No, he is actually spot on. Fair and balanced.
27
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 33
- Goals
- 4
- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 6
- Status
Odd thing is, we saw what Fellaini brings to the team when used to his strengths, last season. He was a vital part of our plan A.
When he was in the best form of his United career, sure. It was never going to last. Also, last season's team (although better than this season's edition) was not at the standard United should be at.
Not even close to being spot on and even if it were true anything he does bring to the team is massively out weighed by everything you lose by playing him, over the course of nearly three seasons we have seen that with the exception of a handful of performances.
The good thing is once other players are back he will be moved back to the bench and will only see him in high be plan b (although it virtually never works, especially as he loses more aerial duels than he wins this season). Unless we reappoint moyes in the summer he will be move on.
Why's that?
Last seasons United was only a few players away from being a really good team.
The reason the criticism with regards to Fellaini is a bit disproportionate is because:
A) His bottom level is one of the lowest at United.
B) He's a terrible fit for a club of United's standing let alone not good enough.
A) His bottom level is one of the lowest at United.
B) He's a terrible fit for a club of United's standing let alone not good enough.
Top form never does, that's why it's your top form. Outside the Spurs-Liverpool-City run, when did Fellaini ever show that level of performance (substitute cameos not counting) ?
Agree the team did not need too many players to be at a sufficient level, but then, I still hold that view for this team. Just the tactics need to be markedly changed.
Early on in the season, he was quite impressive. Liverpool and Chelsea at home and WBA away come to mind.
I had a different judgment of his performances then. Don't remember WBA away but I didn't think he was anything special in the Liverpool or Chelsea games.
He scored a screamer against WBA, as well as being pivotal in salvaging a point. Chelsea at home, both he and Mata were really good in midfield. Fellaini handled Matic exceptionally well. Against Pool, at home, it was a really good team performance where everyone played their part. I should also add that he was equally impressive against City, away.
He made the header that lead to the equalizer of RVP late in the Chelsea game and he defended virtually every attack of Liverpool. He also made a great pass to Rooney that led to our second goal against Arsenal in the 2-1 win, all of those in the first half of the season. Oh, and he scored the equalizer against WBA after coming in as a substitute.
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I guess I judge his performances more as a midfielder? The Liverpool game I felt was not a great team performance despite the score, really it was DDG who kept us in it with 3 fantastic saves. Chelsea game it was Di Maria's run that got Ivanovic sent off that really made the opening for the goal. I don't deny Fellaini made contributions, but as an attacker more than anything else, and we should be aspiring to more in that position. Maybe I am judging him too harshly though.
I really disagree with this - I think his bottom level is actually quite high compared with most. Even when he is playing badly and/or the team is having a bad day, he will still put himself about, offer a strong aerial presence in defence and try to get on the end of things going up the pitch.
Compare this to other players - if Herrera or Schneiderlin is having a bad game, they are often completely anonymous (as has been the case recently). I would argue that their bottom level - in terms of what they offer and bring to the team, and the impact they have on a game - is lower than Fellainis, and I would apply the same to many others. Because of his rather unique characteristics, Fellainis still has attributes which remain useful regardless of form and performance. I also think that this is why he is rarely substituted if he starts a game, because (as the Southampton goal arguably showed) he can always be an asset defending set pieces (as one example).
@Cheesy I feel the need to be explicit with some of these sorts of things simply because others will just dismiss them out of hand if I am not. I am referring to things like the "carrying instructions onto the pitch" point from my earlier post - that I try to give examples to back up my points, hence why it ended up as an entire paragraph.
@Roboc7 i have stated my reasoning for why I think Fellaini is still a useful player for us. Instead of just saying that I am exaggerating, and calling him shit (yet again) why don't you actually try to make an objective, insult-and-exaggeration-free, unbiased appraisal of the player. I invite other Fellaini critics to do the same.
If by quite impressive you mean he was completely average by every footballing standard, then yes, he was quite impressive. He's not good enough for this level of football.
The only thing he can really do on the pitch is play as an old school target man to fish long balls and either bring them down or assist teammates. Not United or top class football.
Jose Mourinho here: Mata is not a Chelsea player or top class football.
LVG a year ago: well, you're wrong Jose.
LVG now: Juan, you're going to stay on the bench today.
I'm not being selective at all. There are loads of posters who will make multiple excuses for other players and not offer the same for Fellaini. It's quite obvious in here.
The bit in bold is hogwash. There are loads of people blaming Fellani for the form of plenty of other players. And then there's the stat about Fellaini which peole keep bringing up. As if we haven't been shite without Fellaini.
Doesn't the stat you're talking about pretty much prove the opposite? Results wise, at least.
I didn't say he was shit or insult him that you lose a lot by playing him, which you do and there is no need to elaborate because it's plain as day and is the reason why no one other than moyes would pay his buyout from Everton. You are too over sensitive when it comes to fellaini, he isn't a good enough player, he wasn't before we signed him, hasn't been since we did and won't be no matter how much you try to convince yourself and everyone else.
Which is the exact same in this thread...because there will be posters who continually refuse to criticise Fellaini, yet will happily shit all over other players. Or, in other words, our poorer performers have both people who continue to defend them, and people who will slate them. Fellaini isn't some sort of unique special snowflake in that regard.
