Unpopular opinion - Daniel James is not very good

Steve Bruce

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The people who deserve the shite are the people who champion mediocrity.
Who's championing mediocrity?

We are mediocre, but I don't see how ripping young players apart helps the situation at all.

You don't rate James, fine everyone has the right to an opinion, but is it worthy of having a thread created to rip him apart?

I think this forum has become a hotbed for insanity. The match day threads are often disgracefully abusive with absolutely zero constructive content.

Can we not have constructive topics of discussion any more or is it just better to call xyz player a c**t and tell them to 'F off'? (this isn't directed at the OP or any particular poster)

The irony of the let's laugh at RAWK thread is really lost on many on this forum, because we are now the joke.
 

0le

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He has been alright. He is getting a lot of stick for having no end product and poor decision making, but a lot of this comes down to bad coaching as well. People forget he came from the Championship and that he is also 21. He shouldn't be playing week in week out. He has the talent, we've seen him run past people and put good crosses in. Right now he is in a bad run of form. Like a few other players he could probably do with a rest.
 

NoLogo

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He like pretty much everyone we buy is starting to decline at once they spent half a season or a complete season at the club. Remember how well Matic started? He is complete trash now. AWB and Maguire, started quite well, have now comfortably settled at the level of the rest of the squad. Even our own youth players that make the step up seem to suffer from the same problem. Playing right from the heart for a couple of games and then suffer the same plight like the rest of the squad until the point where they can't make simple passes anymore.

It's quite stunning because if you compare that to a team like Liverpool where pretty much every player seem to get better after a while at the club pretty much everyone we buy seems to be in steady decline.
 

Josep Dowling

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Reactionary threads are the best.
Its not reactionary. I had questions marks about the signing since day one. Very little was made of his season at Swansea before we signed him. When Leicester signed Maddison everyone was saying so much about his season with Norwich.

I just didn’t think we had signed one of the best young talents from the Championship, and I still don’t.
 

big_jeffstar

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Due to our strange transfer strategy of gutting the squad and not replacing them, he‘s probably playing a lot more than would be anticipated and unfairly has pressure on him to deliver.

In an ideal scenario, he‘s an impact sub and a starter in lower level league games and domestic cup games where he can gradually acclimatise to the league and our team. If he performs well he’ll get starts in big league games and critical European games.

But nope, he’s immediately a key player for us with more experienced players like Lingard not doing better, and no recognised right winger.
exactly this.
Everyone is quick to forget that Ole was very clear about buying him to use as an impact sub, he fought his way into the team after a series of good performances earlier in the season when he was playing out of his skin to prove himself, now the pressure is on due to injuries, he’s levelled out.. not really fair on the lad to say he’s not good enough to boss the right wing game after game, he wasn’t brought in for that
 

westmeath

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He’s only a kid, was expected to possibly have to go on loan, got thrown in, thrived in it and now his form has dipped a bit. And now he’s not a good signing. Seriously people need to get a grip on themselves.
 

red woppit

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Noone expected him to play so many games or be a starter. Its poor management that has led him to play more games or minutes than he should have in his first season.
It's poor recruitment that's the problem, we should have had a RW/RM signed during the summer, as well as a striker and a midfielder. No one on here knows what players Ole was after, but I remember Ole saying that he was hoping for a couple more signings, and we actually didn't sign anyone.
 

knot_buzz

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Can't complain with his contributions so far.

Done more then I expected some just need to lower thier expectations, he isn't the finished article.
 

red woppit

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He’s only a kid, was expected to possibly have to go on loan, got thrown in, thrived in it and now his form has dipped a bit. And now he’s not a good signing. Seriously people need to get a grip on themselves.
Absolutely.
 

Andersonson

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He young, raw and a potentially very useful squad player. He needs a lot of work and coaching, but there's a useful player there. He's not improved at all since he's been here, but its very early days. I look forward to see how he'll get on under better management setups.
You watch alot og Swansea games?
 

Freeney

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He has skill. Not the best dribbler but he can play a fecking great pass/cross, and can finish. He’s still young. I hate our fan base sometimes
I wasn't singling out or even speaking about Daniel James. Maybe i should have made that clear. He has been really good at times and shouldn't be playing this much. I do however believe that some fans tend to confuse having ability with running around alot and making some good tackles. The standards of judging a player and who’s good enough for Man utd seem to have gone down.
 

arthurka

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We can't use his best weapon, we can't pass the ball in front of him to run into its always behind him and he needs to stop his running to get the ball. Just watch today's game again never given the chance to run towards the pass and keep his run going full throttle. Pace is deadly but so is our long passing game, it's rotten.
 

red woppit

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Who's championing mediocrity?

We are mediocre, but I don't see how ripping young players apart helps the situation at all.

You don't rate James, fine everyone has the right to an opinion, but is it worthy of having a thread created to rip him apart?

I think this forum has become a hotbed for insanity. The match day threads are often disgracefully abusive with absolutely zero constructive content.

Can we not have constructive topics of discussion any more or is it just better to call xyz player a c**t and tell them to 'F off'? (this isn't directed at the OP or any particular poster)

The irony of the let's laugh at RAWK thread is really lost on many on this forum, because we are now the joke.
Agree, so many are calling players sh**e, when realistically they have no real grounds for complaint. Every player makes mistakes, misses goals, hits poor passes, missed tackles, and yet some of our players are trolled with comments that are disgraceful. These guys are trying their best for this club, they are not all a Messi or a Ronaldo. Go look in the mirror and ask that person if they have never made a mistake or made a poor decision in their sad lives.
 

