Keane. He's about as far as you can get from Roy Keane.
Marouane Fellaini | 2013/14 Performances
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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.
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Keane. He's about as far as you can get from Roy Keane.
He didn't say he was the new Roy Keane. He said "Keane was an aggressive player who could win every ball. Maybe I can do this as well,"
"I can win the ball. I can clear the ball. I can play clean."
Unfortunately for him that is about the easiest thing Keane used to do and ignores why he was such a great player. He's not here to fecking tackle.
"I can win the ball. I can clear the ball. I can play clean."
Unfortunately for him that is about the easiest thing Keane used to do and ignores why he was such a great player. He's not here to fecking tackle.
Can't believe some of you'll are defending him. He was quite awful. Carrick was essentially warding off an entire midfield on his own since his partner decided to go on a walkabout. He was apparently bought to get some grit into our midfield in games exactly like these where Carrick and Cleverley get bullied.And he showed that he wasn't upto it. Hope he steps up through the season. We really need him to.
PS: I can't believe he was put at #10 when we had Kagawa and Hernandez on the bench. Was Moyes resorting to familiarity?
PS: I can't believe he was put at #10 when we had Kagawa and Hernandez on the bench. Was Moyes resorting to familiarity?
No point in writing him off. He was fine on Tuesday and did well when he came on last weekend.
He was indeed shite today, but lets give him some time. New players and surroundings for him to settle into.
He was indeed shite today, but lets give him some time. New players and surroundings for him to settle into.
It was obvious that a combo of Carrick and Fellaini lacks enough mobility. That must be the least mobile CM pair in the league. If that's news to Moyes, then I'm worried.
Looked a bit unfit to me, either that or he couldn't be arsed because he was jogging around with very little intensity.
City's main threat today was their wing play and not the central area. It also didn't help that we decided to stand off until City reached the penalty box. So I'm not really getting the criticism labeled at him. There were a hand full of players that were much worse the he was today.
That's the biggest problem really, neither are the type to burst from midfield. A top class CM like Cesc slightly ahead of them would make the world of difference.
Well personally, I'm basing it off never thinking he was particularly great in midfield anytime I'd ever see him play. And today all he did was play the role many people thought he would, that of a lumbering oaf who is far and away not good enough to be a main player in a title challenging side.
We can only hope that Fellaini grows as a player with more of these big games because today even the things he did well midweek e.g. show strength and purpose he didn't. The gulf in class between the City midfielders and Fellaini was painful. Its not Fellaini's fault that United paid so much for him but his positioning, possession play and passing made a mockery of his price tag. I said earlier this week that he's a player in development and if given time he might get to the level Fletch was at four years ago and I stick by that, but its looking a big 'if' right now.
He shouldn't need his arse handed to him in a demolition job to know that. If he sauntered in here thinking he'd made it and it was all plain sailing then his attitude would be fecking worrying as well as his ability.
Agreed, but the lack of application on his part is a little unsettling - almost like.. hmm I'm playing under Moyes, rather than I'm at United and need to be working my bollocks off. Was better as a support striker but whats the point of that.
Second game only for United. Big game. Big Derby. Harsh to judge.
I am confident Fellaini's going to be a hit here, hope this switching off malarkey is a one off.
Would've been nice if he'd try to tackle, mind.
Well today basically confirmed all his flaws as pointed out by some of us not blindly defending his purchase. I'm not going to write him off after this as there was sure as hell other poor performers out there but he showcased his complete lack of defensive awareness, his complete lack of mobility and showcased that he's not going to offer us anything at all in terms of playing the ball out from tight situations as a midfielder. He's basically playing even deeper than Carrick, which does us no good as he can't get about the pitch to tackle against decent opposition, and he can't play the ball out from deep, so it results in us even losing Carrick's ability to take the ball and find an out-ball.
