Anderson

Will he make it at United? We've seen glimpses of his brilliance but I think he's put in more dogshit shifts than good ones.

He was terrible in Rome - possibly the worst I have seen him play and these are the kind of games you expect players to perform in (tbf, not many of ours turned up on Wednesday)

I think this is a massive pre-season for him in terms of establishing himself as a 1st teamer and getting his fitness up to scratch. If he has a shite start to the season, I can see him being shipped out which is a shame because there is a lot of good in his play. Maybe he just isn't suited to United?

Thoughts?

ps - I've given up on Nani and hope he goes this summer.

like you said, he's shown glimpses of how good he can be, but he's had long enough to settle in - he needs to start performing.

If he performs to his potential he'll be an amazing player, but he's not doing and we need some consistency in our midfield more than ever

my tuppence-worth...


he's extremely young to be playing in the position he is, at the club he is, in the league he's in, not knowing the language etc. i don't think that can be stressed enough, tbh.

given all that, his season this year, generally inconsistent as it has been, is really what we should expect. last year was so stunningly impressive, for the first part of the season (big drop-off towards the end, remember) that it is easy to forget how much the lad has to learn. his style - bustling, vibrant, high energy, bubbling - makes him stand out more than the likes of carrick or fletcher, which adds to the expectations. that first six months spoiled us, in a way, and we started to think of him as a first-team regular, with a few #@&%!s on here going well ott as usual. he's not a first-team regular, he's a young kid with loads to learn and plenty of time to learn it. i don't think he should be judged on either his first or second seasons.

he's clearly got the talent. he's got the personality. he's got the physical requirements. but he's a young kid and he probably won't reach his peak for a good two, three, maybe even four or five years yet - look at fletcher, for example. needs a lot of time, patience and needs people to understand what they are seeing - very much a work in progress as yet. inconsistence is only what we should expect.

fwiw, though, i think fergie is playing anderson in the wrong role to maximise his effectiveness. maybe that's out of necessity (the injury to hargreaves) or maybe it's part of his learning process but i think anderson is not a sitting m/fder and needs to play twenty yards further up the pitch. as i've said before, i'd sooner he was playing behind the front three/two rather than in front of the back four. perhaps that's what fergie has in mind - the comment a wee while back about anderson being scholes' natural replacement certainly suggested that.

i think any suggestion we should get rid is just daft, tbh, and really comes from expecting too much too soon. understandable after his first six months, but not really realistic.

i stil think possebon is likely to make it - perhaps, as i've said before, more likely than anderson. before the injury he was really impressive, i thought, and demonstrated the kind of footballing intelligence and vision that you just can't teach. i could see him coming through next season, though gibson has really come on impressively this year and may have pushed possebon back in the queue.

edit
agree on nani, sadly.

Originally Posted by borsuk

my tuppence-worth...


he's extremely young to be playing in the position he is, at the club he is, in the league he's in, not knowing the language etc. i don't think that can be stressed enough, tbh.

given all that, his season this year, generally inconsistent as it has been, is really what we should expect. last year was so stunningly impressive, for the first part of the season (big drop-off towards the end, remember) that it is easy to forget how much the lad has to learn. his style - bustling, vibrant, high energy, bubbling - makes him stand out more than the likes of carrick or fletcher, which adds to the expectations. that first six months spoiled us, in a way, and we started to think of him as a first-team regular, with a few #@&%!s on here going well ott as usual. he's not a first-team regular, he's a young kid with loads to learn and plenty of time to learn it. i don't think he should be judged on either his first or second seasons.

he's clearly got the talent. he's got the personality. he's got the physical requirements. but he's a young kid and he probably won't reach his peak for a good two, three, maybe even four or five years yet - look at fletcher, for example. needs a lot of time, patience and needs people to understand what they are seeing - very much a work in progress as yet. inconsistence is only what we should expect.

fwiw, though, i think fergie is playing anderson in the wrong role to maximise his effectiveness. maybe that's out of necessity (the injury to hargreaves) or maybe it's part of his learning process but i think anderson is not a sitting m/fder and needs to play twenty yards further up the pitch. as i've said before, i'd sooner he was playing behind the front three/two rather than in front of the back four. perhaps that's what fergie has in mind - the comment a wee while back about anderson being scholes' natural replacement certainly suggested that.

i think any suggestion we should get rid is just daft, tbh, and really comes from expecting too much too soon. understandable after his first six months, but not really realistic.

i stil think possebon is likely to make it - perhaps, as i've said before, more likely than anderson. before the injury he was really impressive, i thought, and demonstrated the kind of footballing intelligence and vision that you just can't teach. i could see him coming through next season, though gibson has really come on impressively this year and may have pushed possebon back in the queue.

edit
agree on nani, sadly.

