You can’t polish a turd.
Van De Beek | Everton Loan Watch
- Thread starter VanDeBank
- Start date
I don't think that's massively unfair when talking about him in a centre-mid spot.
I think he does have a top-level talent of finding space in crowded areas of the final third though, and there's a Thomas Muller-type second striker in there somewhere. Whether he's United quality even in that role may be another story of course, as is the fact that we already have a top #10.
He works best in midfield where he doesn't have to take responsibility of any actual midfielding.
He needs someone else to handle the main defensive positioning and real solidity. He needs someone else to offer a good amount of ball progression. He needs someone else to handle creativity. He needs someone else to offer passing range...
Basically, he's one of those support players that can add little bits here and there but is very much a support player, not a main player. Like a dollar store Thomas Muller is what he is..
This is what I've always felt. Despite the caf thinking he's some excellent 6/8, he's always come across to me as someone who doesn't excel at actually running the midfield engine. He's like Pogba but instead of Supreme talent he is merely neat and tidy.
Kagawa MKII?
I'd agree with most of that. He's not a CM at all as far as I can see.
Agree. I really don’t understand the Caf’s obsession with him. He’s played over 3000 minutes for us over the last few years and had maybe one, two good games? Despite the inconsistency of McFred, they are much more defensively stout and perform at a higher level more often than Donny.
I think what people don’t realize is that McFred can be “not good enough for Utd” AND Donny can also not be good enough. If he was the second coming of Zidane, don’t you think that would have manifested itself in training?
Another Ole-Murtough failed signing
Let’s just give him till the end of the season and reassess. His performances are going to be up and down either way.
Certainly we’ll end up lower and lower if we don’t sort ourselves out.
This isn't an unpopular opinion around here. Most people realize our midfielders aren't good enough.
I am increasingly baffled by why we signed Van de Beek. I think it was because we were concerned that an injury to Bruno would knock us. However, while Van de Beek is a good #10 he offers completely different things there to Bruno. He's not a creator. It just shows the muddled thinking in our recruitment department. The money spent on Donny should have gone on an actual midfielder.
It's pretty much based on the hype of a couple of CL goals 3 years ago playing in a team at the top of their game. Apart from that people would have seen very little of him. Players like Tadic and Ziyech were far more impressive in the same team but no one would be crying out for them.
I watched a bit of the Everton game today well the last 20 mins or so, and DVB didn't do much, nor did Everton to be fair, the Saints were the better side.
Maybe those who think Donny is the solution are the loudest?
Not a good game from him, pretty much anonymous. I wish he would have picked Crystal Palace, not sure being at a club with a manager that has no idea what the hell he is doing is going to improve Donny.
There aren't many of those.
Thinking VDB deserved a shot off some half decent performances for us when his competition was stinking it up isn't the same as thinking he's the solution to all our problems.
The former was a common opinion, the latter wasn't.
Literally ball watched for Southampton’s second goal.
I hope he is fairly decent for Everton so we can recoup some of the fee and use the money towards the rebuild.
I hope he is fairly decent for Everton so we can recoup some of the fee and use the money towards the rebuild.
Didn't rewatch it, but wasn't the left back (Seamus Coleman?) jumping in for the header with the goalscorer? VDB was in close proximity, but what exactly do you expect him to do there, other than literally ballwatch like all the other players that aren't in position to jump up for the header?
I completely forgot they had Klaassen. Literally the MK-I of Donny. It’s all coming full circle!
He has good basic technique and was looking decent in the Dutch league playing a variety of midfield roles.
My guess is he was bought as cover for several positions with a view to developing and eventually challenging for first team selection at 8 or 10. Lack of focus on one role/position might have been part of his problem, possibly slowed his development a bit.
We needed at least two players - an upgrade in CM and proper cover / competition for Bruno at 10. The clever idea of buying one player to do both jobs was, as it turns out, not very clever.
He is not a CM. He can say what he wants, his best performances were as a 10, in a team with a clear system and style of play.
Still a mystery why we bought him. What was the plan?
Still a mystery why we bought him. What was the plan?
He’s a dutch Tom Cleverley.
I think we bought him because Ole was paranoid the man that kept him in the job (Bruno) would get injured, so he wanted a goal scoring midfielder.
Ole said himself he bought Donny for goals. And we already know our scouting is crap when we spent so much on Maguire an AWB.
Woodward heard Real were interested so he must have assumed this dud was the real deal. Same with Fred and City.
Pretty much signed to be Bruno cover but Bruno never gets hurt and always wants to play and because Bruno is our most consistent attacking threat no manager wants to rotate him.
The plan was to provide cover in several positions, a utility midfielder, I suggest.
The whole debacle might be explained if we found out Ole didn’t actually want him. Ole was very non-committal about VDB from the start.
Whether this is said in jest or not, I think there is more than a grain of truth in it.
I’m convinced the board has been interfering with recruitment for years.
Cleverley actually played for United.
I think we expected Pogba to leave, Edwin was willing to give us mates rates and we took a punt. 35m isn’t that much in this day and age, and he’d been excellent in Ajax’s European run. A bit like Kagawa though, once you take some players out of a certain system, they can’t replicate those performances.
I haven't seen him play for Everton, and obviously never saw him play for United, but I feel confident in saying he's a nothing player.
It seemed to be a counter measure in case Pogba went, ignoring that he plays the position our best player Bruno does.
Plus he's played in an Ajax team who keep the ball, which is not us at all.
It was a totally bonkers move.
He jogged up the pitch, he jogged down the pitch, He jogged up the pitch, he jogged down the pitch, He jogged up the pitch, he jogged down the pitch…..... He had a great view of the game. Doubt he’ll need a shower.
cheers
cheers
Few years ?
I don't even like him as a 10, mate. He'll produce the odd flick and maybe score, but the fact that he's so weak means you can't risk playing progressive passes into the channels as he'll most likely lose the ball under pressure.
A lightweight 10 that needs a system to thrive? Mata was the second Kagawa. Mkhitaryan the third. Donny the fourth. I'm hoping we've become free of this curse after Sancho's promising form, but you never know with United.
Everton had Cleverley, too. It's destiny.
The reason why he's a bad fit isn't related to possession.. It's because at Ajax his responsibility was making runs in and around box, pressing and some defensive work. There were other players creating chances and coming up with ideas. Ziyech, Tadic etc. I even saw a stat recently of Blind being the player with most passes into the box out of any player in Europe. VDB was good at getting at the end of those balls, and he also did this for Holland as well.
At United, Bruno is our main creative outlet, so whenever VDB replaced him, he didn't receive the ball on his runs and he was incapable of creating things himself like a Bruno or a Pogba can.
Limited player. He favours one touch because he's not good at dribbling and doesn't have a passing range or a great shot.
I think we expected someone to offer us cash for Pogba and him to go, leaving us a Bruno injury away from having to start Lingard, so they bought Donny in as the replacement. Then it turns out the only team in the world likely to give Pogba 500k a week and pay 100m+ would be us and we ended up with a player we don't need. That said Pogba has be missing anyway for a solid 60% of the time and he still couldn't get a game.
I'm certain of one thing. You will definitely regret that username.
You must really rate him if you think I'll regret thinking he's a bench player
You must really rate him if you think I'll regret thinking he's a bench player
It's more being stuck with a name relating to a player who has massively failed here.
There's people still dotting around with Moyesy in their username though...you'll be like them