This was a particularly poor day at the office for him, make no mistake, but even the difference when Cleverley came on, the much maligned Cleverley I might add, was incredible - simply because we then got a functioning partnership in CM who actually moves off each other and doesn't stand in a straight line playing simple three-yard passes.
This was horrifyingly far off the standard I expect from a United player. The same goes for Smalling and Young, but we knew that about Young and Smalling just isn't a right-back.
This was a particularly poor day at the office for him, make no mistake, but even the difference when Cleverley came on, the much maligned Cleverley I might add, was incredible - simply because we then got a functioning partnership in CM who actually moves off each other and doesn't stand in a straight line playing simple three-yard passes.
This was horrifyingly far off the standard I expect from a United player. The same goes for Smalling and Young, but we knew that about Young and Smalling just isn't a right-back.
Awful showing today, but that could be said of most of the team.
Still confident that he'll come good for us.
Still confident that he'll come good for us.
What? They walked through our midfield. Fellaini didn't even bother his arse tracking runners. The whole game passed him by. It'd be great to know what was going on under that big fro.
I'd still love to know what Ramshock was going on about regards to City's formation. That remains a mystery.
Exactly
Fellaini didn't have a great game, but none of our players had a great game in that respect.
If you are looking for a culprit, start by looking on the wings. Valencia and Young were very bad today, no creativity and they didn't do their defensive duties either. Smalling was also poor in defence and Evra didn't play his best game either. Nasri, Navas and Kolarov were having a field day today, was like a walk in the park for them, no opposition at all.
Beside them Ferdinand did alot of things wrong today and Welbeck was completley useless upfront aswell. Then i guess you can start to talk about the performance of Fellaini, but he hardly was the worst player on the pitch today, far from.
I can't criticise him much. He played like I expect Fellaini to play; just like he did midweek. Stood around the halfway line, he wins high balls punted upfield by the opposition and when sent forward he wins high balls punted upfield by teammates. I expect him to come in handy at setpieces. Not a defensive midfielder, not a creative midfielder, he's just there - and I will criticise him on that today, there were plenty of times when he wasn't even there.
However, as I've said before, I haven't seen him play that much. Not for Everton, not for Belgium. People who have watched him more say he's better than I've seen and will do even better for us. Moyes, who must know him well, knows that he's better than I've seen. Good. He's got plenty of time to show how good he is.
However, as I've said before, I haven't seen him play that much. Not for Everton, not for Belgium. People who have watched him more say he's better than I've seen and will do even better for us. Moyes, who must know him well, knows that he's better than I've seen. Good. He's got plenty of time to show how good he is.
Their three best players were in the spine of their team. Kompany, Toure and Aguero. They tore us a new one right through the middle. Fellaini played like a fairy, and a big lazy cnut, refusing to track runners, letting players just walk past him and generally looking not arsed about anything he was asked to do.
One of his attributes was that he was supposed to give us extra presence in the box. Well he cost us one goal defending from a corner and didn't effect anything in the attacking box except give fouls away.
Fellaini made one tackle and zero interceptions. Pointless having him on the pitch if he's not doing the one thing he's meant to contribute - breaking up the play.
If he will only be effective against smaller teams who sit back and give us plenty of space and freedom, then he'll be a pointless acquisition because we never did too badly against those teams anyway.
If he will only be effective against smaller teams who sit back and give us plenty of space and freedom, then he'll be a pointless acquisition because we never did too badly against those teams anyway.
One bad game and he is a duffer, this forum is full of scouting geniuses. Of course everyone else on the team had cracking games and the manager was sharp with his tactics and selection but no its a player who joined the team two weeks ago who is to blame. 
He can't break up the play if he can't get near the opposition like today. City were too quick for him and Toure just stormed past him a few times (and the rest of the midfield).
One bad game and he is a duffer, this forum is full of scouting geniuses. Of course everyone else on the team had cracking games and the manager was sharp with his tactics and selection but no its a player who joined the team two weeks ago who is to blame.
