I hate to criticise United players.
I mean, let’s face it – as United fans, we are spoilt rotten. I realised this the other night when a Baggies friend of mine asked me for the best United XI in my lifetime, and I ended up having to leave out Robson, Cantona, Bruce, Stam, van der Sar, Neville and so many others who would be all-time legends at lesser clubs.
The season so far has been satisfactory also – top of the league despite not hitting top gear, qualified from our Champions League group without yet conceding a goal, and a very tasty FA Cup tie against Liverpool to come. Really, we shouldn’t criticise any player right now, for anything.
However, the game against West Ham was pretty embarrassing, none more so than for Jonny Evans. And though I loathe to do it, I have to criticise him for his display, because quite frankly he was bullied by Carlton Cole last night. At 2-0 down, I still felt we had a chance at getting back into the game, but Cole’s double in the second half ended all that optimism – a double which in my opinion could have been easily prevented. For the first, Evans was caught on his heels really quite shockingly, and for the second….let’s just say I watched a Conference North centre-half last Saturday who could have dealt with the situation better.
If it was just one game, I wouldn’t mind so much, but it seems like Jonny has really regressed this season. So dominant against Drogba in the past, he now seems a nervous wreck up against physical players – Bobby Zamora and Kevin Davies also caused him major problems this season. What on Earth has happened?
I’m not one for hyperbole. I’m not saying we swap him for Titus Bramble, I’m not saying he should be sold to Plymouth and he’s useless. But at the moment he’s stuck in a serious rut, and I would consider Chris Smalling the more adequate centre-half replacement than him currently – a statement which 6 months ago would have seemed ridiculous.
Do you drop him? Keep playing him and hope he muddles his way through? Stick him in the reserves? Just what do you do with a problem like Jonny Evans?
X Factor for strippers? Must be Strip Me Famous!
What to do with him ? approach Barcelona and tell them there was a mahoosive mistake,and that Jonny Evans was the player for sale and not Pique.
Sir alex didn’t let pique go..It was pique who wanted out and it was certainly not evans who stood in his path to the first team..Also i still don’t believe that pique is an exceptional defender, he just fits perfectly into the barca model..Has awesome technique for a defender but his lack of pace and at times dodgey positioning would be found out where his team don’t keep 75% possession all the time..
Made the exact same point, when your team retains the ball as much as Barca and Spain do, defence really isn’t that hard a task.
Their midfields alone can starve the best of strikers of service let alone defenders be called into action!
Send him on loan to one of the teams in the bottom of the Premiership. Why not West Ham for example? Full circle 😉 No, but right now Smalling is too good to not be played every time one of Vidic/Ferdinand is out with injury or just needs a rest. So I can’t see getting to play much unless we drop him down to the reserves, a move I think would only further put the break on his development.
send him to the spl.Toughen him up a bit.He`s like a school boy.
I think as the piece says he is stuck in a rut but how does he get out of it without further damage to the team?
Dropping him to the reserves would be quite destroying even though he himself has admitted that his form has been shaky at best but it would seem the best course of action for now
Sunderland would seem a good place, Danny seems to doing great and Evans did get good there, maybe a find your mojo loan?
It’s not even like his been inconsistent this year, in fact, he is probably one of the most consistent players – but in the worst way. It’s a lot harder given that he’s 23 now and already done his time on loan. Some of the ideas above basically suggest the route he’s already gone down (although I love the Pique one!).
But he makes it very hard given that he’s from our academy and did so well last year. Perhaps he needs to be paired with Vidic or Rio everytime he starts in order to regain his bearings.But if he keeps this going until the end of the season I won’t be very torn in parting ways.
Just re-reading back my own article (vanity) I realised that towards the beginning of the article I didn’t make myself very clear.
The players listed (Robson, Cantona et al) are of course also all-time legends at United! What I meant was that for 99% of other teams, they’d get in the greatest ever XI without a moments thought, whereas at United we’ve been so lucky to have so many legends it provides a bit of discussion.
Just before someone picks me up on that!
For Danny Evans, I dont know why this stupid thing exist. can’t he die somewhere. He is a USELESS peace os shit. If he get featured again as a Man U prayer, there is something wrong wiht Fergie. am so pissed off right now.
@man u
danny evans..Lol..Shows what you know about him..
What a nasty piece of work. Go and die somewhere? If I could I would IP ban you. Way to show support to one of your own!
send him on loan to sunderland in january for the rest of the season… if he recovers form and confidence we can take him back and give another chance if he does not.. well we can always sell him to madrid….!
You left Cantona out of your best United 11???????????? As far as I can recall weve never had Clark Kent play there so whos in front of him? Law maybe I suppose or Bestie if you play him up front?