And the part about other players just isn't blatantly true. There was a brief period where people tried to excuse Schneiderlin's form because he was playing beside Fellaini, but the mentions of Fellaini in other threads is comparatively minimal to, say, the mentions of Herrera in this one. Search for Herrera, and see how often people are bringing him up. People will quite happily drag other players under the mud in order to excuse Fellaini, and seem determined to prove that there is some larger agenda against him when many posters just think he's a bit shit and isn't good enough for us.
Fellaini was rated MotM by the Caf vs Chelsea, but had a fairly average rating against Pool and City. Certainly nothing like his form (and the team's) in that later run.
It proves feck all. Liverpool fans loved bringing up the stat which showed they had better win rate without Suarez to prove they weren't reliant on him.
In the bold - who exactly are those posters? Even if they do exist they will quite comfortably be in the minority. Every game without fail, regardless of Fellaini's performances, there's always someone chipping in with "He's shite and should be sold".
It is quite true. Which is why you had loads of posters pushing the Fellaini stat.
You, Walrus, and ZDwyr are some of his main defenders. And that's fine: you're perfectly entitled to hold that opinion, and it's always good for some differing opinions. And yeah, you're a minority, but I don't think there's any other average player in our squad who gets religiously backed to the extent that Fellaini does by his own supporters, who will immediately jump onto his attackers with ridiculous, over the top, melodramatic defences, attacking other players in the process, with this seemingly persistent belief that he's some unique snowflake who's getting unwarranted criticism because he's a scapegoat...when it's not the case at all. He's just an immensely average footballer, who has been getting comments which indicate many feel that way. Yeah, there are some over the top comments, and posters who will endlessly slate him even when he's alright, but then that's still the case for other players, namely Depay and Darmian for example.
And I don't see anything wrong with someone bringing up the Fellaini stat, presuming you're talking about our record with/without him. Yeah, he's far from the sole reason as to our decline, and it'd be nonsensical to suggest so, but I don't see anything wrong with people highlighting that our form without him is better than our form with him. Certainly, he doesn't do our midfield any favours as far as controlling the game/creating chances goes when he plays there.
I called him shit as recently as yesterday and have repeatedly said he's not good enough and wouldn't care if he was sold.
And you must be kidding me. Fellaini gets backed? There are people on this thread who seem to genuinely believe Fellaini is barely championship standard never mind United standard. People come across as "defenders" because half they are dealing with ridiculously over the top nonsense from posters. He's also the least excused player in the squad. In fact people go out of their way to point out his flaws.
The stat is utterly pointless and ignores any sort of context. Our performances have been shit with and without Fellaini.
My view roughly mirrors @Akash 's, although I obviously rate Fellaini slightly higher than him. A lot of posters on here go completely over the top with their criticism of Fellani, never even entertain the notion of giving him the benefit of the doubt etc... I could go on but it has all been said before.
Well no, it proves that we've done worse with Fellaini in the team than without him. That much is abundantly clear.
What you should be pointing out is that it does little to explain why we have done worse with him than without him. I suspect your argument would be that it has very little to do with Fellaini and we've had problems that go beyond him, which isn't a bad point at all. But even his staunchest supporters would surely agree that he's not playing particularly well and when the stats undeniably show we're worse off when he plays than when he doesn't I don't think its a stretch to say he's making us worse.
In the context of his United career as a whole which again, pandering to his defenders, at best consists of one bad season, one good one, and baring a major turn around, another bad one I don't think anyone is 'agenda posting' by suggesting that thats not good enough.
yeah van gaal is an idiot for not putting one of the fit top CMs we had in there instead of him
I think the reason a lot of people on here don't like him is due to him joining with Moyes and being seen as part of that whole debacle. The reason I really dislike him is because I hated him as a player when he was at Everton (the whole way they played was part of the reason I hated Moyes from the start... all tied together). He's a dirty player, always elbows people, and all his qualities are suited to a style that people don't want to see at United. That's basically the bulk of why people don't like him. To get the best out of him, we need to play a style people don't want to see at United.
Not sure what benefit of doubt he needs to get? Everyone knows what he can provide like he did for Belgium and Everton. We know what he can and can't do basically.
Derby 1:3 Man Utd
It's got feck all to do with him being signed by Moyes and everything to do with him being a miserable player in pretty much every single way humanly possible.
Fellaini reminds me of when you turn passing from 'assisted' to 'manual' on Fifa.
Genuinely think De Gea would do better in midfield. He's actually more suited to the role Fellaini has been given. His chest control and shooting might not be as good but we're not seeing any of that from Fellaini at CDM anyway. Dave's passing and ball control are definitely superior.
Sick of this clown
He has been frustrating. He's been involved in some good stuff, but by God has he given away some horrible passes too.
Something is genuinely wrong if we have to play with Fellaini in midfield. Please sell as soon as possible.
I try not to criticize him too much and unjustly but fact of it is he's really not a Manchester United quality footballer. Unless we're striving around the 7-4 positions in the table.Honest to God. Why does the sack of s&!t need to nudge him there? Jump and try to win the header you moron.
What frustrates me most with him is he's not even average in the air, he's just shit.
Yet he gets picked for his 'ariel ability'.
Yet he gets picked for his 'ariel ability'.
Good half by Fellaini.
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