[Brightonian]

I think he looks bigger than he used to but he's a young player and will hopefully have many years at the club.

Why are people so defensive about his weight?

Because it's one of those weird things where someone said it, everyone started repeating it and based on zero evidence it's somehow become an accepted fact. Which is irritating. Van Gaal once said he wasn't fully match fit, but no-one's ever actually said he was overweight, and photos have repeatedly disproven it.

On a different note, I haven't read back through the thread but I thought he was really good against West Ham. Not much attacking but Mourinho seemed to have decided to keep him disciplined so that Martial could focus on attack and not do too much defensive work. Which was a good shout, with Martial running riot and Antonio getting no change whatsoever out of Shaw. Shame he had to be subbed, although Blind was typically excellent too.

 

[MartialsBeard]

Poor lad. nothing has gone for him and I dont think it ever will or at least we do not have the luxury of waiting for it to happen for him.

I wouldnt be surprised to see him leave at all and I cant say Id be gutted as his performances have been way way belowe what is expected of him.

 

[VanGaalEra]

Calm down, have people forgotten he had a season out with a double leg break?

It's going to take a substantial amount of time for him to recover and regain top form/fitness.

 

[Catt]

Because it's one of those weird things where someone said it, everyone started repeating it and based on zero evidence it's somehow become an accepted fact. Which is irritating. Van Gaal once said he wasn't fully match fit, but no-one's ever actually said he was overweight, and photos have repeatedly disproven it.

On a different note, I haven't read back through the thread but I thought he was really good against West Ham. Not much attacking but Mourinho seemed to have decided to keep him disciplined so that Martial could focus on attack and not do too much defensive work. Which was a good shout, with Martial running riot and Antonio getting no change whatsoever out of Shaw. Shame he had to be subbed, although Blind was typically excellent too.

No one's saying he's fat. He's probably not as fit as he was before injury wich is to be expected and he needs to play.
Any word if he was injured?

 

[Mike09]

No one's saying he's fat. He's probably not as fit as he was before injury wich is to be expected and he needs to play.
Any word if he was injured?

I have seen people called him fat on this thread.

 

[Fracture90]

It's dumb to say he's fat, but he does seem like he's carrying a few extra pounds, his face seems more round and he's filling the shirt. But it's completely normal to be like that after a long layoff that he had.

Him being professional athlete doing 2 practice sessions per day, burning calories and than experiencing a huge shock for his body and inability to walk for months whilst you keep eating in all that time but you don't train so you're slacking some fat.

It will be a while before he regains full fitness especially considering he's been injured for few weeks too since the Watford game. If you noticed he have been subbed few times around 60-70 minutes mark without being injured but because he's lacking fitness for entire 90 mins.

 

[Yagami]

Injuries permitting, he's going to be class. Signing him is the most relieved I've ever been in signing a player and he was signed in the same window as maybe my favourite player at that specific time - dí Maria.

 

[Catt]

I have seen people called him fat on this thread.

He's obvioulsy not, but more to the point of not being as fit as he was before injury.

I'm out of this thread.

 

[JJ12]

Poor lad. nothing has gone for him and I dont think it ever will or at least we do not have the luxury of waiting for it to happen for him.

I wouldnt be surprised to see him leave at all and I cant say Id be gutted as his performances have been way way belowe what is expected of him.

How dare he struggle for a couple of games back after breaking his leg.

He's 21 for feck sake. He has a massive future ahead of him.

Only a matter of time before everyone's up his ass saying how they never doubted him.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

what are you on about some of you, he was pretty good last game and he's 21 and already showed world class form just before the injury which halted his development... some ppl here, overweight, should be sold etc... not long time ago the same ppl were buying a new rb to replace valencia who was slated almost exactly the same way.. get a grip he will surely turn good

This. Even if he's doesn't turn out "world class" he was probably the best lb in the league for Southampton at 18 years old. He's got every chance of becoming great for us.

He's only 21 ffs. If Rojo can transfer his form as CB to LB then perhaps we can loan Shaw out after next season (need to monitor his injury for now) and get a back up left back (see how CBJ does)

Rojo should only be played at LB in emergencies, he just isn't nearly as good there as he is at CB and I doubt he'll ever be. There's no reason for him to become that either. Blind is capable to play there but it's not a long term option for him or us.

There's also absolutely no reason for us to loan Shaw out, we should be the ones to build him up to the player we want him to be. With the creativity of Mkhitaryan, Zlatan and Martial etc up top I'd be happy with playing a defender at the back who's fast and strong to stop opposition counter-attacks. An area where Shaw is much stronger than Blind. Having a target man like Zlatan to aim for in the box means that we have less need for world class crossing aswell which is one of the main downsides to Shaw at the moment.

 

[BarstoolProphet]

Before he got injured last season he was superb and our best outfield player. A few sub par performances since coming back from an horrific injury which will take time and some fans want to bin him.

Pathetic.

This. It's ridiculous. The potential he showed last season before his injury was sky-high.

