Post by deadbat on May 31, 2021 12:24:38 GMT
2020/21 SUFC SEASON REVIEW / SCHOOL REPORT
Rest of week will be posted as below
*Note - this was written before the Jokanovic appointment – I have tried to update in sections but apologies if it refer to us not having a manager yet in sections!
Part 8 Final awards / Conclusions
Strikers
Billy Sharp He had not been a regular in the first season back which we did not really expect and goals had been really hard to come by. He scored the dream leveller at Bournemouth to start the season which was a fantastic moment for the fans and him. He then was never really a regular as McGoldrick and Mousset and even McBurnie were used more. He got sent off at home to Southampton and then remember some surprise starts v Man City and Newcastle where he looked like it was a bit much for him (the pace and physicality of things). He did actually get a run just before lockdown scoring goals against Bournemouth (again) and then the winner at home to Norwich when Blades fans that evening probably felt as good as they ever had done being a Blades fan! United were 6th and heading for Europe. The captain, a Blade, had scored the winning goal in another victory and we were in dream land. Sadly, the lockdown completely derailed things. He started games but was then left out and recall him missing some sitters at Southampton to end the season. He ended up with just 3 goals in the league but only started 11 games so was hard really for him to amass many more and at this level with good teams who see a lot of the ball, it is tough as you do not get many chances.
I was shocked he got a 2-year deal but thought this was more a loyalty thing for what he had done for the club. Despite him playing a fair bit post Xmas I thought that McGoldrick, McBurnie and hopefully if Mousset were fit, he would not play much at all. I was surprised he started the season but he was quickly taken out and was used mostly on the bench in the early games but did score a vital penalty v Fulham. I am not sure he started many games at all – was involved in the awful showing at Southampton and then he came on and got another crucial penalty in the first win against Newcastle as he won the award too. He scored in the cup tie v Plymouth and was excellent, working really hard at Old Trafford. He netted a typical Sharp goal in the win v West Brom and you thought we might have a chance but the losses started piling up again. He was a lonely figure in the defeats in London to West Ham and Fulham and then was back on the bench again. He did play at Leicester in that low point of the season after Wilder went. His interview post game was incredibly honest as he said how embarrassed he was. He picked up an injury and then mid-April revealed he had an op and would be out for the rest of the season but declaring he would be back scoring in front of full crowds soon!
I think Wilder going really hit him harder than most. He was almost like a father figure to him at times. They felt out a few times but overall Wilder kept going back to him. He continued to be a good ambassador for the club but I did feel we lacked leadership on the pitch. That is not a direct criticism of him as Norwood, Egan and McGoldrick captained the side. Maybe none ability wise could impact things to help lead the side but I just thought no one got the side together and really wanted to change things. They all looked clueless. I wanted a bit more passion but they all just seemed stunned by what was happening. All the positive media stuff he did in April-June where he was so vocal and visible seemed a long time ago as the club hit rock bottom. He always seemed visibly upset when he spoke and as a fan it really hit him how things had gone so wrong and so quickly. He has a year left and like McGoldrick expect him to have a role in what will almost certainly be his final year at United. I still think he will play a bit but some fans feel we need to move in a different direction. I would not be that surprised if he did move on even this summer though. He will be 36 this season. It is up to Sharp whether he wants to play further down the leagues and carry on playing or if he will bow out at the Blades (he may go into coaching – he has already started his own coaching organisation for youngsters). He spoke about wanting a season with his pals at Handsworth so maybe he might do that. Been a fantastic servant and so glad in his third spell it came good. Him and Wilder celebrating the promotions and all the scenes around those great wins/days will be some of the best times Blades fans have ever had. We maybe will never have a captain and leading scorer as a true Blades fan leading us up the divisions, managed by a Blade too. It was a time we maybe did not realise how special it was. I hope when he does depart it is with some class. I don’t want him struggling next season if say United do not start well and him becoming criticised by fans. Want him to kind of go out on his terms than being say forced out by a new manager. As I say an ideal scenario is we get back promoted, he plays here and there and gets the odd vital goal and then finishes his career. Sadly, it might be that dream scenarios and situations like this are something we may not experience and it won’t work out like that for him or United.
Grade C- (Last season B-)
David McGoldrick A player that had a great season in 19-20 despite him never scoring (finally got two which we sadly did not see in the lockdown) and was central to our better performances. His link play, work rate, skill and intelligence saw him football wise look totally comfortable at the highest level. Really underrated player and his link up with Mousset from Oct-Dec saw United have their best performances and results really. He showed why he had maybe never played at this level with his abject finishing. The one at Brighton stood out but there a number of other terrible misses. He became a bit of a laughing stock to neutrals but Blades fans continued to appreciate him as he was still playing really well and when he did not play, we did not look the same. I recall his clearance in the home game v Norwich just before lockdown too. A real team player and another that in the twilight of his career was taking his chance in the Premier League now it had finally come. Maybe Wilder’s best ever signing being taken off the scrapheap and being a key man for the two seasons he had been here.
His performances post lockdown actually trailed off despite him doing well in the wins and of course finally scoring but you figured he would still be an important figure. Mousset and McBurnie had scored more goals, but he was our best forward (in terms of play) the previous season and I felt it would be him and one other when the season started. He began on the bench as Wilder went with McBurnie and Sharp but he scored in the league cup and then was put back in as we struggled for goals and to create much. He was ok to begin with scored at Arsenal but not sure any of the strikers generally were much of a threat or played that well consistently. I did feel though that he was the one that contributed more than most. He had to come deep a lot and try and link but looked like he wanted to try and make things happen. He scored at Chelsea and twice v Man Utd (all poacher type goals really). The run of improved games saw him along with Basham, our stand out outfield player and he scored a few more goals. He was very good in the home games against Newcastle and Spurs and then like the rest was excellent at Old Trafford. He continued to be our leading light in the wins against West Brom and Villa – scored the winner.
The whole team dropped off again and his individual showings also petered off. He got a few knocks and was in and out a bit around Wilder’s departure. He got back in though and always seemed the main striker or one we could trust to at least create or even score (albeit he still missed a lot) and he got a winner v Brighton in a game where he was rightly man of the match. A few sub-par games followed this but he never hid and was fantastic at Everton and then ended the season with the winner in front of the fans v Burnley.
I still felt he was the one trying to make things happen even if sometimes his games or decision making was not quite the best but he kept trying and never hid and for the most part still made better decisions than the rest of his teammates. The amount of effort he put in put many other strikers and players in the side to shame. Now 33, he has retired from International duty where he was excellent for his country with most fans really disappointed, he would not be available anymore. He won’t play at the top level again and knows that. He has a year left with United. As good as he has been I am not sure he will remain here after this season – he would be nearly 35 when he signs his next contract but his level of football intelligence and brain means he won’t be without offers even if he has to drop down a bit. Whatever does happen, I will enjoy watching maybe his final season with United. I still expect him to be involved even if we maybe need to look to the future with Brewster, McBurnie and maybe another (none of these have done enough to warrant being regularly picked ahead of Didzy but at some point, we may need to move in that direction – either them or others coming in). He may not play every week next season but of course could maybe do a job in the number 10 role like he did at times in the Championship before. It is saying something when McGoldrick and Sharp have been our best two strikers this season (best of a bad bunch you could argue) and that arguably on performances and goal threat, they should start at the Championship in August. If you had said that they would be the starting strikers 3 seasons after they last started at this level, you would have thought someone was crackers for suggesting it. It says as much about the rest as these two though but both can still offer something in a rigorous 46 game season where you often play twice a week in the Championship.
He also did some great work in the campaign against racism in football with the campaign and boycott of social media seeing him feature on Robert Peston’s show on mainstream TV (ITV on a Thurs night!) and he always talked very well about the subject. It was him of course who initiated taking the knee way back in the first game after lockdown.
I have loved watching him play and still do. At times he may frustrate but for the most part, his slinking, slalom runs and touch/link is superb to watch. Seems a great pro who I am glad had a really great end to his career with the Blades and will definitely be the highlight of his career where for the most part he was a journeyman with injury problems who never looked like he would ever make it to the top. Despite the relegation, one of the few that does not deserve too much criticism and feel he can at least take some positives from the season individually. Clearly as popular with teammates (won players player) as he is with the fans.
