that I'd got this wrong because I wasn't concentrating entirely on what Berge was doing but the game in general. But it turns out I was right.

The good news is that Berge made 26 first half passes, all of which found a Sheffield United player.

However.... none of them are the sort of passes you described. Every one was either square, to the wing back in space, or 5-10 yard simple balls. He played it through four times to MGW, twice he miscontrolled them, both from 5 yards away and both of those in our own half.

Now, I'm pleased he found our own players and I've seen a lot worse, but none of those passes was anything other than routine, and they definitely weren't creating anything through the centre.

 

[ancientblade]

had a good game yesterday always finding a red and white shirt but still think hes got another 2 gears in him and still doesnt do the damage he should be doing at this level

 

[Bell4]

Wes

Bogle

Bash
Egan
Robinson/Davies

Norrington

Sander

Norwood

CH

IN

Sharpe

5-3-1-1

 

[Brownieblade]

My word Kozzy, you’ve created a whole new Berge bingo game there;

Long way from home
Too nice
Still developing
Still finding his game
Too much expectation
Lockdown
Different culture

I think the penny is dropping elsewhere, that he’s perhaps just a bang average second division footballer.

You should try and sign him for that pub team you manage with your everyone should be like Monty and Browny attitude lol

The happy with one or 2 years out of every 20 in top league whilst we carry on playing the United way brigade

 

[Bell4]

Must have been a grandad nap

Leave us grandads alone

Now …. Who’s this Sandra

 

[Bell4]

I rewatched the match after attending yesterday. Suffice to say, Berge was fine, and actually the better of the three midfielders in the first half.
United had a tactical issue yesterday with the fact our press was shocking. Sharp, Mcburnie and MGW were played through with little to no resistance resulting in an almost continuous numerical advantage in favour of Huddersfield. Hecky doesn't really have the option of changing to a lower block due to our lack of pace on the break, so this was an issue he rectified in the second half by playing Fleck as the highest midfielder in the press. This improved us somewhat with Fleck winning a few turnovers deep in their half.
MGW and Fleck barely won a ball in the first half which meant it was down to Berge and the backline to break things up. In possession, Berge gave well weighted passes to the players in front of him. What happened was the play continually broke down; usually when it reached MGW whose touch was positively elephantine. If there needs to be a scapegoat he's your man for yesterday. We could progress the ball from the deep lying midfielder forward, but not from that point to the strikers.
We defended very well yesterday, but this is also due to Huddersfield's toothlessness. They were only really threatening until the edge of our box.They lacked midfielder runners into the box to finish their good play off.
When Hecky rang the changes and brought Ndiaye on, Berge forward and Norwood deep United's press improved tenfold: we won more balls in the Huddersfield half than the three forward players that started the game. Berge also influenced things with his interplay, and breaking lines on the right hand side.
The left was a problem as Baldock invariably cut back on his right foot and crossed from far too deep. Catching practise for the goalkeeper. I personally feel we need a left footer there.
Mcburnie and Sharp has never looked like working. Out of possession they aren't athletic enough. In possession they like to occupy the same spaces: drop in, link and then arrive. I was looking at both of their numbers for almost the whole half when they were attacking our end, which says it all.

I'm surprised Ndiaye and Jebbison didn't enter the fray much earlier. Somebody that would stretch them and run in behind was needed. MGW looked incredibly rusty so should've been hooked if we continued with the same system. I can only presume that Ndiaye was in dire need of a rest.

Overall, it's good that the like of Berge, MGW, Baldock and Mcburnie got more minutes under their belt. Hopefully it benefits them in the future.United's man of the match was either Robinson or Egan.

Excellent post

Thanks

 

[tincan]

Sander is clearly an enormous talent but the injuries seem to have taken their toll on his confidence, especially for a young kid in a new country in Covid times.
I think he knows far more than any of us that he is not hitting the heights he can. So rather than spouting the obvious criticism that isn't working, he needs all the support we can muster.
How many players speak of the inspiration they get from BDTBL roaring the team on for a late winner. If that's the case would it not make more sense to boost his confidence using a bit of that magic?

 

[petcharlie]

Berge is a superb footballer,composed, great feet, great control & technique, reads the game well, has the ability to ghost past opponents & has vision, always available,never hides, he has suffered 2 serious injuries,one of which required the hamstring to be re attached to the thigh bone,he needs a run of games to find himself & regain his confidence,as for the fee.....absolutely not his fault, the guy is a Rolls Royce, give him a break FFS

I do really hope you are right mate we all want him to be a hit for us. but up till now he just has not produced since he has been here. May be the championship is to frantic for him but he will have my support as long as he wears a blades shirt but he leaves me scratching my head wondering what some see in him and why he is worth all that money we payed for him and what other teams were prepared to pay for him. When you look what we payed for Bash and Billy I can not see the reason for such a fee. I know which of the three we would not miss if anyone of them were to become unavailable. For some reason the mid field did not operate like they have done recently at Huddersfield we were out run it just did not work ,not saying it was all his fault but he just seems to not fit in . Really hope he pulls it round for all our sakes and the teams sake.