Daley Blind - Deal Confirmed

[Jacob]

So...

DDG

JONES*-----------EVANS-----------ROJO-----------SHAW

BLIND
HERRERA------------DI MARIA

MATA----------------------ROONEY
RVP

​

* Jones because Rafael is never fecking fit

 

[Borys]

Looks like Vidal ended up as a blind alley then.

That's my favorite.

The important question though, is he as much fun as Anderson?
Don't ask me what it means, I just read it somewhere and I was hoping someone could explain to me what’s that about.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

Amazed at the people who are questioning this and calling him O'Shea light. He's a good player, an upgrade on Cleverley and Fletcher who will cover several places in the first team in case of injuries.

Ask yourselves this, what would you prefer:

1- Playing Anderson, Cleverley, or Fletcher in midfield and keep complaining about the state of midfield, or play a better player in Blind?

2- Site injuries as the only reason Young/Valencia get a starting spot in the team, and then continue to keep calling them shite after a bad match, or start Blind?

3- Play Fellaini in defensive midfield and hope he comes good, or play Blind?

That should be enough to confirm that this is a good signing.

There is a lot of average players you could replace Blind's name with in that hypothetical and get similar results.

 

[2 man midfield]

So...

DDG

JONES-----------EVANS-----------ROJO-----------SHAW

BLIND
HERRERA------------DI MARIA

MATA----------------------ROONEY
RVP​

I'd switch Mata and Di Maria, and Rafael for Jones with him moving in for Evans, but otherwise yeah.

 

[lem8sh]

So...

DDG

JONES-----------EVANS-----------ROJO-----------SHAW

BLIND
HERRERA------------DI MARIA

MATA----------------------ROONEY
RVP​

Rafael over Jones every time surely. Jones is a shocking right back.

 

[Globule]

Ever since the deal has been agreed the pages have gone from around 30 to over 50 now in matter of hours. Oh the muppetry .

The deal has been agreed. This isn't muppetry. This is muppet vindication. To the Vidal thread.

 

[lem8sh]

That was Di Maria. We now need players who can get the ball back and pass it to Di Maria, Rooney, Mata, RvP, Januzaj etc.

Yep, high quality centre midfielders preferably. Which Blind isn't really.

 

[Jacob]

I'd switch Mata and Di Maria, and Rafael for Jones with him moving in for Evans, but otherwise yeah.

Rafael over Jones every time surely. Jones is a shocking right back.

You guys managed to quote me before my small note.

 

[Rams]

I think you have misread what I wrote.

I don't disagree with you. I feel we have been holding off on the Blind deal until we have been able to shift on some of our similar players from the midfield. That's why it has happened late. I also think there could well be more business at United before the deadline.

I would say the opposite, we only allowed others to leave once we had sorted the Blind deal out with Ajax. The same goes for Ajax, they only will have sanctioned a deal once they had sorted their replacement out.

 

[rpitchfo]

How about we judge them at the end of the season?

I'm sure he will do fine - but I'm not going to say blind was first choice or Rojo and try and argue how great they are. They weren't utds top targets and they aren't mine.

 

[Slevs]

LvG should make him captain.

Insert mandatory (and laboured) 'Blind leading the blind' joke.

Nailed it.

Or when we lose today and the press goes "Burnley burn Man Utd" like they did the last time, feckers

 

[Litch]

For me the squad needed an overhaul, that means bringing in quality signings. Some of the signings are for first team, others are to push the starting 11 and to add cover to multiply positions. That's how I see the signing. We need others similar. The first team is only short 2 players in my opinion.

 

[Browniee]

I'd switch Mata and Di Maria, and Rafael for Jones with him moving in for Evans, but otherwise yeah.

This

Is Blind actually a DMF or a LB?

 

[lem8sh]

You guys managed to quote me before my small note.

My apologies sir.

 

[Slevs]

There is a lot of average players you could replace Blind's name with in that hypothetical and get similar results.

But Blind is above average, that much is clear.

 

[saivet]

Was last season the only season Blind has played in midfield?

 

[Sarni]

It's absolutely mad that we are signing a Dutch international who has been Eredivisie player of the year and excelled at Ajax for a reasonable fee, for a position in which we desperately needed quality for years, and people are still underwhelmed. At least wait until he plays before judging, you would have said the same about Strootman a year ago and look how he's turned out.

 

[TheReligion]

That makes sense. Hopefully we will sign Carvalho or Vidal before the deadline and then the question would be 'is Blind an upgrade on Cleverley?'. Without an additional signing it's hard to get excited about Blind.

I agree and I do think that LVG has been very open when asked about our business this season, a lot more than SAF ever was. His comments the other day regarding our team/squad looking very different come Monday and Woodward taking care of the transfer business suggests to me that he wants more than just Blind. Just because it is late doesn't mean deals won't happen, it is all about holding your nerve especially when situations are quite balanced like that of Vidal and his knee.

I haven't seen much of Blind but would happily stick my neck out and say that he will give us better ball retention in the middle of the park than Anderson, Fletcher, Cleverley and Fellaini have managed over the past 12-18 months. Both his passing and tackling seems superior. He is also technically better and more tactically astute with the ability to play in several different positions.

 

[Jacob]

My apologies sir.

The mistake was mine sire.

 

[Ekeke]

This

Is Blind actually a DMF or a LB?

Defensive midfielder last season, which is where he rose to prominance. He would never have been linked to a good club before he started playing CM

Then he did a job on the left at the world cup

 

[Globule]

That's my favorite.

The important question though, is he as much fun as Anderson?
Don't ask me what it means, I just read it somewhere and I was hoping someone could explain to me what’s that about.

He hasn't even played for us and already Blind is getting caned.

