Darron Gibson’s very public argument with Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni over his role in the national team offers plenty of insight into the midfielder’s state of mind. Gibson says that he is not ready to step down a level to get more game time. The Italian coach, meanwhile, says that the Manchester United player must add to his game.
Perhaps each is right but Gibson is the party who stands to gain most from heeding the advice of a genuine coaching legend.
Turning 23 next month, Gibson is no longer the callow youth, although the player’s limited experience to date – just 21 starts with United – tells a slightly different story. But the player has enough attributes for United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to have fought to keep the Derry-born midfielder at the club when his contract ran out last summer.
After a mediocre spell on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers during the 2007/8 season, Gibson returned to Old Trafford making just nine starts the following season. Departure seemed inevitable until Ferguson’s late-summer intervention. Last season, 12 starts, with 23 games in all and five goals tells a story of some progression at least.
Some say it is time for the player to repay that faith at club and international level. Indeed, Gibson has reached a turning point in his career. Perhaps critical even. If the midfielder, who has built a reputation for spectacular long-range shooting, cannot make it at Old Trafford now, he may never do so.
Yet the month-long dispute with the Irish management offers some insight both into the player’s technical shortcomings and his state of mind. After all he is now on the sidelines for both club and country.
“Gibson is a young player but maybe he needs to improve more in terms of putting pressure on the opposition,” said Trappatoni’s assistant Marco Tardelli last month, who has picked the Irish team after his manager’s recent operation.
“It’s understandable why this is so because he plays for Manchester United and that’s different to playing for Stoke because you are attacking more whereas with Stoke, or a team outside the big four, you always have to put men under pressure to win possession.”
It’s a suggestion that summarises the core argument of Gibson’s critics. The midfielder, so say those most frustrated with him, is too flash, too young. Almost as if he has already bought into unjustified hype, based not on consistency of performance but isolated incidents of the spectacular that has masked failures in the mundane.
True, Gibson has already scored both the breathtaking and the important for United in his short career to date. None more so than the clean strike that put Ferguson’s team into the lead against Bayern Munich is last year’s Champions League quarter-final at Old Trafford. But the player’s inconsistent passing and first touch are matched by a casual approach that is rarely tolerated by the Old Trafford crowd.
“What I told him was that, for him, the action is not finished when he does not have the ball,” said Trapattoni yesterday.
“I told him that in this great team (United) it is not easy to play in this situation because he plays with ten great players and when these great players have the ball they play.
“He must ask for the ball, he must want the ball. That is important. He has to work to get the ball. He has fantastic vision and the long ball and he has a good personality with the ball.”
Roy Keane’s long-standing assertion that hard work comes first, then talent takes over is even more applicable to those on the team’s edge. Gibson should take heed.
Yet, Gibson’s dismissive reaction to legitimate criticism from Ireland’s team management has bordered on the arrogant and is unlikely to attract a positive response. It is not the first time that the midfielder has courted controversy.
“If Trapattoni wants me to move on from a club like Manchester United to better my game, move to somewhere like Stoke where I’ll get more games but have little chance of winning anything, then I just don’t know,” said Gibson.
“At what club, other than Manchester United, could I go to improve my game? To be honest, if he’s trying to say that I should move somewhere like Stoke City and change my game to winning tackles and not winning games, then he’s having a laugh.
“To move on from Manchester United just doesn’t make sense to me.”
It’s an attitude many United supporters will endorse. After all, they say the only way is down when a player leaves the club. But for Gibson, who is yet to make it in the game, his dismissal of advice from one of the world’s great coaches is a genuine concern.
He need not leave Old Trafford but Gibson must work harder at his game than those with greater natural talent. Perhaps Darren Fletcher’s is the example that the Irishman should follow most keenly. From pariah cruelly dubbed ‘The Scottish Player’ to, quite literally, United’s most important midfielder in 200 games.
Gibson could yet make it. Judging by recent comments, the only person holding him back is the midfielder himself.
Sounds to me like the press were the only people who suggested to Gibson that he leaves United when they interviewed him. Gibson was silly to rise to the bait. What should have been constructive criticism of his performances for a team not blessed with star players has now been spun up into a point of conflict by the press. Not an unusual scenario with United players and the press.
If those are his quotes then he is asking for trouble. Italian managers are typically disciplinarians.
A prolonged spell on the bench for club and country is likely. Ireland because of attitude not quality, but for United due to the extensive midfield resources that the club has. Scholes, Fletcher, Giggs, Carrick are all ahead of the Irishman for the 2 central midfield slots.
The only chance he has is if Fergie decides to revert to 4-5-1 more often. Gibson is a luxury player at the moment so is unlikely to be used in that formation away from home. The chances of playing in a 4-5-1 system at home are limited.
One more point here is the interesting process by which Gibson ended up playing for Southern Ireland and not the North. He was born in Derry (North) but used a FIFA loophole to declare for the south.
Gibson’s main problem is that he is far too slow. He can’t put pressure on the ball as once he is turned he can never catch up with his opponent. That and his passing.
He wants Gibson to grow a pair and involve himself more
We all do
Go on Gibbo. Tell those twats to shove it up their Arse.
