[Adam-Utd]

If you had to pick one now, who would you have starting on the right wing. Dan James or Bebe?

 

[Borys]

His decision making is the main problem. He's making too many poor decision making and decision making in final third is not something you can coach easily at his age now. It's either a gift or you develop them from a kid.

I still remember this moment, he had zero reason to shoot from that angle and if he's a winger, his natural instinct should tell you not to shoot but looking to pass or cross from that angle. So I wouldn't blame McTominay and Greenwood reaction.

Although, he has very good attitude as a footballer, which is why Ole likes him. On top of that, he's on very low wages.

Seeing it from that angle, I think it's decent shooting position and the right decision (doesn't seem like he has any open passing options). He just isn't particularly good at shooting (he scuffed the second shot he took), but it's worth mentioning he gets into some good positions.

Anyway, he's probably 3rd choice player on both left and right wing, I don't mind having him in the team. First game of the season, I'm sure he'll get better. The only doubts I have are about his decision making, he doesn't seem to be useful when he has too much time to think.

The likes of Amad and Elanga will get their chances but not on the opening game vs Leeds.

 

[Fussball13251]

It would be overreaction if this was different to what he had shown in the previous seasons. It isn't, his top level just isn't good enough when he isn't going through a purple patch like the one that he had in his few first games for us. He also had enough time to get fit in pre-season.

Yes but even by his standards that was poor. Normally he would have scored in a game like this.

But I do think Giggs would have been an awful manager. We'd have 3 or 4 Welsh players in the team, some Irish, etc. I mean we'd be severely lowering our standards.

https://www.skysports.com/watch/vid...ester-united/11517413/where-after-jose/more/8

He had to go he was too negative. Too grumpy. He was making the club a meme.

 

[VanDeBank]

I can understand that viewpoint to a degree, but I can also understand why Ole would give minutes to James over young players that "haven't outgrown the u23s" as you put it.

Firstly, those youngsters won't have the PL experience that James has, nor the level of understanding of what Ole wants from them, and often they aren't fully physically developed yet. These aren't through any fault of theirs, it's just youth and lack of experience. On top of that, throwing those young players into first team matches is a huge increase in pressure - a poor performance and/or criticism from fans or press can set back youngsters, especially at such an early stage in their development.

Also, calling it 6 senior players for one position is disingenuous, we have multiple forwards who can play in multiple forward positions, and last season our forwards were knackered by the end of the season because there wasn't enough squad depth to rotate due to injuries.

And that's why I mentioned Mata as an experienced option, if there's a situation where he wouldn't trust the kids. Sure, he's not as fast as James, but when did his pace net us a goal in those 1700 minutes? At least Mata wouldn't botch so many chances/attacks with his superior technical ability.

What is this rewrite of last season? Our forwards weren't knackered because we couldn't rotate them. If our forwards were "knackered", it was because Ole doesn't like rotating. Donny/James/Mata sat on the bench plenty. Ole did rest our forwards a few times near the end. There was a quality option on the bench nearly every game.

We can say 5 senior players going by what Ole has preferred in the past, But I'd much rather see Greenwood LW than James (that would make 6). Pogba/Mata/Martial on the opposite wing is debatable.

LW: Rashford, Pogba, Sancho, Martial, James
RW: Greenwood, Sancho, Rashford, Mata, James

 

[Plant0x84]

The same Bielsa that bought Firpo? Do you think Ole's signings are incapable of flopping? (Look up SAF's flops). What do I care what Leicester players think of a ManUtd player? Do you think Giggs is incapable of recommending a young player that didn't develop to the extent of being good enough for Manchester United? The same Giggs that wanted to keep Welbeck?

Not sure if you are being silly or wilfully obtuse.
Of course Ole is capable of dud signings, however we have a whole scouting and analytics dept to avoid such scenarios where possible. That’s something that Sir Alex certainly never had. Ole hasn’t done too badly so far has he? Whether you care about Leeds/Leicester/Giggs opinion is up to you, but my point was that there is a significant body of professionals who think Dan James is an asset to the team. They probably know more than a bunch of internet millennials.
Labelling Dan a dud is mega harsh too. Consider where he came from. He’s not a 100m mega star from Madrid or Munich. He’s a kid from a championship team. He does a solid job, works hard and is/has time to improve. Not every squad member has to be a galactico, and fans expecting such are setting themselves up for disappointment.

 

[youngrell]

I’m not sure I get the argument about the attacks being personal. From what Iv read the comments are on his playing style and overall game not any personal attacks or the likes of what we’ve seen against some players of different religion/race.

