Darron Gibson

[kennedmc]

thought he was poor when he came on tonight, apart from a pass to Kelly on the wing. Had the perfect opportunity to show what he can do with a free kick and messed it up. Seemed to concede possession every time he received the ball, although he did win it back again a few times.

I take the opposite view. I thought he played OK and was better then either Green or Whelan. It was goood to see one of our CM actually dropping deep and looking for the ball, keeping possession etc.

He did not concede possession every time he got the ball. He does probably need to work his uprate abit when he doesn't have the ball. However, I think that Whelan, Green and Andrews are so limited it is untrue. Honest lads but no real quality.

I am not saying Gibson is quality, or even that I'd have him in for Russia / Slovakia , more we have no quality in CM!!

[Den Perry]

I take the opposite view. I thought he played OK and was better then either Green or Whelan. It was goood to see one of our CM actually dropping deep and looking for the ball, keeping possession etc.

He did not concede possession every time he got the ball. He does probably need to work his uprate abit when he doesn't have the ball. However, I think that Whelan, Green and Andrews are so limited it is untrue. Honest lads but no real quality.

I am not saying Gibson is quality, or even that I'd have him in for Russia / Slovakia , more we have no quality in CM!!

I think his "uprate" is commendable...

[Sullivinho]

Trapattoni refutes comments: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,195...364550,00.html

"What I told him was that, for him, the action is not finished when he does not have the ball". "He has to work to get the ball."

Nail on head material there from Trap.

[centre mid]

I thought he played well when he came on, the tempo increased when he came on. Whether that was a coincidence or not is another matter. He at least passed the ball forward rather than across or backwards.

[geysir]

True enough but when he hasn't the ball he resembles a county council employee, observing some other people do all the work.

[Manblue]

I thought he played well when he came on, the tempo increased when he came on. Whether that was a coincidence or not is another matter. He at least passed the ball forward rather than across or backwards.

Are you taking the P*ss, there was no tempo for the last 30 mins and he was one of the main reasons for this, harressing players when you dont have the ball sets the tempo just as much as what you do when you have the ball and he uped the tempo in neither way.

[kev mcq]

The only arguement about that is who else would be playing instead of those full backs ? Foley maybe, but the likes of Cunningham, Stephen Kelly etc arent really getting a run of games together, and I'm not sure switching a center back to full back would be a great idea. Maybe if Coleman's loan spell at Blackpool is good or Harte strings more games together for Reading, there will be competition for McShane and Kilbane.

What about Ward? Has played regularly in the Premiership at left-back for Wolves. Kilbane can't even get a game at Hull who are struggling in the Championship FFS.

[tetsujin1979]

I take the opposite view. I thought he played OK and was better then either Green or Whelan. It was goood to see one of our CM actually dropping deep and looking for the ball, keeping possession etc.

I thought with Whelan off the pitch, they made more progress through the centre of midfield. Same thing happened against Brazil when he went off

He did not concede possession every time he got the ball. He does probably need to work his uprate abit when he doesn't have the ball. However, I think that Whelan, Green and Andrews are so limited it is untrue. Honest lads but no real quality.

He pretty much did. I recorded the game on RTE last night, I'm going to have a look at it later. It did seem to me watching from the stands that everytime the ball came to him, he lost possession. Twice he won it back immediately, but other than the pass to Kelly on the right I don't remember him doing much.

[Closed Account 2]

What about Ward? Has played regularly in the Premiership at left-back for Wolves. Kilbane can't even get a game at Hull who are struggling in the Championship FFS.

Well from what I recall Ward had a bad knee problem at the tail end of last season / summer, so I think that may have led to him slipping down the reckoning. He has started some games for Wolves this season so far, but it might have been pushing his limit of fitness / injuries if he'd gone right into the squad. The October or November matches could be better for him.

In addition it's not clear if he's a genuine left back or if his best position is left midfielder...

[seanfhear]

I think a loan spell at a club like Stoke would do the lad the world of good.

Tony Pulis would give the lad a few pointers about working when his team do not have the ball and if he could keep his place in the starting 11 at Stoke he would learn a lot. He would certainly learn more than getting a few minutes at the end of games for utd or league cup games.

Some hard work on the field would do Daron a lot of good.

[Kingdom]

I don't like Gibson, he always has a scowldy thick looking head on him. He seems to be a bit of a lazy b*stard on the pitch as well. There is always going to be a certain amount of embelishment on quotes in the tabloids, but if there's even a grain of truth in what he said, then he's a goon of the highest order, and as someone already said, has shown f-all awareness to the fact that two of his team-mates, ironically two rivals, play for the club he's alleged to have belittled.

That being said, and my petty hatred aside, I really hope he does get a decent career etched out for himself, as he is obviously talented and doesn't lack any of the self-confidence you need to survive in the pro game, never mind just at United. And if he does, well that will also benefit Ireland, and ultimately that's what it's all about.