 

[Zlaatan]

I think it won't be too long before he's back to the form he showed before his injury, if he gets regular game time. He's got his whole career ahead of him yet it sounds like some people think it's already over (at top level at least)..
It would be crazy to let someone with that kind of potential go to waste imo.

 

[MartialsBeard]

How dare he struggle for a couple of games back after breaking his leg.

He's 21 for feck sake. He has a massive future ahead of him.

Only a matter of time before everyone's up his ass saying how they never doubted him.

Oh for sure, hell make it, just not here.

 

[ti vu]

This. Even if he's doesn't turn out "world class" he was probably the best lb in the league for Southampton at 18 years old. He's got every chance of becoming great for us.



Rojo should only be played at LB in emergencies, he just isn't nearly as good there as he is at CB and I doubt he'll ever be. There's no reason for him to become that either. Blind is capable to play there but it's not a long term option for him or us.

There's also absolutely no reason for us to loan Shaw out, we should be the ones to build him up to the player we want him to be. With the creativity of Mkhitaryan, Zlatan and Martial etc up top I'd be happy with playing a defender at the back who's fast and strong to stop opposition counter-attacks. An area where Shaw is much stronger than Blind. Having a target man like Zlatan to aim for in the box means that we have less need for world class crossing aswell which is one of the main downsides to Shaw at the moment.

Not gonna disagree, just make suggestion since we need stability and Shaw may need game time while has less pressure off his back to develop. At the moment the pressure to perform is too much considering our standing while Shaw is slagging behind understandably consider his age and the injuries. If we add another LB, then someone will suffer since the depth of this position (not so much with quality): Rojo, Shaw, Blind, Darmian. So thta's the reason I suggest a loan for Shaw after next season.

I understand your point in regard of Rojo, just another hypothetical suggestion. We bought Rojo due to his performance at LB for Argentine. Not so much was heard about his time as Sporting CB. If only he can transform his form now to LB position...

 

[mu4c_20le]

As we've seen with many players, a handful of strong, confident performances will change people's minds pretty quickly. He's struggling a bit now, but I have no doubt things will click for him soon. Jose likes attacking fullbacks and he is our best one bar a rejuvenated Valencia. He just needs the confidence to show it.

 

[JJ12]

Oh for sure, hell make it, just not here.

Nonsense.

He's going to make it and it will be here.

 

[CG1010]

In August, Shaw had the potential to be best left back in the world. What in the world changed for our fan base to turn against him so quickly? Granted that he hasn't been performing as well as we would have liked, and he was overrated to an extent by us before, but he will come good. With him, Blind et al, we are pretty sorted at the LB area.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

Not gonna disagree, just make suggestion since we need stability and Shaw may need game time while has less pressure off his back to develop. At the moment the pressure to perform is too much considering our standing while Shaw is slagging behind understandably consider his age and the injuries. If we add another LB, then someone will suffer since the depth of this position (not so much with quality): Rojo, Shaw, Blind, Darmian. So thta's the reason I suggest a loan for Shaw after next season.

I understand your point in regard of Rojo, just another hypothetical suggestion. We bought Rojo due to his performance at LB for Argentine. Not so much was heard about his time as Sporting CB. If only he can transform his form now to LB position...

Sure mate, hope I didn't come off like I wanted to start an argument.
I just think that Shaw, whenever he's played consistently has never looked out of his depth playing for us. Raw, yes but as we've already established, that's normal for a player his age, especially under the circumstances. At his best he's one of the very best LBs in the league.
I think he is our best option for LB hands down with Blind as capable rotation. Loaning Shaw out would make us really weak in that position unless we bring someone else in at the same time, but that would be a pretty counter productive move.

 

[Damien]

In August, Shaw had the potential to be best left back in the world. What in the world changed for our fan base to turn against him so quickly? Granted that he hasn't been performing as well as we would have liked, and he was overrated to an extent by us before, but he will come good. With him, Blind et al, we are pretty sorted at the LB area.

Mourinho's comments. Some see it as Mourinho vs Shaw so side with Mourinho.

 

[lem8sh]

In August, Shaw had the potential to be best left back in the world. What in the world changed for our fan base to turn against him so quickly? Granted that he hasn't been performing as well as we would have liked, and he was overrated to an extent by us before, but he will come good. With him, Blind et al, we are pretty sorted at the LB area.

Fans are fickle.

 

[CG1010]

Mourinho's comments. Some see it as Mourinho vs Shaw so side with Mourinho.

Yeah, but expecting Shaw to be sold is crazy, that too when Mourinho has subsequently said everything is fine. This is not the first time a manager and a player have disagreed publicly!

 

[Skills]

Because it's one of those weird things where someone said it, everyone started repeating it and based on zero evidence it's somehow become an accepted fact. Which is irritating. Van Gaal once said he wasn't fully match fit, but no-one's ever actually said he was overweight, and photos have repeatedly disproven it.

On a different note, I haven't read back through the thread but I thought he was really good against West Ham. Not much attacking but Mourinho seemed to have decided to keep him disciplined so that Martial could focus on attack and not do too much defensive work. Which was a good shout, with Martial running riot and Antonio getting no change whatsoever out of Shaw. Shame he had to be subbed, although Blind was typically excellent too.

