Evans Above!

I dont know if it was Bolton fans being sarcastic or irritated United supporters, but the cries of Wheres Rio? and chants of Evans is rubbish! boomed out loud and clear at half-time on Sunday. Its one thing to be humiliated by Fernando TorresNemanja Vidic, Fabio Cannavaro, Rafa Marquez and Carlos Puyol can all take a number on that onebut Bobby Zamora and Kevin Davies? Just as Kenwyne Jones little pushing episode with Ben Foster proved to be the final fatal straw for his United career last season, Jonnys display of abject passivity in combat with the most limited striker in the premiership may prove fatal for both his career and our team. Of course, Kevin Davies, despite the limitations in his athletic abilities, has been playing in the premiership for a long time. Hes a clever lad and is always good at dancing along the line that line that skirts and flirts between gamesmanship and outright thuggery. The bottom line, however, is that if Jonny Evans cant hang in there with Kevin Davies then he may not belong in a United kit.

Defensive frailties are costing the club big. Dropped points away at Fulham, Everton and Bolton are one thing, but the two stupid goals we allowed at home to Liverpool were very sobering. Ive criticized Darren Fletcher over the years for a number of frailties in his game, but some of the cheap shots Ive read last week and this morning against him totally miss the mark. The kind of mistake that was made in the wall facing Stevie Gerrards free kick came about because of group disorganization. Attacking Fletcher for trying to adjust and recalibrate the defense on the fly is ridiculous. The two Liverpool goals were scored from dead balls because of mistimed tackles by Evans and OShea. Yesterdays Fletcher own goal from Petrovs shot came about because, again, Evra and Evans werent doing their jobs. Had Fletcher somehow miraculously managed to prevent Petrov from scoring, it sti! ll would nt have excused the defensive lines collective laxity in letting the Bulgarian midfielder romp. If anything, this accumulation of gaffes clearly weighs heavy on the minds of Vidic, Fletcher and Edwin Van der Sar, causing them to try to do too much to compensate, increasing Uniteds general vulnerability.

Clearly, Patrice Evra really is still suffering a World Cup hangover. The best left back in the world is having problems. Nevertheless, hes been an absolute inspiration for us over the past few seasons, and, although hes going through some hard times now, I believe a couple of weeks of R & R is a necessity. and that he will ultimately come back in his pomp

Johnny OShea is also definitely having problems. The ever-willing Irishman was a super sub in a number of positions for years. Far more than a water carrier, OShea stepped into an oft-injured Gary Nevilles right back role and performed credibly. The league in general, however, has adjusted to his lack of speed and inability to improvise. Although short, Rafael Da Silva is a far more technically gifted player and has waited patiently for his chance to play regularly. The Gaffer clearly has nightmares about his undisciplined display last season against Bayern Munich, but the truth is that he and his brother Fabio both deserve a chance to shine.

Johnny and Jonny are not small. Evans has been seen as heir apparent to both Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. 6 2 and brawny, Jonny is a big guy who grew up in Belfast. It is no exaggeration to say that schoolboy competition in Belfast is Darwinistic and mean. Injured a lot last season, Evans was forced to play hurt because Nemanja and Rio were in the wars even more. He is clearly not a crybaby in the Ben Foster mould. Unfortunately, Uniteds opponents have sussed the fact that he loses his concentration when he is harassed by other big players. Without losing sight of the fact that Evans is only 22 and that the pressure the lad is under in the greatest football league in the ! world is massive, the fact is that you dont play as many games as Jonny has for United without owning an awesome talent . Just as other managers have adjusted to him, Evans needs to rest, adjust, pump some iron and recalibrate his own game. Again, a good rest would be in order. Chris Smalling is definitely not ready to replace him, so the billion pound question is: How badly injured is our Rio? If and when the Peckham Kid can step back in to save the day, it may also be a career life saver for Jonny and a season saver for the club..

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