Danny Guthrie signed from Liverpool on 4 year deal

[Ashley17]

technically he is excellent, first touch, maneouvering around players, making space and short passing are all top, top class. he thrives in those quick games when he is getting closed down from all sides with players spinning off him, and in that sense he reminds me of Emre. But he does need to develop as a player as, though these aspects of his game are good, he doesnt really do anything with them. He lacks real vision, both passing out to the wings, threading a through-ball to a striker or wipping in a cross so his good passing isnt fully utilised. He doesnt have the pace or drive to dribble which means his touch is not taken advantage of and he doesnt really go for shots (apart from yesterday). if he can improve these aspects of his play over the next 3 or so years we'll have a really good player on our hands, someone who can dictate the tempo of a game by spreading the ball about who can also chip in with creativity in the final third, but he's not there yet.

 

as for defensive weaknesses - where do you start? Off the ball he is poor, his reading of the game is nothing special, his tackling is s***, and he is lightweight so lacks the ability to physically challenge others. most importantly for me he also lacks an engine - you wont see him boss a game and pop up everywhere winning the ball. not that important if he is paired with a physically imposing midfield destroyer but we don't have one atm.

 

Agree with all that except the engine bit. He must have some kind of engine to be the furthest forward supporting Shola on the counter in the 89th minute, considering we were 2-0 up away from home. He's not "hell for leather" though, which I think is probably what you were getting at.

[TRon]

I like this lad, he has a brilliant ability to keep the ball. He needs to find himself as a player though i.e turn into a real playmaker or learn to play the holding role. No player should go through his career just being good at "keeping the ball". 

 

When he signed I thought he was a tidy player and at the moment he's still that although improving. If he could add a few goals and assists to his game he'd be worth his weight in gold, but his all round game has gone up another level since he's been here.

[ChezGiven]

I like this lad, he has a brilliant ability to keep the ball. He needs to find himself as a player though i.e turn into a real playmaker or learn to play the holding role. No player should go through his career just being good at "keeping the ball". 

 

When he signed I thought he was a tidy player and at the moment he's still that although improving. If he could add a few goals and assists to his game he'd be worth his weight in gold, but his all round game has gone up another level since he's been here.

 

From the outset he has looked comfortable on the ball and i think its funny seeing posters who didnt give him the chance at first now picking holes in his game. Decent purchase and has always looked like it as he is composed on the ball and comfortable in possession, something our players have lacked more through confidence than ability in the last few seasons.

 

Yeah, plenty to improve upon but hes a player.

[johnnypd]

technically he is excellent, first touch, maneouvering around players, making space and short passing are all top, top class. he thrives in those quick games when he is getting closed down from all sides with players spinning off him, and in that sense he reminds me of Emre. But he does need to develop as a player as, though these aspects of his game are good, he doesnt really do anything with them. He lacks real vision, both passing out to the wings, threading a through-ball to a striker or wipping in a cross so his good passing isnt fully utilised. He doesnt have the pace or drive to dribble which means his touch is not taken advantage of and he doesnt really go for shots (apart from yesterday). if he can improve these aspects of his play over the next 3 or so years we'll have a really good player on our hands, someone who can dictate the tempo of a game by spreading the ball about who can also chip in with creativity in the final third, but he's not there yet.

 

as for defensive weaknesses - where do you start? Off the ball he is poor, his reading of the game is nothing special, his tackling is s***, and he is lightweight so lacks the ability to physically challenge others. most importantly for me he also lacks an engine - you wont see him boss a game and pop up everywhere winning the ball. not that important if he is paired with a physically imposing midfield destroyer but we don't have one atm.

 

Agree with all that except the engine bit. He must have some kind of engine to be the furthest forward supporting Shola on the counter in the 89th minute, considering we were 2-0 up away from home. He's not "hell for leather" though, which I think is probably what you were getting at.

 

yeah, that's what i was getting at. i dont think he has any problems in the stamina/fitness area, more about his general movement. he tends to play in a pretty confined space. this can be good, it means he holds his position and is usually available for a pass, but when he's alongside pensioners like geremi and butt i'd like to see him be a bit more 'busy'.

[Rich]

He seems to have a rather deceptive turn of pace at times too, and is capable of wriggling out of tight spots with his fleet-footedness, which is really impressive and something that Scott Parker used to excel at as well.

 

Given more experience the lad could develop into a very, very good player for us. At the minute he's above average, easily, but there's surely no reason from an ability/age perspective why he shouldn't push on and keep improving.

