Last night I dreamt that somebody loved me...
There’s been many crazes at Old Trafford over the years, moo hoodies, upturned collars, clear plastic mackintosh’s, green and gold scarves, the list is endless. One craze that seems to be gathering momentum of late is the idea of blaming a certain Darron Gibson every time United put in a below-par performance.
It seems regardless of how other players perform if young Darron’s on the pitch then it’s surely his fault that United haven’t played as well as they could and he deserves to be chastised accordingly. The disappointing results against Rangers, West Brom, Birmingham and more recently the poor performances in the first half against Blackpool and Southampton were blamed by many on Gibson.
Take the draw at home against West Brom for example, Gibson entered the fray with United 2-0 up at the end of the first half when Ryan Giggs picked up a knock. Cue lots of ranting and laying the blame squarely on Gibson’s door as surely if he comes on when United are winning and then they draw- it’s obviously all his fault. Such fallacies of logic are commonplace when it comes to analysing the impact of Gibson.The game against Blackpool was the same with many citing the introduction of Giggs in Gibson’s place as the games turning point. This is actually true but it wasn’t Gibson who was the only poor performer in a United shirt in that first half at Bloomfield Road, there were other more experienced players who were equally as bad.
A quick glance at the stats for this season will tell you that Gibson has one assist and no goals in eight EPL games, however a more in-depth look will tell you that of those eight games- only three were starts- and he was subbed in two of those. In the Carling Cup Gibson fared a little better with a goal and an assist in just two games.
While those stats hardly make you drool with excitement at the prospect of Gibson’s next United appearance they do tell us that the term ‘stop start’ would be something of an understatement for the midfielder. Playing less than 1/4 of United’s games is hardly enough to give any player either the run or the confidence they need.
Part of the problem for Gibson has been his penchant for shooting at almost every opportunity- so much so that ironic shouts of “shoot” echo around Old Trafford when he gets the ball anywhere near the opposition penalty area. Yet Gibson has risen above many other United prospects-arguably due to his reputation of packing a decent long-range shot. Last season was a case in point, when his long range efforts against the likes of Spurs, West Ham and Bayern Munich seemed to cement his reputation as someone who could score from distance. Unfortunately for Gibson those goals, haven’t been forthcoming in his brief appearances this time round and he’s struggled to convince many of the Old Trafford faithful of his value to the team.
Here-in lies part of the problem, Gibson has had no real run in the side, yet is expected to show his worth when he does play so what does he do? He tries to score from long range efforts, yet when he fails it merely convinces everyone he shouldn’t be in the team, it’s a bit of a catch 22. If Gibson was given a decent run then there’s no doubt his shootig would improve and the goals would come, yet with Anderson, Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick and even Giggs all standing in his way then his chances are limited to say the least.
It’s not as if Gibson is a bad player- following his goal against Bayern Munich last season – I’m sure I wasn’t the only United fan eating a bit of humble pie after questioning his inclusion in the team that night. Sir Alex obviously rates him otherwise he wouldn’t have picked him for such an important game and he wouldn’t have kept him in the squad this season.
I’ll be honest and admit at times, I’ve questioned why Fergie persists with him but as I’ve learned over the years, the United manager is seldom wrong when it comes to deciding who’s good enough for the side and even I’ll confess that there are times when Gibson looks as though he could give United a different, useful option in midfield.
Some people have compared him to Paul Scholes and suggested he could replace him one day which is grossly unfair. Not only is Scholes one of the greatest midfielders of all time- that may sound over the top but I whole-heartedly mean it- but he’s a different type of player to Gibson altogether. Gibson may shoot from range, which Scholes does- or used to do a lot better than anyone- but other than that I can’t see too many similarities.
Gibson is no Paul Scholes, but there’s no shame in that- after all Michael Carrick is no Roy Keane and we don’t expect him to be.
The point I’m making is that it’s time to get off young Darron’s case and realise he’s not the root of all evil. You can almost feel the contempt some United fans hold him in at times and it reminds me of the way a certain Bulgarian was treated by some not a million years ago.
At United I’ve seen players such as Berbatov, Anderson, Fletcher, Carrick and Jonny Evans all come in for harsh criticism over the past few years and by and large they’ve proved their detractors wrong.
Gibson may not be perfect but as long as he dons the Red shirt I for one will be getting behind him, you never know with a bit of support he may even surprise us all.
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IN 45 minutes vs Blackpool, Gibson made one tackle. Giggsy comes on in the 2nd half and makes 6 tackles, runs at players, makes himself available, provides an assist.