Grade B- (Last season B)
Oli McBurnie Like with Mousset, he ended up the previous season with 6 goals which may not seem a lot but we did rotate the strikers and still ended up the leading scorer (joint). He had been ok that first season with some promise and good games and some frustrations but overall, I felt there were signs we had a decent player who could get better. He was a bit clumsy and not the smoothest style wise with his odd running technique and ungainly stature but he was a handful, decent in the air and had a better touch than many gave him credit for. I was not that bothered about the daft stuff off the pitch (antics at Swansea games) and his outlandish dress sense but was bothered about his drink driving which was poor and of course ended up with him getting a 2-year driving ban. The type of action anyone would condemn. We then of course had the videos circulating on social media in mid-May where he was obviously provoked but reacted and ended up in the news for the wrong reasons again. There are too many things happening with him off the field rather than on it and I worry that despite a fair few incidents he seems to find himself in situations where at worst he looks ‘bloody stupid’ and at best ‘unprofessional.’
Going back to on the pitch, I actually wrote last year the following; that his 19-20 season was ‘ok – it was not a great season but not a bad one. There is promise there. My biggest concern is he is quite inconsistent. He can go from 8/10 to 3/10 in 2 games and that happened a lot and he was maybe a 1 in 3 really good performance type player. We need him to do it more. The strong running, hardworking, nuisance we saw in some games, we need to see more. He needs to come back stronger, fitter and able to be the man next season.’
I expected actually him to be the main striker due to the promise he showed, McGoldrick’s lack of goals and Mousset’s fitness issues. I felt it would be him and one other for much of the season. Sadly, this never really materialised at all.
He started against Wolves but his penchant for daft fouls which he repeated all season saw him booked in this game and then he was out of the side as Burke and McGoldrick were preferred. He had a difficult game at home to Fulham but then played really well at Liverpool and was a constant threat. However, his inability to put games together saw his standards drop for the series of games that followed. He hit the post with an effort against West Ham and scored a really good header in one of those other rare good performance against Leicester. His starts and contributions after this were not good enough though and recall some non-descript performances in games at Southampton and at home to Everton. He did ok in the cup tie v Plymouth and against West Brom in two wins but then for the most part his displays after this were non-existent. He had a fair few starts but never affected games or got into them and his main contributions seemed to be stupid fouls or kick outs where he almost tried to show how physical he was but just ended up looking a bit cowardly and pathetic. I recall the game at Leeds where he was just never in it and then looked shocked when he was taken off! Came on against Arsenal but his inability to stay fit so him injured almost instantly and off he went again. It was this injury (metatarsal fracture) that led to him being out for the rest of the season and end a pretty woeful campaign.
Scotland fans have slammed him on social media and many Blades got quite prickly. I am not sure we can really argue that much at this stage. He has never scored for Scotland who prefer a QPR striker (and others from the SPL – now Che Adams is playing too, I expect McBurnie may drop out of the Scotland squad moving forward unless his form improves hugely) and now has scored 1 goal in a season. I do have concerns about him moving forward as he is regressed. Many just say he did well at the Championship before and the lower level he will be fine. They could be right but I am concerned he is regressing and we are not seeing him work on things on his game. I saw him laughing about the weight room on a behind the scenes video and not sure he is quite taking the game seriously enough to be a top striker. Maybe I am wrong and maybe he can have fun and write stuff on twitter and have a go at fans etc but for me he needs to do it on the field. His performances and contribution have not been good enough.
I do not see him being our ‘centre forward’ of the future based on what I have seen in the 2 seasons he has been here. An ok season followed by a really poor one and someone who just does not affect games. He lacks natural ability and not sure he does well enough in the main skillsets you look for in a striker. Qualities you would want are being strong, powerful, quick, a hard shot (has such a weak shot) and scores goals. He does not link with others, is not that hard working (or if he does work hard, it does not affect games) and his main strength seems to be heading away corners when he is defending. People keep saying we are playing him wrong or do not play to his strengths but I am not buying that. Regardless of that I expect him to work hard, hold the ball up, chase the flanks and d the basics even if he is not scoring. Sadly, I do not see him contributing much at all in games. He has a huge summer and season coming up. Another season close to the one that has gone and rightly he will probably be wrote off in terms of his Blades career. That may seem extreme but he will have been here 3 seasons then. I for one would not be that bothered if he leaves. Lots of fans keep saying these players will come good and point to the lower level as I say. Maybe they will be proved right but football is still football and I need to see much more of him and he needs to show he wants to be a top player. Maybe it is not just desire and work ethic, maybe he is just not good enough. I certainly do not see us flying back to the Premier League with him and Brewster starting or playing the majority of the games and it says something that I feel we are more dangerous with Sharp and McGoldrick playing. People say we have to play him and Brewster are the future but in order for that to be realised, these two actually have to contribute and look like they may and will score goals.
Grade E- (Last season B)
Oliver Burke Having somewhat of a nomadic career already, representing 6 clubs (3 on loan) at the age of 23, Burke was linked with United over the summer after his career at West Brom had stalled. He had done quite well on loan at Alaves after he has not built on the promise, he had shown at Forest that led to a 13-million-pound move to RB Leipzig at 19 years of age. He was seen as a real prospect in his formative years but the move to Leipzig was not really successful and he was not a regular in Germany. He was still involved in the Scotland squads but it was still a surprise when West Brom signed him for 15 million in August, 2017. He only made 19 appearances and many from the bench as the Baggies went down. It seemed unclear that his best position was as he was played as a winger, a central striker and a midfielder but he never seemed to find a role or any level of consistency and the Baggies fans felt he was an expensive mistake with the fee and the fact he had signed a 5-year contract being ridiculed.
He went to Celtic in the January of the relegation year and did ok but they did not sign him permanently and he ended up back on the continent, this time in Spain with Aalves. He was given a new position of wing back and did quite well and played more games here than he had anywhere since his Forest days. The Blades link was a bit of a curveball but when WBA wanted Callum Robinson and a swap deal took place in September, 2021 just before the season. It is unclear if United got any cash adjustment in the deal. Many had felt Robinson was not good enough at the top level (he did go and score a few goals this season but West Brom fans seemed to in the main share this opinion) and Wilder rolled the dice. United of course did/do not play with wingers so many thought he may come in a wing back rival to some of the current players but with Bogle/Lowe coming in, this seemed uncertain. The opening game saw him on the bench but he did ok at Burnley and then got a start up front against Villa and was maybe one of the stand outs looking dangerous with his pace and running. He then kept his place and did well against Leeds before his run should have seen a red card for Luiz at Arsenal and I felt in the early games he was one of our stand out players and main attacking threats.
He really did look dynamite and also seemed quite physically strong too. He rarely would get out beat in a foot race. Sadly, his control and decision making and as we saw later, his shooting did not match this raw pace and power! He was back on the bench for a period and Brewster came in but when he did play or come on, he continued to frustrate with that same pace but some woeful finishes (recall him missing a fair few at WBA) and he often would run past the ball when he was in on goal forgetting the ball. He showed his running/persistence and set up a goal at home to Man Utd but then in the run of really lethargic showings from the Blades around Xmas thought his threat diminished and he started to get criticism from fans. We were not creating much but when we did, he looked like he could not hit a barn door! Some of his finishing was appalling.
He came on and scored with a breakaway goal at Bristol Rovers away but in the same game had a shot that went out for a throw in. A rare skill he repeated at home to Liverpool! He was not a regular at all and was given cameos and only a few starts and indeed his last start under Wilder was against Spurs in mid-January. After this we saw little of him other than those frustrating cameos but he did of course come on and score against Manchester United, a famous goal but even this was not the most convincing finish really! He started in the debacle at Leicester in Heckingbottom’s first game but then went back to the bench. He started against Arsenal but his text book move of running with the ball and then forgetting the ball was shown again in another ineffective showing. He nearly hit a shot out for a throw in another headless chicken type cameo against Wolves and then gave it away constantly against Brighton but did ok at Spurs. He was back to being dreadful at home to Palace then we heard somehow, he had broken a bone in his foot and was out of the team for the rest of the season.
