Seems to be more of an outrage to his two footed challenge than Bravos on Rooney...
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Season Average Rating
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- 2
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Correct, it should've been a yellow but went unpunished, which I think set the standard and made our players decide to show that if the ref won't protect them then they'll let tye other side know they better be able to take it as well as dish it.
Had to go back and watch that tackle few times. He should have pulled one leg back, but instead he went in with both legs, that's idiotic! He could've ended oppo's career just like that.
How can you say he's not playing well? We've barely conceded any goals from open play since he's come into the side.
And Fonte is a much better defendr than Smalling is. I thought that was established.
How can I say he is not playing well? Because he is still making mistakes and we look nervous in defence. We concede chances at will.
And who has this been established by exactly? You ? This obsession with Southampton players being so good is ridiculous. Lovren looked far better than Fonte ever has and look how that has turned out. He's a journeyman who at the age of 32 only has about 20 caps for Portugal . There's a reason for that.
I agree. Fonte is an average player playing at a club that reflects his level. I'll be surprised if United sign him.
Standards has been slipping at United and CD is clear evidence to what I am saying. When we were still a top club we would have had 2 top quality CBs (ex Stam and Johnsen or Vidic and Rio, who were backed by no no nonsense defenders who could do the job). These days we've only got Bailly at first team level and he's Johnsen's level.
Call me old fashioned but I believe that CBs should be excellent in defending and the rest is a bonus.
Call me old fashioned but I believe that CBs should be excellent in defending and the rest is a bonus.
Poor distribution, rash play and not tested in the box consistently enough to suggest he's a good defender.
He's positioned himself well and reached basic expectation. That does not mean he's a very good centre back at all. As someone else said, he's around 4th choice.
He's positioned himself well and reached basic expectation. That does not mean he's a very good centre back at all. As someone else said, he's around 4th choice.
Well him performing good is actually a win win situation for us. If he keeps it up and Mourinho decides to keep him than he's got a reliable squad player, if not and he decides to sell him, than he can at least recover some money we spent in buying him.
In my opinion he's too rash to be a United CB. He reminds me a bit of Silvestre. He seemed to have everything in order to become a top quality CB (pace, strength, inches etc) but somehow he didn't had what it needs to put all things together.
I have to agree on that, squad player at best IMO.
Silvestre and that odd looking head of his.
It's completely fine when the opposition make such tackles on our players - Bravo you've mentioned which wasn't dissimilar, Luiz on Fellaini which in my opinion was even worse, the fact that Barry should've been sent off, the Watford player fouling Martial in the build-up to their goal, the way Moreno snapped Shaw's ankle in two and went on to score the winner for PSV last season...
...But God forbid one of our players make such a tackle, they will be vilified by the media, opposition fans and our fans alike.
People make too much of this tackle, he is an aggressive South American player
I like his aggression
If it had been Roy Keane, we would have been praising him
I like his aggression
If it had been Roy Keane, we would have been praising him
This is a strange comparison. Bailly is 22 years old and has only played 13 times for United. Do you think you've seen enough to come to that summation? Johnsen was signed as an experienced versatile backup player at 27 years old with almost 175 career apps when he signed whereas Bailly only has 85 career games to date. Bailly has a lot of potential
Lovren is doing well for Liverpool, so I'd say that turned out pretty good. The only reason they collapsed against Bournemouth was because he was playing Lucas as a CB and Karius had a rubbish game. When they played Matip or Sakho alongside Lovren, Lovren looked good.
You just don't wanna give Rojo credit, thats your problem. He hasn't put a foot wrong all season since he's came back into the Starting lineup.
Just look at the two defenders and you'll see Fonte is better than Smalling. More composed, better leadership at the back, better on the ball, just solid all round. He would improve us in the short term. Plus he's Portuguese so theres the Mourinho factor in there too.
We're too fecking soft these days. I like players with fight. Football is a man's game, he got away with it and because of the tackle, Everton didn't get a big break so I say well done.
Some of you are fecking nuts. It was an insane tackle and could have done some serious damage.
"We'd have loved it if Keane did it!"
Well there are some sociopaths who support United but that's not the bigger picture is it?
"We'd have loved it if Keane did it!"
Well there are some sociopaths who support United but that's not the bigger picture is it?
I actually liked Rojo initially. His spirit is similar to Herrera's. It's just that.. he's Lord Rojo.
It's funny that you two mention Scholes. Players like Scholesy and Zidane often planted 'revenge tackles' on players like Rojo, because players like Rojo are not interested in playing football. They make bad tackles, either to intentionally, or in Rojo's case moronically, scare the opposition.