Yes, he hasn’t had a consistent run. All the more he should be playing out of his skin every time he plays, but Gibson is just so frustratingly pedestrian. Very, very ineffective and displaying very little fight.
I must disagree with the majority of this article. I would prefer to pose the question”When has Gibson ever played well for the first XI?” There has been to odd game when he has scored a spectacular goal but he has not played ‘well’ overall whilst he has been on the filed in these games either. I’m sorry but, in my opinion, he is not worthy of a first team start.
I’m behind him whenever he plays, but unfortunately he has to be considered the weakest link of the team this year so far. And to be blunt, he has never once stood out in any game he has played. The only thing he has a reputation for, other than not actually being that good, is his thunderous shot. Not enough to justify being in the team.
His role is to be a midfield enforcer and where possible to break forward, making incisive passes and teeing up shots… he’s done NOTHING this year in the games he has played. His passing is standard, his shooting wayward (barely a shot on target) and his defensive work poor. Between him and Carrick this year (another midfielder who really need to buck his ideas up) they’ve shipped more opportunities to the opposition than any combination.
It’s not just Gibson, no… Carrick and Fletcher (and Anderson in the weekend’s game in Southampton) have a lot to answer for, but he needs to stand up and be counted. He needs to have a game where we can at least see the potential Fergie obviously thinks he has… instead, over the past couple of years we have seen him gradually get worse.
I don’t think any United fan would shed a tear if he were to leave in the summer (or even now) with the likes of Tom Cleverley to come back and other midfielders with a lot more promise looking to break through in the next couple of years… Pogba, Drinkwater, Morrison… like it as not, his place is up for grabs.
The measure of a player’s worth is simply if you’d rather he played for you or against you. In Darren Gibson’s case, I’d rather United played against him then with him, every time!
At United I’ve seen players such as Berbatov, Anderson, Fletcher, Carrick and Jonny Evans all come in for harsh criticism over the past few years and by and large they’ve proved their detractors wrong.
Till now, only Berbatov and Fletcher have proved people wrong..
I never like to criticise one of our players but for me Gibson is never going to be a first team regular for Man Utd. I admire his determination and the way he’s been happy to wait for chances to play but he just doesn’t offer enough to warrant a place in the side. The midfield is the one real area of the team in need of a bit of a shake up and Gibson isn’t part of the future for me,harsh but true.
On guesstimate, I’d say that that Gibbo gets about 60 minutes of football every 3-4 weeks. Do those who’ve commented above really think that this constitutes his chance to shine or grab a place in the side? I certainly don’t, and I feel for him.
I also think he’s too similar to Carrick, and when they play together they cancel each other out.
But what really grates me is that this so called criticism levelled at Gibbo isn’t criticism at all – it’s pure vitrolic abuse. It’s disgusting. And people sit there waiting and hoping for him to fail so they can start their ranting and raving about him as per usual. It’s called ‘scapegoating’, as has rightly been pointed out in this article.
United fans used to want their players to succeed. If they were having a tough time, they’d urge them on because they’re one of us. Now, since 99, a lot (and I’m talking majority here)of fans sit there in silence, noses in the air with a sense snobbery with expectations too grand – and the only noise they’ll make is when a player or the team aren’t doing so well. And they’ree just plain horrible with it.
“New United” is like New Labour. Yeah, fans have to move with the times, but you need to keep your sense of tradition. New United, like New Labour have unfortunately brought a lot of cretinous supporters in to the fold though, and aren’t willing ot do their bit from the terraces.
And people like Gibbo get it in the neck as a result.
Darron Gibson does HIS bit a lot better than those fan do their bit. If people can say he’s not a ‘United’ class player, I can turn round and say there’s a whole host of people who aren’t ‘United’ class fans.
In reply to Steve Crabtree, 60mins of football every 3-4 weeks for half a season, with the players we’ve got, and in games where we dominate with so much possession, should be enough to prove if you are good enough to play in Uniteds first team.
As stated in the article Gibbo isn’t the only one not performing to a ‘United’ standard in games, but if he was good enough he would have took the game by the scruff of the neck, put in a good shift and had a decent enough performance to atleast last the full 90mins and stand out… a little.
I think his time is wearing a little thin after this weekends game though. Another below average performance against League 1 opposition. If a United youngster looking to stamp his mark on the United first team can’t impress in a game against a team 2 divisions below, somethings just aren’t meant to be.
Maybe a loan spell with another Premiership or championship side would help in his development, see if he can stand out at a lower league club. Look what it’s done for Welbeck and Cleverley.