For me il stand by the fact I think he’s a good level below the standard needed here. Can he be a solid PL player for a mid table team? Yeah of course. But he’s by far limited in footballing ability and IQ to be a player in a top team. Some of the comparisons to the likes of Park, Butt and other great squad players over the years is disrespectful and outlandish. Those lads would walk into other ‘top 4’ squads. James would not.

Anyone who gains an opinion after just Saturdays game alone that James is and should continue to be worth a place in our squad has massively different opinions to myself and the quality needed that I feel will enable us to challenge for league titles snd European honours.

Considering you've managed to put together a balanced and well thought out critique of James, it can't be that hard for you to distinguish between this type of post and those that just fly through to say "he's trash", "worst player United have ever had" etc?

Go look at his social media accounts – full of people saying things like "get out of my club" when all he has posted is about a good victory or whatever.

It's fine to not rate a player, there's just no need to spew bile about them at any given opportunity. I honestly don't know why people get so wound up, particularly at a player who puts maximum effort in.

 

[roonster09]

If you had to pick one now, who would you have starting on the right wing. Dan James or Bebe?

Dan James.

 

[Ali Dia]

Considering you've managed to put together a balanced and well thought out critique of James, it can't be that hard for you to distinguish between this type of post and those that just fly through to say "he's trash", "worst player United have ever had" etc?

Go look at his social media accounts – full of people saying things like "get out of my club" when all he has posted is about a good victory or whatever.

It's fine to not rate a player, there's just no need to spew bile about them at any given opportunity. I honestly don't know why people get so wound up, particularly at a player who puts maximum effort in.

This is coming off a fecking 5-1 win too. Days and days of it. End of the day he goes back to the bench because he was quite poor with the end product. Probably won’t be seen starting again until Sancho reaches fitness and needs a rest but even then people are freaking out. It’s bullying basically. If he was shit and he was walking around the pitch then fair enough or if he was starting every game and missing everything I’d get it but some of this stuff is just basically about always having something negative to whinge about.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Same old excuses for players like James. Every year the same.

1) Passion and "working his socks off" are something what every player does and have. Greenwood is playing with passion, Bruno is playing with passion, Pogba, Fred, Dalot, Bailly, etc..and they all run during the games. Only thing why people will not talk about their passion is because they do football stuff too. But for players like James, only thing which is noticed is "oh, look at his running and desire".
2) He is attacking player. Playing defence is a bonus. But his main job is to assist, score and create. He can't do anything of that. He barely controls the ball ffs.
3) He has pace. So what? In two seasons, how many times that pace brought something? 10 maybe? In 2 bloody years.
4) Squad rotation thing. I don't understand that logic. He is not good enough but is useful as squad player. How? What is your description of squad player? Player who is there only to fill match day squad?

 

[VanDeBank]

Not sure if you are being silly or wilfully obtuse.
Of course Ole is capable of dud signings, however we have a whole scouting and analytics dept to avoid such scenarios where possible. That’s something that Sir Alex certainly never had. Ole hasn’t done too badly so far has he? Whether you care about Leeds/Leicester/Giggs opinion is up to you, but my point was that there is a significant body of professionals who think Dan James is an asset to the team. They probably know more than a bunch of internet millennials.
Labelling Dan a dud is mega harsh too. Consider where he came from. He’s not a 100m mega star from Madrid or Munich. He’s a kid from a championship team. He does a solid job, works hard and is/has time to improve. Not every squad member has to be a galactico, and fans expecting such are setting themselves up for disappointment.

Ole/Giggs thinking there's potential in a young player from the championship 2 years ago doesn't necessarily mean he will fulfill that potential. You talk as if a scouting apparatus prevents teams from signing flops. You know both these things aren't true, right?

Your argument is: "James must be decent for Manutd, because people (Ole/Giggs/Bielsa) thought he could be 2 years ago".

The likelihood of Dan James flopping was indeed higher, because like you said, he was a kid from the championship we only paid 18m for. The fact that he was in that category doesn't mean we lower the bar for him. You're either good enough, or you will be labeled a dud. His background is not relevant for the question: "is he good enough?".

Can we expect a forward who's supposed to be a squad player to deliver us more than 1 decisive goal in 1700mins? Is that asking too much? We've had much better squad players over the years. And when then were worse than Dan James, they were heavily criticized.

 

[Grande]

Oh yeah yeah, let's include the games where James came on for 10 minutes and scored the 5:2 or 8:0, to get a very representative stat of James' contribution.
Thanks for proving my point.

