Sky Sources : Blind and Mata set to leave this summer.

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Bojan11 said:
No he's not.

O'Shea could actually defend rather than running like a headless chicken.

Blind was a weak link. When we were made to defend he was the guy teams targeted. For the first half of the season Smalling was doing the defending for both.

If people think our defence was good then go watch Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Spurs, Watford, Liverpool, West Ham, Everton, Sunderland, Newcastle and Stoke games.

Blind in his first season when played in midfield bombed forward like a headless chicken which left us open on the counter. He did it at times when he was a CB. He has no positioning sense. We looked so much secure when Carrick was in midfield.

Hopefully if we get rid of him it means we signing two centre backs.
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True. Watching Blind last season with his pressing and positioning made me wonder if he's actually daft or just following instructions.

I wouldn't mind him being moved on. Give the games to Fosu-Mensah.

I hope we get a proper world class replacement for Mata, though which world class player would want to miss out on a season of CL, I don't know.
 
Won't be fussed if both of the leave. Blind can be a good cover in the squad, but he should be let go just for saying LvG was treated unfairly. As for Mata, never been a fan of his. He scores a goal once in a while and fools everyone into thinking he is a top player.
 
Duafc said:
:lol:

This is so far off the mark its untrue. Under fergie we kept hold of mediocre players to a fault and relied on his masterful game and man management skills to win all we did.

Only since he has left have we seen 4/5/6/7 new players every year... Coincidentally we haven't had a team that has gelled since... I wonder could those two things be related?

Mata was very productive last year and Blind probably in our top 5 players.

But sure, sack them all.
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Being the 5th best player in a team that finished 5th and flopped in a piss easy CL group is nothing to be proud of !

You are exactly the type of fan I was alluding to about accepting mediocrity. Blind is alright but I lost count how many times he was bailed out by De Gea. Mata ? Did ok but since when have ok and Manchester United been acceptable in the same sentence ?

Mourinho got it bang on when he said forget the last three years and players like Mata especially and Blind have been a common theme in those three years of dross.
 
NinjaZombie said:
True. Watching Blind last season with his pressing and positioning made me wonder if he's actually daft or just following instructions.

I wouldn't mind him being moved on. Give the games to Fosu-Mensah.

I hope we get a proper world class replacement for Mata, though which world class player would want to miss out on a season of CL, I don't know.
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It was definitely just him being an idiot. Carrick wasn't doing it when he played there.
 
I think Blind has something to offer in the midfield, obviously not the long term answer at CB. In addition, he can play all over the pitch. Think he would make a good squad player and be a bit of a loss if he leaves, although not too much to be fussed about.
 
Mata, Blind, Fellaini and Rojo all need to be shown the door.

I was delighted when we got Mata. But he's done nothing to show he can be a key player for us and he only plays half decent on the right when Valencia is there. Ronaldo and Nani used to have O'Shea or Brown who were defensive fullbacks and it didn't effect them. Mata only turns up depending on which right back we got. If it's Darmian then he has a poor game.

Fellaini just throws elbows about. Can't head the ball and only good for his height. If we do get Ibrahimovic then Fellaini is pointless.

I don't think I need to explain why Rojo needs to go. I'd rather have Quinton Fortune back.
 
These two moving on wouldn't bother me at all as long as Mourinho isn't as daft as LVG by which I mean selling players without having adequate replacements.
 
Unless Jose is thinking of bringing in 6-7 new players it would be a mistake to sell Blind.

Players get injured all the time and Blind is the only player we have who can cover any one of 3 or 4 positions. No one else can be called upon to do the kind of unglorious dirty work that needs to get done that Blind can do.

Maybe Jose understands that Blind wants out if he can't be a regular starter, in which case then selling him is a win for the player and the manager, thus the club. But if we're going to rid ourselves of one of our top players during the 15/16 season (only De Gea, Smalling and Martial were consistently better the entire season) then we better rid ourselves of Fellaini, Young, Carrick, Schweinsteiger, Valencia and probably Rooney too -- although I understand that Rooney is unmarketable due to his wages.

Mata, no problem there.

Edit: Rojo too, of course.
 
I doubt Mata will leave, it's not like he has something against Mata. All he said was at that time, Oscar was a better #10 than Mata and Mata is not good on the wings, something we all can agree on.
 
I've had a bit of a rollercoaster with my view on Blind. I started off thinking he was a weak link at centre back, way too slow and not hard enough. But he really started to impress me around the time Smalling started to fade a bit. His positioning and reading of the game was brilliant, and his forward passes were decent too.

Overall I wouldn't be arsed if Blind was to move on, assuming we get a suitable replacement or if TFM is going to be a centre back. Blind would be a decent squad player but we'll see.

