14 Oct 2013

'They've lost their way' - Hansen slates overrated £23m Man Utd duo. Again.

England face Poland this week in their final World Cup qualifier, and unless Roy Hodgson's team undergoes an unlikely catastrophic collapse, qualification for next year's tournament seems nailed-on. Liverpool legend Alan Hansen is not so sure, though, and he believes England could be undone by the team's 'bleak' defensive situation.

In his column for The Telegraph today, Hansen expressed his 'concern' over the Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahil partnership, and dismissed the competition provided by Man Utd duo Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. He observes:

"The days of England having those two world-class players at the heart of their defence are over and the landscape now looks bleak at centre-half.

"There will be a concern over Cahill and Jagielka against the best strikers in the world in Brazil next summer, but when you glance down the pecking order beneath them, it is clear there are few alternatives.

"Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have lost their way at Manchester United. They have not developed, so have denied England the opportunity of a club-based partnership for the next ten years".


Smalling (£7m), and Jones (£16m), are massively overrated British players IMO, and if United plan to build their future on those two then they can expect to be flailing in obscurity for a few years yet.

Hansen seems to have a bee in his bonnet about Man Utd's young English players, and in an interview with The Telegraph a couple of weeks ago, he made similar comments:

"The likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tom Cleverley had been billed as the future not so long ago, but none of them has progressed as expected. If the younger players fail to replace the older ones, and the club cannot find the top-quality additions that are required, sooner or later you will hit a brick wall".

Would any of those three get into Liverpool's first-choice team? No chance. I'd rather have Jordan Henderson than Cleverley any day of the week, and Jones/Smalling vs. Sakho/Toure/Skrtel/Agger? Absolutely no contest.

Whilst we're on the subject of Man United players, it still amazes me how Danny Welbeck gets in the England team, but with Daniel Sturridge in the mix now, Welbeck's pitch time should be significantly curtailed. And so it should be as Sturridge is clearly the far superior striker.



NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)


130 comments:

  1. Jones overrated. Haha. Which is why he rejected liverpool for united.

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  2. I do not understand how Danny Welbeck gets picked for Man Utd let alone for England.


    He has scored a total of 21 goals in 71 (for Man Utd only). That is a goal per game of 0.20 which for a striker playing for arguable the best club in the premiership is terrible.


    If he had been playing for any other club than Utd he would get no where England with that goal record.

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  3. utd and liverpool situation mirrors 1992
    utd won 2 titles in three years like lfc , they lost a title to a last gasp goal like lfc
    there team is very old their core is van persie,carrick,ferdinand,vidic,evra
    all almost pensioners souness said liverpool failed because of their age
    they have rooney but lfc had barnes


    liverpool on the other hand have a young fresh manager who loves youth players , like ferguson rodgers has made 2 very important signing
    one a reject cantona/sturridge who has completely reformed the team and a top gk like schemichel lfc has mignolet


    not to mention the endless amount of youth utd had beckham,giggs,scholes,nevile
    lfc have wilson,ibe,rossiter,mccauglin and lloyd jones


    utd had an england great bobby robson who never won teh pl , maybe gerrard our captain marvel will soon

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  4. He is over rated as he reported cost Utd 16.5mil yet can get not get near the first team.

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  5. well that proves how bad he and young are
    daglish also wanted carroll,adam,downing

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  6. you know you are a overated player when daglish wants you
    ps suarez was spotted by thehodg

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  7. It is not that similar.

    Man Utd have massive funds to replace these players where as we did not.

    Moyes and this pains me to say, is a much better manager then Souness. and will not make the mistakes he made in regards to transfers.

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  8. fabregas,moura,bale,modric,ronaldo,ozil,alcantra,lewondowski,hazard,nasri even with fegie
    have all rejected utd
    utd cannot compete with barca or real no one can
    but also the cash cow teams like city,chelsea,psg

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  9. I'd take Welbeck for us in a heartbeat. He's an excellent player. It's quite a good goals return for a wide attacker, which is what he's been mostly used as.

