Thought he was fantastic tonight.

Going to say it - wouldn’t have lost if he’d stayed on the pitch.

He doubled up with Pieters brilliantly all night, but Dwight was miles off when Rashford got the ball and Pieters didn’t get close.

Fine margins, but true story, I think.

Got to agree with that, that was a strange one to me - unless he was tiring, after all
he put some mileage and effort in tonight.

Dead ball kicks were sadly lacking though, which is a shame.

You don't know whether he might have taken a knock or something and he did play 99 minutes last Saturday as well, but I was surprised he came off before JBG to be honest. I thought he was excellent again as he was on Saturday.

A fit and firing Brady gives McNeil competition , which he needs.Another wide man for the other side is sorely needed.Not replacing Lennon was criminal...

I, too, was surprised to see him taken off but that's the way Dyche works, he wanted to get MacNeil on so the obvious choice is Brady who was out on the left.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:01 am

You don't know whether he might have taken a knock or something and he did play 99 minutes last Saturday as well, but I was surprised he came off before JBG to be honest. I thought he was excellent again as he was on Saturday.

Maybe. I hope you’re right and it was due to the weekend/a knock because he was brilliant for 65 minutes. I saw Dwight waiting to come on and immediately hoped it wasn’t for Brady... 5 minutes later they score.

Problem was not having someone tight to Pogba when he was moved up for the second half.
He was always spare and free for them.

Cork on with Westwood +Brownhill on Pogba duty, Wood off
As a possible 1st change.

Brady did very well though.
Dwight takes a better dead ball also etc

Mmh it was strange, Brady defends enthusiastically but can’t tackle for toffee!
You’d expect a fragile JBG to be first to be pulled
Dwight can be errant from his defensive duties
I think 1 of the front 2 needing pulling first, Barnes as tired my preference, maybe McNeil could have come on behind Wood for a bit before we introduced Jay & Vyds
I think our demise was ultimately caused by having no outlet up front to relieve pressure on our midfield that ended up out matched
It had to be a front man or men changed first even if for Dwight initially

Brady is finding some really steady form. Can become a key player for us if he stays fit and the signs are encouraging.

BleedingClaret wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:12 am

Mmh it was strange, Brady defends enthusiastically but can’t tackle for toffee!
You’d expect a fragile JBG to be first to be pulled
Dwight can be errant from his defensive duties
I think 1 of the front 2 needing pulling first, Barnes as tired my preference, maybe McNeil could have come on behind Wood for a bit before we introduced Jay & Vyds
I think our demise was ultimately caused by having no outlet up front to relieve pressure on our midfield that ended up out matched
It had to be a front man or men changed first even if for Dwight initially

Agreed. Vydra on first. Maybe Dwight on with 10 minutes to go.

Rare error from Dyche, in my opinion.

Brady was good tonight, must admit I thought the substitution was strange

what_no_pies wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:24 am

Brady is finding some really steady form. Can become a key player for us if he stays fit and the signs are encouraging.

He’s getting closer to how he was playing before the big injury

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:06 am

He’s getting closer to how he was playing before the big injury

tonight is the strongest I've seen him in terms of fitness since his injury which is a great sign

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:13 am

tonight is the strongest I've seen him in terms of fitness since his injury which is a great sign

What's not a great sign is that he he has not yet agreed to sign a new contract !

HunterST_BFC wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:10 am

Problem was not having someone tight to Pogba when he was moved up for the second half.
He was always spare and free for them.

Cork on with Westwood +Brownhill on Pogba duty, Wood off
As a possible 1st change.

Brady did very well though.
Dwight takes a better dead ball also etc

We never change shape though! Everything is like for like.

When Dwight was getting stripped I was thinking “right, pull Wood, push Ashley up, have McNeill in that roving false 9 playing off him”. Not a chance. Plug and play substitution yet again.

Fault lay with too late subs, Sean's Achilles again Vyds and Jay should have played 2nd half.Dwight looked off the pace and Erik's backing off Rashford ,allowing the pass along with slack marking on Pogba, led to the goal
United aren't anything special and it was annoying our second half capitulation gave them an easy ride.

jojomk1 wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 5:49 am

What's not a great sign is that he he has not yet agreed to sign a new contract !

maybe with new owners he thinks he can get some more, I would suggest he would be lucky at this stage to be offered a similar deal never mind an improved one !

Could have brought on McNeil in place of JBG

Capable enough to play on the right wing

I too was surprised he came off. I thought his tracking back was superb, plenty of energy. He's definitely getting back to some good form.

CharlieinNewMexico wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 5:57 am

We never change shape though! Everything is like for like.

When Dwight was getting stripped I was thinking “right, pull Wood, push Ashley up, have McNeill in that roving false 9 playing off him”. Not a chance. Plug and play substitution yet again.

