Darron Gibson

[SkStu]

http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/darron-gibson-scunthorpe-6956331/


Absolute beauty of a goal!

took it way too early in my opinion... ;) ;)

[geysir]

That shot never would have got past a UCD super league goalkeeper.

[gastric]

In the same game, Nolan played well at left back and kept the UTD keeper busy.

[AlaskaFox]

Nolan had a fantastic game for Scunthorpe alright. Very impressed by him.

[Philly]

Interesting article on Gibson on the Man U site:
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={F9E570E6-407E-44BC-800F-4A3110258114}&newsid=6652509

"Getting picked for the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich – and scoring – was a big boost so from there I never thought about going out on loan this season. This is where I want to play my football for the rest of my career.”

[paul_oshea]

yes but darron scoring a goal against bayern doesn't mask or hide even make up for strolling around for the rest of the game. He comes across as someone who might not take criticism too well, or more importantly take it on board, especially when its constructive....a lot of what is being said may be true about the lad.

[Predator]

yes but darron scoring a goal against bayern doesn't mask or hide even make up for strolling around for the rest of the game.Darron doesn't stroll around. He plays with a swagger...


He comes across as someone who might not take criticism too well, or more importantly take it on board, especially when its constructive....a lot of what is being said may be true about the lad.True or not, he remains a Manchester United player. So he must be listening to and taking on board criticism from somebody.

[Razors left peg]

After the turn around in form from Berbatov this season Im not gonna write off too quickly any player that Ferguson has faith with in future. As long as he continues to get picked for United I will believe that Gibson will develop into a top midfielder. He has all the tools

[boovidge]

not even on the bench

[ifk101]

United progress would sort Irish career
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0928/1224279826523.html

[Razors left peg]

Actually thought he was older than 22, I think hes very similar to Lampard at that age. I always thought that if Lampard didnt score that he didnt contribute much else to the game but as he has gotten older he has become a much better player. Hope Gibson can follow his example

[tetsujin1979]

More today from Gibson in the Independent:
Gibson to stick with United despite falling down Irish pecking order: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/champions-league/gibson-to-stick-with-united-despite-fall-down-irish-pecking-order-2355179.html
‘I’m nearly 23 and I need to be playing ... but I want to be first choice’: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/lsquoirsquom-nearly-23-and-i-need-to-be-playing-but-i-want-to-be-first-choicersquo-2355282.html

Good to see that he spoke with Trapattoni and clarified what Trapattoni meant by his earlier comments

[Charlie Darwin]

Fantastic article from Richie Sadlier on the ridiculous press coverage of Gibson in recent weeks:



H e is our record scorer and will inevitably become our most capped player of all time. Clubs have parted with over stg£75m in transfer fees for him throughout his career and only a fool would rule out that figure increasing very soon.

Robbie Keane's career has become one of the most lucrative of any Irish player in history, both on and off the field. He can consider himself very fortunate that he chose Wolves over Liverpool when he was a kid.

Every year, a handful of talented Irish schoolboys hoping for a career in the UK face the same dilemma. Sign for a top club where the wages, facilities, players and coaches cannot be matched elsewhere, or opt for a lesser club which provides greater opportunities to play. Parental influence can often be the deciding factor, but once the deal is signed it's all down to the player.

Few who go to top clubs make any real progress before being moved on, and many who leave achieve nothing after they go. Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson is one of the rare examples of an Irish player who has made the breakthrough and become an established squad player at the very highest level.

You would assume that would earn him the respect of those at home, but it appears you would be wrong. Most critics concentrate on his shortcomings compared to those around him, and none seem to believe he will remain at Old Trafford much longer. Even Giovanni Trapattoni seems unimpressed with much of what he can offer.

For example, consider the reaction to his performance against Rangers. He played in a team short of attacking ideas against a team bereft of attacking intent, yet for many this game was confirmation that Gibson is not up to it at all. That it was at Champions League level mattered little (even though Manchester United qualifying from the group was always a racing certainty). While other Irish lads impress for teams whose aim is to reach 40 points in the Premier League as soon as possible, Gibson is experiencing life at the very top table. How long he stays there remains to be seen, but it would not surprise me if his career at Old Trafford emulates that of John O'Shea.