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  10. no doubt millon times better then aspas
    he is like kuyt works really hard i like him he has a bit of skill
    but only a bench player if he joined lfc

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  11. Not our finest hour in regards to transfers that summer though. You're very welcome to him. I see it as at least one bullet dodged in a summer we got hit by a rain of machinegunfire.

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  12. Pretty sure Welbeck on had 4 assists last season so no I wouldn't want him.


    At the end of the day a strikers job is to score goals and Welbeck simply does not do that.


    If you are playing on the wing then your job is to assist in goals which again he does not do.


    He can't score, can't provide assists, struggles to get into the Utd 11.

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  13. the only utd players that would walk into the starting 11
    maybe vidic maybe not , de gea , mignolet si currently ebtter
    rooney and van persie not as good as sas
    i would have no one from utd

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  14. plz don´t compare liverpool with utd, not after 7games.

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  15. well they say you judge after 10 games
    so only 3 more to go

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  16. that comment was for.

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  17. United have lost their way because they have lost Ferguson. It's as simple as that. The players are no worse or no better than they were last year, it's just a matter of the manager not getting out of them what's in there. There is a reason why guys like Mourinho, Ancelloti and Guardiola will be successful wherever they go. Sure you need money to assemble a winning team but that alone means nothing. If that were the case, Citeh would have been dominating procedures for the last three years. As for youth. Yes United had Beckham, Giggs etc and we have youngsters too. The difference is that their youngsters have already made it and most since then retired whilst ours are just still talented youngsters who have so far achieved nothing.

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  18. They can't compete? Is that why they have gathered more trophies the past 25 years than most of the teams you mention? I would say all of them but I'm not sure about Barca.

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  19. First off, the only reason they didn't get Ozil, Bale and Modric was because they were not prepared to pay the asking fee's, not that the players didn't want to play for them.


    Same can be said of Ronaldo. If Utd were willing to pay the transfer fee and wages Ronaldo would happily go back to Utd.



    I promise you come Jan transfer window, Man Utd will buy big, very big and they will sign some very good players.


    Why, because they have the cash and almost guaranteed CL football.


    During Souness era we had neither.

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  20. you see thats the whole problem
    like i just said they cannot compete on wages or financially with city ,chelsea,psg and madrid
    they ahve the money but utd would never put the team in any financial trouble
    teams like utd,arsernal and bayern ,dormount run healthy and i thank mr henry for turning lfc like that

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  21. On Topic: By and large, I agree with you on this one Jaimie.
    Off Topic: Hope Suarez stays with LFC until he dies. :)
    On Topic: Don't think we should be crowing too early about how poor Manure players are. They seem to have a habit of coming good. Hopefully they'll leave it too late this season.

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  22. Maybe Rooney.. seriously ?

    Christ I would give my right nut to have a player of Rooney skills, passion and determination at Liverpool..

    I mean fuck me could only dream of having a player of Rooney's ability sitting just behind SAS.

    Also and I will probably get flamed for this, Evra is a much a better player then Enrique.

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  23. Utd are pretty well known for NOT buying in January, whether that trend ended with Fergie leaving, we shall see. But January is still not a good time to really buy players. So yea they may spend 'big' but it will probably be on over inflated prices etc...

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  24. you can wait those 3 games..but me I will look at the table after christmas.

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  25. Funny!! they both Premier league medals

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  26. well sulz
    van persie and carrick are approaching their end
    valencia,young,nani,anderson are absaloutley terrible
    welbeck and cleverly are pretty average at best
    hernandez ,kagawa do not know what their problems are
    intresting to see how fellani will turn out
    rooney is great though
    one great player is not enough

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  27. I would agree with you, Smalling doesn't look he is good enough to lead the England defence.
    Jones is a strange one, and I wonder if his progression has been stumped by being played in so many different positions over the last few years?
    I think Cahill and Phil have looked pretty decent playing together.

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  28. However this is not Fergie, and both Moyes and Utd will have a lot prove to people after the fiasco of the last transfer market.

