Great tonight, rock solid.
Hope he'll get some well deserved praise considering the stick he's getting for a while now.
Hope he'll get some well deserved praise considering the stick he's getting for a while now.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 36
- Clean sheets
- 18
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 0
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
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If he plays well we seem to keep a clean sheet no matter how shit his partner is playing. It was the story of the first half of last season.
My MOTM... Amazingly he probably did the least amount of stupid things of anyone in our team.
Reserve your judgment for the cup final if he will play there and not for domination against the minnows of Leicester, Watford, St Etienne, Blackburn etc. that are around his level. I didn't managw to watch the game today but undoubtedly there would have been a moment in it where he made some kind of error.
He'll likely not play at least one of the next three games and I hope it's the cup final. I wouldn't trust him at all in a meaningful game as he's always got a mistake in him and with Gabiaddini currently in good form you'd bet on him to take advantage.
Let's hope Jones is back soon.
I'm pretty sure he's played the most minutes out of anyone since his return from injury, even including De Gea. What makes you think he's gonna be dropped soon when he's coming into great form?
Fixture congestion for one, personal preference for the other.
Not sure if Cassidy is laughing because I didn't watch the match or he made some mistake.
I was laughing at how confident you are about him making a mistake not having watched the game. Its quite funny. He was actually very good today, saved Bailly quite a few times.
So much hate
. Smalling has managed 5 straight clean sheets with two different partners. Who gives a flying feck who he played against? You think Mourinho does? Smalling-Bailly are playing the final if they are fit. All those teams you mentioned can beat a top 6 side on any given day and you know it. Leicester thrashed City just recently and Watford beat Arsenal on their own turf. Before today St. Ettienne were unbeaten in the Europa league and they topped their group. Good to see you're still in hating form but you've been silent ever since Smalling's upturn in form.Great option we have now in CB department where everyone can step in and do a job. Also since they have different attributes it gives us options against different opponent. When we need to good teamwork and understanding, moving the ball quicker from the back, RoJones stepped up. When we need physical presence to deal with those who play scrappy, Smalling is ideal. Bailly has great potential and may fit in both categories, but still very inexperienced. They all probably still have room to improve too.
I think he was good defensively tonight but looks so nervy at times. He was our captain tonight but looked terrified to bring the ball out, went for the negative option to often. I can't understand nerves and lack of confidence against them considering our form. I'm not sure on Smalling as a leader, think he's a good player but not convinced with his partnership with Bailly yet. Bailly was erratic tonight, mixed game but he's easily our best centre back. We need to build the defence around him. Maybe it will take time to get an understanding with Mike.
Mourinho loves him. Deal with it. It's hardly surprising, anyway. Mourinho loves blokes that are very good at defending and that's exactly what Smalling is.
I said about two months ago when Jones and Rojo had combined to make up the best defensive partnership in world football that it'd very likely (one way or another) that our centre half pairing is completely different come February or March. Turns out this was spot on. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it changed again.
I said about two months ago when Jones and Rojo had combined to make up the best defensive partnership in world football that it'd very likely (one way or another) that our centre half pairing is completely different come February or March. Turns out this was spot on. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it changed again.
It's written in his contract just like injuries are in Jones'...
I will watch extended highlights sometime on Saturday when I'm off duty and will post that mistake for sure.
While Smalling's distribution is nothing to crave about, today game with Bailly making so many mistake in possession, Smalling's conservative limited passing turned out to balance thing up.
We still haven't really struck the best balance for the team. At times being too focused on defending that affect the build up. Today, try to free the full backs, but being too open at the back and let our CBs too much space to cover. It's an entertaining game but could have been punished dearly vs a more ruthless opponent with the space they were afforded on counter.
So your mission here is ONLY to highlight his mistakes and nothing else? How pathetic
Yes when taken out of context that's what you can boil it down to.
You like adjusting things to suit your argument I've noticed. You also like picking arbitrary periods of times or games to pass judgment on Smalling in particular because it better suits your argument.
I like to be objective and see the whole picture rather than subjective and myopic. If that makes me pathetic then it must be so since you've said it on the internet.
He seems to overcome his shakiness that we saw in previous games. Looked a lot more confident and definitive, which can only be a good thing for Mike.
Yes, pathetic. It means you add nothing to this forum but your biased opinion so there's no point even engaging with you when it comes to Smalling. How the hell am I adjusting anything to 'suit my argument' when you admit to not even watching the game today and go on to pledge your commitment to find a fault in Smalling's performance when you get around to only watching the highlights? Objective? Thats laughable. Pathetic certainly.