It is odd as my early season marks showed him as a real threat and his pace was something else but often there was actually no end product. Whenever he got in front of goal he invariably fell over or fluffed his lines. He went from being a player that maybe we had done well to get (I am not in the camp at all of ‘we should have kept Robinson’ by the way – do not think either will amount to much top level) to someone who just looked woefully out of his depth. We ended up with a mish mash of strikers and only McGoldrick showed any consistency and he is not an out and out striker but Burke just like the rest could not make a consistent impact. Granted we did not create much and the service was not the best but even when he had the ball or chances, you did not have any confidence he would do anything as he was quite clumsy and error ridden.
We still have the same 6 strikers (maybe Mousset may move on) but it really is open competition for who will get games next season. I personally would not be averse to a few others moving on – we have a set of strikers that do not score and not sure they contribute much else either. McGoldrick is the one exception. If Burke could be moved on then I would do that. Some feel he could be an impact player at the Championship level but not being able to do the basics of control and shooting means being at a lower level will not really matter. He is another that probably will stay but I would not want him playing much at all and he should only be used fleetingly really. If he is in the side to start the season or around the early stages it will not say much for how McBurnie and Brewster have begun things at the lower level.
Grade E (Last season NA)
Lys Mousset I recall Mousset was a bit of a left field signing and a number were surprised we had spent 10 million pounds on someone who had barely scored/started down on the South Coast. His flash colourful Lamborghini car and outlandish hair style marked him out early as a bit of a maverick type but clearly Wilder felt it was a punt worth taking. He needed to get fit but then contributed in results at Chelsea and Everton and for a run around late Sept to Xmas time he was a regular and whilst he rarely finished games, he was so influential. His partnership with McGoldrick saw the latter coming deep and linking with Mousset being the explosive runner who would get on the end of things. He scored 5 goals in this run including the winner v Arsenal and then scored a leveller at West Ham the week later. He scored a fantastic goal against Man Utd and had assisted the first with his strength and pace. He followed this up with a goal at Wolves and seemed at this stage to be a fantastic signing being quick, strong, mobile and athletic and could finish. His main issue was still his fitness and he did not always finish games and you would hope we would work on this to make him a top, top player.
Had a number of friends/family bereavements around Xmas time and seemed to just fall away after this point though. McBurnie started to do well and Sharp also became more involved. He had a few injuries and never seemed to be fit after this and despite a late goal and decent cameo v Spurs he was never a regular post Xmas. He went back to France when his girlfriend gave birth and there were rumours of fall outs. It did seem him and the management team did not always quite see eye to eye and he frustrated somewhat with his inability to be fit or play a regular run of games.
I said last year how that I felt talent wise he should be our number one striker and that he had got the lot to be a top striker but his head does not always seem to be right and he is woefully inconsistent and quite ill-disciplined when he plays. He also seems to never be fully fit and cannot last a full game. Overall, his first season was a success though netting 6 goals and being part of a really successful side even if the centre forward role ended up more being position by committee.
This season and he seemed to be injured again or unfit to start and he was not even in the squad with various issues and Wilder seemed frustrated when asked about him. We did not seem him till the end of November as he came on and missed a sitter at West Brom. He came on at Southampton in a loss and then I think had a decent effort that nearly salvaged a draw against Man Utd. He came on and looked disinterred against Everton and then got a rare start against Burnley but thought he was never in the game and looked unfit and totally immobile. He played at Palace as the side struggled but made no impact albeit with no service. He did better against Bristol Rovers and effectively scored (went down as an own goal) and was a real threat first half. He then disappeared again with more injuries or Wilder feeling he could not count on him maybe. He had the odd unused sub appearance and then came on and struggled in limited minutes against Southampton, Leicester and Chelsea. He missed a sitter at the end of the Arsenal game but we were already 3-0 down. It was odd he was being used as when he came on, he hardly ‘bust a gut’ as shown in another languid spell at Molineux and at Spurs. He played for the u23’s again in a game a few weeks after this after not seeing any action even as a sub.
Amidst him never seemingly being fit and when he did play, even token minutes he struggled to even keep up, we had more off field antics. Just after Xmas photos emerged of his badly damaged car and quickly it was reported he had been involved in a collision with parked cars on Abbeydale Road South. Having personally witnessed his driving skills on this stretch of road and out to Owlery Bar (I was on my bike!) the previous summer, sadly I was not surprised. There were talks of another passenger also being involved and it all seemed a bit confusing until mid-March when a South Yorkshire Police statement read: "Lys Mousset has been charged with driving without due care and attention and failing to stop after a road traffic collision. He will appear before court in June. A second man, who was arrested in connection with the crash, has been issued with a penalty notice for wasting police time."
This did not help his case in terms of how United’s fans and probably Chris Wilder saw him. He had barely played or contributed and had never been fit with Wilder himself saying he needs to play games. He ended up actually playing some u23 games when Heckingbottom came in, as well as some of the above appearances so United were trying once again to get him fit but nearly two seasons later you have to wonder if he will ever get there or take the game seriously to get the most out of his talent. With all the striking issues, he should have been a real asset this year but has done nothing all year with him writing his 300k car off the most newsworthy story sadly.
Now we have gone down, you expect his wages to drop as they were for all the players in line with contracts and you wonder if he will want to hang around or United will want to keep him. Still be on decent wages and I think it might be best for all parties if a team in France say take him. We won’t get close to our money back for him and it might be he has to go on loan for us to free up wages and get a loan fee at least next season, as he does still have two years left on his contract. Shame that it has not worked out. He did contribute quite well that first year but now I do not see a future for him at the Lane. At 25 he definitely faces an uncertain future as a footballer never mind top level.
Grade F- (Last season B)
Rhian Brewster was born in Chadwell Heath, Greater London to a Barbadian father and Turkish Cypriot mother. He was with Chelsea in his younger days but he was only 14 when he was spotted and signed by Liverpool as one of the coaches who worked with Brewster moved to Merseyside. He did well in the u18’s and at 16 spent some time with the first team in some friendly games. He continued to score goals at youth level and was picked for the various age groups for England. Indeed, he won the golden boot at the World Youth Cup (u17) in 2017 as England won this tournament beating Spain 5-2 in the final. He is not a regular for the u21’s.
He was actually linked with transfers abroad before he signed a 5-year deal with Liverpool in June 2018. Later that season even though he had never played for the first team, he got a Champions League medal as he was unused sub in the win against Spurs. He did make his debut as a sub in an EFL Cup game the next season but he was allowed to go on loan to Swansea in January, 2020.
He scored 11 goals in 22 games as his manager Steve Cooper had worked with him before at England u17 level got the best out of him. Some of his goals were powerful shots and finishes with barely any back lift or time and Liverpool fans were excited about his prospects as he returned to be involved with the first team for the 2020-21 preseason. He missed a decisive penalty in the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal but had been involved a fair bit and it seemed he may feature this season. Around August time though it seemed Liverpool may let him go either on loan or permanent as Diego Jota joined and it seemed he was around 6th or 7th choice in the pecking order of strikers. A few teams were linked including Palace but the Blades had been strongly interested for some time it seemed and on 2 October 2020, United announced the signing of Brewster from Liverpool on a five-year deal, for a reported fee of around £23.5 million. The deal includes a buy back clause of £40 million, valid until 30 June 2023. At the time it seemed a coup for United as he seemed one of the hottest young strikers around and it was a surprise Klopp had allowed him to go permanently. He was still only 20 though and had only played half a season of professional football and a handful of games. Still, the Blades felt happy they had got a talented, if raw forward who would come in and score goals. No one at the time felt it was one for the future (well they maybe did but they expected some impact this season). He came off the bench to begin with but looked nervous and was poor in his full debut, ironically back at Anfield. He continued to struggle albeit against big sides in City and Chelsea. He was not even having many chances and games were just passing him by as his touch and technique also did not look up to the level required. He played a few neat balls through and had the odd powerful shot but that was the sum of his contributions as he and the rest of the forwards struggled to even touch the ball much, let alone have chances or score. I genuinely cannot recall many good games he had and he just seemed to be not ready for this step up. United needed better in terms of work ethic if the goals were not coming but he was just not a factor even starting or from the bench. He did ok when he came on against Newcastle and had a deflected effort hit the post. I do recall him getting a start against Bristol City and missed a hatful of very scoreable chances.