United > Country.
Sure he needs some work but he’s still young, too young to give up on. He’s dedicated to United. That’s a beautiful thing.
a shitter version of fat fwank lumptard.
Fuck sake… what a stupid statement.
Anyway… Gibson won’t last at United… he’s not even as good as Flestcher, with only a fraction of Fletchers drive and application.
he offers more than fletcher does, he could do with working a bit harder, but not enough so he becomes a nothing runabouty player like fletcher is, he should concentrate more on passing better, he can pass though, and he’s a goalthreat, two reasons he should have a better future with us than taggarts son
If you listen to what his teammates say about in training, he’s technically very, very good and probably our second best passer (behind Scholes obviously)
He’s a proper footballer who dunt wanna do the boring stuff
For me he dunt do enough on the ball either. When he’s in possession he needs to think quicker, play it quicker, use his nogging more etc.
At 23 though it’s time
think carrick is best behind scholes but he like Gibson is suffering from “shit my pants” syndrome. like you say he lacks EPL speed which is why his goal threat is his long range shooting where he does not need to shift his arse. in terms of close ball technique I think he’s really shit and a bit clueless – which is the opposite of Anderson who has awesome close ball technique and instinctive speed but he has the brain of audley harrison which sort of ruins it really
nah, Fletch never ever goes missing in big games – proper destroyer of Fabregas, Gezza and Mongo Lampard
even worse, he goes missing against the riff raff when running after them isnt good enough because we’ve already got the ball, fucksake not the fletcher debate again
Basically he’s our 3rd midfield playmaker behind Scholes and Carrick. Fletcher, Anderson and Hargreaves are our engine boys.
Lol – hear what you are saying but the thought of Hargo being an “engine” – at the knackers yard maybe.
if being an ‘engine boy’ is the career anderson has to look forward to with us he should leave
Good article; if Gibson’s going to make it then now’s the time to step up and take his chances when they come; he’s tended to stand off the opposition a bit too much and he’s being challenged to put in a proper shift in midfield; if he doesn’t make it at United this season he might never make it!
Fucking, too right
Do people actually think Anderson is a destroyer type sit in front of the defence type Olofinjana type
Gibbo belongs here at United, already a good player and with more games he will improve. I dont give a damn what this italia prick thinks even do he is/was a good manager, the guy has back tracked anyway and claiming he didn’t say Gibbo have’s to leave United to improve his game. Darren Gibson is a good player and with time he will be better than the highly over-rated Lampard and Gerrard combined and probably even be as sound as the likes of Fletcher..
ffs this is blatant wumming, where’s pipey
So he can’t pass , can’t tackle and is slow. Sounds like a great prospect !
Bollocks… Gibson scored a few impressive long range goals… but he also took a fuck of a lot of wasteful shots… and fuck all else… And I don’t think he’s got hard graft in his locker.
Fletcher may have only score 5 goals last year, but he always pulled his weight, even in the biggest games… he never went missing… he had 8 assists, fourth after Valencia, Nani and Giggs.
Fletcher may not be the best player, but he’s honest as fuck, never gives anything but his best, and until we sign the next Scholes/Keane combo… it’ll have to be Scholes/Fletcher.
Gibson is very fucking arrogant, he did an interview recently with an Irish Sunday paper which was unbelievable. Can’t believe the muppett on this thread slating Fletcher. Please fuck off.
so…the dna results proved he has been sucking his dads cock then
Richardson used to score some spectacular goals too- it wasnt enough.
Anderson and Fletcher definitely have a role to play in an attacking sense, but the likes of Scholes, Carrick and Gibson will be the kind of players to distribute.
Anderson can definitely be in the Fletch mould, lots of energy and a real threat inside the box. The raw skills and physicality are there but he needs what Fletcher has in abundance – application.
Yep Scholes/Fletcher first choice CM with Ando, Carrick 2nd choice. Gibson 3rd string, with Hargo inj on the sidelines. Giggs to cover, Cleverley in the mix for CM and wing in 2011-12.
lol…..i was pissed and i get it too…lol…funny is I
I wonder how a Fletcher-Gibson midfield duo would fare. Home-produced, the combination will have lots of energy, drive, leadership, shooting ability, crossing expertise, and a solid foundation for years ahead.
What do you fellas think?
Gibson Fletch could be an interesting one for sure. If Fergie rotates the line up he could keep Gibson on the books. Scholes will only play 25 games max for 2 more seasons, so Gibson and Carrick will being fighting over the 35 or so games.
The Darren and Darron show!
no our future midfield is rodwell clev, or should be, gibson can play when we go five in midfield
Rodwell would be a good buy, but with the Glazers around those kind of purchases are less likely.
Especially as Rodwell would command a fee of about 20 mill.
That’s about 5 million too much for a player like him, and 10 million too much for United’s current transfer budgeting.
The mere fact that a donkey like Gibson gets featured while a skillful Brazilian in Anderson gets sidelined shows what a fucking joke Fergie is playing at.
if anderson used 25% of his talent he would blow Gibson apart – and that says more about how much he has let himself down than Gibson’s shortcomings
nevertheless point is that Fergus does not give a fuck about yooooooooooof