Fair comments, probably sums it up very well.

Re: him not being a first teamer and only peaking in 4-5 years. Do you think he'll stand for being a bit part player over the next 2-3 seasons? He's been here for 2 years now so I would expect he thinks he's going to play the majority of games.

i remember similar threads (not from Ste) about Ronaldo on the other side. all the one trick pony stuff and worry about consistency.

the kid is young, he shown glimpses.

I'd like to think he will make it

Originally Posted by wiganste

Fair comments, probably sums it up very well.

Re: him not being a first teamer and only peaking in 4-5 years. Do you think he'll stand for being a bit part player over the next 2-3 seasons? He's been here for 2 years now so I would expect he thinks he's going to play the majority of games.

fergie's pretty good at managing that kind of thing, tbh, and he'll make sure anderson gets enough games. if we play 60 a season he won't go short.

i think he can come in and do a more than decent job in most games. but relying on him to make the difference in the biggest games is too much. i know he has been great against gerrard and fabregas in some games, but he was all over the place against barca and in the 4-1 against the vermin (so were others, of course).

like i said, i think fergie's been using anderson's pace and energy to cover for hargreaves. it's not worked out too badly but if hargreaves does come back to full fitness i think anderson will benefit from the reduced exposure, and maybe also get the chance to play further up the field when he is picked.

Originally Posted by borsuk

my tuppence-worth...


he's extremely young to be playing in the position he is, at the club he is, in the league he's in, not knowing the language etc. i don't think that can be stressed enough, tbh.

given all that, his season this year, generally inconsistent as it has been, is really what we should expect. last year was so stunningly impressive, for the first part of the season (big drop-off towards the end, remember) that it is easy to forget how much the lad has to learn. his style - bustling, vibrant, high energy, bubbling - makes him stand out more than the likes of carrick or fletcher, which adds to the expectations. that first six months spoiled us, in a way, and we started to think of him as a first-team regular, with a few #@&%!s on here going well ott as usual. he's not a first-team regular, he's a young kid with loads to learn and plenty of time to learn it. i don't think he should be judged on either his first or second seasons.

he's clearly got the talent. he's got the personality. he's got the physical requirements. but he's a young kid and he probably won't reach his peak for a good two, three, maybe even four or five years yet - look at fletcher, for example. needs a lot of time, patience and needs people to understand what they are seeing - very much a work in progress as yet. inconsistence is only what we should expect.

fwiw, though, i think fergie is playing anderson in the wrong role to maximise his effectiveness. maybe that's out of necessity (the injury to hargreaves) or maybe it's part of his learning process but i think anderson is not a sitting m/fder and needs to play twenty yards further up the pitch. as i've said before, i'd sooner he was playing behind the front three/two rather than in front of the back four. perhaps that's what fergie has in mind - the comment a wee while back about anderson being scholes' natural replacement certainly suggested that.

i think any suggestion we should get rid is just daft, tbh, and really comes from expecting too much too soon. understandable after his first six months, but not really realistic.

i stil think possebon is likely to make it - perhaps, as i've said before, more likely than anderson. before the injury he was really impressive, i thought, and demonstrated the kind of footballing intelligence and vision that you just can't teach. i could see him coming through next season, though gibson has really come on impressively this year and may have pushed possebon back in the queue.

edit
agree on nani, sadly.

Pretty much the nail on the head there, well summarised. I still think he's a dead cert to make it, personally. The biggest reason for thinking that, aside from him having all the tools, is that the boss absolutely loves him. The fact that he put him in the same bracket as Keane and Robson not so long ago, during a time when Anderson was seeing little action in the first team, said everything about how highly Fergie rates him, both in terms of talent and attitude.

anderson is 4 years younger than darren fletcher.

he will be in our first choice midfield by the end of next season.

i would go as far as saying him, carrick and fletcher will be our mainstays in midfield next season.

if he can have a good pre season and saf actuallys tried to bed in a strongest team anderson will be in it.