Maybe man but I think Smalling doesn't look for the forward pass enough, he seems to be always hesitating and is in two minds. Agree that he did steady things up late on but passed responsibility to Bailly too much. He has the Lvg mindest of back to the keeper/sideways passing still imo. Bailly was careless with his passing but offers much more with distribution than Smalling. I think Valencia and Blind were caught out of position too often tonight and didn't help things. Agree that we haven't found the right balance at the back yet, not far off though.
So my opinion isn't worthy because you don't like it? What makes you think you're the validater or that anyone even takes notice of what you even have to say?
You clearly care about what I have to say since you're so eager to disprove it. If my opinion was so invalid you wouldn't waste so much time arguing about it and you would just ignore it like I do with most of what you have to say.
It's an online football forum, we're all biased. But some of us try to be objective about what we're discussing instead of obsessing with what others have to say, regardless of what that is.
I think Mourinho adjusted our tactic now to suit Smalling that Jones & Rojo having problem with injuries/ fitness. When RoJones were fit & in form, Mourinho tried to balance the work between them with them both have similar level of skillet, especially on ball & similar style. Smalling's inability on ball & the way he prefer to play prevents us to continue that tactic. Not to expose Smalling, it's understandable not to ask too much on him in distribution and to have him play simple. When doing defending, it's better to afford Smalling freedom to anticipate the final ball, man marking the target than asking him to take responsibility the assigned zone when he doesn't have as good understanding with his partner as RoJones.
I believe it's Mourinho's tactic & no longer the LVG's philosophy leftover clinging on Smalling's mindset. Evidence lies with the role Smalling seems to be assigned now is different than under LVG. Since the last few games Smalling has been playing the sweeper role instead of stopper. Under LVG's it's the opposite.
Carrying on with the baseless arguments, I haven't watched the game yet (only just finished work) but the one thing that worries me about our CBs is passing. It's the one reason I'd contemplate signing one.
I have given up hope on Smalling ever improved his passing to a good level. I am more inclined to have Smalling being managed his game time in game when he can use his best attributes as well as play simple. IMO, Rojones is our best pair at building form the back. I do believe them to have Bailly has great potential but still very far from final article in every department. And these 3 would still have room for improvement. I think we have enough CB options for first team with some other young CB from the academy may come knock at the door the next year. Of course, this has to take in mind the fitness/ injury issue we often face in the defense. This year we fare little better with injury but it never really goes away.
So while I don't disagree to anyone wanting another CB just in case; I am a little idealist here wanting to leave the door for the younger defenders to take their claim in the first team; as well as hoping RoJones & Bailly to step up, while Smalling having his role in game which suited him.
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Im not obsessed with your bullshit. Nice to see Smalling silenced you though, because before Smalling started picking up form, before the last five clean sheets you were perma-camped in this thread reminding us how terrible he is after every performance that didn't meet your standards. Im not the one repeating the same tired BS in a thread for a player I don't rate. You're one sided and you're full of nothing but disdain for Smalling. Pathetic all day in my books. We don't have to discuss anything else in this thread
Fit and on form he's one of the five best defenders in the league. Imagine a partnership of him and Van Djik
Fair play to @Ultimate Grib , he admits he has an agenda. Be sure to find that one mistake, I'm sure you'll manage.
You seem to have a habit of making wild assumptions without any knowledge. You are suggesting that since my last post in this thread I haven't been online because Smalling had a few good performances when the reality of which you couldn't possibly know is of course completely different. So different that you wouldn't be able to fathom it even if I told you.
I came on here because I got an alert from you. I haven't even watched the game so I don't see how I can be camped here to pass judgment on his performance. If there's something truly pathetic here it's your wild assumptions.
Yes my life is that dull that I have dedicated my life's work to find Smalling's mistakes.
Twonk.
Was very good yesterday I thought.
Fantastic to have 4 very good CBs and not having issues when any 2 of them are selected. Not many clubs can be so comfortable if their first choice are missing.
I was impressed with Chris tonight he looked very solid and minded the house very well.
You do chat a lot of shite though. Is Smalling capable of playing well in your eyes, or are you so blinded by your criticism of him? I'd call that an agenda.
So I presume you will go into every other player's performance threads and post all the mistakes they make, every game?
And watch matches in replay to look for their mistakes - that's re-watching a game 11 times seeing as you need to focus a lot of attention to wrong positioning, passing, team play, finding openings, technique, shooting, heading etc. That's a lot of work to be objective!
Agree wholeheartedly with these sentiments although I'm left scratching my head somewhat as personally I think all of our back four where less than commanding yesterday - particularly in the first half. Were I to have been a St Etienne supporter I'd have been more than slightly disappointed at not having scored by half time in fact I'd have been screaming at the missed chances.
But at least he'll see the whole picture
I think they were not fully focused and Jose criticized the mentality in the post match. Must have been boots flying all over in the dressing room after the first half.
You said it,not me.
Was at old Trafford last night and his aerial dominance was really telling. Won everything in the air.
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