 

Let's not get carried away with him though and make him another victim of hype at SJP.

[themanupstairs]

He seems to have a rather deceptive turn of pace at times too, and is capable of wriggling out of tight spots with his fleet-footedness, which is really impressive and something that Scott Parker used to excel at as well.

 

Given more experience the lad could develop into a very, very good player for us. At the minute he's above average, easily, but there's surely no reason from an ability/age perspective why he shouldn't push on and keep improving.

 

Let's not get carried away with him though and make him another victim of hype at SJP.

 

The thing is, for me personally, he's already shown a great deal more than Jenas showed in his time here. Jenas had the technique and vision, but hardly ever applied himself. IMO Guthrie is the real deal in terms of application, and long may it continue to improve. The key is for the player not to believe his own hype and just get on with things.

[Rich]

He seems to have a rather deceptive turn of pace at times too, and is capable of wriggling out of tight spots with his fleet-footedness, which is really impressive and something that Scott Parker used to excel at as well.

 

Given more experience the lad could develop into a very, very good player for us. At the minute he's above average, easily, but there's surely no reason from an ability/age perspective why he shouldn't push on and keep improving.

 

Let's not get carried away with him though and make him another victim of hype at SJP.

 

The thing is, for me personally, he's already shown a great deal more than Jenas showed in his time here. Jenas had the technique and vision, but hardly ever applied himself. IMO Guthrie is the real deal in terms of application, and long may it continue to improve. The key is for the player not to believe his own hype and just get on with things.

 

My Jenas-loathing aside (which has subsided considerably, it must be said), I'm not sure Guthrie has quite yet matched what JJ did for us here just yet. He was very, very good at times and scored some hugely important goals.

[Lenny]

Jenas was very good in his first season for us. Just a shame that his career is pretty much living off the back of that.

[TRon]

He seems to have a rather deceptive turn of pace at times too, and is capable of wriggling out of tight spots with his fleet-footedness, which is really impressive and something that Scott Parker used to excel at as well.

 

Given more experience the lad could develop into a very, very good player for us. At the minute he's above average, easily, but there's surely no reason from an ability/age perspective why he shouldn't push on and keep improving.

 

Let's not get carried away with him though and make him another victim of hype at SJP.

 

The thing is, for me personally, he's already shown a great deal more than Jenas showed in his time here. Jenas had the technique and vision, but hardly ever applied himself. IMO Guthrie is the real deal in terms of application, and long may it continue to improve. The key is for the player not to believe his own hype and just get on with things.

 

My Jenas-loathing aside (which has subsided considerably, it must be said), I'm not sure Guthrie has quite yet matched what JJ did for us here just yet. He was very, very good at times and scored some hugely important goals.

 

I was always a big fan of Jenas, him and Dyer gave us a fantastically high powered engine room during our Champions league years. I don't think he has made the most of his ability though, either here or since he moved to Spurs. I'm not sure he's hungry enough to dominate games week in week out, and that's what Guthrie has to look to do.

[Zero]

Considering his cheap transfer fees (2m) I am hugely tempted to try other similar youth players who don't have chances to prove themselves in Big 4.

 

[Tooj]

He seems to have a rather deceptive turn of pace at times too, and is capable of wriggling out of tight spots with his fleet-footedness, which is really impressive and something that Scott Parker used to excel at as well.

 

Given more experience the lad could develop into a very, very good player for us. At the minute he's above average, easily, but there's surely no reason from an ability/age perspective why he shouldn't push on and keep improving.

 

Let's not get carried away with him though and make him another victim of hype at SJP.

 

The thing is, for me personally, he's already shown a great deal more than Jenas showed in his time here. Jenas had the technique and vision, but hardly ever applied himself. IMO Guthrie is the real deal in terms of application, and long may it continue to improve. The key is for the player not to believe his own hype and just get on with things.

 

My Jenas-loathing aside (which has subsided considerably, it must be said), I'm not sure Guthrie has quite yet matched what JJ did for us here just yet. He was very, very good at times and scored some hugely important goals.

 

I was always a big fan of Jenas, him and Dyer gave us a fantastically high powered engine room during our Champions league years. I don't think he has made the most of his ability though, either here or since he moved to Spurs. I'm not sure he's hungry enough to dominate games week in week out, and that's what Guthrie has to look to do.

 

I don't think he has the mentality to do so, something I remember SBR saying how he'd be fantastic in training then when it came to the crunch he never had the stomach or character to do so.

