Darron Gibson - is he good enough for Everton?

Generally I think Gibson get's harshly treated when people come to assess his overall game and one of the reasons for this is that he has yet to have a proper run in the side, just an infrequent collection of starts and sub appearances running over a couple of seasons. There is more to his game than his shooting.

First off, his passing is generally good to decent and he has a good range with both feet. When he first got a run in the side in the Carling Cup and FA cups games in 08/09 it was his passing that stuck out as his biggest stength IMO as he was hardly shooting regularly then. He reminded me abit of Carrick in that run of games he had when he was played in the centre.

Secondly, he's very powerful and got the right physique not to get bullied in the Premiership. This was one of the big doubts over Fletcher before he developed physically. He also got time to add a yard of pace to his game like the other Darren did, although I do think his lack of mobility is exagerated on here. His ballwinning abilities are as noted by others, not inferior to any of our other central midfidlers bar Fletcher.

Thirdly, he's the best United have in terms of a goal threat from central midfield and that should not be overlooked. His long range shooting is very good and he can score goals with both feet which is a big advantage. He's long range shooting is not just limited to powerful strikes as well, he can place them as well.

Gibson's biggest problem for me is age, at 23 he really needs regular games to make any impact at United and if everyone is fit I still have him down a pecking order containing Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Hargreaves and Giggs.
 
sglowrider said:
Cleverley looked a bit too lively and nervy for his first game against Celtic.

I still remember their instant impacts, Ronaldo and Roonery both made in their very first game. You immediately knew they were going to be stars. :(

We are clutching at straws for the likes of chubby Gibbo to hopefully make it.
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this wasn't cleverlys first game. His previous outings he was composed. Against Celtic he did ok but we were not in control of the game when we made all the changes so it was a real test. I wouldn't worry at all

As for Gibson, he needs his fitness and then we look at him. It was only our first game in pre season
 
He does have the physique but he rarely uses it to his advantage, never really gets stuck in. Carrick for an example makes up for it by reading the game very well.
 
People will readily agree to the 'He can't dribble, he's not a great passer, he's too slow' argument, and then go right ahead and say 'but he scores goals, and that's what matters'. Really, though? Perhaps if he could be consistent, and had any sort of knack at knowing when to shoot and when not to shoot. I think he's proved quite a few times already that he doesn't have that ability. He's got a pretty mean shot on him, and when it comes off it really comes off, and often results in a goal. But all too often he'll take the shooting option when there are far better options available.

I'd love to be proved wrong, but I don't see Gibson having a future at United. Being able to score just isn't enough. It's a different scenario to Ruud and the striking position. He's got to be able to do more than shoot.
 
niMic said:
People will readily agree to the 'He can't dribble, he's not a great passer, he's too slow' argument, and then go right ahead and say 'but he scores goals, and that's what matters'. Really, though? Perhaps if he could be consistent, and had any sort of knack at knowing when to shoot and when not to shoot. I think he's proved quite a few times already that he doesn't have that ability. He's got a pretty mean shot on him, and when it comes off it really comes off, and often results in a goal. But all too often he'll take the shooting option when there are far better options available.

I'd love to be proved wrong, but I don't see Gibson having a future at United. Being able to score just isn't enough. It's a different scenario to Ruud and the striking position. He's got to be able to do more than shoot.
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Ruud is more than goals.Maybe he didn't properly show it at United but I've seen him play a different football for Real with goals included.
 
Ole'sbodyguard said:
Generally I think Gibson get's harshly treated when people come to assess his overall game and one of the reasons for this is that he has yet to have a proper run in the side, just an infrequent collection of starts and sub appearances running over a couple of seasons. There is more to his game than his shooting.

First off, his passing is generally good to decent and he has a good range with both feet. When he first got a run in the side in the Carling Cup and FA cups games in 08/09 it was his passing that stuck out as his biggest stength IMO as he was hardly shooting regularly then. He reminded me abit of Carrick in that run of games he had when he was played in the centre.

Secondly, he's very powerful and got the right physique not to get bullied in the Premiership. This was one of the big doubts over Fletcher before he developed physically. He also got time to add a yard of pace to his game like the other Darren did, although I do think his lack of mobility is exagerated on here. His ballwinning abilities are as noted by others, not inferior to any of our other central midfidlers bar Fletcher.

Thirdly, he's the best United have in terms of a goal threat from central midfield and that should not be overlooked. His long range shooting is very good and he can score goals with both feet which is a big advantage. He's long range shooting is not just limited to powerful strikes as well, he can place them as well.