You know why we never change shape though don’t you? Because it’s one of our key strengths. The fact everybody knows their role, focused on delivering exactly what is expected. It’s a fairly u inquest strength, and clearly not one you’re just going to throw away.

Perspective wise, we’ve just lost out narrowly to a team who have gone top of the table, whilst we remain towards the too of the league table we’re expected to compete in.

As for Brady, I felt that the point Gary Neville was making was key to the substitution. We start narrow and then spring to close down wide spaces. It was becoming more evident that we were no longer springing on that side, more due to Pieters I reckon, but there wasn’t another left back put on, so Dwights energy became a benefit.

Funny old game because I thought it was one of his worst games in his recent upturn of form.

Delivery and his decisions seemed to be well off. Great energy and fitness is there though.

dandeclaret wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:21 am

You know why we never change shape though don’t you? Because it’s one of our key strengths. The fact everybody knows their role, focused on delivering exactly what is expected. It’s a fairly u inquest strength, and clearly not one you’re just going to throw away.

Perspective wise, we’ve just lost out narrowly to a team who have gone top of the table, whilst we remain towards the too of the league table we’re expected to compete in.

As for Brady, I felt that the point Gary Neville was making was key to the substitution. We start narrow and then spring to close down wide spaces. It was becoming more evident that we were no longer springing on that side, more due to Pieters I reckon, but there wasn’t another left back put on, so Dwights energy became a benefit.

Is it a key strength when you’re 1 nil down with 5 minutes to go and they’re just looking to see it out and we take off a striker for a striker? What’s wrong with going 343? We’re going to lose anyway unless we do something. Doesn’t matter if we concede again on the break we’re busted as it is.

CharlieinNewMexico wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:31 am

Is it a key strength when you’re 1 nil down with 5 minutes to go and they’re just looking to see it out and we take off a striker for a striker? What’s wrong with going 343? We’re going to lose anyway unless we do something. Doesn’t matter if we concede again on the break we’re busted as it is.

In that last 5 minutes as far as I’ve read, the team created chances to get an equaliser in that formation? Or am I wrong there?

dandeclaret wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:33 am

In that last 5 minutes as far as I’ve read, the team created chances to get an equaliser in that formation? Or am I wrong there?

Only because a striker you’re criticizing in another thread as not good enough started to stretch them and open opportunities up.

Or because the team took more risks, got runners in and around the attacking players and relaxed some of the defensive duties. Man Utd also had good chances to wrap it up in this time period from memory. Clearly a fully open game wouldn't suit, as it's likely with their quality, that United would win a lot more often than not.

jojomk1 wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 5:49 am

What's not a great sign is that he he has not yet agreed to sign a new contract !

Not aware that he hasn't

Didn't he come off when Rashford went across to the other wing and then Rashford came off not long after that?

I was surprised he was hooked before one of the front 2. I agree McNeil was the right sub but in a formation change playing further forward then are very deep-lying midfield.

I've said for ages that 4-4-2 formation doesn't fit the players we have. 5-3-2 (or 5-3-1-1) would suit the current players better in my opinion.

randomclaret2 wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:03 am

A fit and firing Brady gives McNeil competition , which he needs.Another wide man for the other side is sorely needed.Not replacing Lennon was criminal...

Was Lennon competition?

Brady isnt a 90 minute player

I actually noticed Brady's excellent defensive work last night and thought he made a number of timely clearances and interceptions which helped keep thinks tight, but after a bright opening he offered less and less going forward imo and when he was subbed for McNeil my words to my son were "Dyche is going for it here. He thinks we can win this". Bearing in mind Dwight isn't that great defensively, it's probably true to say that it left us more open to attacks on that side and that's where the goal came from. And re Brady's crossing. It's downright awful, even from dead balls so I've no idea what he's practising in training, but it surely isn't that. (But it bloody should be!!)

Everyone has different opinions but the goal was the fault of the framework. We defend deep and invite people to shoot from outside the area expecting someone to block. It was a poor block from Lowton that went through the keepers legs mid dive in the middle of the goal. Probably goes in once every 100 attempts.

Bradys defensive game and work rate as improved 100%. Offensively McNeil is in a different league as he proved when he came on by pinging the ball about, running with the ball and generally looking like he is capable of beating a man

As for the substitution.

Utd had the ball for 30 minutes solid. The only players in our squad who are comfortable taking the ball in tight situations to retain possession were on the bench.

Dwight, Vydra and Jay turned the game massively. They receive the ball and pass it back to a team mate, midfielders make supporting runs expecting the ball. It lifts the whole teams confidence. We play far better.

Barnes and Wood have poor ball retention, they rarely bring others into play. They have strengths don't get me wrong. But we're not seeing much of it at the minute.

