Or people who go weird extremes. He's obviously a good footballer. People tend to bash their own players for no reason if they don't fancy them too.
Morgan Schneiderlin | BBC: Morgan Schneiderlin is currently having a medical at Manchester United.
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Cleverley and Colback are good footballers too. The question is are they good enough for Manchester United? And I am talking about the United that is the top 3-4 clubs in the world, not the United for which you get drunk and celebrate 4th place finish.
Blind is obviously a good footballer, agreed. Will you have him starting in the holding role if Carrick is fit or if we buy Schneiderlin/another holding mid? Will you have him as a B2B or creative midfielder along side them? Will you have him in an advanced role? Will you have him over a fit Luke Shaw at LB?
He is a utility man, who is capable back-up for a couple of positions. No one would be wanking over him if he played for Chelsea or Arsenal.
No one is wanking over him here either. What does "all he is, is a utility man" mean? Being a versatile player is great and any manager values that highly, so it's no surprise that lvg does too. The fact that he's very comfortable on the ball makes him even more useful.
So yeah he's good enough for Manchester United, unless you think our squad should have two world 11s.
And he's far better than Cleverley. Watching them both this season or this and last should make that bleedingly obvious.
If Blind or Schneiderlin were at Chelsea or City most on here would be wanking over them. Since one is with us and the other is linked to us they cant be any good.
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So, there is two for you.
As it says on the label: A squad player who can play in a few positions but not a good enough starter for any position.
When did I ever say he is not a good enough squad player for United?
He's not wanking over them though. He's trying to say that he's better than people here make out because he's ours.
Either way, good player that blind. And for a guy that's not a starter he does start lots of games, and will do so in the future too.
Either way, good player that blind. And for a guy that's not a starter he does start lots of games, and will do so in the future too.
That's a weird way of saying it in a thread in which he is advocating buying another player for his position.
Well, we'll finish exactly where we did this season if he is going to be "starting a lot of games" next season. Which you right, isn't beyond the realms of possibilities.
Not at all. I'm only replying to what you said about him. And we do need more midfielders and better ones but he's a good player to have that's for sure, and will most likely start a decent amount next season regardless.That's a weird way of saying it in a thread in which he is advocating buying another player for his position.
Park started lots of games for us when we won titles, as did Hernandez, so there's no rule like that. Had we had a proper top striker this season we would have finished 2nd or 3rd with him playing whatever games he did this season too.
I am glad we have come down to 'decent' from a 'lot' of games.
I never denied that he is a good squad player. If we continue more on this, we might be known as the Barbiturates twins, so let's not mention that, ever again.
They started because they were producing. Hernandez scored close to 20 goals that season, but was still replaced by Welbeck in the next, and then VP.
Our goal is not to come 3rd or 4th, it is to win the title and trophies, and Blind could not be in the midfield for a lot of the games if we are going to achieve that.
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Meh, semantics really. If he performs well I hope he does start lots of games. If he doesn't then he should earn the right to. I think people are too quick to judge players. He's been here one year and I've liked what I've seen. I'm open minded about the future. Squad player, utility man, starter, whatever.
I never denied that he is a good squad player. If we continue more on this, we might be known as the Barbiturates twins, so let's not mention that, ever again.
All dwaynes fault. He took away the tagline sults gave me years back
I've said this before but I think we do need top top midfielders , which we don't have. But I still feel it's too for me to slot blind into a category. Most likely to be used on rotational basis of we get the signings we want in, but let's see. He's still at a good age to improve (or worsen).
I am glad we have come down to 'decent' from a 'lot' of games.
I never denied that he is a good squad player. If we continue more on this, we might be known as the Barbiturates twins, so let's not mention that, ever again.
I don't necessarily agree that he's a good squad player or utility player. He can only play one position to any real level. We've really struggled when he's played in midfield. I also cant shake the suspicion that he's a bit too slow for full back. Without someone like Young in front of him to help him out I'd worry a bit.
Would you say that he had a bad season?
I thought he did well. One of our better players. If he was, then why not give him time before worrying so much about him? I mean, Rooney struggled as a midfielder and as a striker at times this season. Di Maria struggled for large parts of the season. Rvp struggled with fitness and form. How many players had terrific seasons for us?
Anyways, I think we're diverting this thread which is about Schneiderlin. I'm going to check out some clips of him today.
It rarely does
It amazes me how much criticism Blind gets in the transfer forum.
This year he a)was new to the team/league. b)had no pre-season with us. c)no rest because he was an important player for Holland getting 3rd at the WC. d) was used in a couple of different positions covering more injury prone players.
Despite all that he clearly had a good season. The match day ratings have him as our fifth best player which seems about right. Hopefully next season he will do even better
This year he a)was new to the team/league. b)had no pre-season with us. c)no rest because he was an important player for Holland getting 3rd at the WC. d) was used in a couple of different positions covering more injury prone players.