This.

 

[Devil81]

Anyone who thinks he's not carrying weight is crazy, he's obviously not overweight in a regular term but in an athletic term he's defo carrying weight.

You can see it in the face and chest area.

 

[Speak]

Compare his face to someone like Milner or even just your average player.
He's clearly at a heavier weight than is optimal for a footballer.

Even his stubble doesn't hide the roundness of his face (which is a great indicator). It seems pretty clear that he's just one of those who has to work hard to keep his weight down.
And he sometimes takes well-manipulated pictures (with favourable lighting, etc.) to give the impression he has a well defined body. Favourable lighting (and tensing) can do wonders.

He was probably a porker as a kid. And football is/was the only reason he isn't/wasn't undeniably overweight.

Why does that offend some so much?

 

[Brightonian]

Why does that offend some so much?

Not everyone who disagrees with something you say is 'offended' by it.

 

[Speak]

Not everyone who disagrees with something you say is 'offended' by it.

I never said that was the case.

 

[Brightonian]

I never said that was the case.

But you implied it with the comment I quoted.

I think you misinterpret people's incomprehension as indignation. I've never been able to put my finger on what it is that these peculiar sticky opinions that you get in football have in common. It's weird to come on a football forum and see people get so invested in an opinion in which they have no obvious interest that they'll go to these sorts of lengths -

And he sometimes takes well-manipulated pictures (with favourable lighting, etc.) to give the impression he has a well defined body. Favourable lighting (and tensing) can do wonders.

- to try and ignore the fact that this 'overweight footballer' has plenty of photos online of him with well defined abs, the classic indicator of low body fat. Don't you ever look back at posts like that and find it strange that you're writing about a Manchester United football player the way Heat magazine writes about post-pregnancy celebrities?

 

[Damien]

- to try and ignore the fact that this 'overweight footballer' has plenty of photos online of him with well defined abs, the classic indicator of low body fat.

Pfft, he probably uses this

Spoiler

 

[Brightonian]

Pfft, he probably uses this

Spoiler

Jeez Damo, can't you give Rooney a break for five seconds?

 

[Speak]

But you implied it with the comment I quoted.

I think you misinterpret people's incomprehension as indignation. I've never been able to put my finger on what it is that these peculiar sticky opinions that you get in football have in common. It's weird to come on a football forum and see people get so invested in an opinion in which they have no obvious interest that they'll go to these sorts of lengths -


- to try and ignore the fact that this 'overweight footballer' has plenty of photos online of him with well defined abs, the classic indicator of low body fat. Don't you ever look back at posts like that and find it strange that you're writing about a Manchester United football player the way Heat magazine writes about post-pregnancy celebrities?

Firstly, he doesn't have 'plenty of photos' of his abs online. Unless five or six (most of them being posed) counts as plenty.

As for the Heat Magazine comment - why would I find it strange?
People have been talking about his weight, and I've mentioned how pictures of abs can be misleading.

 

[Ephrem]

I think Jose is gona love Jacksons crosses ...!! ..Bettter learn it fast shaw ( only thing thats stopping him as of now ).

 

[Lawman]

He's only 21 ffs. If Rojo can transfer his form as CB to LB then perhaps we can loan Shaw out after next season (need to monitor his injury for now) and get a back up left back (see how CBJ does)

You can't be thinking this as Rojo has had 5 good to decent games in his full time being here. As soon as Bailly or Smalling is back he will have a fight on his hands just to keep his place (if he keeps this form he deserves his place). When playing left back he has been horrible and he should only be used there in absolute emergencies.

 

[Lawman]

On Shaws weight he has just spent a year instead of running about being in and around the gym so its natural for him to bulk up with the weights he'd be doing.

 

[Fracture90]

Mourinho said yesterday that they're in the process of developing him both fitness and talent wise and that he intended giving him 90 minutes against WH but that injury prevented it.

He was praising his talent and from the sound of it he has big plans for Shaw, which is great.

 

[Jaybomb]

You can't be thinking this as Rojo has had 5 good to decent games in his full time being here. As soon as Bailly or Smalling is back he will have a fight on his hands just to keep his place (if he keeps this form he deserves his place). When playing left back he has been horrible and he should only be used there in absolute emergencies.

Smalling was DROPPED. The injury occured after.

I dont believe he was injured in the Chelsea game. He was just shit

 

[Zoo]

Smalling played with an injury against Chelsea and Mourinho said afterwards he was phenomenal for doing so. Let's not make things up.

 

[CM]

Smalling was DROPPED. The injury occured after.

I dont believe he was injured in the Chelsea game. He was just shit

I think you're confusing facts with baseless conspiracies.

 

[Lawman]

Smalling was DROPPED. The injury occured after.

I dont believe he was injured in the Chelsea game. He was just shit

Think you have that wrong Jaybomb!

 

[DWelbz19]

Think you have that wrong Jaybomb!

Gasp.

 

[Lawman]

Gasp.

Lol ?????