Ekeke
Full Member
He's done that in the last 3 games and we've conceded 8 goals. I think we all hope that experiment is over.
No, he hasnt. He's played with Jones and back to normal Lindelof
He's done that in the last 3 games and we've conceded 8 goals. I think we all hope that experiment is over.
No, he hasnt. He's played with Jones and back to normal Lindelof
Exactly. Smalling and Jones are peas from a pod. A rotten, putrid pod.
For what he's in the team for he had to do better against Calvert-Lewin, that had nothing to do with his ability on the ball. Unfortunately over his United career overall he hasn't been dominant and consistent enough which is why he still gets stick. Too often he's not Mike Smalling.
Smalling isn't the problem, this is scapegoating an easy target. Our midfield today didin't even bother with any defensive work and left us exposed. That would be fine if they bothered to attack but they didn't do that either. To be honest I'm not sure what the feck they were doing today
Smalling isn't the problem, this is scapegoating an easy target. Our midfield today didin't even bother with any defensive work and left us exposed. That would be fine if they bothered to attack but they didn't do that either. To be honest I'm not sure what the feck they were doing today
Yes he is. Just because the midfield is a problem does not mean that the defence is any less of one. Both parts are as bad as each other. We need two new full backs and two new CB's. I don't care who you perm from Smalling, Jones, Shaw, Rojo, Lindelof Darmian, Dalot, Young or Valencia not one of them is good enough. And staying with the CBs it not just Vidic and Ferdinand that the current crop do not stack up to. They are also no match for Stam, Pallister or Bruce.
You don't solve a crap midfield by having a first class defence. Neither do you fix a crap defence by having a first class midfield. Both areas are in urgent need of fixing.
Yes he is. Just because the midfield is a problem does not mean that the defence is any less of one. Both parts are as bad as each other. We need two new full backs and two new CB's. I don't care who you perm from Smalling, Jones, Shaw, Rojo, Lindelof Darmian, Dalot, Young or Valencia not one of them is good enough. And staying with the CBs it not just Vidic and Ferdinand that the current crop do not stack up to. They are also no match for Stam, Pallister or Bruce.
You don't solve a crap midfield by having a first class defence. Neither do you fix a crap defence by having a first class midfield. Both areas are in urgent need of fixing.
Firstly I was talking about the game, and secondly if the midfield doesn't do its defensive job is won't matter who we have at the back.
Its no good having a midfield doing a defensive job if those who are first and foremost employed to defend are as pathetic as our lot are.
To be fair, Calvert-Lewin is really good in the air. That said, the age old problem with Smalling is that he's garbage on the ball. Everton were letting him have it today and we were trapped.
I mean, I dont outright disagree with you. But for now he's our best CB so I'd change the other CB and the RB before taking Smalling out.
Then yes, ideally we'd have 2 amazing CBs and he'd be competing for a place. But it has to be players that are actually better than him. We signed Rojo, Bailly and Lindelof instead so we still havent seen him next to a great CB.
If we want to play out the back why would you accept Smalling as a squad player? Look at Barca for example, would they accept a defender who can't play out of the back as a squad player? No - even their back ups fit the way their first team wants to play.I wouldn't have a problem with him as a squad player, he's OK at defending a lot of the time. But he's a first choice, nailed on CB for us.
Give me Wes Brown any day, and then consider that Wes was only ever a squad player .
If we want to play out the back why would you accept Smalling as a squad player? Look at Barca for example, would they accept a defender who can't play out of the back as a squad player? No - even their back ups fit the way their first team wants to play.
He doesn't fit how we want to play so it doesn't make sense keeping him as a squad player.
Come on, It's Calvert-Lewin a player probably not even Premier League quality.
Yep. Pretty shit. I've not seen a performance that mind bendingly bad from him for the last five years, even with how much of a clusterfeck that defence was and Jones going off injured. It was one of those 1/10 all-round individual performances that people hyperbolize in here every week when he passes a ball into touch. Still waiting for that proper partner and two actual fullbacks. I'm beginning to think we'll never see it before he retires.Unbelievable that people are defending him after yesterday. How you can genuinely see the game yesterday and come away with the conclusion that Chris Smalling was anything but one of our worst players is beyond me.
Either on a wind up or are Chris Smalling FC and have had there standards lowered.
After his next good game, people will be on to the "haters". Like a lot of the players, he's not good enough. Period.
He sees to players closing on him and panics. It's what he does, panics when he has the ball. I'm convinced our problems as a team start from there. Just look at Rashford's reaction?That’s was horrific, not the fact that it misses it target by a mile but the sheer unnecessary power he hits it with. Michael Owen always said he had poor pass appreciation, he played with him, in that he over or under hits passes often.
Of course he was. I only disagreed with the way he did it. This guy treats the ball like nuclear waste.Like I said yesterday Southgate was spot on about him and Jones. If Keane and Dunk played for United I don't think we'd be any worse off.
Smalling not being good enough for Manchester United has been an obvious fact and been talked about over and over again for 5 years, but nope we still have people on here defending him and a club happy to have him starting regularly. He should be a backup at best.
Southgate binned him after 2 minutes of being England manager. We still have fans who think he is our best defender.
It’s only the agenda driven Smalling FC fans who constantly defend this clown.
Well, there are definitely those who are only interested in giving him stick but never seem to give credit where it’s due. Fair game to call them out I suppose.After his next good game, people will be on to the "haters".
I agree that he’s a problem but I think the team handles a high press poorly as a whole and those who are supposedly much better on the ball aren’t really stellar in terms of composure on the ball.He sees to players closing on him and panics. It's what he does, panics when he has the ball. I'm convinced our problems as a team start from there.