No he didn't. Smalling was back from injury a few games before he got into the team.
Chris Smalling - does he start at any other top 6 team?
- Thread starter Reiver
- Start date
Corrected for you. Nobody I've spoken to who would take Smalling at their club. When his contract extension was announced on Man United, there wasn't an outpouring of love for the news.
Just because a few fans on a fans forum are very vocal about an average player doesn't necessarily mean that they are right and the other 95% are wrong!
The moment he got fully fit, he was in the team. So who made a blunder that forced Ole to resort to Smalling?
Ah, the old quotes from years ago. Now I know you're desperate. You didn't mention his Players' Player award?
Where has Wayne Rooney said different since then? Perhaps you could show me recent quotes from him that Smalling isnt any good?
That is such a dumb argument. Yeah Rooney's gonna come out and say "You know back in 2015 when I said that Smalling was a baller. Well I've kinda changed my mind now."
You really are getting desperate. Just let it go fella.
Go back and you'll find similar about players like Carrick.
Speaking of dumb arguments I just read your post.
You are the one suggesting that since the quotes are from the 15/16 season they arent important. So you are suggesting that in the 3 years since, Wayne Rooney has gone from thinking Smalling is one of the top CBs in the world (top 3) to now not rating him at all.
You're just making shit up because you're mad that he got a new contract. And I'm done giving you the attention you crave with your ridiculous trolling posts. So I'll place you on ignore now, enjoy tonight's match.
You can blame the managers who together have played him over 330 times for United and made him the most experienced CB at the club. They must've rated him. All but one of those managers are among the most successful managers in world football. You can't tell me there haven't been opportunities to get rid of him. Yourself and the multitudes of supporters who don't rate him just have to suck it up. If anything its your extreme negative views on Smalling that push others on this forum that rate him to go the opposite direction.
Nobody might be one or two opposition fans that have barely watched Smalling play, are probably going off twitter memes and are not into grass is always greener like plenty of United fans seems to be. Here though, both of us can see tens of actual Man Utd fans that watch him week in week out vouching for him, and then there are 3-4 top Man Utd managers who always had him as first choice - including the current one. I would say those are much better metrics to use when judging how good he is.
You don't actually have to go by other people's opinions too - especially oppo fans. You are more likely to give a rational opinion than them, unless you are into grass is greener on the other side and all that.
As is ALWAYS the case with Smalling, he got his spot back once fully fit. Its too easy to predict.
Thing is Smalling has haters. His performance thread year after year gets a bit crazy because it blows up when he makes a mistake, and a few gets mad from people giving him credit when he is playing well
Thank you for the sanity. Good to see a few of his critics still display some common sense and prove they are not all totally mad. It is fine to not rate Smalling, and we'll discuss, but it is clear some of the lunatics here literally hate him, no two ways about it.
This guy played right back for us during Fergie days. Need to go back and see how he played back then.
Hehe. Smalling plus muthafeckin’ one.
What a fecking player. Defended like a god today
Tell me again that ball playing quality is as important as defensive ability.
Especially in these high stakes games, away from home.
Especially in these high stakes games, away from home.
Every fecking one of them! 
He's useless. All opposition fans say so .
.I remember when oppo fan rated our players, and Bailly was hoghest rated from CBs.He's useless. All opposition fans say so
If you asked them again i'd bet he still would be. Their opinions are meaningless, based on highlights of last ditch tackles rather than watching all of our games and seeing how poor he actually is.
He lived through VAR!
Absolute liability in games with VAR
Who knows but he's the best CB at United by a mile and has been for the last few years. He always seems to get unfairly criticised IMO. Where as you the likes of Bailly, who is a shocking defender and makes mistakes every time he plays but half the forum think he's our best CB because they see him flying in making last ditch tackles. What is often missed is the fact that these last ditch tackles Bailly is making are only needed due to his own errors that left us open in the first place.
Smalling plus 1 for me.