There is no comparison to John O'Shea's career whatsoever. O'Shea was highly regarded for us all the way through the underage sides, and was very promising for united early on as well. His problem was that he never got a settled role in the second and third seasons after the breakthrough and thus had the crowd on his back. It took a long time for things to change. Something I'm full sure that isn't a coincidence is that O'Shea has been excellent, and possibly our best player since Trappatoni took over. The form has been replicated in a United jersey as well. Another thing, he's an absolute gentleman.

[Charlie Darwin]

I don't really see how he's belittling Stoke. Objectively, they are streets behind Manchester United in almost every facet of play. I don't think it's particularly controversial to say that if he's going to force his way into the United team then he's less likely to do it is he's at a different club. And who's to say a year spent chasing the ball would benefit his overall game anyway? Darren Fletcher seems to have done alright without it.

[osarusan]

And who's to say a year spent chasing the ball would benefit his overall game anyway?

I think Gibson needs to look at Green and decide what Green brings to the table that Gibson doesn't that sees Green start ahead of him. If he can match Green's strengths, his undoubted superior creativity should see him start.

Now, it's obvious what Green brings to the game that Gibson doesn't - workrate and tackling. I don't know if Gibson can tackle, I just know that he doesn't do enough of it to get picked for Ireland. If he's serious about getting into the first XI, then he needs to add that element to his game, and I'd say he's more likely to do that at a club where they have less possession of the ball than Man United do, not least because he'd probably be on the pitch for longer.

[osarusan]

Irish Times has Trapattoni's comments on the issue.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...278513017.html

when Gibson’s quotes were read to Trapattoni at a press conference yesterday morning prior to his return to Italy, his tone was fairly scathing.

“I said before, he’s not my player, I’m not Ferguson,” he said. “But when a young player plays more games, in the first or second league, it increases their personality. It’s not a problem, though; if Gibson wants to stay in Manchester, let him stay in Manchester. It’s not my problem.

“I will continue to ask him but I think also it’s a question of whether he plays or doesn’t play. I cannot have seven or eight players who don’t play for their club. I can’t have such a situation.

“But the answer is that he must play. When he stays always on the bench, obviously he is not improving. Manchester is Manchester. There are players with great personalities who play. He must enter this group. Now, he doesn’t play or plays only sometimes because there are other great players but I think that at another club he plays all the time.

“It doesn’t matter whether it is Manchester or Juventus or Milan, when you stay at these great teams it is very important because you play in the league, in Europe . . . but if you stay in this club and play only a few times, you just stay with the shirt, then that is different.

“But I didn’t say whether he should stay or go. Just that if Gibson was at another club maybe he would play 90 minutes, 90 minutes, 90 minutes and he would grow more. He has football in his head and in his legs, it’s beautiful but if he doesn’t play . . .”

[Charlie Darwin]

I think Gibson needs to look at Green and decide what Green brings to the table that Gibson doesn't that sees Green start ahead of him. If he can match Green's strengths, his undoubted superior creativity should see him start.

Now, it's obvious what Green brings to the game that Gibson doesn't - workrate and tackling. I don't know if Gibson can tackle, I just know that he doesn't do enough of it to get picked for Ireland. If he's serious about getting into the first XI, then he needs to add that element to his game, and I'd say he's more likely to do that at a club where they have less possession of the ball than Man United do, not least because he'd probably be on the pitch for longer.

But there are only a handful of international games a year, whereas his club team plays once or twice a week - which side should he be aiming to break into? His role at United is unlikely to be in the Green/Whelan mold, but he does have a good chance to get in ahead of Carrick and Scholes after he retires. Going to Stoke on loan to learn how to close players down for 90 minutes might help his international prospects but it would almost certainly be his ticket out of Old Trafford for good.

[osarusan]

Absolutely agreed that if he wants to get into the Man United team regularly, he shouldn't be looking for a loan deal (at least not unless Ferguson sees the benefits of it for his club future), but I wonder does he fully realise that making the decision to focus on progress at club level may hinder his international progress. The comments attributed to him would suggest that he doesn't.

i think Trapattoni's point is that Gibson needs to be aware of what Trap wants to see from him in order to challenge for a starting position, and then it's up to Gibson to focus his career as he chooses.

[DannyInvincible]

I don't like Gibson, he always has a scowldy thick looking head on him. He seems to be a bit of a lazy b*stard on the pitch as well. There is always going to be a certain amount of embelishment on quotes in the tabloids, but if there's even a grain of truth in what he said, then he's a goon of the highest order, and as someone already said, has shown f-all awareness to the fact that two of his team-mates, ironically two rivals, play for the club he's alleged to have belittled.