Aware of the opinions of him out there, Gibson spoke last week of his patience and realism when it comes to his short-term first-team expectations. He is also all too aware of what Trapattoni thinks. Surpassed recently in the pecking order by a Derby County player none of us was aware of six months ago, he seems to be at best the fourth-ranked central midfielder in the Irish squad.

It would surprise me greatly if he made any decision to favour an international career over his progress at club level. He was criticised in many quarters recently for his response to Trapattoni's view that he may benefit from a move away from Old Trafford. Dismissed as arrogant or a little petulant, the manner in which he scoffed at the idea of a move to a club like Stoke City made headlines everywhere.

Personally, I've no problem with players coming out and publicly defending themselves against what they believe to be unjust criticism or nonsensical comments. For a young player to challenge the view of Trapattoni in such a way shows there is perhaps more to him than we first realised. And before anyone says we should therefore have more respect for Stephen Ireland for the same reason, forget about it. Ireland's just an idiot.

There is no other club in England at which the standard has been set so high for so long. That Gibson is not the preferred choice in central midfield is used against him by those who insist a move away is needed. Considering the form and pedigree of some of those ahead of him, it is utterly ludicrous to suggest that because of this his career would be best served elsewhere. It is worth noting that critics often cite Keane's schooling at Wolves to explain some of his shortcomings, saying those years would have been better served in the Academy at Anfield. Gibson could go to a lesser club where first-team football is guaranteed. Others have done this and enjoyed prolonged spells of competitive football at places like West Brom, Newcastle and Sunderland. Lofty achievements for most players in professional football, but not for any with experience of life at Manchester United.

Gibson appeared pragmatic about his situation at United when asked about it last week. He will join the Ireland squad fully expecting a place on the bench for both upcoming games against Russia and Slovakia. It's far more difficult to play for United than for Ireland, but he appears more than willing to have a crack at doing both. I don't understand the mindset of those who knock him for attempting to do sohttp://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/dont-knock-gibson-for-chasing-his-old-trafford-dream-2362661.html

[Kingdom]

I can't say I think it's much of a fantastic article to be honest, and I like Sadlier. There are a few flaws in it I believe.

1) United are on the slide. Central midfield is where they've been weak for a while I feel, and Gibson has had the fortune of having Hargreaves and Anderson both out on long term injuries and had an aged Giggs and an ageing Scholes as company. He hasn't made the breakthrough at United and he's as established in the first team squad as Wellbeck was or as Macheda is. Peripheries. The comparison to O'Shea is unfair on Josh, and perhaps lazy. John broke through as a centre half doing relatively well, then had a fantastic season as a temp full back. His versatility is what stunted his early career with United. Darron Gibson doesn't have that versatility, the little I've seen of him.

As for running the show against Rangers, "Manchester United qualifying from the group was always a racing certainty" United qualify with ease from such groups by steam rolling teams early on, particularily the weaker seeds, allowing them to coast in the final two games. I didn't think there was anything outstanding from Darron I'm afraid.

Finally, I think Richie misjudges the reaction to what Gibson said about moving away to such places as Stoke. I was peeved by it because it showed a poor lack of respect to his teammates, such as Whelan and Lawrence, that he was dismissing their clubs as backwaters. Use the head man!

There's nothing wrong with Darron Gibson fighting tooth and nail to get into the starting XI for club. We'd all admire it. But there comes a time surely as a pro footballer, where you reach an age, or a stage where you have to ask, am i wasting my time here? I appreciate that Scholes is likely to be gone the end of this season and that Hargreaves will probably never come back, but they've also got Cleverly coming through, and he's a player, and I don't believe Ferguson won't go to the market in the summer either.

[youngirish]

Not too sure what I think about his musings on the respective careers of Robbie Keane or Darron Gibson but his anaysis that delves deep into the "complex?" mind of the enigma that is Stephen Ireland seems extremely close to the mark and insightful. I have a much better understanding now of what makes the man tick. Worth reading the article for this alone.

