Central striker? Why on earth would you use him there?
What is Dan James good at?
- Thread starter Schmeichel's Cartwheel
- Start date
Traore could always dribble quite well, and obviously he had a serious physicality advantage on James, even before he became the hulk. His problem was his nonexistent football IQ & bad end product, which has gotten better. The only thing James & Traore really have in common is pace & position.
I can’t believe I’m saying this about a Manchester United player, but he seems to lack the basic fundamentals you need to be a PL player, let alone a Manchester United Player.
I'd have Vardy at Old Trafford in a heartbeat, even at the age he is now, and yep think you're right on that.
Can't be bothered to go through the Europa League teamsheets but we did play him up top in one of the early away matches and while he didn't pull up any trees he didn't embarrass himself, and he didn't have Fernandes and Pogba trying to put him away either.
Why not? Until he's learned the game at the top level ie. where and when to use his blistering pace he's too easy to mark out wide at the minute. He'd get more freedom to go left or right in the middle.
But to ve a striker you need to be good finisher, know how to hold up ball, have good decision making...
You saw anything of that in James?
True, but he was really hot & cold with it. Marcelo Bielsa rated him very high and wanted him, so there has to be something we haven't seen game to game yet. I believe in this lad.
He done well early on and has faded badly. We all have short memories, at the start of the season we were lauding how quick he was fitting in. He is young and has shown that he can do better than he has shown in the second half of the season. Give him time!
Or maybe just admit we've made a mistake, and bin him.
He isn’t even that fast as he doesn’t know how to use it effectively.
We don't know whether he's a good finisher or not because apart from one match with a piss poor midfield behind him he's not had the chance to prove it, or not
I thought he looked great in his first dozen games. was our best player a couple of times... but since then hes been poor. Confidence gone or just not as good as we thought?
SAF said that even the most experienced players needed one full season just to get their head around playing for Manchester United and that it was unfair to judge anybody until half way into their second season. But you obviously know better.
I don't think he is PL level, yet. Don't see him becoming good enough, even a rotation option, for a Top 6 team either.
We should loan him out this season and move him on at the end of next season, once most clubs have the wherewithal to manoeuver themselves in the transfer market.
We should loan him out this season and move him on at the end of next season, once most clubs have the wherewithal to manoeuver themselves in the transfer market.
Maybe I should apply to play for Manchester United too and see if I could get a full season and a half. A year is more than enough to see that a player is not cut out for the top level. James won the lottery and has had his fun, it is time to move on.
My biggest issue with James is how deep we use him. He should be on the the oppositions last man at all times ready for the outlet over the top ball from the midfield.
We end up with him deep and teams can cover his pace.
We end up with him deep and teams can cover his pace.
Oh right so SAF didn't know what he was talking about then? Interesting, if only he'd had you to guide him ....
Bellion, Manucho, Bebe..( i forgot what happened with Obertan). They all got few chances in first season and loaned after that. Saf maybe didn't sell players after first season but he loaned them.
But you wanted to keep lukaku didn’t you and his touch and football skill was fecking shocking
If SAF thinks I'm suddenly going to turn into a Premier League footballer after a season and a half, then he probably does need my guidance.
That's probably what will happen with James if we bring Sancho or another wide-player in, and definitely if we bring another experienced Striker in, then it's up to him ....
A year on loan at Leeds United slowly destabilizing them from within would be great.
Yes. I admit. I rated him. And tbh, i still do. In his case i made compromise because he does what striker needs to do; scores goals. He compensate that first touch with other things.
If James finished season with 20+ assists this thread would not even exist.
Damn, you have good memory mate.
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Yeah, that would be best solution. Loan somewhere where he will be starter and then lets see what happens
I’ll make the exception for James too then, it was a massive step up for him, a struggling team and a shit personal life year for him.
he’s got the speed and a good cross/shot on him to be a winger, more or less what’s needed to play that position as you said.
although having said all that, Im not saying he’s been amazing and he definitely needs to improve and agree it’s a big season coming up to prove himself, I just think giving him time and installing confidence would be better than kicking him out And constantly having the boot laid into him by fans
Giggs at 36 with no pace could still lose his defender with a turn of his hips.
James is like an MMA fighter who doesn't throw any feints, as soon as he moves one way that's it, he just tried to beat everyone with pace. For that to be useful you need to counter attack, and we may not be doing that anymore.
Zaha was the same when he was here.
James is like an MMA fighter who doesn't throw any feints, as soon as he moves one way that's it, he just tried to beat everyone with pace. For that to be useful you need to counter attack, and we may not be doing that anymore.
Zaha was the same when he was here.