And to reiterate, we are very good, meaning we only lost 10 games or so last season, so any stat of a fringe player not involved in those losses being representative of how good/important/useful he is nonsense. 10 games is not a good sample size!, let alone when the likelihood of a fringe player (~1700min) not participating in at least half of those is very high. The stat isn't even accurate, Villareal was a loss.



I don't think this is true. James was left out of the squad plenty last season, he only came in after Greenwood had a very poor first half of the season. Against Leeds, Rashford wasn't available and Sancho, Martial not 100% ready. Ole rates James more than one of the kids or Lingard/Mata. But the line that he's one of Ole's favorites is nonsense. James wouldn't get a look in if Rashford/Greenwood/Sancho/Pogba/Martial/Cavani are available/in form.

I don’t really like your tone, I can’t see that I’ve done anything in particular to you to deserve a sarcastic tone.

I don’t get what you think you’re arguing against either. For me, it’s obvious James is behind all the players you mentioned by rights. His competition as rotational/backup option is Mata, Diallo, Lingard if he stays, VdBeek as wide attacker, Elanga. My view is that he offers something very different to these (Lingard being the least dissimilar). I’d like to see more of Diallo and Elanga because I love their potential, but I think for many PL games, James completes the team better than them in the short term in most game situations. This is my eye-test opinion, I don’t hold it as gospel, but it seems to me that the coaches agree.

Then there are some that claim that James is a massive hindrance, a gross weakness, not fit to be a squad player for us etc, and refuse to acknowledge he even has strengths. To answer them, the results when he’s actually is on the field are relevant as part of the argument, because they do not indicate that we fall off a cliff when he starts or enters the fray. Actually it’s the other direction. And please don’t mention the 2 mins vs PsG as if that was the argument, it’s as irrelevant as the fact that we lost a penalty shoot out he scored in. The argument is that when he has played, we have let in few goals and we have scored many, it has been against strong opposition as well as weak, it has been as starter in tight games as well as sub in routs - on the whole it has been a fairly representative 1700 mins. It’s those who claim that he is a hole on the pitch and we’d be better off without him who should be able to point to the 1700 mins and say, look what happens when he starts, look what happens when he comes on … but they can’t. Even against Leeds, when he had an underwhelming game, we win 5-1 and dominate when he’s on the pitch, when Sancho comes on it’s 0-0 and We manage little play. What happened when James came on late in a big win vs Southampton - we scored four more goals in few minutes. And don’t say this proves nothing - it proves very little. It’s the opposite proof that is lacking.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

He is probably in a better position than Bruno was when he scored his second goal and Greenwood was in a better position to score when Bruno converted?????

Player should know their capability/limitation and when they need to shoot or pass/cross. Greenwood has been scoring from that angle many times while Bruno had to shoot because he had no other option to pass to when he scored his third goal.

 

[United in sin]

No he wasn't, and yes we can, but irrationally ignoring the useful stuff he did is a little bizarre.

The 'useful' stuff he did was outweighed by his wastefulness in his primary role. This resulted in him being the lowest ranked player for his performance by far in a game where his teammates where firing on all cylinders. Leeds had nothing to offer in attack and you're praising James for standard defensive plays. Right on

 

[Fortitude]

If he has done it then he has the ability as that is the definition.
Confidence is everything at the highest level and only the really good ones can keep the consistency.

It's really not, or John O'Shea would have gone on to be one of the best attacking fullbacks of all time with the way he burst onto the scene.

 

[The Hilton]

The 'useful' stuff he did was outweighed by his wastefulness in his primary role. This resulted in him being the lowest ranked player for his performance by far in a game where his teammates where firing on all cylinders. Leeds had nothing to offer in attack and you're praising James for standard defensive plays. Right on

Again you're being irrational and resorting to hyperbole. Leeds clearly didn't offer nothing in attack, they scored, carved out another clear cut chance for Rafinha, and worked the ball forward numerous times.

James deserves praise for what he got right, and criticism for what he got wrong. Saying he did nothing right is objectively false, and points to you being simply unable to view his performance objectively. He was correctly the lowest ranked player, and probably will be a lot of times he plays (as he's a lot less talented than the rest of our squad), but there's a huge gap between "worst of an excellent bunch" and "useless 0 out of 10".

You're married to this idea that James is a waste of space, and so every post has to be about justifying that rather than objectively rating his performance. For your own sanity, you should consider changing that, as Ole has some uses for James and so he's gonna be in the squad for the foreseeable future.