He started against Villa and Southampton but again not sure he was in the game that much. There were flashes such as his cameo at Chelsea but overall other than the odd bit here and there, he just seemed out of his depth and looked like a boy playing man’s football. He needed more time though and it was not till Wolves where he started again. Not sure he did much really of note in this game and the game again sort of passed him by but he did better in the home win v Brighton and showed some physicality and got involved in the game at least but then a week later was hauled off at half time at Spurs in a really disappointing performance. The young lad Jebbison then got in ahead of him which must have been embarrassing for him really and he looked far more threatening. He did ok in a brief cameo v Burney to be fair.
In terms of the future, some think he will be fine next season as he did well for Swansea, but like with McBurnie this was in a different set up and a few years ago now. His confidence will be quite low and the fact neither manager gave him consistent start (the managers would say he did not do enough to retain his place) will have affected him. I felt a bit sorry for him as he is a young kid who came into a struggling side that created little and as a record transfer it would have felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. It just all seemed a bit much for him. Now he has to go away and work hard (he was another that did not seem fit enough and looked to carrying a few pounds to me) and try and nail down a first team spot. At the moment he has probably done the least out of all the strikers here really as at least Mousset and McBurnie have done things in the past and even Burke looked a threat at times. He has a lot to prove. At the moment I am struggling to see what kind of striker he is. Again, may seem harsh but he seems to have a decent shot but is not a runner, not a link man, not a hustling player, not a box player and not really a player that comes deep or conversely is the shoulders of the last defender. For 23 million pounds regardless of his age and inexperience I expected to see something/anything really but have seen very little for all those blaming service or the fact he is inexperienced. I want some of the basics to be done firstly and he has to work harder for the side. Maybe at Chelsea, Liverpool and Swansea, even with the younger teams, his teams were winning and he did not have to do the hard yards and just be there to finish chances off?
He is young though and hopefully with some time to regroup and come back he will be able to make more of an impact next season. At the moment looks miles off though. I think if Wilder and the club had their time back, they would have only signed him on loan though and in all likelihood, he would have been sent back in January. We have him for 4 seasons now and a long contract so somehow, we have to get something out of him. If he struggles next season, then you do worry especially if fans are back at the Lane as we are not always the most patient bunch!
Grade F (Last season NA)
Antwoine Hackford Been rumoured to be highly rated for a few years now with watchers of the Academy declaring him the next big prospect which is incredible to say he was only 16 at the stary of the season. He was involved in the pre-season tour as we had a few issues with injuries/Covid. He was back with the development sides for the first part of the season but then he was given some involvement in the first team again. He then came on at Palace and had 10 minutes in a 2-0 defeat and almost scored with a late chance. He went back to the u23’s after this and also played for the u18s too especially in the Youth Cup. His partnership with Jebbison flanked by Ayari was seen as an exciting triumvirate for the Blades youth sides moving forward. Hackford probably needs to spend more time with the u23’s and maybe he might benefit from a loan too but he certainly is one to watch and having only just turned 17 he has a lot of time to develop. Seems to have impressed national scouts as has been involved for England u17’s.
Daniel Jebbison He was in the u18’s to start the season but then steadily became involved with the u23’s but of course played a lot in the cup run. He had one game on loan at Chorley but that was around Xmas time and did not feature at all aside from that. Very tall and gangly but only 17 and scored a fair bit for the academy/u23’s and seemed to have an eye for goal and quite quick/athletic. Raw of course but then Heckingbottom gave him his bow at home to Palace. Did ok this game and looked really promising with a few good moments and maybe did more than experienced strikers have in games before that. Definitely showed he was keen and got into maybe better areas than the record signing Brewster. He then got a start at Everton which was a real sign of how highly he was rated and he scored and played really well and scored on a dream debut. He was not as effective with little service at Newcastle and was ok with some promise again for the final game v Burnley. We had talk of big clubs like the German giants and the top 6 being after him but whether that was paper talk, I am not sure? From Canada originally, his family then came to Sheffield and has been with our academy for a fair few years though. Signed a pro deal at the end of the season.
Grade C+ (Last season NA)
The Rest
Tyler Smith Smith had been successful in the Academy scoring a number of goals and then had loan spells at Barrow where he scored 23 in 10. This was National League level so United rightly moved him onto a higher division on loan and he moved onto Doncaster, Bristol Rovers and Rochdale. He did not have the same impact only netting 6 in 38 and was never really a regular at any of the clubs really after starting well at them all. He went to Swindon this year and began well scoring goals in preseason and to open the campaign. He got 7 goals up to December 1st. However, Swindon have struggled and Smith had been a sub for the most part and his performances/goals have dropped off. He was one I think United had high hopes for but as he turns 23 later this year and he is out of contract, like Slater not sure he has shown enough he can contribute at Championship level if he has struggled to hold down a shirt at a lower level before playing and scoring a few more after Swindon had gone down and finished with 10 goals for the season in a relegated side. I expect he will move on this summer. Shame as again like Slater I think United thought he had a chance and of course being local lads who have come though we really do as fans root for these.
Next season
Last year I wrote in my end of season review about the attack: ‘The weakest part of our team. The stats show that for shots on and off target. 20th in both categories.’ A year on and arguably the above is still the case although the drop off from the other departments (goalkeeper aside) means sadly it is not standing out on its own for ineptitude. We have so many strikers but outside of McGoldrick, who is the oldest, not sure any can be sure of any long-term future or be particularly proud of their efforts. Sharp maybe did ok at times and the young lad Jebbison came in and showed some promise at the end of the season.
The rest? Simply abysmal. Not only were they garbage on the pitch but a few had mishaps off it too. Burke came in and looked promising but by seasons end was a laughing stock. McBurnie and Mousset never could play a run of games and then they appeared were totally ineffective. The former had the odd decent game but mostly was really poor and regressed badly after an ok first season. The latter contributed nothing at all the whole season apart from keeping the physios and takeaways busy. Brewster was seen as the lad who would come in and excite us even if in flashes due to his youth but was a complete and utter bust. I worry that this season has affected him so much and will be a lot to recover from.
Sharp and McGoldrick still will have a role, the latter more so, at a lower level. Both have a year left and you sense they won’t remain due to ages – both will be 35+ after this season. Mousset seems to not have a future here but who will take him? Burke is a player that just does not seem to have a football brain and has had so many clubs and never held down a place or excelled. Those two I would not care one bit of they left. McBurnie might do ok at the lower level but is another that does not seem to take the game seriously enough – he needs to improve his conditioning and strength – but also affect games more. Brewster has now been overtaken by a young kid in Jebbsion. We have so many strikers but other than the two old heads and a youngster, the rest have so many question marks. Quantity over quality in our case probably not the best thing. We need to move a few on definitely and maybe one of the youngsters will go out on loan. If someone said to me pick your starting day strikers for the Championship; I’d probably go McGoldrick and McBurnie (just feel he may do more than Brewster) with Sharp in reserve. Burke may remain as an option off the bench but Brewster has done nothing to suggest he should be a starter and we cannot keep playing him forever hoping he finally resembles a striker of any capacity. I expect Mousset to move on and it might be Burke, McBurnie and Brewster are all not exactly certainties to remain – if a club wanted to give us any kind of reasonable fee (won’t get close to money back for any) I would move any/all of them on. We need movement, pace, strength and goals along with consistency. These lads offer none of the above. This area of the team is very weak and our main hope it will improve is merely it is a lower league than being convinced upon the individuals we have. Whether he tried to bring in an old favourite like a Mitrovic remains to be seen.
Player / Position Years remaining (contract expires) Red this year – Orange next year - Green longer contract –
Forwards
Tyler Smith Out of contract (2021)
David McGoldrick 1 year (2022)
Billy Sharp 1 year (2022)
Lys Mousset 1 year (2022)
Oliver Burke 2 years (2023)
Oliver McBurnie 2 years (2023)
Rhian Brewster 4 years (2025)
Youngsters involved in 1st team last season (contracts unknown)
Antwoine Hackford
Daniel Jebbison
Rest of week will be posted as below
*Note - this was written before the Jokanovic appointment – I have tried to update in sections but apologies if it refer to us not having a manager yet in sections!
