Would Fellaini improve under a new manager?

[devilish]

To be fair he always looked comfortable against the likes of West Brom. So I am not suprised he did well against Luxembourg.

The problem starts when we play against teams who actually have decent CMs.

 

[Gannicus]

The trouble is that you quite clearly have absolutely no clue what Fellaini's strengths and weaknesses are yet continue to write long winded drivel thinking that you have a clue.
take your own advice.....

All you have to do is watch the freckling footage. Fellaini plays in advanced 10ish role for Moyes at Goodison and he's Godzilla. Fellaini pretends he's Roy Keane for Moyes at Old Trafford and he's rubbish. And don't to tell me he was brilliant this last season because he just wasn't. He had maybe a total of 60 minutes all season when his play warranted an eyebrow raise.

If your eyes deceive you that's your own business, but don't delude yourself into thinking Fellaini's strengths are underappreciated here. He has strengths, but those strengths are of no use to a club which aspires to lifting a prem and CL trophy. Whatever Louis has in mind for tactics at OT it's inconceivable that he has in mind the kind of tactics Moyes employed at Everton, where everyone here agrees Fellaini thrived, or his tactics at United, which were deplorable. But surely even you have to agree, even if you enjoy playing the fool here, that Fellaini was completely out of his depth -- even under the same manager -- at United. Earth to Stack: United is a massive step up from Everton.

That said, only time can tell whether Fellaini can raise his game under Louis. Maybe he can. But maybe he won't even get a chance. Word out there is that Louis is already looking for prospective buyers for Marouane, even if it means taking a loss of 15m. Look it up. Surely you would agree it wouldn't be an act of madness on the part of Louis were he to cut bait on Fellaini and begin the rebuilding of our midfield with central midfielders who have the skills and vision Paul Scholes would appreciate and the leadership qualities and tenacity Roy Keane would approve of. (God help us all if this is too complicated for you to understand.)

 

[limerickcitykid]

I've only seen him a few times for Belgium but he has always looked quite good. His best position for me is in a box to box role like Wilmots thinks. He'll likely never warrant the high transfer fee so there will always be a section of supporters who will hate him for that and belittle him no matter his performances. However I don't want to get rid of him this summer. He is nowhere near as bad as some make out and I'd like to see how he does under LVG. I think he can be a good player.

 

[goldenstatesplash]

(God help us all if this is too complicated for you to understand.)

Understand?.. Definitely. Take seriously?.. Not a hope in hell of solving that riddle.

 

[Ekeke]

That is a pile of nonsense. No one was saying such. People argued that perhaps he could be converted into a winger but the next Giggs! Are you having a laugh?

The guy was a laughing stock at Spurs for over a year and most on here were relieved we didn't go for him. His rise over the last 2-2.5 seasons has been nothing short of meteoric. So let's not behave as if he was always going to become a winger and that too a good one.

Back to the point, I am not sure how much, if any, will Fellaini improve under LvG. My main issue is his rather lazy nature on the pitch where he seems to be ambling. He is no Zidane who can pull off that sort of demeanor on the pitch. He needs to add some urgency to his game and I am not sure if he can do so. And without that LvG may find him not useful enough to even keep around.

The media were tagging him as the next Giggs when we were linked with him

 

[Stack]

All you have to do is watch the freckling footage. Fellaini plays in advanced 10ish role for Moyes at Goodison and he's Godzilla. Fellaini pretends he's Roy Keane for Moyes at Old Trafford and he's rubbish. And don't to tell me he was brilliant this last season because he just wasn't. He had maybe a total of 60 minutes all season when his play warranted an eyebrow raise.

If your eyes deceive you that's your own business, but don't delude yourself into thinking Fellaini's strengths are underappreciated here. He has strengths, but those strengths are of no use to a club which aspires to lifting a prem and CL trophy. Whatever Louis has in mind for tactics at OT it's inconceivable that he has in mind the kind of tactics Moyes employed at Everton, where everyone here agrees Fellaini thrived, or his tactics at United, which were deplorable. But surely even you have to agree, even if you enjoy playing the fool here, that Fellaini was completely out of his depth -- even under the same manager -- at United. Earth to Stack: United is a massive step up from Everton.

