John Lundstram: An apology

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Nicolaus_Copernicus

Nicolaus_Copernicus

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I've been critical in the past, probably overly so, but by god today, he's rammed those words down my throat. He doesn't need my endorsement, but I'll praise where praise is due.

It's not an exaggeration to say that he was simply outstanding today and as good a total midfield performance as i've ever seen from a united midfielder.

He's a totally different player to last season and the season before. He had it all today, engine, goals, passing, desire and awareness from the 1st to the 91st minute.

Outstanding. I'm eating a lot of humble pie tonight. All night. 🥧
 

Have a like, not only for your honesty, but also for posting what I have been thinking this evening.
 
I just thought to myself what does Lundstram bring to this team, 30 seconds later he got the first. Oppps😄👀
 
I thought if there was one game he might not be as effective it was today where we’d have more of the ball. I was very wrong.
 
Nicolaus_Copernicus said:
I've been critical in the past, probably overly so, but by god today, he's rammed those words down my throat. He doesn't need my endorsement, but I'll praise where praise is due.

It's not an exaggeration to say that he was simply outstanding today and as good a total midfield performance as i've ever seen from a united midfielder.

He's a totally different player to last season and the season before. He had it all today, engine, goals, passing, desire and awareness from the 1st to the 91st minute.

Outstanding. I'm eating a lot of humble pie tonight. All night. 🥧
Click to expand...
That’s big of you, top man 👍🏼
 
I wouldn't say I'm apologising, because the product he was showing previous to this season was sub par - IMO at least.
This season though - different gravy.

I'm going to just repost what I said in the Lundstram's Transformation and give him a bigger plaudit than an 'apology' ever could - he is currently my player of the year.
This game is fooking mental. It really.


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"If we were still in the championship Lundstram would still be a bit part player at best because we'd still be playing with a man in behind the strikers - and we know full well he can't play the 'deep lying playmaker' role.
He is very much a box to box midfielder, and now he's playing as a box to box midfielder and he's flourishing - simple as that.

Crazy to be honest, the less than Championship proven bit part midfielder has turned into a pretty much Premier League proven box to box Premier League midfielder and undoubtedly the biggest winner of our promotion despite making about 5 starts in the campaign. Footy is fucking mental. "
 
All credit to the management team too for finding a role for him that plays to his strengths where he knows what he's doing. The flatter system has worked massively to his advantage so he can get forward more than before where he kind of floated about not knowing if he was coming or going
 

Nicolaus_Copernicus said:
I've been critical in the past, probably overly so, but by god today, he's rammed those words down my throat. He doesn't need my endorsement, but I'll praise where praise is due.

It's not an exaggeration to say that he was simply outstanding today and as good a total midfield performance as i've ever seen from a united midfielder.

He's a totally different player to last season and the season before. He had it all today, engine, goals, passing, desire and awareness from the 1st to the 91st minute.

Outstanding. I'm eating a lot of humble pie tonight. All night. 🥧
Click to expand...

Why do you need to apologise? Prior to this season he was crap. This season he's been brilliant. You've explained it yourself that he's a totally different player to before. Just say it as it is, there's not much else you can do. Lets hope he keeps it up and we're laughing all the way to Europe!
 
Suomi_Blade said:
Got to say I totally agree with the above, I still cant wrap my head around how good he is this season compared to the last 2. My minds still telling me he's no good, but evidence clearly points to the fact he's been awsome so far.

Fair play to the lad.
Click to expand...

I defended him a bit (not a lot) when he first got a run in the side. So much of that spell was more down to missing Duffy, having Evans, and trying to get him to play the Coutts role that wasn't really his. Technically I thought he was fine but his decision making really let him down as he tried to play Hollywood passes that never quite came off.

He can count himself as unlucky last season that we probably had the best midfield unit in the division and they all avoided injury and suspension for most of the campaign.

Even then, to go from that to playing clever backheels away at Wham and tearing apart Burnley in the Prem is a turn around I don't think anyone could have seen coming. The only criticism I can think of for him today is he should have completed his hat trick.
 
What was it - 90 minutes gone or something, Utd break & who’s killing himself to get into the Burnley box to try to get his hat-trick?
Yep - Lundstraminho!!!
He’s getting better & better & long may it continue.
 
Im still hanging on till we are safe from relegation! But i owe him a massive apology !
 
I think a regular problem in our fanbase is not necessarily calling crap performances crap, but more:
  • confirmation bias, where because people think Player X is crap they notice their mistakes relatively more than others
  • inability to consider the potential for players to improve substantially

The latter leads to people overrating declining popular players over those with the potential to grow. At some point towards the end of last season I suggested that Lundstram was a better option for the bench than Coutts, and then that Lundstram should be kept while Coutts released. This did not appear to be widely shared. Many in fact thought we should have done the reverse. Don’t get me wrong, I in no way whatsoever expected this sort of prominent role for Lundstram, but I did think he had the potential to improve.

Lundstram is currently the same age Stevens was when he was binned by Villa for not being good enough. Sometimes it takes players till their mid-20s to really kick on.
 
He's always been our best player technically since he's been at the club, with the possible exception of Coutts. The only thing in his game we are now seeing is an improvement in his fitness and mobility. The criticism in the past were baseless and should've been reserved for that fraud Lee Evans - a player Wilder mercifully fucked off sharpish. Anybody who couldn't see Lundstram's two footedness, excellent late runs in the box, and exceptional long range passing frankly know little about football.I remember people making similarly ludicrous criticisms of Coady under Weir, and Stevens under Wilder (post Coutts injury) and Maguire under various managers.
 

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