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  29. well djimi traore has a cl medal as does biscan,baros
    i will not consider him a great

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  30. why is it taking so long for lfc to sign hansen
    imagine him at lfc
    nobody loves lfc more

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  31. why is it taking so long for lfc to sign hansen
    imagine him at lfc
    nobody loves lfc more

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  32. Agreed, but I don't know if it was more a Fergie thing or a club thing. Maybe the owners also didn't want to spend much in January.

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  33. Hansen is pretending that Terry-Ferdinand was such a revered partnership. I've seen to many strikers turn them inside out to agree with that.

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  34. You do realise that Utd between 2004 and 2012 held the Number 1 spot for the Richest Club in the World.


    Last year they made a Net profit of 17.2 mil which is something we can only dream about.


    They are currently sitting on cash reserves of 151mil.


    Utd can if they choose match the likes of City, Chelsea, Arsenal etc its just that Utd have never paid those kind of wages under Fergie.

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  35. whatever hansen says is a fact !
    #football genius
    i wish he was manger instead of souness

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  36. Pretty sure is was Fergie. He did make buys in Jan.. one Andy Cole springs to mind, however as you have said, players tend to be over priced in Jan.

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  37. so why would they under moyes
    utd have always run healthy they are not going to change

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  38. They will continue to do so, the fact is if Utd is a money making machine which generates more profit each year as the level of debt decreases.


    You are the one who keeps saying that Utd can not complete.


    Everytime Fergie needed money he had it.

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  39. You are just upset the lads didn't join Liverpool. If I were you, which I am glad I am not, I would shut my mouth. I think it's the only way you would command respect.

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  40. rodgers is going to change lfc hsitory
    best manger in a long time
    his name is brendan it starts with a B
    bill and bob also start with a B
    when you appoint a manager that starts with B he is one of the greatest for lfc
    joe starts with j , kenny k , greame g , roy r , gerard g , rafa r , roy R ,kenny k brendan b
    spooky is ot not

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  41. But why would any club want to compete with big spenders for money spent if they can get a competitive team together without spending a fortune? So what if you get outbid by teams who waste millions upon millions on their squad as long as the team you do put together wins the league?

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  42. we are happy he did not join lfc
    daglish that summer
    bought downing,henderon,adam ,enrique,coates and doni
    4 of tehm have had 0 impact

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  43. Personally, May would be a good time to decide who had the best season.

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  44. You don't understand the reason why coaches pick Danny. You are weak in your football analysis. They would fire you after 2 matches for being inept in reading player contribution and tactics. While he can score goals, his major role is to create the scoring chances for the main strikers and goalscoring midfielders. He also works hard and tracks back winning crucial balls and breaking opponents build ups from defence and midfield.

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  45. And what would he be doing?

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  46. since 1992 they only needed to tinker
    now they need a major revamp

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  47. what daglish does

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  48. Bobby Robson played for United? In 1992? Must have missed that!
    Are you really suggesting the youngsters you mentioned are likely to be as good as Beckham, Giggs, Scholes and Neville? Hmm. I can't say I have seen enough of the players you listed to make a definitive call on that but I do know that to have that number and quality of youth players coming through as we did from 'The class of 92' is extremely unlikely. It was a freak occurance. One or two from each group of youngsters is usually a good result.
    I can see why you are making the comparison but as Ghost Rider mentions below, United are a very different beast now compared to Liverpool in 1992. For a start the Premier League has ensured we have money to spend. This will mean Moyes can bring in players and I have faith that he will get it right - don't be swayed by our relatively poor start to the season; it was a tough run of fixtures and we have come through them only 6 points behind. I'd be surprised if we didn't go on a run of wins now. Furthermore, if it does all go wrong over the next few years then we have the money and status to get nearly any manager in the world to come in.
    Secondly, our youth structure is quite healthy at the moment, whether this be home-grown or young players bought in. In terms of younger players we have Rafael, De Gea, Jones, Smalling (who, contrary to what Hansen thinks, are developing nicely) Januzaj, Lindgard, Welbeck, Zaha, Henriquez, Varella, Powell, Jack Barmby and the Keane bros, with other excellent prospects playing for the academy. The current blend of youth and experience in the first team is perfect in my opinion.
    Obviously you can never be guaranteed success and it should never be taken for granted - but I am hopeful we can at least challenge for the league for the foreseeable future. If Liverpool are also challenging then that's all the better as it makes winning even sweeter. I think it would be good for the Premier League to have two of the biggest teams in world football competing for the trophy.