That said, only time can tell whether Fellaini can raise his game under Louis. Maybe he can. But maybe he won't even get a chance. Word out there is that Louis is already looking for prospective buyers for Marouane, even if it means taking a loss of 15m. Look it up. Surely you would agree it wouldn't be an act of madness on the part of Louis were he to cut bait on Fellaini and begin the rebuilding of our midfield with central midfielders who have the skills and vision Paul Scholes would appreciate and the leadership qualities and tenacity Roy Keane would approve of. (God help us all if this is too complicated for you to understand.)

You clearly havent watched that footage or any other of Fellaini for Everton because he sure as hell isnt playing in advanced #10ish role there. And that illustrates why you get so many things wrong, your powers of observation are seriously lacking. Also you seem to lack the basic fundamentals of comprehension which means you end up arguing about things other posters havent even said or claimed. Quite bizzare.

 

[ZDwyr]

I don't think he made much (if any) contact with the elbow against that Luxembourg player. If anything, the player realised he was going to get dispossessed and went down looking for a foul. Fellaini gets a really harsh run on these forums. He's a better player than a lot make out. I hope he gets another year to see what he can do. Anderson has been given about 6 chances, he cost basically the same as Fellaini (with a lot more hype).

 

[#07]

It's Luxembourg. People are acting like Fellaini bossed Pogba and Matudi. It's Luxembourg.


This is like when England beat San Marino and middling players get boosted to high heaven.

As a Premier League midfield player Fellaini should be bossing Luxembourg. What Fellaini did wasn't impressive it was expected.

 

[NK86]

Having a laugh? These things were said by many people and don't call it nonsense because you have a short memory. Giggs was always Bale's idol and we thought getting his signature would be a formality until Soton agreed terms with Spurs.

"Arsenal chased his signature, with the Gunners viewing him as a replacement for Ashley Cole, while Sir Alex Ferguson tipped the young Welshman as the eventual successor to Ryan Giggs' throne at Old Trafford.
Read more at http://talksport.com/magazine/featu...picture-bale-signs-202755#dkuZTrMp9BVwpKss.99

"Ferguson had originally identified Bale as a promising left-back but could now be forgiven for wondering whether he lost out on a player who could have been the long-term replacement for Ryan Giggs on the left side of United's attack." Guardian, 2011

So where's my fvcking pile of nonsense? Giggs and Fergie were talking 17 year old Bale up and it got the United fans talking. You just dont remember, clearly.

Where is a single quote from either Giggs or SAF talking him up as the next Giggs? You posted an article from 2011 when Bale had been converted into a winger and was actually showing massive improvements. The media jumped on it and then started making 2+2 = 5! In fact your quote clearly says that Fergie saw him as a left back and people thought he would do better as a winger. But the next Giggs. Right!
There are so many articles which can be found prior to 2011 where he was a laughing stock. Why don't you post those articles then?

Even if the media actually labelled him such, it's the British media we are talking about. They wank about all their upcoming youngsters as if they are the next big thing in football. Nothing to read there.

 

[Jimy_Hills_Chin]

He deserves a chance under Van Gaal. Wilmotts has criticised Moyes for the way in which he used Fellani at United, saying that he used him in the wrong role. Van Gaal says that he improves players that want to learn. Fellani should be given that opportunity.

 

[goldenstatesplash]

As a Premier League midfield player Fellaini should be bossing Luxembourg. What Fellaini did wasn't impressive it was expected.

You can only beat what is in front of you.

 

[#07]

You can only beat what is in front of you.

I know which is why I'm not getting excited about Fellaini bossing Luxembourg. I'd reckon that every team in the Premier League that finished above us last year would stomp Luxembourg into the dirt. When Fellaini starts producing against those sides then I'll believe in him.

 

[Cassidy]

You're fecking kidding me right? Liverpool have been shit for years and they're still a big team. We're a global brand with millions of fans worldwide....bad season or not. Fellaini can't cut it at one of the biggest clubs in the world and he never will.

Dude I'm talking about how you played and also how teams feared us. I'm not talking about our Global brand as it means absolute feck all on the pitch.
In terms of the status of the club we're one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the world, however in terms of what happens on the pitch last season we were not a big club.

 

[Sunny Jim]

Where is a single quote from either Giggs or SAF talking him up as the next Giggs? You posted an article from 2011 when Bale had been converted into a winger and was actually showing massive improvements. The media jumped on it and then started making 2+2 = 5! In fact your quote clearly says that Fergie saw him as a left back and people thought he would do better as a winger. But the next Giggs. Right!
There are so many articles which can be found prior to 2011 where he was a laughing stock. Why don't you post those articles then?