Smalling plus 1 for me.
When put alongside a ball playing partner at the back (first Blind now Lindelof) Smalling has looked at his best and that’s very good, is he ever going to be world class ? No but then there’s very few out there that are these days.
He’s a much better pure defender and less likely to have an all out nightmare than Bailly, he’s much less injury prone than Jones and I’m not even going to bring Rojo into it so right now Smalling and Lindelof is a no brainer and their partnership is only getting better.
I’d still like us to bring in a centre back then go into next season with said new centre back, Lindelof, Smalling, Tuanzebe and Jones then sell Bailly and Rojo to whoever will take them and hopefully bring in around £40 million the pair.
He’s a much better pure defender and less likely to have an all out nightmare than Bailly, he’s much less injury prone than Jones and I’m not even going to bring Rojo into it so right now Smalling and Lindelof is a no brainer and their partnership is only getting better.
I’d still like us to bring in a centre back then go into next season with said new centre back, Lindelof, Smalling, Tuanzebe and Jones then sell Bailly and Rojo to whoever will take them and hopefully bring in around £40 million the pair.
Colossal tonight. Mike van Dijk.
Shite, apparently...
Developing a nice little partnership with Lindelöf.
I'd still get a CB in the summer but I'm reasonably confident with those two for the rest of the season.
I'd still get a CB in the summer but I'm reasonably confident with those two for the rest of the season.
Not better than Otamendi? Are you joking. Once again people mix up everything and draw conclusion, or there is so much agenda that it doesn't matter. If you rate ball possession and ball passing capability as a top attribute for a CB, which is the case for City but not for Utd, then yes, Otamendi is way ahead of Smalling. But if you rate defending, aerial superiority, pace for your CB, then Smalling is way ahead of Otamendi.
Again, Smalling worse than Sanchez? If this is not an agenda then what is.
Even Luiz is comparative. On Luiz positive attribute he is second to none, but when Luiz is out of his position he is also second to none.
Don't know who starts this thread, which is rather stupid. Smalling has passed the time to be any top team's #1 choice but he is a reliable #3 choice, when fit. If the question is whether he fits in with our organisation then the question is also stupid.
The real question to be asked, is whether Rojo will get into any top 6 team. You should get a simple answer NO. In fact, he won't get into any Bottom 6 team.
The real question to be asked, is whether Rojo will get into any top 6 team. You should get a simple answer NO. In fact, he won't get into any Bottom 6 team.
Lindelof and Smalling are a decent partnership. The problem is the shortage of reliable replacements to cover for injuries and suspensions. As things stand, Jones is possibly the best of the rest: Bailly should get better over time, but presently he's rash and subject to lapses in concentration.
I've always rated Smalling very highly as a defender, and he's been immense recently since coming back into the team.
Next to lindelof he is an absolute beast.
Doesn't matter, all matters is that he starts for us
Its the hair
The new Steve Bruce, all he needs is to write a mystery novel under a pseudonym.
How can this player not start for top 6 teams based on his performance vs PSG? I have never seen defender dealing with one vs one against Mbappe with so ease.
When it comes to pure defending, he is just superb. Also Smalling - Lindelof pair has lot of potential. Now all of a sudden defense doesn't look like weakness at all with Smalling - Lindelof - Shaw as sure starters. RB is the only problem and Dalot looks very talented player.
When it comes to pure defending, he is just superb. Also Smalling - Lindelof pair has lot of potential. Now all of a sudden defense doesn't look like weakness at all with Smalling - Lindelof - Shaw as sure starters. RB is the only problem and Dalot looks very talented player.
Great at defending when in form
He's always been really good tbh but under Mourhino people were really dissatisfied with our style of play and Mou used him as an escapegoat for why we can't play good football and the fans lapped it up..Mou really did a number on all of us tbh..
Steve Bruce did that?
Actually, it seems to ring a bell now... but how could I have forgotten it?