"Of all time"....??
Daley Blind | Ajax Performances
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"Of all time"....??
He was the player I was least excited about when van Gaal brought in 6 players in his first season. Turns out he would become my favourite of the lot, and maybe my favourite player post Ferguson. Wish he was still here. Him, Lindelof, Smalling and a new signing in the summer would've been ideal.
If he was such a vital part why couldn’t he nail down a position for himself in the first team. As a wing back, he was outpaced. As a centre back he was out muscled and as a CDM he was out maneuvered - when it really mattered. Don’t get me wrong, I held him in very high regard. But for people to be upset with his sale *now* that he’s performing in another league, is a bit unfair.
I mean I could go back and scour those posts in the relevant threads, but ain’t nobody got time for that.
I believe you for what it’s worth. I liked him too. Never celebrated his departure, but did tacitly agree it was the right decision at the time, as part of the start of a general cleanup and squad upgrade. Problem is that the cleanup hasn’t really continued the way it should have
I lamented him leaving last summer, but I too agreed it might be for the best at the time. But not for us though. For Blind himself because Mourinho clearly didnt see him as anything other than a leftback and I dont think he was very good for us in that position, I'd say thats where he struggled the most.
For me I liked him in midfield in his first season, then when he started playing CB I took longer to warm to him but I thought he did a good job next to Smalling in his final season as a CB. Then Mourinho came in and stuck him at leftback where I feel like he got beat too often and eventually he lost his place.
I always hoped he would come back to CM with Carrick nearing the end but it never happened. He was player of the season in the netherlands right before we signed him and that was playing a passing CM role. For me he should still be at the club playing that role now, but it looks like Fred is getting that chance instead.
Do you post on United's Facebook page by any chance?
He was a good player for us but we’re not exactly crying out for him are we? It was best for all parties that he moved on.
He would improve us in 2 positions - Ball playing CB and he did better in Fred's role than Fred has done so far. So, what more than 2 positions do you need to be "crying out" for him?
Yeah, that's simply not true. It was a preconceived criticism of him that never actually came to pass.
Then we have posts like this. It's like this poster never even watched him play. Blind played as our last defender and was almost never done in 1-on-1s, he was out muscled no more than many other defenders in the league, and was part of the best defense we've had post post Ferguson.
Pretty much. He has a certain skillset, and from a personal point of view he’s much better off playing in a league that gets the most of that. Even if he was solid for us here, we can do better and so can he.
56 appearances in one season. How didn't he nail down his position? Mourinho's obsession with size doesn't change the facts.
No he wasn't outpaced, outmuscled or out manoeuvred. People like you claimed he would be every single game and time and time again he wasn't just for you to claim he would be again the next game ignoring the actual facts that he rarely was.
Best defence. Not necessarily best defenders. Part of the reason we barely scored that season was because we were prioritising two midfielders to screen the defence. I liked Blind but let's not rewrite history to claim he was ever more than what should be a squad level player for us.
The prev manager just don't rate him as CB anymore after the defensive mess vs City (1st season), he was the first chosen partner to Bailly up until that game.
He played as CB again the year later in EL finale where we won. Never seen again as CB.
Played as CB almost every game in LVG's final season.
Anyhow, Mourinho only rate and play him mainly as LB from then on, where he's so inconsistent -- great in attacks but often exposed defensively <-- Mou hate that. So he get drop for Darmian (1st season) and Young (2nd season), mainly becoming bench-warmer. He also tried Blind in midfield (2nd season only) and his performance is nothing impressive, just okay. Seriously though his creative talent is wasted in Mou's 2nd season system. Even our other midfielder (Pogba) struggled for consistency.
Maybe he would excel better in Ole's system becoming a key player? Or continue to be just a squad player which we already have too plenty. Idk. He's not getting younger though and the team need to move on and plan long-term squad building with younger players.
He played as CB again the year later in EL finale where we won. Never seen again as CB.
Played as CB almost every game in LVG's final season.
- Didn't get beaten in the air,
- didn't get beaten physically,
- didn't get beaten by trickery, and
- didn't get beaten by pace.
Anyhow, Mourinho only rate and play him mainly as LB from then on, where he's so inconsistent -- great in attacks but often exposed defensively <-- Mou hate that. So he get drop for Darmian (1st season) and Young (2nd season), mainly becoming bench-warmer. He also tried Blind in midfield (2nd season only) and his performance is nothing impressive, just okay. Seriously though his creative talent is wasted in Mou's 2nd season system. Even our other midfielder (Pogba) struggled for consistency.
