Seen the Last of O’Connell?

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

Kenilworth

Forged in Steel - Fooked in Riyadh
Joined
Aug 6, 2009
Messages
13,730
Reaction score
15,080
Location
Not Kenilworth
Anyone but the most optimistic dreamer will know that we’re all but relegated. It’s just a slow death of a thousand cuts (well 22 cuts) left, to go.

Everyone knows that the injury to O’Connell, leading to him being out of contention for the season, has been pivotal in our system being totally ineffective and our defence being more than generous to every opposition we have played, this season. No matter who Wilder tries in that Left Side Overlapping Centre Back (LSOCB) position, nothing has worked and it’s a glaring weakness that other teams recognise, prepare for and exploit.

A side effect is that it has made Norwood just about completely ineffective, since there is only one option to spread the play, with any pace and forward momentum - his key contribution to the system when it is fully balanced - which means that we are very slow to gain any territorial advantage and allow ample time for teams to restructure into their defensive shape. We’ve all seen that this pedestrian counter (once we eventually win the ball and don’t toss is away, cheaply) allows the opposition to fend off our very limited attacking capability - especially as we have absolutely no ability to play through the middle.

Now here’s the crux. We all think it will improve when O’Connell comes back and he slots seamlessly back into his designer LSOCB role. We probably hope that the team begins to tick again, when all of the component parts are back in full synchronisation mode. However, given the shite position we find ourselves in, certs to lose our place in the Premier League, does anyone else feel that we have seen the last of O’Connell in a Blades shirt?

As one of our 2, possibly 3, potential saleable assets, who will continue a career in the top flight when we slip out of it, the scenario of JO’C being pivotal in an odds defying, dynamic, stick it to the big boys, Sheffield United team has shot it’s load with that inter lockdown, training session collision with Dean Henderson.

I’d suggest that Wilder is not just looking for an option to replace JO’C for the remainder of this season, in the January transfer window, he is looking to see if he can find anyone that can possibly do that LSOCB role justice - as a replacement. And, if the hunt and chase are not successful then he and AK will need to find another system that helps us start to win football games again (in the Championship). Because, when we go down, I am not sure this malaise will be halted and we, all of a sudden, automatically begin to reverse our results in the division, below.

Happy 2021, everyone 😳

(Berger and Baldock - if you were thinking of asking)
 

I think O’Connell’s injury may put any interested teams off signing him in the summer so I think we will start next season with him in the side.

In the championship.

100%

We go down with a lowish wage bill and parachute payments. We don’t need to cut much cloth.

We value JOC based on his previous form and his value to the team. Anyone bidding will value him on the basis of his previous form, but take into account the financial risk of him never recovering from his injury. Little chance of the latter valuation meeting the former, unless he demonstrates that he’s wholly recovered.
 
No serious bids will come in for him given his injury and the length of time he has been out and we would be mad to sell if it wasn't a serious bid as we have shown how hard it is to replace him.
 
No one is signing JOC after such a major injury. He’ll need a season under his belt before people will come in for him.
That will be reflected in the price.
I get that some may want to see him back in a side, which is why we may get a couple of games out of him before the end of the season - so it has less of an effect on the price when he does move to a Prem side.
 
Can see JOC leaving this summer if he gets t play a few games back at the end of this season and plays well. But hopefully we'll keep him for next season. I am more concerned with the lack of midfield at present! Not sure one loan signing will fix that.
 
No serious bids will come in for him given his injury and the length of time he has been out and we would be mad to sell if it wasn't a serious bid as we have shown how hard it is to replace him.
We will be Championship and he will have ambitions to remain playing in the Prem. Don’t think we will have any say in whether he stays or not, just how much we will accept for him.
 
That will be reflected in the price.
I get that some may want to see him back in a side, which is why we may get a couple of games out of him before the end of the season - so it has less of an effect on the price when he does move to a Prem side.

Can’t see it at all, feels like a massive reach to me.
 
He’s not a pig.

But one of the traits of our fanbase is when things are going badly is to predict random things to whinge about / moan about stuff that hasn’t happened yet. I’ve been guilty of that plenty of times myself.
Give me this over his shoutbox work any day.

HYN Kenny!
 
Tyrone Ming's career recovered after a serious injury sure JOC will as well.
 
nobody will be signing joc till january 2022 at the earliest not after the injury hes had but cant see egan not being touted by at least 3 premier clubs so think he will go hope not though egan and joc would be the best cb partnership in the championship
 

He’s not a pig.

But one of the traits of our fanbase is when things are going badly is to predict random things to whinge about / moan about stuff that hasn’t happened yet. I’ve been guilty of that plenty of times myself.
Not whinged much since the set of rotten results began but I just can’t see JO’C playing many more games for us because of relegation. Had we began to pick up results and had a chance of surviving in the Prem then I feel he may have stayed at least one more season (before one of the biggies came to splash their cash). As it stands I feel this is the end of the overlapping centre back formation for us - simply because LSOCB are like rocking horse shit.
 
Think he will be playing sooner than expected, probabally end of march, so time to show his talents still remain and attract plenty of interest from other prem sides
 
The championship season starts at the beginning of August (Covid permitting) and the Transfer window closes the 1st September for transfers between the EFL and Premier League. If JOC has had a full pre season and plays the first five league games for us in August to prove his fitness I can see him being signed by a Premier League club before the window closes.
 