Ultimately I'm not believing anything until it's from a more reliable source. Sky are fecking shite these days
 
Bojan11 said:
No he's not.

O'Shea could actually defend rather than running like a headless chicken.

Blind was a weak link. When we were made to defend he was the guy teams targeted. For the first half of the season Smalling was doing the defending for both.

If people think our defence was good then go watch Wolfsburg, Arsenal, Spurs, Watford, Liverpool, West Ham, Everton, Sunderland, Newcastle and Stoke games.

Blind in his first season when played in midfield bombed forward like a headless chicken which left us open on the counter. He did it at times when he was a CB. He has no positioning sense. We looked so much secure when Carrick was in midfield.

Hopefully if we get rid of him it means we signing two centre backs.
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This couldn't be further from the truth even if you tried.
 
Blind out first.
Did he ever manage to get the ball from a corner further from the first post?

Offers nothing top class in the back or midfield, he simply doesn't have the quality for us.
 
Spock said:
Unless Jose is thinking of bringing in 6-7 new players it would be a mistake to sell Blind.

Players get injured all the time and Blind is the only player we have who can cover any one of 3 or 4 positions. No one else can be called upon to do the kind of unglorious dirty work that needs to get done that Blind can do.

Maybe Jose understands that Blind wants out if he can't be a regular starter, in which case then selling him is a win for the player and the manager, thus the club. But if we're going to rid ourselves of one of our top players during the 15/16 season (only De Gea, Smalling and Martial were consistently better the entire season) then we better rid ourselves of Fellaini, Young, Carrick, Schweinsteiger, Valencia and probably Rooney too -- although I understand that Rooney is unmarketable due to his wages.

Mata, no problem there.

Edit: Rojo too, of course.
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Paddy McNair can also play at centre half, full back and defensive midfield...

Shaw, Borthwick-Jackson, Smalling, Rojo, Jones, McNair, Fosu-Mensah, Carrick, Sneiderlin, Schweinsteiger can all play in Blind's positions. Mourinho is also planning to buy a centre half and centre midfielder by all accounts. Where does Blind fit in?

I am not lobbying for Blind to be sold. I'm just saying, first, its not true that there is nobody else in the squad who can cover the places Blind plays. Second, if we are serious about giving youth a chance, some of the senior players will have to be moved on. Blind, being less physically imposing than many of the players listed above, is a logical candidate to be moved on given Mou's style. If it leads to Borthwick-Jackson, McNair and Fosu-Mensah getting more chances is it so terrible that Blind leaves..?
 
The only position Blind has anything note worthy to offer is at left back as far as I'm concerned.

Him playing there also happened to coincide with by far our best performances under LVG (Spurs, City, Liverpool games last season).

Obviously Shaw will be first choice, so at best I see Blind as his primary back up next season. We wouldn't miss him if he does end up going.

Still, this "report" has obviously just pulled out of thin air.
 
Spock said:
Unless Jose is thinking of bringing in 6-7 new players it would be a mistake to sell Blind.

Players get injured all the time and Blind is the only player we have who can cover any one of 3 or 4 positions. No one else can be called upon to do the kind of unglorious dirty work that needs to get done that Blind can do.

Maybe Jose understands that Blind wants out if he can't be a regular starter, in which case then selling him is a win for the player and the manager, thus the club. But if we're going to rid ourselves of one of our top players during the 15/16 season (only De Gea, Smalling and Martial were consistently better the entire season) then we better rid ourselves of Fellaini, Young, Carrick, Schweinsteiger, Valencia and probably Rooney too -- although I understand that Rooney is unmarketable due to his wages.

Mata, no problem there.

Edit: Rojo too, of course.
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I honestly think he will bring in 6 or 7 new players. The club is going to give him a war chest this summer, I can foresee us spending £200m plus. I agree Blind is a decent squad player, but I still think Jose would prefer someone with more speed and physicality. I'd say Blind could carve out a decent career in the PL at a mid table side if we sell him. As that's the level we've been for most of this season with him starting.
 
prath92 said:
This couldn't be further from the truth even if you tried.
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So explain what's not the truth? Rather than posting that shit.

Did we look better in the 14/15 midfield when 33 year old Carrick was in midfield ahead of Blind? Pretty sure Carrick was our best outfield player. Where as Blind was a headless chicken who ran too forward and left us open on the counter. When Carrick got injured near the end we lost three games in a row that season including getting smashed by Everton.

So did you actually watch any of those matches or are you going to bang on the best defence stat rather than actually watching games? Which doesn't surprise me. Some of those wins we were lucky. I'm sure Blind had a fiver on Watford because the amount of chance Ighalo was getting was ridiculous.

