Mike is a tough dude, he can handle it.
Harry Maguire | Signed
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Jones 27? He's been around for ever.
I'm just doing my part in the "Let's Bash Chris Smalling" thread, and some people seem to be taking it personally.
He was partly responsible for every goal Chelsea scored that day, so naturally the club would leak some excuse on his behalf. That explanation seems far more likely than Mourinho holding a gun to his head and forcing him to play.
Chelsea were really good that year and exposed how bad our defenders really are, Smalling especially. It's as simple as that. If we were playing Fenerbahce at Old Trafford again, like we did a few days before, we probably would have kept another clean sheet. But since we were playing the best team in the league, we conceded four goals, and our defenders were exposed as being crap -- Smalling especially.
Two good players for the same position add less value than one very good player. Maguire plays better than Alderweireld or Konate, whereas neither Alderweireld nor Konate play better than Lindelof. Additionally, Alderweireld is very injury prone whereas Maguire is nearly always fit to play.
All of the posts I have read of his are borderline hysterical. Either people are losing any sort of self awareness or the average age of the 'caf is flatlining below 13 years old. Either or - it's pathetic and tiresome.
Please can you stop posting like this. I’m tired of it now.
That has to be the meaningless stat....as if any one person is responsible for a clean sheet?
If it’s so meaningless why do goalkeepers and defenders get clean sheet bonus’ written into their contracts?
Agreed. I always prefer quality over quantity. Maybe I don't rate Maguire as high as other posters. But you are totally right about that.
IMO we need to strength at least 3 positions this summer. That's why I mentioned that I prefer to improve 2 positions for 80m than just one. Ndidi + talented young CB would be the ideal scenario for me. But then again, that's my personal preference.
You're conflating two different things. Of course if goalkeepers/defenders are part of a side that gets a clean sheet it's not unreasonable to attribute a bonus to the players for that game.
But to use clean sheet stats as a measure of comparing one defender against another is a little arbitrary and pointless. How do you know for example that Smalling (or any other player just to be fair to the Chuckle) wasn't playing like shite in a particular game and had their asses saved by De Gea, which has happened quite frequently in the past. They're going to be accredited with a clean sheet even though they didn't necessarily deserve it and but for the GK would not have had one. It's a meaningless stat.
I'd rather they be measured by tackles won, duels won, pass completion etc. The clean sheet stat is only really relevant to a GK on an individual basis but rewarding the defence as a whole is an added incentive/bonus not to be shite.
How do you know what is written into goalkeepers and defenders contracts?
We can buy Maguire (hopefully we have funds for it), then buy an attacker with Lukaku money (preferably someone who may play as the right forward, but someone like Dybala would also work), and then buy a midfielder with funds raised by deadwood sales (I dont think it would be THAT difficult to sell Darmian for 10m, Rojo for 15m, and Bailly for 25-30m - that's 50-55m already).
Ok, maybe 50m is not enough to buy a good midfielder (these days), but perhaps we could spend 70-80 if 50 are raised via sales of surplus players. It is also a possibility to use Matic as a makeweight in a deal for some very good CDM in case we find one
fecking hell mate are you listening to yourself here? You seriously think Manchester United made up a story about Smalling breaking his toe and then just didn't play him for 8 weeks to make it seem legitimate?
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/563117/Chris-Smalling-injury-Manchester-United-news
For the record Mourinho and the club actually refused to confirm whether he had broken his toe or even what sort of injury he was out with. The type of injury he had wasn't confirmed until January 2017 when Smalling came back.
But hey don't let any of that get in the way of your conspiracy theories mate.
Well obviously I don’t know the contract of every keeper and defender in the world
. But a clean sheet bonus is very common in professional football.
This is the worst post ever
Usually Smalling and Jones perform better when they have a commanding defender besides them.
Can't remember ever seeing Utd so odds on to sign a player but still nothing concrete from any credible sources.
He's a year and a half older than Jesse "youth potential" lingard.
Okay, if the toe injury was so debilitating, why did he play for 90 minutes without a visible limp? Why did United's medical staff, whose job it is to protect him, allow him to play?
Players play with injuries all the time, I'm guessing many with injuries as bad as Smalling's, but rarely use it as an excuse for being crap. And, apparently, this injury is still affecting him because he's still a crap defender. I hope he spends more time out and gets his toe injury properly fixed this time.
Also, The Daily Star is a garbage tabloid, so I'm not reading whatever article you linked to.
No idea. I wouldn't imagine either of them are covered in glory on that front. I was simply pointing out that Jones having far more own goals in him than Smalling was not correct.
Add to that a lot nore injuries and yellow cards.
Neither of them strike me as a leader. Leicester improves dramatically when we brought in Robert Huth to play alongside Wes Morgan. Whilst neither were in the prime of their career, that organisationally ability and game management made us more of a solid unit.
Dropping in younger players, is what you lose when this happens. Experience does go a long way. It’s one of the things that Liverpool gained with VVD.
For the record, Maguire isn’t a defensive Marshall (currently). Crazy as it may sound to you guys, Johnny Evans made Maguire look better last season.