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  49. I do find some of the comments about England quite funny a lot of the time though. They are always like "Such and such isn't good enough to win a world cup" or something along those lines.

    In reality England is no where near good enough to win a major trophy, and wont be for a long time. The best we can hope for really is getting out of the group stages (depending who we have) and anything more will be a good job.

    People slate every single England manager because they don't win anything or struggle in major tournaments. But do they not ever just think, "maybe England aren't good enough".
    Hodgson has done a decent job, and if we qualify for the WC, and get out of the group stages then I think that is a decent achievement for him. But you know he will be dismantled and probably fired, if we go out just after the group stages.

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  50. Liston show some respect. Don't tell someone to shut their mouth just because you don't agree with their opinion.

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  51. Bollox also starts with a B

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  52. I think there is huge expectation on England. England have produced some excellent players in the last 10 years, like Lampard, Ferdinand, Gerrard, Rooney, Terry, Ashley Cole etc... the best chance I feel they to win the World cup was the 2006 WC. But only one team can win



    Sometimes the best team does not win, but at the moment England lack that quality and depth.


    The only players that seem exciting to me at the moment is Sturridge.


    I feel we have average players that show promise when they are young but may never reach a certain level. Players like Jones, Cleverley and Smalling are decent players, but very overrated.


    It will be interesting this Summer. I have a feeling it will be a disaster.

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  53. LOL! That made me laugh!

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  54. I think that a valid point. He's a natural CB but plays as a full back and DMC as well. Injuries has not helped him as well.

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  55. I think they will pick up to be honest. I don't think they will win the league.


    However something tells me they might struggle.

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  56. Made my view on this clear, on a similar article on here a short while ago.

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  57. haha it is bryan
    you know who i meant

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  58. why would lfc start with three strikers did you not hear rooney saying he wants to be up front
    i would not ahve rooney because of suarez who i believe is better

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  59. Yea, we have no doubt produced some excellent players, but just not enough. Or when we have had a good squad there are always 5 or 6 which are much better.
    I just don't understand why there is so much expectation.
    Everyone was putting so much pressure on Rooney to 'win' the world cup in 2010, and we were terrible, Rooney probably the worst.
    But we were never really going to win it anyway.
    Its just typical British journalism.
    "England can really win this year"
    Then when we crash out.
    "England are terrible. Sack the manager. The players don't play with passion for the nation" etc...

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  60. Uniteds young players from 1992 onwards are far better than our ones now IMO, I mean Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Neville, Butt.

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  61. haha
    ball starts with b
    apple strats with a
    crocodile starts with c
    what is your point

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  62. rossiter is the best i have seen since owen
    ibe is very promising
    mcclauglin is ubelievable
    and wilson well he is already a wales international

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  63. I think the problem was well was that managers did not know how to manage Lampard and Gerrad in the same team.


    To me is simple, Lampard is a goalscorer, more so than Gerrad. Play Lampard behind the striker (I'm talking about in the 06&10 WC)


    The press are crazy. I am very excited for teams like Belgium and Columbia.

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  64. lfc had fowler ,mcmanwman and reknapp
    so

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  65. You think so?


    I mean I know these players have potential but compared to the ones I've mentioned I am not sure they can be at the same level but time will tell.


    I like your guy Januzaj, has technique aplenty.

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  66. I think after having a manager for over 20 years it would be normal to be shaky a little after. I don't know why Moyes was appointed to be honest but it is what it is, I'm sure he'll do well enough.


    Mentality is something people take for granted, Ferguson demands and breeds a winning mentality, which comes from the youth coaches up to the 1st team. That's why, like you said, Ancelotti, Mourinho and Guardiola are so successful.

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  67. They were indeed a conundrum!
    Belgium could be real contenders for winning something in a few years time.