 

[GioF]

Considering you've managed to put together a balanced and well thought out critique of James, it can't be that hard for you to distinguish between this type of post and those that just fly through to say "he's trash", "worst player United have ever had" etc?

Go look at his social media accounts – full of people saying things like "get out of my club" when all he has posted is about a good victory or whatever.

It's fine to not rate a player, there's just no need to spew bile about them at any given opportunity. I honestly don't know why people get so wound up, particularly at a player who puts maximum effort in.

But there will always be people on social media saying things without substance. I genuinely have no feelings whatsoever for Dan James the person. He’s not a personality I have either warmed to or the opposite and not liked him. So I can base my opinion on him as a footballer solely on his ability.

For me he looks so out of place it’s beyond normal. We’ve had players in the past who just don’t have ‘IT’ to play at United. And that’s fair enough. But he shouldn’t be receiving any personal abuse of course. It doesn’t have to be one or another extreme.

He’s not good enough at this level. That’s a fact. His goal contributions, assists, dribbling ability, crossing, passing, in game IQ etc are a level/levels below a top team. Absolutely no shame in that. We are talking about the biggest club in Britain.

 

[The Hilton]

And that's why I mentioned Mata as an experienced option, if there's a situation where he wouldn't trust the kids. Sure, he's not as fast as James, but when did his pace net us a goal in those 1700 minutes? At least Mata wouldn't botch so many chances/attacks with his superior technical ability.

What is this rewrite of last season? Our forwards weren't knackered because we couldn't rotate them. If our forwards were "knackered", it was because Ole doesn't like rotating. Donny/James/Mata sat on the bench plenty. Ole did rest our forwards a few times near the end. There was a quality option on the bench nearly every game.

We can say 5 senior players going by what Ole has preferred in the past, But I'd much rather see Greenwood LW than James (that would make 6). Pogba/Mata/Martial on the opposite wing is debatable.

LW: Rashford, Pogba, Sancho, Martial, James
RW: Greenwood, Sancho, Rashford, Mata, James

It's not just about scoring goals that James' pace is useful for, it's really useful for pressing, defending, etc, as well as being a threat to force the opposition full back to drop deeper. Mata is far too slow to keep any full back from having to consider the counter. Mata wouldn't botch the chances that James had, agreed, but he also wouldn't have had them in the first place because he was slow even before his legs had gone, his fitness isn't close to James', and he offers a lot less in the press and defensively.

As for "rewriting" last season, pot kettle black. Ole didn't like rotating because of the lack of quality on the bench. We had Rashford (who was playing injured and way below form), Greenwood, and Pogba (when he wasn't in midfield) as the senior players for the wide positions fit for the end of the season. Donny sitting on the bench is irrelevant given that him and James play different positions.

This season is an improvement (with Sancho coming in), but Rashford is out until at least October, Mata's legs have long gone, so James gets the nod as the last backup really, due to his fitness, work rate, and pace.

We'd all rather see Greenwood instead of James at LW, RW, basically every position, but the whole reason to have the latter in the squad is to rest the former (and our other star players) so he's not dead on his feet at the end of the season.

Try to think about it coldly for a minute, take your dislike of the player out of it. We're 1 player deeper in a position that last season we had to play a one legged Rashford in for about half a season due to lack of depth. To get rid of James after last season without a replacement would be nuts.

 

[youngrell]

But there will always be people on social media saying things without substance. I genuinely have no feelings whatsoever for Dan James the person. He’s not a personality I have either warmed to or the opposite and not liked him. So I can base my opinion on him as a footballer solely on his ability.

For me he looks so out of place it’s beyond normal. We’ve had players in the past who just don’t have ‘IT’ to play at United. And that’s fair enough. But he shouldn’t be receiving any personal abuse of course. It doesn’t have to be one or another extreme.

He’s not good enough at this level. That’s a fact. His goal contributions, assists, dribbling ability, crossing, passing, in game IQ etc are a level/levels below a top team. Absolutely no shame in that. We are talking about the biggest club in Britain.

All valid points, most of which I agree with. Nobody is complaining about posts such as yours, who give a fair assessment without the added hatred or vile insults.

As you have proven, it is possible to both not rate James and be respectful at the same time.

 

[GioF]

All valid points, most of which I agree with. Nobody is complaining about posts such as yours, who give a fair assessment without the added hatred or vile insults.

As you have proven, it is possible to both not rate James and be respectful at the same time.

Exactly. It’s like banter with opposition fans. When done right it can be fun and constructive with valid points and all done in a good way. Same with not rating a player. Doesn’t have to be a personal attack if you simply don’t think that player is good enough.

