Yet again our best central defender. He's undroppable right now.
Jonny Evans | 2011/12 Performances
- Thread starter Sir Matt
- Start date
When Carlton Cole got the better of him the first few times, I thought it was going to be the league cup performance (0-4 loss) all over again. But no, he got the better of Cole as the game went on and kept up his performance to a good level.
He's not the hardman, him and Smalling are developing and it will come with time. Smalling is the one you'd back aerially but Evans' timing, positioning and seniority see him attacking a majority of the aerial passes. They've come a long way since that night at Upton Park a few seasons back and they've still got a long way to go.
Magnificent today.
Both he and Smalling handled Carrol and Cole very impressively with Evans taking a bit more control at the back.
Had his first foul in 11 hours or so tonight, from the 'Rio Ferdinand Finishing School' it seems.
Some time ago I was thinking that in the future he will be backup for Smalling and Jones. Now the question is that which of them will be his partner. He was really superb tonight.
This
Not just the interceptions or the touch play either, its his judgement in when to play an accurate and progressive pass and when to kick seven shades of shit out of the space.
Johnny's emergence this season has been startling his driving runs from the back have opened up an entirely new dimension for us and he's been as solid as a rock defensively. So happy with the player he's becoming. Its like spring 2008/09 just better!
I always have a soft spot for the less fashionable names at OT, particularly defenders (hence my name) and as such, I hereby declare that Evans is my favorite player.
Criticise him at your own risk. I'll go all Top Green on you.
Criticise him at your own risk. I'll go all Top Green on you.
Unbelievable how far they have come and Rafael. I'm sure TC will continue to kick on and Danny will blossom soon enough when played in his proper position up top.
Irwin was fashionable, he scored beautiful free kicks!
I know what you mean though, he gets overlooked because of his boring name and the fact that he plays for a poor international nation.
When the camera panned to Vida in the crowd I thought 'shit, I forgot all about him' which says something for the lads covering him.
Smalling looks imperious too.
Nothing really to shout about I feel there man. They are both big, strong....but very limited strikers...anyone with a good dose of defensive nous should be able to handle them, especially Cole he's a waste of space.
Both will have much bigger tests this season. I thought they played well Evans especially which you would expect as he has been a regular this season bar a small injury. He is starting to take more responsibility in that back four and it's good to see. As usual there is a touch of the OTT in reaction to Jonny on here tonight.."magnificent" has been used twice already.
He had a good game but, magnificent is not the most realistic adjective to describe his performance (albeit good) in a routine home match against West Ham United...however organised they might be. People will probably accuse me of damning Evans which is not the case, it's just I would rather keep my "magnificents" for when the word is truly appropriate!
You'd think so wouldnt you, but West Ham have done very well this season off the back of Carrol and he averages over 10 aerial duels won per game. So its no surprise Nolan is consistantly on the scoresheet when he's getting on those knockdowns.
Today Carrol managed 6 before he was hooked off as we dealt with him and his flick ons without much fuss, something other teams have struggled to do this season.
Carroll and Cole are certainly not great players, but they are awkward to play against and they are the sort of strikers Evans has struggled against in the past. Tonight's performance is worth of great mention.
Excellento today.
EDIT: No idea why I decided to deliver that in my best Italian accent but there you go.
EDIT: No idea why I decided to deliver that in my best Italian accent but there you go.
Irwin was never fashionable IMO. He was always loved, but in a team of stars he was in the background much of the time.
Sssshhh, let him have his bite, it makes him feel fulfilled when he can take a compliment to a player and turn it around. Sad I know, but that's what it is.
Joe Bartonism!
Also to add to my last point, we had the lowest aerial duels won in the league. So you would think the best "target man" for aerial balls would be able to expose us. Not tonight. Instead we bumped ourselves above Wigan 
Love the way he carries the ball out of defense. Is he taking lessons from Ando? Just glides by players.
Some ridiculous runs today. Manages to stride out like the young Ferdinand without the same risk of doing something silly and losing the ball which Rio had to spend a few years ironing out of his game.
Very good performance from him today. Lot of confidence atm.
Looked like a leader out there today. Brilliant.
I see your point mate and you are spot on. My general feeling is that United have just done their homework much better than the rest and anticipated the one-dimensional route favoured by Allardyce. Evans and Smalling did well in the sense that they forced Carroll into areas his flicks could not provide realistic opportunities. They were tuned in and knew exactly what to expect, it was predictable stuff. I'm not saying they didn't do their jobs well though....the concentration was top notch.
Heh! I knew you couldn't resist. Just putting your statement to the test man. And come on that was hardly a nip...I've bitten much harder in the past.
He had a fine game I've admitted it! Just not quite magnificent although everyone is entitled to disagree. He is playing very well and contrary to what u may think...it does please me.
