Smalling and Jones are still our best CB pairing

RedSky

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SilentWitness said:
Most seasons he's missed 10 or so games through injury. For a 29 year old at 20m that's too much of a risk. That's what i meant by it.

He's nowhere near as bad as someone like Jones of course who is injury prone.
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Incorrect. https://www.transfermarkt.com/chris-smalling/verletzungen/spieler/103427

That injury record is about normal for an outfield player aged 29 as far as I know. To put that into perspective, he's missed 58 games due to injury in his career, your new fella Fabian Delph has missed 112. They're both the same age. That means Smalling has missed 6.4 games on average per season for us. Which when you consider we play in Europe as well as both cups isn't too bad. Probably equates to say 3/4 PL games a season.

It's just this misconception that got thrown around last season by people who hated Smalling and so made up shit.

edit - Nice edit by the way ;)
 

SilentWitness

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RedSky said:
Incorrect. https://www.transfermarkt.com/chris-smalling/verletzungen/spieler/103427

That injury record is about normal for an outfield player aged 29 as far as I know. To put that into perspective, he's missed 58 games due to injury in his career, your new fella Fabian Delph has missed 112. They're both the same age. That means Smalling has missed 6.4 games on average per season for us. Which when you consider we play in Europe as well as both cups isn't too bad. Probably equates to say 3/4 PL games a season.

It's just this misconception that got thrown around last season by people who hated Smalling and so made up shit.

edit - Nice edit by the way ;)
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Delph adds depth in more than one position and was half the price that was touted for Smalling though which is why he's worth that risk. I didn't say that Smalling was injury prone, but a risk in terms of injury. I still stand by that and what I posted in terms of him missing 5-10 games a year. The fact that his two most recent injuries have been foot injuries may indicate it could be a further recurring one in the latter stages of his career and 20m was too much for us to consider that risk while considering all factors.
 

roonster09

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RedSky said:
Incorrect. https://www.transfermarkt.com/chris-smalling/verletzungen/spieler/103427

That injury record is about normal for an outfield player aged 29 as far as I know. To put that into perspective, he's missed 58 games due to injury in his career, your new fella Fabian Delph has missed 112. They're both the same age. That means Smalling has missed 6.4 games on average per season for us. Which when you consider we play in Europe as well as both cups isn't too bad. Probably equates to say 3/4 PL games a season.

It's just this misconception that got thrown around last season by people who hated Smalling and so made up shit.

edit - Nice edit by the way ;)
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I think the misconception is because people can't separate Smalling and Jones. I will never understand why people can't rate them individually after nearly 9 seasons.
 

RedSky

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SilentWitness said:
Delph adds depth in more than one position and was half the price that was touted for Smalling though which is why he's worth that risk. I didn't say that Smalling was injury prone, but a risk in terms of injury. I still stand by that and what I posted in terms of him missing 5-10 games a year. The fact that his two most recent injuries have been foot injuries may indicate it could be a further recurring one in the latter stages of his career and 20m was too much for us to consider that risk while considering all factors.
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20m is feck all in todays climate though for a player who isn't injury prone. You've just signed a player in Delph who is injury prone and wanted Marcos Rojo on loan who is the very embodiment of injuries. Doesn't seem to be something your club really gives a shit about. I don't think you need a CB anyway, you need to trust your youth players instead. Something that Silva seems to have big issues in doing.
 

Red00012

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Jacob said:
Jones will see very little play time. Smalling seems to be first in line to rotate when Maguire/Lindelöf needs to rest. Considering that we're in Europa league, there will be very few league games that CBs needs to be rested in.
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Tuanzebe was on the bench Sunday Smalling wasn’t.
 

SilentWitness

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RedSky said:
20m is feck all in todays climate though for a player who isn't injury prone. You've just signed a player in Delph who is injury prone and wanted Marcos Rojo on loan who is the very embodiment of injuries. Doesn't seem to be something your club really gives a shit about. I don't think you need a CB anyway, you need to trust your youth players instead. Something that Silva seems to have big issues in doing.
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Yeah but you're ignoring the other reasons why I think we weren't interested in Smalling - his age and the types of players we are generally interested in under Brands and Silva. Players who are over 28ish are only being brought in if they offer experience/versatility that we are lacking or on loan - Smalling doesn't offer the versatility and while he offers the experience Keane covers that and we'd rather blood in Mina or another to do so. I don't believe any of the Rojo stuff one bit. Two summer windows have gone by and we've apparently been mega interested in signing him in the last couple of days and it amounts to nothing - bit weird that. I hope we see a lot of Gibson this year - he was good in preseason.
 

Ducklegs

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crossy1686 said:
Darmian and Rojo say hi.
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Hopefully them as well.

Its sickening to think the club is pissing away a million pounds a week plus on wages for players who are not just complete shit, but are never going to play.
 
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RedPed

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Jacob said:
Jones will see very little play time. Smalling seems to be first in line to rotate when Maguire/Lindelöf needs to rest. Considering that we're in Europa league, there will be very few league games that CBs needs to be rested in.
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Where do you get that from?
 

sunama

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Ikon said:
Having seen the first outing for Maguire & Lindelof, doesn't it make you realize just how very badly our standards had slipped since Rio & Vidic...?
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Correct.
I commented during the match when we were 2-0 up. I was confident that we would not concede 3 goals (to lose the match), in the remaining 30 minutes.
Had Smalling and Jones been our CBs, I would have absolutely not confidence that we would win the match from that point onwards.

In the past, our managers have asked the midfield to protect our defence, because our defence was so bad. When the ball went past our midfield, the defenders (Smalling, Jones, Baily) couldn't defend and shot was taken on our goal.
With Lindelof, Bissaka and Maguire, even though our midfield were being dominated, when the ball went past the midfield, I was confident that our defence would not allow CFC to get a clean shot on goal.

To argue that Smalling/Jones were any good, is folly. They were terrible. Absolutely crap at defending.

Smalling is mid-table level and Jones's body is not capable of playing football and if released by MUFC would not get another contract with another EPL team.
 

11101

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Save for a big injury to Maguire or Lindelof, Smalling is probably done here. If either of them need a rest or pick up a minor injury he's not capable of slotting in and doing the same job for a game or two. Jones might, but it looks like Tuanzebe is first pick there. Smalling will only get games if Maguire or Lindelof are out long term and we need to go back to sitting back and playing on the back foot.

I for one am delighted. It finally seems like we've stopped lowering standards.
 

The Boy

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Eoin McMahon said:
Why couldn't it have turned out the way it was meant to be. Remember watching the two of them as the starting CB pairing for the England U21s and thinking we have our CB positions sorted for the next 10 years and so do England, ah well injuries always seem to have a say don't they. Jones was some player back then, a lot of people forget he was only 19 when we signed him and was competing with Rio and Vidic for CB from the start. I'll always remember Fergie saying, after a game that Jones was MOTM maybe a season or 2 after Jones had signed, how he could become Man Utd's greatest ever player. Nobody says something like that lightly especially not Ferguson.

Everytime I see the lad play I always remember that quote and its sad to see how injuries have ruined him and it's funny how quick people are to forget and how fast they jump on the bandwagon of hate and mockery of the likes of Jones, Smalling and even Young. Yes they are not good enough for Man Utd anymore and at most squad players but these are 3 of the last players from the Ferguson era, have won the league, know the club inside out and played hundreds of games and did their best and for that they have my respect. I feel all United fans should try to do the same.
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This, they were both so highly rated by everyone, even here on the caf! The Lindelof/Maguire partnership is a vast improvement, but Jones and Smalling deserve alot more respect than they get.
 
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