I find your point in bold high unlikely although not impossible and would extremely happy, if it happened
Lets hope you have other targets eh? 
Not sure whats going on, and judging by what Geoff Peters said yesterday, this has not even progressed slightly.
Geoff is a good source, not a loud mouthed "would be ITK".
Only source you will get from the Leicester side better than Geoff is probably John Percy and the club itself.
Sean is a speculator, he did get some early team news on occassion, but this is a world away from transfer insight.
This saga is getting very tiresome now, and the article yesterday from The Sun was extremely disrepectful to Leicester (Such that it was pulled later in the day)
Not sure whats going on, and judging by what Geoff Peters said yesterday, this has not even progressed slightly.
Geoff is a good source, not a loud mouthed "would be ITK".
Only source you will get from the Leicester side better than Geoff is probably John Percy and the club itself.
Sean is a speculator, he did get some early team news on occassion, but this is a world away from transfer insight.
This saga is getting very tiresome now, and the article yesterday from The Sun was extremely disrepectful to Leicester (Such that it was pulled later in the day)
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Sorry but this is bollocks. He played because at the time Jose had been in the press criticising players for not being tough enough to play through injuries and Utd players were injury prone. No one knew who he meant but fingers were pointing at Smalling and I believe Luke Shaw?
You are basically calling him and the club liars and accusing him of feigning injury. Awful post.
Maguire would solidify our defence. United always recruits the top English centre back, which Maguire is currently.
Maddison is exciting & full of potential.
But we are so stacked with CBs & AMs. Plus no one seems to be leaving.
- Ndidi
- Maguire
- Maddison
Congrats on writing the funniest post of the day - now not only is Smalling 'utter shite' but we have a conspiracy from the manager and medical staff to cover up for him ..... worth remembering vaccinations are evil, the world is flat and man never walked on the moon mate!
You are absolutely fecking deluded mate, deluded.
Smalling didn't use it as an excuse, other people are telling you it contributed to a terrible performance. If you think Smalling plays as badly as he did in that Chelsea game every time he plays. Then you are either on a WUM, don't actually watch him play or don't have a good understanding of football.
Also it doesn't matter which paper it is, they are direct quotes from Mourinho. Do you understand that even the tabloids aren't in the habit of inventing quotes on a regular basis?
you mean like when smalling constantly breaks play up at the half way line?
Just look at the barca game where he smashed messi in the process.
Smalling is our best front foot defender because of his pace and long legs, he can nick the ball off the opposition in front of the attacker.
The Maguire story is starting to feel a lot like the Griezmann saga, but with a lesser player
Maguire has been taking a medical for 8 days now, surely enough tests have been done..????
He'll be exhausted by the time the season begins.....
He'll be exhausted by the time the season begins.....
The Leicester ‘ITK’ who said it was a done deal is now saying that Maguire will play in the friendly tonight but “being protected in the B team”.
He’s also branched out and said that we’re dealing with Fernandes this week too!
So, if it wasn’t already abundantly clear... This guy knows feck all and we’re seemingly no further along than we were at the start of July when our bid was rejected.
He’s also branched out and said that we’re dealing with Fernandes this week too!
So, if it wasn’t already abundantly clear... This guy knows feck all and we’re seemingly no further along than we were at the start of July when our bid was rejected.
What's happening with this Mystery. Thought he was due for a medical.
My posts in this have been tongue in cheek, or trying to jinx this deal into happening, still pretty tongue in cheek
I assure you I'm not losing sleep over this, well, only a few nights a week
As it's borderlining on shitposting now I will stop
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I've been going overboard with the Jinxes and shit stirring , I've got the old muppet fever. I will stop
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It seems odd that people are abusing Smalling on the maguire thread as it is.
But that Smalling Chelsea incident was pretty clear.
Jose had unfairly criticised people not playing through injuries.
Smalling bravely played through. Was clearly well off because of it. And then was out ages injured! Genius.
I think people overlook how bad a toe injury is as it's such a small area.
But for anyone who has played football just kicking a ball with a blackened/hanging off nail is painful. Let alone a broken one. Yes you can numb it. But still
But that Smalling Chelsea incident was pretty clear.
Jose had unfairly criticised people not playing through injuries.
Smalling bravely played through. Was clearly well off because of it. And then was out ages injured! Genius.
I think people overlook how bad a toe injury is as it's such a small area.
But for anyone who has played football just kicking a ball with a blackened/hanging off nail is painful. Let alone a broken one. Yes you can numb it. But still
My posts in this have been tongue in cheek, or trying to jinx this deal into happening, still pretty tongue in cheek
fair enough. It's hard to discern between those that indulge in the summer madness lightheartedly and those that actually seem on the verge of a mental breakdown on a daily basis.Yeah to be fair the LCB/RCB makes sense, could not tell you what side Maguire plays on tbh but if he is left then he would compliment him better, 80M just hope his lack of defending ability on the turn and his lack of pace don't come back to bite us in the ass.
Looks like Toby will be staying at Spurs as his clause ends on Thursday, no doubt he will have another top season and be as solid as a rock, top top defender for me.
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