I was a bit nervous when I saw the Evans-Smalling pairing before the match, to be honest. I rate them both very highly but I think they are both far better, quite understandably, when paired with one of the experienced duo of Vidic and Rio. Evans has really come of age though and whilst not yet our best centre-back he is arguably our most important given the injury problems of our usual pairing. I think his leadership qualities are coming along nicely and he put to bed any concerns I had tonight.
I remember him being bullied in a league cup game against West Ham not so long ago during his 'iffy' patch but those days seem far behind him now. Good stuff.
I remember him being bullied in a league cup game against West Ham not so long ago during his 'iffy' patch but those days seem far behind him now. Good stuff.
I agree with this. Evans has always been good with the ball. His weakness has been getting overpowered on occasion. In this match he handled the physicality well and took advantage of his superior quickness to Carroll and Cole by getting forward.
Was it in the 85th minute he was there screaming for a through ball from RVP? Calm down Jonny, that's a bit beyond bringing the ball out from the back.
OK, I've removed you from the ignore list because frankly it disrupts reading the thread when someone is on it. (Keitotheworld may be going on soon though)
I actually think Jonny is winning you over and you're finding it hard to let go of your anger. Maybe another 3-4 good matches from him and you'll come in here and have something singularly positive to say. That possibility alone is worth taking you off ignore!!
Strange to think he's 3rd-joint top goalscorer for us this season
Strange to think he's 3rd-joint top goalscorer for us this season
That does take the cake.Possibly one of our most improved players over past season, he has got a good future ahead at United and he seems to be improving every time I see him play, with Smalling in the squad as well I can see these two being a solid pairing for CB.
His attitude is good. Gives away bollockings and takes his part of the responsibility.
Shame on you Ashley Young and Michael Carrick.
Shame on you Ashley Young and Michael Carrick.
OK, I've removed you from the ignore list because frankly it disrupts reading the thread when someone is on it. (Keitotheworld may be going on soon though)
I actually think Jonny is winning you over and you're finding it hard to let go of your anger. Maybe another 3-4 good matches from him and you'll come in here and have something singularly positive to say. That possibility alone is worth taking you off ignore!!
How dare you ignore me...I seek remorse for your petulance.
On a serious note I think its a trust issue with Jonny. The more he plays well and improves....the more I will buy into his credentials. He has surprised me definitely...and in a more than positive way.
I reckon the most awkward thing about playing against Carlton Cole must be coming to terms with just how shit he is. As in, there must be a moment every game where the defender marking him turns to Cole and says "You're a professional footballer?!?... well, this is awkward..."
To be fair to Young, he was doing some mightily impressive pointing last night down that left wing... particularly whenever West Ham had a throw-in.
They don't even as Carroll this question anymore, Cole is comfortably less shit a player.
His organisational skills are much better than Smalling's at the moment, that's the biggest thing for me. People always make the Smalling-Rio comparison and in my view it goes no further than their similar physique and composure - he's like Vidic in pretty much every other way. His aerial dominance is such an asset. Evans on the other hand has always been a really astute reader of the game, he senses the danger very quickly and reacts to it almost instantly. And Smalling's mistakes always get overlooked much more easily than Evans'. There was one example quite late on the game that displayed all of this perfectly IMO when West Ham had one of their few chances. After Cole won the header v Smalling and knocked it down to Nolan(?) just outside the box, Evans instantly sensed the danger, read the play and recognised Carlton Cole was the target in a bit of space so signalled to Smalling to get tight to the man and limit that space. Smalling was a bit dozy and didn't get tight enough in time and the ball made its way to Cole, but inevitably he messed up the chance. Yet this would be seen as another one of the games where Smalling was flawless, I'd imagine.
For this reason when we're without Rio or Vidic we simply have to play Evans-Smalling or Evans-Jones, IMO. Even though long-term I think Smalling-Jones is likely to be our best partnership they're both lacking in those vital organisational skills. Undoubtedly Jonny's picked these up from playing alongside Rio and Vidic. It's part of the reason why I think Smalling-Rio might be the most used partnership from now on even with Evans' undoubted growth - the experience Smalling will get from playing alongside Rio can't be understated and we need to make the most of that while we still have such a magnificent defender in our ranks.
For this reason when we're without Rio or Vidic we simply have to play Evans-Smalling or Evans-Jones, IMO. Even though long-term I think Smalling-Jones is likely to be our best partnership they're both lacking in those vital organisational skills. Undoubtedly Jonny's picked these up from playing alongside Rio and Vidic. It's part of the reason why I think Smalling-Rio might be the most used partnership from now on even with Evans' undoubted growth - the experience Smalling will get from playing alongside Rio can't be understated and we need to make the most of that while we still have such a magnificent defender in our ranks.
Future captain material in my opinion.
To be fair to Rio he had pretty much ironed any silly errors out by the time he was Evans' age. His first season at United he was a bit naïve but from 2004 onwards his bursts from the 18 yard box became a benchmark for the ball-playing central defender. There is always a risk when you burst out from the defensive line, it's all a matter of how calculated the risk is. Smalling has great pace so that is a hefty insurance policy for a bucaneering Evans.