John O'Shea

[Razors left peg]

their opinion counts no more than anyone elses. had a fine game but sure some on here will never let up on critisising him. most countries our size would love to have one of their defenders playing regularly for probably the best club side in the world.... but oh no not us miserable sods

ps. he was playing full back on tuesday

well said

[irishfan86]

I'm just trying to get out a reasonable opinion of O'Shea.

He's a decent player on a fantastic team.

He's having a good team by his standards, but not by the standards of a Premier League winning team.

For many of the games this season, he has been one of the worst for United in a winning effort.

This is not to say that he has been particularly bad, but rather that he had the least to contribute in terms of the win.

He is solid defensively, and passable in possession, and he has been exceptional for Ireland at international level in this campaign, but I didn't think O'Shea deserved a lot of the criticism he once received on here, and by the same token, I don't think he deserves a lot of the credit he's getting now.

Decent player who is important to the national team, but not the player I'm reading about in some of these posts.

[paul_oshea]

one and the same probably

is that because they don't agree with either of you ;)

[jbyrne]

For many of the games this season, he has been one of the worst for United in a winning effort.

This is not to say that he has been particularly bad, but rather that he had the least to contribute in terms of the win.

how on earth does one come up with this assertion? its all just opinion. surely he has contributed more than those not starting regularly? definately more than berbatov and rooney recently in anycase

[irishfan86]

how on earth does one come up with this assertion? its all just opinion. surely he has contributed more than those not starting regularly? definately more than berbatov and rooney recently in anycase

If you think O'Shea is more valuable to the cause than Berbatov or Rooney, I can't really talk to you.

Any manager would rather have potential match winners like Berbatov and Rooney in their side over a guy like John O'Shea, who for all his consistent play this season, is quite limited.

[SkStu]

how can anyone compare the worth of a right back/centre back with attacking, flair players?

what a bullsh*t argument.

[irishfan86]

how can anyone compare the worth of a right back/centre back with attacking, flair players?

what a bullsh*t argument.

I wasn't the one who brought it up.

When Evra plays, he can impact a match dramatically. As can Ferdinand and Vidic.

I don't feel that O'Shea can make that same level of impact as a fullback.

He lacks the focus to be a world-class centre-half, and the on-the-ball, attacking ability, of a world-class fullback.

So you're left with a decent utility player by top-class standards.

He's a key player for us right now, but to say he was one of the best players on Tuesday is laughable.

[tricky_colour]

how can anyone compare the worth of a right back/centre back with attacking, flair players?

what a bullsh*t argument.

I don't see why not really, afterall they are the people who have to deal with the attacking flair players, surely the best defenders should be on as much as the best attackers on that basis?

[John83]

I don't see why not really, afterall they are the people who have to deal with the attacking flair players, surely the best defenders should be on as much as the best attackers on that basis?
I think it was Tommy Docherty who said that no player of any skill should ever be played in defence. (I assume that was at least a little tongue in cheek.)

I suspect there's a reason defenders earn less and are bought and sold for less than strikers. Maybe it's just psychology though.

[irishfan86]

I think it was Tommy Docherty who said that no player of any skill should ever be played in defence. (I assume that was at least a little tongue in cheek.)

I suspect there's a reason defenders earn less and are bought and sold for less than strikers. Maybe it's just psychology though.

John Terry is Chelsea's highest earner.

I doubt Ferdinand and Carragher are on **** wages either...

[Razors left peg]

I cant believe that people still want to have a go at O Shea when he is probably having his best season ever. He played in 10 of the 12 games where United kept a record number of clean sheets and has been solid whenever he has played for either Ireland or United. No matter how well he does in a game some people on this forum seem to love when he makes a miss placed pass or something so they can focus on that to prove to themselves in their own heads that he is crap. Its a very similar situation to McGeady, some people refuse to admit that he has improved incase it means that they were proved wrong in their assessment of him over the years. Even Maradona or Zindane made mistakes in a game, every single player does, but that does not make them rubbish players.Can anyone point to a mistake that OShea has made this season that has cost his team a goal. I seen someone on this forum recently going back to the game in Switzerland years ago where O Shea had a very poor game to prove that he is rubbish... players develop and improve over the years.
Christ I remember a while back when every Liverpool fan I knew hated Carragher, this was at a time when he was young and was being played in midfield, full back or center half.

[irishfan86]

I'm not having a go at him, I just think a more balanced view of him would be better.

He's one of the first names on the team sheet for us, and has been solid for us in this campaign to date.

Instead of "he was one of United's best players against Inter," and then "John O'Shea is the worst player, blah blah blah," why not just accept that he is a good, solid player.

