Not working with him at the base of that diamond is it. He can break up play but when we have the ball he didn't have a job basically - because he's so technically poor. His only role was to fill in to form a back 3 so as to give the midfielder an easy escape ball. Big lad and a big heart. He's a centre half though.
4
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 24
- Clean sheets
- 7
- Goals
- 0
- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 3
Let bonnuci have a free header at goal then made Chiellini look like Messi...
Doesnt have the qualities needed to play in midfield. Average technique, predictable touch, poor movement when his team is in possesion and is a limited passer. Basically doesnt have the football brains for it.
This was all true 3 years ago and is still true today, yet here he is still playing there. Am I missing someting?
This was all true 3 years ago and is still true today, yet here he is still playing there. Am I missing someting?
I don't get it either mate. He's a defender really and that's about it.
Looks a bag of nerves on the ball
Every United fan knew this. feck knows what Hodgson does with his time, but he obviously doesn't watch us.
He isn't good enough technically to play in midfield. Needs to keep developing at CB.
Keown has a great article up about how Jones is not a patch on Pirlo as a holding CM......no shit. 
He is awful in midfield though, needs to stay as a CB, thankfully LvG seems to realize this.
He is awful in midfield though, needs to stay as a CB, thankfully LvG seems to realize this.
Hodgson was daft playing him in midfield, but to be honest I am not sure he is good enough as a defender yet either.
It just shows the lack of international quality we have at the back at the moment.
Don't understand why he was played there. England had better options to play that role.
I think he can have a role in specific games in midfield, just like how for example Real Madrid have used Pepe as a DM in the past. I'm sure Hodgson was just trying it out and isnt looking to play that way every game, but if England were going to play a huge game against a top side he might want to try it in the future and Jones might be the best fit for the role - even though he's definitely not perfect for it as there are midfielders who read the game defensively better than he does, but physically he's a good fit.
You would also need to balance the team around having that defender there - Delph on the left and Henderson on the right would seem to help him a lot defensively but it pretty much left all the responsibility for creating something on Rooney, and when you just have to deal with 1 player its a lot easier to do.
You would also need to balance the team around having that defender there - Delph on the left and Henderson on the right would seem to help him a lot defensively but it pretty much left all the responsibility for creating something on Rooney, and when you just have to deal with 1 player its a lot easier to do.
Yeah, SAF played him there vs Real and he was pretty decent. Moyes also played him in that role vs Arsenal last season and he was MOTM IIRC.
But thing is if you play him as a destroyer need better passers next to him than Delph and Henderson so he can just keep it simple.
Me either, but he has more potential there than as a CM so when he does get games they should be in his best position.
He's going to need to realise this potential pretty sharpish.
He's 23 years old FFS. Do I really need to go through a long list of where other top CBs were playing at the same age?
I agree, but the way the game's progressing, it's becoming harder and harder for young players to develop at top sides.
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I kind of agree but he's getting plenty of games at United, under three different managers now. The main hindrance to his development has been his susceptibility to injury.
Being played in so many different positions is arguably also a hindrance but I actually think it might make him a better CB in the long-term.
yes, because he's the new Duncan Edwards you know
I think that Roy really feed him to the wolves last night. After a commanding display last Friday now all everyone is talking about is how badly he played last night and the negative Jones narrative continues.
I think I am actually one of the few who think that Jones could be a damn good DM (destroyer style), but he would need to play there often to settle into the position - throwing him in there after he hasnt played that role for months (years?) was never going to end well
I was waiting for the obligatory refrence to his age and nobody's asking for lists of anything. The fact remains that a sizeable number of people remain unconvinced of this possible potential and for well documented reasons including his injury record.
He's been at United for 4 seasons now and for whatever reasons he hasn't kicked on. My point stands ie he needs to realise this potential sharpish or there'll be no place in a side that has designs on a rapid reascent to the top. He's looked a little more assured of late but, frankly, he couldn't have looked any less so and you simply cannot argue that his game has progressed. He is no closer to realising this so called potential than when he first joined us. Whether all of this is his entirely due to some lack of innate ability is another argument. Personally I don't think he'll ever be good enough and have been saying so for fecking ever it seems.
His game clearly has progressed. He's blatantly a better CB now than he was when we signed him. Sounds like you made your mind up about him ages ago, though, so whatever.
Maybe, but not for us. The way van Gaal plays means the GK can't be shit on the ball, let alone the DM.
Hodgson said in the post match interview that this is exactly why he wanted to try him there. The reaction in some of the press is ridiculous. I mean if Keown was seriously comparing him to Pirlo ffs...
That said, I'm not sure the Italians were the ideal opponents to try this little experiment.
We used to do with with P Neville sometimes as well. Just use him as a destroyer but it makes it very difficult to keep hold of possession. Almost entirely a defensive or counter attacking strategy (if he's got a quick out ball - or a pacy striker playing on the shoulder to feed it in behind).
He's the one player at the club I cant defend.....Young, Valencia, fellaini I see the positives with them all but Jones I think is just winging it and doesnt belong.
He has a poor game playing in midfield for England and we are back to over the top criticism of him I see.
See i dont get this, granted last season he stagnated somewhat but his previous two seasons were great for us. In his first season most wanted him to replace Rio in the starting 11. In his second he played mainly as a midfielder but even then was better than what we had.
This season injuries have played their part but there are signs of improvement and at 22/23 hes got time on his side... Unlike Evans
Classic isn't it? He had a poor game in midfield, in a system he's never played in. If he's playing in midfield it has to be alongside a ball player, as a destroyer. Case in point - he had a great game vs Real in 2013 doing that alongside Carrick. Of course playing him with fecking Delph and Henderson is going to expose him.
Meanwhile muppets like Phil McNulty think Cahill should be undroppable despite being average as feck and making numerous mistakes this season.
And I actually think he's looked a lot better recently for United. Give him and Smalling time together (without injuries of course,) and I think we'll be looking at a great partnership.
That's because those 3 have very identifiable positives. For what it's worth, I think Jones has considerable upside as well. He just needs a run of games to realize it.
Some of his game has developed, there's no point denying that.
The trouble is, the things he really isn't good enough with and isn't improving on make him the wrong type of player for us.
The trouble is, the things he really isn't good enough with and isn't improving on make him the wrong type of player for us.
I didnt think he was fantastically good against Spurs and Liverpool to be honest. He did well, but Smalling looked far more comfortable in basically every way for me.
Got to say that I think we'll always be able to use a rock solid defender with a good passing range. Exactly what you're looking for in a defender i don't know, but you're not going to find many with a better all round performance than Jones.
His defensive positioning was atrocious at the start of his United career but he has improved alot. I think when we had Vidic, the likes of Smalling and Jones and to a degree Evans were relying on him to get them out of trouble but now he has gone they've have to walk on their two feet. My only concern is his confidence on the ball, I just don't think he has that presence yet,to let strikers know,'your not having a sniff on goal' which is what Vidic and Stam had. But hopefully in time LVG can bring that out of him and then I believe we are looking at a future United Captain.
Man Utd 3:1 Aston Villa
Got out jumped by Benteke a few times today, but apart from that I felt it was another solid performance by Jones.
I saw a couple of times where he was caught up the pitch or out of position.
Definitely needs to be Smalling +1 at the back for me, whether the +1 is Jones or Rojo I dont really know though.