Despite all that he clearly had a good season. The match day ratings have him as our fifth best player which seems about right. Hopefully next season he will do even better
Blind is awful as a defensive midfielder. His best games there (supposedly) are the games where teams have walked all over our midfield. It's bemusing that people still rate him as a DM given the extreme regularity with which he gets caught out of position or the times when he drops back to the goalkeeper's toes to defend.
He's a good back up LB, nothing more.
He's a good back up LB, nothing more.
2 of Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger and Gündogan would be great. My preferences go for the first two, Schneiderlin should be played as a box to box player, not so much as a #6. There we could have Carrick and Schweini. Gündogan for me is a #8 and if i have to decide between him and Schneiderlin, the later would win in the current situation. Fitness isssues aside, Schneiderlin would add the steel to our midfield that we lack when Fellaini doesnt play, otherwise we would be too lightweight in midfield.
This is exactly what I am talking about. I genuinely don't understand how Blind can be said to have been awful, in any position, this season. That word I would use for the performances of Falcao, or Di Maria on the wing.
Which games are you thinking of when you blame him for our midfield being walked all over? We've done well their almost every game this season, racking up our best possession stats for years. I think the most we were ever bossed in midfield was Arsenal away when Blind didn't play, Carrick and Fellaini got dominated and we only managed 40% possession, our worst all season. I think our next worst after that was Southampton away when again Blind didn't play and we had 46% possession. Sure we won both games but that was down to De Gea brilliance and us finishing our few chances while our opponents squandered all theirs, we got wrecked in midfield both matches and Blind missed them both.
I'm not trying to say he's been perfect by any means. He's had bad games and I agree with you that his positioning is not yet up to the high standard set by Carrick. This was noticeable in our defeats at Everton and Leicester. I just think the criticism he gets is way OTT in the transfer forum and not really accurate of his season as a whole.
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Agreed. Schneiderlin is another level as a DM in my opinion.. more athletic in every sense and aggressive.. which makes him a much more secure player in that position. Blind has intelligence and technique.. decent reader of the game but you need more mobility/bite in that position in addition to the attributes Blind has or you can get overrun.. which is why whenever Carrick goes missing we are a shambles.
James Ducker says we're interested in Schneiderlin, along with Schweinsteiger and Gundogan. Says we could possibly buy two midfielders.
I agree, although I still think Schneiderlin is a suprior player and we should definately sign him.
However Blind has had a very good season, yes a few poor performances, but he has made the step up from a weaker league and come to play for a club which has very high expectation levels. He has put in some excellent performances and has been one of our better players this season (where ever he has been deployed on the pitch)
He's been pretty bad as a DM even in games we've had plenty of possession. There are plenty of moments throughout the season where he gets caught behind the ball and desperate tries to get back but almost always fails because he's quite slow. It's happened time and time again right from the start of the season and not just in the latter games where people started noticing it. He'll never be good enough as a DM unless he changes his over aggressive defensive style. It leaves us exposed at the back time and again.
Having possession means next to nothing especially as most of our possession is pointlessly passing the ball around to each other at the centre circle.
Blind's flat-footed (not slow, which isn't as bsd as being flat-footed) which means he can barely turn on the ball, loses ground on loose balls, can't go past a man, and gets dribbled past.
He's a secure papasser, but his vision and range doesn't make up for his flat-footedness. He's a trudger. A relatively elegant trudger. But a trudger, nonetheless.
Good for the squad though, and generally doesn't give the ball away too much. 7/10 season. He could have a 9, and I still think he'd be off the quality a top side needs for a starter, due to his skill set and limitations.
He's a secure papasser, but his vision and range doesn't make up for his flat-footedness. He's a trudger. A relatively elegant trudger. But a trudger, nonetheless.
Good for the squad though, and generally doesn't give the ball away too much. 7/10 season. He could have a 9, and I still think he'd be off the quality a top side needs for a starter, due to his skill set and limitations.
I actually think that makes sense. Carrick is coming towards the end of his career, and Blind is the only real alternative in the holding position.
Isn't James Ducker quite speculative? Or am I thinking of someone else.
A lot of these big paper Twitter journos talk out of their arse, though.
Us buying Schneiderlin will not affect Blind much at all. They play different roles and i would expect them to play together quite a bit. The two of them plus Carrick would share two positions and Carrick is unlikely to ever do 30+ games a season again. Schneiderlin and Blind would be a solid 2 of the 3 CM positions for the future.
Blind is brilliant at keeping the ball moving under pressure, and a player that is almost guaranteed to give a 7/10 performance whether we're 5 nil up or getting battered is not someone to be sniffed at. Especially when hes in his first season here.
Blind is brilliant at keeping the ball moving under pressure, and a player that is almost guaranteed to give a 7/10 performance whether we're 5 nil up or getting battered is not someone to be sniffed at. Especially when hes in his first season here.
Transfer negotiation 101
1) Player says "If you don't sign me I will sign for Club B"
2) Club says "If you don't sign for us, we'll sign Player B instead"
3) Plant (1) and (2) in The Metro
Insert Barcelona, PSG, Chelsea, Man City, Real, Liverpool, Arsenal and any player you like as appropriate.