Random Task

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I have to echo what the majority have already said, he's little more than a squad player who has been largely overplayed due to a severe lack of options for the position he occupies.
 

Lennon7

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I wasn't singling out or even speaking about Daniel James. Maybe i should have made that clear. He has been really good at times and shouldn't be playing this much. I do however believe that some fans tend to confuse having ability with running around alot and making some good tackles. The standards of judging a player and who’s good enough for Man utd seem to have gone down.
We’re crying out for world class talent agreed but fans rate hard workers because they also win us games.
 

littleman

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I think he's pretty decent, miles ahead the likes of Fred and Lingard.

I do think like Rashford and Greenwood he's still a bit green and shouldn't be playing this much.. or relied on as a starter.

The biggest problem is we don't have more options.
 

Brwned

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He lacks any movement off the ball. When he receives the ball not once does he use his pace to take on a man. Why doesn’t he run down the wing? He’s turned into Antonio Valencia. Receives the ball, stops and plays a safe sideways pass.
When he was full of confidence he took on players constantly. Likewise for Valencia. Strange comment all round in that respect.

I wasn't singling out or even speaking about Daniel James. Maybe i should have made that clear. He has been really good at times and shouldn't be playing this much. I do however believe that some fans tend to confuse having ability with running around alot and making some good tackles. The standards of judging a player and who’s good enough for Man utd seem to have gone down.
Fans here have always liked "a trier". As did our last great manager. When Tevez couldn't hit a barn door he was adored by many because he was non stop, in comparison to his polar opposite and slightly more productive Berbatov at the time. It was perfectly fine then and now to think that way, there's no "correct" way to value a football player as a fan, what people prioritise is entirely their right. And there's always been that divide, inevitably with the people who care less about hard work being more snobbish about their preferences.
 
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Adisa

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The only people disappointed are those than had unrealistic expectations.
We s8gned a player from the Championship. This is his first season.
 

Brwned

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I think he's pretty decent, miles ahead the likes of Fred and Lingard.

I do think like Rashford and Greenwood he's still a bit green and shouldn't be playing this much.. or relied on as a starter.

The biggest problem is we don't have more options.
:lol: wtf
 

Stadjer

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Depends on the definition.. will he ever be considered one of the best wingers in the world? I doubt that. Can he become a usefull player for Manchester United when Manchester United competes for titles? He might very well..

He works hard, he is okay on the ball, his cross is okay and his speed is fantastic. Speed is a very big weapon and when used against the right opponent it can win you the game.
 

red woppit

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Depends on the definition.. will he ever be considered one of the best wingers in the world? I doubt that. Can he become a usefull player for Manchester United when Manchester United competes for titles? He might very well..

He works hard, he is okay on the ball, his cross is okay and his speed is fantastic. Speed is a very big weapon and when used against the right opponent it can win you the game.
A Stevie Coppell type of player, with more pace and less skill. Give him time to mature and improve and we may well see a very good player emerge.
 

LoCalXT

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Lool yea , play him out of position and burn the kid out then drag him.
It's a shame he is even playing heavy minutes to begin with.
 

sparx99

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He reminds me most of Aaron Lennon. He'll have days when he terrifies a full back but most just average. Not a bad squad player but he should be on the bench.
 

Lee565

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Unpopular opinion but our entire summer transfer dealings were bang average, I dont know how Ole escaped criticism for making average signings in Bissaka, james and maguire when we needed to sign first team players for the midfield and attacking positions first when we had lost fellaini and Herrera, plus knowingly trying to ship Sanchez out and lukaku obviously favouring a move to inter when we had just come of the back of a season where we barely buy ourselves a goal.
 

L1nk

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I'm not sure what people were expecting, he had a few good games to start and clearly people got ahead in their expectations.

He's a kid from the Championship, all the experts and even fans told you he was very very raw in his ability still. He should have been brought in to play a bit part in this season, sub appearences, impact appearences etc, the big issue is he's been made to play nearly every damn game from the start because of our lack of options and quality.

It really isn't fair on the kid at all, he's clearly not ready to be playing the amount he has, I feel sorry for him that he's come into this mess and has been told to make an impact that everyone is expecting.
 

Norfolk Enchants

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You watch alot og Swansea games?
Season ticket holder from Swansea here. Can safely say we were gutted to see him go and probably with him in the team we'd be higher than 6th right now. What I am seeing from him right now is a huge lack of confidence, lack of faith and a tired player. Yeah okay, we can say he shouldn't be tired since he is young and fit but he does look absolutely drained to me. The thing is, he has gone from being a local hero in a small club, a big fish in a little pond to a massive club and being a tiny fish in a massive pond. He started the season so well but as time has gone on it's clear to see he is struggliing and needs some help from the coaching staff and perhaps a few games off to be honest. I believe he will come good but, I hate to say this, he needs time.

He's having an awful spell right now and he needs A LOT of work but I still think he has an enormous amount of potential but he needs the right people around him to help with that. But hey, if all goes wrong we will have him back down here asap!