Unpopular opinion - Daniel James is not very good

[youmeletsfly]

He is a 22 year old that came to one of the biggest clubs. The step from championship to United is pretty big.
He is useful vs teams that open up and useless vs teams that park the bus, like most of our forwards.

 

[Fortitude]

He's better on the right than the left. It's a hiding to nothing playing him on the left as he doesn't do anything left wingerish out there.

I think people are being stupidly harsh on him, too. He's a kid who we, as a club and coaching staff, are supposed to nurture and develop. Calling him this, that and the other aids nobody and belies the simple fact it was our job to take this player and improve him. Instead, he's in a dogfight, in a terrible team, given little guidance and is having to find his own way, which is an absolute failure on the club's part.

 

[Castia]

He’s struggling a bit but to be fair he’s played about 60 professional games in his life and shouldn’t be playing every week. Add to that he’d probably have doubled his assist stats with a more capable striker, he’s put in some brilliant crosses that just haven’t been put away.

 

[Lay]

He’s been overplayed. He needs to be an impact sub and start now and then but due to our thin squad, he’s playing week in and week out and it’s hampering him

 

[dogwithabone]

He needs more time but there are no real signs that he’s ever going to reach the level required. Doesn’t seem to possess any real tricks or cuteness on the ball. Looks very predictable and his delivery is about as poor as it gets.

 

[Art Vandelay]

He needs taken out of the team for a week or two but that's not going to happen.

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

He works hard but is extremely limited. A personification of our team and manager, actually.

 

[Banana Republic]

Dan James impressed and excited the fans when he started at Utd.
Apart from scoring those scorching goals, his work rate and willingness to chase back and harry and tackle opponents were impressive.
That’s what we wanted Isn’t it? The passion, fight and drive, so often lacking in most of the squad over the last couple of years.
Where‘s it all gone?
The lad looks just tired and lacking in confidence now.

You have to wonder if he was only able to raise his game, as a result of the excitement in joining the club and appearing on the big stage for the first time. Also having lost his Dad, as hard as it must have been for the lad, might have contributed to his grit and determination in those early days.
That effect appears to have worn off and now he’s slipped in to mediocrity, with his limitations showing. It doesn’t look promising.
I hope I’m wrong, but I think we may have seen the best of what he can offer.

 

[JJ12]

He is being over used.

He shouldn’t be starting week in week out in his stage of progression.

Another talent’s confidence ruined.

 

[Fletchageddon]

He is being over used.

He shouldn’t be starting week in week out in his stage of progression.

Another talent’s confidence ruined.

In danger of doing this to Greenwood too. I hope we can get some bodies in.

 

[Judas]

In danger of doing this to Greenwood too. I hope we can get some bodies in.

Totally agree. He shouldn't be starting games, and all the calls for him to do so just show what a mess this squad is.

 

[POF]

He's better on the right than the left. It's a hiding to nothing playing him on the left as he doesn't do anything left wingerish out there.

I agree, especially at home against a compact defence. When chasing games at home, I'd play a back 3 with James wide right and Chong wide left hugging the touchlines.

Inverted wingers are great when they are creative, intelligent and are effective at linking with teammates at close quarters.

When they're a one dimensional pace merchant it just runs them into traffic and makes them far less effective.

 

[Fortitude]

I agree, especially at home against a compact defence. When chasing games at home, I'd play a back 3 with James wide right and Chong wide left hugging the touchlines.

Inverted wingers are great when they are creative, intelligent and are effective at linking with teammates at close quarters.

When they're a one dimensional pace merchant it just runs them into traffic and makes them far less effective.

We can't take on projects, not develop them, then turnaround and blame the project!

He's not the finished article, he never was and it was, and is, our job to make him in the correct image. As far as I can see, we throw him out there and hope for the best, which means he is finding his feet whilst being a player we rely on far too heavily to do 'something' whilst giving him no assistance to do so.

Keeping him out there on the left with a completely inexperienced fullback behind him, who himself is finding his feet, whilst said player is constantly turning infield because he has no real clue how to unsettle men who aren't backing off because of his pace, was like our coaches using their collective heads to bash down a door, when a key just to their right of that peripheral vision could have achieved the same thing in a fraction of time.