(it's the only other pun I could muster - I'm fully aware of how terrible it is)

 

[Godfather]

It's absolutely mad that we are signing a Dutch international who has been Eredivisie player of the year and excelled at Ajax for a reasonable fee, for a position in which we desperately needed quality for years, and people are still underwhelmed. At least wait until he plays before judging, you would have said the same about Strootman a year ago and look how he's turned out.

De Jong starts ahead of him in the national side in CM and the Eredivise is shit. So enough reasons to be sceptical imo.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

It's absolutely mad that we are signing a Dutch international who has been Eredivisie player of the year and excelled at Ajax for a reasonable fee, for a position in which we desperately needed quality for years, and people are still underwhelmed. At least wait until he plays before judging, you would have said the same about Strootman a year ago and look how he's turned out.

Can we stop this? Strootman is a much better player. The success of Strootman has no relation to the potential success of Blind.

 

[JPRouve]

This

Is Blind actually a DMF or a LB?

He is a natural DMF, who played mostly LB, because when he came through it was the only post available.

 

[The Red Thinker]

Is it confirmed by someone reliable? Should I start watching "Blind best tricks, overhead kicks and nutmegs 13/14" or should I wait for a while?

BBC and Sky both in on it. Go right ahead and watch his Rabona collection.

 

[rockerlad]

We're also forgetting he's only 24, so has plenty of time and room for improvement.

I get the feeling some people want instant answers and solutions to our problems. That isn't going to happen. Just like Di Maria isn't going to hit a hattrick today and make all our problems go away. It's a rebuild and the whole restructuring of the squad will take time.

I'm convinced he'll turn out to be a good acquisition for us.

Well said!! People want us to sign superstars and to walk every game 4-0 it isn't gonna happen. This lad is veritably an upgrade on what we have

 

[The Red Thinker]

He is a natural DMF, who played mostly LB, because when he came through it was the only post available.

Couldn't agree more. He was proxy for Boilesen.

 

[TheReligion]

I would say the opposite, we only allowed others to leave once we had sorted the Blind deal out with Ajax. The same goes for Ajax, they only will have sanctioned a deal once they had sorted their replacement out.

We are seemingly in quite a unique position though with LVG saying he wants to assess the squad and although the requirement for a CM being obvious to the fans we are well stocked with average players who play in that position, players LVG may well have wanted to look at himself before deciding he can do nothing with them when it comes to improving them as players or making the adapt to his system. It seems like he has now done this (at the expense of a few competitive fixtures sadly) and is happy to move them on. Those that he is unsure about (Nani/Welbeck etc) can go out on loan.

 

[Kevin]

@noodlehair new signing incoming. There is your Cleverley replacement.

 

[Henrik Larsson]

This

Is Blind actually a DMF or a LB?

He played 160 matches at club level. I'd say 130-140 as a defender (mostly left back, sometimes right back or centrally) and 20-30 matches in midfield. However, in the youth ranks, and looking at his qualities, you'd say he is a 'natural midfielder', more a defensive midfielder, not really an attacking midfielder.

Last season ('13/'14) for Ajax he was used in midfield and at left back, was voted Dutch Player of the Year.

Season before that ('12/'13) he played mainly at left back, was voted Ajax Player of the Year.

That's about as accurate as I can get.

 

[rpitchfo]

Well said!! People want us to sign superstars and to walk every game 4-0 it isn't gonna happen. This lad is veritably an upgrade on what we have

People are reinventing history here. Utd wanted to sign superstars in the middle. Fabregas, kroos are just two of the players we know we went in for. Blind will be a solid addition but he ain't going to win us the champions league.

 

[MDFC Manager]

He played 160 matches at club level. I'd say 130-140 as a defender (mostly left back, sometimes right back or centrally) and 20-30 matches in midfield. However, in the youth ranks, and looking at his qualities, you'd say he is a 'natural midfielder'.

Last season ('13/'14) for Ajax he was used in midfield and at left back, was voted Dutch Player of the Year.
Season before that ('12/'13) he played mainly left back, was voted Ajax Player of the Year.

That's about as accurate as I can get.

So if he was played mainly left back 2 years ago while winning club player of the year, why are people saying he was jeered and booed at? Or is that just a myth?

 

[Zoo]

 

[MDFC Manager]

People are reinventing history here. Utd wanted to sign superstars in the middle. Fabregas, kroos are just two of the players we know we went in for. Blind will be a solid addition but he ain't going to win us the champions league.

He might help us get to the champions league though? One step at a time.

 

[RedRover]

People are reinventing history here. Utd wanted to sign superstars in the middle. Fabregas, kroos are just two of the players we know we went in for. Blind will be a solid addition but he ain't going to win us the champions league.

He won't this year.

 

[Hed Zitin]

I can only go on what I've seen so far and he's looked average.

 

[rpitchfo]

He might help us get to the champions league though? One step at a time.

Definitely, squad players yes. Answer to our problems or first choice no. I just don't want people to build him up and see a Fellaini type backlash.

 

[lem8sh]

Well said!! People want us to sign superstars and to walk every game 4-0 it isn't gonna happen. This lad is veritably an upgrade on what we have

We just want some quality in the centre of the fking park, four years this is going on.

 

[The Red Thinker]

I think most people here are thinking of Arturo Vidal and have been dreaming of a destroyer in midfield. Now that we signed a calm, intelligent player, they just can't help but get their knickers in a twist.

Vidal was not available - we moved for Blind. Get over it! And support our new player.

Too many fans here playing FM and FIFA and equating that to real life.

 

[Litch]

People are reinventing history here. Utd wanted to sign superstars in the middle. Fabregas, kroos are just two of the players we know we went in for. Blind will be a solid addition but he ain't going to win us the champions league.

Maybe not but not sure anyone's suggesting that. He's just better than the players being allowed to leave. That's called building and refreshing a squad....