I thought Dwight added a directness due to his ability to play a forward pass even under pressure. Vydra isn’t the most clinical finisher but does find space and gets chances. So I thought both subs were fine.

Very harsh to second guess if McNeil or Brady are best to handle Pogba / Rashford. In this form and motivation Pogba is the world’s best midfielder, he has everything. It is only that he rarely produces it.

CrosspoolClarets wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 9:45 am

Very harsh to second guess if McNeil or Brady are best to handle Pogba / Rashford. In this form and motivation Pogba is the world’s best midfielder, he has everything. It is only that he rarely produces it.

Pogba's strike was VERY good - but it was from distance (which is what we try to make happen) and it was a deflection that saw it beat Pope!
It may be that if that one hadn't gone in, United's pressure would still have told in the end, but let's not pretend this was a poor performance against the (now) Premier League leaders.

Dougall wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 10:05 am

Pogba's strike was VERY good - but it was from distance (which is what we try to make happen) and it was a deflection that saw it beat Pope!
It may be that if that one hadn't gone in, United's pressure would still have told in the end, but let's not pretend this was a poor performance against the (now) Premier League leaders.

Indeed. On the contrary, we did very well, and Brady, the reason for the posts, did too, just a little lack of clinical finishing up front and in Brady’s case, poor set pieces.

Worked his socks off and played well. I can only assume that he was tiring and they wanted to give McNeil a chance.

At the time of the substitution we were being over-run, our two forwards weren't making the ball stick up there and Man Utd were controlling the game and pushing us further back. At that time I thought it would have been wiser to take off one of the forwards and put Dwight in a central/no 10 role.

As for Brady; I thought he played quite well and, as others have said, it's very encouraging to see him looking fit and sharp.

I thought Brady himself looked a little perplexed at being brought off too.

I think the combination of wanting to get McNeil up to speed and Brady's injury history probably prompted the switch because it certainly wasn't becuase of his performance.

I thought the same as it was happening, although our attacks were coming down the right and very little on the left.
With that in mind I hoped McNeil would move us further up the field, which it did slightly to be fair.

We were so deep all second half, and I assumed this was on instruction.
Barnes was Barnes, but Wood wasn't to be seen.

Now Robbie was my MOTM last night but he did look like he ran out of gas as he gave it all .

Said it before McNeil being very one footed has been largely dealt with by the opposition this season so even a tired Brady would have been better then a fresh McNeil in my opinion.

Peter Loo wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:39 pm

Said it before McNeil being very one footed has been largely dealt with by the opposition this season so even a tired Brady would have been better then a fresh McNeil in my opinion.

Every opinion is as valid as the next but I hope your a head scout for a big club. You can reccomend your club pays 10m for a winger that's better than a 40m rated one.
You will be a hero for the big money saving and Burnley can get a fee for a player with only 6 months left on his contract.
Win win

Quickenthetempo wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 3:56 pm

Every opinion is as valid as the next but I hope your a head scout for a big club. You can reccomend your club pays 10m for a winger that's better than a 40m rated one.
You will be a hero for the big money saving and Burnley can get a fee for a player with only 6 months left on his contract.
Win win

Who is rated at £40m? McNeil?

Brady has just 6 months left on his contract. Anyone betting he will leave on a free to join Hendick in Newcastle
Anyone know if he has been offered a new contract?

NewClaret wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 12, 2021 11:52 pm

Thought he was fantastic tonight.

Going to say it - wouldn’t have lost if he’d stayed on the pitch.

He doubled up with Pieters brilliantly all night, but Dwight was miles off when Rashford got the ball and Pieters didn’t get close.

Fine margins, but true story, I think.

Well I don't see much wrong with that statement NC.

Tribesmen wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:01 pm

Now Robbie was my MOTM last night but he did look like he ran out of gas as he gave it all .

He got my vote as well, but perhaps the fact he played nearly a 100 minutes in the MKD game influenced Sean's thinking.

Robbie has been one of our few bright sparks in an attacking sense this season, and touch wood he retains his form and crucially fitness.

Not a thread I’ve expected to see for a good three years.

mdd2 wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:01 pm

Brady has just 6 months left on his contract. Anyone betting he will leave on a free to join Hendick in Newcastle
Anyone know if he has been offered a new contract?

I was led to believe the option last summer was exercised by the club rather than the player

Would expect, given recent form/appearances, a new contract to have been been offered but, as with Hendrick, he can just wait until the end of this season to see what other clubs make an offer (which would include a substantial signing on fee as no monies are payable to BFC)

Of course, he does run the risk of any serious injury leaving him in limbo as things stand today, but that would be his choice

With the new owners coming in i'm guessing all contract extensions will be up in the air at the moment. I'd say Brady is worth keeping as a squad player.