Even if the media actually labelled him such, it's the British media we are talking about. They wank about all their upcoming youngsters as if they are the next big thing in football. Nothing to read there.

Jesus mate, we were in for Bale and everybody, Fergie included, wanted him much.

 

[NK86]

Jesus mate, we were in for Bale and everybody, Fergie included, wanted him much.

I agree, we were. I was just replying to the guy who said we had identified him as the next Giggs, which was never the case.

 

[Stretch]

He deserves a chance under Van Gaal. Wilmotts has criticised Moyes for the way in which he used Fellani at United, saying that he used him in the wrong role. Van Gaal says that he improves players that want to learn. Fellani should be given that opportunity.

This. He struggled to settle with his injuries early season and he played with a team devoid of confidence. I'd like to see him given a fair chance. I felt he got unnecessary stick. There were games people would say he lost the ball more than anyone else yet the stats from the game showed a different picture.

 

[Herman Van Rompuy]

He only a couple of times played as the out and out 'holding' player and produced four displays worthy of note, defensively. Villa where he made 5 of 6 tackles, WBA where he made 5 of 6 tackles and Cardiff where he made 4 of 6 tackles. The other being against Hull where he completed 4 of 4 tackles while playing in behind the front striker.

I think we can now dispense with the 'he can't defend, he won't be a DM, isn't a good enough tackler and doesn't have defensive awareness'. He quite bluntly has shown that in his game, if the only thing. Puzzling stuff to be trying to dispute it.

This is the problem when you are selective about your statistics. The holding midfield role is about far more than making a few tackles, he has to be the fulcrum of his team; he has to have the intelligence to know when to press and when not to; he has to be able to read the game so he can position correctly and be comfortable enough on the ball to maintain possession in tight spaces. Fellaini is none of the above. The fact you try to argue he is shows you don't know the position. Coupled with all his shortcomings, Fellaini is a liability in that he is very likely to give away silly freekick after silly freekick when asked to play the holding role. I don't think Van Gaal will be keen to rely on an elbow machine in front of his back four.

 

[Invictus]

This is the problem when you are selective about your statistics. The holding midfield role is about far more than making a few tackles, he has to be the fulcrum of his team; he has to have the intelligence to know when to press and when not to; he has to be able to read the game so he can position correctly and be comfortable enough on the ball to maintain possession in tight spaces. Fellaini is none of the above. The fact you try to argue he is shows you don't know the position. Coupled with all his shortcomings, Fellaini is a liability in that he is very likely to give away silly freekick after silly freekick when asked to play the holding role. I don't think Van Gaal will be keen to rely on an elbow machine in front of his back four.

Preach brother preach.

 

[#07]

This is the problem when you are selective about your statistics. The holding midfield role is about far more than making a few tackles, he has to be the fulcrum of his team; he has to have the intelligence to know when to press and when not to; he has to be able to read the game so he can position correctly and be comfortable enough on the ball to maintain possession in tight spaces. Fellaini is none of the above. The fact you try to argue he is shows you don't know the position. Coupled with all his shortcomings, Fellaini is a liability in that he is very likely to give away silly freekick after silly freekick when asked to play the holding role. I don't think Van Gaal will be keen to rely on an elbow machine in front of his back four.

Agree with all this. Plus, look the games @goldenstatesplash is using as evidence of Fellaini being up to it. Not one of them is against a top team. That's the point I was making about getting excited over Fellaini bossing Luxembourg. With the greatest respect, Luxembourg are no footballing superpower. Likewise, Villa, West Brom, Cardiff and Hull all of whom spent last season in and around the bottom of the Premier League.

We spent £27 million on Fellaini and for that we should be within our rights to expect him to be in the same bracket as the likes of Fernandinho, which he isn't. I'd love him to prove me wrong but I doubt he will. Fellaini was never United quality.

 

[Loublaze]

That's because Bale is British, plays on the left, and is a left footer as well. Almost the same reason why Bojan was referred to as the next Messi (apart from them being of different nationalities)

My point is the other poster said Bale was never mentioned as the next Giggs and he was.

 

[Loublaze]

Where is a single quote from either Giggs or SAF talking him up as the next Giggs? You posted an article from 2011 when Bale had been converted into a winger and was actually showing massive improvements. The media jumped on it and then started making 2+2 = 5! In fact your quote clearly says that Fergie saw him as a left back and people thought he would do better as a winger. But the next Giggs. Right!
There are so many articles which can be found prior to 2011 where he was a laughing stock. Why don't you post those articles then?

