The Jacob Butterfield Situation

Here's an alternative view on old JB.

Most of us couldn't blieve our luck when we swapped Butterfield for Sam Winnall, and hoped we'd never see him again. If we sell him, we will take a bath financially I guess, but at least he'll be someone else's problem

My Sheff Wed (and Chesterfield, poor sod) - supporting pal tells me there's been a softening in Wednesday fans' views on JB, that after a shaky start he's done OK, and that the main issue is he doesn't stack up well against their current darling, Barrie Bannon.

I've been critical of JB, but likewise and more so of Bradley Johnson, and it now looks like he's returning to form and starting to justify the fee/wages, if such amounts can ever be actually 'justified'.

So do we take back JB and give him some of what Bradley's been having for breakfast? Or do we cut him loose and save a bit on the payroll?

Give him a preseason and assess I think. It may be he would flourish in a post Hughes and Ince version of the team. But maybe not.

Anyway when we win at Wembley, the whole question might prove to be academic

Think he cooked his goose with Rowett when he criticised the way we play when he first went to the Wendies Personally I've never thought he was a bad player just that the system never suited him We will lose a lot of money if we sell

I have said before that he might be just one more in a long line of players who do absolutely nowt at Derby but flourish elsewhere. Then he went to Wendy and....... poor start, improved but still not half the player he was at Huddersfield.

He even started well with us and then seemed to fall apart at the seams........

If he does come back he will have to eat a huge slice of humble pie or the fans will be all over him like a very nasty rash.

He's wanted by Sheffield United as a replacement for an outgoing player

I'm not his biggest fan but Butters was the scapegoat for every defeat Its a trait with Derby fans They always need somebody to hang it on its been Keogh Christie Fozzy Olson in the recent past He was never going to be a Rowett player where the midfield has to get the ball forward as quickly has possible If there is interest elsewhere I think he will be gone Doubt he would want to come back anyway

Funny game football, I think he's looked like a donkey of late, when he was at Huddersfield I thought he was the best midfielder in the Championship! Can Frank get him back the way he was?

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Originally Posted by Manofpride

Funny game football, I think he's looked like a donkey of late, when he was at Huddersfield I thought he was the best midfielder in the Championship! Can Frank get him back the way he was?

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I refer to the OP. The bloke's not thick, if FL gives him a mission why wouldn't have a crack at redemption?

Just a thought. Going on the assumption that Frank will go 1-3-5-2...... Also assuming that Butters can once again become the player we bought from Huddersfield and when he first arrived at Derby.....

That midfield 5 could look like this.......

Palmer, Butters, Hudds, GT, Lawrence

Not as strong defensively as we might like apart from Hudds and GT, I know, but brilliant going forward. The success of this middle 5 is reliant on Butters being as good as he was at the Terriers and the new slimline GT being the GT of old.

Jerome and Abrahams up top.

An alternative could be a MF 4 without Butters and with Vydra in behind the 2 strikers in a 1-3-4-3 system.