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  68. Yeah, but they were one offs in terms of how they came through together. Any team would be lucky to have a crop of player like that come through at the same time.
    I said it before about Liverpool - the best option is to build from the bottom up starting with the youth teams. Perhaps you are starting to see that coming through but it takes time. I'd prefer if United could bring through youth players like Ajax and Barca do and then supplement this with one or two signings.

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  69. Absolutely right!, they would not get near the Liverpool team.

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  70. Why can't you present your counter argument without having a personal go at the poster? It's not difficult mate.



    In my opinion Welbeck is a tidy player but that's it.

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  71. That's true. Well United to have some good players in the u21's.


    Shame about Pogba though, he is a beast!

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  72. ha ha - that's my point! Pinning your hopes on Brendan becuase his name starts with a B?! Crazy talk!
    Not saying he won't do well for you, but not because his name starts with a B!

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  73. Maybe it's too soon for Belgium but come 2018 they will be in the same position as England...in terms of the golden generation peaking years.


    I still think Spain are favorites.


    Belgium, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Brasil and Uruguay the danger teams.


    Portugal? If they can find a good forward maybe! They have not had one since Pauleta.

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  74. Where would we play him?

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  75. Yeah, I have watched quite a bit of Januzaj since he joined - he looks like he could have the potential to be quite a player. Obv time will tell but he has fantastic ability to find or make space and has great technique. The annoying thing is we let Pogba and Morrison go for one reason or another. Those 2 also looked special and our midfield wouldn't be as lacking if we had've hung on to them. Such is football - it would be no fun supporting your team if it was easy.

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  76. Ah Morrison! Seems to have good potential.


    That's football isn't it!

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  77. 4 assists and 2 goals in 39 appearances for a striker.

    Tell us all again why we are weak in our football analysis

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  78. Good to see some of you have some common sense and are able to take the ABU glasses off. Don't agree about Smalling and Jones at all, can't think of many cb's around as good as them at their age. It is well known that CB's dont reach peak until 27/28, at least. These guys are building up so much experience and still have huge ability. The reason for their stall in development is down to Rio and VIdic, however Rio looks to be on the way out, so they should get plenty of pitch time this season Jones will become and absolute monster of a cb, whereas Smalling is much more like Rio. Utd have potentially a Cb pairing for the next ten years.Also the fact that they are british makes a huge difference, whether or not you think british players are overrated, to be successful you need to keep a core amount of homegrown players in your team. I always think that is something that is overlooked in Utd's success.

    Staurezinho you claim the situation mirrors that of Liverpool '92, your an idiot!!! You clearly don't understand the difference between football today and 20 years ago. Utd globally are too big to fall under that trap, fair enough right now they dont have a great team, but all the big clubs go through phases, sure Utd went three years without winning the title not too long ago, and of course you had the usual idiots talking about demise etc. Look at Barcelona only ten years ago!! Funny also how you mention youth, and seem to think Utd dont have any. In their current first team squad they have Jones,Smalling,Silva,De Gea, Chicha, Adnan, Kagawa,Zaha, Welbeck,Cleverly, all very young players of which most have already won the EPL. Dont think you have a leg to stand on here mate, you mention youth who only Liverpool supoorters have herad of. Utd have them in abundance as well, and i dont think you have a player like Adnan coming through, could be wrong though!

    I am loving the fact that Liverpool are doing well again, and i remember saying to a mate that i thought Rogers was great pick for you. I for one hate seeing a shit liverpool team as the rivalary is so much better when both teams are challenging for the title. This could shape up to be the best EPL year ever.

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  79. on the bench lol

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  80. even marco arnautovic has one...

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  81. I don't think Welbeck is that bad. He lacks a bit of killer instinct, a bit of quality, but he does do well for the team. You need those types for balance. I don't think he is brilliant, but I wouldn't say his involvement with England "amazes" me. You've got to bear in mind 2 things:
    1) His record for England is good.
    2) England are hardly blessed with strikers.

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  82. He's alright IMO. But that's as far as I go.


    As for the other 3 I think they're "Okay" too. But what they have is youth on their side. They will peak.