Part 8 Final awards / Conclusions
Strikers
Billy Sharp He had not been a regular in the first season back which we did not really expect and goals had been really hard to come by. He scored the dream leveller at Bournemouth to start the season which was a fantastic moment for the fans and him. He then was never really a regular as McGoldrick and Mousset and even McBurnie were used more. He got sent off at home to Southampton and then remember some surprise starts v Man City and Newcastle where he looked like it was a bit much for him (the pace and physicality of things). He did actually get a run just before lockdown scoring goals against Bournemouth (again) and then the winner at home to Norwich when Blades fans that evening probably felt as good as they ever had done being a Blades fan! United were 6th and heading for Europe. The captain, a Blade, had scored the winning goal in another victory and we were in dream land. Sadly, the lockdown completely derailed things. He started games but was then left out and recall him missing some sitters at Southampton to end the season. He ended up with just 3 goals in the league but only started 11 games so was hard really for him to amass many more and at this level with good teams who see a lot of the ball, it is tough as you do not get many chances.
I was shocked he got a 2-year deal but thought this was more a loyalty thing for what he had done for the club. Despite him playing a fair bit post Xmas I thought that McGoldrick, McBurnie and hopefully if Mousset were fit, he would not play much at all. I was surprised he started the season but he was quickly taken out and was used mostly on the bench in the early games but did score a vital penalty v Fulham. I am not sure he started many games at all – was involved in the awful showing at Southampton and then he came on and got another crucial penalty in the first win against Newcastle as he won the award too. He scored in the cup tie v Plymouth and was excellent, working really hard at Old Trafford. He netted a typical Sharp goal in the win v West Brom and you thought we might have a chance but the losses started piling up again. He was a lonely figure in the defeats in London to West Ham and Fulham and then was back on the bench again. He did play at Leicester in that low point of the season after Wilder went. His interview post game was incredibly honest as he said how embarrassed he was. He picked up an injury and then mid-April revealed he had an op and would be out for the rest of the season but declaring he would be back scoring in front of full crowds soon!
I think Wilder going really hit him harder than most. He was almost like a father figure to him at times. They felt out a few times but overall Wilder kept going back to him. He continued to be a good ambassador for the club but I did feel we lacked leadership on the pitch. That is not a direct criticism of him as Norwood, Egan and McGoldrick captained the side. Maybe none ability wise could impact things to help lead the side but I just thought no one got the side together and really wanted to change things. They all looked clueless. I wanted a bit more passion but they all just seemed stunned by what was happening. All the positive media stuff he did in April-June where he was so vocal and visible seemed a long time ago as the club hit rock bottom. He always seemed visibly upset when he spoke and as a fan it really hit him how things had gone so wrong and so quickly. He has a year left and like McGoldrick expect him to have a role in what will almost certainly be his final year at United. I still think he will play a bit but some fans feel we need to move in a different direction. I would not be that surprised if he did move on even this summer though. He will be 36 this season. It is up to Sharp whether he wants to play further down the leagues and carry on playing or if he will bow out at the Blades (he may go into coaching – he has already started his own coaching organisation for youngsters). He spoke about wanting a season with his pals at Handsworth so maybe he might do that. Been a fantastic servant and so glad in his third spell it came good. Him and Wilder celebrating the promotions and all the scenes around those great wins/days will be some of the best times Blades fans have ever had. We maybe will never have a captain and leading scorer as a true Blades fan leading us up the divisions, managed by a Blade too. It was a time we maybe did not realise how special it was. I hope when he does depart it is with some class. I don’t want him struggling next season if say United do not start well and him becoming criticised by fans. Want him to kind of go out on his terms than being say forced out by a new manager. As I say an ideal scenario is we get back promoted, he plays here and there and gets the odd vital goal and then finishes his career. Sadly, it might be that dream scenarios and situations like this are something we may not experience and it won’t work out like that for him or United.
Grade C- (Last season B-)
David McGoldrick A player that had a great season in 19-20 despite him never scoring (finally got two which we sadly did not see in the lockdown) and was central to our better performances. His link play, work rate, skill and intelligence saw him football wise look totally comfortable at the highest level. Really underrated player and his link up with Mousset from Oct-Dec saw United have their best performances and results really. He showed why he had maybe never played at this level with his abject finishing. The one at Brighton stood out but there a number of other terrible misses. He became a bit of a laughing stock to neutrals but Blades fans continued to appreciate him as he was still playing really well and when he did not play, we did not look the same. I recall his clearance in the home game v Norwich just before lockdown too. A real team player and another that in the twilight of his career was taking his chance in the Premier League now it had finally come. Maybe Wilder’s best ever signing being taken off the scrapheap and being a key man for the two seasons he had been here.
His performances post lockdown actually trailed off despite him doing well in the wins and of course finally scoring but you figured he would still be an important figure. Mousset and McBurnie had scored more goals, but he was our best forward (in terms of play) the previous season and I felt it would be him and one other when the season started. He began on the bench as Wilder went with McBurnie and Sharp but he scored in the league cup and then was put back in as we struggled for goals and to create much. He was ok to begin with scored at Arsenal but not sure any of the strikers generally were much of a threat or played that well consistently. I did feel though that he was the one that contributed more than most. He had to come deep a lot and try and link but looked like he wanted to try and make things happen. He scored at Chelsea and twice v Man Utd (all poacher type goals really). The run of improved games saw him along with Basham, our stand out outfield player and he scored a few more goals. He was very good in the home games against Newcastle and Spurs and then like the rest was excellent at Old Trafford. He continued to be our leading light in the wins against West Brom and Villa – scored the winner.
The whole team dropped off again and his individual showings also petered off. He got a few knocks and was in and out a bit around Wilder’s departure. He got back in though and always seemed the main striker or one we could trust to at least create or even score (albeit he still missed a lot) and he got a winner v Brighton in a game where he was rightly man of the match. A few sub-par games followed this but he never hid and was fantastic at Everton and then ended the season with the winner in front of the fans v Burnley.
I still felt he was the one trying to make things happen even if sometimes his games or decision making was not quite the best but he kept trying and never hid and for the most part still made better decisions than the rest of his teammates. The amount of effort he put in put many other strikers and players in the side to shame. Now 33, he has retired from International duty where he was excellent for his country with most fans really disappointed, he would not be available anymore. He won’t play at the top level again and knows that. He has a year left with United. As good as he has been I am not sure he will remain here after this season – he would be nearly 35 when he signs his next contract but his level of football intelligence and brain means he won’t be without offers even if he has to drop down a bit. Whatever does happen, I will enjoy watching maybe his final season with United. I still expect him to be involved even if we maybe need to look to the future with Brewster, McBurnie and maybe another (none of these have done enough to warrant being regularly picked ahead of Didzy but at some point, we may need to move in that direction – either them or others coming in). He may not play every week next season but of course could maybe do a job in the number 10 role like he did at times in the Championship before. It is saying something when McGoldrick and Sharp have been our best two strikers this season (best of a bad bunch you could argue) and that arguably on performances and goal threat, they should start at the Championship in August. If you had said that they would be the starting strikers 3 seasons after they last started at this level, you would have thought someone was crackers for suggesting it. It says as much about the rest as these two though but both can still offer something in a rigorous 46 game season where you often play twice a week in the Championship.
He also did some great work in the campaign against racism in football with the campaign and boycott of social media seeing him feature on Robert Peston’s show on mainstream TV (ITV on a Thurs night!) and he always talked very well about the subject. It was him of course who initiated taking the knee way back in the first game after lockdown.
I have loved watching him play and still do. At times he may frustrate but for the most part, his slinking, slalom runs and touch/link is superb to watch. Seems a great pro who I am glad had a really great end to his career with the Blades and will definitely be the highlight of his career where for the most part he was a journeyman with injury problems who never looked like he would ever make it to the top. Despite the relegation, one of the few that does not deserve too much criticism and feel he can at least take some positives from the season individually. Clearly as popular with teammates (won players player) as he is with the fans.