If your players are evidently struggling, do something different with them, ffs. Tweak, modify, adjust!

 

[Di Maria's angel]

Its a great shame he was our only major forward signing. Put this idea in our heads that we should expect more than what he can offer. I've called him a bad signing once or twice which was wrong and harsh. Hes 21, playing his first season in the big league in a team thats devoid of... everything. Hes done OK and I reckon he'll improve a lot more.

I can't wait to see what these players can do under real leadership.

 

[roonster09]

We can't take on projects, not develop them, then turnaround and blame the project!

He's not the finished article, he never was and it was, and is, our job to make him in the correct image. As far as I can see, we throw him out there and hope for the best, which means he is finding his feet whilst being a player we rely on far too heavily to do 'something' whilst giving him no assistance to do so.

Exactly. We have fans who moan about not signing young players and then we have fans who moan about young players being inconsistent.

Have to feel bad for many of our youngsters, they shouldn't be playing week in week out. Players like Rashford are fine even though they are young. They played squad rotation role for 3-4 years and are ready to lead the club. Players like James have 1 season before joining the club. He should be squad player for now.

Before joining ManUtd, he played 39 games in his career, 2843 mins. If you put him in Chelsea squad who play with "youngsters" he would be the most inexperienced player.

McTominay played around 45 games before this season, AWB played around 45 games. All these players are expected to play week in week out for us. At least AWB case is fine as he had complete season in PL before joining ManUtd and had very good one.

 

[Fortitude]

Exactly. We have fans who moan about not signing young players and then we have fans who moan about young players being inconsistent.

Have to feel bad for many of our youngsters, they shouldn't be playing week in week out. Players like Rashford are fine even though they are young. They played squad rotation role for 3-4 years and are ready to lead the club. Players like James have 1 season before joining the club. He should be squad player for now.

Before joining ManUtd, he played 39 games in his career, 2843 mins. If you put him in Chelsea squad who play with "youngsters" he would be the most inexperienced player.

McTominay played around 45 games before this season, AWB played around 45 games. All these players are expected to play week in week out for us. At least AWB case is fine as he had complete season in PL before joining ManUtd and had very good one.

Yep. On top of that, he's 'the rapid one' ergo, he's supposed to be skinning players left, right and centre, whilst learning on the job, in a dysfunctional team, around other players learning in the job, and others crumbling under the pressure. On top of that, they're not being taught attacking patterns so have nothing to fallback on.

It's not good for these youngsters, and they're not being pulled from the firing line when they need the chance to take stock and come back reinvigorated. How can James be blamed for failings in our squad composition and coaching? Fact is, he shouldn't have to bear such a load in the first place.

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

In danger of doing this to Greenwood too. I hope we can get some bodies in.

I don't want these youngsters learning the craft under this coaching team. By summer 2021, Greenwood and WIlliams are going to look like a busted flush and their confidence will be in the gutter. Playing youth in the right circumstances is brilliant. Playing youth in this manner is suicidal. Even Darren Fletcher, one of Ole's most blinkered defenders, commented on this last night - he said he found it difficult as a youngster and he was surrounded by legends, leaders and born winners. So he said he feels very sorry for these lads.

 

[Jonno]

In danger of doing this to Greenwood too. I hope we can get some bodies in.

Not if he keeps benching him. Scandalous to not start Greenwood against low-block opposition. He had two moments of brilliance in the 2nd half (the Bergkamp-esque turn and the quick long-range shot). If he had started he could have bagged.

 

[Devil81]

I think he's dreadful, I couldn't think of another team aspiring to challenge for trophies that would have such a limited kick and rush football in their starting eleven. Defenders just do the simple thing and either stand him up or unbalance him when he gets into his stride.

His all round play is dreadful as well, I would love to know the stats for his loss of ball over the last few months as it's pretty terrible.

 

[He'sRaldo]

We can't take on projects, not develop them, then turnaround and blame the project!

Who says we can't? We've been doing that for years now!

 

[He'sRaldo]

Have to feel bad for many of our youngsters, they shouldn't be playing week in week out. Players like Rashford are fine even though they are young. They played squad rotation role for 3-4 years and are ready to lead the club. Players like James have 1 season before joining the club. He should be squad player for now.

