35
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
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- Clean sheets
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Ah ok.
You're the one who can't accept the truth that Evans has failed to make the grade here. You simply won't admit to that. You were happy to let Welbeck go but your man Evans has contributed even less than Welbeck in the last couple of years. Hyped up to death by a large section of United fans for years and he's failed to live up to expectations. He'll be the first CB to be sold out of the glass three.
He has made the grade here, how has he not? Yes, he may well be sold on but if you're trying to say he's been a flop then you are truly mistaken.
I've said this before and it seems like we are going in circles here, but I'll repeat what I said about Welbeck, he left because he had RVP, Rooney, Falcao, Wilson and Januzaj in front of him, if our CB positions had that sort of talent then of course Evans would be moved on.
Again, you've failed to answer a simple question.
He was not this season, but i have seen posts in past where people blaming him for everything.
He only play 3 game (I guess) and its when we are experimenting 3 - 5 - 2 line up where every one look dreadful.
My Point is, he is not he is world class because he never will be, but he deferentially better than some people pointing out right now.
Cool.
People are frustrated and not just with him but with Smalling and Jones as well. He'll take most of the criticism because a)He's been the worst of the lot this season b)Unlike Smalling and Jones he doesn't have the excuse of being consistently played out of position.
I don't blame people for being frustrated either. We've been saying for years now that all Evans, Smaling and Jones needed was a good run the in the team. With Rio and Vidic gone they had that chance this season and as expected all 3 get injured at the same bloody time. All 3 of them are useless for us if they can't stay fit.
I haven't followed all the arguments closely but I don't think @Loublaze is saying Evans is a bad player. He's just saying that Evans is very much expendable as a player given his recent injury record and that he's not exactly a world class defender that would justify us keeping faith in him despite his injuries and lack of form.
How can anyone frustrated of him for 3 games?
Yes he had injuries but I think its only last 2 season. He was well played in past seasons when Rio and Vidic unavailable for play and done good job.
I am not blaming any user not I have follow argument in this thread also, but he is player certainly deserve at-least one more change before we cut loose and sell him.
Well at-least in one season he does.
2012-13 Evans total goal - 4
2012-13 Welbeck total goal - 2
Just kidding.
Don't think you have to worry about that.
Because he's already managed to get injured twice in the opening 3 months..
He'll get a chance. He has this entire season to convince Van Gaal of his fitness and quality.
So are you upset with his injuries? or his performance?
Because I was talking about he is been scapegoat for his performance in past season.
If we are to buy another centre half, albeit I think there is a dearth of prime, available centre halfs kicking about these days, I think Jonny is the most expendable out of our current group. I still believe in Smalling and Jones very much, and Evans is the oldest, with an injury record that is marginally worse.
Four centre halfs is enough for any club, and that will always remain the case. If players can't stay fit then I think we'll have to look at offloading, or replacing, those who are struggling to be a viable option. With that said, I still strongly believe that our defenders need to build up a tolerance to playing regular football, which could take some time. We'll know more come next summer.
Four centre halfs is enough for any club, and that will always remain the case. If players can't stay fit then I think we'll have to look at offloading, or replacing, those who are struggling to be a viable option. With that said, I still strongly believe that our defenders need to build up a tolerance to playing regular football, which could take some time. We'll know more come next summer.
Both. And I'm more annoyed that upset.
Smalling is likely to be more expendable than Evans. He's still extremely uncomfortable in possession at times despite the fact that he can usually hold his own against big forwards. That is important in the way LvG's teams play.
As an aside, I've said it before, I think people are basing their opinions on Evans this season entirely on the one MK Dons game, in which he was poor yes, but in his other games he's been nowhere near as bad as people are making out.
A few weeks ago people were in the Rafael thread saying that we should sell him as he's too injury prone, and some of those people are now in there lauding his last few performances. There is no reason that Evans won't come back strong for the rest of the season. He started 2012/13 injured then was one of our better players in our last title winning season.
I'm not suggesting we get rid of our entire defence. I'm suggesting that we should be continuing to try and improve it, to get it back to the level it was at previously. A hard task, but what we should be aiming for.
We may lack world class players in some positions, but players such as Herrera, Blind, Rafael, Shaw and others are undoubtedly very good players and I'd trust most of them to be the main player in their position. I wouldn't be so confident of Evans in that role for us.
The players that have never really been good enough are now being exposed and certainly Jonny fits that bill. The defender that can't defend or head the ball when under pressure. I won't be sorry to see him gone.
Excellent post
What does that mean, "...are now being exposed"? Now that we're shit? Now that they're injured? Now that we're playing a different system? Now that we're having to play untested youngsters in the backline? The notion that the likes of Evans has never been tested until now is moronic. You don't fancy him as a player, fair enough but the guy's been assuming responsibility since he was 19 and shoring things up for Sunderland. You act as if MK Dons was the first time he's been under a high ball.