Even if the media actually labelled him such, it's the British media we are talking about. They wank about all their upcoming youngsters as if they are the next big thing in football. Nothing to read there.

I distinctly remember things being said about Bale before he joined Spurs. Giggs praised him before he became a Spurs player and this sparked a lot of debate among United fans. You make it seem like he only grew into prominence in the eyes of the public when he was a Spurs player playing on the left wing. Here's the Giggs 2007 article singling Bale for praise.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/6693991.stm

Here's a quote from a forum around the same time

He is 17.

The next Ryan Giggs' in waiting.

Can play both Left Back, Wing Back and Left Wing.

Better free-kick statistics than David Beckham.

Quicker than the 17 year old Ryan Giggs.

Delivers a mean cross with deadly accuracy.

http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/who-will-sign-gareth-bale.471043/

Here's another from 2007

What a signing he is, and surely one for the future, i reckon he is the next Ryan Giggs of Wales....

http://www.footballnews.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=16986&view=previous

And finally, on REDCAFE from 2007

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/the-next-ryan-giggs.148222/


This proves my bloody point that fans and the media alike were talking about him being the next Giggs as early as 2007 before he was even converted to the left wing, before Spurs. Giggs himself helped spark this off with his huge praise of the then teenager. Fergie didn't particularly mention Giggs, I can't find those quotes so you can have that. Eat humble pie

 

[Loublaze]

You said SAF thought wanted him to be like Giggs!

Read the whole bloody response. You can have the SAF debate as I havent been able to find any quotes. Its not only Fergie who I said considered him the next Giggs, in fact I said first that some United fans considered him the next Giggs and you rubbished that as well. I've more than proved that he was highly regarded by some before his Spurs move, your memory fails you and only takes you back to him being labeled a flop at Spurs. Man please!

 

[Ramshock]

LvG will get the best out of Fellaini. Whether that is good enough for United remains to be seen

 

[Loublaze]

No one was saying such. People argued that perhaps he could be converted into a winger but the next Giggs! Are you having a laugh?


@NK86 I've proved that people were saying such. Enjoy your humble pie and lick the crumbs off the floor.

 

[FacerTheRed]

Felliani will no way get better in a Manchester United shirt. It just doesnt suit the style of play. He'll suit more West Ham tbh, stick him up front and lob the ball to him and maybe he'll do something with it. He is no way has the discipline, the knowledge and the talent to be a holding/defensive midfielder. Has to go, he is a over-priced turd IMO.

 

[redtilldead123]

Bale, preparing to swallow this thread

 

[Loublaze]

I don't think he made much (if any) contact with the elbow against that Luxembourg player. If anything, the player realised he was going to get dispossessed and went down looking for a foul. Fellaini gets a really harsh run on these forums. He's a better player than a lot make out. I hope he gets another year to see what he can do. Anderson has been given about 6 chances, he cost basically the same as Fellaini (with a lot more hype).

Anderson cost 18M. Not very good at math are you?

 

[Cheesy]

He might actually improve a bit in a better side getting better results, but I don't think he'll be good enough long term to be a very important player for us. At most he'll be useful against some of the weaker sides in the league, as he sometimes was this season, however I don't think he's anywhere near technically good enough to be a crucial midfielder for us in the big games in which he was generally very poor this season. Part of me thinks the tag of him being Moyes big signing for a price too expensive will never really go away and he'll struggle to make it here because of that too, along with him not really being all that good.

 

[Stookie]

In answer to the OP, I don't think he would improve if he grew a third leg.

 

[Loublaze]

Dude I'm talking about how you played and also how teams feared us. I'm not talking about our Global brand as it means absolute feck all on the pitch.
In terms of the status of the club we're one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the world, however in terms of what happens on the pitch last season we were not a big club.

I get your point but you don't get mine. No one could've predicted our poor season. Joining us from Everton was always going to be a world of difference regardless of how we fared on the pitch.

 

[goldenstatesplash]

This is the problem when you are selective about your statistics. The holding midfield role is about far more than making a few tackles, he has to be the fulcrum of his team; he has to have the intelligence to know when to press and when not to; he has to be able to read the game so he can position correctly and be comfortable enough on the ball to maintain possession in tight spaces. Fellaini is none of the above. The fact you try to argue he is shows you don't know the position. Coupled with all his shortcomings, Fellaini is a liability in that he is very likely to give away silly freekick after silly freekick when asked to play the holding role. I don't think Van Gaal will be keen to rely on an elbow machine in front of his back four.