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  83. He still won the premier league though!!!!

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  84. nothing hahah - whatever feels good to have all the guys back :)

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  85. Agreed... I think Welbeck's status with the national team is more indicative of the lack of quality up front after Rooney.


    And now that Sturridge is playing well, he should be starting ahead of Welbeck, no questions asked.

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  86. Van Persie top 3 strikers in the world along with Rooney way better then sturridge and suarez

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  87. That is why Rodgers had make the call on Reina. His heart was not in it anymore.

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  88. Should he be signed and is he one for now or the future?

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  89. In what way has Eriksen made the crowd go wow at Spurs? To much fuss being made about him. Mkhitaryan was the player Rodgers really wanted but with Dortmund being in a better position than us we unfortunately ended second best. Eriksen is all bark and and no bite.

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  90. him suso,rossiter lfc sorted for years

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  91. A cash cow is a business that generates excess profits not one supported by a benefactor.... just saying

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  92. So what happens to Suso, and Alberto? Answers on a postcard....

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  93. suso is doing really well in almeira 1 goal and 3 assists
    and through the game time he is improving
    the loan will do him a world of good maybe then he can replace coutinho who is nowhere near as good

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  94. Not going to happen at the money mentioned, no chance!!

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  95. I hope Suso comes back full of confidence and purpose. I think he can do a job as a number 10 in the hole in rotation with Coutinho. Not sure I agree with the Coutinho comment. The boys got magic in his boots! ;)

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  96. you can tell within ten seconds of watching him that he is the real deal.

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  97. It's good to see Rodgers, if it is true that is, looking to get someone to mould into a replacement for Gerrard while he's still around.

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  98. Interesting comparison between the two pairs of strikers though. Seeing how well your lot did with with one of the worst midfields you've turned out in many a year thans to RVP and Rooney, makes me believe if SaS stay fit we'll do alright this year (although you have hernandez too). Gonna be an interesting season...

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  99. Will Hughes would be a very good signing, but is one for the future, and there is no way he is sold for anything like the fee stated. Liverpool need a DM signed in January that can go straight into the team as the 1st priority, someone like Matic for example. If there is also money for Will Hughes then great.

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  100. he is much better than alright IMO. Might not be a world beater just yet, but give him time. He has a great attitude too and that will count for a lot.

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  101. Danny welbeck is 22 and good enough to start for the premier league champions and England. Think we're being a tad harsh on the lad

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  102. Evra and Vidic one January window, too. And everyone was like: "Evra and Vidic? Who are they?" And Fergie was like: "Exactly."

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  103. The reason Wellbeck etc get too many England caps is because they play for man u. I dont think there a deliberate bias more a case of the emporers new clothes. I also think the reason LFC bid so high on Henderson was because they lost out to on Jones. I think at the moment Liverpool got the best deal. But it didnt look that way for a good while.

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  104. Secretly, I think they're both fantastic young players. They've both had injury troubles which is why they've not progressed. Smalling in particular I believe has everything a modern centre-back needs. Pace, skill, physical presence, composure and consistency. They've had Ferdinand and Vidic in front of them: you'd expect one of them, at least, to come through this season though.

    But I'm quite happy with Kelly and Wisdom, and back in the U21s Stephen Sama and Rafael Paez, who are both potentially really top class defenders. I don't think Man Utd can hold a matchstick to our youth side right now. Inglethorpe is doing a great job.

    Cissokho played the other day for the reserves, by the way, and there's a video of his performance on youtube that's worth a watch. Looks pretty fit -- hopefully see him in the squad at the weekend?

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  105. This kid is of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Rooney, Bale type quality and will go for that kind of money. Better drop £10m on him now than £40m in five years.

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  106. But who's going to pay for his sunblock?

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  107. jones and smalling are vastly overrated....but if im honest wellbeck and cleverly are pretty consistant and reliable...not world beaters but at least they put a shift in

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  108. we need players in midfield for now not the future

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  109. i hope he sticks with 352 ideally sako kolo and agger johnsn hendo tino gerrard/lucas jose with sturridge and suarez up front

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  110. Shhhhhh, Spurs are listening!

