For me I would have to say Muric by a long way.

I also though Roberts improved from previous and was better than Maatsen IMO.

I would also say Brownhill but I tend to think Brownhill struggled in the PL, maybe it was the different position, style of play for Josh, one I'll be watching out for in the PL in the upcoming season, maybe having Cullen there also helped, just not sure yet.

Nathen Tella baby

JBG

100% Muric. He looked so nervous that he was messing up basic stuff in the first ten games or so. He's a killer now and hasn't put a single foot wrong for months. I trust him one-on-one (his kamikaze sweeping early days was top banter, but it game me a heart attack every time) and I trust him in the air now in a way I didn't at the start. Roberts has been immense since the WC break but I think with him it was more a case of him needing time to adjust to his role more than it was him improving as a player or anything.

Roberts for me. Different player since the World Cup. Great attitude, grafts his ricker off, gets into some great positions and gets back to carry out his defensive duties.

Really tough one. In addition to the names above Benson improved rapidly after his debut. Barnes at the end of the season was unrecognisable compared to how he started it. Roberts as well came on leaps and bounds

hard pressed to find one that hasn't improved but I'd give it to Muric

Muric or Roberts

All of them

Muric

boatshed bill wrote: ↑

Wed May 10, 2023 8:01 pm

Muric or Roberts

^^^^^

Both had a steep learning curve with what was required from them - particularly Roberts, both done exceptionally well!

Muric for me.

He had a dreadful time at Forest last season and started very shakily for ourselves. He was trying too hard to "force" his confidence and over-complicating things.

As the season progressed and we got better at our passing game, he simplified a lot of what he did and we tightened up. As a result his confidence grew and he started being able to show the extra bit of quality he has with his vision and passing. The nutmeg he treated us to was equivalent to one goal.

Well played, Muric!

Barnes, Muric, Roberts and JBG all improved dramatically as the season went on. Basically everyone improved but I would say these 4 improved the most, hard to pick the most improved out of them.

If i had to pick just one I'd go for Barnes

Roberts post world cup for me. He's played the orthodox and inverted right back role very effective and has become an integral and very important component in the set up.

A few candidates. Muric, Roberts and... and Barnes.

Cullen was outstanding all season

I would distinguish between those players who came into form as the season went on but had pedigree already (Barnes, Roberts, to some extent JBG) from those players who genuinely improved as footballers through the season.

For me there are four in the latter category - Tella (who blossomed as a finisher, but seemed really just find all the tools he already had clicking into place), Muric (whose improvement under crosses was really quite dramatic), Maatsen (whose all round maturity as a defender came on leaps and bounds, particularly 1 v 1 (although he can still improve) and in defending the back post), and Beyer - who joined as a very good but somewhat lightweight defender and is now an absolute specimen and adds the sort of physically imposing presence to our team that Kompany was for all those years at City.

You can make a case for any of them, but Beyer's physical development was remarkable and for me that might just edge it.

Honourable mentions to Benson, whose all round game I thought matured the more he played, culminating in that wonderful run of goals, and Twine. This is clearly the model now, so it's great to get that level of improvement from so many players.

Muric.

He looks like a top ‘keeper at this moment in time.

Based on early comments, Benson.

Roberts for me. He was poor before the World Cup to the point that in October I felt I'd have happily got shut in January, Vitinho was outperforming him. Post World Cup Vitinho waned not helped by injury, while Roberts flourished.

Muric has also improved massively, much more secure, and Tella also went from pacy but raw and a little aimless at times, to staggeringly clinical. Barnes obviously improved a lot too, but Roberts went from what I felt was our weakest link to a really, really important part of the team.

Muric

I think part of the perception that Muric improved the most is we collectively stopped soiling ourselves every time he stopped playing out instead of booting it.

Not saying he didn't improve, he did get better at it. Just that it got to be that I was expecting his playing out to work instead of saying, 'on no!' every time.

Edit: My vote is Roberts.

I could say Muric, I could say Beyer and I could say Benson. Any one of this three for me.

Ash

I will go for the twelth man —The Fans.The first ten games or so we were shxt scared when the players played it out from the back,not always without fault.We were not used to it.We now have understood how it works and afe comfortable with it,most of the time.Its been a steep learning curve.Helped of course by the improvement of Muric.

Muric Roberts Barnes Beyer Benson JBG and apologies for any I've missed

all have been outstanding but if I've to pick one ...

Benson has been quite simply unplayable at times, a special player. The 4 almost identical wonder strikes including the one to win the league at the lower darwen sh-it tip seals the deal for me

Ashley Barnes for me. VK completely changed his game from his SD days.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Wed May 10, 2023 8:10 pm

The nutmeg he treated us to was equivalent to one goal.
Well played, Muric!

That nutmeg will live long in the memory.

Jimscho wrote: ↑

Wed May 10, 2023 9:38 pm

I will go for the twelth man —The Fans.The first ten games or so we were shxt scared when the players played it out from the back,not always without fault.We were not used to it.We now have understood how it works and afe comfortable with it,most of the time.Its been a steep learning curve.Helped of course by the improvement of Muric.

Couldn’t agree more,still one ,or two having a little gripe if we don’t get the ball forward after 1/2 dozen passes,but the majority of us have had to be educated ,and as Mr Grace would say “You’ve all done very well”

Barnes for me though the Championship is a step down in quality

Muric for me, without a doubt

Rowls wrote: ↑

Wed May 10, 2023 8:10 pm

Muric for me.