That is not my problem. That is your problem. I am stating the facts that show he can do a good job defensively. If you want to selectively waft them away for your own argument then feel free to do so but he's put up the numbers, I'm not making them up.

More 'elbowing foul machine' myths.. Nice. This fabled 'can tackle, press, flawless defender, pass 90%+ mid/long, untouchable on the ball' midfielder that is much sought after by the modern fan just simply doesn't exist. If it did, we'd have opened the chequebook and spent 50m+ by now because they'd stick out like a sore thumb in the modern game. Now it's all about having a dynamic two or a rigid system that implements a limited defender in front of the central two and previously we'd not used that as we had used Rio/Vidic in a zig-zag with the mifield as Vidic was strong at closing and pressing the tackle and Rio adept at reading the forward pass.

Depending on how LVG implements his system if it is part of a midfield two or a single focal player he's shown for Belgium and at club level that he's adequate at performing either role. Which is more that we can ask for to build on through the coming season.

 

[Herman Van Rompuy]

Preach brother preach.

I am only describing the basics. I think we can all see that Fellaini has all the grace of a bull in a china shop.

That is not my problem. That is your problem. I am stating the facts that show he can do a good job defensively. If you want to selectively waft them away for your own argument then feel free to do so but he's put up the numbers, I'm not making them up.

More 'elbowing foul machine' myths.. Nice.

How are they myths? Lol. He does it all the time.

I am sorry I can't help but laugh at your comment that he's "put up the numbers".

 

[goldenstatesplash]

I am only describing the basics. I think we can all see that Fellaini has all the grace of a bull in a china shop.
How are they myths? Lol. He does it all the time.
I am sorry I can't help but laugh at your comment that he's "put up the numbers".

Magical.

 

[Rykker_4united]

No, he just seems like a weird fellow and an average footballer who's strength is his size, but still doesn't really add much.

 

[Gannicus]

You clearly havent watched that footage or any other of Fellaini for Everton because he sure as hell isnt playing in advanced #10ish role there. And that illustrates why you get so many things wrong, your powers of observation are seriously lacking. Also you seem to lack the basic fundamentals of comprehension which means you end up arguing about things other posters havent even said or claimed. Quite bizzare.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you're not seriously arguing that Fellaini is good enough to be a regular starting midfielder for a serious contender for the prem or CL trophies. Nobody could be that daft.

But I do agree with you that Fellaini is NOT (all caps to help you through this) shit. He's a productive footballer when used in the right way in the right system. But surely you would agree with me that even if Fellaini plays out of skin next season for us he'll never be anywhere lose to the quality of Scholes and Keane or even of Mata and Carrick. He can be a useful squad player for us, much like Young is a good squad player for us, and there's nothing wrong with that at all. Great sides have to have players like Fellaini and Young who can do a job against West Ham and Stoke when our regular starters need a quick rest or are out injury.

It's not particularly clear that you have an intelligible point that's backed up by anything other than the desire to be an internet hardman, but if your point is that Fellaini can still do a job as a squad man after we've strengthened our central midfield crew, I wouldn't disagree with you at all.

But if you look closely at his best work at Everton you couldn't possibly come to the conclusion that Fellaini was the right man to solve United's midfield problems. If you deny that, then you've got bigger problem than being a spastic.

 

[Stack]

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you're not seriously arguing that Fellaini is good enough to be a regular starting midfielder for a serious contender for the prem or CL trophies. Nobody could be that daft.

But I do agree with you that Fellaini is NOT (all caps to help you through this) shit. He's a productive footballer when used in the right way in the right system. But surely you would agree with me that even if Fellaini plays out of skin next season for us he'll never be anywhere lose to the quality of Scholes and Keane or even of Mata and Carrick. He can be a useful squad player for us, much like Young is a good squad player for us, and there's nothing wrong with that at all. Great sides have to have players like Fellaini and Young who can do a job against West Ham and Stoke when our regular starters need a quick rest or are out injury.

It's not particularly clear that you have an intelligible point that's backed up by anything other than the desire to be an internet hardman, but if your point is that Fellaini can still do a job as a squad man after we've strengthened our central midfield crew, I wouldn't disagree with you at all.

