Tom Cleverley | 2012-14 Performances

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He looked knackered to me and understandably so given how much he's played recently. I didn't get why he played so much of the game, most of it he spent giving the ball back to someone else. I get Ando isn't great but I don't think he's so bad that he couldn't have played today.
 
He made one forward run today. One. That says it all. Doesn't do enough to justify his place. That early promise...don't see it anymore.
 
He's played 90 minutes for about 8 matches running, with about three days between each match.

No wonder he's absolutely knackered.
 
#07 said:
He made one forward run today. One. That says it all. Doesn't do enough to justify his place. That early promise...don't see it anymore.
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Well he isnt good defensively neither so what is he actually good at?
 
He has started 8 games in less than a month and is clearly wrecked. Lets be honest, he was never meant to be a first choice player and if we had made the signings we should have made, he would be the good squad player that he is meant to be.

He is a confidence player and in a good side that is playing well, he can no doubt be a good squad player. I personally don't think he has it in him mentally to handle the pressure of being a first choice player in this struggling side. We need someone in there that is willing to grab the game by the bollocks and not shirk their responsibilities.

Anyone who thinks he will be sold is miles off the mark. I have no doubt that be will be here next season and hopefully only as a good squad member and not first choice. He really needs to step his game up in the next few months though, because I can't see anyone coming in, in January.
 
Didn't have a great game, but then again who did? And as others have said he's clearly running on empty and should never have started.

I'm glad match going fan's don't give him anywhere near the level of stick he gets on here.
 
Cleverley wouldn't get into Arsenal's, Liverpool's, City's, Chelsea's, Newcastle's, Everton's, Spurs' and even Southampton's midfield right now...

Running on empty or not, he is a very average player
 
marjen said:
We've not got that many options in truth. Anderson's surely a dead man walking if he can't get a look in tonight.
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We could have used Giggs in the middle, or even tried Kagawa in there... or the afforementioned Anderson. Starting a player who had 90 minutes 2 days ago, and has played in every game over the festive period... is a uneccesary risk... and low-and-behold, Clev looked knackered after about 10 minutes. Any of those options would have worked better.
 
Obvious who tonight's scapegoat is.

He's played far too many consecutive games. Every 2-3 days with no let up and often lasting 90mins. Admittedly didn't play that well today but it's unsurprising given his lack of a rest.
 
I know he's fecked but it's scary what he's become, I can't excuse nor find any reason for him still being on the pitch to give away that nonsense penalty, 60 minutes he had been having a mare for and he should have come off then, give us a good half hour to turn it round. He's suddenly lost all ability to go forward with a pass and his defensive qualities being very poor leaves him with little else to offer. Great admirer of him when he burst onto the scene but he's not got enough courage or faith in his own ability or just ability to take control of a game. Too many of our players are finding places to hide and it cannot carry on, it's a surprising feeling but I am actually looking forward to Fellaini's return.
 
LR7 said:
Obvious who tonight's scapegoat is.

He's played far too many consecutive games. Every 2-3 days with no let up and often lasting 90mins. Admittedly didn't play that well today but it's unsurprising given his lack of a rest.
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Yeah but the question has to be asked, why the hell has he even been playing these games? We've lost 3 games in the first week of 2014 and he's played all of them, and been pretty shit in them all.
 
He's tired, as LR7 said, Toms played far too many games over a crammed Christmas schedule.

He's been rested for one game since the Newcastle game which was the CL game when he came on the pitch anyway. So that's, 9 games started and 1 sub appearance in a month.
 
LR7 said:
Obvious who tonight's scapegoat is.

He's played far too many consecutive games. Every 2-3 days with no let up and often lasting 90mins. Admittedly didn't play that well today but it's unsurprising given his lack of a rest.
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If it had been just this game I'd agree with you but his form this season has been abysmal and unfortunately our midfield gets highlighted because the apparent weakness and he is a big part of this.
 
RedSky At Night said:
He's tired, as LR7 said, Toms played far too many games over a crammed Christmas schedule.

He's been rested for one game since the Newcastle game which was the CL game when he came on the pitch anyway. So that's, 9 games started and 1 sub appearance in a month.
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It's strange that he has been used as much and I'd imagine that fatigue has caught up with him. That does ignore the fact he was really poor even before this run of games (he was particularly bad against Cardiff and Newcaslte) and that he's clearly not good enough for what we want to be.
 
RORY65 said:
It's strange that he has been used as much and I'd imagine that fatigue has caught up with him. That does ignore the fact he was really poor even before this run of games (he was particularly bad against Cardiff and Newcaslte) and that he's clearly not good enough for what we want to be.
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He played his way into some form mid December, but imo the number of games have caught up with him. The problem for Cleverley is that he needs time and games and the right personal around him to perform at his best. In a team that's struggling with movement and confidence his game just doesn't work.

We just don't have anyone else available to fill the void with Jones being injured and Fletcher being slowly brought in to the squad. It's the one area we couldn't afford an injury crisis.
 
RedSky At Night said:
He played his way into some form mid December, but imo the number of games have caught up with him. The problem for Cleverley is that he needs time and games and the right personal around him to perform at his best. In a team that's struggling with movement and confidence his game just doesn't work.