Maybe he would excel better in Ole's system becoming a key player? Or continue to be just a squad player which we already have too plenty. Idk. He's not getting younger though and the team need to move on and plan long-term squad building with younger players.
I don't disagree that was his level for us, and Van Gaal's dire safety-first football had much to do with our good defensive record, but in a squad with the amount of deadwood ours has it's a shame such a good versatile player as Blind was the first out. I don't begrudge him his move in the slightest; it's clear he was an unfortunate casualty of a dysfunctional club rather than being surplus to requirements at the time he left.
He was the best defender we had during that period. Of course our structure helped, but it falls by the wayside if he doesn't do his job well. We've been just as passive under Jose and looked nowhere near as solid.
I don't know why there is this eagerness to underplay his contribution, it's as though some posters, I'm not saying you specifically, don't want to admit they were wrong about him. Every game he was going to be 'found out' by stronger or faster players, and 9 times out of 10 he came through the came largely untroubled.
I'm not saying he's some incredible defender, but he's certainly better than the credit given him. He's been a great asset if he was still at the club, not only at CB but elsewhere too.
Daley Blind is now officially by far the most overrated United player ever. He's a passenger on a fantastic Ajax side. He clearly wasnt good enough for the premier league. He had some shocking performances for United. Also some good ones against lesser opponents, but stuff like one of the best United players of all time?
Mental stuff.
Mental stuff.
You don't know what I "claimed" back then. Makes no sense for you to assume and then ascribe something that is clearly only in your head. And going by what you're saying right now, one would be forgiven for inferring that it's Dani Alves or Marcelo we're talking about.
This.
Lindelof is younger and better than Blind. I'm glad we replaced him with him since there was only one spot for that type of centre back.
Its the same as with Smalling and people claiming he'll be found out by VAR or that he has a mistake in him every game, or he'll lose the ball because hes not great on the ball
All the facts and data says otherwise. But those posters want it to happen so they can say "aha I was right!". Even though some of these things would have been after years of claims and if it hasnt happened yet, then even if it did happen once it wouldnt prove their point because of all the games where it hasnt happened.
So yeah Blind usually did well when he was expected not to, a bit like Lindelof's good run of games where he was okay against one or two forward players who win a lot of headers while he made a small amount of headers for a CB. He played a couple of those matches and did well enough in the air so I obviously have to say okay, hes shown he can do it and I'm not nervous about it anymore.
But some of these other posters dont accept that they've been wrong and will keep suggesting something might happen, when it factually hasnt happened each time he goes out and plays.
For Blind it was headers, not being fast enough, not being strong enough, etc. You can maybe think of 1 time or something where each of these might have cost us, which over the course of more than one season as CB if I recall, 3 times is nothing
That's like the bat signal to some posters, be careful
I was one of his biggest fans all along and was disappointed we sold him, but there is a strong feeling in this thread that we sold one of our best players and he's proving it to us all now. He played so much because LVG loved those little triangles with the sitting midfielders and Blind was the only one who could do it. He was a very capable player but he was hardly head and shoulders above those around him, and him now doing well in a third tier league doesn't change that.
Possibly a better out and out defender. Blind was much better on the ball
The problem with Blind is that everything he does is one gear too slow for the top level. If football was a slightly slower sport, he'd be amazing. Alas, it's not and he's average.
What’s the point boys, he’s gone.
I love the fact that by saying positive things about Blind seems to agitate and hurt some posters 
Some calling it a bat signal when we say Blind was one of our better players of the squad.
It's as its said by @Ekeke - they had made a preconceived perception of Blind and to think that he was not good enough to atleast be our 3rd best CB is pretty Blind in itself. I remember this happening on this forum on the very first day Blind played at LCB and many fans were already worried about his potential performances. He hardly made a mistake but they couldn't believe that this CDM was suddenly doing more than well for us at CB
The guy would have been great as a player that helps us counter attack by passing from deep CB that he did absolutely every game. He would have been great every time we play 3 at the back with the ability to come out forward as a libero. He would have been a decent option to have in midfield to atleast have somebody in the squad rather than no body who can dictate the tempo of our game.