Grade B- (Last season B)
Oli McBurnie Like with Mousset, he ended up the previous season with 6 goals which may not seem a lot but we did rotate the strikers and still ended up the leading scorer (joint). He had been ok that first season with some promise and good games and some frustrations but overall, I felt there were signs we had a decent player who could get better. He was a bit clumsy and not the smoothest style wise with his odd running technique and ungainly stature but he was a handful, decent in the air and had a better touch than many gave him credit for. I was not that bothered about the daft stuff off the pitch (antics at Swansea games) and his outlandish dress sense but was bothered about his drink driving which was poor and of course ended up with him getting a 2-year driving ban. The type of action anyone would condemn. We then of course had the videos circulating on social media in mid-May where he was obviously provoked but reacted and ended up in the news for the wrong reasons again. There are too many things happening with him off the field rather than on it and I worry that despite a fair few incidents he seems to find himself in situations where at worst he looks ‘bloody stupid’ and at best ‘unprofessional.’
Going back to on the pitch, I actually wrote last year the following; that his 19-20 season was ‘ok – it was not a great season but not a bad one. There is promise there. My biggest concern is he is quite inconsistent. He can go from 8/10 to 3/10 in 2 games and that happened a lot and he was maybe a 1 in 3 really good performance type player. We need him to do it more. The strong running, hardworking, nuisance we saw in some games, we need to see more. He needs to come back stronger, fitter and able to be the man next season.’
I expected actually him to be the main striker due to the promise he showed, McGoldrick’s lack of goals and Mousset’s fitness issues. I felt it would be him and one other for much of the season. Sadly, this never really materialised at all.
He started against Wolves but his penchant for daft fouls which he repeated all season saw him booked in this game and then he was out of the side as Burke and McGoldrick were preferred. He had a difficult game at home to Fulham but then played really well at Liverpool and was a constant threat. However, his inability to put games together saw his standards drop for the series of games that followed. He hit the post with an effort against West Ham and scored a really good header in one of those other rare good performance against Leicester. His starts and contributions after this were not good enough though and recall some non-descript performances in games at Southampton and at home to Everton. He did ok in the cup tie v Plymouth and against West Brom in two wins but then for the most part his displays after this were non-existent. He had a fair few starts but never affected games or got into them and his main contributions seemed to be stupid fouls or kick outs where he almost tried to show how physical he was but just ended up looking a bit cowardly and pathetic. I recall the game at Leeds where he was just never in it and then looked shocked when he was taken off! Came on against Arsenal but his inability to stay fit so him injured almost instantly and off he went again. It was this injury (metatarsal fracture) that led to him being out for the rest of the season and end a pretty woeful campaign.
Scotland fans have slammed him on social media and many Blades got quite prickly. I am not sure we can really argue that much at this stage. He has never scored for Scotland who prefer a QPR striker (and others from the SPL – now Che Adams is playing too, I expect McBurnie may drop out of the Scotland squad moving forward unless his form improves hugely) and now has scored 1 goal in a season. I do have concerns about him moving forward as he is regressed. Many just say he did well at the Championship before and the lower level he will be fine. They could be right but I am concerned he is regressing and we are not seeing him work on things on his game. I saw him laughing about the weight room on a behind the scenes video and not sure he is quite taking the game seriously enough to be a top striker. Maybe I am wrong and maybe he can have fun and write stuff on twitter and have a go at fans etc but for me he needs to do it on the field. His performances and contribution have not been good enough.
I do not see him being our ‘centre forward’ of the future based on what I have seen in the 2 seasons he has been here. An ok season followed by a really poor one and someone who just does not affect games. He lacks natural ability and not sure he does well enough in the main skillsets you look for in a striker. Qualities you would want are being strong, powerful, quick, a hard shot (has such a weak shot) and scores goals. He does not link with others, is not that hard working (or if he does work hard, it does not affect games) and his main strength seems to be heading away corners when he is defending. People keep saying we are playing him wrong or do not play to his strengths but I am not buying that. Regardless of that I expect him to work hard, hold the ball up, chase the flanks and d the basics even if he is not scoring. Sadly, I do not see him contributing much at all in games. He has a huge summer and season coming up. Another season close to the one that has gone and rightly he will probably be wrote off in terms of his Blades career. That may seem extreme but he will have been here 3 seasons then. I for one would not be that bothered if he leaves. Lots of fans keep saying these players will come good and point to the lower level as I say. Maybe they will be proved right but football is still football and I need to see much more of him and he needs to show he wants to be a top player. Maybe it is not just desire and work ethic, maybe he is just not good enough. I certainly do not see us flying back to the Premier League with him and Brewster starting or playing the majority of the games and it says something that I feel we are more dangerous with Sharp and McGoldrick playing. People say we have to play him and Brewster are the future but in order for that to be realised, these two actually have to contribute and look like they may and will score goals.
Grade E- (Last season B)
Oliver Burke Having somewhat of a nomadic career already, representing 6 clubs (3 on loan) at the age of 23, Burke was linked with United over the summer after his career at West Brom had stalled. He had done quite well on loan at Alaves after he has not built on the promise, he had shown at Forest that led to a 13-million-pound move to RB Leipzig at 19 years of age. He was seen as a real prospect in his formative years but the move to Leipzig was not really successful and he was not a regular in Germany. He was still involved in the Scotland squads but it was still a surprise when West Brom signed him for 15 million in August, 2017. He only made 19 appearances and many from the bench as the Baggies went down. It seemed unclear that his best position was as he was played as a winger, a central striker and a midfielder but he never seemed to find a role or any level of consistency and the Baggies fans felt he was an expensive mistake with the fee and the fact he had signed a 5-year contract being ridiculed.
He went to Celtic in the January of the relegation year and did ok but they did not sign him permanently and he ended up back on the continent, this time in Spain with Aalves. He was given a new position of wing back and did quite well and played more games here than he had anywhere since his Forest days. The Blades link was a bit of a curveball but when WBA wanted Callum Robinson and a swap deal took place in September, 2021 just before the season. It is unclear if United got any cash adjustment in the deal. Many had felt Robinson was not good enough at the top level (he did go and score a few goals this season but West Brom fans seemed to in the main share this opinion) and Wilder rolled the dice. United of course did/do not play with wingers so many thought he may come in a wing back rival to some of the current players but with Bogle/Lowe coming in, this seemed uncertain. The opening game saw him on the bench but he did ok at Burnley and then got a start up front against Villa and was maybe one of the stand outs looking dangerous with his pace and running. He then kept his place and did well against Leeds before his run should have seen a red card for Luiz at Arsenal and I felt in the early games he was one of our stand out players and main attacking threats.
He really did look dynamite and also seemed quite physically strong too. He rarely would get out beat in a foot race. Sadly, his control and decision making and as we saw later, his shooting did not match this raw pace and power! He was back on the bench for a period and Brewster came in but when he did play or come on, he continued to frustrate with that same pace but some woeful finishes (recall him missing a fair few at WBA) and he often would run past the ball when he was in on goal forgetting the ball. He showed his running/persistence and set up a goal at home to Man Utd but then in the run of really lethargic showings from the Blades around Xmas thought his threat diminished and he started to get criticism from fans. We were not creating much but when we did, he looked like he could not hit a barn door! Some of his finishing was appalling.
He came on and scored with a breakaway goal at Bristol Rovers away but in the same game had a shot that went out for a throw in. A rare skill he repeated at home to Liverpool! He was not a regular at all and was given cameos and only a few starts and indeed his last start under Wilder was against Spurs in mid-January. After this we saw little of him other than those frustrating cameos but he did of course come on and score against Manchester United, a famous goal but even this was not the most convincing finish really! He started in the debacle at Leicester in Heckingbottom’s first game but then went back to the bench. He started against Arsenal but his text book move of running with the ball and then forgetting the ball was shown again in another ineffective showing. He nearly hit a shot out for a throw in another headless chicken type cameo against Wolves and then gave it away constantly against Brighton but did ok at Spurs. He was back to being dreadful at home to Palace then we heard somehow, he had broken a bone in his foot and was out of the team for the rest of the season.