Gibson's biggest problem for me is age, at 23 he really needs regular games to make any impact at United and if everyone is fit I still have him down a pecking order containing Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Hargreaves and Giggs.
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What sort of player do you think he will turn out to be? Who will he remind us of ie a player from the past?
 
I think he'll be a decent backup but not first team material. He won't step up his game like Fletcher did and when you come up against the powerhouse midfields of Europe, like Barca, you need the very best you can get.

He might be ok for the likes of Wigan though.
 
Addis said:
He might be ok for the likes of Wigan though.
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He really wouldn't be. He wasn't okay at home to Leeds, a league one side at the time and he also couldn't even impress with wolves in the championship. Hes a central midfielder and the game continually bypasses him, he cannot play in a 442 at all, and hes lucky in a 451 where he actually has two central midfielders to back him up and hide some of his weaknesses.
 
Addis said:
I think he'll be a decent backup but not first team material. He won't step up his game like Fletcher did and when you come up against the powerhouse midfields of Europe, like Barca, you need the very best you can get.

He might be ok for the likes of Wigan though.
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sigh

someone needs to rewatch the match against Bayern
 
talking robot said:
I think that having that goal scoring ability is a major positive that gives him a chance at the club.
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It gives him a chance, but it's not enough. He won't score 80 league goals a season. He can score his 5, maybe 10 in a really good year. You still need plenty more and then the question is, does he have enough to his game to help other players score.
 
golden_blunder said:
sigh

someone needs to rewatch the match against Bayern
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Why, does one good half in which we dominated Bayern suddenly exclude the rest of the season ?

There's plenty of examples of rubbish players that has had a few great performances here and there.

It doesn't mean anything until the player shows that he can do it all the time, not just once a year.

Just like Carricks performance against City doesn't mean anything
 
Amir said:
It gives him a chance, but it's not enough. He won't score 80 league goals a season. He can score his 5, maybe 10 in a really good year. You still need plenty more and then the question is, does he have enough to his game to help other players score.
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As others have pointed out, he's got a very good range of passing, off either foot. So he's clearly more than just someone whose only skill is whacking the ball goalwards - an increasingly tiresome redcafe myth.

He'll need to up every aspect of his game dramatically, mind you, but stranger things have happened. He seems to be improving all the time.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
As others have pointed out, he's got a very good range of passing, off either foot. So he's clearly more than just someone whose only skill is whacking the ball goalwards - an increasingly tiresome redcafe myth.

He'll need to up every aspect of his game dramatically, mind you, but stranger things have happened. He seems to be improving all the time.
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Are we talking about Gibson or Scholes?
 
I think he is going to play a lot of games this year and will make a very important contribution in lesser league games when the likes of Fletch need a rest after a midweek CL game. But I think he will be in the first XI for Champions League league games like he was against Bayern if we dont sign an attacking midfielder and might just put in a few big performances. Fergie I am sure likes his defensive qualities in midfield too!
 
I like Gibson. He has an array of different talents and is not afraid to show them off. I love his goals too. I've no-one since Beckham who could strike a ball like he does.

He abit unusual in that he's abit of a late developer: by the age of 22/23, if you were classy, you should have cemented a 1st team place by then, whereas Gibson is still on our fringes. But I think thats OK, I still think he has lots of unfulfilled potential to grow into.

Its great to have him in out squad and this season he will provide Anderson some welcome competition. And with Scholes and Giggs still around to learn from in training, he has a very bright future. I hope he makes it at Manchester United.
 
Spoony Youngblood said:
I think you might be overrated Gibson just a tad. He's mediocre and we'll see him either become a squad player or a good player for a mid table club.
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why do you say that? I guess you'd know better than me as you have seen him play in the flesh.
 
RedRichio said:
Ive been quite sceptical about Gibson and still am but I think the example of fletchr means he should and will get more patience.
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Patience is a luxury we dont have in the near future with home grown rules and the restriction on squad sizes. Gibbo's space will come at the expense of some kid further down the chain.
 
Spoony Youngblood said:
I think you might be overrated Gibson just a tad. He's mediocre and we'll see him either become a squad player or a good player for a mid table club.
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Well then I don't overrate him because I reckon he'll end up as you predict.