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  111. To prove you point and to show us your obviously outstanding football analysis, please do tell us how many assists he has. I apologies for all Liverpool fans to our ineptitude at the fine art of player analysis and bow to you the great Liston. Could you please advise which team you are a scout / analyzer for. Real? Barcelona? It has to be one of the big teams?

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  112. Why do you bother answering lovefc? He is ob a manure or arsecrap fan

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  113. Fair enough - it's not about the names though, it's about the point :-)

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  114. And what does Dalglish do?

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  115. Great shout regarding Jordan Henderson. If you want to talk about overated English players he is a prime example! And the reason Welbeck is in the England team is becasue of the lack of overall quality of English players. Sad but true.

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  116. yah it is true article...lets leave rivarl aside..for me smalling is no were a player to relay..there is no skills from him,,look at how he posssess or control the ball,,its very easy for a striker to tackle back,,just check his overlaping when he plays RB how many croses will he make,,9/10 unsuccessful..the same apply to jones...they started very well but there is no any improvement on them..atleast i can say less for tom he can be seen on the pitch smtyms..they are very overrated players..look at varane,shaw,mangala,matija nastasic,d.costa,alaba,rafael, this is what we call talents but for those ones just media and they have no right to play for man u better left with oshea and brown..jones,smalling,welbeck,young just a waste

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  117. When Ashley young and jones signed for man utd, I thought we did miss out but since then, these players have stagnated or gone backwards. When you look at jones and hendo, which player has improved and developed into a quality player? Man utd have a lot of troubles through out the team and I think there days are numbered unless moyes can over haul the whole team and get them going again fairly quickly. The only problems is with him doing this is; he has not got the money the likes of Chelsea and man city have and will be priced out of the market and I don't think he will be given time to build a youthful team like BR has with Liverpool unless the attitude of the man utd fans change, Man Utd fans are feeling the same as Liverpool fans post Dalglish (term 1), they want instant success and demand it. If they don't get it right with moyes, then they will go down the same road as Liverpool. No doubt they will be a good team, but will fail to cement title challenge after title challenge. Will this keep fans happy? I suspect if Moyes fails to make top 4, he will be gone. With this, a new manager will have to then quickly bring results with reduced money and an aging team, the vicious circle we have all been witness too especially post benitez, will be in full tilt. To fix it Man Utd fans need to understand early; they are no longer the no1 team and need to give Moyes time to build (similar to how Liverpool fans now accept we need to give BR time), but how long did it take to us to realise that? I suspect if moyes scrapes top 4, he maybe gone anyway as the utd fans will herald it as a very poor season as to be fair they have been drunk on success for far to long and the attitude may be their downfall.

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  118. so.....suarez and sturridge are better than anything united have im guessing?
    your defenders are all better than jones smalling, henderson is better than cleverly and no doubt stevie me is still the best around.......now my football analysis is wondering why your 20-30 pts behind us most seasons, including last!
    only a moron would try to explain away this one, so come on, whicj moron is gonna take up the challenge?! :)

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  119. lol..overly biased towards Liverpool..when u are writing for column or blog,u shudnt be biased..seriously BIASED..

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  120. n just to add,in football everything changes quickly..today Jones/Smalling are pretty much average..but in the future,u can be sure that their partnerships will become better than those at Liverpool..just my opinion..n better keep focusing on ur team rather than having a snipe at other team :)

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  121. When the heck did Sir Bobby Robson play for United?

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  122. losetherosetintedspecs2:57 am, October 17, 2013

    Not being funny but Skrtle is one of the worst centre backs in the whole league with Toure not far behind him,both Jones and Smalling are better. Skrtle has no pace, a poor touch, can't pass, is weak positionally, and for his size isn't even that strong. Toure has played half a dozen good games since he left Arsenal. Why are Liverpool fans so delusional?

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  123. just one month to go....comon reds

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  124. I think it's fair to start comparing now :-)

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  125. I bet he's over the moon about that now :-)

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  126. Ahead of Aspas? Don't think so :-)

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