It is odd as my early season marks showed him as a real threat and his pace was something else but often there was actually no end product. Whenever he got in front of goal he invariably fell over or fluffed his lines. He went from being a player that maybe we had done well to get (I am not in the camp at all of ‘we should have kept Robinson’ by the way – do not think either will amount to much top level) to someone who just looked woefully out of his depth. We ended up with a mish mash of strikers and only McGoldrick showed any consistency and he is not an out and out striker but Burke just like the rest could not make a consistent impact. Granted we did not create much and the service was not the best but even when he had the ball or chances, you did not have any confidence he would do anything as he was quite clumsy and error ridden.
We still have the same 6 strikers (maybe Mousset may move on) but it really is open competition for who will get games next season. I personally would not be averse to a few others moving on – we have a set of strikers that do not score and not sure they contribute much else either. McGoldrick is the one exception. If Burke could be moved on then I would do that. Some feel he could be an impact player at the Championship level but not being able to do the basics of control and shooting means being at a lower level will not really matter. He is another that probably will stay but I would not want him playing much at all and he should only be used fleetingly really. If he is in the side to start the season or around the early stages it will not say much for how McBurnie and Brewster have begun things at the lower level.
Grade E (Last season NA)
Lys Mousset I recall Mousset was a bit of a left field signing and a number were surprised we had spent 10 million pounds on someone who had barely scored/started down on the South Coast. His flash colourful Lamborghini car and outlandish hair style marked him out early as a bit of a maverick type but clearly Wilder felt it was a punt worth taking. He needed to get fit but then contributed in results at Chelsea and Everton and for a run around late Sept to Xmas time he was a regular and whilst he rarely finished games, he was so influential. His partnership with McGoldrick saw the latter coming deep and linking with Mousset being the explosive runner who would get on the end of things. He scored 5 goals in this run including the winner v Arsenal and then scored a leveller at West Ham the week later. He scored a fantastic goal against Man Utd and had assisted the first with his strength and pace. He followed this up with a goal at Wolves and seemed at this stage to be a fantastic signing being quick, strong, mobile and athletic and could finish. His main issue was still his fitness and he did not always finish games and you would hope we would work on this to make him a top, top player.
Had a number of friends/family bereavements around Xmas time and seemed to just fall away after this point though. McBurnie started to do well and Sharp also became more involved. He had a few injuries and never seemed to be fit after this and despite a late goal and decent cameo v Spurs he was never a regular post Xmas. He went back to France when his girlfriend gave birth and there were rumours of fall outs. It did seem him and the management team did not always quite see eye to eye and he frustrated somewhat with his inability to be fit or play a regular run of games.
I said last year how that I felt talent wise he should be our number one striker and that he had got the lot to be a top striker but his head does not always seem to be right and he is woefully inconsistent and quite ill-disciplined when he plays. He also seems to never be fully fit and cannot last a full game. Overall, his first season was a success though netting 6 goals and being part of a really successful side even if the centre forward role ended up more being position by committee.
This season and he seemed to be injured again or unfit to start and he was not even in the squad with various issues and Wilder seemed frustrated when asked about him. We did not seem him till the end of November as he came on and missed a sitter at West Brom. He came on at Southampton in a loss and then I think had a decent effort that nearly salvaged a draw against Man Utd. He came on and looked disinterred against Everton and then got a rare start against Burnley but thought he was never in the game and looked unfit and totally immobile. He played at Palace as the side struggled but made no impact albeit with no service. He did better against Bristol Rovers and effectively scored (went down as an own goal) and was a real threat first half. He then disappeared again with more injuries or Wilder feeling he could not count on him maybe. He had the odd unused sub appearance and then came on and struggled in limited minutes against Southampton, Leicester and Chelsea. He missed a sitter at the end of the Arsenal game but we were already 3-0 down. It was odd he was being used as when he came on, he hardly ‘bust a gut’ as shown in another languid spell at Molineux and at Spurs. He played for the u23’s again in a game a few weeks after this after not seeing any action even as a sub.
Amidst him never seemingly being fit and when he did play, even token minutes he struggled to even keep up, we had more off field antics. Just after Xmas photos emerged of his badly damaged car and quickly it was reported he had been involved in a collision with parked cars on Abbeydale Road South. Having personally witnessed his driving skills on this stretch of road and out to Owlery Bar (I was on my bike!) the previous summer, sadly I was not surprised. There were talks of another passenger also being involved and it all seemed a bit confusing until mid-March when a South Yorkshire Police statement read: "Lys Mousset has been charged with driving without due care and attention and failing to stop after a road traffic collision. He will appear before court in June. A second man, who was arrested in connection with the crash, has been issued with a penalty notice for wasting police time."
This did not help his case in terms of how United’s fans and probably Chris Wilder saw him. He had barely played or contributed and had never been fit with Wilder himself saying he needs to play games. He ended up actually playing some u23 games when Heckingbottom came in, as well as some of the above appearances so United were trying once again to get him fit but nearly two seasons later you have to wonder if he will ever get there or take the game seriously to get the most out of his talent. With all the striking issues, he should have been a real asset this year but has done nothing all year with him writing his 300k car off the most newsworthy story sadly.
Now we have gone down, you expect his wages to drop as they were for all the players in line with contracts and you wonder if he will want to hang around or United will want to keep him. Still be on decent wages and I think it might be best for all parties if a team in France say take him. We won’t get close to our money back for him and it might be he has to go on loan for us to free up wages and get a loan fee at least next season, as he does still have two years left on his contract. Shame that it has not worked out. He did contribute quite well that first year but now I do not see a future for him at the Lane. At 25 he definitely faces an uncertain future as a footballer never mind top level.
Grade F- (Last season B)
Rhian Brewster was born in Chadwell Heath, Greater London to a Barbadian father and Turkish Cypriot mother. He was with Chelsea in his younger days but he was only 14 when he was spotted and signed by Liverpool as one of the coaches who worked with Brewster moved to Merseyside. He did well in the u18’s and at 16 spent some time with the first team in some friendly games. He continued to score goals at youth level and was picked for the various age groups for England. Indeed, he won the golden boot at the World Youth Cup (u17) in 2017 as England won this tournament beating Spain 5-2 in the final. He is not a regular for the u21’s.
He was actually linked with transfers abroad before he signed a 5-year deal with Liverpool in June 2018. Later that season even though he had never played for the first team, he got a Champions League medal as he was unused sub in the win against Spurs. He did make his debut as a sub in an EFL Cup game the next season but he was allowed to go on loan to Swansea in January, 2020.
He scored 11 goals in 22 games as his manager Steve Cooper had worked with him before at England u17 level got the best out of him. Some of his goals were powerful shots and finishes with barely any back lift or time and Liverpool fans were excited about his prospects as he returned to be involved with the first team for the 2020-21 preseason. He missed a decisive penalty in the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal but had been involved a fair bit and it seemed he may feature this season. Around August time though it seemed Liverpool may let him go either on loan or permanent as Diego Jota joined and it seemed he was around 6th or 7th choice in the pecking order of strikers. A few teams were linked including Palace but the Blades had been strongly interested for some time it seemed and on 2 October 2020, United announced the signing of Brewster from Liverpool on a five-year deal, for a reported fee of around £23.5 million. The deal includes a buy back clause of £40 million, valid until 30 June 2023. At the time it seemed a coup for United as he seemed one of the hottest young strikers around and it was a surprise Klopp had allowed him to go permanently. He was still only 20 though and had only played half a season of professional football and a handful of games. Still, the Blades felt happy they had got a talented, if raw forward who would come in and score goals. No one at the time felt it was one for the future (well they maybe did but they expected some impact this season). He came off the bench to begin with but looked nervous and was poor in his full debut, ironically back at Anfield. He continued to struggle albeit against big sides in City and Chelsea. He was not even having many chances and games were just passing him by as his touch and technique also did not look up to the level required. He played a few neat balls through and had the odd powerful shot but that was the sum of his contributions as he and the rest of the forwards struggled to even touch the ball much, let alone have chances or score. I genuinely cannot recall many good games he had and he just seemed to be not ready for this step up. United needed better in terms of work ethic if the goals were not coming but he was just not a factor even starting or from the bench. He did ok when he came on against Newcastle and had a deflected effort hit the post. I do recall him getting a start against Bristol City and missed a hatful of very scoreable chances.