Shawcross would do a better job for United than Evans. We got rid of the wrong CB. This is not saying Shawcross is more talented than Evans.
Shawcross's pass completion record this season is 77%. Last season it was 74%. When a United central defender has one single match with that type of percentage, he gets tons of abuse on here for giving the ball away. Smalling gets a lot of criticism for a lack of composure on the ball. Evans pass completion record is 87% (both this season and last).
Shawcross is not a viable option for a team that wants to play out from the back. It is debatable whether Smalling is and his stats are far superior.
Personally, I'd wait until near the end of the season before making any judgement on our right-footed central defenders; no new contracts, no decisions to sell.
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Pass percentage is a stat that can be skewed by game style though. If Shawcross is pumping a lot of long balls while Smalling is playing safe 5m passes then you would expect his (Smalling's) pass % to be higher.
I would rather play Mcnair over Evans.
We all know Stoke were a hoof the ball up team. That has changed under Hughes. Shawcross has played 90 full minutes of every league game Stoke have played this season so far, and he is adapting well to Hughes' open passing game. He was immense against City when Stoke won 1-0 at the Etihad and also against Hull when he scored a late equalizing goal to save a point. He played 37 league games last season and the least he's played in a single season since 2010/11 is 36 games! He'd be waaay more dependable than any of our glass three.
Yeah, lets sign a player who isn't good enough because he will be able to play in every game. That isn't a good thing.
If he wasn't ex United we wouldn't even mention him.
If he wasn't ex United we wouldn't even mention him.
Yes, lets! Having a decent player who can play whenever he's needed is better than having a very good player who is always on the sidelines due to poor fitness. Al Shawcross would give us better service than our glass three.
If Smalling and Jones weren't United players many people on here wouldn't rate them. Those two have nothing on Shawcross to be honest because they haven't even been properly developed in their natural positions. What have they done to show they are good enough for United? This is their season to finally prove they can fit those shoes and so far they are falling short. Im not saying Shawcross is more talented, but he has vast experience and he is very dependable. All we'd need him to do is play to an acceptable level when we need him.
He could beef up our backline until the summer when we're in a position to actually buy an available top quality CB. Shawcross is a better option in January than Vlaar for me, he already knows what is expected at OT and knows the surroundings in and out. He'd settle in quickly. You don't rate him because of who he plays for, simple as that. He was great against City. Who would you sign in January? Because players like Hummels won't be available.
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Well that's one thing he has going that the other three don't, why isn't that a good thing again? Frankly speaking we need to have world class first choice defenders that are available to play more often than not and good back up players that are always AVAILABLE when needed. So far Jones, Smalling and Evans are in neither category but then only Jones is young enough to persist with. Always having three senior CBs missing is not healthy and needs to be dealt with swiftly and decisively.
If Evans gets slated it's because of the standards he is being judged against. Stam, Bruce, Pallister, Ferdinand, Vidic. No one should make apologies for that. If he wants to be a Manchester United player than that is the calibre of player he must aspire to emulate. He will be 27 in January. He should be establishing himself as the natural leader of the defence. Yet when he plays he is erratic and he doesn't play enough because he picks up injuries like a kid picks up sweeties.
If Evans were to be sold, would a major team - a team competing at the level this club needs to return to - be interested in him? A Chelsea, or City? Or Bayern Munich. I doubt it.
Similarly, if they currently played for another side, ask yourself if you'd be putting bunting up and organising a street party because we'd signed Evans (or Smalling). Again, I doubt it.
If Evans were to be sold, would a major team - a team competing at the level this club needs to return to - be interested in him? A Chelsea, or City? Or Bayern Munich. I doubt it.
Similarly, if they currently played for another side, ask yourself if you'd be putting bunting up and organising a street party because we'd signed Evans (or Smalling). Again, I doubt it.
How long have you followed United?
My earliest memories are from around 1970 so I would have been five or six. Why? Is that relevant?
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Then surely you should know that the standard of player you expect our players to become is going to be close to impossible. Players like Ronny Johnsen and Henning Berg were vital to the Clubs long term success, yet were nowhere near the standard you say is required. Does Rafael have to become as good as or better than Neville, or Luke Shaw as good as Dennis Irwin, what about Blind, Herrera, Mata or Rojo?
LVG has said that just because players have the best name, it doesn’t mean that they are the best for the team, and that’s very true. For years Fergie built team after team and always tried to buy the right type of player, it didn’t matter if he wasn’t World Class as long as he fitted into the team.
I’m not talking about Evans in particular, but I’ve read it many times on here about Evans not being as good as Vidic or Rio, who is? However if that stick is going to be thrown at Evans then surely it has to be thrown at the entire team, and let’s face it, we wouldn’t be left with too many players.
Given that this thread was specifically about Evans, for what it's worth, of the players you cite, I would rate Ronny Johnsen or Henning Berg as better defenders than Evans. They were positive and aggressive where Evans is often seemingly diffident.