[dr_peepee]

Seems to me that with the persistent selecltion of the willing but limited Green the gauntlet has been thrown down to Gibson and he's not taking it. I mean there's nothing Green brings to the table that Gibson can't do for himself, where as Green can't do what Gibson does technically. Gibson hasn't taken ownership of what he needs to do in the face of a gaping oppertunity if you ask me and should be dropped from the next squad to look at alternatives.

[Stuttgart88]

What should Gibson be doing to take ownership of the situation? Are you talking at club level or while on Ireland duty?

[paul_oshea]

In ireland duty stutts. He means that given how poor green has been for ireland, he is ovbiouslly just as poor in training and gibson shouldbe going about tackling and tracking back helping out the defense more, we all know about the other side of his game,but if he cant do what green is obviouslly picked for which just requires a bit of "fire in the belly", determination and gumption then he shouldn't be in the squad at all as he obviouslly isn't taking the opportunity that is being presented to him by green being so poor.

[paul_oshea]

why has osarusan been banned?

[geysir]

IMO, as it stands now, is not Greens role that Gibson should be after, it is Whelans.

We just need a better player than Green who can perform his midfield duties, should Trap persist with that CM formation.
Trap wants to have one CM as a more advanced disrupter and the other with a more general role.
There is no way Gibson is suited to the persistent closing down that Green is expected to do

Overall, I have my doubts that this type of midfield can work. The starting point, (i.e. before deploying that CM formation) is to have a player at the required standard.

[shakermaker1982]

If you play Gibson then it has to be with two other central midfielders beside him. Unless the Trap ditches 4-4-2 then Gibson will never start for us in a major game. The same problem would apply if we had Ireland back in the mix. To get the most of out Gibson you'd have to nearly build a team around him and I don't think Fergie/The Trap are ready to do that.

He is most dangerous in advanced positions. Let two donkeys tidy up behind him, give him the ball and let him shoot. Tracking back and harrying the opposition is not part of his game.

[dr_peepee]

What should Gibson be doing to take ownership of the situation? Are you talking at club level or while on Ireland duty?

More or less what Paul answered. The club situation is a different thing altogether. I personally think leaving United could be a case of one step back to take two steps forward for him but it's difficult to berate someone for not wanting to leave Man U. No, as i was saying I think Trapp selection, and now at this stage persistence, with Green is realy an indication of the very least he's expecting from his midfielders in terms of application. Gibson hasn't picked up on it.


There is no way Gibson is suited to the persistent closing down that Green is expected to do.

Why not?? That logic would apply to certain players because it would detract from what they're best able to contribute. He's not a playmaker in the sense that something would be lost from his play or the team if he covered more ground. It's not a question of ability it's a question of application in this case. There's no reason other than his own head why he can't be a hard working player with good technique and a decent shot on him.

I also don't think Trapp differs between his CM options in terms of who backfills in the case of an absence or who's competing with who. All his CMs are competing for either of the two spots, i think.

[geysir]

Okay, there is no reason why Gibson can't win the Lotto, nothing is impossible.
But to expect him to play like Gattuso??

I think if Trap plays Gibson he will expect him to do some closing down for sure, but would have a designated workhorse to support Gibson .
Just my 2 cents.

[zero]

i'd like to think gibson will get a start tonight in favour of whelan or green, but i expect it will be more of the same tonight. long for doyle and fahey in if lawrence doesn't make it.

i thought he looked ok when he came on against russia bar his poor free kick taking. give him enough minutes on the pitch and he'll get us a 25 or 30 yarder. next season is possibly make or break for him at united - i can't see him staying too long more if he isn't more involved.

[geysir]

I thought the 2 free kicks from the right side, were delivered very nicely.

[zero]

I thought the 2 free kicks from the right side, were delivered very nicely.

you're probably right - i think i've blocked out everything but the bad bits (nearly all of it) and the 2 goals. couldn't face watching any of the post match, too morose.

[geysir]

That's quite understandable.

[shakermaker1982]

I thought the 2 free kicks from the right side, were delivered very nicely.

Not according to Dunphy!!! I watched his moan on Sunday about the 'brainless' Gibson.

[dr_peepee]

Okay, there is no reason why Gibson can't win the Lotto, nothing is impossible.
But to expect him to play like Gattuso??