So the only question really is who is player A here? Schneiderlin or Gundogan??
1) Player says "If you don't sign me I will sign for Club B"
2) Club says "If you don't sign for us, we'll sign Player B instead"
3) Plant (1) and (2) in The Metro
Insert Barcelona, PSG, Chelsea, Man City, Real, Liverpool, Arsenal and any player you like as appropriate.
So the only question really is who is player A here? Schneiderlin or Gundogan??
Edit: Or Schwines Tiger...
No, I find Ducker to be very reliable.
Ogden seems more of the speculator than Ducker.
Could not agree more.
He's only summarising what he has read on the internet - he's not adding any new information. No different to me saying that we are considering Hummels and Otamendi
Ah yeah, Mark Ogden that's the one I'm thinking of!
Can we sign him already
I dont rate him as a CM for us either (better than Cleverly, no doubt though) - especially a defensive one in our league. He's too light-weight & havin him & Ander there freaks me out. He's a tidy passer & reads the game pretty well, but he should never have been plan B for Vidal ffs - thats just rediculous. Rojo should never have been plan B for Hummels / Benatia either.
I think Blind's a great little ball player though - really reads the game well & his best position is at LB imo. He's done more than Shaw has at LB too - bar Shaw's only real game-raiser; against the team that let him go when he was a kid (Chelsea at the Bridge).
He's most definitely more than just back up at LB. Shaw has to seriously up his game in pre-season, because Blind is by far the better of the two right now & will start the new season. Shaw will come good imo & in saying that - its great that we'll have LB sorted for years to come.
Hoping Pearson gets on the tour during the summer aswell; so we can see what he can do in the 1st team. He's a cert for a red card or a few yellows though
Cant help but love that little fella
I don't really see Blind as just a LB back up, considering he's only played 5 games as a left back, and 20 as a midfielder, and a large number of those games in midfield, he played very well (Check his threadmarks from before he got moved to LB, which was from the Spurs game at home. The caf was gushing over him as a DM). Many were calling him the best signing of the summer for most of the season, barring the last 3 or 4 games.
He had a few ropey games in midfield towards the end of the season, and now he's shit and should never play in midfield? Nevermind the 20-odd good performances. Those 3 or 4 iffy ones and damned him from his best position forever, it seems. Short memories all round.
He's not as good as Carrick (though plenty on here were saying the opposite earlier in the season) but that's not really a slight on Blind. Carrick is incredibly good at what he does, and it's plausible that Blind could reach that level.
He had a few ropey games in midfield towards the end of the season, and now he's shit and should never play in midfield? Nevermind the 20-odd good performances. Those 3 or 4 iffy ones and damned him from his best position forever, it seems. Short memories all round.
He's not as good as Carrick (though plenty on here were saying the opposite earlier in the season) but that's not really a slight on Blind. Carrick is incredibly good at what he does, and it's plausible that Blind could reach that level.
Completely over the top, he's not amazing there and I don't think he can be a starter there here at United but he's had plenty of good games there, and generally in all the big games. Did very well against Arsenal, City and Chelsea as the defensive midfielder. In fact his worst games have pretty much been against the smaller teams who parked the bus and his us on the break and he was pretty much useless as he'd be outnumbered. He's a good back up there and has played very good at left back as well.
I don't remember him being praised for almost all of the season. I remember people seemingly being so starved of a remotely intelligent, positionally-aware midfielder (not named Carrick) that his basic competence and composure was being over-praised. And it was a sin to criticise him for a good few months. I remember the patronising points about people who criticised him. Apparently not clever enough to see his brilliance.
His weaknesses (he's a trudger, without a great passing range) mean he's not a good enough midfielder. Squad player or 7/10 left back, and there's nothing wrong with that. Almost no chance of him reaching Carrick's peak level.
I think that he has the potential to do a great job for us, in our way of play. He's maybe less technical than Carrick but as a defensive midfielder, positionned just in front of the defense, he can do extremly well, and showed it during two years with S'ton
The game he played at Old Trafford this year was a perfect example of how intelligent he can be. Tactically he closed spaces so well, and rarely lost simple balls.
I think as a "simple" number 6, he can a better choice than Schweinie (he's younger and has a good potential)
I'm still unsure about his distribution on possession, but if he's surrounded by technical players, why not.
The game he played at Old Trafford this year was a perfect example of how intelligent he can be. Tactically he closed spaces so well, and rarely lost simple balls.
I think as a "simple" number 6, he can a better choice than Schweinie (he's younger and has a good potential)
I'm still unsure about his distribution on possession, but if he's surrounded by technical players, why not.
Worry not. The Threadmarks do the remembering for you. Have a look. He was getting solid praise right up until the Swansea away game. His performances dipped for 3 or 4 games, then he was back on it when he played those 4 or 5 games at LB. Everton, West Brom and Palace were total stinkers. Decent in the final two games. I'd call that most of the season. Surprising that his passing range is being criticised though, as again, the praise in his thread seems to suggest the exact opposite.
I guess it was all 'over-praise' though.
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