[Lenny]

He seems to have a rather deceptive turn of pace at times too, and is capable of wriggling out of tight spots with his fleet-footedness, which is really impressive and something that Scott Parker used to excel at as well.

 

Given more experience the lad could develop into a very, very good player for us. At the minute he's above average, easily, but there's surely no reason from an ability/age perspective why he shouldn't push on and keep improving.

 

Let's not get carried away with him though and make him another victim of hype at SJP.

 

The thing is, for me personally, he's already shown a great deal more than Jenas showed in his time here. Jenas had the technique and vision, but hardly ever applied himself. IMO Guthrie is the real deal in terms of application, and long may it continue to improve. The key is for the player not to believe his own hype and just get on with things.

 

My Jenas-loathing aside (which has subsided considerably, it must be said), I'm not sure Guthrie has quite yet matched what JJ did for us here just yet. He was very, very good at times and scored some hugely important goals.

 

I was always a big fan of Jenas, him and Dyer gave us a fantastically high powered engine room during our Champions league years. I don't think he has made the most of his ability though, either here or since he moved to Spurs. I'm not sure he's hungry enough to dominate games week in week out, and that's what Guthrie has to look to do.

 

I always thought Dyer ran himself into the ground by half time, particularly early on in his time with us. I wouldnt say he really had a big engine. Just uber quick!

[TRon]

He seems to have a rather deceptive turn of pace at times too, and is capable of wriggling out of tight spots with his fleet-footedness, which is really impressive and something that Scott Parker used to excel at as well.

 

Given more experience the lad could develop into a very, very good player for us. At the minute he's above average, easily, but there's surely no reason from an ability/age perspective why he shouldn't push on and keep improving.

 

Let's not get carried away with him though and make him another victim of hype at SJP.

 

The thing is, for me personally, he's already shown a great deal more than Jenas showed in his time here. Jenas had the technique and vision, but hardly ever applied himself. IMO Guthrie is the real deal in terms of application, and long may it continue to improve. The key is for the player not to believe his own hype and just get on with things.

 

My Jenas-loathing aside (which has subsided considerably, it must be said), I'm not sure Guthrie has quite yet matched what JJ did for us here just yet. He was very, very good at times and scored some hugely important goals.

 

I was always a big fan of Jenas, him and Dyer gave us a fantastically high powered engine room during our Champions league years. I don't think he has made the most of his ability though, either here or since he moved to Spurs. I'm not sure he's hungry enough to dominate games week in week out, and that's what Guthrie has to look to do.

 

I don't think he has the mentality to do so, something I remember SBR saying how he'd be fantastic in training then when it came to the crunch he never had the stomach or character to do so.

 

That was my suspicion as well, even when he was here. Ability wise he should be providing a lot more.

[Minhosa]

Considering his cheap transfer fees (2m) I am hugely tempted to try other similar youth players who don't have chances to prove themselves in Big 4.

 

 

If we could 'chance' five £2m purchases from the squads/reserves of the top four and only a few of them came off (Such as Guthrie, Larsson at Brum, Bentley for Blackburn etc) we'd be in a much better place.

 

I think that, coupled with buying plenty of juniors and a smattering of experienced players could be the recipe to take us up the league.

 

 

[Zero]

 

If we could 'chance' five £2m purchases from the squads/reserves of the top four and only a few of them came off (Such as Guthrie, Larsson at Brum, Bentley for Blackburn etc) we'd be in a much better place.

 

I think that, coupled with buying plenty of juniors and a smattering of experienced players could be the recipe to take us up the league.

 

Exactly.  IMO we should target Arsenal and Liverpool's youth players because these two clubs have very renouned junior development system while the youngsters have very limited chance in first team now - Liverpool doesn't rely on youth players anymore under Benitez while Arsenal is simply flooded with youth talents.

[johnnypd]

He seems to have a rather deceptive turn of pace at times too, and is capable of wriggling out of tight spots with his fleet-footedness, which is really impressive and something that Scott Parker used to excel at as well.

 

Given more experience the lad could develop into a very, very good player for us. At the minute he's above average, easily, but there's surely no reason from an ability/age perspective why he shouldn't push on and keep improving.

 

Let's not get carried away with him though and make him another victim of hype at SJP.

 

i think he's far better than parker at doing that! parker would have to spin round ten times to get some space and then pass it back to the centre-half.

[Skirge]

Calm and composed, keeps it simple never tries sily passes, reads the game well, this lad has a bright future..