It's just that every single one of the flaws I and several others pointed out were exposed really badly today. I'm not blaming him for our defeat, with some of the performances out there we could've played Iniesta alongside Carrick and we still would've lost, but when you've got an opinion on a player and he spends his first big match reinforcing every single part of it then it's going to be pointed out.
He's always been a duffer. Today wasn't the issue, signing him at all was. Today he just did what many on here were worried he would, look woefully out of his depth.One bad game and he is a duffer, this forum is full of scouting geniuses. Of course everyone else on the team had cracking games and the manager was sharp with his tactics and selection but no its a player who joined the team two weeks ago who is to blame.
One bad game and he is a duffer, this forum is full of scouting geniuses. Of course everyone else on the team had cracking games and the manager was sharp with his tactics and selection but no its a player who joined the team two weeks ago who is to blame.
Yup agree completely.
fecking hell, the guy has just joined the team. It does take a bit of time to get to know your team mates, the passing systems and off ball movements of your new team mates. There is a long long list of players who have taken a season or so to adjust to their new teams who then went on to be quality players for that team.
But that's players not doing what they were good at with their former clubs, not players performing exactly like they've done before.
This IS Fellaini playing in midfield against top opposition. He's not mobile enough, he's not defensively aware, he's not quick enough on the ball and he's got no drive. Watch him play in CM for Everton against good sides and see the same thing happening. Heck, even against fairly mediocre PL sides he's at times been exposed exactly by the same issues we saw today.
He might improve on all of those things but he's a world apart from giving us what we need, and it's unfair to expect him to be our saviour in midfield. I always felt the talk about him "adding steel" was just a poor way of saying he's a big lad. If teams stroll past you what does it matter how big you are?
As for all the talk about him being "excellent technically" it's plain he just isn't, not when the level of measurement is Manchester United and not Everton. It doesn't really matter what Steve Round says, Marouane Fellaini just isn't and will never be "technically excellent".
Everton was his level.
His lack of pressing and tracking and just all round energy dissapointed me. Of course it will take time for a new player to settle but things like that are a given, he should be giving absolutely everything, just joined the club, starting his first derby, I don't want to watch him and think hes taking it easy.
That's all well and good, but the opinion I have on him isn't based on a shit performance today, I've never seen anything in him to suggest he was a United player in waiting. I don't rate him, I didn't when he was at Everton and I'd be a hypocrite if I suddenly changed my opinion on him because he signed for us.
I don't think he's good enough. He impressed as a target to boot the ball up to, that isn't what we need. We needed someone with a bit of bite who could prevent us being overrun in midfield. Fellaini was, by the accounts of many on here, the man to provide that steel. That's the least we should have expected from him. Today he played like a timid boy. It was pathetic stuff from him, in all honesty.
He wasn't the only bad player and the defeat isn't all his fault, but today all he did was fulfil the fears many of us had about him. That he isn't good enough.
And even there his only noteworthy performances against good opposition was as a target man in behind another striker, latching onto long punts up the field.
Yep. A shite performance is forgivable, but he had the air of someone who wasn't particularly arsed. If we have plans to play him in midfield regularly, he's going to need to up his work rate considerably.
Fair point. Goes to show how we messed up by not signing him early in the summer and getting him involved from day one in pre-season.
Not convinced he is going to be a success but its asking a hell of a lot of any player to perform in a big match away from home on the back of one start and one sub appearance.
I think the problem is that the flaws he showed today seemed to be apparent to some while he was at Everton too. I wouldn't judge him based on todays game, it's only his second full start so he'll probably get better. In general though I'm still far from convinced he was the right signing, or that he'll shore up our midfield in the way some people thought.
He was a panic buy and we all know it.
That was the biggest disappointment. I didn't want Fellaini, but was persuaded by fans who said he'd add aggression and bite to our midfield. If that's aggression and bite, I'd rather we stick with Cleverley.
It's obviously important to give the fella the chance to properly settle, but he was worryingly out of his depth today.
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