Well his obvious attribute for what he’s good for is blistering pace which is always something great to have in your team, I do think he’s better than he’s shown so far.
I don’t think he’s good on the right unless he’s playing high up the pitch and we’re on the counter so should always play on the left, when he’s got the chance to go either way he’s much better whereas on the right it’s obvious he’s going to knock and run every time.
He’s young, he joined us a few weeks after his father passed and I think it was the adrenaline of playing for us that saw the start from him we did and we expected him to keep that form up in his first ever top level season.
Let’s just let him develop as a squad player and as someone we can bring on for the last 10-15 minutes against a tired defence and use his pace as late game weapon instead of expecting the second coming of Giggs, if nothing else he’s shown more than any of Chong or Mata or Lingard has this season.
I don’t think he’s good on the right unless he’s playing high up the pitch and we’re on the counter so should always play on the left, when he’s got the chance to go either way he’s much better whereas on the right it’s obvious he’s going to knock and run every time.
He’s young, he joined us a few weeks after his father passed and I think it was the adrenaline of playing for us that saw the start from him we did and we expected him to keep that form up in his first ever top level season.
Let’s just let him develop as a squad player and as someone we can bring on for the last 10-15 minutes against a tired defence and use his pace as late game weapon instead of expecting the second coming of Giggs, if nothing else he’s shown more than any of Chong or Mata or Lingard has this season.
What's he good at?
When he harnesses the speed-force and puts us on the alternate time line where Klopp never joined Liverpool you'll all be eating your words.
E.g He can run really really fast.
When he harnesses the speed-force and puts us on the alternate time line where Klopp never joined Liverpool you'll all be eating your words.
E.g He can run really really fast.
More than could be said of James. There is no comparsion between these players beyond pace, even then James pales in comparison.
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Never mind full season and half, you won't even be able to pass the trial in the first place. Not that easy to even get full season and half playing time for Manchester United.
James comes with 3 legs but no brain. Every decision making in the final 3rd, seem to be wrong. It seem strange that even for young players like Rashford, half of his decision making were wrong, but still get half right. Over time you would expect improvement hence more right than wrong.
James on the other hand, appeared to be wrong 100%. You seldom get such teaching material, just get his football clip and show them to the boys, everyone of them are NOT what you should do.
We took a punt, it didn't work out, it happens. He's just not good enough. He could still have a decent career, just not at this level. He didn't cost us a fortune (by today's standards) and we could recoup a big chunk of what we paid for him. No harm done, and no point bashing the lad. Best for everyone if he's moved on
I don't know why people are so hard on this lad. It's not like he's an experienced player who starts every game or anything. Just a young lad running fast and working hard with a few things to develop, primarily decision making and final third output. Seems very typical of a young player for most part.
He runs fast and works hard. Not sure why people expect a 21 yr old to be the finished article. Had a strong start to the season but tailed off toward the end. Had to learn a new position too.
We would have sold off Ronaldo, martial, fletcher and a whole bunch of others based on the same criticism Dan James gets.
We would have sold off Ronaldo, martial, fletcher and a whole bunch of others based on the same criticism Dan James gets.
Ridiculous to write him off and wanting to sell after contributing double figures in goals and assists in his first season with us. Playing out of position mostly too.
We should use James as the main backup at LW. It's his natural position and does look dangerous when cutting in against tired legs.
He’s 22, nearly 23. He’s older than Mbappe, Sancho, Alexander-Arnold & Pulisic. We can’t use the “he’s young” excuse for a player who lacks basic fundamentals for a professional player. Being fast & working hard is the kind of thing you would praise a non league player for.
It’s also a myth that he “tailed off towards the end” he has been diabolical since about October. That’s 3 quarters of the season.
No way. Sancho (if he comes), Martial and Greenwood should be the main backups at LW.
I think the whole 'learning a new position' thing is a bit of a weak excuse. It's not like we put him at LB, where he would need to learn the fundamentals of the position. Instead, we put him on one wing instead of the other.
And the weaknesses he's shown are not really positional. It's technical. His dribbling is sub par, which means his main way of beating a man is by knocking it past him and utilising his pace, but that's not so helpful once you're in the opponent's third of the pitch because the space to run into isn't there. In those positions you need more technique to beat a player or create something, and that's not something he's shown to have in his arsenal.
And the weaknesses he's shown are not really positional. It's technical. His dribbling is sub par, which means his main way of beating a man is by knocking it past him and utilising his pace, but that's not so helpful once you're in the opponent's third of the pitch because the space to run into isn't there. In those positions you need more technique to beat a player or create something, and that's not something he's shown to have in his arsenal.
Personally I think he can become a fantastic right (wing) back.