O'Shea out for 4-6weeks.

[Dark Savante]

http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=356693&CPID=8&clid=&lid=2&title=O'Shea+adds+to+United's+problems

I put this in the injury thread too, but thought it deserves its own thread...afterall... he is a united 1st xi player...


This is a blessing imo. Everyone but Fergie can see this guy has no business being in CM and now we are forced to do without him we can possibly get to see some kind of functionality in the team.

The best part is that now both Silvestre and O'Shea are not in the 1st xi... which should improve our play exponentially. I feel a bit cruel berating a United servant who is trying his best... but O'Shea's 'best' is not good enough.

Who knows what happens now. We have one natural CM in the 1st team squad... and no Scholes either. Are we going to see Miller back here before Jones... dun, dun durr.....

[Vermont Red]

I think the answer is clear, play Silvestre at CM.

Before this injury, I would have guessed that Fergie stood pat. Now, I wonder. I still doubt that Jones will be recalled, but we are very thin. Looks like the Ryan Giggs Experiment may be continued. I never thought I'd say this but, we could sure use Fortune.

[benni...]

lol @ vermont. Thats too bad, because he is out for a while. Fergie seemed disappointed when he was talking about it.

So whats next? Alan Smith, Scholes, Oshea, Park are all unfit. Unlucky us.

[Invincible]

Is that muffled cheers I hear?

[JamesA]

VR; you're silvestre comment made me laugh out loud. Although nothing would suprise me with the past few seasons we have been having. :rolleyes:


I think you may be right with the Giggs experiment. Especially until Smudger gets back. Who knows when that might be. On the bright side, maybe krich can use this chance to really shine. He will for sure get plenty of chances now.

I highly doubt jones will be recalled. It just doesn't seem like Fergies style.

[listen_up_fergie]

I don't think Smith should be out for too long. Once he's back, we'll be playing Giggs-Smith-Fletcher-Ronaldo in midfield, which isn't too bad IMO. Once Park is back, maybe we could even try him out as the AM for 20 mins.
The only problem would be if Smith/Fletcher get injured after that. If other teams pack their midfields and choose to play a 4-5-1, I can't see a midfield quartet of Richardson, Giggs, Fletcher, and Ronaldo coming out on top in a physical battle.

[FCDallas96]

I don't think Smith should be out for too long. Once he's back, we'll be playing Giggs-Smith-Fletcher-Ronaldo in midfield, which isn't too bad IMO. Once Park is back, maybe we could even try him out as the AM for 20 mins.
The only problem would be if Smith/Fletcher get injured after that. If other teams pack their midfields and choose to play a 4-5-1, I can't see a midfield quartet of Richardson, Giggs, Fletcher, and Ronaldo coming out on top in a physical battle.
You put Richardson in the middle as the attacking mid and allow Fletcher to do the dirty work until Smith gets back. We won't win many physical battles but this group could play the other team off the park.

[Rei de Boston]

Now really is the time for some players (Fletch, Rich) to seize the opportunity. The problem is that those players are just not at a point in their development where they are ready to be anything more than a role player. Fletcher and Richardson are both very young. A mid field combination of them just doesn't have the experience and composure needed to be successful.

I think it is much more likely that once Smith is back we go back to line ups from the early part of the season. Giggs Fletch Smith Ronaldo.

[Prawn Sandwich]

Now really is the time for some players (Fletch, Rich) to seize the opportunity. The problem is that those players are just not at a point in their development where they are ready to be anything more than a role player. Fletcher and Richardson are both very young. A mid field combination of them just doesn't have the experience and composure needed to be successful.

I think it is much more likely that once Smith is back we go back to line ups from the early part of the season. Giggs Fletch Smith Ronaldo.
Karma at work - we lose Scholes for the season (if not more) and then O'shea is injured. Everything balances out, every cloud has a silver lining....

[Howard Zinn]

The best part is that now both Silvestre and O'Shea are not in the 1st xi... which should improve our play exponentially. I feel a bit cruel berating a United servant who is trying his best... but O'Shea's 'best' is not good enough.



At CM, he's clearly not good enough. If he would have had a full opportunity and a long run in the LB spot, which I thought was his natural position, then I think he could have improved on the quality he showed in his first season. Unfortunately, his supposed 'versatility' caused him to become the new Phil Neville.

[prymetyme]

Im seriously dissapointed :(

[prymetyme]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=356222&cc=5739

I would have thought the title would be more of the lines of
"Midfield problems solved at OT"

[RedFriday]

http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=356693&CPID=8&clid=&lid=2&title=O'Shea+adds+to+United's+problems

The best part is that now both Silvestre and O'Shea are not in the 1st xi... which should improve our play exponentially. I feel a bit cruel berating a United servant who is trying his best... but O'Shea's 'best' is not good enough.



Er... looking at the Opta rankings for United players there isn't many better than O'Shea in terms of passing and tackling. Worrying indeed!

Unfortunately OPTA do not count 'bumbling around with the ball' or 'passing to opposition' as i'm sure he would be top of both of them (or just behind Ronaldo)

http://home.skysports.com/optastats.asp?clid=1&clubname=Manchester+United&cpid=8

[Dark Savante]

It is very easy for a player like O'Shea to rack up high passing stats as 90% of the balls he plays are backwards (no pun intended) . What would be the interesting stat is how many forward passes he completes...

[Uniteder]

Oshea gone ???
....

.....

Party

........

my house

......

crash

[Stud83]

Sorry, but I'd much rather see O'Shea in the midfield than Rio. Or Rooney, for that matter. Or Miller. Celebrating a player on your team going down injured? :confused: That's just ridiculous.

[StrikerCW]

Sorry, but I'd much rather see O'Shea in the midfield than Rio. Or Rooney, for that matter. Or Miller. Celebrating a player on your team going down injured? :confused: That's just ridiculous.
You are nuts! Oshea in midfield before Rio? Or Rooney? Firstly, they are both 10x or more better at any position on the field then John. Secondly, both have the skills needed to play in the midfield whereas John O'shea really has any skills at all anymore.

[Stud83]

I want Rio to play as a CD and Rooney as a forward, because that's by far their best positions and we'll suffer if lose anyone of them to patch up midfield.
Plus, the whole O'Shea-can-do-nothing-right thing has been greatly exaggerated. He may not have played great, but he didn't make any major mistakes either. In fact, we only allowed 8 goals in the past 12 games in which O'Shea played, none from Arsenal or Liverpool.
Regardless, I think it is just terrible to celebrate one of your team's players injuring himself, especially in a situation where most of our other midfielders are out.

[StrikerCW]

We actually don't know if they are not good, better, best at midfield because we haven't seen them there for much.

Also, I don't know where you get your information for the 8 goals (besides tedious counting) but how many did we score in that time, when O'shea was in the CM?

[Stud83]

We actually don't know if they are not good, better, best at midfield because we haven't seen them there for much.

Also, I don't know where you get your information for the 8 goals (besides tedious counting) but how many did we score in that time, when O'shea was in the CM?

In those 12 games we scored 24 goals. You can get game-by-game info on premiership players on soccernet.