That's shocking tbh. 1 season in the Championship and then he's thrown into the deep end, starting at Man Utd, with clearly not enough guidance or protection. It's just not good enough from us.

He clearly has it in him to be a good player if he's developed well. And that's the big if at Man Utd currently, isn't it.

 

[Shipperley]

You can either sign this type of player for £15m and have the patience to develop them yourselves, or you can forego that, let them go to a Leicester or a Bournemouth and pay £50-60m for them when they have smoothed out the rough edges. You pay your money you take your choice.

 

[londonredmaniac]

Was only a matter of time until he got popped at.

 

[londonredmaniac]

I like what Neville said about him pre Liverpool game.

My thoughts more or less

 

[AshRK]

The boy needs to be protected. Instead of slowly being integrated to the team, he has been asked to lead our attack from the wings. I also looked at Wan Bissaka and boy he was also exhausted. This has been a terrible management by Ole to say the least.

 

[Full bodied red]

Not too sure why you think it's an unpopular opinion - I'm fairly sure the majority on Red Cafe agree with you.

After such a promising start, he's now looking like the Championship player that he was and probably still is, although lots of our squad do.

A shame....I had high hopes after those first few weeks.

 

[AmanNits04]

He is being overplayed, also he has moved from a championship club. It will take sometime, Also, it doesn't happen that our players are injured left right and centre. He, Rashford and Martial didn't get a chance to develop the chemistry. Our season has been plagued with injuries and that has hampered the chance for players to gel well. I for one am glad that we took the gamble and bought him, otherwise the likes of leceister would be buying him and then slapping a fee of 50 million pounds.
Let's give him a season to settle at least.

 

[GledTheRed]

Passing is rank. Everything is 100 mph.

 

[romufc]

I don't understand why anyone would start having a pop at him?

When he was signed even Ole said he is a squad player, someone for the future.

Granted he started well, but to expect him to be pulling trees every week? It's not the lads fault we are so short and he has been played on a weekly basis as our only winger

 

[Beaucoup]

He's no Jadon Sancho, that's for sure.

 

[Sandikan]

Near the bottom of players to have a go at.

Maximum effort, and damn brave to keep going full in, when he gets smashed so often.
In a real mess of a team too, which does not help.

Imagine slotting him into one of our good teams.

 

[Alex99]

Jury is still very much out on how good he'll actually turn out to be, but he's way down on the list of players we should be pointing the finger at.

Had he been signed under Fergie he'd have either:

a) been sent straight back to Swansea for a season on loan in the Championship

b) been sent straight out on loan to one of the bottom half PL teams

or c) played the League Cup and maybe the odd PL game here and there, then probably loaned out in the January window

 

[Sara125]

Dunno if he should be written off *just* yet

 

[Hoof the ball]

James is an impact sub. He's starting in games with the opposition almost entirely behind the ball. I'm quite surprised that Ole and his team continually employ him in games that just don't suit his strengths.

 

[groovyalbert]

Feel so sorry for him right now

 

[Wade3]

It's obviously far too early to write him off, but he surely should not be starting. It's so frustrating to watch his inability to pass the ball at the right moment or pass it precisely. The main reason we lack a good amount of clear cut chances is because we lack players who can pass the ball precisely to our forwards. He's one of the players who is simply not good at that for various reasons.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

James is an impact sub. He's starting in games with the opposition almost entirely behind the ball. I'm quite surprised that Ole and his team continually employ him in games that just don't suit his strengths.

This. He should be a squad player to offer depth and an option off the bench - and he's shown more than enough to prove that he's good enough to do that.

I like him, both as a squad player and as a character.

Hopefully we get to see him managed properly and used in the squad in the correct manner by a capable coaching team.

 

[Phil]

I have to admit I wasn't sold even at the beginning when he was being widely praised. He's a useful player in open games with a lot of the ball but for me, he just doesn't have the technical ability to break down more compact teams, at least not yet. Would be great if we didn't have to play him non stop, for him and us, but here we are.

 

[Macca7]

No it's not. Be accurate or don't bother.

I find it funny how people on an internet forum are privy to the exact amounts of transfer fees. No-one on this forum knows if it's £15m, £20m or anything in between. All we can go off is what the media tell us. Get off your high horses.

 

[Prometheus]

We'll give you Pedro for him.