 

[United in sin]

Again you're being irrational and resorting to hyperbole. Leeds clearly didn't offer nothing in attack, they scored, carved out another clear cut chance for Rafinha, and worked the ball forward numerous times.

James deserves praise for what he got right, and criticism for what he got wrong. Saying he did nothing right is objectively false, and points to you being simply unable to view his performance objectively. He was correctly the lowest ranked player, and probably will be a lot of times he plays (as he's a lot less talented than the rest of our squad), but there's a huge gap between "worst of an excellent bunch" and "useless 0 out of 10".

You're married to this idea that James is a waste of space, and so every post has to be about justifying that rather than objectively rating his performance. For your own sanity, you should consider changing that, as Ole has some uses for James and so he's gonna be in the squad for the foreseeable future.

He'll be gone next summer at the latest IMO. I wouldn't be surprised if he's loaned out or sold in January depending on how the season goes. I don't see him getting as many minutes as he did last season with the quality we have in attack now

 

[The Hilton]

He'll be gone next summer at the latest IMO. I wouldn't be surprised if he's loaned out or sold in January depending on how the season goes. I don't see him getting as many minutes as he did last season with the quality we have in attack now

I'll be really surprised if that's the case, especially as it looks like we're going to send Amad out on loan.

Once some of the younger players have grown up and developed a bit, then I think we'll look at moving James on.

 

[KikiDaKats]

But there will always be people on social media saying things without substance. I genuinely have no feelings whatsoever for Dan James the person. He’s not a personality I have either warmed to or the opposite and not liked him. So I can base my opinion on him as a footballer solely on his ability.

For me he looks so out of place it’s beyond normal. We’ve had players in the past who just don’t have ‘IT’ to play at United. And that’s fair enough. But he shouldn’t be receiving any personal abuse of course. It doesn’t have to be one or another extreme.

He’s not good enough at this level. That’s a fact. His goal contributions, assists, dribbling ability, crossing, passing, in game IQ etc are a level/levels below a top team. Absolutely no shame in that. We are talking about the biggest club in Britain.

What's this level, I keep hearing about? You mean the Premiership?
I remember much worst players winning the league or champions league. What disqualifies a good player from competing at the highest level?
People seem to forget we had a Valencia that kept shinning people but he was ahead of Nani who I preferred. People accepted his ability to contribute in other ways when things are not going his way was a bonus.
Not arguing James is a better player than anyone in the team but he has proven to be useful in many games. That deserves more recognition than these falsehoods we keep getting rammed down our throat.
Edit: reminds me of the things we used to hear about fletcher and SAF knew better. Just maybe Ole knows better and it's his job that's on the line. He is the one that seems to need him above the so-called better players.

 

[United in sin]

I'll be really surprised if that's the case, especially as it looks like we're going to send Amad out on loan.

Once some of the younger players have grown up and developed a bit, then I think we'll look at moving James on.

So we should persist with James until the biggest young talents grow up a little? Outside England some of our youngsters would probably be regular first teamers or given more of a chance.

Bellingham and Sancho wouldn't have got chances in England at age 17.

Sancho is only a few years older than Amad and Elanga. At least one of Amad, Elanga, Shoretire and Menjbri would probably outperform James this season if given his minutes. Why persist with such a limited soon to be 24 year old winger who still lacks the basics?

 

[The Hilton]

So we should persist with James until the biggest young talents grow up a little? Outside England some of our youngsters would probably be regular first teamers or given more of a chance.

Bellingham and Sancho wouldn't have got chances in England at age 17.

Sancho is only a few years older than Amad and Elanga. At least one of Amad, Elanga, Shoretire and Menjbri would probably outperform James this season if given his minutes. Why persist with such a limited soon to be 24 year old winger who still lacks the basics?

Every player you mentioned shares the same shortcomings compared to James - youth, inexperience, and being physically lightweight. If they come into the first team early, and don't perform, or make a mistake, it could damage their confidence long term.

The one who does look ready is Amad, but he'd be better served going out on loan to play regularly rather than hanging around for a few minutes here or there.

So yes, we should (and Ole will) "persist with James" for the time being - it's not like he's gonna be a regular starter, but he'll be a useful member of the squad to test the more accomplished players we have.

 

[criticalanalysis]

Seeing it from that angle, I think it's decent shooting position and the right decision (doesn't seem like he has any open passing options). He just isn't particularly good at shooting (he scuffed the second shot he took), but it's worth mentioning he gets into some good positions.

Anyway, he's probably 3rd choice player on both left and right wing, I don't mind having him in the team. First game of the season, I'm sure he'll get better. The only doubts I have are about his decision making, he doesn't seem to be useful when he has too much time to think.