I don't even blame Rojo! He's a sincere guy, does the best he can. Problem is, he's an average footballer.
The only forward pass he knows (when at LB) is to the winger in front, irrespective of whether that guy is marked or not. Otherwise, he is busy clearing under no pressure, taking ridiculous shots from 40 yards out and being 2 seconds behind play in general. And then, when the water is way over his head, he becomes desperate, erratic and tackles like that.
As you can notice, I strongly feel Rojo should not be playing at a top club. He is lacking in the most important part of a footballer's body.
Can't believe posts like these are allowed here @Minimalist ..
We can only discuss the present vs the past. Currently he's Johnsen's level. He can get better or he get worse. Only time will tell
Exactly. If he was any good he'd have more than 20 caps for Portugal before age 32.
Lovren has been a poor signing for Liverpool. He looked excellent at Southampton but is far from excellent now. In fact that majority of players who have left Southampton in the last few seasons after looking great there have not done well at their next club. Mané is the only one who was an immediate success.
Yes he has put both his feet wrong, on plenty of occasions. He is nowhere near good enough and if you think otherwise then you're delusional.
I don't like Smalling, but he is certainly better than a Portuguese journeyman who has only started to look good this year in an average team.
Established by whom?
Fonte isn't even better than Smalling never mind much better. He's a decent defender but nothing more, he's only been playing top level football the last few years. He spent most of the last 10 years in the lower leagues and never played for any of the big 3 in Portugal.
Only STARTED to look good? Fonte has been one of the most consistent CBs in the Premier League for nearly 4 seasons now.
I don't even know why I'm debating this. You clearly haven't watched enough of him and are just judging him on his age, what club he's playing for and how many caps he has. Let me ask you this... was Andy Cole not a good player? Cause he rarely ever played for England. How about Matt Le Tissier?
But thats irrellevant because he's been one of the best CBs in the league for ages now. Everyone has to start somewhere.
I suppose you could say Henrik Larsson never played "top level football" before joining Barca. But most Barca fans will tell you he was a good signing and won them the Champions League in 2006.
Both feet were off the ground and he was out of control, it was far more reckless.
He's had 2-3 good years no doubt but he's hardly set the world alight either, saying he's one of the best CB's in the league is a stretch. He's a solid defender nothing more. Southampton is his level and he's nearly 33 so he's not the type of defender United should be looking at.
You could but you'd be talking shit, Larsson was playing top level football in Holland and Scotland when it was not nearly as bad as it is now. Fonte didn't play in the PL until he was 28 bit of a difference.
Yeah I agree
Scottish football was never competitive. Celtic or Rangers.... Thats it.
The Championship, on the other hand is one of the most competitive leagues in the world. So it says a lot that Jose Fonte took Southampton to the top flight.
I think Larsson is a legend by the way. But the stories are pretty similar. If he can get a move to Barca late on, I don't see why Fonte can't get one to United.
Listen, Ander Herrera is one dirty bastard at times and he never gets slated for it like Marcos is getting in this thread.
It's really frustrating to witness such blind favourtism. I'd hate to see if Roy Keane was still playing today. We would probably jeer him for showing too much aggression on the field.
It's really frustrating to witness such blind favourtism. I'd hate to see if Roy Keane was still playing today. We would probably jeer him for showing too much aggression on the field.
You seriously cannot be comparing the career progression of Larsson and Fonte.
Fonte is a late-bloomer while Larsson was highly revered in football despite playing in the Scottish League. His class was clear to see and he's also the all-time top scorer in the UEFA (Europa) league.
Fonte is a solid defender, but 32, and I wouldn't trade him over Smalling who is better and has played more top-flight football.
Have you actually seen the game? Did you somehow miss that dogsh** clearance by Lovren that pretty much forced Milner to give away that penalty?
Why are you comparing Fonte and Larsson like it has any relevance, it doesn't.
The championship being competitive means nothing, it's still a 2nd rate league full of average players. Hundreds of bang average players have been promoted out of it over the years. Fonte is one of the better ones who has went on to become a solid enough PL player but nothing more.
They aren't, Larsson was always an excellent player clearly too good for the SPL who chose to stay at Celtic despite being good enough to play for a much bigger club from his mid 20's onwards. Fonte is a late bloomer who went from an average lower league player to a decent one top level player in the twilight of his career.
Anyway back to Rojo.
Zorya 0:2 Man Utd
Was excellent again tonight.
He even got an assist.
He is class
Growing from strength to strength. Il Nuovo Sergio Ramos.
Got the job done again.
Him and Bailly partnership is going to be our best imo.
Couldn't fault him again tonight, one of our most consistent performer's at the moment.
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