He had a dreadful time at Forest last season and started very shakily for ourselves. He was trying too hard to "force" his confidence and over-complicating things.

As the season progressed and we got better at our passing game, he simplified a lot of what he did and we tightened up. As a result his confidence grew and he started being able to show the extra bit of quality he has with his vision and passing. The nutmeg he treated us to was equivalent to one goal.

Well played, Muric!

A dreadful time at Forest last season (2019) played 4 games.

KateR wrote: ↑

Wed May 10, 2023 6:51 pm

For me I would have to say Muric by a long way.

I also though Roberts improved from previous and was better than Maatsen IMO.

I would also say Brownhill but I tend to think Brownhill struggled in the PL, maybe it was the different position, style of play for Josh, one I'll be watching out for in the PL in the upcoming season, maybe having Cullen there also helped, just not sure yet.

My immediate thoughts...b4 seeing your post. While everyone loses their head around me ...I like him.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Wed May 10, 2023 8:10 pm

Muric for me.

He had a dreadful time at Forest last season and started very shakily for ourselves. He was trying too hard to "force" his confidence and over-complicating things.

As the season progressed and we got better at our passing game, he simplified a lot of what he did and we tightened up. As a result his confidence grew and he started being able to show the extra bit of quality he has with his vision and passing. The nutmeg he treated us to was equivalent to one goal.

Well played, Muric!

Muric played in Turkey last year and I believe made the SuperLig team of the season.

Connor Roberts also... came back from the world cup and won me over.

Muric has improved but I do feel his early season weaknesses are overegged somewhat.

Connor Roberts’ pre and post World Cup performances are like chalk and cheese. He was quite honest about how much the World Cup was playing on his mind and it was evident. Second half of the season, outstanding.

Roberts by far.

Roberts for half a season after the world cup but for me JBG who also looks fitter than seasons before and remember the game at QPR I remember him putting in real shift and scored a screamer of a free kick.

Connor Roberts he's now brought the performances he gives while playing for Wales to Burnley

Barnes, Muric, Beyer and Roberts are all worthy but for me after the first couple of times I saw him it has to be Benson. He got kicked out of the game a couple of times and I thought it would all be too physical for him. Whether it is folklore or it really happened the story was Vinny asked the fullbacks to go in heavy in training and that seemed to change him completely.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Wed May 10, 2023 8:10 pm

Muric for me.

He had a dreadful time at Forest last season and started very shakily for ourselves. He was trying too hard to "force" his confidence and over-complicating things.

As the season progressed and we got better at our passing game, he simplified a lot of what he did and we tightened up. As a result his confidence grew and he started being able to show the extra bit of quality he has with his vision and passing. The nutmeg he treated us to was equivalent to one goal.

Well played, Muric!

It is 3 years since Muric went to Forest and played 4 games as a 21 yr old having played 1 game in a first team anywhere prior to those 4 games.

Muric.
Goalkeeping culture shock for me & don't mind admitting it took a good while to see the big picture his game brings.

As many have said, Roberts has also been very good post WC.
Ash Barnes has been phenomenal this year.

For me I assess Ashley Barnes as having improved enormously. His passing across field and his ability to find others was at times a revelation. Scoring fantastic goals as well ( particularly that Blackburn goal when he followed through!) and looking likely he would score whenever he played are the highlights of his last season with Burnley FC.

Roberts has definitely improved a lot in the second half of the season but I think that has been tied in with his being a different role from when it started. At the start of the season he was commonly dropping back into the defensive line when we had possession which didn't suit him. In the second half of the season he was given much more licence to join the attack and that has definitely paid off.

Roberts has improved remarkably from both the relegation season and the pre-World Cup part of this season. He has been one of our very best performers from November onwards.

I think Muric likewise looked shaky/hesitant at times in his first 3 months or so but since Christmas has been so much more commanding with his actual goalkeeping. Distribution and raw talent was never in doubt, but he’s improved very well in his other aspects which maybe weren’t as natural to him.

Benson of the debut against Luton/first start away at Watford compared with now is an entirely different player. He was timid with the physicality and struggled to impose himself on games at first. His performances steadily just got better, and better, and better.

It would have to be one of those and if pushed I think I’d pick Roberts.

Roberts for me as well

I liked him before, but I thought he might not have the skill set for the premier league

He's been outstanding since the World Cup (and to be fair, okay before that)

aggi wrote: ↑

Thu May 11, 2023 10:58 am

Roberts has definitely improved a lot in the second half of the season but I think that has been tied in with his being a different role from when it started. At the start of the season he was commonly dropping back into the defensive line when we had possession which didn't suit him. In the second half of the season he was given much more licence to join the attack and that has definitely paid off.

This.

Roberts was being asked to drop on to a back 3 before the world cup, he's been much better playing in a midfield 3.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Wed May 10, 2023 8:10 pm

Muric for me.

He had a dreadful time at Forest last season and started very shakily for ourselves. He was trying too hard to "force" his confidence and over-complicating things.

As the season progressed and we got better at our passing game, he simplified a lot of what he did and we tightened up. As a result his confidence grew and he started being able to show the extra bit of quality he has with his vision and passing. The nutmeg he treated us to was equivalent to one goal.

Well played, Muric!

Muric played four games for Forest in 2020 not last season.