Takes more than good passing and a decent shot to make it at the highest level. I've always thought Gibson's biggest flaw was his speed of thought. He can let the game pass him by and often needs too long on the ball (a bit like his non-evil twin, without any of Carrick's defensive positional nous)

I'd be delighted if he made it as a squad player at United. Anything more would be a bonus IMO.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I've always thought Gibson's biggest flaw was his speed of thought. He can let the game pass him by and often needs too long on the ball
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I think this is fair comment

I also think his speed of movement leaves something to be desired

But he's a good player. Not a player we'd ever sign from another club at his age from what he's shown us though

There's little point comparing him to Fletcher unless Fergie decides Gibson will play week in week out, regardless of performance level. It took Fletcher a few years of that to finally become a player for me, and all credit him for that I never thought he'd do it, but he was very lucky with the opportunities he had at a time of transition
 
Gibson is a strange one for me, because technically he is well aligned with his shooting and passing but when it comes to his mobility, speed of thought and positional awareness he sometimes gets unstuck and lets the game go by. Things like his positional awareness and mobility could be fixed with some hard training though.I have time for him.
 
I have seen enough from him to convince me he's worth another season, but this is a make or break season for him. He has quite a bit to his game, his range of passing, at times, is fantastic but it's still too inconsistent, he needs to get his head up more around the box as well and stop having "shoot" as his first thought.

sglowrider said:
What sort of player do you think he will turn out to be? Who will he remind us of ie a player from the past?
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If he could improve the defensive side of his game, I see him as a similar player to Carrick. I know playing him in a deeper role will reduce his goal threat but I'm just as excited about his passing, he would still be capable of getting his fair share of goals. I certainly don't fancy him playing as the most advance player in a three man midfield.
 
Good enough to probably make it as a squad player, although it would be a bit more useful if he were more versatile like Phil Neville, John O'Shea, Silvestre and our other squad players have been.
 
Think he will get 10 goals easily this season if he is not injured.. We see what he can with that foot of his..
As long as he scores... he is good enough
 
i think fletcher was a better player at 19/20 than gibson is at the minute

he's a useful squad player but i just don't really see him developing lto the degree fletcher did

what fletcher lacks he made up for in energy, speed, tenacity and strength - i think gibson looks sluggish in comparison

people say he has a great shot but i'm not so sure - he has scored some belters but his shooting is generally not very accurate

i suppose you never know about him though and the management obviously see more potential - i'm not sure how he can really improve to earn a starting spot
 
buckooo1978 said:
i think fletcher was a better player at 19/20 than gibson is at the minute

he's a useful squad player but i just don't really see him developing lto the degree fletcher did

what fletcher lacks he made up for in energy, speed, tenacity and strength - i think gibson looks sluggish in comparison

people say he has a great shot but i'm not so sure - he has scored some belters but his shooting is generally not very accurate

i suppose you never know about him though and the management obviously see more potential - i'm not sure how he can really improve to earn a starting spot
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I guess you didnt see the 19/20 year old Fletcher. He had the strength of Bambi. And while he's never been immobile, listing speed as one of the things he had is just wrong.

Gibson could be more accurate with his shooting but so could Cristiano Ronaldo.
 
Spoony Youngblood said:
I think you might be overrated Gibson just a tad. He's mediocre and we'll see him either become a squad player or a good player for a mid table club.
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That's pretty much how I see things going, I think comparing every young midfield prospect to Fletcher is a mistake, he is more the exception to the rule.
 
Devil may care said:
That's pretty much how I see things going, I think comparing every young midfield prospect to Fletcher is a mistake, he is more the exception to the rule.
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i think people mention fletcher as not many would have seen him becoming arguably our most important midfielder in his early couple of seasons

fletcher was slight and wiry but he was quick and worked really hard - his workrate was excellent and he kept things simple

it's hard to imagine gibson progressing in the same way
 
I completely agree, also Fletcher showed boatloads of talent at the youth level and made his debut at quite a young age, for a while he seemed like one of those players who just wasnt going to make it at United, due to a lack of progression, somewhat of a stagnantion for a few years before really starting to progress in the past 3-4 years especially the last two.
 
Alex said:
I completely agree, also Fletcher showed boatloads of talent at the youth level and made his debut at quite a young age, for a while he seemed like one of those players who just wasnt going to make it at United, due to a lack of progression, somewhat of a stagnantion for a few years before really starting to progress in the past 3-4 years especially the last two.
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INJURIES .......and in comparing the 2 lets recall the problems Fletch had with injuries which hindered his progress, summat Gibson has not had to bear
 
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