Johnsen was far better and an ideal foil for Stam. He was moved on because of a chronic knee problem. Similar to Evans he was not fit and available for selection sufficiently often. Although in Johnsen's case the injury was a chronic one as opposed to a succession of knocks, strains and pulls. Johnsen was also versatile and could play in midfield to good effect if required.
Will Rafael or Shaw be as good as Neville or Irwin? I don't know, however, those are the standards to which they must aspire. Shaw is just 19 so it is far to soon to judge. Rafael 24 and I would say he needs a good season this year.
Extending the argument to the quality of Blind, Herrera, or Rojo doesn't stand close scrutiny, I'm afraid. None of them have been here long enough to make an objective assessment. What I can say is that Blind is, at 24 already a versatile, technically adept footballer able to cover a variety of roles. That very quality gives him a value beyond just being the best in a given position. He is an improvement on what we had. Rojo, also 24 has played in a World Cup final. Once he settles properly and, ideally, has a settled partner in defence I believe he can be of the quality we need and, again, will prove to be in improvement on what we had.
Herrera, in the short time he is been here has already demonstrated his undoubted quality and has surprised me with his physical commitment as well as his technical ability. He is an undoubted improvement on what we had.
So in my view, all of these three bring immediate improvement with the potential for significant further development.
Mata is a bit of an enigma but is, I believe, worth perseverance.
You're right, of course, in that for years SAF built many great teams, however, look at his finest teams. The double winners in 1994. The treble team. The League and European Cup winning side of 2008. All of them were based on a high quality, solid, settled central defensive axis. Our progress back to that standard is compromised by the current quality of, and continual changes in, defensive personnel. At nearly 27, Evans should, by now, have made a convincing case to be part of the next such defensive partnership. I don't believe he has.
I'd say Evans is unfortunate in that circumstances have thrust upon him the responsibility to lead this defense. People are so harsh on him because they had higher expectations from him, he has been touted as a future United Captain by the likes of Bruce for crying out loud! He had to stand up this season and, even though injuries aren't his fault, he hasn't. Frankly I'm disappointed thus far and if he can't prove that he can not only play a significant role but also lead that defense then there isn't much point in keeping him. He is too talented and has been earmarked for far too long to descent into the squad role that the likes of JOS had. He really must kick on.
Yes the thread is about Evans, however you stated that he must aspire to be as good as or better than Stam, Vidic, Rio, Pallister or Bruce, therefore the same level of expectancy must be applied of all our players, that’s my point, it impossible yet somehow Evans seems to be criticised for it.
According to you Johnsen and Berg should be slated for not being as good or better than Stam etc, in fact I think you said 'no apologies should be made’ for doing so. It doesn’t matter if you or anyone else thinks they contributed to United’s careers, they must be slated. It doesn’t make sense and people use that pathetic excuse as another reason to beat one of our players. A team doesn’t have to be full of superstars for it to work it has to be the right player in accordance to the mangers wishes.
Ok, it’s fair to say it too early to judge our new players but the same can be said for Carrick, Fletcher, Smalling, Jones, RVP, Nani, Rafael, Rooney, in fact nyou could argue that every player in our of our current squad isn’t as good as their predecessors. Nicky Butt, Evra, Berbatov, etc all good players for the Club but nowhere near the level of their predecessors, im surprised we ever won anything in truth.
If we as fans expect every player to emulate our Clubs greats and slate them when they don’t reach that level then we really do have a pathetic bunch of fans. If Evans or another other player gets moved on then yes we have to always try and improve the type of player we bring in, however just because that player doesn’t look as good on the pitch doesn’t mean he’s not better for the team.
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Yes, losing Vidic and Rio at the same time wasn’t good for the player or the Club, however he has stood up and in truth has been one of our main defenders for a couple of seasons now. Unfortunately Evans seems to be one of those players that some fans love to blame, a good example of this is when some on here blamed him solely for Leicester’s first goal, for me that was beyond laughable.
He hasn’t stood up this season due to injuries, he hasn’t had a run of games nor has he had the chance to regain a bit of match fitness but even then he hasn’t actually been as bad as many have made out. For me he is still our best defender and some tend to have a short or blinkered memory when it comes to him.
You've interpreted my initial point absolutely literally - but then you knew that. Fair enough.
Earlier in this thread, you state; "I'll repeat what I said about Welbeck, he left because he had RVP, Rooney, Falcao, Wilson and Januzaj in front of him, if our CB positions had that sort of talent then of course Evans would be moved on".
Suffice it to say that I support your conclusion regarding Evans. And it's my view that we should be seeking to replace him (and Smalling) with players of comparable defensive ability to the forwards you list.
Anyone know if he is back yet?
H's still out with foot injury. No mention of expected recovery time
Whats actually happened to him? It feels like he's disappeared off the face of the earth this season.
He's the player on the team who has spent the most time on the sidelines for the last two years.