A mistake to sell him & what he does for Ajax or Netherlands doesn't change the fact of what I saw him do for us alongside players like Smalling. He was the first time post SAF that we as a club had an 8/10 defence atleast consistently - and it is hardly ever seen anymore these days from Bailly, Lindelof, Rojo, Smalling and Jones.
Ultimately, selling players like Blind whilst keeping the likes of Rojo is a depletion to our squad. It's the same thing I saw with Martial, if he isn't good enough to start every game as a key player then fine, let him be a good quality squad player for us.
That is how we build a strong squad - not by selling every half decent player we have whilst keeping the cr*p ones.
Some calling it a bat signal when we say Blind was one of our better players of the squad.
It's as its said by @Ekeke - they had made a preconceived perception of Blind and to think that he was not good enough to atleast be our 3rd best CB is pretty Blind in itself. I remember this happening on this forum on the very first day Blind played at LCB and many fans were already worried about his potential performances. He hardly made a mistake but they couldn't believe that this CDM was suddenly doing more than well for us at CB
The guy would have been great as a player that helps us counter attack by passing from deep CB that he did absolutely every game. He would have been great every time we play 3 at the back with the ability to come out forward as a libero. He would have been a decent option to have in midfield to atleast have somebody in the squad rather than no body who can dictate the tempo of our game.
A mistake to sell him & what he does for Ajax or Netherlands doesn't change the fact of what I saw him do for us alongside players like Smalling. He was the first time post SAF that we as a club had an 8/10 defence atleast consistently - and it is hardly ever seen anymore these days from Bailly, Lindelof, Rojo, Smalling and Jones.
Ultimately, selling players like Blind whilst keeping the likes of Rojo is a depletion to our squad. It's the same thing I saw with Martial, if he isn't good enough to start every game as a key player then fine, let him be a good quality squad player for us.
That is how we build a strong squad - not by selling every half decent player we have whilst keeping the cr*p ones.
That's hardly surprising when he was a converted midfielder, and it shows. Blind's anticipation was good but when he got it wrong it went really wrong because he was so out of position and had no recovery runs. I see no reason to utilise a player with such a glaring hole in his game. Bare in mind I do not want any of our centre backs except for Lindelof and Smalling.
Glad my man is doing well.
Again apparently he gets beat by pace, height, spirituality or whatever bollocks.
Wonderful player & ajax have improved with him in the team whilst they have many great young players already to boot.
Again apparently he gets beat by pace, height, spirituality or whatever bollocks.
Wonderful player & ajax have improved with him in the team whilst they have many great young players already to boot.
We sold him
Well done Manchester United.
CB/LB this guy is a better option than everyone we had.
CB/LB this guy is a better option than everyone we had.
Thanks again, Mourinho
The only player we had with a football IQ
Shame we didn't bring in a more progressive manager in after van Gaal to build on what he was trying to do. Instead, we brought in the opposite, had to start from scratch, losing one of our best performing players post Sir Alex in the process because he was small.
Now, we're back to the beginning of that cycle. Starting from scratch with a squad full of different styles again.
Now, we're back to the beginning of that cycle. Starting from scratch with a squad full of different styles again.
I said this at the time and was laughed at.
If we only had a left fullback like him.
Every team is playing out from the back and English hoofers like Smalling, Jones and Young were valued over this guy.
Happy for him. Funny how we actually sign a decent player, completely mismanage him and blame it on him being shit. Our club just drains talent.
I'd still sign him back. Great player.
Whilst I agree he has become vastly overrated since leaving, I think you're doing his time at United a disservice. He had some very good performances against top opposition too. He wasn't just the type to turn up when we're up against muck. He was very consistent under LvG, especially 15/16.
Hes not the answer to our problems by any stretch, but he was decent for us. All in all, I don't see what supposedly separates him from Lindelof, other than the latter costing twice as much.
Why would he leave Ajax for us. They have direction. That move was an upgrade for him.
And this was what LVG was trying to fix by calling it a philosophy - how every club should have a fixed way of playing to atleast drop back to.
We have nothing now.
LVG was good for us and I don't care what tripe people come up with afterwards. If we had given him 3 years then ask a homegrown manager like butt, Giggs or ole to take over we would have one solid style at United.
Over the fecking moon for him. I’ve said it already in this thread but I love him as a player and was gutted we sold him. Lovely footballer and the absolute dross at this club instead of him is a fecking joke.
Go on yersel Daley.
Go on yersel Daley.