Here is our so called calm ball playing CB in his best moment last season

 
Shark said:
I honestly think he will bring in 6 or 7 new players. The club is going to give him a war chest this summer, I can foresee us spending £200m plus. I agree Blind is a decent squad player, but I still think Jose would prefer someone with more speed and physicality. I'd say Blind could carve out a decent career in the PL at a mid table side if we sell him. As that's the level we've been for most of this season with him starting.
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Not sure we will bring in that many, if will be few but of the highest quality which will soon eat up that money.
 
ChaddyP said:
Can see Blind being a good CB for a team like Barca
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Why is that?

Don't say because Mascharano can do it, so can Blind.

Mascherano is 10 times the defender Blind is. If he was over 6 foot, we'd be talking about best defender in the world. His positioning is much better. He is much more aggressive and can tackle.
 
2015-2016 Premier League Man of the Match
  • Wayne Rooney - 4
  • Anthony Martial - 3
  • Daley Blind - 3
  • Ander Herrera - 2
  • Juan Mata - 2
  • Matteo Darmian - 2
  • Chris Smalling - 1
  • Jesse Lingard - 1
  • Marcos Rojo - 1
  • Marcus Rashford - 1
  • Memphis Depay - 1
 
Raoul said:
Yes, I'm sure they are plotting to weaken themselves be adding Mata.
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Ummm. No idea what your response has to do with my post, to be honest. In fact, it's quite a strange comment.

You said it would be hilarious if Mata joined the mighty Barcelona.
It wouldn't be hilarious, because he'd be joining to do a squad role. Which is exactly what most think Mata should be doing here (huge wages aside).

They wouldn't exactly be signing him to replace Iniesta, Messi, Suarez, Neymar in the first team. What would be hilarious is if they actually did sign him to replace one of those guys.
 
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Blind mixes bad games with good games, but the good ones are usually because of an assist, or domination in the CDM position. He's not good enough as a left back (to be in front of Shaw), and he'll never be a great LCB for United, eventhough he did pretty good last season - we can't expect him to gain lenght, speed and strenght. And we need those traits, if we want to dominate games and press high. Which is the only thing he's really good at in comparison to Smalling and Jones, his positioning looks like someone who knows how to press. But this is also an ability Smalling could improve on, is likely to improve on. So, in the long run we don't need Blind. But for the moment I wouldn't sell him unless he's not motivated to be a sub or something.

I sure hope Mourinho doesn't make the same mistakes and fails to get a world class CB this summer to pair up with Smalling. After that, we could accept offers for Blind. Personally, I'd sooner sell Rojo tho.
 
Bojan11 said:
Why is that?

Don't say because Mascharano can do it, so can Blind.

Mascherano is 10 times the defender Blind is. If he was over 6 foot, we'd be talking about best defender in the world. His positioning is much better. He is much more aggressive and can tackle.
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Because he can Play Cb in a possession based team and doesn't have to deal with 6' 3" athletes week in and out in La Liga
 
ChaddyP said:
Because he can Play Cb in a possession based team and doesn't have to deal with 6' 3" athletes week in and out in La Liga
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He'd have to deal with players with pace. Which he struggles more against as Smalling usually marked the big guy.

It's ok converting one of the best CDMs in the world as a CB like Mascherano. Mascharano can actually defend and enjoys it.

Mascherano fits in alongside Pique well. As Pique is the ball playing CB, who is miles ahead of Blind. Whilst Mascherano is the tough tackling CB.
 
Bojan11 said:
He'd have to deal with players with pace. Which he struggles more against as Smalling usually marked the big guy.

It's ok converting one of the best CDMs in the world as a CB like Mascherano. Mascharano can actually defend and enjoys it.

Mascherano fits in alongside Pique well. As Pique is the ball playing CB, who is miles ahead of Blind. Whilst Mascherano is the tough tackling CB.
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lol
ok bro
 
Bojan11 said:
So explain what's not the truth? Rather than posting that shit.

Did we look better in the 14/15 midfield when 33 year old Carrick was in midfield ahead of Blind? Pretty sure Carrick was our best outfield player. Where as Blind was a headless chicken who ran too forward and left us open on the counter. When Carrick got injured near the end we lost three games in a row that season including getting smashed by Everton.

So did you actually watch any of those matches or are you going to bang on the best defence stat rather than actually watching games? Which doesn't surprise me. Some of those wins we were lucky. I'm sure Blind had a fiver on Watford because the amount of chance Ighalo was getting was ridiculous.

Here is our so called calm ball playing CB in his best moment last season

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Carrick played in midfield only during the 6 games towards the end. Most other games he played as the central defender in a back 3 or was injured. Blind played in midfield most other times

How many goals did we actually concede on the counter? I can think of the Leicester game where we had Blackett at CB and di maria in midfield and the Everton game where we lost 3-0 where he was not fully fit in the first place but due to no one else being available had to play anyway. Not that excuses him but it's not like it was a habit. Are you telling me that every player should play well in every single game?