He started against Villa and Southampton but again not sure he was in the game that much. There were flashes such as his cameo at Chelsea but overall other than the odd bit here and there, he just seemed out of his depth and looked like a boy playing man’s football. He needed more time though and it was not till Wolves where he started again. Not sure he did much really of note in this game and the game again sort of passed him by but he did better in the home win v Brighton and showed some physicality and got involved in the game at least but then a week later was hauled off at half time at Spurs in a really disappointing performance. The young lad Jebbison then got in ahead of him which must have been embarrassing for him really and he looked far more threatening. He did ok in a brief cameo v Burney to be fair.
In terms of the future, some think he will be fine next season as he did well for Swansea, but like with McBurnie this was in a different set up and a few years ago now. His confidence will be quite low and the fact neither manager gave him consistent start (the managers would say he did not do enough to retain his place) will have affected him. I felt a bit sorry for him as he is a young kid who came into a struggling side that created little and as a record transfer it would have felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. It just all seemed a bit much for him. Now he has to go away and work hard (he was another that did not seem fit enough and looked to carrying a few pounds to me) and try and nail down a first team spot. At the moment he has probably done the least out of all the strikers here really as at least Mousset and McBurnie have done things in the past and even Burke looked a threat at times. He has a lot to prove. At the moment I am struggling to see what kind of striker he is. Again, may seem harsh but he seems to have a decent shot but is not a runner, not a link man, not a hustling player, not a box player and not really a player that comes deep or conversely is the shoulders of the last defender. For 23 million pounds regardless of his age and inexperience I expected to see something/anything really but have seen very little for all those blaming service or the fact he is inexperienced. I want some of the basics to be done firstly and he has to work harder for the side. Maybe at Chelsea, Liverpool and Swansea, even with the younger teams, his teams were winning and he did not have to do the hard yards and just be there to finish chances off?
He is young though and hopefully with some time to regroup and come back he will be able to make more of an impact next season. At the moment looks miles off though. I think if Wilder and the club had their time back, they would have only signed him on loan though and in all likelihood, he would have been sent back in January. We have him for 4 seasons now and a long contract so somehow, we have to get something out of him. If he struggles next season, then you do worry especially if fans are back at the Lane as we are not always the most patient bunch!
Grade F (Last season NA)
Antwoine Hackford Been rumoured to be highly rated for a few years now with watchers of the Academy declaring him the next big prospect which is incredible to say he was only 16 at the stary of the season. He was involved in the pre-season tour as we had a few issues with injuries/Covid. He was back with the development sides for the first part of the season but then he was given some involvement in the first team again. He then came on at Palace and had 10 minutes in a 2-0 defeat and almost scored with a late chance. He went back to the u23’s after this and also played for the u18s too especially in the Youth Cup. His partnership with Jebbison flanked by Ayari was seen as an exciting triumvirate for the Blades youth sides moving forward. Hackford probably needs to spend more time with the u23’s and maybe he might benefit from a loan too but he certainly is one to watch and having only just turned 17 he has a lot of time to develop. Seems to have impressed national scouts as has been involved for England u17’s.
Daniel Jebbison He was in the u18’s to start the season but then steadily became involved with the u23’s but of course played a lot in the cup run. He had one game on loan at Chorley but that was around Xmas time and did not feature at all aside from that. Very tall and gangly but only 17 and scored a fair bit for the academy/u23’s and seemed to have an eye for goal and quite quick/athletic. Raw of course but then Heckingbottom gave him his bow at home to Palace. Did ok this game and looked really promising with a few good moments and maybe did more than experienced strikers have in games before that. Definitely showed he was keen and got into maybe better areas than the record signing Brewster. He then got a start at Everton which was a real sign of how highly he was rated and he scored and played really well and scored on a dream debut. He was not as effective with little service at Newcastle and was ok with some promise again for the final game v Burnley. We had talk of big clubs like the German giants and the top 6 being after him but whether that was paper talk, I am not sure? From Canada originally, his family then came to Sheffield and has been with our academy for a fair few years though. Signed a pro deal at the end of the season.
Grade C+ (Last season NA)
The Rest
Tyler Smith Smith had been successful in the Academy scoring a number of goals and then had loan spells at Barrow where he scored 23 in 10. This was National League level so United rightly moved him onto a higher division on loan and he moved onto Doncaster, Bristol Rovers and Rochdale. He did not have the same impact only netting 6 in 38 and was never really a regular at any of the clubs really after starting well at them all. He went to Swindon this year and began well scoring goals in preseason and to open the campaign. He got 7 goals up to December 1st. However, Swindon have struggled and Smith had been a sub for the most part and his performances/goals have dropped off. He was one I think United had high hopes for but as he turns 23 later this year and he is out of contract, like Slater not sure he has shown enough he can contribute at Championship level if he has struggled to hold down a shirt at a lower level before playing and scoring a few more after Swindon had gone down and finished with 10 goals for the season in a relegated side. I expect he will move on this summer. Shame as again like Slater I think United thought he had a chance and of course being local lads who have come though we really do as fans root for these.
Next season
Last year I wrote in my end of season review about the attack: ‘The weakest part of our team. The stats show that for shots on and off target. 20th in both categories.’ A year on and arguably the above is still the case although the drop off from the other departments (goalkeeper aside) means sadly it is not standing out on its own for ineptitude. We have so many strikers but outside of McGoldrick, who is the oldest, not sure any can be sure of any long-term future or be particularly proud of their efforts. Sharp maybe did ok at times and the young lad Jebbison came in and showed some promise at the end of the season.
The rest? Simply abysmal. Not only were they garbage on the pitch but a few had mishaps off it too. Burke came in and looked promising but by seasons end was a laughing stock. McBurnie and Mousset never could play a run of games and then they appeared were totally ineffective. The former had the odd decent game but mostly was really poor and regressed badly after an ok first season. The latter contributed nothing at all the whole season apart from keeping the physios and takeaways busy. Brewster was seen as the lad who would come in and excite us even if in flashes due to his youth but was a complete and utter bust. I worry that this season has affected him so much and will be a lot to recover from.
Sharp and McGoldrick still will have a role, the latter more so, at a lower level. Both have a year left and you sense they won’t remain due to ages – both will be 35+ after this season. Mousset seems to not have a future here but who will take him? Burke is a player that just does not seem to have a football brain and has had so many clubs and never held down a place or excelled. Those two I would not care one bit of they left. McBurnie might do ok at the lower level but is another that does not seem to take the game seriously enough – he needs to improve his conditioning and strength – but also affect games more. Brewster has now been overtaken by a young kid in Jebbsion. We have so many strikers but other than the two old heads and a youngster, the rest have so many question marks. Quantity over quality in our case probably not the best thing. We need to move a few on definitely and maybe one of the youngsters will go out on loan. If someone said to me pick your starting day strikers for the Championship; I’d probably go McGoldrick and McBurnie (just feel he may do more than Brewster) with Sharp in reserve. Burke may remain as an option off the bench but Brewster has done nothing to suggest he should be a starter and we cannot keep playing him forever hoping he finally resembles a striker of any capacity. I expect Mousset to move on and it might be Burke, McBurnie and Brewster are all not exactly certainties to remain – if a club wanted to give us any kind of reasonable fee (won’t get close to money back for any) I would move any/all of them on. We need movement, pace, strength and goals along with consistency. These lads offer none of the above. This area of the team is very weak and our main hope it will improve is merely it is a lower league than being convinced upon the individuals we have. Whether he tried to bring in an old favourite like a Mitrovic remains to be seen.
Player / Position Years remaining (contract expires) Red this year – Orange next year - Green longer contract –
Forwards
Tyler Smith Out of contract (2021)
David McGoldrick 1 year (2022)
Billy Sharp 1 year (2022)
Lys Mousset 1 year (2022)
Oliver Burke 2 years (2023)
Oliver McBurnie 2 years (2023)
Rhian Brewster 4 years (2025)
Youngsters involved in 1st team last season (contracts unknown)
Antwoine Hackford
Daniel Jebbison
extra point!