The likes of Amad and Elanga will get their chances but not on the opening game vs Leeds.

Yes I was going to say the same. The issue with James is that sometimes he genuinely makes poor decisions and then sometimes, he makes the right decision but has poor execution so his productivity can overall be poor.

He gets into good positions for shooting, crossing, passing and/or receiving the ball but often it's either under or over cooked.

For that shot in the tweet, IIRC, I think the ball was played from a central position into his feet where he was at the edge of the 6 yard box. A better touch and he would have had a better angle or better technique (across goal low and hard or just going for the wonder and beating the keeper at the top upright) would have been a better shot. Even a dummy shot/hesitation to take it on his left, go for the far post or take it down byline again for a cutback. Anything else could have been much better.

I said it previously but it does seem like his confidence has taking a hit. As if the lack of consistent minutes and perhaps level we require is making his second guess himself or play with a bit of hesistation. I think sometimes he just needs to take the ball and run at the defenders.

 

[Shane88]

His decision making is the main problem. He's making too many poor decision making and decision making in final third is not something you can coach easily at his age now. It's either a gift or you develop them from a kid.

I still remember this moment, he had zero reason to shoot from that angle and if he's a winger, his natural instinct should tell you not to shoot but looking to pass or cross from that angle. So I wouldn't blame McTominay and Greenwood reaction.

Although, he has very good attitude as a footballer, which is why Ole likes him. On top of that, he's on very low wages.

Nothing wrong with him shooting from there.

Greenwood's call for the cutback is ridiculous and would be intercepted every time.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Nothing wrong with him shooting from there.

Greenwood's call for the cutback is ridiculous and would be intercepted every time.

I think the chance is gone by the time he gets set to shoot. McTominay scores if he lays it off, though.

 

[DepaysCowboyHat]

He's actually a pretty good footballer and does his job well, just very very limited skillset. Always a little infuriating to watch, but a nice option to have around. Never gonna be a starter here.
Those are the facts and no need to slander the man or talk sh*t.

 

[Deleted 112447]

If you had to pick one now, who would you have starting on the right wing. Dan James or Bebe?

James is very, very good at a number of aspects. His positioning to be an option on the counter, carrying the ball and switch of play is superb, something even Pep mentioned to some degree and Bielsa was desperate to add. Tactical awareness and defending, from press or supporting the full back are things he excels at and it is in part thanks to him and these abilities that we got some wonderful results against City and some other big games.

Does he do my head in that he's so poor of making the most out of those well taken positions? Of course. But this complete under rating of him as a nothing footballer is just too much.

 

[Adam-Utd]

James is very, very good at a number of aspects. His positioning to be an option on the counter, carrying the ball and switch of play is superb, something even Pep mentioned to some degree and Bielsa was desperate to add. Tactical awareness and defending, from press or supporting the full back are things he excels at and it is in part thanks to him and these abilities that we got some wonderful results against City and some other big games.

Does he do my head in that he's so poor of making the most out of those well taken positions? Of course. But this complete under rating of him as a nothing footballer is just too much.

I was semi joking, but i'm genuinely not sure he is being under rated. People keep describing what he's good at, but none of that is actually with a football.

James seems to have invented a new role, it's the 'inverted footballer'.

Doesn't actually do anything with the ball, but runs a lot off it. He creates space and works hard defensively pressing from the front.

Maybe for the likes or Brighton or Leeds that could become invaluable, but not at united.

 

[Mickson]

I was semi joking, but i'm genuinely not sure he is being under rated. People keep describing what he's good at, but none of that is actually with a football.

James seems to have invented a new role, it's the 'inverted footballer'.

Doesn't actually do anything with the ball, but runs a lot off it. He creates space and works hard defensively pressing from the front.

Maybe for the likes or Brighton or Leeds that could become invaluable, but not at united.

People just keep lowering their standards. At no point have we had such a limited player who has been playing fairly regularly for United in an attacking position during my lifetime. I saw some comparisons with Park, which is laughable. James is a very poor footballer and that's the way it is, I just don't get why people keep defending him. I agree that he could do a job as a runner for Leeds, but he doesn't belong at United and as it is, he just takes up playing time from Amad, Hannibal and Elanga. That he started against Leeds provoked me. Dortmund started one player born in 2004, one in 2003 and one in 2002 against Bayern yesterday but Ole must play the limited James before... say Hannibal (born 2003). I don't get it. If he says we should trust youth, he should do it and not just talk about it. He needs to take some risk, although I don't think it's much of a risk playing Amad instead of James but there you go. Yes we won 5-1 and I think Ole's general gameplan and squad selection were very good, but can anyone really say that James was the correct choice?