That being said, and my petty hatred aside, I really hope he does get a decent career etched out for himself, as he is obviously talented and doesn't lack any of the self-confidence you need to survive in the pro game, never mind just at United. And if he does, well that will also benefit Ireland, and ultimately that's what it's all about.

There is no comparison to John O'Shea's career whatsoever. O'Shea was highly regarded for us all the way through the underage sides, and was very promising for united early on as well. His problem was that he never got a settled role in the second and third seasons after the breakthrough and thus had the crowd on his back. It took a long time for things to change. Something I'm full sure that isn't a coincidence is that O'Shea has been excellent, and possibly our best player since Trappatoni took over. The form has been replicated in a United jersey as well. Another thing, he's an absolute gentleman.

I can definitely relate to what you're saying. He does come across as a miserable sod with a bit of a poor attitude. Maybe that's a bit harsh on him, but it's just the impression his body language would give you. I was two years ahead of Gibson at St. Columb's College in Derry a few years back and I remember it must have been around the time when he went on trial with Manchester United, or else he had just signed, but an English teacher of mine, who had also been Gibson's form teacher told us he was one of the worst trouble-makers he'd ever encountered and that those running the college would be delighted to be seeing the back of him. I feel like I'm dishing the dirt on the guy now but this teacher was happy enough to share this with his classes, so it's not like it's a big secret or anything. Any time I've ever seen him out in Derry - about twice a few years ago - he's been sitting in a corner looking like he's in the middle of taking a huff. That appears to be his general demeanour, however. Don't think I've ever seen the guy smile. Whether that says something about his general attitude being poor or not, I dunno. Maybe. Of course, none of that takes away from the fact that he's quite obviously a very talented and technically-gifted footballer.

As for the alleged feud between Gibson and Trap, it's overblown and sensationalist nonsense. I see the Irish Times tries to maintain the farce by describing Trap's response as "scathing". Trap has categorically denied any disagreement, nor did he even suggest Gibson should leave United. Likewise, Gibson's bemused response to whoever fired the ill-informed question his way in the first instance was most likely more to do with him disbelieving or making a mockery of what the interviewer was alleging Trap to have said - because he probably knew that what he was being told was a load of hogwash anyway - rather than having a go at Trap personally.

[Charlie Darwin]

I think Ferguson and Solskjaer have talked a few times about how much self-confidence he has. He seems to be having a bit of a rough time of it at the moment and it's looked like it's taken its toll at times but realistically if he manages to become a regular at Old Trafford then he'll have little trouble getting into the Irish side. Trap might love Whelan/Andrews/Green's energy but I'm sure he'd love to have a midfielder who can do the same job by taking up the right defensive position rather than running himself into the ground.

I was two years ahead of Gibson at St. Columb's College in Derry a few years back and I remember it must have been around the time when he went on trial with Manchester United, or else he had just signed, but an English teacher of mine, who had also been Gibson's form teacher told us he was one of the worst trouble-makers he'd ever encountered and that those running the college would be delighted to be seeing the back of him. I feel like I'm dishing the dirt on the guy now but this teacher was happy enough to share this with his classes, so it's not like it's a big secret or anything. Any time I've ever seen him out in Derry - about twice a few years ago - he's been sitting in a corner looking like he's in the middle of taking a huff. That appears to be his general demeanour, however. Don't think I've ever seen the guy smile. Whether that says something about his general attitude being poor or not, I dunno. Maybe. Of course, none of that takes away from the fact that he's quite obviously a very talented and technically-gifted footballer.

Hmm, that's interesting. We do have this habit of producing moody, Manchester-bound midfielders, don't we?

[DannyInvincible]

Hmm, that's interesting. We do have this habit of producing moody, Manchester-bound midfielders, don't we?

The college gives out this 'alumnus illustrissimus' award on an annual basis that is reserved for past pupils who've stood out as having contributed something of major value or achieved something of significance in their respective fields. Former winners include the likes of Seamus Heaney, John Hume and Martin O'Neill, who even embarked on a law degree at Queen's University in Belfast before giving it up for a career as a professional footballer with Nottingham Forest. Anyway, it's always kind of amused me that, years down the line, if Gibson - the notorious bad egg - were to make it with United and Ireland, maybe even winning a European Cup or something like that along the way,* the college would, no doubt, have to wax lyrical about how valued a pupil he once was at St. Columb's. God forbid, he might even be bestowed with the aforementioned honour and set on the same pedestal as two Nobel laureates!

*Would a World Cup be stretching it?

[Charlie Darwin]

A World Cup might be pushing it a bit - sure he's not eligible to play for Northern Ireland anymore!

I'll bet Martin O'Neill was a handful at school too, though. Heaney and Hume strike me as nerds of the highest order, though there's always been a bit of mischief to Heaney's poetry.