We just don't have anyone else available to fill the void with Jones being injured and Fletcher being slowly brought in to the squad. It's the one area we couldn't afford an injury crisis.
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He had a couple of good games against shit teams (as well as a strong half hour cameo against Shakthar) but even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut. The problem for Cleverley is he's just not good enough sadly but you're right that we need to look after him because our other midfield options are just as mediocre and/or injured.
 
Scraping the bottom of the barrel with these 'tired' claims now lads. Id say something if he was a late 30's, out of shape fella but he's not. He is an extremely fit young man who plays football for a living.

I have to say, it is utterly embarrassing as a United supporter to see people actually arguing a case for him at this stage. Yes, he is a 'good' footballer who tries hard. Unfortunately, he is not good enough to play 90 mins for Manchester United. As I have said earlier, he is more than capable to slot into a 3 man midfield and with such, he would probably exceed his current ability and realize 'some' of our hoped for potential. We don't play by that system though and discrediting our misfiring wingers, central midfielders for Manchester United should not need excuses!

He should be, at this stage, a useful squad player for us. It's not his fault that he is not Robson, or Keane or Scholes...scapegoat him or defend him all you like - there are others to blame for this.
 
seriously this needs to stop. he's played poorly long enough.

if anderson played as often as cleverly, we would have a top midfielder more than likely match fit.
 
Played 4 games in 7 days. That's too much tbf.

That said, he's a squad player. Nothing more. Nowhere near as bad as people make out. Plays so much better when others around him actually move.
 
I was reading some posts in this thread from 2011 and it is hilarious reading compared to current opinions on him. Comparisons to Silva and Iniesta weren't uncommon.

Thing is IIRC I always remember him playing either as a high energy winger or attacking midfielder in his loan spells and someone even compared him to a Ji Sung Park and I thought at the time the comparisons were valid.

That's the thing, I always remember Tom as a high energy player in his reserve days, loan spells and his early days in the first team. He just looks so lifeless and lacking in balls these days. Were those early days just a flash in the pan or did Kevin Davies' tackle really take that much out of him? Or we may simply be using him in the wrong role.
 
Ole's_toe_poke said:
I was reading some posts in this thread from 2011 and it is hilarious reading compared to current opinions on him. Comparisons to Silva and Iniesta weren't uncommon.

Thing is IIRC I always remember him playing either as a high energy winger or attacking midfielder in his loan spells and someone even compared him to a Ji Sung Park and I thought at the time the comparisons were valid.

That's the thing, I always remember Tom as a high energy player in his reserve days, loan spells and his early days in the first team. He just looks so lifeless and lacking in balls these days. Were those early days just a flash in the pan or did Kevin Davies' tackle really take that much out of him? Or we may simply be using him in the wrong role.
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What would you say his preferred role would be, because I really cannot tell? It sure as hell ain't central midfield.
 
Maybe the family thing fecked his career.. Some settle and make kids too young and it seriously affects their performances on the pitch. The timing fits pretty well, cause the downhill started just over a year ago.
 
No confidence in his own ability, worried to create chances and always looking for the safest possible pass because he doesn't want to shoulder the responsibility of making a mistake. Not deserving of a place in the first team squad.

Been going downhill for a few seasons now and if that's sort of player we want to persist with, god save us all.
 
Was there any real difference between what he was doing and what Carrick was doing tonight?

I mean, apart from the fact Carrick was doing it in slow motion.

I don't deny Cleverley was shite, but it was a definite double act master class in complete and utter cluelessness...and at least Cleverley has the excuse that he's simply not that good.
 
noodlehair said:
Was there any real difference between what he was doing and what Carrick was doing tonight?

I mean, apart from the fact Carrick was doing it in slow motion.

I don't deny Cleverley was shite, but it was a definite double act master class in complete and utter cluelessness...and at least Cleverley has the excuse that he's simply not that good.
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Carrick has gone back to being shit first half of the season. I'd be worried if he doesn't improve in the second half of the season.
 
Carrick's another one who seems almost impressively determined to take too long in deciding what to do with the ball, even when it's fecking obvious to everyone else what he's going to do with it. He's gone from being poor this season to utterly wank since he came back from injury too. He's been a major part of us regressing from winning 6 games on the spin to where we are now.

I particularly liked when he got the ball on the edge of their area, with it wide open for him to shoot first time, and he literally twisted around in a circle a few times then passed the ball to someone being marked by about 8 players.
 
noodlehair said:
Carrick's another one who seems almost impressively determined to take too long in deciding what to do with the ball, even when it's fecking obvious to everyone else what he's going to do with it. He's gone from being poor this season to utterly wank since he came back from injury too. He's been a major part of us regressing from winning 6 games on the spin to where we are now.
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That has been his problem for years. Hence why teams who press high tend to do well against us because Carrick at times is very slow with the ball.
 
Nowhere near as slow as he has been this season though. Two or three touches before he even starts to think about looking for an option sometimes. In fact, most times.
 
Yeah he's a shadow of last year's Carrick, unfortunately.

It seems a recurring trend that our senior players are absolutely dogshit this season, while the younger ones mostly play with a point to prove.
 
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