 

[Deleted 112447]

I was semi joking, but i'm genuinely not sure he is being under rated. People keep describing what he's good at, but none of that is actually with a football.

James seems to have invented a new role, it's the 'inverted footballer'.

Doesn't actually do anything with the ball, but runs a lot off it. He creates space and works hard defensively pressing from the front.

Maybe for the likes or Brighton or Leeds that could become invaluable, but not at united.

He is good at carrying the ball at speed and that makes him a major threat on the counter, good end product or not, any team we play against has to respect that.

Look, I'm not saying he is first 11 material, but he has valuable qualities and for a now maybe 4th or 5th option with everyone fit, we could do a lot worse. We can't have 4 or 5 can do it all options for the wing. He is limited yes, but at 23 he has time to improve. We are being way to harsh on him and if those qualities would have been useless for United, he would not have played so much.

 

[Ace of Spades]

People just keep lowering their standards. At no point have we had such a limited player who has been playing fairly regularly for United in an attacking position during my lifetime. I saw some comparisons with Park, which is laughable. James is a very poor footballer and that's the way it is, I just don't get why people keep defending him. I agree that he could do a job as a runner for Leeds, but he doesn't belong at United and as it is, he just takes up playing time from Amad, Hannibal and Elanga. That he started against Leeds provoked me. Dortmund started one player born in 2004, one in 2003 and one in 2002 against Bayern yesterday but Ole must play the limited James before... say Hannibal (born 2003). I don't get it. If he says we should trust youth, he should do it and not just talk about it. He needs to take some risk, although I don't think it's much of a risk playing Amad instead of James but there you go. Yes we won 5-1 and I think Ole's general gameplan and squad selection were very good, but can anyone really say that James was the correct choice?

Amad did not train with the team, Elanga is injured and Hannibal is not considered for a wing role.

I agree that James is very average though.

 

[romufc]

People just keep lowering their standards. At no point have we had such a limited player who has been playing fairly regularly for United in an attacking position during my lifetime. I saw some comparisons with Park, which is laughable. James is a very poor footballer and that's the way it is, I just don't get why people keep defending him. I agree that he could do a job as a runner for Leeds, but he doesn't belong at United and as it is, he just takes up playing time from Amad, Hannibal and Elanga. That he started against Leeds provoked me. Dortmund started one player born in 2004, one in 2003 and one in 2002 against Bayern yesterday but Ole must play the limited James before... say Hannibal (born 2003). I don't get it. If he says we should trust youth, he should do it and not just talk about it. He needs to take some risk, although I don't think it's much of a risk playing Amad instead of James but there you go. Yes we won 5-1 and I think Ole's general gameplan and squad selection were very good, but can anyone really say that James was the correct choice?

Agendas Agendas agendas...

James is not playing fairly regularly, He made 15 PL appearances last season. 11 Starts, none in the CL so I am not sure hoe 11/38 is fairly regularly.

Second point, Can you show me games where Hanibal plays as a winger? For club or country?

Lets compare Dortmund... Dortmund are not playing and trying to challenge in the PL. There is a big difference btw.

James was the right choice for the game because: 1. He gives counter attacking threat. 2. He has energy and that's required against Leeds. 3. He can track back. 4. Sancho wasn't ready. 5. Rashford is Injured. 6. Cavani isn't ready. 7. Martial wasn't ready.

 

[Mickson]

Agendas Agendas agendas...

James is not playing fairly regularly, He made 15 PL appearances last season. 11 Starts, none in the CL so I am not sure hoe 11/38 is fairly regularly.

Second point, Can you show me games where Hanibal plays as a winger? For club or country?

Lets compare Dortmund... Dortmund are not playing and trying to challenge in the PL. There is a big difference btw.

James was the right choice for the game because: 1. He gives counter attacking threat. 2. He has energy and that's required against Leeds. 3. He can track back. 4. Sancho wasn't ready. 5. Rashford is Injured. 6. Cavani isn't ready. 7. Martial wasn't ready.

Haha agenda, or you can just realize that he is arguably the worst player to play 70+ times for United.

Hannibal has played as a winger for the first team as well as U23 and his national team. Also, he is a better player than James, and most importantly: he has a future here and is a future star.

Dortmund reached the quarter-final in CL and has arguably been a better team than United in the last 5-8 years.