Unspectacular but consistent- two qualities that are key for a defender.

[DmanDmythDledge]

most fans posting on forums havent a clue
You do realise the irony of saying that?:)

Anyway, what other basis of fan opinion do you want to use?


Really! he was given a 6 by sports journalists versus 7s and 8s for the other Man U defenders. He started terrribly. Again, he is not a central defender.
Central defence is his natural position and is most definitely his best position. I can't believe people still try to say this even after his recent performances for Ireland.


I'm just trying to get out a reasonable opinion of O'Shea.

He's a decent player on a fantastic team.

He's having a good team by his standards, but not by the standards of a Premier League winning team.

For many of the games this season, he has been one of the worst for United in a winning effort.

This is not to say that he has been particularly bad, but rather that he had the least to contribute in terms of the win.

He is solid defensively, and passable in possession, and he has been exceptional for Ireland at international level in this campaign, but I didn't think O'Shea deserved a lot of the criticism he once received on here, and by the same token, I don't think he deserves a lot of the credit he's getting now.

Decent player who is important to the national team, but not the player I'm reading about in some of these posts.
I think you are doing O'Shea a great disservice. He has not looked out of place in the best defence in Europe this season. To say he is not having a decent season by the standards of a Premier League team is ridiculous. There have been many times when he has not been the worst player on the pitch as you stated; and a pointless post even if it had any truth.


I cant believe that people still want to have a go at O Shea when he is probably having his best season ever. He played in 10 of the 12 games where United kept a record number of clean sheets and has been solid whenever he has played for either Ireland or United. No matter how well he does in a game some people on this forum seem to love when he makes a miss placed pass or something so they can focus on that to prove to themselves in their own heads that he is crap. Its a very similar situation to McGeady, some people refuse to admit that he has improved incase it means that they were proved wrong in their assessment of him over the years. Even Maradona or Zindane made mistakes in a game, every single player does, but that does not make them rubbish players.Can anyone point to a mistake that OShea has made this season that has cost his team a goal. I seen someone on this forum recently going back to the game in Switzerland years ago where O Shea had a very poor game to prove that he is rubbish... players develop and improve over the years.
Christ I remember a while back when every Liverpool fan I knew hated Carragher, this was at a time when he was young and was being played in midfield, full back or center half.
Excellent post, spot on. And just to expand on the bold part, Man Utd have only conceded one league goal this season while he has been on the pitch (apparantly, read in on redcafe).

[Scram]

You do realise the irony of saying that?:)

Anyway, what other basis of fan opinion do you want to use?


Central defence is his natural position and is most definitely his best position. I can't believe people still try to say this even after his recent performances for Ireland.


Excellent post, spot on. And just to expand on the bold part, Man Utd have only conceded one league goal this season while he has been on the pitch (apparantly, read in on redcafe).

TOPIC - JOHN O'SHEA AT CENTRE BACK!

Yes while he has been ON THE PITCH....not playing as a central defender!! Man U could ahve been down 2 the other night because of two mistakes from him in the first 15 minutes. After that he did play well.....AGAIN, he was rightly given a 6/10 by a few newspapers, i.e. the worst performance of the Man U defence. But I guess these guys don't know what they are talking about either.

It is well established that central defence is his not his best position. The increase in value of his performances this year are NOT being questioned but not in this position. He was poor for Georgia's goal in Mainz against us and he was poor for Georgia's goal in Croker. This is not only my opinion but also the TV pundits etc.

At least try and have a look at those goals before making blanket statements about how good he has been for us or for Man U in THAT position.

He would NEVER be Man Utd.s 1st or even 3rd choice at centre back and he should not be ours if we have other options i.e he should be played in his better positions.

[Stuttgart88]

he should not be ours if we have other options i.e he should be played in his better positions.but we don't have other good options at CB so he plays there. Most have been happy with his performances there to date and his partnership with Dunne has been good. I'd fault Dunne for the Georgia goal in Dublin and obviously Kelly too.

[OwlsFan]

.AGAIN, he was rightly given a 6/10 by a few newspapers.

Only got a 5 in the Daily Telegraph, the joint worst with Danny Welbeck:

"Guilty of several mistimed tackles, the Irishman was fortunate not to be sent off after scything in to Zokora".

[geysir]

It must have been wild enough for the Telegraph to remind their readers that he is Irish.

[manuman]

o shea is a credit to Ireland hes level headed and does his job without any fuss, I cant understand why people knock him. Shame on you Irishmen! Fergie is the best in the world and hes playing o shea? why doesent he buy a replacement??answer that?