But if you look closely at his best work at Everton you couldn't possibly come to the conclusion that Fellaini was the right man to solve United's midfield problems. If you deny that, then you've got bigger problem than being a spastic.

Again the actual point being presented has completely missed by you. You neatly sidestep it.

I have said it before and will repeat it for you again. I think we should sell Fellaini, I dont think he is what we need.

However your assessment of his way of playing is so inaccurate that its laughable. You need to take some time and watch him properly because you have it all completely wrong. That in turn makes me wonder if you could ever have an even half accurate assessment of any player.

 

[goldenstatesplash]

But I do agree with you that Fellaini is NOT (all caps to help you through this) shit. He's a productive footballer when used in the right way in the right system. But surely you would agree with me that even if Fellaini plays out of skin next season for us he'll never be anywhere lose to the quality of Scholes and Keane or even of Mata and Carrick. He can be a useful squad player for us, much like Young is a good squad player for us, and there's nothing wrong with that at all. Great sides have to have players like Fellaini and Young who can do a job against West Ham and Stoke when our regular starters need a quick rest or are out injury.

And that system is?.... Come on. Say it with me.. "Shit on a stick hoof it up to him for knockdowns system". I think we've discovered where you're missing the point entirely. Now if we could bring you back to reality, nobody is expecting this crop of players to be the new Scholes and Keane. Frankly those two were at a level that I don't think we'll see again in quite some time now that the game has changed. I am not actually sure why Carrick is being mentioned here because Fellaini has already shown in his awful season that he is a better heads up defender than Carrick one on one.

Fellaini can be a useful member of a 'normal' football system in a 'normal' football way and we should lose the stigma that he is a shit on a stick footballer. Stop bringing up Everton because you're clearly shown you have no clue how he was being played at Everton and you keep bringing up the 'shit on a stick' excuse to justify why you think this way. Heed Stack's advice and just stop.

If you deny that, then you've got bigger problem than being a spastic.

What a class act.

 

[Gannicus]

And that system is?.... Come on. Say it with me.. "Shit on a stick hoof it up to him for knockdowns system". I think we've discovered where you're missing the point entirely. Now if we could bring you back to reality, nobody is expecting this crop of players to be the new Scholes and Keane. Frankly those two were at a level that I don't think we'll see again in quite some time now that the game has changed. I am not actually sure why Carrick is being mentioned here because Fellaini has already shown in his awful season that he is a better heads up defender than Carrick one on one.

Fellaini can be a useful member of a 'normal' football system in a 'normal' football way and we should lose the stigma that he is a shit on a stick footballer. Stop bringing up Everton because you're clearly shown you have no clue how he was being played at Everton and you keep bringing up the 'shit on a stick' excuse to justify why you think this way. Heed Stack's advice and just stop.

What a class act.

This is absolutely incredible. You're not going to get me to admit that Fellaini is a football genius or someone we should build our squad around. I've said it many times before but I'll say it again: Fellaini can be a useful squad player for Manchester United but he has never been a midfielder of proper United quality. There's nothing wrong with that at all. Most of us would cut off our right testicle to be as good as Marouane Fellaini as a footballer. But what we're talking about here is someone who has nowhere near the ability of Hazard, Youre, Nasri, Ramsey, Gerrard of today (yes, of today) or even of Carrick of two seasons ago. If we still aspire to prem and CL glory we have to set the bar higher than settling for Fellaini as the key to our midfield. This is not a controversial suggestion whatsoever.

Who among the Everton faithful truly miss Fellaini? No one.

But do I or anyone else here object to seeing Fellaini remain on the United squad, so long as we bring in central midfielders of proper quality? Possibly, but I wouldn't be among them. He can come in and do a job in spot situations and against certain clubs, but he would be savaged by the midfield or City, Arsenal and Chelsea. (He might be able to cope with Liverpool.) That said, all the news reports (admittedly tabloid speculation only at this point, but it has the same whiff of potential truth that we read from the same tabloids in April re Moyes) we're reading out of England have Fellaini leaving at a massive financial loss for United, that is if anyone is willing to buy him at anything more than a free transfer price tag. I think he's worth about 10-12m and that a club like Juventus might be interested in him. Or he might even be welcome back at Everton, where he was at times excellent.