I think if Trap plays Gibson he will expect him to do some closing down for sure, but would have a designated workhorse to support Gibson .
Just my 2 cents.


I don't believe anyone expects Gibson to be Gattuso... I think Gisbon could be a better player and asset to the team if he worked harder.

[geysir]

Yep, Gibson would have work harder when we don't have the ball, regardless of who his partner is.

[tetsujin1979]

I think Gibson is getting a lot of flak for not playing regularly at club level, similar to O'Shea a few years ago. Fact is, very few youngsters get a run in the United first team. Even the "never win anything with kids" team only played one or two of the kids after the opening game thumping by West Ham. O'Shea had to wait and get his game when he could until the likes of Neville were no longer good enough for regular first team action. Gibson has the same problem with Scholes right now, and it could be next season before he starts to get regular starts.
Personally, if the likes of McCarthy or Wilson were starting for the international side, it would take the pressure off Gibson, as he wouldn't be expected to replace and improve on either of them.

[dr_peepee]

At 23 though, he can't really be considered a kid or youngster any more... No more than he should be the finished article either. I think he should be further along as a player than were he's at now though.

On the club side the danger for fringe players at his age at clubs like United is that you're closer to being bombed altogether by a signing or a youth team player, than you are at breaking into the team..

[Serb]

I think the closest comparison to Gibson at United is Anderson. Anderson gets a lot of flack for not being quite up to the task, and not scoring enough goals. However, in the last 3 seasons (not including the current one) he has managed 37 league starts and 55 appearances overall. In the same period and in the same position, Darron has managed 6 starts and 18 appearances overall. Anderson is also a year younger than Gibson.

There isn't exactly fierce competition in the centre of the field for United. Carrick, Fletcher and Scholes are the first picks. After that, Anderson is pretty much next in line. I think if Gibson really has a future at United, he needs to leapfrog Anderson in the pecking at some point this season. If he fails to do that, I think it will be the death knell for Gibson's United career. I can see United offloading Anderson next summer and bringing in a better midfielder.

[shakermaker1982]

I think Man Utd will keep faith with Anderson for another 18 months. Injury ravaged season last year and didn't build on his potential from his first season at the club. Scholes will probably retire at the end of the season so Gibson needs to convince Fergie he doesn't need to bring in a big name replacement. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think Gibson will ever make the team when they play the likes of Chelsea/Arsenal etc. He could become an important squad player but is he happy with that?

[dr_peepee]

C'mon Gibson... Make me eat my words!!!!

[centre mid]

Didnt unfortunately. Opportunity missed IMO.

[del_carroll]

Didnt unfortunately. Opportunity missed IMO.

Definitely. Ironically the player he reminded me most of at Internatioal level was Lampard, who never seems to look for the ball when playing for England. Darron never seemed hungry for the ball, and the Slovaks were giving plenty room around the middle. He had Fahy to the right of him to pass around with...never combined at all. Terrible set pieces also by in large. If you're 50 yards from goal and have a free kick, then GET IT IN THERE!!!!! On 2 or 3 occasions ball was played flat and ended up going backwards....Am a fan, and would never be negative, but Jaysus, someone give him a shaking and wake him up. Not Man United material.

[SwanVsDalton]

Gibson dropped off CM quite often to look for the short ball from the defence, even popped up at right back at one point to pick up a short throw from Given. I actually thought he was far more active than he usually is, just seems unable to really influence a game from deep. I almost get the feeling he's unsure because the movement in front of him is just not what he's accustomed to at Old Trafford. He's one of the few players in the side who seems to create a bit of time in the ball for himself, but always looks a little frustrated at usually having to play square with the ball inevitably ending up going backwards.

[zero]

i think that's a very generous assessment. he did very little.

green was better while he was on which says it all.

[backstothewall]

I think Man Utd will keep faith with Anderson for another 18 months. Injury ravaged season last year and didn't build on his potential from his first season at the club. Scholes will probably retire at the end of the season so Gibson needs to convince Fergie he doesn't need to bring in a big name replacement. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think Gibson will ever make the team when they play the likes of Chelsea/Arsenal etc. He could become an important squad player but is he happy with that?