So he played because he can "track back". And Hannibal can't? Elanga can't? Elanga can't counter? Hannibal can't? Energy. Cmon, you are just giving me cliches. Hannibal is energy personified. Elanga too. I did not see any counter attack from James during the game. Martial isn't ready? Well, I don't know, I do know though that he had trained for a while and also started a friendly. If I'm guessing, Ole just preferred James in this game and that is a problem I have. We are Man United and should not start a "defensive" winger or someone whose strengths are tracking back, energy and running.

 

[RedSky]

James is not playing fairly regularly, He made 15 PL appearances last season. 11 Starts, none in the CL so I am not sure hoe 11/38 is fairly regularly.

To be fair, he's played 3278 mins of PL football out of a possible 6930. That's a grand total of 47%. If there's one thing James can't say is not being given a chance. He's had ample opportunity since coming here.

 

[romufc]

To be fair, he's played 3278 mins of PL football out of a possible 6930. That's a grand total of 47%. If there's one thing James can't say is not being given a chance. He's had ample opportunity since coming here.

Yes, and that suits the agenda of some people. If you also look at how hes been used over the years then you'd know that Ole knows he needs more quality. Its not like Ole signed James and decided he is first choice I don't need more...

He played Greenwood there, Mata, Rashford.

In his first season he did get us 4 goals 7 assists when we all knew its a transition season.

 

[romufc]

Haha agenda, or you can just realize that he is arguably the worst player to play 70+ times for United.

Hannibal has played as a winger for the first team as well as U23 and his national team. Also, he is a better player than James, and most importantly: he has a future here and is a future star.

Dortmund reached the quarter-final in CL and has arguably been a better team than United in the last 5-8 years.

So he played because he can "track back". And Hannibal can't? Elanga can't? Elanga can't counter? Hannibal can't? Energy. Cmon, you are just giving me cliches. Hannibal is energy personified. Elanga too. I did not see any counter attack from James during the game. Martial isn't ready? Well, I don't know, I do know though that he had trained for a while and also started a friendly. If I'm guessing, Ole just preferred James in this game and that is a problem I have. We are Man United and should not start a "defensive" winger or someone whose strengths are tracking back, energy and running.

Okay show me.... where he has played on the wing? Or is your source "trust me, I know"?

Martial words himself - It will take him a few more weeks. Obvs you know more than martial himself.
https://www.goal.com/en/news/martia...months-out-man-utd/19eogcu1tjnez1kavhtuom318k

Re Elanga - So you would rather play an injured player than Dan James? That is ofcourse an agenda.

Well, this is why Ole is the manager and not you, he picks a team to win rather than who is flavour of the month.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Agendas Agendas agendas...

James is not playing fairly regularly, He made 15 PL appearances last season. 11 Starts, none in the CL so I am not sure hoe 11/38 is fairly regularly.

Second point, Can you show me games where Hanibal plays as a winger? For club or country?

Lets compare Dortmund... Dortmund are not playing and trying to challenge in the PL. There is a big difference btw.

James was the right choice for the game because: 1. He gives counter attacking threat. 2. He has energy and that's required against Leeds. 3. He can track back. 4. Sancho wasn't ready. 5. Rashford is Injured. 6. Cavani isn't ready. 7. Martial wasn't ready.

Energy and can track back. Love that. Only in United attacking player is rated because of that. Goal scoring ability, technique, dribble, skill...who needs that when he can track back.

Every player can track back. Every player has energy. When we signed James, i said that he will be new Lingard. Someone who will play one good game then and there and people will rate him because of his energy, desire and shit like that. And that is happening with James. All he needs is one good run down the wing and one good cross and he will be "excellent squad option".

Attacking players with skill win you games. Not players who "work they socks off".

 

[romufc]

Energy and can track back. Love that. Only in United attacking player is rated because of that. Goal scoring ability, technique, dribble, skill...who needs that when he can track back.

Every player can track back. Every player has energy. When we signed James, i said that he will be new Lingard. Someone who will play one good game then and there and people will rate him because of his energy, desire and shit like that. And that is happening with James. All he needs is one good run down the wing and one good cross and he will be "excellent squad option".

Attacking players with skill win you games. Not players who "work they socks off".

I don't think anyone on here including me thinks he should start every game.

However; on the first game of the season against what is meant to be a very energetic Leeds side where we dont have Rashford, Cavani, Sancho, Martial, Lingard, I would 100% agree with Ole starting James because you know what he will give you.

I am not expecting world class from him, he is a squad player that is useful in some games, and what start Hannibal, or injured Elanga because what they scored a few goals in U23?