So I don't know where you get this idea that I've argued that Fellaini is "shit on a stick" as I've never written that. I grant you that it's a standard internet forum technique to create a straw man argument just to knock it down, but in this case the plain truth is so obvious that Fellaini is not up the standard we should expect -- unless what you're really suggesting is that we should downgrade what we expect from United players -- that it's beyond all belief to deny it. Denying the truth that Fellaini is not a footballer we should build our midfield around will admittedly score you points with someone, but it won't help us figure out how we go from 7th place to 2nd or 1st in the league table. Truth is, we have major surgery to do with this squad and Fellaini is not going to be a central part of the answer to getting things right next season.

Because it's obvious you're missing the point, I'll give you something to quote accurately so that there can be no further misunderstanding. Read this carefully:

No harm would come from keeping Fellaini on as a squad man, but in order to rebuild a squad that has suffered from a combination of getting older and poor decisions during the last summer transfer window, we need to bring in (or bring up, if we have them) at least two central midfielders whom we would expect to come in as regular starters. Fellaini can come in off the bench or start when needed against lesser clubs, but we can't look at him and thank the gods that we can rebuild our midfield around him. And yes, late in games when we're searching the match-winner we can launch him forward where he can at times not only be brilliant, but borderline sensational. Most people don't normally association the words "brilliant" and "sensational" with the words "shit on a stick".

I hope that helps you. If it doesn't and you still believe that I argue that Fellaini is a shit-on-a-stick player who should be sent home with Moyes, so be it. I can't explain this any more clearly than I already have that he would be a useful player to have on the squad but that we need to bring in two central midfielders that are of proper United quality to rebuild a squad that is in serious need of rebuilding.

 

[Gannicus]

Again the actual point being presented has completely missed by you. You neatly sidestep it.

I have said it before and will repeat it for you again. I think we should sell Fellaini, I dont think he is what we need.

However your assessment of his way of playing is so inaccurate that its laughable. You need to take some time and watch him properly because you have it all completely wrong. That in turn makes me wonder if you could ever have an even half accurate assessment of any player.

You've actually made my point by agreeing Fellaini isn't what we need, although I wouldn't necessarily agree that we should sell him. Not that I would have a problem with selling him but I do see a useful role he could serve for us as a backup for more accomplished central midfielders. (Which of course is not to say I would have spent 27.5m, but we obviously agree on that point.) As for Fellaini's "way of playing", all you have to do is review gobs of footage of him. His best work is clearly in the last third, which is in no way an insult. Messi's best work is in the last third -- and no, I'm favorably comparing Fellaini to Messi. But he's not exactly a very good creative midfielder or defensive midfielder or box to box midfielder. What he is is a disruptive force in the last third who marauds high up the pitch to deal with a final ball fantastically. That is no insult. I don't have the numbers handy but he had an impressive goals and assists tally in his last two seasons at Everton. If I'm wrong about this, that his goals and assists tally was less than impressive in his last two seasons I will stipulate to whatever argument you're making (it appears you have no use for him at United). But I'm quite confident in stating that his performances for United were less than impressive, for whatever reason.

Just for fun I checked out Fellain's stats on Squaka. Yep, it's reasonable to assert that Fellaini was a very positive contributor for Everton, having put up more than his fair share of goals, assists and chances created. I'm not overselling him, but I am saying that however he was used by Moyes at Everton he was a much, better contributor than how Moyes used him at United. You can see the numbers for yourself, you can watch the video for yourself, but what you can't do is deny that he's a much better footballer attacking in the last third than he is defending in his own third.

Anyway, you have made your point and it's a perfectly reasonable one. No need for unpleasantries here. We'll solve this problem either by keeping Fellaini on as a squad man or by selling him. Or maybe he'll have a sensational World Cup and become a new man and prove both of us wrong. Any way this goes, let us go in peace.

 

[goldenstatesplash]

He can come in and do a job in spot situations and against certain clubs, but he would be savaged by the midfield or City, Arsenal and Chelsea. (He might be able to cope with Liverpool.)

So I don't know where you get this idea that I've argued that Fellaini is "shit on a stick" as I've never written that.

That said, all the news reports (admittedly tabloid speculation only at this point, but it has the same whiff of potential truth that we read from the same tabloids in April re Moyes) we're reading out of England have Fellaini leaving at a massive financial loss for United, that is if anyone is willing to buy him at anything more than a free transfer price tag. I think he's worth about 10-12m and that a club like Juventus might be interested in him. Or he might even be welcome back at Everton, where he was at times excellent.

As in, blatantly poor and lazy journalism nobody should be repeating.