Can see JOC leaving this summer if he gets t play a few games back at the end of this season and plays well. But hopefully we'll keep him for next season. I am more concerned with the lack of midfield at present! Not sure one loan signing will fix that.
It won’t that midfield needs a full rebuild. I’d keep fleck for depth and to see if he can recover previous form and Berge if he doesn’t force a move. But it needs 2-3 signings in there who are not only good technicians but also top athletes. As to who those players could be I have no idea.
 
No one is signing JOC after such a major injury. He’ll need a season under his belt before people will come in for him.
I agree except that only half a season will be needed for other clubs to see if he is back to full strength
If we are at the top of the Championship then he and others may stay. If not then I would not criticise any for moving on IF there are Premiership clubs who think they are good enough
 
It won’t that midfield needs a full rebuild. I’d keep fleck for depth and to see if he can recover previous form and Berge if he doesn’t force a move. But it needs 2-3 signings in there who are not only good technicians but also top athletes. As to who those players could be I have no idea.
We need creativity in there. Fleck used to glide past players, he's not done that for months and his finishing is woeful also. I can think of decent players to sign in the Championship, but as for now, I can't think of many, but Lingaard if that comes off would be a great addition I'm sure. I wouldn't be against Besic coming back to add some balls in there also, but that would have to be a permanent deal if we get one loan from the Prem.
 
We need creativity in there. Fleck used to glide past players, he's not done that for months and his finishing is woeful also. I can think of decent players to sign in the Championship, but as for now, I can't think of many, but Lingaard if that comes off would be a great addition I'm sure. I wouldn't be against Besic coming back to add some balls in there also, but that would have to be a permanent deal if we get one loan from the Prem.
Yeah flecks a weird one he just looks incredibly jaded and tired. Besic and lingard could work as Besic plus another play deep allowing lingard to play in the hole
 
It’ll be interesting as to if he signs a new deal as I believe his current one expires at the end of next season. Given that contractual position I’ll think he’ll be the only one we’ll be open to selling unless we get a really daft offer.
Everyone else that we want to keep will be here for the championship if that’s where we find ourselves, and with the core of these players plus the parachute payments Wilder will have everything needed to bring us back with a better squad than we had last time.
 
Anyone but the most optimistic dreamer will know that we’re all but relegated. It’s just a slow death of a thousand cuts (well 22 cuts) left, to go.

Everyone knows that the injury to O’Connell, leading to him being out of contention for the season, has been pivotal in our system being totally ineffective and our defence being more than generous to every opposition we have played, this season. No matter who Wilder tries in that Left Side Overlapping Centre Back (LSOCB) position, nothing has worked and it’s a glaring weakness that other teams recognise, prepare for and exploit.

A side effect is that it has made Norwood just about completely ineffective, since there is only one option to spread the play, with any pace and forward momentum - his key contribution to the system when it is fully balanced - which means that we are very slow to gain any territorial advantage and allow ample time for teams to restructure into their defensive shape. We’ve all seen that this pedestrian counter (once we eventually win the ball and don’t toss is away, cheaply) allows the opposition to fend off our very limited attacking capability - especially as we have absolutely no ability to play through the middle.

Now here’s the crux. We all think it will improve when O’Connell comes back and he slots seamlessly back into his designer LSOCB role. We probably hope that the team begins to tick again, when all of the component parts are back in full synchronisation mode. However, given the shite position we find ourselves in, certs to lose our place in the Premier League, does anyone else feel that we have seen the last of O’Connell in a Blades shirt?

As one of our 2, possibly 3, potential saleable assets, who will continue a career in the top flight when we slip out of it, the scenario of JO’C being pivotal in an odds defying, dynamic, stick it to the big boys, Sheffield United team has shot it’s load with that inter lockdown, training session collision with Dean Henderson.

I’d suggest that Wilder is not just looking for an option to replace JO’C for the remainder of this season, in the January transfer window, he is looking to see if he can find anyone that can possibly do that LSOCB role justice - as a replacement. And, if the hunt and chase are not successful then he and AK will need to find another system that helps us start to win football games again (in the Championship). Because, when we go down, I am not sure this malaise will be halted and we, all of a sudden, automatically begin to reverse our results in the division, below.

Happy 2021, everyone 😳

(Berger and Baldock - if you were thinking of asking)
🐷
 
I'm really not sure everyone needs to be as worried as they are about JOC leaving, at least this summer anyway.

The long and the short of it is that as highly valued as we thought our players were based on our performances pre lockdown the period since has probably reinforced the view that we were a side full of championship players that were playing way above their normal level on the back of amazing momentum and the fact we were a team that were far greater than the sum of it's parts.

The fact is that the top end of the prem teams play with 4 at the back and none of our defence has proven that they are capable of excelling in that type of formation so the talk of massive fees for JOC, Egan etc are way off the mark IMO.

Rightly or wrongly, and I believe wrongly, any teams looking for a new CB would look at Tawkowski, Dunk, Mings etc before they would look at Egan or JOC and that was when they were at the top of their game pre lockdown.

Ask yourselves this. How many times do you see Coady linked with a big money move and how long did it take Southgate to call him up to the England squad???

Pre lockdown Egan and JOC thrived in a back 3 that was probably playing way above their natural level in a system that they knew like the back of their hand. Fast forward to post lockdown and JOC will have been injured for virtually a whole season so who do you see paying the fee we would most likely want for him???
 

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

Back
Top Bottom