[Rich]

He seems to have a rather deceptive turn of pace at times too, and is capable of wriggling out of tight spots with his fleet-footedness, which is really impressive and something that Scott Parker used to excel at as well.

 

Given more experience the lad could develop into a very, very good player for us. At the minute he's above average, easily, but there's surely no reason from an ability/age perspective why he shouldn't push on and keep improving.

 

Let's not get carried away with him though and make him another victim of hype at SJP.

 

i think he's far better than parker at doing that! parker would have to spin round ten times to get some space and then pass it back to the centre-half.

 

I think that's a huge overstatement.

 

I rarely saw him get tackled, not taking into account where/why he passed the ball. He was the best ball-retaining midfielder I've seen at the club, though he was hardly a risk-taker. He had the ability to swivel away from opponents while keeping the ball close-to-feet, much like I've seen Guthrie do on a few occasions.

 

Guthers is quicker across the ground, but his technique isn't as polished yet.

[fredbob]

as for defensive weaknesses - where do you start? Off the ball he is poor, his reading of the game is nothing special, his tackling is shit, and he is lightweight so lacks the ability to physically challenge others. most importantly for me he also lacks an engine - you wont see him boss a game and pop up everywhere winning the ball. not that important if he is paired with a physically imposing midfield destroyer but we don't have one atm.

 

Probably the exact oppoisite of what i saw, i actually thought that he had all of what you say he didnt, excet for a big tackle in him, i see him as an excellent option for dedicated holding midfielder.

[STM]

The difference between attacking and defensive midfielder is that i believe DM can be coached into players. The likes of Speed and Viera never started their careers as DM but both learned how to play the holding role with great effect. Attacking midfielders need to be able to pick a pass and shoot consistently, something i don't believe can be coached, or at least not as easily.

 

Guthrie has alot of the core attributes for a DM; good ball retention, disciplined movement and despite not being a hollywood tackler, he knows how to work the space and retain the ball. Like i have always said, senior players should be given the responsibilty to teach younsters like guthrie.

[Ronaldo]

The difference between attacking and defensive midfielder is that i believe DM can be coached into players. The likes of Speed and Viera never started their careers as DM but both learned how to play the holding role with great effect. Attacking midfielders need to be able to pick a pass and shoot consistently, something i don't believe can be coached, or at least not as easily.

 

Guthrie has alot of the core attributes for a DM; good ball retention, disciplined movement and despite not being a hollywood tackler, he knows how to work the space and retain the ball. Like i have always said, senior players should be given the responsibilty to teach younsters like guthrie.

 

to be fair though, whilst Speed wasn't a DM till his final few seasons with us, he was always a great tackler, as far back as Leeds

[fredbob]

The difference between attacking and defensive midfielder is that i believe DM can be coached into players. The likes of Speed and Viera never started their careers as DM but both learned how to play the holding role with great effect. Attacking midfielders need to be able to pick a pass and shoot consistently, something i don't believe can be coached, or at least not as easily.

 

Guthrie has alot of the core attributes for a DM; good ball retention, disciplined movement and despite not being a hollywood tackler, he knows how to work the space and retain the ball. Like i have always said, senior players should be given the responsibilty to teach younsters like guthrie.

 

Spot on, attacking play is so much more celrebral and intuitive, its all about interpretation of movement from other players and making a decision within seconds. I think you either have it or you dont, contrast that with defensive work and stuff like closing down players, finding good positions and hustling -players for posession is all replicable in a training scenario. You cant replaicates instances like a through ball in a training scenario.

 

Id really like to see Guthrie as a DM, i think he could be a star player for us. 

 

 

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

I don't really think Guthrie has the physicality to be a defensive midfielder. He's a player who can sit back, but he can't really tackle or get players off the ball.

[fredbob]

I don't really think Guthrie has the physicality to be a defensive midfielder. He's a player who can sit back, but he can't really tackle or get players off the ball.

 

Really? I've watched him knock a fair few players off the ball, I also cant remeber seeing the likes of Maschereano and Carrick being overly physical in their game. Keep an eye on the number of times you see him in defensive positions shaking players of the ball, its more than you relaise.

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

Mascherano isn't a physical monster, but he's a great tackler and tactically. I se we have different definitions of the role though. I don't think Carrick is a defensive midfielder and I don't think Man U play one. To me Carrick and Guthrie can definitely be great holding midfielders or the CM that sits further back in a 4-4-2. Guthrie definitely has the talent for that, yeah.