[irishfan86]

o shea is a credit to Ireland hes level headed and does his job without any fuss, I cant understand why people knock him. Shame on you Irishmen! Fergie is the best in the world and hes playing o shea? why doesent he buy a replacement??answer that?

O'Shea is the replacement. He is the "first choice" replacement.

Why buy a replacement for a replacement that never complains about being a replacement?

[kingdom hoop]

Why buy a replacement for a replacement that never complains about being a replacement?

To replace him I guess?

[endabob1]

Yes while he has been ON THE PITCH....not playing as a central defender!! Man U could ahve been down 2 the other night because of two mistakes from him in the first 15 minutes. After that he did play well.....AGAIN, he was rightly given a 6/10 by a few newspapers, i.e. the worst performance of the Man U defence. But I guess these guys don't know what they are talking about either..


You realise you are basically saying the sports journalists know more about the game than the most successful manager ever in the British club game.
My suggestion is that you watch games yourself and draw your own conclusions rather than relying on the voice of some 2 bit hack who probably missed half the game because he was busy wolfing down the free snacks in the press box.
If O’Shea was **** he wouldn’t consistently make the team, I don’t think anyone on here thinks the guy is the new Pele but give him his due he plays a lot of games for the best club side in Europe and is only doing that because he is a solid defender.

[jmurphyc]

He's come on leaps and bounds this season. I've always partly liked him, but felt that he needed to leave United to further his career. It's good to see that he's getting a good amount of games this season, and he has been quietly consistent in them. The amount of confidence this should be giving him will be a massive boost to our qualification campaign, seeing as he's always seemed like a player with low self esteem (IMO).

[jbyrne]

If you think O'Shea is more valuable to the cause than Berbatov or Rooney, I can't really talk to you.

Any manager would rather have potential match winners like Berbatov and Rooney in their side over a guy like John O'Shea, who for all his consistent play this season, is quite limited.

read my post again. the clue is in the word recently
also, do defenders not count as match winners when your wins are on the back of 9 or so clean sheets in a row??

[DeLorean]

read my post again. the clue is in the word recently
also, do defenders not count as match winners when your wins are on the back of 9 or so clean sheets in a row??

14 and O'Shea played most of them. In fact he didn't play any part when the run ended against Blackburn....coincidence?......probably!!

[jbyrne]

14 and O'Shea played most of them. In fact he didn't play any part when the run ended against Blackburn....coincidence?......probably!!:rolleyes :

sorry i lost count of the games he performed well in recently!

[BigmanCas]

On the back of a great performance in Bari he follows it up with another against Porto in Manchester tonight. The equaliser may not have occured if O Shea had been at RB.

[Irish_Praha]

On the back of a great performance in Bari he follows it up with another against Porto in Manchester tonight. The equaliser may not have occured if O Shea had been at RB.

I didn't see the game but followed it on a text ticker and he did seem to be pretty involved in the game alright. Fair play to him, he's stepped up his game this season; not the perfect defender but still much more solid than before. Whatever silverware UTD pick up this year nobody can argue that he hasn't made a telling contribution this season.

[paul_oshea]

evans doesn't play as well with oshea beside him though, he obviouslly needs a commanding partner in CB.

[livehead1]

I changed my opinion of O'Shea when I saw him live, and he was outstanding again for United tonight.

[lisseltonrovers]

i thought he was excellent on saturday but poorish at times tonight, he got a head to the second goal but knocked it into the attackers path.

though he is to be excused as he played 180 minutes in 2 days after 2 internations, one in italy.

overall though, he has had a superb season.

[geysir]

He is definitely got a bit of bite about him along with the scars and bruises of a streetfighter.
His distribution at times is superb.

[Colbert Report]

The second goal tonight was all Gary Neville's fault. He's done, over the hill, he should retire.

[osarusan]

The second goal tonight was all Gary Neville's fault. He's done, over the hill, he should retire.

You are joking surely?

Neville had to come into the centre to mark the striker right in front of goal. He can't just leave a player unmarked in that position. The touch O'Shea got meant that Neville's man was the player who eventually got the chance, but Neville made the correct decision to come into the centre.

Blame 2 or 3 players, especially Carrick, for doing absolutely nothing to close the player down and stopping him from getting his cross in.

[tricky_colour]

I think they said he has over 50 champions league appearances.

[irishfan86]

I was impressed with his performance tonight, especially in the centre.

I think he is now finally first choice at right full, and looks like he may be passing Evans as 3rd choice centre-half.

He made one fantastic sliding tackle in the box late in the game.

Agree that Neville is struggling but he's struggled with injuries. I'd give him a full pre-season to see if he can recover his form/fitness.