Staying at United is a risk. On one had his career could stagnate a la Liam Miller. But on the other hand for every Liam Miller there is a Darren Fletcher. Its probably worth hanging around for another season to see if he can get a chance when Scholes goes. If I'm honest I don't think Fergie rates Carrick or Anderson particularly highly. There might be an opportunity there.

[SwanVsDalton]

i think that's a very generous assessment. he did very little.

green was better while he was on which says it all.

Possibly a little generous, but he was much better than Green for me - he misplaced three 5 yard passes in the first half, and generally still looked out of his depth. Gibson was better if only because he passed better and Whelan looked far more comfortable beside him. Our drop in performance in the second half had more to do with Slovak's upping it/us tiring than it was to do with Green not being on the pitch.

[tetsujin1979]

McGeady's comments on Gibson from Ken Early's twitter feed: http://twitter.com/#!/kenearlys/statuses/27174540079

little of interest in ireland mixed zone. mcgeady did say gibson "sees the game" & his passing helped AMcG to get into the game

[Charlie Darwin]

Was just about the post that haha

I thought Gibson's passing was good when he came on. The second half retreat was probably more to do with Whelan's lack of fitness.

[Fixer82]

i think that's a very generous assessment. he did very little.

green was better while he was on which says it all.

Not a chance. Can think of only one time Gibson lost the ball. Green constantly won it and gave it straight back

[tetsujin1979]

i think that's a very generous assessment. he did very little.

green was better while he was on which says it all.
Seriously, what game did you watch?

[geysir]

Green was better at stopping the Slovaks. It was quite blatantly obvious when he went off that the Slovaks made more inroads into the space he was occupying. Maybe some can imagine that was because Whelan was getting more knackered, but that is just silly and blinkered.
It took 20 minutes before Green could pass the ball safely to the nearest Irish player, but from 20 minutes onwards - until he got injured, Green was holding his own.
Darron comes on and soon sprays a pass the width of the field and as mentioned can collect a ball from Given - Both of those basic necessary midfield skills would be outside Green's repertoire.

In a scrappy game like that tonight (and we will have a few more of them), I think Fahey has much more to offer at CM than Darron.

[tetsujin1979]

McGeady's comments were on Off The Ball last night
Click http://media.newstalk.ie/listenback
Scroll down to Off The Ball -> Wednesday 13th October -> Part 3
His comments are just after 23 minutes, only a minute or so long

[geysir]

You can't ff to the 23min.spot, can you?
McGeady was reported in the papers to say
"What helped in the second half was Darron Gibson coming on as well," reflected McGeady after Tuesday's game. "He sees the game, he likes to pass the ball, he likes to control the play and give me the ball."

We also saw in the second half, one of McGeady's strengths when we were under pressure, to wait outside the box to receive the defensive clearance and start a swift counter attack.

[tetsujin1979]

You can't ff to the 23min.spot, can you? give it a minute or two for the stream to buffer and you can skip along

McGeady was reported in the papers to say
"What helped in the second half was Darron Gibson coming on as well," reflected McGeady after Tuesday's game. "He sees the game, he likes to pass the ball, he likes to control the play and give me the ball."He doesn't say much more than that in the clip to be honest, it's less than a minute long

We also saw in the second half, one of McGeady's strengths when we were under pressure, to wait outside the box to receive the defensive clearance and start a swift counter attack.That was one of my criticisms of him for Russia's opening goal last week, he was standing just on the corner of the six yard area, and turned to run with the ball, when the Russian player ran in to score, any defender would have put his foot through the ball to clear it. Against Slovkia, he stood further forward so he could see where the opposition was standing, and know where to run into.

[Jicked]

Green was better at stopping the Slovaks. It was quite blatantly obvious when he went off that the Slovaks made more inroads into the space he was occupying. Maybe some can imagine that was because Whelan was getting more knackered, but that is just silly and blinkered.


Agree with that, and that's why he was picked ahead of Gibson who showed himself to be a much better passer of the ball than Green who's distribution is useless. But for all Gibson's better passing ability than Green, it wasn't good enough to put the Slovaks on the back foot at any time, instead we had them on the back foot when we had two guys breaking them up before they could hit their stride coming forward. A case of defence being the best form of attack imo.