Originally Posted by marlo

anderson is 4 years younger than darren fletcher.

he will be in our first choice midfield by the end of next season.

i would go as far as saying him, carrick and fletcher will be our mainstays in midfield next season.

if he can have a good pre season and saf actuallys tried to bed in a strongest team anderson will be in it.

I agree with this and Borsuk's post.

Judging him against Barcelona is harsh. He was in against the 2 best midfielders in europe and Messi.

you are on good form at the moment - some excellent footy posts.

I agree with Anderson - I think he IS a United player and just needs to be allowed to develop.

Let's be honest, if Flether and Hargreaves had been available, chances are that he would have been on the bench last Weds.

I think he is also going to be the attacking midfielder we need - he has all the tools bar finishing (whioch can be worked on) and I think he will be a long term success for United.

As for Nani - sell him to city. He's had his chance and does not have the heart to be a United player.

Fletcher, Cougar, Ando and Carrick is a good basis for our middle positions.

Superb player and a dead cert to make it imo.

Just inconsistent but then he is playing centre midfield for a huge club at just 21.

Love watching him.

i think the most important thing for next season is to get an established midfield who KNOW each other, that will help anderson immensely.

If we can get a full season out of sicknote, it should help bring Ando on.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

i think the most important thing for next season is to get an established midfield who KNOW each other, that will help anderson immensely.

spot on - he looked a million dollars when he was consitently picked with Hargreaves in 07-08

Originally Posted by Stickman

spot on - he looked a million dollars when he was consitently picked with Hargreaves in 07-08

yep. sticking him in the middle with a 35 year old winger and an off-form carrick was practically hanging him out to dry. Especially with no Fletcher in there to do the dirty work for everybody.

I'm not sure why everyone is writing Nani off, Ok, he has been poor this season, but in his total time here he has shown more than Anderson, but Anderson is being championed as a cert to make it.

Both will be very important and much improved next season, if we are having this debate this time next year, the alarm bells will be ringing.

We need another 1 or 2 midfielder/s to increase the numbers and options. We played a '3' on Wednesday, but have only 4 options to play in that 3 atm, and next season will be the same.

Carrick
Fletcher
Hargreaves (hopefully)
Anderson

Then we have Scholes and Giggs, who aren't 'options' as such, as they are only really viable in certain situations.

You could add in Gibson and Possebon (although I have heard he is going out on loan), but even doing that would not fill me with the belief that we have the options in midfield to cover all situations, in fact, 1 or 2 injuries and we're struggling.

Nani is a very strange one. I'm not sure if it's a confidence thing or what but he has so much talent and fails to use it in the right way.

He can cross a ball as well as anyone at the club and his long range shooting is 2nd only to ronaldo probably but he seems to go into his shell in games.

is it a confidence thing? has his self-belief been shattered by being subbed and getting stick off the fans?

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Nani is a very strange one. I'm not sure if it's a confidence thing or what but he has so much talent and fails to use it in the right way.

He can cross a ball as well as anyone at the club and his long range shooting is 2nd only to ronaldo probably but he seems to go into his shell in games.

is it a confidence thing? has his self-belief been shattered by being subbed and getting stick off the fans?

Probably the shock of everything coming so easy first year ad being so difficult 2nd. A good pre-season and he'll be a different player.

i think we are in a bit of a transition period and anderson is part of it ok he isn't consistant at the moment but he is still one hell of a prospect for the future .
nice to see us still picking up major throphies whilst this young squad ivolves
some clubs win £#%&! all whilst trying to rebuild

The fact he still hasn't scored must be weighing on his mind, and even though it shouldn't, - it must make him a bit anxious and affect his performances.

Once he gets that first goal out of the way I'd expect his confidence to shoot up and see him really kick on and improve. He has all kinds of plus points to his game, he just needs a bit more maturity and confidence to use them.

Could say the same for Nani, but IMO he's a different character altogether - great individual ability but seems to have very little idea of how to play as part of a team, his decision making is seriously poor - he's a bit of a #@&%!y £#%&!er but if he wants to make it here he's going to need to put his head down and learn some of the basics ... assuming he gets the chance?