Which Everton game did we defend badly? The game in the FA cup? That game it was Smalling who actually ran off leaving blind to deal with lukaku and actually dealt with him fairly comfortably. The Watford game was bad from him but he has had many many more good games. How about how he dealt lukaku excellently vs Everton in our 1-0 win? For every bad game, he had 4 good games. Not sure if you actually watch the games hoping that Blind will screw up so that you can come and show off here and remember the few games where he was poor. Smalling had more poor games than Blind probably yet I'm sure your 'sense' tells you he is a top CB.

That video is completely irrelevant. Beckham once blasted a penalty over the bar would you say he is a poor penalty taker because of that? You probably would tbh so can't judge.
 
Blind at CB is like Valencia at RB, no matter what they do, or how well they play, they are still considered playing out of position and not good, no matter how the facts stack up. 9/10 they give a very good performance and the few times they feck up its used to prove why they arent good at the position. Imagine if Blind pulled that stunt that Smalling did in the FA cup :lol:
 
Blind is a useful squad player who should be kept if possible. Not good enough to be a starting CB though. You can't have the worst CB in the air in the league starting every week and expect to get away with it once the team stops playing under LvG's "possession at all cost" plan.
 
Mark Pawelek said:
He's actually one of our top 10 performers. Team performance level may not be that high but there should be one or two ahead of him in the queue of leavers.
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Such achievement, wow. In a sport where you're only allowed 11 players on a pitch at a time, and he was one of the certified starters under Van Gaal's reign.
 
Seij said:
Blind is a useful squad player who should be kept if possible. Not good enough to be a starting CB though. You can't have the worst CB in the air in the league starting every week and expect to get away with it once the team stops playing under LvG's "possession at all cost" plan.
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Based on this season, He is a better CB than Otamendi Mangala demichelis mertasacker Gabriel skrtel SAkho etc. And they all start for teams that are supposed to be title contenders or at least challenging.
 
Ramshock said:
Anyone who thinks this is more than guess work should work at SSN. Blind backed LVG and Mata was sold by Jose ergo both on the move.
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It was Danny Blind that came out with the scathing attack after Van Gaal was fired,not Daley.

Daley Blind just basically said that the players need a long hard look at themselves. Nothing to trigger a sale.
 
prath92 said:
Carrick played in midfield only during the 6 games towards the end. Most other games he played as the central defender in a back 3 or was injured. Blind played in midfield most other times

How many goals did we actually concede on the counter? I can think of the Leicester game where we had Blackett at CB and di maria in midfield and the Everton game where we lost 3-0 where he was not fully fit in the first place but due to no one else being available had to play anyway. Not that excuses him but it's not like it was a habit. Are you telling me that every player should play well in every single game?

Which Everton game did we defend badly? The game in the FA cup? That game it was Smalling who actually ran off leaving blind to deal with lukaku and actually dealt with him fairly comfortably. The Watford game was bad from him but he has had many many more good games. How about how he dealt lukaku excellently vs Everton in our 1-0 win? For every bad game, he had 4 good games. Not sure if you actually watch the games hoping that Blind will screw up so that you can come and show off here and remember the few games where he was poor. Smalling had more poor games than Blind probably yet I'm sure your 'sense' tells you he is a top CB.

That video is completely irrelevant. Beckham once blasted a penalty over the bar would you say he is a poor penalty taker because of that? You probably would tbh so can't judge.
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Carrick played we won usually in 14/15. We won 13 out of 18 games he played. Carrick only played CB when Smalling got sent off in the derby. That was when he made his return from injury and Van Gaal had binned 3-5-2 by then. We played our best football that season in that 6 game spell when Blind was left back. Carrick got injured in the home Derby and Blind got drafted in midfield again, we looked hopeless.

So Blind played good in all those games I listed? If you bothered watching the first half of the season then you'd know Smalling was doing the defending of two people.

So was Blind good against Arsenal away? Wolfsburg away? Was he good against West Ham or Spurs away? Swansea away? Sunderland away? Southampton at home?

You see a reoccurring theme here? You can't expect to be a Man Utd CB and not show up at majority of away games. That is when we are going to be defending more. At homes games we can get away with playing Blind as we had little defending.

Are you seriously comparing missing a penalty to that? Blind was under no pressure and just decided to stick it in his own net for no reason. Where as taking a penalty the pressure is huge. So not exactly sure how you comparing them both.

So we should keep Blind because the other top teams have average CB, so should we. Brilliant logic.
 
Blind is the kinda versatile player Mourinho likes to have in his squad so he won't sell. Mata might wanna leave if Mourinho doesn't assure him of an important role.
 
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