[shakermaker1982]

he got a five in today's guardian which was harsh, some of his passing was very sloppy once again but he does get stuck in a bit more which pleases the fans.

Neville had to come across because the other 6 Man Utd players got attracted to the ball. Man Utd were very poor (again) and look very shaky at the back.

[shakermaker1982]

http://www.redcafe.net/f6/oshea-tonight-242860/

Man Utd fans on his performance last night.

[jbyrne]

http://www.redcafe.net/f6/oshea-tonight-242860/

Man Utd fans on his performance last night.

cant open that link in work. whats the gist of whats being said?

just noticed on that forum that some lads have him in their top 3 utd players from last evening

[geysir]

A fancied team scrapes a fortuitous enough draw at home, then followed up with the usual type of scapegoat rants by those thicker than 2 planks.
That would never happen here.

[Dr. Ogba]

United fans :rolleyes:

I find it quite embarrassing the amount of Irish posting on those boards referring to United as "we" aswell...

[shakermaker1982]

cant open that link in work. whats the gist of whats being said?

just noticed on that forum that some lads have him in their top 3 utd players from last evening

a few posters have tore him to shreds but others have stuck up for him by stating that it was a typical John O'Shea performance i.e. average. He was 6 out of 10 last night IMO. I heard the crowd groan and moan after some sloppy passes yet kept quiet when Scholes/Carrick/Giggs caught the disease.

Quote from Daniel Taylor in today's guardian sums it up:

"Evans has had plenty of good publicity this season but the frequency with which he was at fault during the course of the evening was nothing short of alarming. The same can be said of John O'Shea, whose usefulness as an odd-job man does not disguise the fact he has never recaptured the form of his breakthrough season. Alongside Nani, O'Shea is now in the role that was once occupied by *Darren Fletcher — the player the crowd worry about the most."

[seanfhear]

a few posters have tore him to shreds but others have stuck up for him by stating that it was a typical John O'Shea performance i.e. average. He was 6 out of 10 last night IMO. I heard the crowd groan and moan after some sloppy passes yet kept quiet when Scholes/Carrick/Giggs caught the disease.

Quote from Daniel Taylor in today's guardian sums it up:

"Evans has had plenty of good publicity this season but the frequency with which he was at fault during the course of the evening was nothing short of alarming. The same can be said of John O'Shea, whose usefulness as an odd-job man does not disguise the fact he has never recaptured the form of his breakthrough season. Alongside Nani, O'Shea is now in the role that was once occupied by *Darren Fletcher — the player the crowd worry about the most."
O'Shea made one bad mistake last night and probably played average/good

Jonny Evans was average/poor but maybe he was playing with an injury.
It is better to judge a player over the long term and in fairness he has played well for Utd most of the time

[BigmanCas]

[quote=shakermaker1982;1139790]a few posters have tore him to shreds but others have stuck up for him by stating that it was a typical John O'Shea performance i.e. average. He was 6 out of 10 last night IMO. I heard the crowd groan and moan after some sloppy passes yet kept quiet when Scholes/Carrick/Giggs caught the disease.

No what the majority of the posts said that he is an easy target for Utd fans to vent their anger at when in actual fact he was the player least to blame for the result last night.

[eirebhoy]

O'Shea has played more in the Champions league this season than any other Man Utd player. He's also now first choice (right back) for Man Utd for the first time in years.

[Razors left peg]

Im just glad that there arent many on here abusing him anymore

[NeilMcD]

His consistancy has improved for Ireland and Utd in the last year no doubt. His height at full back is a huge asset (correction) to have.

[Razors left peg]

His consistancy has improved for Ireland and Utd in the last year no doubt. His height at full back is a huge asses to have.
:D:D:D

[irishfan86]

Neil is well known for his "I like big butts" selection policy.

Needless to say, Andy Reid will be given the captaincy, and Paddy Kenny will be named as our starting keeper.

[NeilMcD]

I think I would be captain to be honest.

[Colie]

Don't think I've ever had my 2 cents here. When it comes to across the water I'm not a fan of any particular team, just an Irish in Britain fan. I think O'Shea is solid & has even improved this year. I hate the O'Shea donkey brigade. I think he deserves his place in the Utd first 11 & I hope he gets another league winners medal & Euro Cup medal under his belt. If he continues like this he'll be up there with Keane & Irwin as one of the most decorated Irish players of the modern era (I'm not making this up). If Man U win this year he'll have more European Cups than any of the Man U or Liverpool Irish (Whelan & Lawrro only won the one, in '84). That would be some achievement. Fair play to John O'Shea. I'm proud to have him playin for us.